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Chapter 140: Papillon (2)

“Let’s see...”

Crockta stroked his chin. His escape strategy was simple. He planned to overpower all of them in an instant with his skills during the moment they took him out of his cell or during the actual execution.

Crockta didn’t feel a sense of urgency because he was sure they wouldn’t stand a chance against him.

But he was bored of just sitting still. He decided to do something about his imprisonment because the joy of attaining freedom multiplied through contemplation and repeated trials and failures.

“There’s nothing appropriate.”

There was only a bed inside the prison. It wasn’t a facility designed for long-term imprisonment and didn’t even have a bathroom. Crockta got up from the bed and looked underneath to examine its legs.

‘Let’s try using that.’

Crockta broke off one of the four legs of the bed. As Crockta’s huge hand grabbed and twisted it, the wooden leg easily broke off.

Crack!

Crockta began to scratch the wall with the sharp wood splinters that jutted out from his newly acquired stick. It made a loud screeching noise, but it didn’t make a difference.

Although the finish of the wall was flimsy, it was definitely made out of sturdy material like concrete. Thus, physical methods proved futile. Nothing—not the resources, the environment, nor time—could help him. He decided to pursue another route and execute a psychological escape plan. He had to take advantage of somebody.

Crockta approached the steel bars and peered outside. He couldn’t see well, but there had to be at least one person guarding this place somewhere.

“Hey,” Crockta called out.

There was no response.

“Hey...”

He called out in a fatigued, quivering voice to give the impression that he was stricken with fear.

“Is anyone there...?”

He could sense someone flinching in the distance. The person paced in circles as they deliberated, but eventually approached Crockta’s prison cell, only to discover Crockta cowering on his bed.

“What’s going on?” asked the person with a star on his forehead. He had a weak aura and was dressed in tattered clothing. He appeared to be an average player with a low-ranking position in the Heaven and Earth Clan. But he straightened his chest and made a pretense of being calm even though he was obviously nervous to face the famous orc warrior Crockta.

Crockta curled up his body pitifully. “Hey...will I...really...be executed...?” he asked with teary eyes.

Who could imagine him as the frightening orc warrior and chieftain who conquered the north and wiped out all of the players who opposed him?

The guard felt sorry for Crockta. His face softened. “Yes.”

“I still have so much left to do...my gold and riches are still there...” Crockta did a facepalm and muttered to himself to pique the guard’s interest. Gold and riches never failed to stir people’s hearts.

“Ah...I...”

Crockta tried to create the impression that he was painfully reminiscing about the past. The guard looked at Crockta with pity thanks to his method of acting skills.

Crockta’s face suddenly stiffened, and he leaped up from the bed as he emitted a frightening aura. The guard took a step back with trembling legs. There weren’t many who could endure the force of Crockta’s murderous intent.

The guard was about to take leave at Crockta’s sudden change in demeanor when Crockta said, “People die anyway. I don’t have any regrets about the path I have taken. But it’s too bad that I have been unable to impart the orcs’ secret Heavenly Demon Sword Art to future generations!”

Crockta possessed the unwavering gaze of a man who had embraced death as his fate.

Crockta looked at the guard, who stared at Crockta with a blank look on his face.

“I will soon die in your hands. I have taken a lot of lives, so I don’t feel too wronged about this whole situation.”

Bravely facing death always succeeded in moving people.

“I was destined to meet you at death. Although you aren’t an orc, would you receive my teaching and pass on the orcs’ secret Heavenly Demon Sword Art to future generations?”

The guard’s eyes widened in shock. If someone had read a martial arts novel before, they would understand the situation he was in. This was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity!

Moreover, the orc in front of him wasn’t just a regular orc.

Every Elder Lord player knew who he was. Before the epic quest even began, Crockta had made news by snuffing out the darkness behind it, eliciting the resentment of other players. He was an orc of righteousness who even had a group of followers composed of players. He was the most famous NPC in existence—Crockta, the Conqueror of the North.

