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Chapter 137: Mountain of Spears, Forest of Swords (6)

A few days had passed since he gave the mission to Kenzo. Tiyo finished taking care of his business in Quantes, and Anor was done sightseeing around Quantes. All of the preparations were complete to leave Quantes tomorrow.

They planned to stop by Maillard on the way to the southern part of the continent, where Tiyo’s father was. It was also where Crockta’s target, the Heaven and Earth Clan, was at large.

He thought the Heaven and Earth Clan could be related to his arch-nemesis, the Haedong Balhae Clan. But apart from that, he was concerned about Choi Han-Sung and all of the wars he was instigating. Someone needed to stop him. If he refused to discontinue his activities, he would face the wrath of the Ogre Slayer.

Thus, he planned to purchase information from the Information Guild in Maillard first before deciding his next course of action.

While thinking about his future, he suddenly felt a presence in the darkness. Crockta turned his head and said, “Welcome.”

It was Kenzo.

Crockta grinned. He could tell what Kenzo had been up to from his appearance. Kenzo was drenched in blood from head to toe. But that wasn’t all. Crockta could sense something different about him that he hadn’t felt before.

“I see you have reached the Pinnacle.”

Kenzo’s aura was different. He had attained the Pinnacle, a state that was incomparable to those of other players. Only players who saw Elder Lord for what it was and treated it beyond a game could reach its realm. Even among high-rankers, only a few had attained it.

“Yes, I have reached the Pinnacle.” Kenzo’s voice was filled with fatigue. Day and night, he had attacked the loan sharks leeching off the gnomes in Quantes. He didn’t bother executing the concrete method because it was too much work. If they logged back on or came back to life after dying, he just killed them again. He killed them over and over again.

The players got sick of Kenzo tirelessly tracking them and backed off from Quantes. Even as they turned around to leave Quantes, Kenzo pierced their backs to forever ward them off from Quantes.

“But I realized much more in the process of attaining the Pinnacle,” said Kenzo.

As he witnessed the persecuted NPCs and experienced turbulent emotions, his assimilation rate rose rapidly, and he was able to reach the Pinnacle. He made a promise to himself that if he encountered those in pain, he would raise a sword to the evildoers causing the pain, regardless of whether the victims were NPCs or players.

He had to, no matter what.

Crockta smiled. When he first met Kenzo, he could sense that there was something different about him when Kenzo said that he wanted to help others, and Kenzo had exceeded his expectations. Now, Kenzo would pursue what he believed in.

“So, was I any help?” asked Crockta.

Kenzo bowed. “Yes, it’s all thanks to you.”

“Then, do you remember the condition I set in return for teaching you?”

“Of course.”

Kenzo had promised to fulfill Crockta’s request if he reached the Pinnacle. Kenzo tensed up. He wasn’t sure what Crockta would ask of him. Crockta had promised him to only make a request that he could execute, but the boundaries of what was possible or not were obscure. Crockta could ask him to do something really difficult. Even though he trusted Crockta, he was apprehensive.

“My request is simple.” Crockta drew his Ogre Slayer.

Kenzo raised his claymore in response. ‘What is he doing?’ he wondered.

Crockta began to move his greatsword at a ridiculously slow speed.

There wasn’t any hesitation or tremor to his movements. Crockta’s blade moved forward in a smooth curve. Kenzo continued to closely observe him from a distance. He didn’t notice anything out of the ordinary, but suddenly, a blade went past him, grazing his neck.

Kenzo couldn’t believe it. Even though it was a very simple strike, Kenzo got chills when he realized the meaning imbued in that strike. It was an attack beyond normal comprehension. Speed didn’t matter. He had felt something that was beyond the reach of the world—the realm of miracles.

“This is...” muttered Kenzo.

“It’s the state beyond the Pinnacle.”

“...!”

“Just know that the Pinnacle isn’t the end.”

When Kenzo first glimpsed the realm of the Pinnacle through Crockta, he was inspired to attain such a state. But he couldn’t even aspire toward this newfound state because the word ‘impossible’ flashed in his head.

“Now, I will tell you my request.”

The surprise didn’t end there.

Kenzo got chills again at what Crockta said next.

“Use your powers for the greater good.”

Kenzo was surprised by the request and realized that Crockta was a much bigger orc than he had imagined. As he nodded in response, their gazes met, and Kenzo felt as if Crockta’s gaze was piercing through his soul. Had Crockta known all along that he would have a change of heart after getting rid of the loan sharks?

Kenzo lowered his head. There was only one thing he could say. “Understood.”

To him, Crockta was no longer just a character in a game. He was a great mind to learn from.

Kenzo then declared, “I want to spread your teachings to other people. I will teach them about martial arts and the Pinnacle, and the purpose of their strength. May I spread the word?”

“Of course,” replied Crockta.

Kenzo wanted to bring players together. Players had different approaches to playing the game, and if certain players’ methods were to harass and exploit NPCs, wasn’t there a need for ‘villains’ who would stand up against them? They would be heroes to NPCs and villains to the players. After all, light and darkness coexisted in all heroes.

“Please name the group I will create,” requested Kenzo. He wanted a name from Crockta because he knew Crockta would give a suitable name that would help him amass followers.

“Kenzo, if that is your will, the path you will walk will be a harsh one filled with steep mountains and dangerous forests, with countless blades ready to swarm you at any moment. A path few can tread! Thus, I will name it Mountain of Spears, Forest of Swords.”

“Mountain of Spears, Forest of Swords!” exclaimed Kenzo.

It was a cool name. Just last night, he had trod through the loans sharks’ mountain of spears and forest of swords. After he slaughtered them, only spears and swords remained where the loan sharks used to be.

