The Grand frog opened its eyes.
Feeling as if waking from a dream, the Grand frog blinked its large eyes and turned its head from side to side.
Something was amiss. There was nothing in sight.
Croak! Croak!
The Grand frog cried out immediately, calling its kin. In response, it heard the cries of the Acid frogf.
However, the sound was faint. Normally, it should have been loud enough to deafen.
The Grand frog soon realized. They had suffered a devastating defeat in the war against the giant wasps.
Unable to see ahead, senses dulled inexplicably. Perhaps their bodies were failing.
Croak! Croak!
Ah, yes.
They had lost.
Now it was time for me and my kin to return to the earth as a handful of dirt. The time had come to end the hundred-year reign of the king.
It was the order of nature. The immutable laws that upheld this cycle of karma.
Survival of the fittest; now my body would become a convenient meal for the giant wasps, and my subordinates would also be devoured.
Thus, the frogs would emerge as the losers in this region.
Though facing imminent death, the Grand frog harbored not even a shred of resentment towards the giant wasp forces that had brought them to this state.
What words could there be for the vanquished?
It was merely regretful and sorrowful to fall short of one’s goal.
To surpass the five kings, reputed as the strongest in the realm.
Croak! Croak!
The mournful cries of the Grand frog echoed far and wide.
Ah.
How pitiful!
Having lived overshadowing the five kings throughout life, yet departing without achieving that goal!
The Grand frog prepared for death. Soon, the giant wasps would swarm, and with weakened bodies, they would not withstand being torn apart and devoured.
“…”
But there was no attack.
Certainly, there were giant wasps nearby, but strangely, they did not attack.
Instead, they seemed to shield.
As if treating them as comrades.
Croak?
At the moment of uttering a puzzled cry,
The consciousness of the Grand frog began to change.
[We are one now.]
[Pledge your loyalty.]
Such words began to repeat endlessly in its mind, as if they would never cease.
The Grand frog would have deemed such words absurd in the past. It would have outright refused.
The Grand frog had lived its whole life as a king. There was no one above it. How could it pledge loyalty to someone else?
But not now. It was a defeated being. It was a being that ought to die and vanish. So, perhaps it was only natural to be subservient to someone.
The Grand frog did not resist. It accepted the surging force. In that moment of yielding to the flow.
Blink.
Its eyes opened.
Boom!
Before it, a particularly large giant wasp appeared. Atop that wasp sat a small slime.
The Grand frog realized. That small slime would now be a being to pledge loyalty to.
It politely bowed its head. And then, the slime leaped high and landed on its head.
[Grand frog, excellent landing sense. Liked it.]
The slime expressed joy, bouncing around.
And then, it thought hard.
The Grand frog realized that the term “King of Acid frog” referred not to its name but its position.
Unknown to itself, every living being must have a name. That’s what the slime thought.
Wasn’t it the same for itself? For ages, it had barely maintained a faint sense of self, merely existing. But it made a contract with its owner, its owner gave it a name, and only then did its existence gain meaning.
So, this Grand frog must also have a name.
Just as its owner had done for it, the slime also wanted to give it a name.
[Hmm… A fitting name.]
It remembered.
[Grand frog, from now on, your name is Buluk.]
If it was called Buluk because it was bumpy, then this creature would be called Buluk because its cheeks puffed up like bulges.
Having lived nameless all its life, the Grand frog finally had a name.
Croak!
Now Buluk, the Grand frog, cried out vigorously as if in joy.
[Buluk, but you’re too big even when you grow up. Can you reduce your size? If you can’t, I’ll personally put in suitable components for you.]
Croak!
Buluk responded positively, signaling agreement.
Shortly after, Buluk was engulfed in light and began to shrink.
Like a deflating balloon, it continued to shrink until it became incredibly small.
It was even smaller than an ordinary Acid frog. About the size of a human palm? Buluk was similar in size to the slime. At this point, it could be called an ordinary frog of the earth without any exaggeration.
But there was certainly a difference. Their cries were different. Despite the rugged appearance of Earth’s frogs, they produced thin, high-pitched, melodious cries similar to a xylophone. However, Buluk’s cry resembled that of a frog.
[Hmm. Excellent.]
The slime was satisfied.
[Can you return to your original state?]
