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 .