The Overlord of Blood and Iron (WN)

Kang Chul-In, in the eyes of Rustler and Lana, was like a beam of light.

The impending doom and the invasion of the Orcs.

And the Lord that appeared at the moment of death.

The strength and prowess of slitting the Orc’s throat in one stroke from the back of a white horse. For this father and daughter, Kang Chul-In was their life savior, a rope sent by the heavens.

Oh, milord has come!

Rustler was overcome with awe.

It was the same for Lana.

She thought she was going to die.

The Orc’s fierce cries when she and her father had fallen to the ground were enough to bring chills down to her bones. When she had given up all hope and accepted her fate, a miracle occurred.

‘Oh, milord!’

Lana, as her life hung from a thread, felt her heart pounding as she saw Kang Chul-In on top of the white horse.

He is Laputa’s Lord!

Amidst the bloody situation, a spring wind formed in the heart of the young girl. It was an unforeseen thing, but it was understandable. A knight on top of a white horse was every girl’s dream!

However, Kang Chul-In had no interest in Lana’s feelings.

He never even looked at her in the first place. He focused solely on the Orcs that were there to harm his people.

“You four!”

He called to the soldiers who were armed with shields and spears.

“Move that father and daughter to somewhere safe.”

“Yes, milord!”

The four soldiers who were commanded quickly moved to Rustler and Lana, escorting them out of the danger.

“James!”

“Yes, milord!”

“Take ten soldiers and protect the people escaping. I will take it from here.”

“B-but how will you?!”

“Now!”

“Yes!”

And just like that, James and ten soldiers left the group.

Fifteen gone. 35 left. This is enough. I will end this in 10 minutes.

Kang Chul-In, who had divided the few forces he had, remained calm.

“Those with shields, come forward and maintain a close formation!”

Kang Chul-In roared and began to lead the troops.

“Those with muskets, head to the back!”

The troops moved quickly with Kang Chul-In’s orders. They were quite good at following orders.

Squelch!

Squelch!

The Orcs that, until a couple seconds ago, were looking forward to their killing and stealing bared their fangs and screeched at the unexpected visitors. They were menacing.

How dare you?

Kang Chul-In’s eyes were filled with disgust and anger as he looked at the monsters.

Dirty living things that would not have even been able to look at him before were now threatening him and his people. This was disrespect unforgivable by Overlord Kang Chul-In.

“Sigh.”

Kang Chul-In dismounted from his horse with a loud sigh.

He was not suited to horseback riding.

The speed and weight that a running horse brought were definitely powerful. He had just killed an Orc with one swing. They did not call cavalry troops powerful for nothing.

However, in battles like these, it was better to just fight on foot. Kang Chul-In himself also preferred to fight with his two feet on the ground as compared to from the back of a horse.

“Musket soldiers, shoot!”

Kang Chul-In ordered immediately after he dismounted his horse and joined the Royal Guard’s ranks.

Boom! Boom!

The two-shot Breech Loading muskets fired at the Orcs, leaving a trail of thick smoke.

“Shields, hold! If you crumble, we all die!”

Kang Chul-In worried most about those who faced the Orcs in the front of the line. In order for the musket soldiers to safely fire, the role of the shield-bearing soldiers was important.

“Use your spears when you can! Aim for the necks!”

The soldiers’ spears penetrated the Orcs’ necks.

Orcs are nothing.

Kang Chul-In was now staring at them with a smug smile on his face.

Orcs were quite dangerous monsters.

For Kang Chul-In in his current state, it was difficult to take on even two Orcs. If he overexerts himself, three. If four, then he too would have to put his life on the line. However, that was in case of a 1:1 battle. He had an army.

Orcs were strong, but their only tactic was to use their large physiques and group together to break and smash everything in their way. It was primitive and one-sided. This tactic might be effective in a scuffle or hand-to-hand combat, but if it was a battle with ranks, it was a different story. Humans knew how to group and knew how to use that to their advantage. Especially Kang Chul-In, a master of war strategy!

Boom! Boom!

The ten musket soldiers fired their weapons again.

“Reload!”

The basic musket had two shots. A bit of time was needed after two shots in order to reload.

“Shields! Push harder! Hold!”

Kang Chul-In yelled.

If there was a danger, it would be at this moment.

The moment where firepower ceased for a brief moment during reloading was a bit of time for the Orcs to attack.

Kang Chul-In’s prediction was right.

Squelch!

The Orcs realized that the flying bullets had stopped for a short while and began to advance fiercely. They were monsters with a bit of intelligence.

“Prepare well and brace yourselves! It won’t be easy!”

Kang Chul-In warned the soldiers holding the shields in front.

Boom!

An explosive sound was released as the soldiers’ shields and the Orcs’ bodies met. The soldiers swayed. An Orc’s average weight was about 120kg, much heavier than a human. It also had great muscular strength. It was expected.

Danger.

When Kang Chul-In saw this, he realized that it was his turn. He could not just sit back.

