The Old Man Tells You The Strategy

Chapter 12

Boom!

Killian’s pupils trembled.

Despite the distance, the orc had closed the gap between them in just two steps.

The massive creature’s leap was astounding given its size.

Crash!

Clearly, this wasn’t an enemy comparable to kobolds or other low-level monsters.

The orc was just as dangerous as Jun-hyuk had warned.

But Killian wasn’t scared.

‘A little troublesome, sure…’

In fact, his surprise lasted only a moment.

Shing!

Killian’s eyes refocused, his pupils now sharp and clear—much more alert than usual.

‘Finally, a worthy opponent to test myself.’

「What nonsense are you spouting now?」

‘The Demon King’s Sword.’

「…What?」

‘I haven’t had the chance to use it until now, have I?’

Jun-hyuk was puzzled by Killian’s cryptic statement, but he didn’t have time to dwell on it.

– ROOOOAAARRRR!!!

The orc let out a deafening roar and charged, its massive fist swinging toward Killian with tremendous force.

Whooosh!!!

The punch was so powerful it sent a fierce gust of wind in Killian’s direction.

The kind of force that could kill him in an instant if it connected. But instead of freezing, Killian moved swiftly.

Tap!

He leaped backward, gripping his sword tightly with both hands and bringing the blade in front of him. The orc, undeterred, lunged at him again, its fist barreling toward the sword.

Thump-!

Killian’s sword trembled as it met the orc’s punch. However, such a tiny tremor wasn’t enough to stop the beast’s power.

Crash!!!

The sound of impact echoed through the chamber, a deep, thunderous noise as if two mountains had collided.

Whooosh!

Killian’s body was thrown back in a straight line, seemingly overwhelmed by the sheer force of the orc’s strike.

Anyone watching would have assumed he’d been crushed by that single blow.

Thunk!

But Killian landed firmly on his feet, unharmed. His body bore no signs of injury, and his sword showed no cracks.

He had diverted the orc’s brute force, letting it flow through his sword, a technique only a master swordsman could typically perform in controlled practice.

The swordsmanship Killian practiced, The Demon King’s Sword, was an art focused on manipulating the flow of power and weight distribution to its absolute limits.

“Hmm…”

Despite the miraculous feat, Killian looked dissatisfied. The orc had moved more swiftly than expected, and his sword hadn’t quite moved the way he wanted, so he hadn’t been able to fully deflect the attack.

‘I just need to clash with it a little more, and I’ll get the hang of it…’

As Killian pondered, Jun-hyuk’s exasperated voice cut in.

「What are you talking about? Did you already forget everything I told you before we got to Ironblood Fortress?」

‘Oh, you mean the “plan”?’

Jun-hyuk had spent considerable time explaining the plan to Killian.

After all, the orc wasn’t just any monster—it was the guardian of the Paragon’s Disguise, a rare and valuable artifact.

Defeating it wasn’t supposed to be easy. In fact, some of the most talented warriors Jun-hyuk had ever seen had died trying to bring it down.

Back then, Jun-hyuk’s sense of talent recognition wasn’t as honed, and the orc’s difficulty level had been far higher than anyone could handle.

Through trial and error, Jun-hyuk had developed a surefire method to take down the orc.

It involved luring the beast into traps scattered throughout the labyrinth, wearing it down, and finishing it off when it was in a weakened state.

「You don’t need to fight it head-on! Just follow the plan and keep running!」

‘You know, I thought about that…’ Killian said, pausing for a moment before continuing with a statement that left Jun-hyuk speechless.

‘I think running around would be more of a hassle.’

「…What?」

‘Besides, you said the traps were already triggered, so it’ll take even longer, right?’

In other words, Killian reasoned that if they had to waste time dodging the orc for longer than expected, it was just easier to fight it directly.

‘And anyway, I needed a sparring partner to practice The Demon King’s Sword techniques. This works out perfectly.’

「…You’re going to fight that thing just to practice?! You could die if anything goes wrong!」

‘If it looks bad, I’ll just run then. No big deal.’

Shing!

Killian adjusted his grip on his sword and focused on the orc with a serious expression.

「Haah…」

Jun-hyuk sighed in frustration.

‘Why doesn’t this guy ever listen…?’

