Taehyung and Karim, who were rejoicing, quickly regained their composure. Then, they watched as the magic circle gradually took shape.
“My lord, if this is truly a trace left by our ancestors, what kind of magic circle is this?”
“It’s a Warp magic circle. It’ll transport you somewhere.”
“I see. Indeed, my lord, you have skill in magic… Impressive.”
Taehyung scratched his head.
‘It’s not that impressive. I just read what popped up as a system message.’
[Warp magic circle in progress. 49%]
[Warp magic circle in progress. 50%]
.
.
.
Taehyung decided not to correct Karim’s misconception and left it alone. Sometimes, a well-intentioned lie was necessary.
“For now, stand in the center of the magic circle. You’ll be transported once it’s complete.”
“Got it.”
[Warp magic circle in progress. 99%]
[Warp magic circle in progress. 100%]
Soon, the magic circle was fully engraved.
[Warp magic activated.]
Karim’s body was engulfed in mana.
And then, his vision was shrouded in darkness.
“What’s happening? I can’t see ahead. And I feel incredibly dizzy.”
“It’s the effect of the Warp magic. Just wait.”
Pop!
A moment later, when his vision returned.
Where Karim stood was not a forest, but an entirely different place.
Karim glanced around.
It was indoors. And not just any indoors, but an incredibly vast space.
“Wow, it looks like a museum.”
Taehyung commented, but Karim’s view was different.
“This was definitely made by orcs.”
“Really? How can you tell?”
“Our tribal architectural style is evident throughout.”
“Oh?”
Come to think of it, he was right. The indoor layout closely resembled the architecture of buildings in orc villages.
“As expected, we’ve come to the right place. This is truly a place where traces of our ancestors reside.”
Karim gazed ahead with eyes filled with emotion.
It wasn’t a lie. It was real. The efforts of the orcs who rooted themselves in the primeval forest to find traces of their ancestors were not in vain.
There might not be significant gains here, but the fact that Karim could witness the traces of his ancestors with his own eyes was deeply moving.
“It’s moving indeed, but let’s stay calm and explore first.”
“Understood. For the sake of our people, I need to keep a clear head.”
After taking a few deep breaths, Karim calmed his emotions.
He then began to calmly observe everything around him.
The large indoor space, built in the unique architectural style of orcs, was adorned much like a museum, as Taehyung had described.
On the long stretch of walls, numerous murals were painted, and Karim immediately recognized their meaning.
Glorious scenes achieved by their ancestors. They were depicted in the murals.
“So, this is the trace left by my ancestors…”
Karim took a step forward involuntarily. At the same time, mana began to surge from all directions.
[Intrusion detected.]
[Identifying intruder. Assessing intruder’s qualifications.]
Mana surged relentlessly towards Karim, completely enveloping him.
“Hey, Karim! Are you alright?”
Taehyung’s face turned pale.
To suddenly assess the qualifications of an intruder… It felt ominous. It seemed like the mana, abundant enough to process, might swallow Karim whole.
Taehyung prepared for summoning. If anything went wrong, he would immediately call him back.
But…
“My lord, no need to worry. Everything’s fine.”
Karim was unharmed.
[Qualifications confirmed.]
Whoosh!
With a rushing sound, the gathered mana dispersed in all directions once again.
“This is a procedure to determine if the intruder is an orc or not. Since I qualify, it doesn’t matter.”
“Ah, I see.”
Taehyung heaved a sigh of relief.
‘Luckily.’
The system didn’t mention that part.
“What if the intruder isn’t an orc?”
“They’ll die.”
“That’s harsh.”
So, this place is exclusively for orcs to enter.
Taehyung surveyed the surroundings with the eyes of a summoner. Then, his gaze fell on the ceiling.
‘Huh? What’s that…?’
There were numerous holes, densely packed. Roughly estimating, there were dozens of them. Inside those many holes lurked something sharp.
‘Are those… blade traps?’
The notion of dying made sense to him. If it weren’t for the orc, dozens of blades would have fallen, and the intruder would have been torn apart and killed.
Taehyung looked around with a horrified heart. Somehow it didn’t seem like there was just that one trap.
To install such advanced magic circles that only orcs can detect, why would there be only one trap?
There must be more. He just hadn’t found them yet.
