(2) All strength in this world is relative.
This sturdy Orc warrior, who bravely proved his strength against a Giant Bear, was certainly a strong fighter.
However...
"Say that again. Go on, say it one more time. You disrespectful little brat."
"Kuweeeek! Human! A crazy human! Save this Orc!"
"Crazy human? You bastard, should I show you what real crazy is?"
"Save this Orc... kuwock! Not there, that's for preserving the tribe... Kuweeeek!"
"Dieeeee!"
In front of Patrick, he was nothing more than a satisfying punching bag. Watching the scene of brutal abuse, the soldiers who had failed to stop it could only sigh and look at the poor Orc with pity.
"Aigoo, in the end..."
"I knew it would come to this. I knew it would end up like this."
"As they say, destiny cannot be defied by human strength."
Once he gets like that, he can't be stopped. Trying to stop him would only increase the number of humans getting beaten up.
Patrick had no particular reason for beating up the Orc. If he got pissed off, he would hit them. This had been Patrick's principle of action since his previous life.
So, there was no special purpose when he beat up the Orc warrior either.
There wasn't...
"Oh, great warrior. I pledge my loyalty to you."
"... Why?"
Just as he said, it was truly a 'why'. Why did it turn out like this? Not only Patrick, but also the soldiers watching from the side were curious.
The Orc, who had been beaten by Patrick for a while, came to his senses, then suddenly knelt on one knee before Patrick, bowed his head, and pledged his loyalty. Wasn't this a completely unexpected turn of events? Just then, the Orc warrior raised his head.
What he saw were bright, clear eyes, without a hint of ulterior motive. The Orc warrior, looking at Patrick with eyes reminiscent of a calf, spoke.
"You proved you are a superior warrior by easily overpowering me with your bare hands."
"Well, I suppose that's true."
It seemed he was proud of that, even in this situation. The Orc warrior looked at Patrick and said.
"Therefore, I pledge my loyalty."
"So you'll obey me because I'm stronger than you. Is that it?"
"As a warrior, it is only natural."
"... Really?"
"Yes. That is correct."
Watching the Orc warrior answer with a polite bow, Patrick realized something.
"Ah... I thought he seemed familiar for some reason."
"What is it, young master?"
"It's nothing. Just reminded me of Moojong."
"... Who is that?"
"There was someone like that."
Who on earth was he talking about? The soldier had no way of knowing, but at that moment, Patrick was recalling a memory from his past. Iron-Blooded Dragon Peng Moojong.
He was a direct descendant of the Peng Clan from Hebei and a sworn brother who traveled with Jin Cheon. In truth, although he was a sworn brother, they didn't get along from their very first meeting. Their first encounter was...
[Hah, are you the swordsman from that failing third-rate sect? Don't be so arrogant and know your place.]
It started like that. And the development that followed went something like...
[Hmph, not bad. But you're still far from my level.]
[You... you're pretty good. But the real fight starts now.]
[Aargh! Big Brother. I was wrong... Kuaaak! I said I was wrong, you bastard! Aaaargh!]
It was like that. And finally, the end result was...
[Big Brother. I, Peng Moojong, have fallen for your immense martial prowess and fiery personality. Please, accept this younger brother's bow.]
[Aren't you two years older than me?]
[Whoever is better at fighting is the big brother.]
[That makes sense.]
And so it came to be. After that, Iron-Blooded Dragon Peng Moojong traveled with Jin Cheon through many battlefields, shedding blood, drinking wine, and sweating together. Patrick looked at the Orc warrior with a distant gaze.
Challenge. Get beaten. Bow.
Watching this perfect three-step reformation process, he was reminded of Peng Moojong, the swordsman of the Peng Clan from Hebei and his sworn brother from the past. He was a really good younger brother. His family was rich, so he had a lot of money, too.
There were many good things about having a rich younger brother. If I said I wanted to drink, he'd buy me wine. If I said I was hungry, he'd buy me expensive food.
If I felt bored, he'd rent out an entire pleasure house... 'Your big brother is sorry.' Now that he thought about it, he realized he had only ever received things from him.
'Ah, so that's why the head of the Peng Clan from Hebei had that seething look on his face whenever he saw me.' It was only after dying and being reborn that Patrick understood the reason. In any case, this Orc's way of thinking reminded him of his sworn brother from his past life.
