“…That’s ridiculous.”
Combat power double that of a regular Orc.
The mont he heard those words co out of U-jin's mouth, Heart de Garcon retorted without realizing it.
He couldn't help it.
What he had heard before was also nonsensical enough to be called 'ridiculous,' stories that defied common sense, but...
Even if he could sohow overlook those things, the story U-jin was spouting now was so absurd that he couldn't accept it at all.
Not a Nad, but a regular Orc, possessing more than twice the combat power of a conventional Orc.
If that were true, the 'Orc Mountains' would beco a place no different from hell itself.
If Heart had heard correctly, U-jin was saying that the Orcs had a hidden strength, that they were an Orc race that had beco 'twice as strong'.
And he had only confird this with regular Orcs.
If regular Orcs were at that level, it was highly likely that the Nad or those of higher ranks would have an even greater disparity.
Moreover, a fact he had only just learned, what lay before them was not the typical Orc Mountains, which had been treated as sothing a bit stronger than Baron-level, but a 'fortified' Orc Mountains.
If U-jin's words were true, the space before their eyes was nothing short of a disaster by its very existence.
Of course.
Not that Heart de Garcon was denying the fact that U-jin had fought with Orcs during the reconnaissance.
‘…’
He could tell that much from the blood covering U-jin's entire body, without needing any words.
He had probably encountered Orcs, and a battle had taken place.
However, the point Heart de Garcon wanted to make was this.
“…You've never faced an Orc directly, have you? How can you possibly gauge the Orcs' original strength?”
“…”
“Military discipline is strict. It is best not to utter such baseless nonsense.”
Out of curiosity after the battle with the Minotaur, Heart de Garcon had briefly checked U-jin's information.
Of course, he was already aware that U-jin's record was colorful in many ways and shrouded in mystery, but...
If there was one thing he knew for certain about U-jin, it was that this 'Northern Subjugation War' was his first ti participating in the War against Demons.
If his eyes hadn't deceived him, he had no experience fighting 'regular Orcs' directly.
Therefore, Heart de Garcon thought.
That U-jin was unaware of the original combat power of Orcs and was therefore arbitrarily estimating their strength and chattering about it.
How could a human who had never once fought an Orc gauge whether their combat power was one or two tis greater?
He simply thought U-jin was exaggerating, saying they were stronger than he had expected.
After all, it was a clichéd and rampant custom for Heroes on the battlefield to embellish their own achievents.
However, Heart de Garcon's prejudice was shattered by the subsequent defense from Leonardo Louis Button.
“…He has fought Orcs directly before, Heart de Garcon.”
“…!”
“He even participated directly on the battlefield. If my mory serves right, it was probably…”
As Louis trailed off as if he couldn't rember exactly, U-jin shrugged and added instead.
“Garrison 77.”
“…!”
“I think that was the na.”
For Heart de Garcon, it was incomprehensible.
The Order's data clearly showed no record of him related to the War against Demons.
But that didn't an he thought for a mont that Leonardo Louis Button was lying.
They were not strangers, and he was a figure akin to a role model he had admired since childhood.
In the first place, his just and upright character was considered top-notch within the Order, earning him admiration from all around.
Therefore, from Heart de Garcon's perspective, he had no idea how to take Leonardo Louis Button's sudden interjection, defending U-jin by claiming he had experience fighting Orcs at Garrison 77.
‘…’
What on earth was going on?
After staring for a mont at Heart's bewildered face, Louis posed a question.
“…Are you aware that I used an Indulgence on Mr. Seo U-jin, Heart de Garcon?”
“Yes, I am. That was when I first learned of him. But what does that have to do with…”
“Then you must also know that he was imprisoned for a ti as a Hero-slayer.”
“…!”
Heart's eyes widened.
The reason was simple.
Even without the word being spoken directly from Louis's mouth, he could roughly guess what Louis was about to say from the context.
“…A Penal Soldier.”
Nod-
“That's right. Before being imprisoned in the Darkest Dungeon, he served a tour of duty in the War against Demons as a Penal Soldier.”
“…”
“It seems you looked up Mr. Seo U-jin's data separately… It's unlikely it wouldn't show up with your access level, Heart. It appears you must have missed that part, Sir Heart.”
“…”
The problem was that he hadn't checked U-jin's data from the Order directly, but had received it through his adjutant.
If he had checked it himself, as Louis said, he wouldn't have missed it.
The data related to his ti as a 'Penal Soldier' was omitted, as it was not accessible with his adjutant's clearance.
…Whatever the reason, a minor misunderstanding was cleared up.
“…Then.”