Karim soon began to move his feet.
Walking slowly forward, he admired the countless murals depicted.
Scenes of orc armies fighting formidable enemies, scenes of cities being conquered and cheered, scenes of messengers of enemies kneeling before the orc king…
These represented struggle.
Scenes of orc merchants engaging in acts of commerce in the market, orcs sweating as they built tall buildings, scenes of orcs eating, drinking, and enjoying themselves at large festivals in the metropolis…
These depicted the daily lives of orcs.
“These murals contain the struggles of our ancestors.”
The ancestors were speaking to their descendants.
‘Do not forget us.
This is how we lived.
And inherit that will to revive our glory.’
“Ah.”
His heart swelled. He was too overwhelmed to express it.
For a long while, Karim pondered over the emotions.
“Ancestors, I will carry on your will.”
I will definitely revive our glory. No one will ever look down on orcs again.
At that moment of renewed determination,
Suddenly everything around him began to shake.
Kugugung!
Mana spewed out from the hundreds of murals that filled the walls. The mana spewed out, coalesced, and then surged into Karim’s body.
Syaahhh!
Karim closed his eyes tightly. He accepted the mana rushing into him without even flinching.
And then, something incredible happened.
The murals began to disappear gradually.
As Karim’s body absorbed the mana, the murals grew fainter and fainter.
When the murals completely disappeared,
The surging movement of mana abruptly stopped.
“The architect’s work is complete.”
[The sole artifact ‘Will of the High Orc’ is created.]
[The sole artifact ‘Will of the High Orc’ is bound to Karim.]
[The dungeon collapses.]
[The warp magic circle is activated.]
Kugugugung!
The interior shook violently. The ceiling and walls began to crack as if they were about to collapse.
At the same time, a magic circle was engraved under Karim’s feet, and he was engulfed in light.
Kwaaaagwang!
With a loud noise, Karim’s figure disappeared suddenly.
After a while, Karim appeared again where the warp magic circle had been activated. It was the central area of the Kai Sen Great Forest.
*
Was it because it passed by so quickly? The events at the place where the murals were felt like a dream.
But it wasn’t a dream. The traces of having been there remained vividly in Karim’s mind.
[Will of the High Orc
– The final masterpiece and legacy left by the High Orcs, a race that once ruled the continent, for their descendants. It is a gigantic encyclopedia made entirely of pure mana, containing the culmination of the achievements of the High Orcs.
– Bound to High Orc Karim. Those unauthorized by Karim cannot touch or see it.]
“Wow. It’s really impressive to see it again.”
Taehyung kept marveling, quietly observing Karim’s actions.
Karim was currently looking at a huge book.
The book was translucent and floating in midair.
To Taehyung, it looked like a typical system window without any flaws.
“My lord. Seeing this, I understand now. How backward our orcs were.”
Karim waved his hand. At that, the huge book floating in midair was infused with mana and merged into Karim’s body.
“And I’m sure what I need to do.”
“That’s a relief.”
Taehyung nodded satisfactorily.
Karim had shown some hesitation before, but it was good to see him resolute again.
“Anyway, we’re almost there.”
The orc village could be seen in the distance.
It had been several days since they left the central area of Kai Sen and returned to the embrace of the tribe. In the rush, they had arrived at the village before they knew it.
Warriors were busy swinging axes and dedicating themselves to training around the village. Laughing children frolicked around them, and even the orc women scolded them for being dangerous.
Faces that hadn’t been seen in the past fortnight were getting closer and closer.
The wolf carrying Karim slowed down. Orcs’ gazes turned towards them. And some made eye contact.
“The chief!”
“The chief has returned!”
“Ooh!”
Soon, the murmurs grew louder. Orcs poured out of the village.
“Haha. Just as I thought. What’s dying for a chief like me? I’m not an orc who can die.”
“Hey, what are you talking about? You, didn’t you say the chief died?”
“When! Me? Ha! Ridiculous! Do you have any evidence?”
“Evidence? My memory is evidence!”
Two orcs who had rushed out to greet Karim suddenly began to argue for no apparent reason. It seemed like they were about to start a physical fight.
“Let’s fight!”
“Alright! Let’s duel!”
Watching the two orcs draw their weapons, Karim burst into laughter.