Croak!
Buluk answered loudly and returned to its original size.
[Oh.]
Indeed, a king of a tribe was different no matter what.
To think that its colossal figure could shrink so much!
Now it understood why it had been so difficult to find the Grand frog.
With the ability to shrink like that, how could it be easy to find?
[Buluk, you have a separate role now.]
Ever since the slime had considered the idea of making Buluk its subordinate, it had thought about one thing.
That was the safety of its master, Taehyung.
[You must protect our master. Our master is still weak.]
Of course, the master had the ability to summon. In times of danger, they could call upon themselves or Karim, wherever they may be.
However, what the future held was uncertain.
What if the master got hurt in that fleeting moment before summoning? What if they were to die?
That was a thought too dreadful to entertain.
[It must be protected at all costs. Understood?]
“Yes!”
Buluk responded energetically.
*
After beheading the human who had targeted him, Karim scavenged through the belongings and clothes of the deceased. It was to ascertain if the person belonged to any faction.
Although they were said to be from Earth, being in Afroxia meant they might have left traces here.
If they could figure that out, they might be able to locate those despicable individuals who dared to threaten them.
And so, they searched and found something.
A small leather pouch tied to the belt the person wore. Inside the pouch was a small badge.
On it was a drawing of a black snake hissing, and underneath it was written “Black Snake” in the common continental language.
“Black Snake?”
Karim raised an eyebrow.
It was evidently some sort of identification for humans, but he didn’t know specifically what it represented.
Karim sought out Kurpa, the wisest orc priest in the village.
“Do you happen to know what this means, Priest?”
“Hmm. Seems to be some sort of badge indicating affiliation. The gold coin depicted above the snake symbol suggests a commercial organization like a guild or syndicate.”
“I see.”
“So, reading this… it would be Black Snake Guild or Black Snake Syndicate. Something along those lines.”
Karim nodded.
“So, was this human a merchant?”
“That seems likely. However, we should remain suspicious. They could be posing as merchants.”
Kurpa interjected.
“Chief, consider this. Does it make sense? An ordinary human merchant wandering into the deep forest alone, deceiving even the chief’s notice? And utilizing some sort of magical ability?”
“Hmm.”
“Isn’t it somewhat peculiar?”
“Indeed.”
Karim, pondering for a moment, suddenly returned home.
Then he brought something out.
It was an item identical to the badge found on humans.
“Where did you get that?”
“It was from the human warlock we captured, intending to ambush us.”
He briefly explained the incident where they chased and killed a sinister human warlock.
“Such an event occurred?”
“We kept it secret. Only my father and I knew.”
Back then, it was just an item he had kept absentmindedly. In fact, he had thought about discarding it but had forgotten, never realizing it would be of use like this.
Kurpa compared what Karim brought out with the badge.
They were exactly the same.
It meant one thing.
“They belong to the same affiliation.”
Karim clenched his fist tightly. His hand trembled.
“Despicable scoundrels.”
Not once, but twice the same thing happened. And they belonged to the same affiliation.
What did this mean?
“These humans are targeting us.”
Yes, that was all there was to it. Karim thought so.
It was fortunate they reacted swiftly; otherwise, the ambush, aimed twice at them, could have led to a major disaster.
“We cannot sit idly by.”
Orcs do not forget kindness. Therefore, they do not forget grudges either.
They repay kindness with more and return grudges with even more. That’s how orcs are.
“Chief, what do you plan to do?”
“Retribution.”
A flame ignited in Karim’s heart.
Once an orc’s heart is inflamed, it’s not easily calmed.
“If we let those bastards who targeted us twice go unpunished, our honor will be tarnished.”
Karim informed the orcs of this fact.
Their response was fervent.
“Blood for blood. It must be repaid!”
“Retribution is the answer!”
“We must exterminate those despicable humans!”
The orcs were incensed. The fact that the same individuals targeted them twice struck a chord with their pride.
Already confined within the forest, they had lived stifled, oppressed. And the sorrow of being preyed upon repeatedly surfaced.
“Chief! Let us march!”
“Let us march!”
However, Karim first calmed them down.
“Confronting them without sufficient information would be foolish.”
It wouldn’t be too late to retaliate after gathering enough information. Even if they were to march right now, wouldn’t they not even know where they are?
