# Talented Max-Level Player Episode 81

A writhing orc warrior, in agonizing pain. There was no doubt that it was fiercely angry for being bested to such an extent by a seemingly insignificant human. Through my Sense Skill, I could feel it. The predator’s wrath was palpable.

I intuited immediately, ‘This rage is directed solely at me.’

A safe distance away, I observed its eyes ablaze with unbridled fury targeting me, yet it was unable to act on its pain.

‘Then, it will choose…’

The orc warrior was a formidable monster, known for its brute strength and its skill at hurling weapons with remarkable precision and destructive power.

‘It will throw its axe at me.’

With incredible force, it would aim at me – and only me – intent on ripping me apart. That red-eyed fury was reserved exclusively for me.

‘It’s making its move.’

The orc warrior was undeniably stronger than I. A direct hit could be fatal, but that’s only if one is caught off guard.

‘If I know it’s coming and still get hit, that’d be plain stupidity.’

An anticipated attack. I knew the trajectory well enough to avoid being struck. In my mind, I was ready to dodge.

I focused sharply, anticipating the precise moment the orc would throw its axe. That would be when it exposed a vulnerability.

Sure enough.

“KRRRAAAAGGGHHH!”

The orc warrior unleashed a guttural roar and hurled its axe my way.

Whoosh- Whoosh-!

The axe spun toward me with such velocity that ‘fired’ seemed an apt description.

From the slicing whistle of air, I could tell, ‘Immense destructive force.’

A swift strike loaded with such power could not be dodged without foresight.

‘The problem now is…’

Both Seonhwa and I had anticipated this. Seonhwa moved beside me, ready to act in case something unforeseen happened. Even she couldn’t withstand a direct hit. At best, she could dodge a glancing blow.

‘That is Seonhwa’s role.’

Seonhwa, commendably aware of her role, was prepared to execute it.

I slightly twisted my body and dodged the incoming axe.

Thud!

With that sound, the axe implanted itself into the ground. The orc warrior, having missed, screamed even louder in a frenzy.

And I said, “Now.”

Now was the time to strike. The orc warrior was completely focused on me.

‘The truly fearsome attacks are the ones you don’t see coming.’

Even if attacks carry the same force, a known attack differs from an unexpected one. At this moment, the strikes from Kang Sang-goo and Kwak Tae-woon would be ‘blindsides’ to the orc warrior.

‘They must’ve practiced well.’

I had encouraged those two to work in sync, precisely for moments like this. From their mouths came an arcane language I didn’t recognize, a magical incantation.

“Phemo Haritanaya.”

“Wedow Le-lavica-ta.”

Flames erupted from Kang Sang-goo’s palms – a fierce fire. A whip made of flames appeared before us.

‘Flame Whip.’

The skill was familiar to Kang Sang-goo, a hero of Korea. While it paled in comparison to the legendary whip of yore, it was nonetheless an impressive flame whip for novice areas.

Then, a blue wind enveloped the fiery lash.

‘Well done.’

Despite their first collaboration today, they exceeded expectations. The flame whip, like a snake with its jaws wide open, shot straight toward the orc warrior.

‘Kwak Tae-woon is providing the perfect support.’

If Kang Sang-goo was in charge of destructive power, then Kwak Tae-woon was enhancing it, lending precision to their efforts.

‘Perhaps this is the first display of magical fusion since the great upheaval.’

Those two geniuses executed the ‘magic fusion’ perfectly on their first try.

‘I was certain they would.’

They were, after all, a renowned combo. Known rivals who bickered incessantly, but exemplary partners when it came to raids. Their synergy as people and as classes was unparalleled.

The wind-swept flame whip pierced the orc’s open mouth. Ma Sang-hyeon clenched his fist in victory.

“Okay!”

The orc’s mouth erupted in flames. Sweat poured from Kang Sang-goo’s forehead.

“This damn thing. Really has some thick hide.”

Kang Sang-goo was now exerting all his mana to maintain the flames.

“Die, you damn beast!”

I choreographed the climax – the orc warrior swathed in flames.

‘And the iron sword I had embedded.’

The ‘Iron Sword’ melted, searing through the creature’s skull and boiling into molten metal, liquefying the orc warrior’s brain and entrails.

“KRRRAAAAGGGHHH!”

The orc collapsed to the ground. The battle was effectively over.

“Shin Yeon-seo. Ma Sang-hyeon.”

It was time for the melee fighters – Shin Yeon-seo and Ma Sang-hyeon to lead. Shin Yeon-seo performed the ‘Heavenly Demon Flight’ skill, swiftly closing in on the target.

She communicated the skill name to Ma Sang-hyeon, syncing their actions.

“One-hit kill. Location: the back of the head.”

More precisely, the orc’s skull, where I had already created an opening. Ma Sang-hyeon followed up. The final blow. Though there was no need to call out his skill, he did so out loud, probably out of habit.

“Punch Down.”

Shin Yeon-seo’s ‘One-hit Kill,’ followed by Ma Sang-hyeon’s ‘Punch Down,’ struck true on the now prostrate, frothing orc’s skull.

Boom!

The impact was akin to an explosion, significantly potent, though it still fell short of the ‘Fist King Ma Sang-hyeon’ I remembered.

[You have hunted an Orc Warrior.]

[Experience points have been obtained.]

[52 coins have been obtained.]

‘Done.’

