Leveling Up as a Vampire - c19
Chapter 19
Thanks to the smart Okilgop
We followed Okilgop into the valley of Meri Mountain. The mountains grew taller and the valleys deeper the further we went in.
Okilgop pointed to a deep valley among them with his hand and said.
“There are many deer and mountain goats in that valley. If there is a large cave that could be our hideout, it would probably be the best place.”
“Really? Then we should try our best to find a cave while we’re hunting.”
I raised my voice to my familiars.
“Familiars! From now on, it’s good to find prey, but don’t neglect to find a cave where we can all live together.”
“Yes, master.”
“Yes.”
“Yes, master.”
Then Okhana separated from the group and began to move quietly forward. There was a large elk grazing about 40 meters in front of him. Okhana was moving to hunt the elk.
However, it was Okdul who actually hunted the elk.
Ah, by the way, Okdul was the new name for the ogre who became my familiar last night. I named him Okdul, which means Ogre 1.
Okdul saw the large elk and used his “Acceleration” skill to jump forward and send the elk flying with a single blow from the wooden club he was holding.
“Boom!”
It was another scene that showed Okdul’s immense strength. The large elk was grazing and died screaming from Okdul’s single blow.
Then Okhana shouted at Okdul with a blank face.
“Hey! That was mine. Why are you stealing someone else’s prey!”
However, Okdul ignored Okhana and didn’t even snort.
Three ogres carried a large elk on their shoulders, and we continued hunting.
This time, a herd of five mountain goats appeared before our eyes. Is this place really a hunting paradise? It seems that we will never starve for food, or rather, meat, here.
Okhana, who had not been able to fully demonstrate his skills in the previous hunt, rushed into the herd of mountain goats with his sword drawn this time.
A mountain goat fell before his eyes as he swung his sword wildly. The creature died after being stabbed in the neck by Okhana’s sword. The remaining four goats scattered in all directions.
Okdul hunted one of the scattering goats with his club.
Meanwhile, Okilgop discovered a cave not far away.
“Master, it’s a cave. Would you like to see it for yourself?”
“Of course. It’s our shelter, so we need to look around carefully before we set up house.”
The cave we found following Okilgop was located between rugged terrain surrounded by rocks on all sides. For the time being, I gave the surrounding terrain a passing grade.
This was because this kind of terrain was disadvantageous for attackers but very advantageous for defenders.
The entrance to the cave was about 4 meters in size, which was a bit ambiguous. This was due to Ogre’s huge size. Well, it didn’t seem like we wouldn’t be able to get in if we bent our knees.
As we went inside the cave, it was wider than we thought.
‘Huh? Is the inside of this cave really wide? It’s like I’ve come to the underworld.’
A vast space unfolded inside the cave, as if another world had opened up.
Even with a hundred people, not just the nine we have now, there would be enough space to spare. The space inside the cave became wider and wider as we went deeper, and finally there was a three-way fork in the road.
Moreover, it seemed that the cave had no owner. It looked like a no-man’s land, except for the occasional bats clinging to the ceiling of the cave.
I asked Okilgop, who was looking around the cave with a keen eye.
“What do you think? Do you think it’s good enough for our hideout?”
Okilgop nodded.
“Yes, master. It’s good because it’s spacious. I think I can even make a separate room for you.”
“Hmm, I like it too. What do you think about making this our hideout?”
“Yes. If we set up some traps and sentinels at the entrance, we should be able to use it almost like a fortress. It will not be lacking as a base for us.”
“Alright, I got it. Then I’ll leave everything about this hideout to you, so go ahead and make it to your heart’s content.”
“Thank you, master. I will not disappoint you.”
When I entrusted Okilgop with everything about the hideout, he unexpectedly accelerated the pace at which he was pushing things forward.
Okilgop began to use the remaining eight ogres, excluding himself, to cook and boil the large elk they had hunted to make the cave into a defensive fortress. At the entrance of the cave, he began to build a watchtower for defense and surveillance using the surrounding stones in a place with a good view, and he installed dangerous obstacles in several passages leading into the cave.
I understand that the same orcs are working together, but I don’t know how Ogre Okdul came to listen to Okilgop.
It seemed that Okilgop had a special talent that was invisible to the eye.
While working on making the cave into a fortress, Okilgop also dispatched two ogres to butcher the large elk they had hunted and prepare a meal.
As I watched him, I was eyeing Okilgop as the leader of my monster battalion, my soldiers.
I thought that if he was that good, I wouldn’t be disappointed to make Okilgop the leader.
Then Okilgop came up to me and asked.
“Master, how would you like the deer meat we caught?”