Because of that, his anger seemed to subside a little.
"Ahem, well, alright. That's enough of that. Get up for now."
"Understood, great warrior."
"First, let's introduce ourselves."
An introduction that only came after beating him to a pulp and receiving a pledge of loyalty.
"My name is Patrick Schneider. And you?"
"I am Tutan."
"Right. Tutan. I heard earlier you're fighting some guy called a King Uoger?"
"It's King Ogre."
"Same difference. Anyway, if you're going to war against such a high-value monster, you must have a good chance of winning, right?"
"Hahaha. Why do you ask something so obvious?"
"Hahaha. Right, you must have said you'd do it because you have a chance of winning. But if possible, we'd like to join in..."
"Of course we have no chance of winning. It's impossible for our Red Rock Tribe to defeat the King Ogre with our strength."
"Hey. Didn't you say you were going to fight it?"
"We must fight. The King Ogre is evil."
"Wait a minute. Hold on. I don't understand, so let's sort this out."
In a slightly calmer tone, Patrick went over the situation one thing at a time.
"You said you're going to fight the King Ogre, right?"
"Yes. That is correct."
"And you said you have no chance of winning?"
"Yes. That is correct."
"Then if you fight, you'll all die?"
"We will all fight and die, down to the very last one of us."
"Hahaha. I see. So that's how it is."
"Hahahahahaha."
"Damn it, you thoughtless bastards!"
Pooooow!
Patrick's kick sent the sturdy Orc warrior flying. Then, he raged.
"You stupid bastards! If you lack the strength, you should be running away, not fighting. Why fight to the last man, why?"
"Keeuk... For a warrior, retreat is..."
"You want me to let you die a glorious warrior's death right here, right now?"
The moment the brave Orc warrior saw the murderous glint in Patrick's eyes, he flinched and looked away.
'Wow...
An Orc is intimidated.' 'The opponent isn't even a dragon, but an Orc is backing down.' 'If I told other people about this, would they even believe me?'
The Orcs, a race of warriors. It was a characteristic of the Orc tribe to fight to the end, ready to face death even in defeat. But it seemed that even such a valiant Orc warrior had no choice but to cower before the madness of a lunatic.
Patrick said to Tutan.
"Hey, is your home far from here?"
"It's not far."
"Then let's go. We'll go and meet your family head? No, sect leader? What do you call them?"
"Chieftain."
"Right. Then I need to have a talk with that Chieftain."
"Understood."
"The reason is... Huh? You're going to guide me?"
"A warrior follows the will of a warrior stronger than himself."
"Oh. Right. I see."
Patrick, who had been about to launch into a long speech to persuade him, nodded and thought to himself. 'This is surprisingly convenient.'
Three days later.
"We're almost there..."
"Hey, you son of a biiiiitch!"
Pooooow!
Patrick's kick landed squarely on the valiant warrior Tutan's back. Patrick then straddled the fallen Tutan, gritting his teeth as he spoke.
"Why... why are you doing this? Big Brother Patrick."
He had started calling him Big Brother in the meantime. And Patrick, gritting his teeth, spoke to his newfound younger brother.
"You said it wasn't far? You said we'd be there soon?"
"It's only been three... Kuaaak!"
"Die, die, you bastard!"
That's right.
Between people, or in this case, between a person and an Orc, the sense of distance was not always the same. Tutan had said his village wasn't far, but that was by his standards. For humans, a three-day march was a considerable distance.
What's more, this wasn't some ordinary road, but a great forest teeming with monsters. For the past three days, Patrick and the soldiers had suffered and struggled through the remote parts of this great forest. They fought monsters at every turn.
They walked in circles to find drinking water. With no food, they had to hunt for every meal, and at night, they were bitten by bugs. After walking like that for three full days, they still hadn't arrived.
And this was in a place where they had brought almost no food and where finding drinking water wasn't easy. Was that why? 'He deserves a beating.
That one needs to get beaten.'
"Our young master has been very patient, waiting for three days."
"If it had been one more day, I would have lost my patience before the young master did."
The soldiers' gazes, watching Tutan being brutally beaten under Patrick, showed not a shred of sympathy.
"Kuek! Big Brother. Calm down... Great warrior, calm..."
