Someone was approaching me.
A middle-aged man with a rough face and a short stature.
I glanced at the text hovering above his head.
[NPC – Guard Unit Member]
"Are you a conscripted soldier? Or a hired mercenary? Whatever the case, hurry up and get to the frontlines! There are too many orcs!"
His tone was vivid and full of urgency.
It felt strangely refreshing.
Until now, the only NPCs I had encountered were corpses or dying people.
This was the first time I was facing people who were still alive and well.
I nodded and stepped forward.
A massive wall loomed in front of me.
Beyond that wall, a horde of orcs had gathered—just from a glance, they looked like a brutal, bloodthirsty lot.
"This is supposed to be a quest-type stage, right?"
The situation felt more like a defense mission.
There had to be some kind of storyline tied to this battle.
I climbed up the wall, standing next to the soldiers sweating as they loosed their arrows.
From up here, I had a clear view of the battlefield.
A rain of arrows poured down from above.
Fifty soldiers fired simultaneously.
The air turned black with a dense shower of arrows.
They pierced the orc warriors’ heads and the gaps in their armor.
"If this keeps up, they might break through."
Even with the soldiers holding their ground, I couldn’t help but think that.
The orcs were pounding the fortress gate with massive siege rams.
"Throw properly, damn it! Do you all want to die together?!"
I turned to the side.
About thirty soldiers were hurling short spears designed for ranged attacks.
"I put you there because you said you could throw! What the hell are you doing?!"
I looked up at the man yelling at them.
[NPC – Guard Captain Baek]
The first named NPC I’d seen here.
I reached for a short spear.
Baek turned to look at me.
His brows furrowed in a deep scowl.
"We don’t have enough spears to spare! If you’ve never thrown one before, don’t be reckless!"
So what if it was reckless? I just had to throw it.
Of course, I wasn’t acting without a plan.
The fundamentals were the same.
What I did on the pitching mound—
The key was maximizing the chances of success.
[Skill Activated: Enhanced Focus Lv.2]
[Skill Activated: Mana-Enhanced Body Lv.1]
Power surged through my body.
My mind became sharper than ever.
I planted my feet firmly on the ground.
With my left hand, I aimed at the orc’s heart, just below the shoulder.
Then, I swung my right arm like a whip.
The trajectory was the same as a fastball in a baseball game.
The spear drove cleanly through the orc’s chest, impaling its heart just below the shoulder.
The orc staggered backward.
It stumbled and collapsed.
"...So you’re not a rookie?"
"That was someone who’s thrown thousands of times."
Guard Captain Baek and five other soldiers stared at me.
Baek grabbed another spear and held it out to me.
I took a deep breath and hurled another spear.
This time, it pierced an orc’s skull.
My arm trembled violently from the force.
It felt exhilarating.
The ones who survived after being hit were finished off by the soldiers’ arrows.
After I took down two more orcs, a °• N 𝑜 v 𝑒 l i g h t •° notification blocked my vision.
The experience from killing four orcs had pushed me to the next level.
I didn’t even have time to check my status screen.
Right after leveling up, I took down two more.
But then, four of them—despite having spears buried in their bodies—kept moving.
The soldiers didn’t seem too concerned about that part.
"Whoa! That’s some amazing skill!"
"Hey, can you teach me? Are you a mercenary?"
The number of soldiers watching me grew from five to over a dozen.
But among all the human gazes, I felt something else mixed in.
I turned my eyes downward.
Far beyond the fortress, I could feel it staring at me.
An orc who was clearly the leader of the horde.
It was twice the size of the orcs around it.
Had it gotten angry because I had cut down so many of its kind?
"Sorry for being late. You held out well."
I turned to see a woman with navy blue hair stepping forward.
"Oh, you’re here! Resellin! This guy here gave us some breathing room."
[NPC – 'Lucerna' Mercenary Captain Resellin]
Seeing the nameplate, I was sure.
This woman was the central figure of the quest.
Other NPCs only had black name tags, but hers had a faint golden border.
Resellin lowered her head slightly toward me.
"Nice to meet you. This is our first time meeting, right? Captain Baek isn’t the type to praise people easily—this is surprising."
At her words, Baek suddenly burst out enthusiastically.
"Quick! Show us that godlike throwing skill again!"
They were making way too big of a deal out of this.
I nodded and picked up another spear.
Resellin’s golden eyes followed my movement.
The spear struck exactly where I aimed—an orc’s heart.
Resellin’s gaze intensified.
"That was incredible."
Her golden eyes studied me curiously.
I took the chance to ask her something.
"Just defending won’t be enough. Some of us will have to go down and fight if we really want to drive them back."
Resellin’s response was immediate.
"You’re absolutely right. That’s why our mercenary corps is preparing for a frontal assault."
There wasn’t an ounce of fear on her face.
[Quest!] – Assist ‘Lucerna Mercenary Captain’ Resellin in defending Kikleb Fortress.]
Resellin was the main character of the second floor stage.
"I want to go with you."
At my words, Resellin smiled.
"Thank you. With even one more person helping, our chances of driving those monsters back increase."
The orc horde was massive, even from what I could see with my own eyes.
Could just one extra person really change the odds?
"Wait just a bit. We’re still making preparations."
Resellin nodded again before swiftly walking away.
I opened my status window.
This translation is the intellectual property of Novelight.
[Title: Does anyone know about Mercenary Captain Resellin? Or the Lucerna Mercenary Corps?]
Oh, and I threw some short spears to kill a few. Short spears are pretty nice, huh?
