Volk’s powerful arm hung in the air, frozen mid-swing, his fingers so close to Bong Me-Eon’s face he could practically feel the heat radiating from her skin.

Yet he couldn’t move, couldn’t bring his fist down, couldn’t finish them.

He gritted his teeth, straining with every ounce of strength to force his arm to obey him. But it was no use; his entire body was locked in place, as if bound by chains unseen.

He growled, his frustration boiling over.

“SYSTEM?” he roared internally, the rage simmering in his mind.

His heart thudded as he tried to shake his limbs free, but every muscle seemed encased in iron.

That system had been silent through all this—through every smash, every kill, every ounce of power he had drawn to crush the pathetic enemies at his feet.

Now, just now when he was about to finish it? Now, the system intervened?

“WHAT… WHAT IS THIS?!”

Volk’s deep voice rumbled, barely a whisper through clenched teeth.

Around him, his Horde of Orcs and Ogres had also become locked in place, their confusion spreading like wildfire.

They began to murmur, eyes darting in all directions as they fought the same paralyzing force that bound their Warchief.

“Warchief… I can’t… I can’t move!” bellowed an Ogre, his voice cracking with panic.

“What’s happenin’ to us?” an Orc nearby muttered, twisting his body, eyes wide as he looked down at his trembling arms. “Did we get cursed? Warchief? Is this… some kinda magic?”

An older Orc’s voice rang out, thick with terror. “Never… felt anything like this. Even those cursed sorcerers didn’t have this power! This… this is unnatural!”

“It’s like chains! I can’t even scratch my nose!” shouted another Ogre, his eyes wild with helplessness. “Someone… break us free!”

Volk could hear the fear rippling through his Horde, feel the dread rising around him. The cries, curses, and mutters tangled together, building into a crescendo of confusion.

“Warchief, this isn’t right!” a young Orc whimpered. “I thought you were gonna crush them!”

An Orc shaman struggled, straining against the invisible bonds.

“By the gods! There’s nothing I can do against this force!” he howled, sweat dripping down his face. “It’s like some… otherworldly hand gripping us!” Your next read is at empire

“I’m not made for this! Let me fight, let me break something!” a larger Ogre roared, trying in vain to move his bulky arms. “Warchief! What should we do?”

Each Orc and Ogre seemed to turn to Volk, desperate for their Warchief to lead them, to break them free from this strange paralysis.

But he could do nothing—only stand there, watching the fear ripple across his warriors, his voice swallowed in a choking silence.

Then, a notification materialized before Volk, the familiar ding echoing hollowly in his ears:

Ding!

| The host has made a huge error. |

The words hung before him, mocking him with their cold detachment. Using a glitch in a system, causing a big problem to the main system.

His fury simmered beneath the surface as he read the words again and again. A glitch? His strength, his rise to absolute dominance, dismissed as some error?

Around him, the murmurs and mutters of his Horde grew louder, the panic setting in as the realization began to dawn.

“Warchief’s frozen too!” cried a voice from the crowd. “What does this mean? Are we… Are we all cursed?”

“Does this mean he’s not in control of it? Was his power a… mistake?”

The terrified words cut deep, raking at Volk’s pride like claws. He struggled, pushing against the frozen lock with every fiber of his being, feeling the taunt of the system weighing on him.

The notification shifted, another message appearing before his eyes, taunting him with cold precision:

Please wait… System troubleshooting…

…

On the other hand, opposite of them, Bong Me-Eon and Song Woo-Ji stared in shock, their breaths caught in their throats as they watched the towering figures of the Orcs and Ogres, as well as their monstrous leader, Volk, frozen as if ensnared by some invisible force.

Volk’s hand was suspended in the air, his expression a twisted mask of rage and confusion, locked in place only inches from them.

“What… what is going on?” Bong Me-Eon whispered, eyes wide as she scanned the battlefield, her heart pounding as an eerie silence replaced the chaos of moments before.

Song Woo-Ji’s hands trembled, and he swallowed, unable to look away. “I don’t know,” he whispered back. “But whatever it is, it’s powerful enough to paralyze even them. I thought… I thought nothing could stop them.”

Suddenly, a faint crackle of bones echoed beside them, and both of them jerked, spinning to see a familiar figure—a skeleton warrior, thin and ragged, its skull tilting to the side as it looked up at them.

The hollow eye sockets seemed to blink with concern, and a skeletal hand rose in a sort of cautious salute.

“Master?” it rasped, its hollow voice echoing strangely in the stillness. “Lady Bong Me-Eon? What… what in the name of the gods is going on?”

Song Woo-Ji’s eyes widened, and he looked down at the skeleton warrior, a creation he had almost forgotten in the madness of recent events. “What… How did you get here?”

The skeleton pointed toward the direction of the battle. “I was drawn to the disturbance. And I—” Its eye sockets flicked back to the hulking figure of Volk.

The skeleton recoiled, bones clattering as it took a nervous step back. “Gods above… Song Woo-Ji, that creature! I remember him—he’s the one that slaughtered you in the Draconic Graveyard Domain!”

Song Woo-Ji grimaced, giving a stiff nod. “I know… believe me, I remember.”

The skeleton’s jaw dropped as it continued to look at Volk. “But… he’s not moving? None of them are. Why… why isn’t it moving?”

Song Woo-Ji shook his head, confusion in his voice. “I… I don’t know. They were about to kill us, and then suddenly… this happened.”

The skeleton scratched its skull, baffled. “Strange. Very strange.” Its hollow gaze flickered with an odd excitement, and it turned back to Song Woo-Ji, bone fingers flexing. “Should I kill him, master? Take him out while he’s paralyzed?”

Song Woo-Ji let out a weary laugh, his voice tinged with frustration.

“No. You wouldn’t even be able to scratch him. And the moment whatever this is wears off, he’ll squash you into dust. It’s better if we use this chance to leave. Recover. And… tell others about what we’ve seen here.”

The skeleton nodded, a serious gleam in its eye sockets. “Yes, master. You’re right.” It looked to Bong Me-Eon, then back to Song Woo-Ji. “Come, I will help you both.”

With that, the skeleton warrior reached out, its bony fingers wrapping around Bong Me-Eon and Song Woo-Ji’s arms with surprising care, helping them rise to their feet.

It pulled them gently, guiding them over the rubble-strewn battlefield as they cast wary glances back at the frozen horde, the silence thickening around them like a tangible weight.

Volk’s gaze seemed to follow them, still locked in fury, his face frozen in place.

Each slow step away felt like an eternity, the faint clicks of the skeleton’s bony feet echoing through the unnerving stillness.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep