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Chapter 83: Alive (1)

Anor felt odd watching them. He suddenly felt strangely detached from the world he lived in. These two were so friendly toward one another even though they had met for the first time today.

If anyone of another species was to set foot in Nuridot, the Nakai that Anor knew would have made sure to bring along a great number of dark elves with him as he bombarded the outsiders with ridicule and contempt. Nakai had always described orcs as dirty and dumb, so why was he gladly shaking hands with Crockta right now?

Then Tiyo joined the scene.

“Hey, isn’t it Anor?! What did you do with Sam-Ryong?!” asked Tiyo.

In a surprising gesture, Nakai made a deep bow and offered Tiyo a handshake as well.

“You are a polite dark elf. I’m Tiyo,” said Tiyo with a smile.

Nakai was surprisingly respectful toward Tiyo, even though he had always referred to gnomes as little kids or dwarves. Seeing that, Anor felt like he was the only person who didn’t belong there. There was a bitter expression on his face as he turned around and walked away.

Before he knew it, the sun had sunk below the horizon. Darkness fell on his surroundings, leaving only the moon that hung in the sky, to illuminate his way.

Anor trudged home listlessly as he reflected on the harassment he had received throughout his life. He felt like he had been treated unjustly in every way possible. Despite his mixed blood, he looked like a dark elf with his dark skin and pointy ears, yet he wasn’t accepted as one. But Crockta and Tiyo were welcome in Nuridot even though they were an orc and a gnome with completely different appearances.

Maybe the problem wasn’t that he was of mixed blood. Maybe there was something wrong with him. That persistent thought occupied his mind and frightened him.

Anor came to a stop and stood still, lost in his thoughts. Right then, someone grabbed his shoulder, startling him out of his wits. When he turned around to look, he saw a familiar face, which freaked him out even more. Crockta’s frightening face hovered in the darkness.

“You s-scared me!” yelled Anor.

“There aren’t any inns around here,” said Crockta.

Lodgings were rare in Nuridot, as it was a small city, and dark elves tended to be asocial.

“So, we decided to stay at your place,” added Crockta.

“I never gave you permission...”

“That’s why I followed you. To ask for permission. Hahaha.”

Anor scratched his head. His house wasn’t very large, and it wasn’t nice enough to accommodate guests, so he was embarrassed to show it to others. Nevertheless, he ended up nodding in agreement because he was intimidated by Crockta, who gazed down at Anor with his large stature looming over the dark elf.

“Then...” Anor was about to tell Crockta to follow him when something passed by above Crockta’s head. “...Huh?”

Anor saw the shadow of a dragon gliding downward in front of the shining moon. No, it wasn’t a dragon. It looked like a dragon but wasn’t a dragon, and it was similar to a drake but wasn’t a drake. The creature was a drake with wyvern wings, Sam-Ryong.

“Sam-Ryong?” said Anor.

He had released Sam-Ryong on Mount Luclan and implored him to live there freely. It had been hard for Anor to walk away from Sam-Ryong, but he had forced himself to take those steps. So, why was Sam-Ryong flying around Nuridot?

Anor quickly realized that Sam-Ryong was headed north toward the drakes’ habitat, which was a forest in the northern part of Nuridot.

“Dammit!” Anor cursed and began running.

Crockta and Tiyo watched Anor run farther away from them and then looked at each other. Then they ran after him.

***

“Why did you return?!” yelled Anor.

Sam-Ryong glanced at Anor and then crossed his arms.

“If you stay here, you will be bullied by other drakes again,” said Anor.

Sam-Ryong shook his head in response. He was clear about his desire to stay in the drakes’ habitat.

Crockta and Tiyo watched them from behind.

Anor continued, “Hey! Are you going to be bullied here forever? You should go down to Mount Luclan and make new friends. You could even show off a bit since you’re big! You could live happily that way!”

“Krrrrrr...” replied Sam-Ryong.

“Ah, you just don’t listen!” exclaimed Anor, hitting his chest in frustration.

Crockta approached him. “Anor, wait.”

“Huh?”

Crockta grabbed the back of Anor’s neck and forcefully pulled him back. Right after that, flames came flying at Sam-Ryong. It was a fiery breath that lit up the dark forest.

“...!”

Sam-Ryong immediately spread his large wings to block the fiery breath. His wings were slightly singed, but the flames didn’t seem to have much effect on him.

Then Sam-Ryong ferociously bared his teeth as a drake prowled toward them from the forest. The uninvited drake began to growl at Sam-Ryong, who refused to back down and roared back.

The tension between the two large drakes continued as two more uninvited drakes emerged from the forest and threatened Sam-Ryong. Sam-Ryong was brave and unafraid of a fight, but it was simply too much for him to go against three drakes by himself.

