Chapter 31

Solo Clear – Chapter 31: Banquet . Acknowledgement . Raid .

After seeing their reaction back at the base, I realized how sweet this victory was to them .
The Orcs cheered with drinks in their hands and sang songs together .
Their laughter was so loud that it sounded like it could be heard outside of the base .
Since I contributed the most during the battle, I sat with all the clan leaders .
There was so much food on the table in front of me that my eyes wandered all over the place .

“All of this is for you . We have unlimited supply of alcohol and meat, so eat as much as you like . ”
“Thank you . ”

It couldn’t really be called a dish since they roasted an entire animal of some sort and cut them into pieces .
The meat tasted similar to chicken and pork mixed together .

“After inspecting the corpse, it’s been confirmed that it’s Malus . His ice magic gave us a really hard time . ”
“Now our hands and feet won’t freeze up . Ha ha ha . ”

They started talking about Malus for a while . They’ve already confirmed his reputation and power as a priest .
The clan leaders looked at me in admiration .

“Are there other humans here?”

I intercepted their conversation and asked a question while raising my hand .

The clan leaders hoped that someone would answer, but Master Kalax ended up speaking .

“There aren’t any other humans here . You’re the only human . ”

Master Kalax spoke very carefully .
I could tell that they were trying to read my emotions .

“It’s fine . While I was passing through the portal, I heard that most of the people volunteered to support their side . ”
“I do apologize . However, the Oracle told us that we couldn’t decide who they wanted to support . ”
“By Oracle, do you mean?”
“It’s the God that us Orcs worship . We received the message through them . ”
I didn’t express my opinion, but I felt that something was off .

It was regarding the part where a race believed so firmly in a God within a stage .
They weren’t some random monsters that we humans needed to meet before clearing the stage .
I was able to come this far with that mindset .

“Did I say something odd?”
“No, it’s nothing . ”

I drank the beer from the mug that I was holding .
The beer tasted so crisp that it made me forget the thoughts that I had before .

“I saw your sword skills and it’s amazing!! You must’ve had a great teacher . ”
“I wished for one, but I couldn’t find one, so I taught myself . ”
“No way! You taught yourself? Ha ha . ”

The clan leader with the blue chest, Lezzaro, placed his mug down and grabbed his axe .

“That power . Do you mind showing it to me?”

The other clan leaders looked so shocked that it seemed like they were walking on thin ice .
His red face and constant hiccupping made me realize that he was extremely drunk .

“That’s inappropriate during a congratulatory feast . Put down that axe this instant Lezzaro . ”

Orkhar stood up and stopped him .

“How about it? I would like to learn from you . ”
“There’s no need to accept it . Everyone can tell that Lezzaro is drunk . ”

Lezzaro started cracking his fingers and provoked him .

“Since I’ve been challenged, backing down isn’t good manners either . ”

When I took out my sword, Lezzaro had a satisfied smile on his face .

“Don’t worry . If something happens, I’ll intercept and stop him . ”

Orkhar placed his hand on my shoulder and spoke .
However, unlike him, I wasn’t a bit worried about something possibly happening during the fight .
I’ve trained myself enough to understand my opponent’s level .

“How shall we decide the victor?”
“The first one to surrender will lose . ”
“Great, let’s do that . ”

It seemed like Lezzaro was planning on using all of his power to bring me down in front of all the other clan leaders .


His cunning smile was proof that he had something up his sleeve .
I felt an overwhelming willpower, which I couldn’t find before when he was drunk .

When I agreed to his challenge, the other clan leaders moved to the side and created more room for us .
Since the others didn’t witness my fight with the priest, they watched excitedly .
Including Lezzaro, there were probably other leaders that didn’t acknowledge my power just yet .

I thought this was a good chance .

Orcs were known to be obsessed with battles, but Lezzaro was calm .
I thought it would be good to follow his cautious stance .

Fwoosh!!

The flame that suddenly shot up from outside of the base was the signal .
We both reacted to it, but I was a step faster .
Moving first in a battle between strong opponents made a huge difference .

Lezzaro thought he was late, so he tried to change his pose to defend my attack, but it was a mistake .
If he took the chance to attack me head on, we both might’ve gotten a minor injury .

Swoosh!!

When my sword and his axe clashed, the strong friction created sparks .

Crack!!