“At the moment, fifty of our warriors, led by Chaku, are in the Free City of Aren.”
They could use them.
Originally, orcs had no means to immediately contact those in human cities, but Karim had a method: Taehyung.
*
“Master, it seems like your assistance is needed. We need to converse with our warriors who are in the human city.”
– Is that so?
At Karim’s request, Taehyung hesitated for a moment, but quickly found a solution.
He had the ability to summon faction members using his summoning skill.
Summoned entities appear next to Taehyung, and when the summon is canceled, they return to their original location.
That was the method to be used.
Summon Chaku separately to his house in the city, then summon Karim to the house.
That way, no matter how far apart they were, Chaku and Karim could meet and converse. Of course, they couldn’t join each other as they would be teleported back to their original locations.
Anyway, using that method, Karim succeeded in conversing with Chaku.
After recounting the incidents of being attacked twice by a human carrying the Black Snake Merchant Guild emblem, Karim gave Chaku a task.
“So, you’re saying to find that Black Snake merchant guild, whether it’s the top or the branch?”
“Exactly.”
“Understood.”
After Chaku left and promptly executed Karim’s command, the task was easily accomplished. Perhaps it was because the city’s mayor, Pavel Jajak of Aren, warmly welcomed them. He had been eagerly awaiting their arrival.
The orcs were invited to a feast, and Chaku, who had initially declined the invitation, changed his mind and accepted.
Pavel Jazak had arranged a grand dinner party, utilizing the banquet hall behind the mayor’s mansion, to accommodate all fifty orcs.
Thus, the grand dinner with fifty orcs and one human began, a peculiar composition of attendees.
“Hahaha. In truth, I invited all of you orc warriors here to foster friendship. I do not dislike the orc race. Quite the opposite. Orcs are truly courageous beings. Don’t you agree?”
Pavel Jajak openly praised the orcs, laughing heartily and continuing with flattery.
Initially reserved, the orcs soon relaxed their expressions.
When the highest-ranking human governing this city approached them with such humility, it was only natural for their guard to lower.
Orcs generally despised pretense, and Pavel Jajak showed none.
Moreover, he even ordered his guards to stand down.
It seemed he wanted to show sincerity.
Was it because of his efforts? The orcs, who had been quite tense at first, had significantly softened.
As they ate the prepared food, they even exchanged jokes to a certain extent.
“Now that I listen, your chief seems truly exceptional.”
“Yes. Our chief is truly remarkable. Stronger than any warrior and wiser than anyone, he can truly be said to be a warrior of the orc god.”
“Oh, that’s intriguing. If I may have a personal request, I’d like to meet your chief someday.”
“That day will surely come.”
“My wish isn’t limited to that. I always respect the strong. If I could regularly interact with robust warriors like you, I would be delighted.”
“When I return, I’ll convey your intentions to the chief.”
“Hahaha. That’s great!”
Laughing heartily, Pavel Jajak raised his glass.
“Come on! Let’s drink! It’s truly wonderful to drink with such robust orc warriors!”
Everyone raised their glasses, and a jovial atmosphere prevailed.
After downing his drink, Chaku subtly asked as if in passing.
“I have something I’d like to ask. Have you heard of the Black Snake Merchant Guild?”
“Black Snake? Of course, I have. They’ve been making a name for themselves recently.”
In that moment, Chaku’s eyes sparkled.
“Do you know where they are?”
“I might. They have a base near Turka.”
“Turka?”
“Yes, it’s a city not far from here. Why do you ask? Are you planning to buy something from them?”
As Chaku remained silent, Pavel Jajak nodded, seeming to interpret it as affirmation.
“They mainly deal with jewelry and accessories. Are orcs interested in gems too? Haha. Well then, will you head to Turka once you’re done with Aren? You’ll need to trade with them.”
“Nothing is decided yet. We might end up going back to the village.”
“I see. Haha.”
Pavel Jajak added with a worried expression.
“If you’re going there, be cautious. The one ruling Turka isn’t as lenient towards mixed races as I am. You could get into various troubles. If you’re not careful, it might even escalate into conflict.”
“Thank you for your concern.”
As he replied, Chaku thought to himself.
“They should be the ones worrying.”