Anor felt sad seeing Sam-Ryong in such a situation, as he had experienced situations like this all the time. He saw himself in Sam-Ryong who was constantly outnumbered and bullied.

“Sam-Ryong...” Anor muttered.

Crockta, who had been observing the scene, stepped forward and said, “I don’t mean to intrude, but you guys got some nerve to be bickering like this in front of me.”

He pulled out his greatsword, and the Ogre Slayer gleamed with a chilling aura.

However, the drakes looked at Crockta derisively. Crockta was impressed by how expressive their faces were even though they were reptiles, but he still glared at them.

[You are releasing Monster Slayer (Essence) energy.]

Crockta activated Monster Slayer, an Essence-tier skill that he had acquired from hunting the Behemoth with the great hunter Shakhan. It was a special skill that rendered great monsters powerless with an overpowering aura and made his attacks more effective against monsters.

Moreover, the Monster Slayer skill was amplified with his Army Crushing Roar of Madness skill. Even if he didn’t make a sound, the madness of an orc warrior who had swept through countless battlefields seeped out with his Monster Slayer skill.

Crockta glared at the drakes with gleaming eyes.

[Heart and Soul Penetrating Eye (Pinnacle) is opening. It’s analyzing the drakes.]

[These drakes are quite strong in this forest, but they are weaker than you. They are flinching in fear at the smell of the Monster Slayer’s blood.]

The Heart and Soul Penetrating Eye meticulously analyzed the drakes, who flinched as they retreated.

[The drakes want to run away, but they are standing their ground because of their pride.]

Crockta grinned at the drakes’ pitiful pride. He then narrowed his eyes in concentration, and mana rose from the Ogre Slayer in streams.

The drakes knew that the moment they stepped forward, that greatsword would slay them. They could tell that Crockta wasn’t a regular orc, so they had no choice but to flee. The drakes glanced at Sam-Ryong to threaten him but quickly averted their gazes when they made eye contact with Crockta.

Anor was impressed by Crockta, who had chased away the drakes so quickly. Crockta was much stronger than Anor had expected. Then he remembered that Crockta had been about to plunge his sword into Sam-Ryong when they first met. What would have happened if he had not shouted at Crockta to stop? Sam-Ryong had a tough body and skin, but things could have gone very badly for him. Chills ran down Anor’s spine as he thought about what could have happened.

“Anor,” said Crockta.

“Yes?” replied Anor.

“I don’t know much about you, but I can’t help but think this way,” continued Crockta as he carried his greatsword on his back again. “Is the reason you are trying to send Sam-Ryong to Mount Luclan... ”

“You saw what just happened. It’s like that every day,” replied Anor.

“But Sam-Ryong wants to stay here.”

“But still...”

Crockta approached Anor. “Aren’t you the one who wants to leave?”

With his keen senses, Crockta had discerned the truth about Anor, who had been born from parents who were a dark elf and a human and was treated poorly in the village because of that. When Crockta and Tiyo had asked the dark elves about Anor, the dark elves had shown obvious contempt toward him.

Anor’s expression went blank.

Then his gaze turned sentimental as if he was reflecting on something.

“Perhaps... that could be the truth,” conceded Anor as his shoulders dropped.

***

Crockta, Anor, and Tiyo left Sam-Ryong in the forest and headed back to Nuridot. They exchanged conversation as they walked down the dark road.

Anor asked, “How did you do that?”

“Do what?” replied Crockta.

“How did you get close with the dark elves so quickly?”

Crockta grinned. “We aren’t close.”

“But everyone was so friendly toward you...” muttered Anor.

“They only act that way because they need me.”

Crockta then explained that Nuridot had been in a state of panic when the group of wandering orcs appeared at the village earlier. It was widely known that the crazy chieftain was enthusiastically preparing for war, and those wandering orcs had been carrying the chiefdom’s flag.

When the wanderers arrived at the village, they gave the dark elves two options: resist and end up being looted or willingly give up their possessions. The villagers were backed into a corner because they didn’t have much fighting power. Even if they managed to defeat the orcs somehow, it would require a huge sacrifice, and they couldn’t just give up everything they had.

Then, an orc and a gnome suddenly appeared. The dark elves were puzzled by the strange duo, but the wandering orcs laughed at them until Crockta attacked. He beheaded five laughing orcs in an instant. The rest of the wandering orcs shifted gears. Even with the dozens of orcs raising their weapons at him, Crockta didn’t blink an eye. He easily overpowered them and chased the rest of them away. To the dark elves, Crockta looked like the god of war.

After chasing the wandering orcs away, Crockta said to the dark elves, “Those orcs will return for sure, so I will stay here until then and protect the village.”

Then he explained that he would like to help them as he needed to pass through dark elf territory to get to the Temple of the Fallen God and that he wasn’t related to the chiefdom at all.