“Hahaha!”
That’s it. This is what he wanted to see.
These are the ones I must protect. They are the talents who will shape the future of the Orc tribe, precious comrades with whom I will share the glory of the future.
“Huh? Why is the chief suddenly smiling? What’s so funny?”
“How should I know? How would I even know that?”
“Was there something significant happened in the central region?”
“Oh, seems like it.”
“Exciting, isn’t it?”
The orcs’ eyes sparkled.
Karim’s laughter didn’t stop for a while.
*
In a dark room, a man muttered to himself.
“The flow of mana has been disrupted.”
He stroked his chin with a serious expression as he spoke.
“Weird. Who could have tampered with it? But, it doesn’t make sense, does it? There shouldn’t be anyone wandering around there. Could it be the work of humans?”
An elf? Or perhaps an ogre?
As the man murmured to himself, someone approached him.
It was an old man with flowing white hair.
“Do you happen to know anything?”
“I don’t know. Wasn’t it your lot’s responsibility regarding the Kaizen Great Forest?”
“That’s true.”
“Why? Has something happened?”
“It seems like it. An abnormal signal came from the mana detector. Take a look at this.”
Scratching his head, the man showed a square device-like object he held in his hand.
The small crystal inside it was glowing red.
A negative signal. It meant there was a problem with the mana detector they had set up.
“That’s certainly the case.”
“I think I should go and check it out. After all, I had to go anyway because of that Karl guy.”
Karl was the man’s subordinate’s name. The man had sent his subordinate Karl to the Kaizen Great Forest to handle some tasks, but for some reason, they hadn’t been able to contact him recently.
There was no doubt that something had happened to him.
“Did Karl get beaten up by the ogres? Why isn’t he responding?”
“That’s how dark wizards are. He probably found something interesting again. Maybe he’s holed up in his room doing research or something, ignoring your orders.”
The old man’s words made the man shake his head.
“Anyway, we can’t just sit idle. I’m going. Farewell, Inspiration.”
“Go ahead then.”
“If any messages come from Earth, let me know too. Take care.”
The man got up abruptly. He waved his hand casually to the old man and briskly walked out.
Taehyung and Karim, who were rejoicing, quickly regained their composure. Then, they watched as the magic circle gradually took shape.
“My lord, if this is truly a trace left by our ancestors, what kind of magic circle is this?”
“It’s a Warp magic circle. It’ll transport you somewhere.”
“I see. Indeed, my lord, you have skill in magic… Impressive.”
Taehyung scratched his head.
‘It’s not that impressive. I just read what popped up as a system message.’
[Warp magic circle in progress. 49%]
[Warp magic circle in progress. 50%]
.
.
.
Taehyung decided not to correct Karim’s misconception and left it alone. Sometimes, a well-intentioned lie was necessary.
“For now, stand in the center of the magic circle. You’ll be transported once it’s complete.”
“Got it.”
[Warp magic circle in progress. 99%]
[Warp magic circle in progress. 100%]
Soon, the magic circle was fully engraved.
[Warp magic activated.]
Karim’s body was engulfed in mana.
And then, his vision was shrouded in darkness.
“What’s happening? I can’t see ahead. And I feel incredibly dizzy.”
“It’s the effect of the Warp magic. Just wait.”
Pop!
A moment later, when his vision returned.
Where Karim stood was not a forest, but an entirely different place.
Karim glanced around.
It was indoors. And not just any indoors, but an incredibly vast space.
“Wow, it looks like a museum.”
Taehyung commented, but Karim’s view was different.
“This was definitely made by orcs.”
“Really? How can you tell?”
“Our tribal architectural style is evident throughout.”
“Oh?”
Come to think of it, he was right. The indoor layout closely resembled the architecture of buildings in orc villages.
“As expected, we’ve come to the right place. This is truly a place where traces of our ancestors reside.”
Karim gazed ahead with eyes filled with emotion.
It wasn’t a lie. It was real. The efforts of the orcs who rooted themselves in the primeval forest to find traces of their ancestors were not in vain.
There might not be significant gains here, but the fact that Karim could witness the traces of his ancestors with his own eyes was deeply moving.
“It’s moving indeed, but let’s stay calm and explore first.”
“Understood. For the sake of our people, I need to keep a clear head.”
