The 100th Regression of the Max-Level Player - RMLP Chapter 70: Orc Shaman (Part 1)
In the midst of anticipation, the group of five men stood watch, waiting for Black Scythe to vacate his post.
“Hold on a second. Why is Black Scythe heading into the house?” one of them remarked.
“Until now, it’s been only the woman going in there,” another chimed in.
“Is he planning to lure the orcs in himself this time?” wondered yet another.
“But why is that woman leaving her spot?” someone else inquired, their faces etched with bewilderment.
At that moment, their eyes were fixed on the scene before them, brimming with incomprehension.
Creak…
A door shattering signaled the emergence of Black Scythe from the building.
“What’s going on? Black Scythe is being chased by orcs!” exclaimed one of the onlookers.
“Does that even make sense? The infamous Black Scythe is fleeing?” another questioned, disbelief in their voice.
After all, they had witnessed him sever orc limbs numerous times. He was certainly no ordinary individual; the idea of him fearing ten orcs was preposterous.
“Wait a moment. Who’s that monster chasing him from behind?” someone wondered aloud.
“The one with the staff?” another queried.
“Doesn’t he look over 2 meters tall?” observed yet another.
“He appears larger than the other orcs. Could he be the boss?” suggested someone else.
“The boss?” The contrast in his attire and stature compared to regular orcs was striking. Moreover, seasoned gamers could likely speculate on the kind of skills he might employ.
“Could it be that he’s not regenerating orcs but summoning them?” someone ventured.
As fate would have it, that was precisely the case. The boss, summoning an additional ten orcs, had encircled Black Scythe.
Clang, clang!
Twenty orcish figures relentlessly swung their axes, and amidst them, Black Scythe danced nimbly.
“This is insane! Can he dodge all of that?” one of the men exclaimed.
“Wow… he’s a monster,” another muttered in awe.
While some were taken aback by Black Scythe’s agility, others seized the opportunity presented.
“Listen, everyone. This isn’t the time to be standing here idle,” someone declared.
“Why’s that?” came the puzzled response.
“It’s that monster there, who we suspect is the boss. He’s completely defenseless.”
“Oh, really?”
The orc shaman’s attention was solely focused on Black Scythe, making him oblivious to their presence.
“If we can sneak past the orcs and strike him from behind, we might be able to steal from the boss.”
“…”
“What’s our move, then? Do we go for the steal?” someone asked.
“Well…”
“This is our chance. Make a quick decision,” urged another.
“But what if Black Scythe catches us in the act?”
“He won’t notice. He’s too busy with the orcs right now.”
Indeed, there was no possible way to break through the orcish ranks and attack the boss. If it had been possible, Black Scythe would have done it already.
“If he asks us why we stole his kill later, we can simply claim it was to rescue them because it looked perilous.”
“Oh, that might work?”
“What do you say? Want to join the heist?” someone proposed.
“I’m in.”
“Count me in too.”
With unanimous consent, the group quietly advanced toward the orc shaman from behind, much like skilled burglars.
Unaware, the shaman remained fixated on Black Scythe.
“All right, on the count of three…”
“Okay.”
They exchanged subtle nods and readied their weapons.
“One, two…”
Just as they were about to launch their assault on the orc shaman…
“Three…”
Darkness suddenly enshrouded their vision.
“What the…?”
“What’s happening?”
In their confusion, they involuntarily let out startled gasps.
“Ugh!”
The group hastily attempted to cover their mouths, but the orc shaman had already detected the presence of an enemy behind him and distanced himself.
“Roar? Roarrrrr!”
Was it anger at nearly falling victim to an ambush?
The orc shaman, who had been bellowing loudly, raised his staff high.
Tsssssh…
As the darkness lifted, they beheld the scene before them. The orcs that had surrounded Black Scythe had been summoned right in front of their eyes.
“Ah!”
“Damn it, we’re in trouble…”
Surrounded by twenty orcs with no room to maneuver.
“Roar! Rooooar!”
Following their master’s command, the orcs simultaneously swung their axes.
Thunk, thunk! Thunk, thunk, thunk!
Dull thuds echoed.
“Save us! Ugh!”
“Ugh!”
Brief cries were heard.
Sounds of something being crushed and shattered also reached the ears.
Unlike Black Scythe, the men had no skill to fend off the simultaneous axe attacks of twenty orcs.
To make matters worse, they had already struggled against just five orcs.
* * *
Though the orcs had vanished abruptly, Ryu Min remained unfazed.
In fact, he seemed to have anticipated this turn of events, his gaze trained on the direction the orcs had moved.
It was painfully obvious who had been just killed.
The group of five men who had been watching him and Min Juri intently.
‘It seems they attempted to steal the orc shaman from me and got caught in the end,’ Ryu Min thought to himself, deliberately luring the orc shaman out of the hut.
He could have killed them inside the house, but for the sake of the test, he pretended to be chased by orcs.
And he lured the five of them while defending against the attacks of twenty orcs.
‘Would they really aim for the orc shaman? Or not?’
It was a kind of test of character.
To see if they would seize the opportunity to steal the orc shaman when he was in danger.
The result?
As expected.
“Of course. It seemed likely that they would go after the shaman.”
Their behavior fell squarely within the expected range of character.
“The price for failing the test was death.”
At the moment when they were trying to ambush the orc shaman, he cast the spell of the Night of Death.
As night fell, the aggro of the orc shaman shifted to the five men.
As a result, without exception, they became minced meat.
No sympathy was felt.
They were individuals who had taken advantage of someone else’s life to benefit themselves.
“If they hadn’t been so greedy, they might have survived.”
He had undoubtedly given them a chance.
A chance to live.
The choice of death was entirely theirs.
Ryu Min, carrying his scythe, walked casually.
“Roar? Roarrrrr!”
The orc shaman spotted him and raised his staff.
The orcs rushed at him, wielding their axes.
However…
Sweeoosh!