"Shut up! I'm not your big brother! I'm not a great warrior!"
"That's... keok... for you to decide... Kuweeek! not for you to...."
"Die! Die! You green-ass bastard!"
Just as he was beating him up for a good while, unexpected figures appeared and rescued Tutan.
"Tutaaaaan!"
"Who is it? Who is attacking our brother?"
"Everyone, prepare for battle! It's an enemy!"
They were Orc warriors from the same Red Rock Tribe as Tutan. They had heard their comrade's desperate screams while on patrol and had rushed over. Having rushed over, they were surprised for two reasons.
One was that Tutan, one of the top warriors of the Red Rock Tribe, was being beaten one-sidedly, and the other was...
"Grrrr... (Who the hell are you?)"
"Be careful! It's a new type of monster!"
"It's not a sane being. Be cautious!"
"Do not retreat. We are Orcs, the race of warriors!"
"Arrrrr... (Calling a person a monster? These bastards must want to die together.)"
Just as Patrick was about to charge at the poor Orcs, Sanson and the other soldiers hurriedly intervened.
"Young master. Please calm down for now."
"Kyaruru. (These bastards are calling me a monster?)"
"It's a situation where a misunderstanding is entirely possible."
"Grrrrr. (What do you mean? You guys wanna die too?)"
"First, please speak like a human."
Only after the soldiers had calmed him down for a while and Tutan persuaded the Orc warriors that it was a misunderstanding could the two sides resolve their misunderstanding.
"So, Tutan, you're saying this is a guest you brought?"
"That's right. And he is a great warrior, much stronger than me."
"Hmm, it seems so."
Tutan's face was so bluishly swollen that it was clearly visible even over his green-toned Orc skin. Wasn't this clear evidence that Patrick was stronger than Tutan? Seeing him give a thumbs-up and smile with a face that swollen, it seemed this guy wasn't normal either.
"Anyway, Big Brother wants to see the Chieftain."
"Why does he want to see the Chieftain?"
"That's..."
Tutan, who was speaking, paused for a moment. Then he turned around and spoke to Patrick.
"Big Brother, why did you want to see the Chieftain?"
He was asking that now.
Just now...
The soldiers looked at Tutan with pity, while Patrick looked up at the sky, let out a pathetic sigh, and said.
"Why do only people like this gather around me? Why?"
Turanta, the Chieftain of the Red Rock Tribe, had ruled the tribe for over 30 years. Having ruled the tribe for so long, he had experienced many things, but this was the first time a human had come to his tribe as a guest. And what's more, that human was...
"Hello. My name is Patrick Schneider."
"A child?"
The fact that he was a small child, who looked like he wasn't even a quarter of his size, was even more surprising. Wasn't it common sense that young individuals, regardless of their race, were weak and needed protection? But this young human named Patrick, standing before Turanta now, just looking at him...
'He's a monster.' His muscles tensed up. The other party wasn't particularly threatening him, but he couldn't relax his body.
Patrick spoke to Turanta.
"Is there a problem?"
"... No. Even if you are a child, you are a warrior."
"Ooh. You can tell, since you're a chieftain."
"Young master!"
"Please speak a little more politely."
"He's still a chieftain..."
Patrick's casual tone made the soldiers even more restless. They didn't know much about Orc etiquette, but still, if he was the leader ruling over this whole group, wouldn't he have authority befitting his station? Patrick's words and actions, dripping with rudeness, could easily become the spark for a conflict if someone decided to take offense.
Moreover, that Orc named Turanta was different from ordinary Orcs, even to the soldiers' untrained eyes. A much larger build than a regular Orc, with perfectly trained muscles. The stone blade he held at his side was even larger than his body.
'He can swing that thing?' 'At first, I thought it was a pillar, not a weapon.' 'Me too, I was wondering why there was a stone pillar inside the tent.'
The soldiers couldn't help but worry that the giant Orc would get angry at Patrick's rudeness any second and swing that ridiculously huge stone blade. But contrary to the soldiers' concerns, Turanta spoke in an almost cautious voice.
"Though you are young, you are a great warrior. A warrior deserves to be respected."
"Keeuh, you know a thing or two. You get it."
Patrick nodded and replied as if to say, 'That's how it should be,' while the soldiers grew even more restless.