After taking a few deep breaths, Karim calmed his emotions.
He then began to calmly observe everything around him.
The large indoor space, built in the unique architectural style of orcs, was adorned much like a museum, as Taehyung had described.
On the long stretch of walls, numerous murals were painted, and Karim immediately recognized their meaning.
Glorious scenes achieved by their ancestors. They were depicted in the murals.
“So, this is the trace left by my ancestors…”
Karim took a step forward involuntarily. At the same time, mana began to surge from all directions.
[Intrusion detected.]
[Identifying intruder. Assessing intruder’s qualifications.]
Mana surged relentlessly towards Karim, completely enveloping him.
“Hey, Karim! Are you alright?”
Taehyung’s face turned pale.
To suddenly assess the qualifications of an intruder… It felt ominous. It seemed like the mana, abundant enough to process, might swallow Karim whole.
Taehyung prepared for summoning. If anything went wrong, he would immediately call him back.
But…
“My lord, no need to worry. Everything’s fine.”
Karim was unharmed.
[Qualifications confirmed.]
Whoosh!
With a rushing sound, the gathered mana dispersed in all directions once again.
“This is a procedure to determine if the intruder is an orc or not. Since I qualify, it doesn’t matter.”
“Ah, I see.”
Taehyung heaved a sigh of relief.
‘Luckily.’
The system didn’t mention that part.
“What if the intruder isn’t an orc?”
“They’ll die.”
“That’s harsh.”
So, this place is exclusively for orcs to enter.
Taehyung surveyed the surroundings with the eyes of a summoner. Then, his gaze fell on the ceiling.
‘Huh? What’s that…?’
There were numerous holes, densely packed. Roughly estimating, there were dozens of them. Inside those many holes lurked something sharp.
‘Are those… blade traps?’
The notion of dying made sense to him. If it weren’t for the orc, dozens of blades would have fallen, and the intruder would have been torn apart and killed.
Taehyung looked around with a horrified heart. Somehow it didn’t seem like there was just that one trap.
To install such advanced magic circles that only orcs can detect, why would there be only one trap?
There must be more. He just hadn’t found them yet.
Karim soon began to move his feet.
Walking slowly forward, he admired the countless murals depicted.
Scenes of orc armies fighting formidable enemies, scenes of cities being conquered and cheered, scenes of messengers of enemies kneeling before the orc king…
These represented struggle.
Scenes of orc merchants engaging in acts of commerce in the market, orcs sweating as they built tall buildings, scenes of orcs eating, drinking, and enjoying themselves at large festivals in the metropolis…
These depicted the daily lives of orcs.
“These murals contain the struggles of our ancestors.”
The ancestors were speaking to their descendants.
‘Do not forget us.
This is how we lived.
And inherit that will to revive our glory.’
“Ah.”
His heart swelled. He was too overwhelmed to express it.
For a long while, Karim pondered over the emotions.
“Ancestors, I will carry on your will.”
I will definitely revive our glory. No one will ever look down on orcs again.
At that moment of renewed determination,
Suddenly everything around him began to shake.
Kugugung!
Mana spewed out from the hundreds of murals that filled the walls. The mana spewed out, coalesced, and then surged into Karim’s body.
Syaahhh!
Karim closed his eyes tightly. He accepted the mana rushing into him without even flinching.
And then, something incredible happened.
The murals began to disappear gradually.
As Karim’s body absorbed the mana, the murals grew fainter and fainter.
When the murals completely disappeared,
The surging movement of mana abruptly stopped.
“The architect’s work is complete.”
[The sole artifact ‘Will of the High Orc’ is created.]
[The sole artifact ‘Will of the High Orc’ is bound to Karim.]
[The dungeon collapses.]
[The warp magic circle is activated.]
Kugugugung!
The interior shook violently. The ceiling and walls began to crack as if they were about to collapse.
At the same time, a magic circle was engraved under Karim’s feet, and he was engulfed in light.
Kwaaaagwang!
With a loud noise, Karim’s figure disappeared suddenly.
After a while, Karim appeared again where the warp magic circle had been activated. It was the central area of the Kai Sen Great Forest.
*
Was it because it passed by so quickly? The events at the place where the murals were felt like a dream.
