Chapter 26
A Human’s Duty (3)
5.
When running through the Abyss, old memories keep coming back.
Like that time I climbed the Millennial Snow Mountain on the northern edge of Avalon’s eastern continent.
Back then, I climbed it swearing I’d tear apart the ice dragon that had made a pact with demons. Compared to that, this is nothing more than a little neighborhood hill.
No cliffs. No ice dragon guardians.
Ah, right. There were a few orcs.
-Wait, that’s him without using a skill?
-Stop trolling.
-How can a human move this fast?
-Fake, fake, fake.
-It’s not that Megod is fast. Megod has simply stopped the flow of time.
-So this is why players aren’t allowed in the Olympics?
-LMAO, even for a player this speed doesn’t make sense.
That’s the reaction.
Good. Doubt me all you want.
This is how things pile up and go viral.
If I only had fanboys who worshipped me, I could never become a superstar.
The more fans and haters fight and make noise, the more it all becomes free marketing and promotion.
KWAJIIIJIK—!
[You have slain <Orc Archer LV. 35>.]
[Transcendence EXP has increased.]
“Oh man, didn’t see you there. My bad.”
Guess one of those fleeing orc archers just happened to be in my way while I was sprinting.
I thought I stepped on a leaf, but apparently not.
“Life is precious, everyone.”
-…out of nowhere?
-Classic Megod line.
-Habitual line.
-Not gonna lie, I’m starting to get used to it.
-Did he just step on something? Heard a crunch.
-Maybe he stepped on an acorn or something.
Well, of course the lives of evil monsters don’t matter.
Still, I can’t help but wonder.
Are all lifeforms in the Abyss enemies? Is there truly not a single friendly being here?
Maybe players just haven’t discovered them yet.
After all, plenty of upper floors are still unexplored.
‘Ah, not the time for daydreaming.’
I glanced at the timer I’d pinned at the top of my vision.
3 minutes 30 seconds left.
“Oh, there it is.”
In the distance, I spotted structures different from what I’d seen so far.
Two decently built towers that looked like watchtowers, a palisade, and even a crude stone wall.
“There’s no way that was built overnight.”
Didn’t they say areas reset five minutes after a subjugation quest ended?
That kind of miracle is only possible with copy-paste powers.
Still, for what it was, the fortress actually looked pretty sturdy.
BWOOOOOO—!
Orcs blew warhorns to rally their forces. Dozens of archers appeared on the walls, aiming their bows at me.
…This is supposed to be a five-man difficulty?
No way.
-For god’s sake, read the guide!
-Who goes through the front gate? There’s a shortcut at the back.
-Wasn’t the quest designed for a stealthy rear infiltration?
-This isn’t just “no guide.” This is brainless.
-Didn’t someone try to make “front gate clear” a content thing and the Ability Control Department banned it?
The quest changed?
No way.
[The contents of your Subjugation Quest have changed. Please check.]
[Subjugation Quest branch altered…]
[Quest has been upgraded to an Achievement Quest.]
[Achievement Quest: Break through the fortress wall and completely annihilate the orc settlement!
This quest is classified as an Achievement Quest. If successfully cleared, you will receive massive rewards along with the special title <Despair of the Greenskins>!]
“…Huh?”
It’s real.
I must’ve missed the notification while bantering with chat.
Not my fault.
I did say from the start I didn’t know the guide. Not my fault, which means obviously…
“Isn’t it your job to tell me earlier?”
-Blame mode ON.
-LMAO, this guy’s unbelievable.
-Yup, he’s Korean alright!
-Whatever, guess it’s not his fault.
Yeah. This is on the viewers for not telling me.
Who knew muting the donation alerts for immersion would come back to bite me?
Still—actually, this is even better.
Now it’s special.
Time left: 2 minutes 40 seconds.
20 seconds to break through the wall, 1 minute 30 seconds to take down the orc warlock and warlord, and 50 seconds left over for some solid teabagging.