“Hmm? Deer meat? How do you guys usually cook it?”
“We orcs and ogres mainly eat raw meat. But I don’t know what your taste is…”
“Oh, I can’t eat raw meat. It upsets my stomach… If you want, I’d like it grilled over a fire. And you guys should try grilling it over a fire while you’re at it. It’s hygienic and delicious.”
“I see. Then I’ll try cooking it as deer barbecue.”
“Deer barbecue? Hmm, sounds good.”
Thanks to Okilgop, it looks like I’m going to have a barbecue for breakfast.
Hehe. I never thought I’d be eating deer barbecue in a dungeon. Hehe.
Looks like having a smart subordinate can change the quality of life in a dungeon.
We were able to eat everything, including the intestines, of the 2-meter-long deer barbecue thanks to Okilgop and the 9 pigs (orcs).
It makes me dizzy to think that I was going to feed these guys convenience store food. How much would that cost if I calculated it as the price of convenience store food? After all, when someone who isn’t properly prepared is in charge, the family suffers.
I’m glad I have Okilgop. We would have had a lot of trouble if we hadn’t met him.
Thanks to the fact that he hunted, built a hideout, and even cooked, we were able to have breakfast and lunch. But we’re not in a hurry.
The 9 magic stones and 17 orc hearts I secured last night were already safely in my backpack.
So we can rest all morning today.
Having eaten a whole large elk, we were lying around our new hideout and resting.
Ah. It’s so comfortable to lie down like this for a change! It’s even more comfortable because I’m with my familiars.
Are these monsters? My friends? Am I a human? A monster?
I feel a momentary confusion of identity.
Then Okilgop comes up to me and says.
“Excuse me, master.”
It keeps itching my ears to be called “master” all the time. I can’t go on like this. I should take this opportunity to sort out the titles.
“Okilgop?”
“Yes, master. Did you call me?”
“We should take this opportunity to sort out our titles with each other.”
I raised my voice to my familiars who were lying around resting in the cave.
“Attention everyone! Listen carefully to what I’m going to say from now on!”
The eyes of my familiars all lit up.
“From now on, you will no longer call me master, but call me captain! Captain. And the name of Okilgop here next to me is now changed to Okhana. Okhana. You are now Okilgop. The most important thing is that from this moment on, Okhana is your leader. Leader! Do you all understand?”
Then my familiars answer in unison.
“Yes, master!”
“Yes, master!”
I raised my voice and got angry.
“Master again! What did I tell you to call me just now?”
“Captain!”
“Yes, captain!”
“Yes. Captain.”
“That’s right. What’s the name of Okhana next to me?”
“Leader!”
“Leader!”
“He’s our leader!”
Only then did I look at Okhana.
“Okay, it seems like the title issue is settled. So, what were you about to say?”
“Um… Captain. May I ask you a favor?”
“A favor? What kind of favor?”
I guess I have to listen to the request of Okhana, who has become the leader of my familiars, not some other familiar?
“Can you please save my master?”
“Huh? What’s that?”
An orc has a master? It was the first time I had ever heard such a thing.
“My master is an orc shaman named Raoke, one of the few shamans in the orc tribe.”
I looked at Okhana in surprise.
“There are shamans in the orc tribe too? I’ve never heard of it?”
“There are shamans in our tribe, but they are rare. Among them, my master Raoke has truly outstanding magical talent. In fact, my master tried to teach me somehow, but I still haven’t been able to learn magic properly because my talent is not that great.”
“If he’s such a shaman, then he must be a great orc. Why are you asking me to save him?”
“The fact is, my master is in danger of being kidnapped by the Longtail Orc Tribe of the grasslands.”
“Longtail Orc Tribe? Kidnapped?”
“The Longtail Orc Tribe is one of the orc tribes that rules the great plains west of Meri Mountain. They are a fierce and greedy tribe that even other orcs shake their heads at. But those bastards are trying to kidnap my master and make him the tribe’s shaman.”
“Wouldn’t it be a good thing to be a shaman of an orc tribe?”
“My master hates that kind of hat. Moreover, the Longtail Tribe likes to fight aggressively, so they have a lot of resentment towards the orcs of other tribes. If he takes on the position of shaman of such a tribe, he will inevitably be dragged into unwanted battles. That’s why he refused the position of shaman of the tribe, and I recently received information that the bastards are trying to kidnap him and take him away.”
‘Hmm, an orc shaman? It wouldn’t be bad to meet him once. And if I can recruit a shaman into my familiar , there’s nothing better.’
“Alright, but how far away is your master, Shaman Raoke, from here?”
“No, it’s not that far from the village where I used to live.”
“Alright, then let’s go.”