And it was, quite literally, just a 'minor misunderstanding'.
The important thing was, if U-jin's words were truly factual.
The fact that the Orcs had sohow managed to strengthen their individual combat power by more than twofold.
* * *
Black Blood Disease.
And, following the 'Shutdown,' the final trap left behind by Isaac Einstein in his plans for the Northern Subjugation War.
It was none other than the 'Orc Mountains' themselves.
“If original Orcs are simply green, the ones I faced… I'll call them 'Enhanced Orcs'.”
Nod-
“Those Enhanced Orcs had 'dark green' skin with a higher proportion of black. As I said, based on my experience as a Penal Soldier, I estimate their combat power to be at least double, at a minimum.”
Strictly speaking, Orcs themselves were not a particularly frightening race.
Their overwhelming reproductive rate was a problem, but in terms of the martial strength of a single individual, there were plenty of stronger Magical Beasts.
After all, Magical Beast races were bound to have strengths in at least one area.
Since Orcs lacked any particular strengths in other areas, their only defining feature was their high reproductive rate.
However, the fact that the Orcs' combat power had risen by a factor of two held a much greater significance than it appeared on the surface.
The reason was simple.
The combination of that reproductive rate and the increase in combat power had an effect that was nearly multiplicative.
They already maintained a force that surpassed the 3-star level due to their overwhelming reproductive rate, but a twofold increase—when considering the synergy with that reproductive rate—ant they had gained a growth speed that exceeded other races fourfold.
Having fortified their position and stockpiled their strength for a considerable period in that state, the current power of the Orc Mountains was beyond what even the veterans present could fathom with their experience and intellect.
There was only one person here who could approximate that strength.
U-jin, who had personally witnessed and experienced that terrible future.
‘…Legion-level.’
He didn't bother to say the word out loud, but the strength of the Orc Mountains that awaited the Subjugation Force at the end of the first Northern Subjugation War boasted a 'Legion-level' power that was among the top even in the entire Demon King's Army.
Of course, this didn't an that the Orc race, which had been rely brigade-level, had 'intrinsically' gained the strength of an entire legion.
As was evident from the numbers, the gap between a legion and a brigade was not one that could be so easily closed.
It was just that.
Fortification, long-term accumulation of growth, and a defensive war.
When all those factors were combined, the difficulty experienced from the Order's perspective was comparable to that of a legion.
But that alone was a terrible thing for the Order.
Five-star level (★★★★★).
To be 5-star level...
That level ant they possessed a force on par with a Demon of 'Duke rank,' a position second only to the Demon King within the Demon King's Army.
Now, the two largest forces in history, the Church Allied Forces and the Demon King's Allied Forces, divided the continent.
In the ancient era, before these two alliances existed, they would have been a ruling power strong enough to be said to have dominated an age.
That was also why U-jin didn't bother to ntion it.
He knew that even if he brought up words like 'Legion-level' or 'Duke-level' here, they wouldn't be taken at face value and would only cause unnecessary turmoil.
Of course, there was still a part that remained unexplained.
“…Is that even possible? I've never heard of such a thing in my life. 'Twice' isn't so trivial matter. How can they get stronger just because their skin got a little darker?”
“…I agree, Sir Seo U-jin. No matter how you look at it, a twofold increase is a figure that can't be explained.”
Even assuming U-jin's words were true, it still didn't explain 'why' the Orc race had managed to gain twice their combat power.
It's easy to say twice, but...
In terms of defense, it ant you had to hit an enemy twice when you should have only needed to hit it once.
Especially when the scale was as massive as the Orc race, the impact of that nurical gap on the war was not sothing that could be explained in just a few words.
It wasn't sothing they could just accept with an 'Oh, they got stronger?'
However, that too was soon revealed, with the truth coming to light from a question carefully posed by 'Leonardo Louis Button'.
“…Mr. Seo U-jin, I have a few questions. If you've confird any of the symptoms I'm about to list, please tell .”
Nod-
“Bloodshot eyes, fits of rage, excessive saliva and foaming at the mouth, shortness of breath, and a fear of blood.”
Louis listed a series of symptoms in a low voice, and U-jin's answer to them was.
“…All of them.”
“…!”
Although he didn't know exactly what it was, it confird that the certain cause Louis had in mind was correct.
“…To be precise, it's not so much a fear of blood as an extre aversion to touching it. Once it touches them, they're consud by madness and enter an uncontrollable state where they can't distinguish friend from foe.”
Haa-
At U-jin's answer, Louis let out a groan.
The people inside the barracks turned their heads toward Louis, and with a single, low-spoken word, Louis explained the inside story.
“…Berserk.”
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