It would be rather bizarre if such a being were executed without a grand event. The guard began to interpret the situation according to his hopes.

‘I see, this is a type of special quest or event. That orc is trying to pass down everything important to him before he is removed from the game. Whether human or artificial intelligence, it would be a natural psychological response to try to leave their legacy behind in the face of death. The opportunity to inherit the legacy of Elder Lord’s greatest warrior had come to him!’

“I....”

“But!”

But Crockta beat him to it.

He had to set a condition to give him the impression that it wouldn’t be an easy ordeal. Humans coveted what was harder to obtain. They craved an appropriate level of difficulty that was arduous but eventually attainable.

“But only if you swear that you will teach the secret Heavenly Demon Sword Art to other orcs. I entrust this secret martial arts technique to you. The tradition must continue.”

To the guard, who was already blinded by greed, the condition didn’t matter to him. It actually kindled the fire of greed inside him.

“Will you be able to keep the promise?” asked Crockta.

“I swear!”

“Then, tell me your name. I’m Crockta, your teacher.”

The guard had already begun imagining himself as a high-ranker who speeded through the streets in a flashy sports car. All of the celebrities would want to meet him, and everyone would gasp in awe when they heard his name. His life would completely change as a famous player who didn’t pale in comparison to ‘Rommel’ Choi Han-Sung, the master of the Heaven and Earth Clan. He would host extravagant parties in his mansion and have beautiful ladies by his side. He envisioned a sweet life where everyone respected him.

Now, he would begin the next phase of his life as ‘high-ranker Lee Jung-Min.’

“Crockta-nim! My name is Lee Jung-Min!” he shouted.

“What a great name. Now do a full kowtow and let the heavens and the earth know your will to serve me as your master.”

“Yes!”

Crockta looked at Lee Jung-Min, who was bowing without any hesitation. Crockta had requested nine head knockings that only came out in wuxia, but he didn’t doubt Crockta at all. Laughter seeped out from his lips. Greed made people blind.

After Lee Jung-Min bowed nine times, he got up as he gasped for breath. “I’m done, Master.”

“Good. Come closer and bow your head. I will give you a blessing.”

“Yes!”

Jung-Min didn’t doubt Crockta at all. ‘How could they leave someone like him as a guard? The future of the Heaven and Earth Clan is grim.’

Lee Jung-Min lowered his head. “Please take good care of me, Master!”

“Yes. Come closer.”

“Ah, this is the closest....”

Lee Jung-Min, who had a big head, was unable to push his header deeper in between the bars. Crockta nodded with a look of pity on his face. “That’s enough.”

Then, he ran to the bars like the wind and wrapped his hand around Jung-Min’s neck by extending his hand outside the bars.

“...Ahhh!”

Lee Jung-Min flailed as Crockta raised him up in the air.

Crockta laughed cruelly. “What an idiot! Can’t believe you were tricked so easily. You have a walnut in your head instead of a brain!”

“You d-deceived m-me...! Ack...!”

“What do you mean I deceived you? It’s your fault for falling for it. Life is a stage for liars. You need to maintain your composure and glare at the truth. You fool!”

Jung-Min’s consciousness began to drift away. “If you treat m-me like this...you will regret it...”

“Ohh?” Crockta twisted his neck even harder. “Come on, make me regret it.”

“Ack...ahh...re...gre....”

Then, Jung-Min went completely limp.

Crockta collected the set of keys hanging from Jung-Min’s waist and tossed his corpse onto the ground. His body began to turn into white particles. The dead couldn’t speak.

“Haha, try making me regret it now.”

Crockta, impressed by his own acting skills and wiles, hummed a song as he inserted a key into the lock of the steel bars. The prison door opened. He had succeeded in escaping.

“Hahahahaha, hahahahaha! Who could ever lock me up?!”

Then, he grinned at Jung-Min’s last disintegrating particle. “Did you say you were Lee Jung-Min?” Crockta felt pity for him. Jung-Min had fallen for the glimmer of hope that had flashed in front of him. But hope was what motivated people to leave their current states and push ahead toward the future.

