“Y-You!” Orobak could only glare at the Half-Elf even after he realized that he had fallen into a trap. “You tricked me!”
Due to his single-minded aim of killing Barca and the Half-Elf in front of him and the dim surroundings, he didn’t pay too much attention to the ground nor did he notice what was happening around him.
When he fell in the muddy hole, only then did he understand that this was the real goal his enemies were aiming for.
“Dirty Half-Breeds!” Orobak shouted in anger as he felt his body slowly sinking into the ground. “Do you think that this can stop me?!”
Right now, the Orc Chieftain’s body was buried only up to his knees. Although he was caught by surprise, the situation wasn’t unsalvageable. Orobak planned to use his superior strength to propel himself up from the quicksand, using a skill similar to Diablo’s leap.
However, before he could even do that, an arrow pierced the top of his head, canceling his attempt, and pushing him further down into the quicksand.
Lux sneered. The quicksand trap was something he had prepared with the help of his Trap Specialist, Ishtar, who made sure it was almost flawless, and the Orc Riders, who spent the majority of the night digging the swimming-pool-sized pit that he had designed for the Orc Chieftain.
As someone who specializes in placing traps, Ishtar taught Lux how to calculate the right mixture of soil and water in order to create a quicksand that was strong enough to hold someone like Orobak.
After his failed attempt, Orobak’s body was now waist-deep inside the quicksand. The stupid Orc continued to struggle, which only made the quicksand that was holding his body in place more potent.
Lux chuckled as he summoned Diablo in front of him.
The Skeletal Rider’s burning, golden eyes looked at the Orc Chieftain as he gave a rattling laughter, as if to mock Orobak for his arrogance.
Suddenly, Diablo jumped into the quicksand as well, allowing the sand to slowly pull him into its deathly embrace.
In desperation, Orobak was about to use a last ditch effort to use everything he had to break free from the quicksand that bound his body. However, just as he was about to enact his plan, his body instantly froze as he looked at the Skeleton Rider that had joined him in the muddy, and deadly, prison that had entrapped him.
With one hand pointing at Orobak, Diablo activated his skill, Duel [EX], which forced the Orc Chieftain to exchange a single blow with him.
A frustrated roar of anger escaped Orobak’s lips as his body started to reach out to Diablo regardless of his will. Diablo’s body was now chest-deep inside the quicksand, but since he was already dead, he had nothing to fear.
The Skeleton Rider gave Orobak the middle finger as it slowly sank without resistance into the quicksand.
Ishtar, who was right above Orobak’s head, shot another knockback arrow, hitting Orobak’s head, like a nail getting hit by a hammer. The Orc Chieftain’s body was once again pushed down until it was chest-deep in the quicksand.
“I regret not killing you when you were a child!” Orobak shouted. “You are no Orc! You’re just a filthy Half-Blood!”
Barca didn’t reply because he, too, knew that what was happening right now wasn’t the warrior’s way. It wasn’t how Orcs did battle.
The Orc Warlords, as well as their subordinates gathered around the quicksand and looked at their former Orc Chieftain with complicated expressions on their faces. For them, the battle for Dominion was supposed to be a battle between two strong warriors.
Only the strongest among them would be recognized as their leader. That was the way of the Orcs. Even now, they hadn’t fully recognized Barca as their Chieftain. They only became his subordinates because he had bested them in battle.
However, that was that, and this was this.
A battle between the Orc Chieftain and his challenger should have been the highlight of this battle, but what did they see?
Their strongest Warrior, dying because of a trick!
As Barca, the Orc Warlords, and the other Orcs felt these complicated feelings in their heart, they heard Lux’s voice that brought them out of their daze.
“Who is stronger?” Lux asked. “A Human or an Orc?”
“An Orc!” Orobak shouted. “Orcs are the strongest! We fight with honor! And through battle, we show our mettle! We are the strongest!”
Now that he could no longer find a way to escape his fate, he wanted to make the Orcs understand that Barca wasn’t the leader that they were looking for. He wasn’t suitable to become the next Orc Chieftain!
