Praise the Orc! Chapter 7:
Chapter 7 – Mutant Hunt (2)
After the meal, the three orcs set out from Grant’s cabin .
[You have received the blessing of the orc shaman Andara . Physical strength and combat power will be improved for half a day . ]
They received a buff from Grant’s wife .
“Please be careful . ”
The party was led by Grant and headed further and further away from Orcrox Fortress . The dim forms of other orc farmers could be seen coming and going . They followed after, and saw the houses and fields of other orcs .
“The orcs originally didn’t do farming of any sort,” Grant explained as he waved to the other farmers .
“However, one day, there were orcs that committed to farming . There were many orcs who resisted, but I was impressed by the fact that they were honestly sweating as they harvested the crops . ”
“Were you originally a warrior?” Ian asked .
He got that impression when he first saw Grant .
“I was . ”
“Ohh… Did Lenox train you?”
“He did . Lenox was frightening and strict, even back then . ”
Apparently, Grant was older than he looked, meaning thatLenox was considerably older .
“Shh . Kill off any sounds, we’ll soon be in their area . ”
Grant was extremely wary of the wolf chief . Wolves could be seen in the distance, and looked like like they were guarding their territory . Their patrols consisted of a systematic movement that was difficult to expect from animals . Ian gulped as an unknown anxiety welled up inside him .
Even if the numbers were the same, there was a large difference between dealing with rabble and dealing with organized soldiers .
Grom said, “Let’s just run in before they get away . ”
Ian shook his head .
“No . ”
“They are just wolves . ”
“There is something strange, it’s like they’ve been trained . ”
“Trained?”
Grom cocked his head in confusion . Grant, who had been listening in on their conversation, nodded and looked at Ian .
“You are a trainee, but you seem to have some combat sense . ”
“It’s nothing . ”
“They aren’t just wolves, since the wolves led by the leader act as if they’ve been trained . If we just barge in, then numerous wolves will surround us . ”
“Then…”
“This is giving me a headache . We can resolve it if we just catch the leader…”
Ian started thinking . In a war, it was common to split up to divide the enemy’s attention . In order to reach the boss, something needed to grab the wolves’ attention .
“Let’s try to attract their attention . ”
“How? Do you mean to split up?”
“Rather…”
Ian grinned .
“The enemy of our enemy is our friend . Are there any other predators nearby?”
“Hoh…”
Grant laughed and nodded like he understood Ian’s plan .
“I see . You know how to use your head . Moreover, I even learned something from you . ”
“What does that mean?”
Grom was confused because he couldn’t understand the conversation happening before him .
“Let’s use another guy, a guy who was driven away because of the pack of wolves . ”
They found an animal other than the wolves . It was stronger than the pack of wolves, but was a good opponent since it was alone . They found a tiger .
“A tiger? We have to deal with a tiger and a pack of wolves?”
Grom was terrified .
“Dealing with one tiger is better than fighting a pack of wolves . ”
“What are we going to do after catching the tiger?”
“We’re going to use it to lure out some wolves before entering and hitting the leader . ”
They wandered around the forest for a while before finding the target . A tiger was sitting on a rock and yawning . The trio hid themselves in the bushes .
“Stun the tiger . ”
“How?”
“Hit its head really well . ”
Grant formed a fist .
“……”
Grom shook his head . The tiger felt the three approaching orcs’ presence and rose from its spot . Ian, Grom, Grant, and the tiger . Three versus one .
It was Ian’s first battle in Elder Lord . Ian felt a good sense of tension wrapping around his body . It was the feeling he felt on the battlefield . He felt the muscles of his tough body stir and became confident that he could deal with the tiger .
The tiger roared, its low frequency cry reverberated throughout the earth . Grom’s feet were shocked stiff . The tiger noticed this fact and instantly jumped at Grom . The tiger’s body flying through the air was immensely large, causing even Ian to flinch for a moment .
“Grom! What are you doing?!”
“Ueeh…!”
Grom closed his eyes and waved his axe, the blind attack failing to reach the tiger . The tiger’s paw pushed against Grom’s shoulder as it opened its mouth . Ian calmly struck the tiger, aiming for the mouth, and causing the tiger to fall back, unable to bite Grom .