Anyone else would have been manageable. If something went wrong, they could simply restart from the beginning. But with Killian, things were different.

He was the only person Jun-hyuk couldn’t fully predict, the only one with such untapped potential.

‘Even if we end up restarting, I need to see how far this guy can go.’

If Killian died now, it was uncertain when they’d meet again. He couldn’t afford to lose Killian without first seeing the limits of his potential.

With a grumbling voice, Jun-hyuk finally relented.

「Stay close to the orc, or it’ll charge at you like it did just now. In a narrow space like this, you can’t avoid its charge easily.」

‘Got it.’

「Also, orcs from dark environments like this are sensitive to bright light. Keep that in mind.」

As this new stream of useful information came out, Killian raised an eyebrow.

‘Why didn’t you mention this earlier?’

「Because we weren’t supposed to fight it! But since you’re being stubborn—」

“Guoooooo!!!”

Boom! Boom!

Even before Jun-hyuk finished his sentence, the enraged orc charged at Killian again.

‘I won’t be caught off guard a second time!’

Unlike before, Killian now had his full attention on the orc. He analyzed where its strength was flowing, its center of gravity, and how its muscles were moving. Killian had observed every detail since the fight began.

‘Judging by its forward-leaning stance… is it planning to crush me with brute force?’

It seemed too difficult to confront head-on. Not only was the orc overwhelmingly larger, but Killian had already exhausted most of his mana during the trial.

‘I need to save my mana for the decisive moment.’

Shhk!

Killian adjusted his grip on his sword, holding it at an angle. At that moment, the orc began a barrage of strikes, swinging down with the intent to smash him.

Whoosh!!!

As the orc’s massive fists rained down like a storm, Killian took a deep breath and swung his sword.

Clang! Clang!

The orc’s fists, accompanied by a powerful gust, clashed with the swiftly moving blade that left afterimages in its wake.

Thud-!

Each time the orc’s fist was about to strike Killian, it awkwardly veered off course as it met his sword, crashing into the ground.

Crack! Crack!

Every time the fist struck down, craters formed in the hard ground.

Crrrack…!

The ceiling of the chamber also started to develop cracks, struggling to withstand the shock.

‘Hmm…’

Killian, casting a side glance at the ceiling, slowly moved away from the exit.

「You said you’d run if things got bad, so why are you heading in that direction?」

Whoosh! Whizz!

Though Jun-hyuk grumbled something, Killian silently swung his sword, fending off the orc’s relentless assault.

As time passed, there wasn’t a single untouched patch of ground left around Killian, except for where he stood.

Twitch-!

This was proof that Killian had perfectly deflected the orc’s strength with his precise sword movements. What made this possible was his remarkable dynamic vision.

「Next, it’s going to target your torso with an attack from the left. Stay focused.」

Jun-hyuk’s advice, knowing the orc’s attack patterns inside out, also played a crucial role.

‘I’m getting used to its movements now.’

Having fully adapted to the orc’s speed, Killian swung his sword with even more daring, not just defending but also starting to counterattack.

Swish-!

Killian swiftly followed up with a chain of strikes right after deflecting the orc’s blow.

Each slash was imbued with all his strength, following the subtlety of the ‘King’s Sword’ technique.

Clang-! Clang!

However, Killian’s blade repeatedly stopped dead against the orc’s skin.

The reason was simple.

‘Ugh… why is its hide so tough?’

The orc’s skin was as hard as stone, making every slash send painful vibrations through Killian’s wrists. Even so, the orc’s hide only bore a few scratches—no blood.

「Do you think I made that plan for nothing?」

This was one of the main reasons Jun-hyuk had come up with a strategy that involved using traps.

Orcs naturally had tough, resilient skin that made them resistant to slashes.

And the weapons provided by the Iron Blood Fortress were notoriously of poor quality.

This meant it was practically impossible to defeat the orc in the ‘Maze of Beginnings’ in the early stages of the game through conventional means.

「Unless you become an expert, you won’t even make a scratch at your current level.」

‘Yeah, I figured as much with just a sword.’

「So why not listen to me now?」

Killian glanced at the heavily cracked ceiling and shook his head.

‘I don’t need to.’

Tap-tap-tap!

