Chapter 130…
Boom— boom— boom—
The thunder of war drums shook the earth.
Red orcs and ash-gray orcs.
The two factions collided in the middle of the vast battlefield.
“Smash their shields!”
“Kraaaa!”
“Drink their blood!”
Swords battered shields, and axes tore through flesh.
Blood sprayed, screams burst forth, and war cries echoed.
The sight of thousands of orcs entangled in combat was nothing short of hell on earth.
“……”
And yet, even amid that chaos, I fixed my gaze on just one place.
At the center of the ash-gray orc formation—on the broad shoulder of their massive High Chieftain—a girl was slowly descending.
‘Rin….’
Silver hair scattered in the wind.
A twisted smile still hung on her doll-like face.
The moment she set foot on the ground, the ash-gray orc High Chieftain began to stride forward.
A hulking figure, at least a head taller than Durmak of the red orcs.
The war axe in his hand radiated an indescribable bloodlust.
“Durmak! Come out! Let us drink blood together!”
Each of the chieftain’s steps shook the ground.
Even orcs deeply engrossed in battle flinched unconsciously at that overwhelming presence.
“Kuahaha! Morduk! Today I’ll chew on your flesh!”
Durmak, standing beside me, raised his mace high and laughed.
His eyes were brimming with fighting spirit.
Though he had submitted to me, his pride as a warrior was still very much alive.
Just as Durmak was about to stride forward, I calmly called his name.
“Durmak.”
“……?”
He halted and looked down at me, his eyes full of questions.
I slowly shook my head.
“You don’t need to step in.”
“But—!”
“If you go out like that, you’ll die.”
At my words, Durmak’s expression stiffened.
He shifted his gaze to look down at his own body.
Wounds from our earlier clash covered him.
Though his orcish regeneration had healed him somewhat, it was far from complete.
Especially the arrow wounds in his thigh and behind his knee—blood was still flowing heavily.
Grit.
Durmak ground his teeth, unable to hide his frustration.
But in the end, he obeyed my order and stepped back.
From the moment he acknowledged defeat, he had become a warrior under my command.
‘Good. That guy’s experience points are ours.’
I took two biscuits from my pocket.
Hard-looking military rations wrapped in bloodstained packaging.
Bought on the black market for four thousand coins—Battlefield Biscuits.
“Gary. Freki.”
At my call, the two wolves lifted their heads.
They were already in a combat-ready stance.
Blue fur and red fur fluttered in the wind.
I tossed one biscuit to each of them.
“Eat.”
Crunch— crunch—
Gary and Freki snapped the biscuits up without hesitation and bit down. The hard rations shattered and slid down their throats.
And not long after—
“……!”
Kuuuuung—
Black energy began to pour out of the two wolves’ bodies.
Ding!
[The effect of ‘Battlefield Biscuit’ is activated.]
[Gary and Freki fall into ‘Berserk’.]
[Duration: 4 minutes]
“Grrrrr….”
Freki changed first.
His red mane flared up violently in an instant.
Uncontrolled flames engulfed his body, his muscles swelling as his frame expanded two to three times its size.
Through the cracks in his skin, a magma-like glow leaked out.
The flames surged upward against gravity, and the air around him shimmered like a mirage.
“Awooooo—!”
Gary began his mutation as well.
Frost burst out from between his blue fur, ice crystals sprouting like spikes and covering his entire body.
With every step he took, blue cold mist rose like smoke.
“……”
“……”
The two surveyed their surroundings with eyes that craved only destruction and slaughter, as if they might leap out at any moment.
I needed to rein them in quickly.
‘Now it’s my turn.’
I slowly drew in a breath and sank my consciousness inward.
Then I gently touched something I would normally never disturb.
‘Just a little… just loosen it a bit.’
The skill, Blood Resonance.
I slightly released its suppression.
Something that had been lying dormant inside me began to reveal its true nature.
Madness. Chaos. A craving for destruction.
Slowly—but unmistakably—they began to rise.
Ding!
[Your affinity with the ‘Beasts’ bound to you by fate has exceeded the limit!]
In that instant, the world began to look different.
My five senses sharpened to the extreme, and everything became vividly clear.
Within those razor-sharp nerves, something began to whisper.
Kill. Tear. Destroy.
But I ignored the voice.
I couldn’t fall completely into madness—only up to the edge.
Maintain reason while drawing out as much power as possible.
That was my mission right now.
‘…That’s enough.’
The corners of my mouth lifted on their own.
Not like before, but this was sufficient.
More than enough to reclaim that title—
Beast Tamer.
“Guys.”
I called Gary and Freki and jerked my chin.
They reacted instantly.
The two wolves, transformed into monsters, charged simultaneously toward Morduk, the ash-gray orc High Chieftain.
“Grrrrrr!”
Freki arrived first.
A massive forepaw engulfed in flames slammed into the chieftain’s chest.
KWAANG!
With a thunderous roar, the chieftain’s armor was torn apart.
Yet he did not fall.
Instead, he laughed wildly and pushed forward.
“Kuahaha! With just this—”
At that moment, Gary joined from the side.
Sharp, icy fangs sank into the chieftain’s arm.
Crack—!
The sound of flesh freezing solid rang out.
“You filthy vermin!”
Morduk roared and swung his axe.
A blow aimed at Gary’s side.
But Gary paid it no mind, biting down even more relentlessly on the chieftain’s arm.
Because he trusted his brother.
“Graaah!”
“…!?”
Freki struck Morduk’s leg again with his forepaw.