Any known weak points for orcs?As always, the comments flooded in immediately.
ㄴ The leader of the Lucerna Mercenary Corps isn’t Resellin, it’s Delisa.
ㄴ Absolute Monarch: That’s right. Delisa is the commander of the Lucerna Mercenary Corps.
ㄴ Absolute Monarch: What does Resellin look like?
ㄴ ㅇㅇ*: Huh? Navy blue hair and golden eyes.
ㄴ Holy shit, no way... Hey, take a picture of that Resellin girl and upload it.
ㄴ Gutter Swordsman: That can’t be Delisa. That can’t be Delisa...
ㄴ Spear King: Hurry up and take a picture of her!
Oh, and yeah, short spears are useful for both throwing and melee combat.
But screw that, just take the picture.
ㄴ Absolute Monarch: She told me she would never forget me.
ㄴ Gutter Swordsman: She said the same to me. We watched the sunset together, and she said we’d meet again.
ㄴ AH, FUCK!!!!! HEY! THE PICTURE!!!!
What the hell is wrong with these guys?
ㄴ Sword of Light: Orcs don’t have many weak points. You just have to cut them down.
ㄴ Archmage: Their only real weakness is that they’re a bit stupid.
ㄴ Sword of Light: If you had to pick a weak spot, then the eyes—but that’s true for most monsters.
Only two people actually answered my question.
But since these guys were so desperate to see Resellin’s face, I figured I might as well take a picture.
I approached Resellin. She bowed apologetically as I neared her.
"Could you wait just a little longer?"
I held up my Transcendent Gallery device.
"Do you see what I’m holding?"
Resellin tilted her head in confusion.
"Hmm? No, aren’t your hands empty?"
So she can’t see the device.
"Never mind. Just focus on your preparations."
I brushed it off and moved away.
Then, I reopened the Transcendent Gallery.
[Title: Here, a picture of Resellin.]
[Attachment: 1000234523.jpg]
(A photo of Resellin: a young woman with long navy blue hair, staring straight at the camera.)There was a brief moment of silence.
Then, the comments exploded.
ㄴ ...Wow. That bitch Delisa really abandoned me.
ㄴ Did you get NTR’d? LOL
LMAO I never got close to any NPCs, but these guys are hilarious.
ㄴ Absolute Monarch: Navy blue hair, golden eyes... She really is Delisa’s daughter.
ㄴ It’s like the sequel to my favorite story came out...
Except the heroine got stolen.
ㄴ Ask her who her father is.
ㄴ Gutter Swordsman: Yes, please... ask her who her father is.
ㄴ Absolute Monarch: So she lied about never forgetting me.
ㄴ Gutter Swordsman, Monarch! Your lives are so tragic!
But honestly, mine’s no better...
ㄴ You guys should’ve been emotionally detached, like me... Sniff. Sniff sniff...
Fuck, I was in such a good mood after pulling off a perfect Scramble. Delisa, you goddamn bitch.
ㄴ Absolute Monarch: I remember her exact words. "If we ever meet again, let’s kiss one more time."
ㄴ Dude, stop acting like an old man.
ㄴ ㅇㅇ*: So basically, during your climb, Delisa was the NPC you had an emotional bond with.
And she ended up having a daughter—Resellin.
ㄴ Absolute Monarch: Yeah... That’s exactly what happened.
The Lucerna Mercenary Corps is a family-run group, so there’s no doubt about it.
ㄴ ㅇㅇ*: Wait, but Monarch, aren’t you a king? Don’t you have a wife? Why are you ?
ㄴ Absolute Monarch: It’s different... The story of the real world and the story inside the tower are completely separate.
ㄴ ㅇㅇ*: Then why not just treat this as my tower story? Why act is some kind of sequel to your lives?
ㄴ That’s just how humans are.
ㄴ Elf Guy: I agree with the Climber. What’s wrong with you guys?
ㄴ Shut up, you damn elf!
ㄴ Climber, just ask her who her father is.
ㄴ ㅇㅇ*: I’ll ask later.
ㄴ Spear King: Please, it’s urgent.
Why the hell were these guys so desperate to know her father’s name?
They were throwing a tantrum because their tower storyline got ruined, and now they wanted to drag mine down with them.
Just then, I saw Resellin walking toward me, fully armored.
The old men in the gallery kept losing their minds, but I closed the Transcendent Gallery.
"We’re ready now. Ah, I haven’t even asked for your name yet. Could you tell me?"
I wondered if she’d even understand it.
But I didn’t want to change it just to make it easier.
In this harsh world, at the very least, I wanted my name to remain mine.
"Yuseong. Han Yuseong."
Resellin’s face lit up with a bright smile.
"Nice to meet you, Yuseong! After this battle, let’s have a meal together."
She understood surprisingly well.
A meal, huh... Would we even have the time?
Resellin handed me something.
A heavy sensation filled my left hand.
It was a short spear.
Category – Weapon (Short Spear)
Usable Level: 3 or higher
"It’s a decent weapon. Good for both throwing and melee combat. I saw you were amazing with short spears, so consider it a gift."
It’d be perfect as a secondary weapon.
I’d keep this one for melee combat.
Then, I went back to the pile of short spears, grabbed a few more, and stored them in my inventory for throwing.
This was Pandemonium Mode.
I had no idea what might happen.
I needed to use every weapon at my disposal.
At Resellin’s command, the mercenaries, their faces grim, followed her.
And I followed right behind them.