Its bloodthirsty eyes turned to Ian . At that time, Grant dramatically swung the halberd and struck the tiger’s back . The impact was delivered through the thick skin, shocking the tiger .
“Don’t kill it!”
“Yes!”
Ian ran and hit the tiger’s head with his greatsword as the tiger threw its head back rebelliously . Grom also regained his mind and beat the tiger with the opposite end of the axe . The three orcs started to beat the tiger .
“Yip! Yelp! Yiiip!”
The tiger howled like a dog and crouched down, its eyes filling up with tears . It seemed like its earnest eyes were asking them to stop . Grant faced it and laughed and hit the tiger’s forehead with a fist .
“Yip!”
The tiger was stunned . It was a really brutish sight .
“Hoo, this guy wasn’t such a big deal . ”
[You have overpowered the tiger . ]
[You have beaten the pitiful tiger that was chased out by the wolves until its fighting spirit rose… You have taken one more step into the world of the orcs . ]
[10 achievement points have been acquired . ]
[The proficiency of Orc’s Strength (Common) and Greatsword (Common) has increased . ]
He checked the message windows . If his proficiency kept rising, then eventually, his skills would be able to enter the Uncommon rank .
“Now, let’s drag this guy over to the wolves . ”
The three people carried the stunned tiger on their shoulders . It was like they were recreating the training scenario where soldiers ran carrying logs . They headed back to the wolf territory where the wolves were patrolling in a cyclical route .
It was clearly a systematic method . Ian tensed up again .
They were wolves, but this was the world of Elder Lord, after all . Their abilities were possibly incomparable to those of normal wolves . The organized behavior already indicated that it was somewhat the case .
“I will send this friend in . ”
Grant touched the tiger’s head as it lay on the ground to check if the tiger was listening .
“Hey, wake up . ”
Grant spoke, but the tiger’s eyes still didn’t react .
“Did you hit it too hard?”
“Is it dead?”
“No, it’s still breathing . ”
Grant struck the tiger’s cheek successively with one hand . It was a sight that would normally be impossible to witness happening to a tiger, also known as the king of beasts . Ian thought that the orcs really were an amazing species to achieve this amazing feat .
“Grrowl…huoong…”
The tiger’s eyelids shook . As soon as it opened its eyes, Grant hit its face again, glancing back while the tiger was recovering .
“N-Now!”
“Huaaaat!”
“Uraaaaat!”
They picked up the tiger and threw it into the middle of the pack of wolves . The tiger flew through the air . Still, the tiger had the senses of a cat and landed on its feet .
“Grrung?”
The wolves were amazed to see the angry tiger appearing out of nowhere .
“Grrrr…”
One glanced over before giving a long howl .
“Awoooo… . ”
“Awooooooo… . ”
The other wolves came running .
The tiger quickly grasped the situation and confronted the wolf pack . Its fighting spirit wasn’t bad as it glared at the wolves with an arrogant attitude . The wolves were beasts, but the tiger was the king of the beasts . It circled around the wolves, causing them to step back a little bit .
It was a dignity that couldn’t be imagined . The tiger opened its mouth, as if it was mocking them, and roared loudly .
“Kuaaaang!”
The wolves panicked and withdrew, starting to call the other wolves over . Now there were dozens of wolves surrounding the tiger like ants . The wolves threatened the tiger with their numbers, but it didn’t lost its dignity . It truly was the king of the beasts .
Ian was touched .
“That guy, Simba…”
“That guy’s name is Simba? How do you know?”
“It’s just the name I gave him…”
“I see…”
Grant nodded .
“Now that you’ve given him a name, he isn’t just a tiger anymore . ”
“……”
“For Simba, we have to hit the leader over there . ”
“Let’s meet again, Simba . ”
Grom looked at Ian and Grant with a strange expression . As the wolves were distracted, the three orcs moved slowly towards the leader . The roars of the tiger and the wolves’ whining could be heard from behind them .
After moving through the forest, they reached a rocky hillside . There was a wolf on top that was watching the fight between the tiger and the wolves . It had black fur and looked larger than the average wolf .
“It’s that guy . ”
“Indeed…”
Something outstanding was felt from him .