If the front formation was destroyed, then the soldiers behind would be struck by the Orcs in an instant. In order to win this battle, the formation must be maintained.

“Sigh.”

Kang Chul-In released a loud breath.

His heart pounded.

From the top of his head to his feet, he felt all of his muscles tighten.

A lone shiver went down his spine.

Because he was afraid?

No way.

Kang Chul-In’s body that had been away from battle was filled with excitement.

It was a thrill of sorts.

Like people who enjoyed extreme sports, Kang Chul-In enjoyed going to battle with his life on the line. It was something that the ruler of a territory should never do but was something that he could do. He was a natural warrior and had a heart of steel. He could not control his blood boiling when he went to battle.

Let’s have some fun.

Kang Chul-In left his spot from behind the shield and went towards the Orcs.

“Ah!”

“Milord!”

A couple of the soldiers called to him when they saw his unexpected action.

“Do not worry!” Kang Chul-In yelled. “Do not concern yourselves and maintain the ranks!”

Kang Chul-In, after giving his order, began to swing his Blood Sword as if he was possessed.

Swish swish!

Thick weapons flew towards him from all directions. It was expected, seeing that he had made his way right into the center of the Orcs.

I just need to create enough chaos.

Kang Chul-In was extremely levelheaded as he made his way into the Orcs as a Level 1 Lord.

He knew something.

Orcs were much larger than humans, which meant that there was not enough space for more than three Orcs to attack one person at once. Even if there were many Orcs, no more than three attacks would come at once. Although, this was the typical “theoretical” battle. It was easier said than done, and therefore, this action was almost suicidal.

But Kang Chul-In could.

Countless battles and the swordsmanship of his past life were clear in his head. Although his physical state would not completely support him, it was enough to buy a little time.

Swish.

Swish!

The Blood Sword drew deathly tracks as it bore through the Orcs. Kang Chul-In did not show brute courage and foolishness.

He faced the weapons that came to him but he did not wrestle based on strength. If he did, he would break bones or fall into a disadvantageous position that would get him lynched by the Orcs. If he tried to fight with strength, he would cross the valley of death. Therefore, the method he chose was to pretend to respond to the Orcs’ attacks while actually letting them flow through. It was a skill that could only be performed by extremely well trained and experienced swordsmen.

“Huh?”

The soldiers were surprised when they saw Kang Chul-In.

There could have been no other feeling.

A Lord had used himself as a distraction amongst the Orcs and had put his life on the line. A person of his status?

“Y-you wretched Orc bastards!”

A soldier enchanted by Kang Chul-In’s example yelled with rage.

And that was the start.

“How dare!”

“I will kill you!”

“You dogs! Die! Die, I said!”

As the musket soldiers were reloading, the other soldiers started to put forth immense fighting power and began pushing back the Orcs. They had skyrocketing morale, but it was possible because Kang Chul-In had caused chaos among the Orcs.

“Reload complete!”

The reload was finally done.

“Fire!”

Kang Chul-In roared.

He was still in the center of the Orcs. He could, by chance, be shot by friendly fire.

“B-but!”

“Just shoot!”

Kang Chul-In yelled. The musket soldiers briefly hesitated but assumed the firing position, aimed at the Orcs, and pulled the triggers.

Boom! Boom!

Ten gunmen fired ten bullets at the Orcs.

Down!

Right before the soldiers fired, he quickly threw his body to the ground.

Squeal!

Three or four Orcs were shot and fell to the ground. The soldiers’ spears found their marks on the fallen bodies.

The sharp spear penetrated their necks.

“Push further! Do not give them a chance to think!”

Kang Chul-In, who had instantly moved to safety, shouted to encourage his troops.

And it was then.

The soldiers had gotten the hang of the battle and began to push further into the Orcs’ ranks. They adapted fast as if to prove that nothing was better than practice.

It’s done.

Kang Chul-In realized his troops had gained momentum and smiled.

From this moment, everything will fall into place. All they needed to do was to move like a machine, taking the Orcs down one by one. Almost ten Orcs had fallen, so it was already a battle won.

“H-how could this be?”

Commander James had just returned to join Kang Chul-In and his forces after evacuating the people of Laputa. He could not believe what was happening in front of him.

It was a grand victory.

There was not one Orc left alive. 20 Orc corpses were littered on the plains, cold and dead.

Compared to that, how were the friendly troops?

There were some with minor abrasions, but there were none with serious injuries.

“If you follow my lead and orders with loyalty, I promise no lives will be lost. Trust. Trust me and do not doubt victory.”

Commander James remembered what his Lord had said right before the battle occurred.

Really, no one died!

It was hard for James to believe what was happening because something that he doubted was possible had become reality. To completely wipe out 20 Orcs with 35 soldiers! With no casualties!

“Did you evacuate the people to a safe location?”

James heard Kang Chul-In’s voice as he was marveling and admiring his Lord.

“Yes, milord!”

James quickly turned towards the direction of the voice and answered.

There Kang Chul-In was.

He was sitting atop a straw bed, sipping beer like any other foot soldier.