“Clap, Clap, Clap, Clap!!!”
At my signal, Noh Ha-yoon was the first to react and showcase her area skill.
“Ice Field!!”
Swoosh―!!
The magic of watery light rapidly spread along the cracks in the ground.
This wasn’t the skill I had seen while accompanying her. This was an attack worthy of being called a finishing move, likely costing her more than half of her magic power.
The Orc Warriors, charging in with high spirits, instantly froze from their toes up due to the chilling ice spell spreading across the ground.
Despite the fact that the legs of the leading Orcs were frozen solid, those trailing behind didn’t care and continued to push forward. Could it be that they were too ruthless to care about their comrades?
That wasn’t likely. They were part of a hierarchy, but they were known to have strong camaraderie.
They must have felt they couldn’t simply stop right now.
– Part of the Orc Warrior’s body has been paralyzed.
– You have gained a small amount of experience!
There was surely an effect from foolishly inhaling the tainted breath without a care.
‘Seriously, they should have just charged right in. These idiots just can’t learn.’
Boom―! Bang bang bang!
Soon, Orcs who lost control of their speed were piled on top of those affected by the ice, their lower halves exploding like glass.
In total, about 30 Orcs were left combat-ineffective as their lower halves flew off.
It was a great start. Ha-yoon’s magic was growing stronger with each battle. What a monstrous girl.
– Level has increased!
– Level has increased!
– Level has increased!
.
.
.
I had leveled up five times with my first bomb attack.
I had taken down a hundred at once, and with the disparity between me and the Orc Warriors, this result was expected. And judging by the radiant glow coming from Yeon-hee, she seemed to have leveled up a few times as well.
Now she could summon a higher-grade summoned creature.
A summoning scroll that could call forth a creature on par with Ran.
‘I’m looking forward to this.’
Anyway, thanks to leveling up, my magic power was fully replenished, but unfortunately, I couldn’t allocate my stats.
– Please select the direction you wish to go first.
‘Does it mean I should job change first?’
This was the first time such a choice appeared since I had never encountered this when I was human.
‘But I can’t just make a hasty choice in such a rush!!’
Crash bang boom!
Looking at the Orcs still tumbling like dominoes, I somewhat calmed my hurried mind.
Although I had greatly reduced their numbers, nearly 900 were still left. No matter how excellent a commander one might be, this scale was not easily controllable.
The order ‘Capture’ gave by the Orc Warrior was a simple command with no detailed instructions. This was the resultant troop loss, allowing us to exit the battlefield with relative ease.
Moreover.
Swoosh!!
The Lizard Squad, led by Lizardman 1, positioned themselves behind us.
They were holding back those closing in, assisting our retreat.
– Agility +8
Ran’s buff enveloped all of us, and as I dashed ahead, my party members managed to keep up fairly well, even as I quickly changed directions.
But this wouldn’t last long. Orcs were much faster than they looked. It was only natural. Their physical abilities grow tremendously as their ranks increase.
‘I can’t keep running like this against those physical monsters. We’ll have to engage at suitable points as we move through the forest or have Yeon-hee and the sorcerers actively use their skills.’
Thud thud thud—
The tremors of the ground that pressured us and the quickly vanishing Lizardmen battling behind us.
Phew―
For a few minutes, Yeon-hee was continuously re-summoning the summoned creatures that were disappearing and sending them back to the rear.
“Huff- Huff-”
Her breathing was getting ragged.
She wasn’t particularly high on stamina, so I figured I’d soon have to scoop her up and run.
“Ugh- Huff Huff-”
“I’m gonna die here…”
“Hek, hek, hek.”
We had been running full-speed for five minutes.
No matter how much of a limit-defying hunter they were, it was too much for them at this point.
“Rise up!!”
Boom—
The rock-type sorcerer from Noh Ha-yoon’s party erected a Rock Barrier to obstruct the enemy’s path. It was rare to have two sorcerers, so it was indeed a big help.
‘They have some senses. The Vision Guild only takes in those with certain talents, so this makes sense…’
I briefly evaluated the other members of Noh Ha-yoon’s party as we reached a suitable spot in the woods and halted.
We found a position with a small river flowing through it, about 10 meters wide and 3 meters deep, at our back. The restricted space meant it was suitable for engaging large numbers of enemies in a field battle.
“This is a good position. We fight until that monster arrives, then slip into the river.”
“What if they just charge in?”
“That won’t happen. I’ve heard they enjoy toying with their prey.”
Even if they rampaged in recklessly, Noh Ha-yoon would probably create an escape route. Without her, I would have been forced to take my party members and fly away.
Creak-crack
We hurriedly set traps while running, but we had only five bombs remaining.
It goes without saying that it was impossible for us to kill all the Orcs.
‘If we buy time, those who fled first will let the outside know. We’ll hold on as best we can.’