The system did not count it as a ‘direct hunt’ on my part. I definitely contributed some damage and orchestrated the fight like a lord, but it seemed the system calculated that I did not deal more than 50% of the total damage.

‘The coins seem to have been awarded to me as the party leader.’

I could distribute those later. The ‘Observer’ class. It appeared to be more beneficial than I thought, enabling me to avoid unnecessary experience deductions.

[The quest ‘Hunt all Orc Species Monsters!’ has been cleared.]

The high-stake quest, proposed by Las Vegas’s Shepherd and joined by the Whispering Demon and the Valiant Lion King, was completed. A gamble isn’t called that lightly. High risk, high return.

[‘The first proposition from Las Vegas’s Shepherd is still valid.’]

[All participating players receive rewards.]

[The current reward being tallied is for clearing the ‘Secret in the Tomb of the Wind Warrior.’]

The rewards rolled in sequentially. In that moment, I could no longer feel the pain from my shattered wrist. Rewards are always sweet.

‘This reward is…’

Overwhelming – incomparable to any previous rewards. Something significant, akin to what Michelle had received in the past.

[100,000 coins have been awarded.]

[The Orc Warrior’s Gauntlets have been awarded.]

[First-time entry rights for the Yu-Flex Dungeon have been awarded.]

Thus concluded the rewards from Las Vegas’s Shepherd’s quest.

[Additional rewards are being tallied.]

[50,000 coins have been awarded.]

The 50,000 coins felt modest after the 100,000, but in fact, were still a massive reward. Considering the approximately 50 coins received for hunting the Orc Warrior, this was a significant sum.

‘Is it over?’

It wasn’t.

[Secret rewards have been awarded.]

‘Huh, secret rewards?’

These must be from the quest proposed by the Whispering Demon and the Valiant Lion King, likely the handiwork of the Whispering Demon.

[The ‘High Orc’s Grimoire’ has been awarded.]

It seemed I was the only recipient. The others didn’t know about this reward.

‘So, the Whispering Demon is giving this to me.’

The motivations of the Whispering Demon were clear as day. It was already foreseeing the unfolding events, much like myself.

‘Things will get interesting.’

The dual-faced swordsman – once the sword was sheathed, Shin Yeon-seo reverted to a youthful woman in her early twenties, bouncing gleefully on the spot, her cheeks flush with delight, likely pleased with her reward.

“Wow! I got the Agility Potion!”

Ma Sang-hyeon received a Strength Potion, while Kwak Tae-woon and Kang Sang-goo received Affinity Potions for their respective elements. It seemed they had all received items suited to their needs. Indeed, when a gamble succeeds, the reward is handsome.

“Damn. You saw that, right? I said I’d smash it! Kwak Tae-woon, you owe me big time. It was all me. You just chipped in! Euhahat!”

“…”

Kang Sang-goo was flaunting grandly in front of Kwak Tae-woon.

“You see that? My flaming whip rocked, didn’t it? Admit it. Yeah, admit it. More acknowledgments? Sure, more acknowledgments. Man, I’m so strong. Right?”

“…Ah, yes. Quite strong indeed,” responded Kwak Tae-woon with a reserved composure. He seemed thrilled about overcoming the orc warrior. His attitude seemed to say, let them bark, I’ll check my own rewards – a demeanor that seemed to foretell a future dynamic between Tae-woon and Sang-goo.

‘They were always like this, even as novices.’

Kwak Tae-woon, young and placid, gave a simple nod for now, but it seemed like they would end up bickering in the future. For the time being, it was a time of relative leisure.

Seonhwa added her own comment from beside me, with a tone that suggested she was slightly displeased.

“It’s all thanks to our brother, you know?”

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Summary: A bit of a Brother Complex

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“It’s all thanks to our brother, right?” I chose to ignore the summary. I pretended not to hear Seonhwa. It seemed like typical teenage behavior. Luckily, her voice was so soft no one else seemed to catch it.

Once the rewards were tallied, the Guardian notification arrived.

[‘The Nameless Observer’ continues to observe.]

The Nameless Observer watched on as always. Other guardians like ‘The Lady of the Scales,’ ‘The Pearl of Cheonma Mountain,’ or ‘The Giant of Dusk’ seemed preoccupied with their favorites and hadn’t sent me messages.

[‘The Shepherd of Las Vegas’ is pleased.]

The orchestrator of this quest, the Shepherd of Las Vegas, seemed to have enjoyed the game as well. So far, I had received notifications from two guardians. Setting the others aside, I awaited one particular message.

‘You’re going to send it, aren’t you.’

The Whispering Demon had sent me the ‘High Orc’s Grimoire.’ It had sensed the currents between the guardians. It had given this to me only, under the guise of a ‘secret reward.’

‘When will you send the message?’

I waited patiently. The demon would definitely send a notification, likely before we completely cleared the dungeon gate and left this area.

I announced, “It seems we’ve eliminated all the threats. Now, the final condition for the complete clearance of this place is to find the ‘Secret in the Tomb of the Wind Warrior.’”

It shouldn’t be difficult. My Sense Skill didn’t detect any threats. A ‘Clear Crystal’ must be hidden somewhere in the tomb.

If we find it, then we can conclude this place without issue. Everyone, understanding my intent, began to move towards the tomb.

“Yes!”

“Okay!”

“Okay!”

“Understood!”

“Yes, bro.”

And then, the notification I had been expecting reached me.

‘I’ve been waiting for this.’

It was the alert I had anticipated.