Would’ve been flashier to blast through with magic, but I’m a man who keeps promises to his viewers.
PABABABABAK—!
BWOOOONG—!
The moment I charged the fortress, the orcs rained ranged weapons on me.
Axes, arrows, spears—rusty and poorly kept, but all hurled my way.
Should’ve gotten a tetanus shot before coming here?
“Alright, class is in session. Today’s lesson: how to break a fortress wall.”
Of course, none of their weapons could pierce my hardened skin.
[Unique Trait <Skill Archive – Warrior Zerach> in effect.]
[Passive Skill <Immune to All Ailments> active.]
Passives don’t count as using skills, right? So, not my fault.
Having fought in countless sieges back in Avalon, I was more than confident in fortress-breaking.
Call me the world’s best siege instructor.
“Watch closely. See how there’s a gate in the wall?”
-Humans breathe.
-Throw a ball, it falls down.
-Why is he explaining the obvious? Unsubscribed, goodbye.
-Wait, wait, Megod always pulls something.
-Kinda curious what creative trick he’ll show.
The orc gate was reinforced with iron plating and cursed with dark magic.
No wonder second-floor players can’t get through—it’s designed to be impossible.
But the method is actually simple.
“You just ram it with your body.”
KWAANG—!
CRAAAASH—!
The gate and its hinges shattered cleanly, revealing the fortress interior.
I dusted off my shoulders and grinned.
“A body honed to extremes is indistinguishable from a battering ram. Write that down, students.”
Damn. My genius siege-breaking technique got exposed on stream.
Oh well.
That’s a streamer’s fate.
-Excuse me?
-????????
-LOOOOOOL
-Didn’t that sound like a bomb just went off?
-And you’re saying that wasn’t a skill??
-Even if it was, it still wouldn’t make sense!
-Professor, it’s not that your pacing’s fast, it’s that your pacing’s absolute garbage LMAO.
Alright. Let’s head in.
6.
With 2 minutes left, I ignored the orcs on the wall and dashed straight inside.
Props to the drone cam—it was really keeping up with me.
Even at this ridiculous speed?
“Not bad.”
The inside wasn’t much different from a forward operating base.
Typical brutish architecture from orcs—ugly, bulky buildings.
Still, one thing stood out:
[Boss 1 <Orc Warlord Karakchwi> greets you.]
[Boss 2 <Orc Warlock Juldan> greets you!]
Unlike mid-bosses, these two didn’t run.
But wait—two bosses?
So the warlock counts as a boss too?
And they’d even prepared quite the welcoming party.
Two hulking undead golems stitched together from orc corpses blocked the gate.
Brutal visuals.
-Why’s it censored all of a sudden?
-Means it’s too grotesque.
-Undead stuff always messes up streams.
-Kinda frustrating though.
-At least the warlord’s visible.
-Weird that the warlock’s sticking close to him.
-Feels like I haven’t seen an orc warlock fight on stream in forever.
-Still sure this is only floor 2?
Special enemies just mean special rewards.
Nothing more, nothing less.
KWOOUUUUUHH—!
The orc warlord—much larger than the others, though not as huge as those grotesque flesh golems—let out a bellow and stomped the ground.
All the orcs I’d passed echoed his cry.
KWAOUUHH—!
WROOOOOOHHH—!
Damn, their lungs are powerful.
The whole mountain shook from their warcries.
They’d make great human alarm clocks.
I scanned the field.
In a many-vs-one fight, priority targets come first. And the most troublesome enemy here is obvious—
That hunched, red-eyed orc warlock, looking straight out of a certain famous MMORPG.
“…Am I the only one worried about copyright?”
Chat had the same thought.
-Yeah, looks kinda similar.
-Do you guys even know that legendary game? The textbook of MMORPGs, with such a long history—
-Here we go, boomers getting hyped again.
-What game?
-It’s real.
While I was thinking, another 10 seconds ticked away.
