“Bubo…”
As I pulled the Blade that pierced from under the Orcs’ jaws into their brains, the two Orcs coughed up blood as if choking, collapsing simultaneously.
From here on, it’s a race against time. A delaying tactic to buy time for the residents to escape, and a simultaneous effort to neutralize as many Orcs as possible before the Orc General notices my presence.
I moved the bare minimum of necessary luggage into my waist pouch and 【Shadow Storage】.
I bit off the last remaining rock candy and dried meat in my backpack, and to restore my physical condition, which had been depleted over the past three weeks, I uncorked the Mana Recovery Potion and HP Potion, gulping them down in one go.
“Haa… Let’s go.”
I exhaled a hot breath, as if I had drunk alcohol, from the dense Mana Particles of the Potion, threw away the empty ceramic bottle and backpack, and dashed out of the dimly lit Forest where the sun didn’t reach.
There are two more Orc food procurement squads in the Forest. They almost always take the same route, so even if their behavior changes a little, I should be able to intercept them without any problems.
“Found them.”
A few minutes after starting to run, I intercepted the second food procurement squad about 1200 meters from the first point.
My Mana hasn’t fully recovered yet, but I use Body Enhancement for movement while the effects of the Mana Potion last.
With that momentum, I kicked off a tree trunk and jumped out diagonally, and at that moment, I thrust the Black Dagger into the mouth of an Orc who noticed me and tried to raise his voice, piercing through.
“Gugaa…”
Even though their HP is low, it’s troublesome that they don’t die instantly even when pierced through the medulla oblongata.
Releasing my hand from the Dagger, I thrust two Hidden Weapons taken from 【Shadow Storage】 into the throats of the Orcs reaching out to me, and disengage.
“Gaaaaaaah!?”
“Bumooh!!!”
The other two, finally noticing, raised cries of confusion and anger.
From their perspective, I, using Stealth of Level 4, probably appeared to suddenly ooze out of the Forest scenery.
Immediately, I swung the Blade of the Pendulum to keep the two in check, then pulled out a spare Knife and a thin Knife from my boots, cut the throat of the still confused Orc, and thrust the thin Knife into its face.
“Bumooh!!!”
The last one swung its Stone Axe and attacked.
But perhaps because its combat power is reduced, its movements are dull and its concentration is lacking.
Leaving the thin Knife in the Orc’s face, I dodged the Orc’s Stone Axe, and threw the remaining Feld’s Knife above my head as if to show it off.
Because of its lack of concentration, the Orc’s attention is diverted to the Knife.
Immediately, I wrapped the Pendulum’s thread around the Orc’s neck, slipped behind it using Martial Arts as if passing through its side, strangled its neck with the thread while kicking the back of its head, and caught the falling Knife in mid-air, thrusting it horizontally into the Orc’s neck.
“…Next.”
The Orc I stabbed first is already dead. Even with its strong vitality, it couldn’t last because its HP was low.
I retrieved the Knife from the dead Orc, wiped off the blood, and started running in search of the next target.
Even if I’m weakened and my HP is low, it’s difficult to kill with a single blow except for vital points because of my high vitality.
Normally, I would have struggled a little more if I had faced a Rank 3 opponent head-on, but if it’s the current lot who are lacking concentration and have reduced combat power, I can probably deal with a few without using illusions or Combat Arts.
If possible, I wanted to conserve Mana until the higher-ranking species appeared.
If I had a little more weight, I could defeat them stably with just Martial Arts, but there’s no point in wishing for what I don’t have.
Similarly, I ambushed and disposed of the four Orcs in the food procurement squad and the three Orcs on patrol that I found in the Forest, just like before.
That makes thirteen. But I can’t afford to dawdle. I start running to deal with the ones who went to the farm to steal crops before they reach the outskirts of the town.
I use Body Enhancement to dash through the Forest as if flying.
With Enhancement, my strength easily surpasses that of an adult male, and my agility jumps to nearly twice that of an average person. If I used that with the body of a light-weight early teenager, I could run through the Forest more lightly than a leopard and faster than a wolf.
I advanced through the Forest, leaping from rock to rock without touching the ground, and when the effects of the HP Recovery Potion wore off, I was able to intercept the Orcs before they left the Forest.
There’s one more Mana Recovery Potion in my pouch, but considering the battle with the higher-ranking species, I really can’t waste any more Mana.
But… are there a few too many? It looks like there are at least twelve just by visual estimation, but that doesn’t change what I have to do.
I had a bad feeling, but I don’t have the time to observe these guys from a distance.
I wrapped the Pendulum around a thick branch and climbed up, enhancing my strength and Stealth while leaping from branch to branch, and then I ambushed one of the Orcs walking at the rear as if jumping down.
“Bumooh!!!”
I’ve been found? The cry of alarm raised by one of the Orcs at the moment I tried to ambush them echoed through the Forest.
But the one at the rear couldn’t find me even after hearing the alarm, and was pierced through the medulla oblongata with the Black Dagger, collapsing to the ground to cushion my fall.
–That’s fourteen.
“Bumooh!!!”
“Bwooh!!”