“Once we get rid of that guy, peace will return to the farmers . ”
“Catching a tiger, and now one wolf…”
Grom firmly held his axe and raised his body . The wolf discovered Grom and bared his teeth . Even though it was a long distance, the sound of the wolf growling rang inside their ears .
The trio walked towards the hill . The wolf didn’t try to escape, instead descending the rocks with leisurely movements . However, he didn’t come down on his own .
“Grrrrung…”
As the wolf snarled, other wolves appeared from behind the rocky hill . There seemed to be around 10 of them . The black wolf led the wolves to surround the three orcs .
“These guys,aren’t they different from the earlier wolves?
These wolves were all bigger, the atmosphere around them was fiercer, and their fangs were all sharper . They were a group of elite wolves . Ian raised his greatsword .
“Watch the wolves . ”
The wolves rushed in first .
There was a pincer attack performed on the orcs . The wolves were fast . One of them jumped in front to lure Ian’s big sword, and as he swung it, another wolf pierced the gap in the attack and aimed for his side .
“Ugh!”
Grom and Grant were also struggling . Ian elbowed a wolf in the head while hoping that he could deal with his share quickly .
The pain in his side woke up his sense of realism .
“Pant, pant… Is this really a game?” Ian muttered as he watched the leader wolf’s oppressive face retreating .
The burning pain in his side that he could feel right now was no different from what he felt on the battlefield . His spirit flared up . It was easy to understand why people said that Elder Lord was difficult, and that being an orc was hard . The fighting in Elder Lord was just like fighting in reality .
However, Ian had lived in one of the harshest realities .
He could see Grom rolling on the ground . Ian’s eyes stung at the sight . He wanted to help, but he needed to subdue his own opponents first . He couldn’t afford to be careless .
Ian first stepped forward . The wolves withdrew as Ian’s sword moved forward, sideways, and back while exposing gaps where he could be bitten . The number of wounds on his body increased .
At that moment, one wolf came flying . A wolf that had been sliced by Grant’s halberd bumped into a wolf confronting Ian . As they flinched, there was a gap that Ian inserted his sword in . It pierced the wolf’s belly and penetrated its internal organs .
“Yip, yiip…!”
The wolf cried out as it started trembling . Ian kicked the wolf’s head with his feet and the wolf fainted . Ian pulled out his sword, revealing a blade covered in the wolf’s blood .
“Now it’s your turn . ”
Ian laughed . The remaining two wolves frantically rushed at Ian . One bit at Ian’s right arm while the other aimed for his lower body .
Kwaaack .
The wolf used its momentum to try and chew Ian’s right arm off in one go . Ian lost his grip on the greatsword due to the bite .
“This bastard…!”
Ian punched the wolf’s head with his left hand . The wolf’s bite was broken with a loud whine . The other wolf was still hanging onto Ian’s legs, but Ian just continued to punch the first wolf . Eventually, the wolf’s skull caved in .
Ian retrieved the greatsword and slashed at the wolf biting his leg . The wolf whined and retreated . Ian was drunk on the sense of fighting and swung his greatsword indiscriminately . Only the enemy and his sword were visible to him .
In the end, the wolf lost its head to Ian’s sword .
“Pant…pant…”
Ian was also **** .
Practice and training were vastly different from an actual fight . No matter how much someone trained in martial arts and prepared for battle, the pressure and stamina of an actual fight wasn’t comparable to a spar .
Ian turned his head as his body sagged .
[Congratulations on your first **** welcome as an orc! You want to fall from exhaustion, but the soul of a warrior has captured your body . ]
[The Warrior’s Fighting Spirit (Uncommon) has been used . ]
[Orc’s Recovery (Common) has been used . ]
Grant was struggling . Ian had dealt with three wolves, but five were currently attached to Grant . Including the dead wolf from earlier, Grant had battled twice as many wolves as Ian .
“Help Grom!” Grant shouted . His voice grew louder as he fought . He looked like a warrior as he brandished his halberd with bloodthirsty eyes .
Ian found Grom . Ian’s eyes widened in shock . Grom was twitching with a wolf biting at his neck .
“Grom…?”
Grom’s eyes grew dim as he lay still like a corpse . Ian’s eyes popped out as he ran forward roaring wildly .
“Grooooom──────!”