Can’t waste time chatting.
First priority: the warlock.
Taking out the backline first isn’t just standard—it’s classic.
TAP.
I couldn’t use Divine Punishment, so I lunged forward with pure momentum.
The two flesh golems tried to grab me, but their hulking speed could never catch me.
KWAANG—!
“Ghhk—!”
Guess I’ve relied on skills too much lately.
Aimed to crush his head, but my fist veered slightly off.
He lived—but his left shoulder was mangled beyond recognition.
Fighting necromancers is simple: just kill the necromancer.
Rare mob? Dangerous?
Please. To me he’s just another bug to squash.
The warlock stared at me in shock, muttering something in his language.
Probably something like, This wasn’t our fate…
KRAK—!
I stomped his head flat without hesitation, then turned toward the warlord.
[Timer: 1 minute 20 seconds remaining.]
Plenty of time.
Maybe I should get back to basics and fight without relying on skills.
A little brawl with the warlord will make for better footage anyway.
“KRAV!”
The warlord roared, swinging a massive axe vertically.
Unlike the others, his weapon was sharp, forged from decent metal.
But ultimately—
“Too slow.”
I could see the whole swing.
Maybe he put his all into it, but I’ve survived far worse than this.
THUUD—!
I sidestepped and drove a punch into his exposed ribs.
CRUNCH—!
His heavy armor crumpled like paper, blood spewing from his mouth.
The old man who first taught me combat once said:
“Fighting isn’t complicated. Dodge or block, then hit harder.”
[<Orc Warlord Karakchwi> has entered <Berserk> state!]
-He went berserk after just one hit?!
-And this is without using skills??
-Didn’t he one-shot an elite Red Drake too? At this point, yeah, he’s really not using skills.
As I glanced at chat, the staggering warlord roared again and swung his axe with newfound speed.
Much faster than five seconds ago.
THUUD!
THUUD!
Haven’t had a good workout in a while—this felt great.
So I let him swing, dodging every strike without countering.
Viewers must be loving this “intense” fight—
-Insane reaction speed.
-How’s he even seeing this?
-No way anyone could replicate this, even as a challenge.
-Challenge (failure = death).
-Bro’s moving like a wuxia master.
-Megod’s doing WWE while the warlord’s trying UFC LMAO.
…Or maybe not.
Guess I’ll have to act it up more.
“With my skills sealed… this fight isn’t easy!”
-Bruh, you literally just killed the warlock.
-Why do you always force these weird gimmicks… you fight well but your acting SUCKS.
-Stop acting, you have no talent for it.
-Look at this guy gritting his teeth to roleplay LMAO.
“I’m not acting, damn it!”
KWAANG—!
Oops. Slipped and used too much force.
One punch and his entire right arm flew off.
Blood gushed, though on stream it probably just looked like white fluid.
Great. Now chat’s starting to pity the warlord.
-We’re sorry, orc.
-Let’s just let him go in peace…
-Has a monster ever looked this pitiful on an Abyss stream?
-Just hurry upstairs already.
-At least Megod makes fights fun—if it’s one-sided, he’ll turn it into WWE.
-This warlord was supposed to be top 5 most dangerous on floor 2, right?
-Yeah, but his opponent is basically a meteor.
-Megem.
-Megem.
I scanned the chat and sighed deeply. Then I told the warlord:
“I’ll only hit you three more times. Come on, you’re a boss. If you can’t even take that, what kind of orc are you? Orcs these days have no grit. Back in my day…”
Then I swung exactly three punches.
[You have slain <Orc Warlord Karakchwi>!]
[Achievement Quest complete.]
[You have obtained the special title <Despair of the Greenskins>!]
[You gained Transcendence EXP!]
After a grueling battle, I emerged victorious.
…God, I’m pissed.
Nothing on this stream ever goes the way I want.
Guess I’ll just climb to the higher floors as fast as possible. Tch.