“The disciples of Mountain of Spears, Forest of Swords will follow your path,” said Kenzo. As he gazed at the red bandana wrapped around Crockta’s forehead, he decided that the red bandana would serve as the symbol of his group.

Thus, it was the beginning of a new group of Crockta’s followers called ‘Mountain of Spears, Forest of Swords,’ in addition to ‘Rebirth Brotherhood’ and ‘Praise the Orc.’

But in the future, the name ‘Mountain of Spears, Forest of Swords’ became lost. Because of the members’ striking red bandanas, they were referred to as the ‘Red Turban’ by the public.

***

“Did something good happen?” asked Tiyo.

“It’s nothing. Hahaha.”

Tiyo and Anor were staring at Crockta because he was chuckling to himself.

They had departed from Quantes and were now on their way to Maillard. They planned to pass through Maillard to get to new cities in the southern part of the continent.

The group was still traveling on the karuks they had been with since the north. Although they were slower than horses, they had excellent stamina and strength. They had no problem carrying a massive orc like Crockta.

“Your face is telling me that something good happened. I want to know if something good is up,” said Anor.

“Nothing happened.”

“Then why do you have such a bright expression on your face?” asked Anor.

Crockta was thinking about his encounter with Kenzo at Quantes. Without giving it much thought, he had asked Kenzo to punish the loan sharks, and Kenzo had accomplished the task with flying colors. Moreover, he had reached the realm of the Pinnacle and declared that he was going to find a group of Crockta’s followers called the ‘Mountain of Spears, Forest of Swords!”

Crockta felt like he had a pious son who had succeeded on his own without much help but wanted to pay back the favor for raising him.

Perhaps his name was about to shake up the world again! The next time he disconnected from the server, he wanted to take a look at how his Fanclub, ‘Praise the Orc,’ was doing.

Everyone had a thirst for fame!

“Hahaha, it could be a problem if I became too famous!” Crockta got ahead of himself and started fantasizing about obsessive fans stalking him.

“I’m not sure what’s going on, but I hope you come to your senses...” said Anor as he shook his head.

As they continued their way on their karuks, a sign pointing to Maillard appeared. They were close.

Crockta took a trip down memory lane as he reflected on his previous moments in Maillard. The place meant a lot to him because it was where the Information Guild was, and where Stella from the Blacksmith Company worked. Moreover, it was where he rehabilitated the rude players who harassed Yi-Yoo and the Rebirth Brotherhood came into existence.

He sped up his karuk to quickly get to Maillard. Suddenly, he locked eyes with a group passing by. Crockta politely greeted them.

“Hello. Are you alive?”

They glanced over at Crockta’s party, but as soon as they saw that there was nothing on Tiyo and Anor’s foreheads, they gave a half-hearted response.

“...Ah. Yeah.”

Most players weren’t interested in NPCs, especially those who were as strong as NPCs. With the rapid rise of high-level players, many adopted an arrogant attitude toward NPCs.

“So fucking rude, greeting us like that,” muttered Tiyo. Although Tiyo had been talking to himself, everyone could hear him.

The players turned their gazes toward Tiyo, who shrugged in his usual confident manner.

There was slight tension in the air, but it didn’t escalate because both sides didn’t step out of line. Crockta could hear the players murmuring among themselves.

“Hold it in. RB won’t leave us alone.”

“Why do we have to be wary of them? Let’s all get together and strike them. They are really getting on my nerves.”

“Just wait. We have to lay low until we receive an order.”

‘RB’ was the acronym for Rebirth Brotherhood. These players didn’t seem to get along with them.

“Hmm...”

***

Crockta’s party moved ahead, leaving them behind as they pressed on toward Maillard.

Before long, they reached the vast and stunning elven city, Maillard.

‘As expected of the city of elves, the cradle of elf players,’ thought Crockta.

Anor’s eyes widened in shock at the sight.

Whereas Quantes was a model of meticulous organization achieved through the technological innovations gnomes, Maillard was a sprawling city where nature and urban life coexisted. To Anor, who was also an elf, the city’s architecture perfectly matched his taste.

Anor couldn’t take his eyes off the entrance and eagerly looked around.

“Isn’t it nice?” asked Crockta.

“Wow, so cool. Wow...” exclaimed Anor.

“Hmph, it’s not much different from Quantes,” said Tiyo.

They could freely enter Maillard because the city didn’t have any restrictions on visitors, but they planned to leave as soon as Crockta obtained the necessary details from the Information Guild and met Stella.

But once they entered the city, the place was in disarray. To be exact, the atmosphere of the players was a bit off.

Crockta tilted his head curiously.

There wasn’t anything different about the citizens of Maillard. They were just living their daily lives as the inhabitants of Elder Lord.

But players, the ones with the white stars on their foreheads, were warily surveying the surroundings as if they were watching out for something. With their hands on their weapons, they seemed to be ready to jump into a fight at any moment. Several players glared as they walked past them.

There was palpable tension among the players.

“How interesting,” muttered Crockta. Something was going on at Maillard.

“Can you reserve a lodging for us? I will take care of my business first and meet up with you guys later.”

“Of course,” replied Tiyo.

“I’m gonna do some sightseeing around the city!” said Anor excitedly.

“Wait, let’s go together!” chimed in Tiyo.

Crockta parted with his friends and headed to the shadows of the city littered with shabby pubs. It was where the Information Guild was.

He had returned to the headquarters of the Information Guild, where the real men were.

“Hahaha, still an inverted triangle,” muttered Crockta as he looked at the sign of the pub.

He was back at ‘Oppa, Where Are You Going?’