Grinning, Killian quickly retreated toward the chamber wall.

-Whoooooo!!!

Boom, boom-!

As usual, the orc, shaking the ground, charged at Killian.

When the distance between them closed to just a few steps…

Whoosh-!

Killian swiftly darted to the right. The orc attempted to shift its direction to follow, but its massive body, having gathered too much momentum, couldn’t change direction quickly.

Boom!!! Crack-!

As a result, the orc crashed into the wall, causing a thunderous noise.

“Guooo… ooooo!!!”

Even after colliding head-on with the stone wall, the orc only appeared dazed for a brief moment before letting out another fierce roar.

Tap tap tap!

Killian repeatedly withdrew, while the orc kept charging after him.

Crack, craaack…!!!

Rumble—

Each time, the cracks in the ceiling deepened, and the entire chamber shook.

Crumble…

By now, the cracks in the ceiling were less like lines and more like gaps, through which sand began to fall.

The exit, which had so far avoided the brunt of the damage, was in slightly better shape, but that wouldn’t last long.

Crack…

Soon, cracks began to form even in that area.

「What the hell are you doing?! At this rate, the whole chamber will collapse!」

‘Exactly. That’s why I’ve been running around so much.’

「…Wait a minute, you’re not seriously…?」

Panting heavily, Killian nodded.

‘If the ceiling caves in, even the orc won’t be able to do anything.’

It was a clever idea, one only Killian, who judged everything by what was more or less of a hassle, could have come up with. However, this plan had a fatal flaw.

「If the chamber collapses, what about you?」

Killian gestured toward the relatively intact exit.

‘I’ll just escape before that happens. I haven’t fought near the exit, so it’ll be the last part to cave in.’

「…!」

Jun-hyuk was inwardly impressed. It dawned on him that, except for the initial clash, Killian had never fought near the exit.

It was as if he had predicted things would unfold this way from the start.

‘Or rather…’

It was more accurate to say that he had designed the situation to play out like this.

Jun-hyuk admired the meticulousness, but there was still a problem.

「Okay, let’s say this works and the orc dies. What about the ‘Paragon’s Camouflage’?」

Their goal wasn’t just to defeat the orc; it was to obtain the artifact, the ‘Paragon’s Camouflage,’ hanging around its neck.

Killing the orc was just a step toward that goal. Unless they retrieved the item, the mission would be a failure, and even if the orc was buried under rubble, it would still apply.

How would they find the artifact in a collapsed chamber?

‘I’ve got a plan for that, too…!’

With that, Killian swiftly moved toward one of the walls.

Crack, craaaack…!!!

The ceiling above Killian groaned, as if it might collapse at any moment.

“Waaaah!!!”

But the orc paid no attention to this.

Boom, boom!!!

With its heavy steps, the orc charged at Killian once more. But just as before, Killian narrowly dodged.

Bang!

The orc’s massive body collided with the wall again.

Crack, rumble—!!!

A tremendous noise echoed throughout the chamber as the ceiling finally began to collapse. The first part to fall was right above the wall the orc had slammed into.

Crash! Thud! Crackle…!!!

Huge chunks of debris rained down, striking the orc squarely on the head. Even a creature as tough as the orc couldn’t withstand this.

“Gruh… Grrrgh…!”

Staggering—

The orc, now concussed, stumbled around like a drunk.

Tap tap tap!

Killian seized the opportunity, dashing through the falling debris, closing the distance between them.

The orc, though wobbling, still threw a punch in his direction, but Killian raised his sword horizontally to block it.

Clang!

At that moment, as the sword met the orc’s fist…

‘Now…!’

Whooosh—

Killian’s mana surged, spiraling slowly through his arms, filling his muscles with strength.

His muscles swelled slightly, imbued with far more power than before.

Swish!

In a serpent-like motion, Killian’s sword slipped past the orc, sending it sprawling backward.

Boom!

This would have been impossible earlier, but now the orc’s balance was completely off due to its staggered punch.

With his enhanced strength, Killian expertly used the ‘King’s Sword’ technique to control the flow of force perfectly.

These three elements—timing, power, and technique—combined to create a golden opportunity.

And Killian…

Shuk-!

…wasn’t about to waste such a perfect chance.