Praise the Orc! Chapter 3:


Chapter 3 – Maker’s Mistake (2)

As Ian approached the wall, two orcs in chain armor stood tall like stone statues .  Their blades flashed in the sun .

They discovered Ian and laughed . They were laughing, but due to their tusks and their heinous appearance, their faces seemed evil .

“Hey, are you alive?”

“I’m alive . I came here to become a fellow warrior . ”

They burst out laughing . It was a unique tone caused by their stomachs shaking .  Ian gulped at their overwhelming momentum .  He had once been a soldier, but he couldn’t help but shrink back at the two monstrous orcs side by side .

One of the orcs held out a fist .

“…?”

Ian looked at the rough hand blankly before realizing it was a greeting . Ian also made a fist and bumped it against each other .  The orc guard smiled and said,

“Anyway, you have arrived at Orcrox and I wish you good luck . Today there is a funeral where we will remember an honorable warrior . Kulkul . Stay alive . ”

They shouted to open the door .  The walls were high enough to cover the sun, and the giant door that was the size of the building started to slowly open .  The door opened with a thunderous sound and Ian was able to see the inside of Orcrox Fortress .

“Ohh…”

Ian thought of orcs as savage monsters, since their appearance alone was heinous .  But that wasn’t it .  The scale of the buildings were different . There were tall buildings around the giant tree in the center, with bridges in the sky connecting each one .  Above his head, orcs were busy going to and fro .

It felt like the city of elves in a fantasy world! There weren’t just warriors with weapons or shamans with staffs, but various orcs, such as merchants, in order to form a civilization .

It was a magnificent landscape that was more realistic than reality .  The orc fortress filled Ian’s view .

“This is really a game…”

“Hey, you’re alive . Are you new?”

Passing orcs smiled at the stunned newcomer and held out their fists . Ian bumped them with his fists .

Whether he was alive or not, it didn’t take long for him to realize that it was the orcs’ greeting . All of them asked each other if they were alive, meaning this was a place where life and death occurred often enough for it to become a greeting .

Ian didn’t know what to do after entering Orcrox Fortress, so he checked the interface for beginners tips .

 

[If you selected an orc, can you really endure it?]

[If you are a beginner, look for Instructor Lenox at Orcrox Fortress . ]

 

“Lenox…?”

It was at that moment .

“Uh, a user? Wah, a real user?”

There was a loud and gruff voice, but the tone was light .  Ian turned his head and saw a shabby looking orc .

“This is the first time I’ve seen another beginner orc . It’s nice to meet you!”

He tried to shake hands before grunting and putting out his fist like the other orcs . Ian smiled and bumped his fist .

“Are you alive?”

“I’m alive . Haha, by the way, did you just start playing? What’s your name? I’m called Grom . I got it from a character in an old classic game . ”

“Yes . I’m Ian . ”

Ian nodded .  Ian then discovered something on the other person’s forehead . A white star was shimmering in the middle of his forehead .

“That…?”

“What?”

Grom followed Ian’s gaze to his forehead .

“Ah, this . You don’t know? The white star allows you to identity the users . Ian has one on your forehead as well . That’s how I knew that you were a user . NPC’s can’t see it, only we can . This is really the first time I’ve seen it . ”

“Is that so?”

“There are even some who hide it to pretend to be NPCs . You must have really started without investigating anything . ”

“This is the first time I’m playing a game . ”

“I see . Be careful, this is a big deal . Elder Lord is a really hard game so you should look at the tips . ”

He nodded and smiled .

“Of course, you didn’t see it, which is why you picked an orc . ”

“Huh?”

“It’s nothing . Are you going to see Lenox?”

“That is what the tip said . ”

“Let’s go together . I was about to start heading there now . ”

Ian followed Grom .

Ian was immersed in the sight of the city . Orcrox Fortress was filled with all types of things .  There was a market and smithy . It was a realistic scene that couldn’t be thought of as a game as merchants shouted about their goods, adventurers gathered to fight monsters and orcs drank alcohol .

Ian started to think differently of Elder Lord .  The game system seemed to have a personality and story for each character . A civilization and culture was created for the orcs .  It was a wonderful game .

As Ian immersed himself in the world of Elder Lord, Grom laughed .

“Isn’t it amazing?”

“Yes . I can’t believe this is a game . How…”

He couldn’t believe that what he was seeing, hearing and feeling now was a game .

“Oh, there is a funeral . ”

“Funeral?”

“Orcs are mourning the death of a great warrior . He was a great NPC who sacrificed himself to protect his allies . ”

Suddenly, the faint sound of a horn could be heard .

At that moment .  The entire Orcrox Fortress became quiet .

“Ah…?”

All the orcs were silent . Even the merchants shouting at the market and the drunkards became silent .  The horn rang out slowly in the midst of this quiet .  All the orcs looked at the center of Orcrox Fortress .

There appeared to be an altar made of bricks with an orc body lying on top of firewood .  The orcs started humming in bold tones .  It was a thick, subdued tone, like the humming of the Tibetan monks . The entire Orcrox Fortress was filled with the beat of the funeral procession .