Crockta was like a savior to the fearful dark elves, so they openly welcomed Crockta and Tiyo as their guests. News of Crockta’s prowess spread like wildfire in the community, and no one dared to treat the pair poorly. Respected members of the community helped them get settled in by approaching them first and welcoming them as their guests. Moreover, the dark elves found Tiyo’s cute appearance and cheerful attitude endearing.

The dark elves were a species that felt entitled to the kindness of the weak, but they considered the kindness of the strong as a great privilege. That was the way of the world.

“I see...” uttered Anor with a dark expression.

Anor thought about how Crockta had instantly obtained the dark elves’ respect, which Anor had yearned for his whole life, just because he was strong.

“The world is so unfair,” muttered Anor.

He had made continuous efforts to be included in dark elf society and hadn’t caused any trouble, but he was still an outsider to them. Yet, because Crockta was strong, he had immediately received their admiration. It all came down to his power.

“Yes, that is true. The world is unfair,” said Crockta with a wide grin.

As their conversation came to an end, Anor, Crockta, and Tiyo finally arrived at Anor’s house. Anor’s house was small and old. It wasn’t large enough to accommodate Crockta and Tiyo. Anor offered them his bed, but Crockta and Tiyo refused and just covered themselves in blankets on the floor next to Anor’s bed.

“Aren’t you uncomfortable?” asked Anor.

“I’m fine. Tiyo is already asleep,” said Crockta.

Tiyo was already dozing off. He had the impressive ability to sleep soundly anywhere he rested his head. With his eyes closed, Tiyo looked just like an ordinary adorable gnome. Crockta also tried to close his eyes and get some rest.

However, Anor suddenly said, “Crockta, through my entire life, I sought to be acknowledged as a dark elf in Nuridot.”

Anor felt conflicted because of the things he had seen for the first time today. Seeing Nakai, who had blatantly stalked Anor and harassed him his whole life, being respectful toward Crockta had shocked Anor.

Anor continued, “But I’m still an outsider. Why is that?”

Crockta looked up at the dark ceiling. He had only just met Anor, but he could sense the kind of dark elf that Anor was, so it saddened him even more.

“Anor, what kind of dark elf did you try to be here?” asked Crockta.

“Me?” replied Anor.

Anor thought about it for a bit. “A kind... dark elf?”

Anor’s parents were dead. His mother, who was a human, had always told him that he should work hard to be acknowledged in dark elf society. She told him that he had to become a kind dark elf and that he should always be considerate of others, always smile, and never get on anyone’s nerves.

Crockta continued, “But if you did all those things and this is the result, then it seems the dark elves of Nuridot don’t want the kind version of you.”

“What...”

“Based on what you said, it seems you’ve done more than enough. It’s foolish to repeat the same process and expect a different outcome.” Crockta sighed. “As you said earlier, the world is unfair. Even if you act kind, you won’t be given kindness in return.”

“...”

“That’s all I will say for now. Good night,” said Crockta.

Anor couldn’t fall asleep after hearing Crockta’s words. He turned and gazed into the darkness next to his bed. He couldn’t see anything, but he could feel the presence of a great orc warrior. Was Crockta asleep? Anor could only hear the sound of Tiyo breathing.

Anor whispered, “Crockta, are you asleep?”

“...Not yet.”

“Can I ask just one more question?”

“I don’t mind.”

Anor hesitated because he wasn’t sure how to start the conversation, even though he was the one who had initiated it. He even crossed his arms underneath his blankets.

His voice trembled as he said, “What you meant earlier... is that I have to change, right?”

“Yes,” replied Crockta.

“I tried to be kind my whole life, but why do I have to suffer when they are the ones who harass me and do bad things? Why do I have to change when they are in the wrong?” asked Anor.

“Anor, that is true,” said Crockta. His voice sounded softer in the dark. He almost whispered as he added, “But this is not about right and wrong.”

Then he let out a soft chuckle.

Anor grinned at the sound of Crockta’s laughter. He felt as if the weight of these questions that troubled him lifted when he spoke to Crockta about them. Was this what it felt like to have an older sibling?

“That’s just how the world is,” stated Corckta.

“The world is...”

“Hahaha, in our neighborhood, we would call dark elves like you ‘sweet potato.’ Don’t think about it too hard. Just... [1]” Crockta laughed again. “If someone acts like a dog to you, grit your teeth and act like a dog to them too.”

***

Early in the morning of the next day, a group of wandering orcs invaded Nuridot.

1. ‘Sweet potato’ can refer to a stuffy or frustrating person or situation, like how one might feel when they are eating a sweet potato. Crockta is calling Anor a sweet potato because he is overthinking things when the answer is obvious. ?