The Grand frog opened its eyes.
Feeling as if waking from a dream, the Grand frog blinked its large eyes and turned its head from side to side.
Something was amiss. There was nothing in sight.
Croak! Croak!
The Grand frog cried out immediately, calling its kin. In response, it heard the cries of the Acid frogf.
However, the sound was faint. Normally, it should have been loud enough to deafen.
The Grand frog soon realized. They had suffered a devastating defeat in the war against the giant wasps.
Unable to see ahead, senses dulled inexplicably. Perhaps their bodies were failing.
Croak! Croak!
Ah, yes.
They had lost.
Now it was time for me and my kin to return to the earth as a handful of dirt. The time had come to end the hundred-year reign of the king.
It was the order of nature. The immutable laws that upheld this cycle of karma.
Survival of the fittest; now my body would become a convenient meal for the giant wasps, and my subordinates would also be devoured.
Thus, the frogs would emerge as the losers in this region.
Though facing imminent death, the Grand frog harbored not even a shred of resentment towards the giant wasp forces that had brought them to this state.
What words could there be for the vanquished?
It was merely regretful and sorrowful to fall short of one’s goal.
To surpass the five kings, reputed as the strongest in the realm.
Croak! Croak!
The mournful cries of the Grand frog echoed far and wide.
Ah.
How pitiful!
Having lived overshadowing the five kings throughout life, yet departing without achieving that goal!
The Grand frog prepared for death. Soon, the giant wasps would swarm, and with weakened bodies, they would not withstand being torn apart and devoured.
“…”
But there was no attack.
Certainly, there were giant wasps nearby, but strangely, they did not attack.
Instead, they seemed to shield.
As if treating them as comrades.
Croak?
At the moment of uttering a puzzled cry,
The consciousness of the Grand frog began to change.
[We are one now.]
[Pledge your loyalty.]
Such words began to repeat endlessly in its mind, as if they would never cease.
The Grand frog would have deemed such words absurd in the past. It would have outright refused.
The Grand frog had lived its whole life as a king. There was no one above it. How could it pledge loyalty to someone else?
But not now. It was a defeated being. It was a being that ought to die and vanish. So, perhaps it was only natural to be subservient to someone.
The Grand frog did not resist. It accepted the surging force. In that moment of yielding to the flow.
Blink.
Its eyes opened.
Boom!
Before it, a particularly large giant wasp appeared. Atop that wasp sat a small slime.
The Grand frog realized. That small slime would now be a being to pledge loyalty to.
It politely bowed its head. And then, the slime leaped high and landed on its head.
[Grand frog, excellent landing sense. Liked it.]
The slime expressed joy, bouncing around.
And then, it thought hard.
The Grand frog realized that the term “King of Acid frog” referred not to its name but its position.
Unknown to itself, every living being must have a name. That’s what the slime thought.
Wasn’t it the same for itself? For ages, it had barely maintained a faint sense of self, merely existing. But it made a contract with its owner, its owner gave it a name, and only then did its existence gain meaning.
So, this Grand frog must also have a name.
Just as its owner had done for it, the slime also wanted to give it a name.
[Hmm… A fitting name.]
It remembered.
[Grand frog, from now on, your name is Buluk.]
If it was called Buluk because it was bumpy, then this creature would be called Buluk because its cheeks puffed up like bulges.
Having lived nameless all its life, the Grand frog finally had a name.
Croak!
Now Buluk, the Grand frog, cried out vigorously as if in joy.
[Buluk, but you’re too big even when you grow up. Can you reduce your size? If you can’t, I’ll personally put in suitable components for you.]
Croak!
Buluk responded positively, signaling agreement.
Shortly after, Buluk was engulfed in light and began to shrink.
Like a deflating balloon, it continued to shrink until it became incredibly small.
It was even smaller than an ordinary Acid frog. About the size of a human palm? Buluk was similar in size to the slime. At this point, it could be called an ordinary frog of the earth without any exaggeration.
But there was certainly a difference. Their cries were different. Despite the rugged appearance of Earth’s frogs, they produced thin, high-pitched, melodious cries similar to a xylophone. However, Buluk’s cry resembled that of a frog.
[Hmm. Excellent.]
The slime was satisfied.
[Can you return to your original state?]