The glimmer of hope is what motivated Crockta to perform method acting and escape from these terrible steel bars. If he hadn’t attempted an escape with hope in his heart, then he would have been depressed and locked up until he created a ruckus during his execution. What a terrible time it would have been.

Crockta spread his arms and closed his eyes. Then, he relished the freedom that wrapped around him and muttered a famous line from his beloved movie.

“Hope is a good thing. Maybe the best of things. And no good thing ever dies [1].”

He suddenly remembered Lee Jung-Min’s last warning to make him regret it. Crockta smirked and headed outside the prison cell. Then, he suddenly tripped and banged his nose against the ground.

“Ahh!” His nose started bleeding. He had fully smashed his nose against the ground, so a stinging pain ran up his face. He clutched his nose for a while and whimpered.

“Strange.”

It was unusual for Crockta to lose his balance. After he regained his composure, Crockta continued walking toward the exit when a torch on a wall suddenly fell and stabbed his foot.

“Ahh!”

The flame began spreading. Crockta jumped on one foot and quickly put out the fire. He scowled at the surging pain.

“What is this...!”

Crockta, who had been thrashing around with his eyes closed, couldn’t see what was in front of him and ended up ramming his head against the wall.

“Ack!”

He fell to the ground. Crockta began questioning why all of these unbelievable things were happening. Was it just a coincidence? Crockta, who had been swept into this unexpected situation, closed his eyes and calmed his breath. He tried to ease the pain as he murmured an apology to someone unknown.

“S-sorry...”

Crockta slowly got up. When he went to the spot where the guard used to be, he saw a table and several items. His beloved Ogre Slayer was there as well. He quickly slung it over his back.

Something big must have happened as Edgar had mentioned. He didn’t detect any presence nearby except for the poor guard who had died in Crockta’s hands.

“Nice.”

Crockta began running toward the exit. Now, nothing could stop him. It was time to punish Edgar, who pretended to be cold and rational but was actually the type to cry like a loser after being dumped by a girl.

***

“What is this saying?” exclaimed Tiyo.

They were touring Maillard and had arrived at the ‘Coin Fountain,’ the hottest local attraction of the city located in the public square. Because of the myth that if one threw a coin and made a wish at the fountain, the wish would come true, the fountain always glistened with coins from citizens and tourists.

All of the money gathered there was given to the first-aid station of the temple to help those in need.

Tiyo noticed an information sign in front of the Coin Fountain.

[The one who started this tradition is orc warrior Crockta, who appeared out of nowhere. He guided the three evildoers and told them, “Make this into a fountain of good deeds and use it to help the underprivileged.” After meeting Crockta, the three disciples had a change of heart and spread the word about the Coin Fountain to help those in need, thus providing solace to the citizens of Maillard while giving assistance to the needy.]

“...Is this Crockta the Crockta we know?”

“No way. The Crockta we know isn’t kind and smart like this Crockta.”

“Haha, that’s true! I was deceived!”

“That’s right. They just have the same name. Hehe.”

Then, they each tossed a coin into the fountain and turned away.

“Then, is this Crockta the same as that Crockta?”

Announcements were scattered all over the square. Pedestrians saw them but just went past them. The contents were as follows:

[We have captured Crockta, the enemy of the Heaven and Earth Clan! We will execute him on the plains outside Maillard. Anyone who takes a stand against the Heaven and Earth Clan will meet the same fate. Today at noon, we will carry out the execution.]

Anor tilted his head. “Probably not. That Crockta seems weak compared to this Crockta. How could they capture Crockta, hahaha. Did Calmahart come back from the dead?”

“Hahaha. You are right. That Crockta even killed the chieftain. How could he be captured by mere humans? Unless they dragged him away while he was passed out drunk. Hahaha! This Crockta is so pitiful!”

“Crockta must be a common name,” said Anor.

“Indeed.”

Tiyo and Anor chuckled and continued walking.

1. Quote is from Shawshank Redemption ?