A loud sound as if a metal broke filled the area .
Moments later, the head of the axe fell to the ground .

“It’s over . ”

Since he lost his weapon and wasn’t allowed to obtain a replacement, I was the victor .
Because of this match, he was no longer drunk and instead, a shocked looked appeared on his face .
He covered his face with hands because he was either embarrassed or filled with fear .

“…I lost . ”

Through his covered mouth, he admitted defeat .
Someone should’ve stepped in after the battle was over, but everyone had their mouths wide open .

Just like the priest, the clan leaders were at their current position because of the experience they gained .
But after one fight with the courageous warrior, they were defeated .
It wouldn’t be odd if their mind became blank .

“That was enough . No one will question your strength any longer . Lezzaro, you agree, right?”
“…Yes, sir . Please forgive me for the issue that I have caused . ”

Lezzaro came to his senses after the fight was over and he kept his head down due to being embarrassed by the result, but apologized for his actions .
The result of a battle was important to the Orcs and this defeat was probably an embarrassment, but he still acknowledged it .

I basically ruined his reputation .
I embarrassed him .
But he sincerely apologized to me .

“I’m sorry . I got annoyed without knowing . I wasn’t thinking straight . ”

Thankfully, the situation ended well .
On top of that, since I was able to really show my powers to the other clan leaders, there won’t be another Lezzaro .
If the clan leaders acknowledge my power, then the underlings won’t doubt me either .
Meaning, the power that I’ve obtained might have increased, but not a lot of people will oppose me .

“Ahem, the mood has been ruined . Come and sit down . It’s too early to call it a night . ”

We drank for a long time .

***

After sleeping late into the night, I appeared in the conference hall during the afternoon .
Orkhar, who was keeping me company, informed me that this is the first time a human attended a meeting on the first day .

“Mr . popular has arrived . Ha ha ha . I’ve heard all about it . ”

Hacrim, who was part of the Silver Hair Clan, spoke as if he was an old friend .

“…I had a bit of a hard time . ”

Early in the morning, there were hundreds of Orcs lined up in front of the room that I was staying at .

Everyone had different reasons for lining up, but some asked me to autograph their gear and others asked for a handshake .
One Orc suddenly hugged me out of nowhere, which caused me to sweat .

Their chest was just as firm as a bodybuilder’s and they were known for their build, so it felt different from a woman’s body .
No, that wasn’t an appropriate comparison .
It’s because the only woman that I’ve ever hugged was my mother .

“You don’t look so good, Jin Woo . ”

I introduced myself yesterday in front of all the clan leaders .
Everyone did their best to memorize my name and Orkhar was the first one to call me by my name .

“I just had a bad thought . It’s a bit…revolting . ”
“After the meeting is over, I’ll notify the surgeon to create a special medicine for your digestive system . ”

Other clan leaders arrived afterwards . The Master Kalax was the last one to enter .
The cheerful mood from yesterday disappeared and a stern expression could be seen on everyone’s face .
Since this was my first time attending, I felt a bit lightheaded .

“Thanks to yesterday’s victory, we have been given the chance to attack . If anyone has a good plan, please share . ”
A lot of different strategies were shared and I acted like I was listening, but I was starting at the map .
It was the enemy’s base, but they even drew in the internal map of the base .

“The place we need to target next is Havelam, which was also our base . But they attacked it and now it’s in their hands . ”

Orkhar informed me when he noticed me looking at the map .
Among them, I pointed to a passageway that looked odd .

“What’s this passageway that’s connected to the inside of the base?”
“Hm, it looks like an underground drain pipe . There are heavy showers in Havelam during the summer, so a drain pipe is necessary . ”
“What about using this to get inside?”
“We thought about doing that too, but it’s so narrow that only two humans will be able to go through it . On top of that, only one human is able to climb the ladder that leads to the top . It’s a different story if we create a diversion though . If not that, then it’s a dangerous strategy . ”

Orkhar did his best to point out the dangerous parts in the plan that I thought of .
Despite of that, I couldn’t keep my eyes off the small passageway .

In that moment, I was sure that the passageway was our key to victory .
I opened my mouth and spoke .

“I’ll sneak into the enemy’s base and attack them . I don’t need back-up . Please let me go alone . ”

<Banquet . Acknowledgement . Raid> End .