I Obtained Sword God Level Talent

3 – 003. Sword’s Edge (3)

I charged towards the orcs like a lightning bolt and immediately launched my attack.

*Swhish!*

“Chweeekkk!”

And I sliced a long gash across the abdomen of one orc. He screamed, stumbled back a few steps, and then collapsed, spilling his intestines as life left him.

*Thud!*

“Chweeek!”

Even though a comrade had lost his life in vain, their attack continued relentlessly. This time, three or four orcs rushed in, surrounding me on all sides.

*Whoosh!*

I quickly ducked my head, avoiding the axe. Then, fluidly and naturally, I shifted my body into an open space, delivering a sword strike.

*Shhk!* *Shhkk!*

“Tchick!”

The power of my newly acquired sword was as formidable as I’d expected. Like slicing through tofu, it tore through the thick hide of the red orc, causing massive bleeding.

*Swhiish!* *Thwack!*

A follow-up thrust. That simple motion sent another orc to the next life.

*Thunk!*

Having dealt with the initial wave, I stood still, composed. Then, with a scowl, I flicked my finger at the bulky orc leader.

“Come on. Gonna just watch all day?”

“Tchick! Fearless human!”

Despite his words, the orc leader didn’t rush in. Instead, he pulled out a small horn from his cloak and blew it loudly.

*Booo-ooo!*

‘…Is he calling more of his kind?’

Could the horn itself be some sort of ‘item’? The ominous energy emanating from it was far more potent than I’d imagined.

And then.

*Boom! Boom! Boom!*

Right after the horn’s sound filled the forest, a massive drumbeat began to resonate throughout the camp. Immediately afterward, red orcs with ominous, glowing eyes started to appear, their numbers growing like a black tide.

“……I can’t believe this.”

Watching the spectacle unfold, I could only mutter in disbelief, a sense of helplessness washing over me.

Orcs were no match for me. I knew that clearly thanks to the previous skirmishes. But… the number of orcs visible in my sight right now exceeded hundreds.

‘Damn. Can my stamina even handle this?’

There was no time to ponder the question. The orc leader, who had blown the horn, roared like thunder.

“Tchick! Kill that human, all of you! The one who kills him shall receive the blessing of the Great Warrior!”

“Tchiiiick!”

“Tchick!”

*Thud! Thud! Thud!*

Whatever this ‘blessing of the Great Warrior’ was that these countless orcs desired, the horde rushed toward me. The massive axes and hand axes they wielded flew relentlessly, targeting vital spots.

*Shkk!* *Shhhkkk!*

The ensuing battle was a complete mud-wrestling match.

An endless tide of orc axes. I, like a stuntman in an action movie, dodged and weaved, keeping the fight going.

*Whoosh!*

When an attack came from a blind spot, I pushed forward instead. The sharp, black blade danced, creating temporary openings. I’d dive back into them, continuing the fight.

I’d cut down more than thirty orcs that way.

“Huff! Huff!”

I realized, then, that my stamina was hitting its limit.

The mercenaries called me Frey, the youngest of the group. And true to that, my body, untrained, was screaming under the sudden strain.

‘Damn it!’

With every swing of the sword, every splatter of blood, my breath grew shorter.

I hadn’t taken a single hit yet, but the situation seemed about to take a turn for the worse.

“Screee! Scree! Tired! Human!”

“Shut up!”

*Thwack!*

The b*stards had somehow figured out my stamina was failing. The orc onslaught grew even more ferocious.

And then…

*Shink!*

“Gah!”

I’d cut down nearly another ten orcs, but my body’s slowed reactions finally let an attack slip through.

I managed to twist away and avoid a fatal blow, but a wound opened on my shoulder, and blood was flowing freely. If anything, things were only going to get worse.

‘Just how many orcs are there!?’

Clenching my teeth, I swung my sword and screamed internally.

I already knew red orcs lived in tribes. But I’d never heard of so many living together. Just the ones I’d killed must have been close to a hundred.

*Wobble!*

“Ugh!”

Throughout the fight, I’d been aiming only for vital points to conserve my energy.

But the combined strain of exhaustion and this injury brought on vertigo, and my vision went black.

*Swhish! Thwack!*

But even exhausted, I would not give up.

My swordplay, almost magical, shone against the orcs who tried to take advantage. Yet, that light wouldn’t last long. The brilliance with which I’d been carving through orcs was starting to fade.

Tada-dak!

“Shh-yeek! Die!”

The Orc Great Warrior, watching my posture momentarily crumble, charged at me. The giant axe he swung, having leaped into the air, was flying at me with a menacing force.

‘…Is this the end?’

It was as if time had slowed down.