But it wasn’t a dream. The traces of having been there remained vividly in Karim’s mind.
[Will of the High Orc
– The final masterpiece and legacy left by the High Orcs, a race that once ruled the continent, for their descendants. It is a gigantic encyclopedia made entirely of pure mana, containing the culmination of the achievements of the High Orcs.
– Bound to High Orc Karim. Those unauthorized by Karim cannot touch or see it.]
“Wow. It’s really impressive to see it again.”
Taehyung kept marveling, quietly observing Karim’s actions.
Karim was currently looking at a huge book.
The book was translucent and floating in midair.
To Taehyung, it looked like a typical system window without any flaws.
“My lord. Seeing this, I understand now. How backward our orcs were.”
Karim waved his hand. At that, the huge book floating in midair was infused with mana and merged into Karim’s body.
“And I’m sure what I need to do.”
“That’s a relief.”
Taehyung nodded satisfactorily.
Karim had shown some hesitation before, but it was good to see him resolute again.
“Anyway, we’re almost there.”
The orc village could be seen in the distance.
It had been several days since they left the central area of Kai Sen and returned to the embrace of the tribe. In the rush, they had arrived at the village before they knew it.
Warriors were busy swinging axes and dedicating themselves to training around the village. Laughing children frolicked around them, and even the orc women scolded them for being dangerous.
Faces that hadn’t been seen in the past fortnight were getting closer and closer.
The wolf carrying Karim slowed down. Orcs’ gazes turned towards them. And some made eye contact.
“The chief!”
“The chief has returned!”
“Ooh!”
Soon, the murmurs grew louder. Orcs poured out of the village.
“Haha. Just as I thought. What’s dying for a chief like me? I’m not an orc who can die.”
“Hey, what are you talking about? You, didn’t you say the chief died?”
“When! Me? Ha! Ridiculous! Do you have any evidence?”
“Evidence? My memory is evidence!”
Two orcs who had rushed out to greet Karim suddenly began to argue for no apparent reason. It seemed like they were about to start a physical fight.
“Let’s fight!”
“Alright! Let’s duel!”
Watching the two orcs draw their weapons, Karim burst into laughter.
“Hahaha!”
That’s it. This is what he wanted to see.
These are the ones I must protect. They are the talents who will shape the future of the Orc tribe, precious comrades with whom I will share the glory of the future.
“Huh? Why is the chief suddenly smiling? What’s so funny?”
“How should I know? How would I even know that?”
“Was there something significant happened in the central region?”
“Oh, seems like it.”
“Exciting, isn’t it?”
The orcs’ eyes sparkled.
Karim’s laughter didn’t stop for a while.
*
In a dark room, a man muttered to himself.
“The flow of mana has been disrupted.”
He stroked his chin with a serious expression as he spoke.
“Weird. Who could have tampered with it? But, it doesn’t make sense, does it? There shouldn’t be anyone wandering around there. Could it be the work of humans?”
An elf? Or perhaps an ogre?
As the man murmured to himself, someone approached him.
It was an old man with flowing white hair.
“Do you happen to know anything?”
“I don’t know. Wasn’t it your lot’s responsibility regarding the Kaizen Great Forest?”
“That’s true.”
“Why? Has something happened?”
“It seems like it. An abnormal signal came from the mana detector. Take a look at this.”
Scratching his head, the man showed a square device-like object he held in his hand.
The small crystal inside it was glowing red.
A negative signal. It meant there was a problem with the mana detector they had set up.
“That’s certainly the case.”
“I think I should go and check it out. After all, I had to go anyway because of that Karl guy.”
Karl was the man’s subordinate’s name. The man had sent his subordinate Karl to the Kaizen Great Forest to handle some tasks, but for some reason, they hadn’t been able to contact him recently.
There was no doubt that something had happened to him.
“Did Karl get beaten up by the ogres? Why isn’t he responding?”
“That’s how dark wizards are. He probably found something interesting again. Maybe he’s holed up in his room doing research or something, ignoring your orders.”
The old man’s words made the man shake his head.
“Anyway, we can’t just sit idle. I’m going. Farewell, Inspiration.”
“Go ahead then.”
“If any messages come from Earth, let me know too. Take care.”
The man got up abruptly. He waved his hand casually to the old man and briskly walked out.
