To war

The preparation this time consists of Ren traveling to the ruined temple. After checking the structure for some time, he visits the altar to connect with the goddess. However, this time the goddess does not descend personally to him; he only connects with her spiritual presence to collect his reward, especially from Erebo. Ren is surprised to learn that Elysium rewards him for fighting against the orcs.

As Ren reflects, he remembers that Elysium always rewards every initiative to fight against chaos and restore order or equilibrium in life. From this perspective, every milestone in fighting chaos will have some sort of reward. The mission he announced seems to be unique and will have a great impact, as evidenced by the need to kill the Black Widow.

As Ren connected with Erebo, he was surprised to discover that the reward for rescuing Rita was unusually high. It was a barding for Thanatos, similar to his own armor, which could be further improved as the horse did. While he considered upgrading his horse, Ren realized that he wasn't experienced in mounted combat and decided to focus on improving his sword, Stygian, instead. Ren also picked up a dagger called Fang as a secondary weapon, despite not being skilled in using it, because every increase in power was crucial.

Elysium's reward was an upgrade for Ren's hawk, but he could already anticipate his horse's displeasure. Ren noticed that there was a mission to fight orcs, with several milestones including killing small and large numbers, and even exterminating them. It was clear that Elysium despised orcs, with specific rewards offered for high-level orc kills. Ren knew he wasn't ready to take on such challenges yet.

After all was done, Ren came back to his senses in the temple. As he reunited with his pets, he noticed that the hawk seemed to have grown a little. However, his horse was visibly upset, not just because Ren had been away for so long, but also because the hawk had gotten stronger and he had not. Ren realized that the horse and the hawk were supposed to have a rivalry, and this development was sure to make things more difficult.

Ren then headed back to the city to acquire some medicine for his pets, and once he had taken care of them, he reported to the army camp. There, he reported to Hans' brother and met the other gold-ranked adventurers that they had recruited in the last moment. Ren could sense the tension in the air, as everyone was gearing up for the upcoming battle against the orcs.

Ren briefly introduced himself to the new recruits and began to familiarize himself with their fighting styles. He knew that it was essential for them to work together as a cohesive unit if they were going to stand a chance against the orcs. They discussed their strategy for the mission, going over the details and identifying potential pitfalls.

Ren also spent the next few days practicing on his mount. Despite his initial reluctance, he found that he enjoyed the feeling of charging into battle on horseback. As he practiced, he noticed that his upgraded sword, Stygian, had gained a new ability. By channeling his willpower into the sword, he could make it grow and elongate, increasing its reach and power. However, this ability came at a cost, as it drained Ren's willpower and left him vulnerable to attacks. Ren knew he would have to use this ability carefully in battle, but he was excited to see what he could accomplish with it. He also made sure to train with his newly acquired dagger, Fang, to become more proficient with it, despite his initial lack of experience with the weapon.

Ren knew that this was going to be a tough fight, but he had faith in his abilities and his comrades. As they got closer, the orc army began to move forward. The two armies clashed in a deafening roar of steel and battle cries.

Ren fought with all his might, his sword cutting through orc after orc. Thanatos charged through the enemy lines, trampling any orc foolish enough to stand in his way. Fang was quick and agile, Ren using it to take out any enemy that got too close.

As the battle raged on, Ren felt his willpower draining from him. His sword had grown to a massive size, but he knew that he couldn't sustain it for much longer. He took a moment to catch his breath, fighting off a group of orcs that had surrounded him.

Just as Ren was about to give in to exhaustion, he heard the sound of horns. The orc army began to retreat, leaving the battlefield in disarray. The battle was won.

This first battle was a probe, the highest ranked didn't even show, after all no war start with the highest force attacking, just after force the other side to show all of their cards the war will intensify to the next ranks.

After the initial skirmish, they set up a camp with high morale, confident in their victory. However, that night the orcs launched a surprise raid on the camp, catching them off guard. The orcs rarely used such tactics, and the camp suffered significant casualties. Ren, with his improved abilities, fought bravely alongside his fellow soldiers and managed to repel the attack, but the experience left a bitter taste in their mouths. They realized the orcs were not to be underestimated and that they needed to be more vigilant and prepared for any surprise attacks.

Over the next two days, there were three more skirmishes, but Ren didn't participate in them. He was needed to fight the top-ranked golden chieftain, and he spent his time preparing for the battle. He practiced his swordsmanship, worked on his mounted combat techniques, and consulted with Hans and his fellow adventurers on battle strategy.

Finally, at dawn on the third day, Ren was summoned to the war tent. The golden chieftain was now on the chessboard, and it was time for Ren to make his move. With a deep breath, he stepped forward, ready to face his greatest challenge yet.

As the battle commenced, Ren grouped up with the other gold-ranked adventurers. He decided to fight on foot as he was not yet proficient enough in mounted combat. As the silver and iron-ranked mobs engaged in battle, Ren's group moved forward to engage the orc chieftain.

Ren's opponent was incredibly strong, and the fight dragged on. The orc chieftain seemed to have an almost preternatural ability to predict Ren's moves, and he quickly found himself on the defensive. Despite his best efforts, Ren was unable to land a decisive blow on the chieftain.

The battle raged on, and Ren's comrades began to fall one by one. Just when it seemed like all hope was lost, Ren found a small opening in the orc chieftain's defenses and managed to land a glancing blow. This seemed to enrage the chieftain, who began attacking with even greater ferocity.

Ren was now fighting for his life, and every move he made was desperate and instinctual. The chieftain seemed to be toying with him, but Ren refused to give up. Finally, after what seemed like hours of fighting, Ren saw an opening and plunged his sword into the chieftain's chest.

The chieftain roared in pain, but even as he fell to the ground, he managed to land a devastating blow on Ren, knocking him unconscious. When Ren awoke, the battle was over, and he found himself surrounded by his comrades, who had somehow managed to win the day despite the odds against them.

After the battle, Ren was visited by Hans and his brother. They were both impressed with Ren's fighting abilities, especially his defeat of the top-ranked gold chieftain. They expressed their gratitude and appreciation for Ren's contribution to the victory.

The next day Ren was not able to rejoin the battles but it doesn't matter, after all he was contracted to deal with the orc chieftain, and he sure do that, even if it was not a kill, to be able to deal with that as a silver rank have relieved the pressure on the rest of the troops.

Ren watched the fight between the highest-ranked fighters with fascination. They moved with a grace and speed that he had never seen before, and their weapons glinted in the sunlight. Ren studied their every move, trying to learn as much as he could from their fighting styles.

Eventually, the fight came to an end, and the victor was declared. Ren made a mental note to study the winning fighter's moves and techniques more closely.

The fight between the higher ranks was intense, with both sides trading blows and fighting tooth and nail. In the end, the human forces emerged victorious, but they were unable to kill the orc's top fighter, who managed to escape in the chaos.

However, before the human army could advance and raid the greater orc settlement, they were ambushed by a surprise attack from two flanking armies. On one side were the kobolds, who emerged from hidden tunnels in the ground, while on the other side were the goblins, who had used their stealth and agility to approach undetected.

Caught off guard and outnumbered, the human forces were forced to retreat hastily to avoid being completely wiped out. The retreat was chaotic, with soldiers scrambling to escape the clutches of the enemy and avoid getting separated from their comrades. The situation was dire, and it was clear that the humans would need to regroup and come up with a new plan if they were to have any chance of defeating the orc forces and securing their victory.

It was clear that the goblin and kobolds were in cahoots, maybe even the orcs.