With the death of their formidable leader, Dagorad, the remaining orcs lost their resolve to fight and surrendered, joining Wain's army, while some others fled. The terror they experienced from Octader and Wain's Chaos Flame will plague their mind till the rest of their days.
The once-fearsome orc horde had been shattered, their leader was dead, and the mountain had a new ruler called Wain!
The battle was won, though Wain bore significant injuries, but nobody in the mountains would dare to offend him any more. Moreover Dagorad had amassed a considerable amount of treasures during his rule, which Wain definitely wouldn't leave untouched.
He spent hours rummaging through the piles of treasures, making sure to not leave a single mana core behind. However, aside from mana cores, he also found several more interesting artifacts.
[Spell Ring] (artifact, 2nd-grade)
Description: Store spells of equal or lower rank and allow their use without the need for a chant, mana cost, or cooldown.
Charges 0/3
[Skill Book: Mana Barrier] (consumable, 2nd-grade)
Description: Learn a spell [Mana Barrier], which creates a passive barrier of mana around the user, offering protection from a portion of the damage received.
Although he could purchase skills and artifacts in the Chaos Shop, it was nice to get some free stuff.
…
Meanwhile, Kadenn felt fortunate to be alive after witnessing the horrifying battle. Though he had been positioned in the backlines and Wain assigned two gnolls to protect him, his heart raced with terror as he watched the two armies of monsters clash in a deadly combat.
He was still just a level 3 after all!
Kadenn knew that he was too weak, doubting his abilities to become a hero. However, he didn't want to give up his dreams, so he decided to beg Wain to teach him some skills once he will see his master again.
However, to his surprise, it was Wain who approached him. "Are you still alive?" Wain looked a little surprised, seeing Kadden. "Look, I have found something for you." He handed Kadenn a skill book, which he picked up in the Dagorad's treasure.
[Sword of Light] (passive, 1st-grade)
Description: Create a radiant glow around your sword while in combat, increasing all damage by 10%.
"You have no talent for magic..." Wain said, but he simply didn't have time to teach Kadden. "...but remember, many legends feature heroes who used swords. Perhaps you should consider walking the path of a swordsman."
With a comforting pat on Kadenn's shoulder, Wain left him in the cavern to ponder his newfound path. Wain exited the cavern and encountered Rryk, who was overseeing the prisoners.
"What should we do with them?" He asked, his gaze pointing towards the group of orcs who had yielded, as well as the female slaves who had been kidnapped by Dagorad.
"Hmm..." Wain contemplated the situation, studying the prisoners. He couldn't understand why the orc chieftain had kept these frail slaves in the grand throne hall.
[Karin Crutchley] (Human, No Grade)
Level 9
Hp 48/62
"She has a surname, does it mean she is a noble?" Wain recalled Rahel's explanation about surnames and nobility, but it held little importance to him. Nobles and their titles were of no use in the mountains.
"Those who wish to join our ranks, let them in. The rest can go," Wain declared, shocking Rryk by his benevolence. However, Wain knew there were too many prisoners this time and he was cautious about the potential betrayal. His intention was to recruit only those who were genuinely willing to serve him.
As for the rest… Although he said to Rryk to let them go, he didn't plan to let his Chaos Point run away. "Octader, eliminate anyone who doesn't follow Rryk back to our settlement," he ordered, and the octopus responded to the command with a resonating shriek from beneath the ground.
With this matter resolved, Wain left it to Rryk to manage the prisoners, and he made his way back to their settlement, leaving Rryk to sort out the details of the new recruits and the prisoners who would face Octader's judgment.
…
In the meantime, Luarin was bored. She had already recovered as much as she could, regaining power at the lower realm of 3rd-grade, but for any further recovery would require a lot of patience.
She had nothing to do since Wain was away and she didn't feel like leaving just yet, when she finally found something interesting. At first, she observed Old Potato attempting to oversee the construction of the settlement, but his incompetence made her frustrated, so she began ordering the goblins instead.
With her power, no goblin dared to disobey her, and they quickly acknowledged her as the one in command over the construction. It took an entire day, but under her guidance, the settlement gradually began taking shape, and Luarin felt a sense of accomplishment.
Despite her strength, she had been regarded as a weakling in the army of the demon king, and thus, she had rarely been given the opportunity to command monsters. But now that she had a taste of leadership, she was slowly beginning to enjoy it. She was so consumed in the construction that she almost didn't even notice when Wain finally returned.
As the first rays of dawn began to illuminate the mountains, Wain made his triumphant return with an even larger army than when he had departed. He had emerged victorious against Dagorad, and he was now the ruler of the mountains!
Every monster in the settlement, led by Old Potato, rushed to welcome Wain back. Old Potato was getting bullied by Luarin so much during the day, that he wished his master would search justice for him
Wain was taken aback by the remarkable growth of the settlement. He had expected a modest outcome similar to what they had encountered with the goblin village. However, the sight before him was one of sturdy walls without holes and neatly arranged buildings in various sections.
"You did well," he commented, acknowledging Old Potato grew a lot as a leader, when he suddenly spotted Luarin.
She still didn't leave! Wain frowned, wondering what was wrong with the fallen angel. Was it not enough that he gave her the potion and treated her wounds?
Luarin, feeling Wain's gaze, suddenly smirked with an air of pride. "You should be grateful that I took command over your underlings. Otherwise, this town would be a mess," she complimented herself, her comment causing Old Potato to lower his head in response.
So it was her. Wain finally understood the reason behind the sudden change in Old Potato's competence.
"Weren't you supposed to leave?" Wain questioned her coldly, his stern gaze fixed upon her, causing her to instinctively take a step back.
Luarin felt cornered. Despite being stronger than Wain, his unyielding resolve made her question whether she was really superior to him. Maybe she should leave? She thought, since even her shamelessness had its edges.
However, recalling her tough life in the demon king's army, compared to the one of freedom, made her reluctant to leave. "I just thought that you may need my help." She pondered, as even her shamelessness had its limits.
After all, she was the one in the wrong for not keeping her promise.
Meanwhile Wain considered her proposal. The fallen angel was unpredictable and he didn't have the force to order her around, so he preferred if she would leave, but he wasn't strong enough to do that just yet.
"Do whatever you want." He said indifferently and followed Old Potato into a house which was made for him. Once he would grow sufficiently strong, he would either chase the fallen angel away or make her submit.
"Master?" Old Potato suddenly asked before they reached their destination, appearing nervous. "What are we going to call our new home?" He raised a question and many goblins looked at Wain following the question. They already worked two days straight, so they were interested in the name of their town.
"System: You have acquired a town, name it."
Another naming? Wain got somehow annoyed. Everyone wanted him to come up with names all the time. However, he was their leader and his subordinates worked hard for him, so he could at least come up with a name.
"Ehm, Black…" He looked at the surrounding mountains to gain inspiration before he got an idea. "Blackridge Town!" He declared and looked around at the monsters who appeared satisfied.
A lot of things happened today, but he successfully dealt with everything that came at him and it was time to take a rest. He looted many mana cores from Dagorad, so he won't leave the village for some time, focusing on improving his strength.