At the bottom of the altar, the orcs presiding over the funeral started to slowly beat the drums .  The sound of the horns and the drumming and humming of the orcs mixed together .  The warrior’s body caught on fire, the flames consuming the body of the dead orc warrior . The orcs held a ceremony in remembrance of their own .

“Ah…”

Ian was shocked .

A ceremony to honor their comrades .

He was reminded of a soldier on the battlefield . Cornell had become a star in the sky due to rebel bullets, and his colleagues had sent him away with bright smiles instead of sad tears . The song chosen wasn’t a tranquil song, but an army song . Nobody cried that day, but their hearts and minds were overflowing with hot and sad emotions .

The memory of that day was revived .

The humming of the orcs was grand and noble . Ian couldn’t take his eyes off the burning orc warrior .  The mournful cry of the horns wandered throughout Orcrox Fortress .

Ian didn’t know the name of the orc, since he was just a character in the game . However, it is clear to Ian that he was a great and respected man .

“Ah, noisy . ”

Ian’s mind snapped back at Grom’s words . Grom was grumbling beside him .

“A funeral should proceed quickly and quietly . Ahyu . Right?”

Ian looked at him blankly .

Did this person really feel no emotions when seeing this scene? In a world that seemed more real than reality, could he throw away the solemn ceremony of the orcs just because it was a game?

Ian turned his gaze once again to the burning body of the orc warrior .

 

[Assimilation: 50%]

[Assimilation: 51%]

[Assimilation: 52%]

……

 

Ian didn’t know about the changes in his status window .

 

***

-Hello! I am a helper to help you live a comfortable Elder Lord life, Yoojung!

-I am Jaehan!

-Today we will talk about assimilation rate . Jaehan-ssi, what is your current assimilation rate?

-When my condition is good, it is over 50% . On average, it is 40% .

-That is amazing . I am usually 30% . An average user is between 30~40%, so Jaehan-ssi is capable .

-Hahaha . Still, I don’t want to get hurt when fighting, so I often end up limiting it . At 50%, I feel dizzy like I am actually hit by a knife .

-In fact, I usually play at a limit of 20% due to that .

-Oh, that is worse .

-Hihihi . Anyway, what is the assimilation rate of the viewers? The survey results say that the average is between 30~40% . In the case of high rankers, especially those who are role-playing, it may be up to 70% .

-Amazing, don’t they seem to be properly immersed?

Tremble tremble .

-In particular, the most popular roleplayer, user Kim Dalkwang of the militia, has released his latest status window . His assimilation rate is a huge 73% .

-Whoa! Is that how he became a ranker?

-The game publishers didn’t disclose how the assimilation rate affects performance, but it certainly has an effect . It is common sense that rankers have a higher rate of assimilation, since the assimilation rate determines the ranker’s abilities . Their skills, attacks and movements are superior in every way . Doesn’t this narrow down the difference between NPC’s and users?

-Ah, scary NPCs! I don’t like NPCs!

-Haha . Is that so? That is why users are attempting to create a village! I interviewed Elaine, an elf user who designed Shangri-la, the village of users…

A restaurant staff member changed the television channel .

“Eh, the world is going crazy for games…”

Jung Yiyu, who was immersed in the contents, recovered . Her friends who she was eating together with also turned their heads away .

“What is your assimilation rate?”

“I’m around 20~30%?”

“I’ve gone over 40% but I’m usually around 30% . ”

Jung Yiyu laughed, “I am 10%!”

“Hey, what is this?”

“Do you only play with the right side of your brain while the left side is sleeping?”

“It’s a game . The thought of it being a game keeps me from being immersed… Well, I did level up . ”

“You died to a rabbit . ”

“What? How did a rabbit kill you? Is that possible? Do rabbits even attack?”

Yiyu sighed .

“I don’t know . I tried to attack it, but the rabbit bit my legs . I was constantly bitten by the rabbit and died from severe bleeding . ”

“Amazing . ”

“Crazy…”

Jung Yiyu laughed .

“But don’t worry . Now my troubles are over, since my brother has started playing the game . ”

“Ah, that brother?”

“Yes . Oppa will become a high ranker quickly and take care of me . I will catch up to all of you . ”

A friend who was listening interrupted her, “Why will he become a high ranker?”

“My brother is a soldier . ”

“Soldier?”

“Will a soldier be more familiar with something like Elder Lord?”

“There are plenty of army men . ”

“He was in a real battlefield, not a normal soldier . Do you know the foreign troops? He shot people in the Middle East and Africa . ”

“Really? Then he has killed people?”

Everyone’s gaze turned to Yiyu, who shrugged .

“I don’t know, he doesn’t talk about it…”

“Amazing . A friend of my brother’s is a martial arts player and adapted immediately . Isn’t he a ranker now?”

“Hey, Jung Yiyu . Don’t pretend not to know me later . ”

Yiyu shrugged at her friends .

“So be good to me . ”

However, Yiyu didn’t know one important thing about Ian, whom she was putting all of her expectations in .

He chose the orc that was called the game maker’s mistake .


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