Crack!—with the sound of a thigh bone snapping, the chieftain staggered.
“Guhhh….”
At last, Morduk dropped to one knee.
Pain and fury were mixed in his eyes.
But it wasn’t over yet.
Gary shifted his target from Morduk’s arm to the back of his neck.
“Crunch!”
“Ghh— you bastard!”
A breath of extreme cold burst forth.
Ice spread from the chieftain’s neck to his chest, then up to his head.
The shadow of death flickered in his eyes.
“If I die, I’ll take you with me!”
Morduk unleashed his final struggle.
With Gary still hanging from him, he brought his axe down with all his might toward Freki’s head.
But his muscles stiffened with cold faster than the axe could fall.
“Graaaargh!”
Freki easily dodged the slowing strike and smashed Morduk’s head.
“Even if I die, for Lady Rin’s—!”
The chieftain’s head was torn off and flew like a cannonball.
Thud—
The massive body collapsed to the ground.
Dust billowed upward.
“……”
“……”
“……”
The battlefield fell silent for a moment.
Everyone stared blankly at the scene.
The ash-gray orcs’ High Chieftain had been trampled to death in just a few exchanges.
‘Yes. This is it.’
I nodded in satisfaction.
As expected, Gary and Freki as monsters were on an entirely different level.
Right on cue, the black energy began to drain from their bodies.
[The duration of ‘Battlefield Biscuit’ has expired.]
[Gary and Freki regain their sanity.]
The flames died out, and the icy spikes vanished.
Their bodies slowly shrank back to their original size.
The berserk state had ended.
Before long, they returned to the form of ordinary wolves.
“Huff… huff….”
Gary and Freki panted heavily.
They looked exhausted, but their eyes were still sharp.
“Good work, guys.”
I stepped closer and stroked their heads.
At that moment, light spilled out from both of them along with a notification.
Ding!
[Gary and Freki’s levels increase by 7.]
[All stats increase.]
[Both beasts successfully surpass Lv. 100!]
‘Finally…!’
They had crossed level 100.
When we cleared the Orange Gate, the two had been level 83.
After that, they’d steadily climbed to around level 90—and this battle became the springboard that pushed them beyond.
‘Then that means…?’
Just as level 100 is a wall for players, the same applies to beasts.
The moment they cross it, they become real.
Which meant the moment I had been waiting for had finally arrived.
Ding!
[Beast ‘Gary’ has fully assimilated the ‘Eye of the Moon’!]
[Beast ‘Freki’ has fully assimilated the ‘Eye of the Sun’!]
[Conditions fulfilled!]
[Gary and Freki begin evolution!]
The light leaking from their bodies intensified, eventually covering their forms completely.
Blue light and red light enveloped them respectively.
The light, fully covering them, began to condense.
“……!”
It took on a round shape—like an egg.
Before long, two enormous eggs lay before me.
It seemed they would need time to evolve.
‘Can’t be helped.’
I’d have to fight for a while without them.
But that was fine.
Because at this moment, something else was more important.
“Kuahaha!”
“The ash-gray orcs’ High Chieftain is dead! Our High Chieftain has won!”
The red orcs erupted into cheers.
The death of Morduk sent our side’s morale soaring.
As for the ash-gray orcs…
‘…No change.’
They resumed fighting with hollow eyes.
Even with their High Chieftain dead, their morale hadn’t dropped at all.
No—morale had never existed for them in the first place.
Only fanaticism drove them.
The blind faith in Palsphera that Rin had planted within them.
That was their true center.
‘Then I’ll drive the final nail in.’
A shattered ring appeared above my head.
A circular band made of fragments.
The Halo of Scars.
Ding!
[Relic ‘Halo of Scars’ is activated.]
[Charging begins.]
The halo began to glow red.
That light spread in all directions, enveloping the elite orcs of our formation.
Black energy poured out of their bodies.
Hundreds—thousands—of black strands stretched toward the halo.
“Grrk…?”
“W-what is this?!”
The orcs were momentarily confused, but soon realized—
Their wounds were healing.
Large and small injuries from battle were rapidly recovering.
Hisssss—
The halo shone brighter and brighter.
It was greedily devouring wounds.
Feeding on the orcs’ pain and injuries to charge its power.
“Kuahaha! My wounds are healing! Strength is overflowing!”
“Victory! Victory!”
The red orcs roared in celebration.
Durmak’s reaction, in particular, was spectacular.
His body, which had been covered in wounds moments ago, was now fully restored.
The arrow wounds in his thigh and knee, the bruises on his side—everything was gone.
“Kuahahaha! Is this the power of the High Chieftain?!”
Durmak roared as he raised his mace high.
In response to that roar, the entire red orc formation surged forward.
Fully restored bodies, soaring morale, and Durmak—the former High Chieftain—leading the charge.
All of it combined, and the red orcs became a massive crimson tide that crashed into the ash-gray orcs.
“Kill them!”
“Drink their blood!”
KWAaaang!
The red orcs began to push the enemy line back.
The ash-gray orcs fought back as if throwing away their lives, but the outcome was already decided.
They had lost their High Chieftain, while the enemy was fully recovered.
No amount of fanaticism could overcome such a physical gap in power.
“Ghk!”
“Aaagh!”
Slash— thud—
One by one, the ash-gray orcs fell.
The front line began to collapse rapidly.
Victory was now only a matter of time.
‘If you’ve got a hidden card, play it now.’
I looked beyond the battlefield, toward where Rin was standing.
She was still there.
But now, her face no longer held a smile.
Only twisted rage remained.