Like a film reel, the events from the moment I woke in that musty prison until now flashed chaotically through my mind.

And then.

Beeeep-peeeep-peeeep-

A loud ringing filled my ears.

Is this the panoramic recall felt at the edge of death? For a moment, I stared blankly, transfixed on the charging Orc leader.

.

.

.

–

[Trait: Overlord]

Rank: Mythic

Effect: War and struggle are your life. The lower your vitality, and the longer the continuous battle, all of your stats temporarily increase!

“Advance. Fight. Struggle. In battle, may your glory shine brilliantly.”

–

Thump! Thump!

For a fleeting instant, a strange sensation surged through me.

A heart pounding ferociously, a breath as sharp as a blade, pupils dilated to their maximum.

It was an experience akin to time slowing down. But somehow, there was the illusion of a bright sun shining upon my drained stamina.

Clack!

I gripped my sword tighter.

A sensation, as if boundless power coursed through my entire body, overwhelmed my senses.

Since when, my sword, stained with blood, was draped in a dazzling, bright light?

* * *

Several members of the Imperial Northern Expedition, the Golden Lion Knights, were ascending the mountain since early dawn.

Their assigned mission was reconnaissance and monster subjugation. Scouts had reported that the “Red Orc’s” lair was located on the mountainside. It was to subdue them that the knights were mobilized.

“But, senior, I think it’s a little strange that so many knights are being mobilized like this.”

“What’s strange about it?”

“Isn’t it easy enough to subjugate an orc village with just the squad leader present? But looking at us now…”

The knight clicked his tongue and gestured around him with his chin.

There, five knights, led by their squad leader, were climbing the mountain, their faces etched with fatigue.

“This kid here, he only knows one thing and not the other.”

“…Huh? Am I wrong?”

“Yeah. You’re way off. Red orcs are dangerous if you underestimate them. Andrew, can you kill hundreds of orcs by yourself?”

“Ah, no.”

“Then you shouldn’t question the mission.”

The senior knight’s tone startled Andrew, who couldn’t hide his surprise.

“Wait… are there really hundreds of orcs in one village?”

“Yeah. It’s unique to the orcs in this region. There’s a reason the commander sent the squad leader and us together, get it?”

Andrew and his senior knight continued up the mountain, chatting idly.

Normally, the squad leader, known for his strict discipline, would have reprimanded them, but perhaps because the war was over and things were more relaxed, he let their conversation pass.

*Thud!*

The knights, who had been climbing for some time, stopped when the squad leader at the front raised a hand.

“Halt the front line. I smell blood.”

“…Blood smell, you say?”

“Yes. Quite strong, a damp, bloody scent. Has a subjugation team already been sent?”

The squad leader frowned, tilting his head in confusion.

If his assumption that a team had been sent was wrong, things would get more complicated.

While no knights with exceptional combat skills had ever gone missing, many mercenary groups hired by the expedition had disappeared during reconnaissance missions.

Since mercenaries, who were promised payment, were unlikely to desert at the end of the war, it was likely they had all been killed by monsters.

For example, the owner of this blood smell might be a distant colleague of theirs, a comrade.

“Climb the mountain at full speed. You can use mana.”

The squad leader ordered the knights with a blank expression. He then began to climb at tremendous speed.

“W-we need to hurry and follow!”

“A-Alright!”

Startled by the squad leader’s sudden burst of speed, the other knights pushed off the ground as quickly as they could.

A little while later.

The knight order, having reached the mountainside, were soon confronted with a horrifying scene.

“W-what is this?!”

Blood was everywhere. So much blood that it pooled around their ankles. And lying in that blood, soaked through, were hundreds of orc corpses, each killed by a stab wound to a vital point, now chilling.

“T-there are human corpses as well! Judging by their attire and equipment, they look to be a mercenary band!”

“Hmm.”

The knight order captain surveyed the scene with a grave expression.

Not a single orc was alive. Considering the one-sided nature of this, it was almost as if their assigned territory overlapped with another knight order, causing confusion.

‘The battle unfolded at the entrance to the orc village.’

The captain, moving slowly, inspecting the site, scanned the surroundings with a sharp gaze.

‘The armed mercenaries… all were killed with a single blow.’

Then who had killed all these orcs? It was a level of combat that a knight of the captain’s skill, considered a rising star of the Empire, could achieve. But the possibility of a mercenary band having someone of that caliber was extremely low.

“S-Survivor! Survivor found! Survivor found!”

A survivor?

The captain’s eyes narrowed at Andrew’s voice, echoing from the distance.

That’s right. It’s likely that the one who survived this gruesome fight is the very one who created this orc hell.

The captain’s steps grew forceful as he headed towards the sound of the voice.