The Orcs also shouted their war cries because they completely agreed with their former Chieftain. Some of them were even eyeing Lux and Barca with hateful gazes. A hate that was slowly taking hold of their allegiance.
“It is true, Orcs are stronger than humans,” Lux replied.
His reply was unexpected and the Half-Orc who was standing beside him closed his eyes because he, too, understood this as the truth.
“But, what of it?” Lux chuckled. “Orcs are stronger than Humans, but which side prevailed over the years? Who was it that populated this world and held vast swaths of fertile lands? Was it Orcs? Of course not. It is because strength alone is not enough for Dominion.”
Lux’s mocking words grated every Orc’s ears, making them want to shout and refute him. But before they could say anything, the Half-Elf’s next words made them shut up.
“Humans are weak, this is true, but because of this weakness, they learned to adapt,” Lux stated. “Humans are weaker than Orcs, who can crush rocks with their bare hands, but Humans don’t need to crush rocks. They used it as their weapon instead. Stone spears, stone axes, stone clubs, anything that they could use to survive, Humans used it all.”
“Whenever they fight strong opponents, they don’t fight them alone. They fight them in numbers. If numbers don’t work, they retreat, and fight again another day. Over the years, mankind has evolved. Since they live short lives, they made their lives meaningful by passing their knowledge to the next generation, so that they in turn could continue to develop and strengthen themselves.”
“The fact that Human Empires and Kingdoms exist to this day is proof of Humanity’s strength. Tell me, Orcs of the Blackrock Clan, if Humans are as weak as you proclaim them to be then why is your former chieftain dying right now?”
Lux’s question was filled with ridicule that stung the Orcs’ ears, making them answer him with hatred.
“Because you used dirty tricks!” one of the Orc Archers shouted. “If you fought in battle, you are the one who would have been dead by now.”
,m “All is fair in love and war,” Lux replied. “The problem with you Orcs, is that your race is all brawns and no brains. Didn’t you learn anything from this battle? Didn’t you learn anything from him?”
Lux pointed at Orobak, whose head was the only thing that remained above the muddy waters.
“That will be your Clan’s fate when you fight against Humans,” Lux stated. “I am only Half-Human and I am already this devious. How much more devious could I be if I were fully Human? Wouldn’t he have died without knowing how he died?”
Lux gave the Orcs an arrogant gaze that made them gnash their teeth in anger.
“All of you are lucky.” Lux snorted as he patted the Half-Orc beside him. “Here is a Half-Orc. He has both brains and brawn. A Chieftain who is not only strong, but is smart as well.”
“You are the one that devised this plan. You are the smart one,” Barca replied. ʀᴀᴅ ʟᴀᴛsᴛ ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛʀs ᴀᴛ Novl ꜰir.nt
“No. You are smart,” Lux commented. “The fact that you asked me to help you gain Dominion is proof of how smart you are. If you didn’t ask for my help, none of this would have happened.”
Lux made a gesture and waved his hand to encompass all the Orc Warriors that had fought for their side.
“A good ruler must choose a good general to fight for him,” Lux said. “I fought for you, and this is the result. This is now your Dominion.”
Orobak glared hatefully at the Half-Elf until his body was completely swallowed up by the quicksand.
To kill a Rank 5 Alpha Monster using this method would not work every time. Lux just used the terrain of the Dungeon to his advantage, as well as Orobak’s desire to kill Barca, which led him to disregard the possibility that he was being led to a trap.
Since ancient times, Humanity used similar methods in order to fight and kill the stronger beasts that threatened their lives. What Lux did was simply one of the many tried and true methods that ensured his and his friends’ survival.
Lux could see through his Elysium Compendium that Orobak’s health was starting to decrease at a rapid pace. Soon, the Final Boss’ health went down to zero, signaling that he had died.
As if waiting for that moment, Colette, Matty, Andy, Axel, and Helen’s body all glowed brightly like stars in the night sky.
They had all leveled up a consecutive number of times after getting the massive experience points that the Final Boss had given them.
Although they didn’t fight Orobak, Lux was part of their party. Since the Half-Elf’s Summon fought in his place, they gained the experience points that were also meant for him.