Delaying was the biggest objective, and there was one method to use against Orcs that every hunter knows.
“You’ll apply for a duel, right? But as you can see, it doesn’t look like many can hold out against those.”
Orcs greatly value honor. Especially when they’re called out to a duel, avoiding it would be more shameful than death.
“Who’s going out first? By the way, my friend and I can’t go.”
Of course, I had no intention of sending two sorcerers out here. If I suggested it, I wouldn’t have heard the end of it.
Needless to say, everyone would have thought of this method and might have even considered the order. Yet, the first challenger would undoubtedly be.
“Lizardman 1!! Go!!”
Swoosh!!
It would be Lizardman 1’s turn. So I shouted at him.
“Hey! Lizardman 1! Just run around and buy time as best as you can!”
“I will kill them.”
“Don’t fight, just dodge, you fool!”
“The Lizard Clan doesn’t dodge!”
“Dammit.”
Of course, he wouldn’t comply with my orders.
“I also want to be first. I want to go too.”
Dotti showed his dissatisfaction, but it must be pointless to rush, whether he dies first or last.
“Watch carefully how we fight. I’ll send out the second Orc next. The third will be…”
Glance—
She looked at me, and I nodded naturally.
“The third is Il-wol.”
“Is that the skeleton that summoned the bombs earlier?”
The rock-type sorcerer from Noh Ha-yoon’s party asked like that, and Yeon-hee answered vaguely affirmatively.
Since I took off into the sky while in stealth, it seemed unlikely she thought I dropped the bombs from above. However, the reason she connected me with the bombs was likely because she faintly sensed my magical aura. As expected, she wasn’t ordinary.
“Can you engage in close combat? Unbelievable… I think I understand why Ha-yoon has her eye on you now. Can I report this to the academy formally?”
“Will you not do it if I tell you not to?”
“It’ll probably be delayed.”
“Then I would appreciate it…”
Yeon-hee said this and looked at Noh Ha-yoon. Ha-yoon shrugged, saying this was an area even she couldn’t help.
After all, even though she was the guild leader’s daughter, it wouldn’t be a completely unrestrained guild.
In any case, the targets Yeon-hee had in mind for watching the battle closely were the two melee warriors from Noh Ha-yoon’s party.
Both of them could easily be regarded as having the capacity to rise to rank D. Also, they seemed to have decent equipment entrusted to a respectable crafting company, so they should at least be able to participate in the duel.
Of course, if things get tough, they must retreat without hesitation. They might receive scorn from the Orcs, but the Orcs’ perceptions of us humans were already at the bottom of the abyss, so we wouldn’t have to worry too much.
“W-We might…”
Helen and her partner asked with worried expressions whether they might have to step up, but it seemed no one else had the desire to push them towards a needless death.
Seeing the shaking heads, Helen let out a sigh of relief.
“You there. Let’s fight.”
Lizardman 1 pointed at the largest Orc among the accumulating horde in front.
…… Pffh! Gwa-ha-ha!!
Upon seeing this, the Orcs burst into laughter, mocking the chosen one, while the pointed-out Orc Warrior stepped forward, his face flushed with anger.
“I’ll kill you!! I’ll stomp you into the ground!!”
He probably thought being called out by a now inferior Lizardman was quite an insult.
The bare-skinned Orc Warrior bizarrely drew a long spear from his inventory, which was a bit out of character for Orcs who typically keep their weapons near them.
‘Is he a mutant? Strong. Damn, why does he have to pick the strongest one of all? Tsk tsk—’
Still, I should be picking someone who can afford to spar a bit to buy time, but it seemed unreasonable to expect Lizardman 1 to think and act that way.
Crack—
The Orc Warrior expertly held the spear and got into position before swiftly charging at Lizardman.
‘Don’t they usually give one move to wait for?’
They usually have the virtue of slowly letting a lesser opponent go first in battle. But that didn’t seem to apply to the Lizardman who rashly chose his opponent.
“Fast!”
“Huh!”
“What?”
The Orc Warrior’s movement was unexpectedly quick, catching onlookers off-guard, either due to its speed or the shock of it.
Clang-!
A succinct metallic sound. And deep breaths.
A momentary clash as the spear and the Lizardman’s weapon met.
Surprisingly, Lizardman 1 neatly took the Orc Warrior’s strike.
Smirk—
He seemed satisfied with his first defense, grinning widely.
However, perhaps due to the immense power of the attack being defended only with his arms, one of his arms twisted in a manner it shouldn’t have, and before he could regain control, the Orc Warrior’s flurry of attacks continued.
Clang clang clang— Pwoooosh―!!
Lizardman 1 managed to deflect a few more strikes awkwardly with one arm, but that was it.
The Orc Warrior’s spear pierced through Lizardman 1’s weapon and deeply penetrated into his abdomen.
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