The surrounding Orcs raised cries of alarm, but the Orcs, lacking concentration, couldn’t find me, who was still maintaining Stealth, for a moment.
“–Feel–”
I stop holding back on the bad feeling and unlock the magic that consumes less Mana.
Using 【Feel】, which allows me to gain the sensation of touching and give the sensation of being touched, I touched the ears of the Orcs on the left and right with an illusion, and when the two Orcs, momentarily distracted, turned around, I wrapped the Pendulum’s thread around their necks and pulled hard, thrusting the Black Dagger and thin Knife from the medulla oblongata into the brains of the Orcs who lost their balance and fell backwards.
–That’s sixteen.
“Bwooh!!!”
The Orcs nearby, finally noticing, swung down the clubs they had raised at me, who was still kneeling on the ground after landing.
As expected, these guys are also slow in their movements. I slightly floated my waist and dodged the club using footwork, then thrust the drawn Daggers and Knife in both hands into the Orc’s eyes.
“Bumooh!?”
Because of my bad posture, I couldn’t pierce through to the brain, and the Orc screamed, pressing its face with both hands.
“Booh!!!”
As if taking advantage of that gap, a large Orc brandished a rusted Greatsword and attacked with tremendous force.
An Orc Soldier! A Rank 4 formidable enemy. As expected, it’s fast, but it’s not a speed I can’t handle.
At the same time as jumping away, I kicked the Orc that was pressing its face towards it, and the Orc Soldier’s Greatsword slashed that Orc’s body halfway through.
–That’s seventeen.
Seeing the Orc Soldier’s Greatsword embedded in the Orc, I immediately pulled out a Knife from the slit in my skirt and threw it.
“Bumooh!!!”
In response, the Orc Soldier roared, lifting the Orc’s corpse along with the Greatsword and using it as a shield against the Knife.
“Gaaaaah!!!”
As if leaping over the Orc Soldier with the Greatsword, an Orc in leather armor with a Spear attacked.
A second Orc Soldier!?
I immediately fired a Crossbow bolt from the gimmick, and when I also jumped to the side, the Orc Soldier, who spun the Spear to deflect the arrow, kicked off the ground at the same time as landing and chased after me.
“–Phantom Pain–”
I unlock all the magic and release 【Phantom Pain】. But it’s not aimed at the Orc Soldier with the Spear.
“Bwooh!!?”
I used 【Phantom Pain】 on the Orc standing there unable to interfere in the battle, and as I wrapped the thread around the neck of the one who stiffened, I leaped over it again to use it as a shield, and the Orc Soldier’s Spear mercilessly pierced through the Orc’s body.
“Tch!”
I leaned back in a hurry, barely dodging the blood-stained spearhead while it grazed my shoulder.
Furthermore, at the same time as I retreated, the Orc Soldier with the Spear swung the Spear sideways, throwing away the Orc’s corpse like trash.
But, that’s the eighteenth–
“Tch!?”
Feeling the rise in Mana and Killing Intent, I jumped away, and the ground where I had been and the large tree behind me were slashed by the shockwave.
When I turned my eyes towards it, an Orc in rusted iron armor with a rusted Two-Handed Axe, glared at me, raising the Axe it had swung down again.
Another Orc Soldier! The third one!
That just now was the first time I’ve seen that, but I think it’s probably the Two-Handed Axe Combat Art, 【Iron Break】.
I had forgotten the danger of Combat Arts because there haven’t been many Monsters using them, even if they have Skills.
“BumoOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!”
The Orc Soldier roared and gave instructions to the remaining four normal Orcs. This one probably saw through my approach.
Greatsword Orc Soldier.
Spear Orc Soldier.
Two-Handed Axe Orc Soldier.
Even if most of the village was weakened and desperate, I didn’t think they would have three Rank 4 Orc Soldiers as escorts for procuring food from human settlements.
With this fighting strength, I think they were considering attacking the town directly and kidnapping humans.
This is the unexpected situation I feared. I’ve been careful not to reveal my presence so that it wouldn’t come to this in the initial stages, but it can’t be helped…
The Spear Orc Soldier retreated slightly to regroup, while the Greatsword and Two-Handed Axe Orcs stepped forward and lined up next to him.
Should I have prioritized surveillance first, even if there wasn’t much time…? It depends on the time and place, and even then, ambushing one of the Orc Soldiers first would have been the only difference, but I’ll take this as a lesson for the future.
It’s unexpected for me, but since I was there to attack them, it can be said that the Orc General’s decision to order that was correct.
However, even if that decision is correct, whether it is the “right answer” will not be known until the result is out.
“…………”
While glaring at the Orc Soldiers, I exhaled to cool down my feverishness and quietly readied my Black Dagger.
It’s unexpected, but it’s lucky for me (………..).
I was able to stop the three Orc Soldiers from heading to the town.
At least, I avoided having to face four Orc Soldiers and the Orc General at the same time.
I don’t intend to say that I’m fighting for the sake of people, but you have become my “enemies.”
By defeating you, I will become a little stronger again.
Aria begins her direct interception.
Standing in her way are Rank 4 Orc Soldiers.
Next time: Orc Soldier Battle
The next update will probably be around Tuesday.