Croak!
Buluk answered loudly and returned to its original size.
[Oh.]
Indeed, a king of a tribe was different no matter what.
To think that its colossal figure could shrink so much!
Now it understood why it had been so difficult to find the Grand frog.
With the ability to shrink like that, how could it be easy to find?
[Buluk, you have a separate role now.]
Ever since the slime had considered the idea of making Buluk its subordinate, it had thought about one thing.
That was the safety of its master, Taehyung.
[You must protect our master. Our master is still weak.]
Of course, the master had the ability to summon. In times of danger, they could call upon themselves or Karim, wherever they may be.
However, what the future held was uncertain.
What if the master got hurt in that fleeting moment before summoning? What if they were to die?
That was a thought too dreadful to entertain.
[It must be protected at all costs. Understood?]
“Yes!”
Buluk responded energetically.
*
After beheading the human who had targeted him, Karim scavenged through the belongings and clothes of the deceased. It was to ascertain if the person belonged to any faction.
Although they were said to be from Earth, being in Afroxia meant they might have left traces here.
If they could figure that out, they might be able to locate those despicable individuals who dared to threaten them.
And so, they searched and found something.
A small leather pouch tied to the belt the person wore. Inside the pouch was a small badge.
On it was a drawing of a black snake hissing, and underneath it was written “Black Snake” in the common continental language.
“Black Snake?”
Karim raised an eyebrow.
It was evidently some sort of identification for humans, but he didn’t know specifically what it represented.
Karim sought out Kurpa, the wisest orc priest in the village.
“Do you happen to know what this means, Priest?”
“Hmm. Seems to be some sort of badge indicating affiliation. The gold coin depicted above the snake symbol suggests a commercial organization like a guild or syndicate.”
“I see.”
“So, reading this… it would be Black Snake Guild or Black Snake Syndicate. Something along those lines.”
Karim nodded.
“So, was this human a merchant?”
“That seems likely. However, we should remain suspicious. They could be posing as merchants.”
Kurpa interjected.
“Chief, consider this. Does it make sense? An ordinary human merchant wandering into the deep forest alone, deceiving even the chief’s notice? And utilizing some sort of magical ability?”
“Hmm.”
“Isn’t it somewhat peculiar?”
“Indeed.”
Karim, pondering for a moment, suddenly returned home.
Then he brought something out.
It was an item identical to the badge found on humans.
“Where did you get that?”
“It was from the human warlock we captured, intending to ambush us.”
He briefly explained the incident where they chased and killed a sinister human warlock.
“Such an event occurred?”
“We kept it secret. Only my father and I knew.”
Back then, it was just an item he had kept absentmindedly. In fact, he had thought about discarding it but had forgotten, never realizing it would be of use like this.
Kurpa compared what Karim brought out with the badge.
They were exactly the same.
It meant one thing.
“They belong to the same affiliation.”
Karim clenched his fist tightly. His hand trembled.
“Despicable scoundrels.”
Not once, but twice the same thing happened. And they belonged to the same affiliation.
What did this mean?
“These humans are targeting us.”
Yes, that was all there was to it. Karim thought so.
It was fortunate they reacted swiftly; otherwise, the ambush, aimed twice at them, could have led to a major disaster.
“We cannot sit idly by.”
Orcs do not forget kindness. Therefore, they do not forget grudges either.
They repay kindness with more and return grudges with even more. That’s how orcs are.
“Chief, what do you plan to do?”
“Retribution.”
A flame ignited in Karim’s heart.
Once an orc’s heart is inflamed, it’s not easily calmed.
“If we let those bastards who targeted us twice go unpunished, our honor will be tarnished.”
Karim informed the orcs of this fact.
Their response was fervent.
“Blood for blood. It must be repaid!”
“Retribution is the answer!”
“We must exterminate those despicable humans!”
The orcs were incensed. The fact that the same individuals targeted them twice struck a chord with their pride.
Already confined within the forest, they had lived stifled, oppressed. And the sorrow of being preyed upon repeatedly surfaced.
“Chief! Let us march!”
“Let us march!”
However, Karim first calmed them down.
“Confronting them without sufficient information would be foolish.”
It wouldn’t be too late to retaliate after gathering enough information. Even if they were to march right now, wouldn’t they not even know where they are?
“At the moment, fifty of our warriors, led by Chaku, are in the Free City of Aren.”
They could use them.
Originally, orcs had no means to immediately contact those in human cities, but Karim had a method: Taehyung.
*
“Master, it seems like your assistance is needed. We need to converse with our warriors who are in the human city.”
– Is that so?
At Karim’s request, Taehyung hesitated for a moment, but quickly found a solution.
He had the ability to summon faction members using his summoning skill.
Summoned entities appear next to Taehyung, and when the summon is canceled, they return to their original location.
That was the method to be used.
Summon Chaku separately to his house in the city, then summon Karim to the house.
That way, no matter how far apart they were, Chaku and Karim could meet and converse. Of course, they couldn’t join each other as they would be teleported back to their original locations.
Anyway, using that method, Karim succeeded in conversing with Chaku.
After recounting the incidents of being attacked twice by a human carrying the Black Snake Merchant Guild emblem, Karim gave Chaku a task.
“So, you’re saying to find that Black Snake merchant guild, whether it’s the top or the branch?”
“Exactly.”
“Understood.”
After Chaku left and promptly executed Karim’s command, the task was easily accomplished. Perhaps it was because the city’s mayor, Pavel Jajak of Aren, warmly welcomed them. He had been eagerly awaiting their arrival.
The orcs were invited to a feast, and Chaku, who had initially declined the invitation, changed his mind and accepted.
Pavel Jazak had arranged a grand dinner party, utilizing the banquet hall behind the mayor’s mansion, to accommodate all fifty orcs.
Thus, the grand dinner with fifty orcs and one human began, a peculiar composition of attendees.
“Hahaha. In truth, I invited all of you orc warriors here to foster friendship. I do not dislike the orc race. Quite the opposite. Orcs are truly courageous beings. Don’t you agree?”
Pavel Jajak openly praised the orcs, laughing heartily and continuing with flattery.
Initially reserved, the orcs soon relaxed their expressions.
When the highest-ranking human governing this city approached them with such humility, it was only natural for their guard to lower.
Orcs generally despised pretense, and Pavel Jajak showed none.
Moreover, he even ordered his guards to stand down.
It seemed he wanted to show sincerity.
Was it because of his efforts? The orcs, who had been quite tense at first, had significantly softened.
As they ate the prepared food, they even exchanged jokes to a certain extent.
“Now that I listen, your chief seems truly exceptional.”
“Yes. Our chief is truly remarkable. Stronger than any warrior and wiser than anyone, he can truly be said to be a warrior of the orc god.”
“Oh, that’s intriguing. If I may have a personal request, I’d like to meet your chief someday.”
“That day will surely come.”
“My wish isn’t limited to that. I always respect the strong. If I could regularly interact with robust warriors like you, I would be delighted.”
“When I return, I’ll convey your intentions to the chief.”
“Hahaha. That’s great!”
Laughing heartily, Pavel Jajak raised his glass.
“Come on! Let’s drink! It’s truly wonderful to drink with such robust orc warriors!”
Everyone raised their glasses, and a jovial atmosphere prevailed.
After downing his drink, Chaku subtly asked as if in passing.
“I have something I’d like to ask. Have you heard of the Black Snake Merchant Guild?”
“Black Snake? Of course, I have. They’ve been making a name for themselves recently.”
In that moment, Chaku’s eyes sparkled.
“Do you know where they are?”
“I might. They have a base near Turka.”
“Turka?”
“Yes, it’s a city not far from here. Why do you ask? Are you planning to buy something from them?”
As Chaku remained silent, Pavel Jajak nodded, seeming to interpret it as affirmation.
“They mainly deal with jewelry and accessories. Are orcs interested in gems too? Haha. Well then, will you head to Turka once you’re done with Aren? You’ll need to trade with them.”
“Nothing is decided yet. We might end up going back to the village.”
“I see. Haha.”
Pavel Jajak added with a worried expression.
“If you’re going there, be cautious. The one ruling Turka isn’t as lenient towards mixed races as I am. You could get into various troubles. If you’re not careful, it might even escalate into conflict.”
“Thank you for your concern.”
As he replied, Chaku thought to himself.
“They should be the ones worrying.”
