The Orc Warrior

"Let's go." As expected, Daro took the lead while the rest of us followed behind.

"Run calmly," Daro reminded us of the most critical rule. "If anyone falls behind, we won't be able to save them."

My lips went dry at those words. Falling behind meant the end. We weren't some overpowered novel protagonists who could charge in and rescue the straggler. That was pure fantasy. Of course, the explorers of Dungeon Overseer were strong. But no matter how powerful they were, they stood no chance against overwhelming numbers. Especially in the early game. Without any skills or proper equipment, even minor crises could prove fatal. No matter how easy goblins were supposed to be at the start, a moment of carelessness could end everything.

At Daro's cold warning, Somi froze up. She was already running ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠with unsteady steps, and now she was trembling violently.

We moved west along the dried-up valley, following Daro's instructions to stay as calm as possible. Leaving no trace was impossible anyway. Goblins were short and slow. If we moved faster than them, we had a good chance of shaking off any pursuit.

"Please don't find us!" Damn it... We finally ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠had a chance! We couldn't fail here!

"Somi! Distance!"

"They're getting closer! Five minutes!"

"Those damn goblins!" How were they so fast? We would need to sprint at full speed just to lose them.

The goblin scouting party was closing in at terrifying speed. Those bastards. They really were a scouting unit.

"How many?"

"About twenty!"

At Somi's shout, Daro glanced at me. His eyes seemed to say, See?

"The scouting party split up. Just a little more!"

"Yes!"

Nearly fifty goblins had been tracking us, but as they each chased after different explorers, their formation had broken. More than half had peeled off. The number we had to face was down to around twenty. Our odds had improved.

"Somi!"

With every step, pebbles tumbled down the slope. The valley was steep, and even small movements sent us sliding. Our party fled the goblin scouts' pursuit with calm, swift movements. Somi nearly fell several times, but Jian and I caught her before she could get hurt. When I grabbed her, she was shaking pitifully. Despite her extensive knowledge of dungeons, her timid nature hadn't changed.

"Don't fall. Run calmly."

"...Okay."

I could feel the situation improving. Daro's judgment had been correct. Once we abandoned our loot and ran, the goblins couldn't maintain their encirclement. As they split off to check every possible escape route, the actual number we had to fight dropped below half. Fighting the fewest goblins possible and defeating them one by one—that was our only way to survive.

"Almost there! They're right behind us!" Somi cried out, her voice on the verge of tears.

Kiaaa! From afar came the goblins' shrill cries.

"They're here." Daro stared into the forest. "Everyone, prepare to fight."

The seeker lantern blazed wildly. Goblins sprinted toward us from all directions through the trees, their outlines illuminated by the magical light. The moment they fully emerged, I couldn't believe my eyes.

"What the hell is that?"

Damn it. I had to be seeing things.

"Daro!"

"Yes!"

"Forget fighting—we need to run!"

I couldn't believe it. Something that should never happen according to any logic was unfolding before us.

A group of roughly twenty goblins had appeared from the forest. But they weren't the problem.

"Uwooooo!"

The real issue was the Orc Warrior mixed in among them.

The monster standing there was an orc. Taller than Daro, with an impressive bulk that spoke of intense training. And it was a warrior. As you might have guessed, the title of warrior carried a high hurdle in this world. Even Daro, wrapped in decent armor made of iron and leather, was considered only "average" in equipment. The orc warrior, clad in layers of rusted chainmail, was threatening enough that a rusty saw-blade couldn't even scratch it. An orc warrior in chainmail wielding a massive two-handed sword. Just standing there breathing, it radiated a chilling killing intent that made it hard to breathe.

In my memory, an orc warrior marked the transition from early to mid-game. If you could handle one, you could call yourself a mid-tier explorer party. But damn it. Four low-level nobodies trying to take on an orc warrior? That was insane. We had to run. We absolutely had to run.

"Let's retreat."

"They'll catch us anyway."

"Then split up and run!"

"If we scatter now, we'll just die one by one!"

"Look at that thing! You still want to fight?"

Running wasn't shameful or cowardly. If it meant survival, we had to do whatever it took. We needed to use every means available without hesitation to overcome the crisis.

"Damn it, just run! The ones who can live should live!"

No matter how unfair it felt, there was no choice. The roguelike world was never kind. Even if a monster beyond our level appeared... we had to survive by any means necessary. We needed to find a way to live. Staying together like this would mean total annihilation.

"Stop talking nonsense! How are we supposed to escape in this situation?" Daro shouted, raising his sword in frustration.

Damn it, I was the one about to die from frustration! What were we supposed to do if opinions split now?

"If we split up, the chance of the orc warrior chasing any one of us drops to one in four!"

Getting wiped out together versus sacrificing one person so the rest could survive. The latter was clearly better. But understanding it in your head and actually doing it were two very different things.

"Is that how necromancers do things?" Daro muttered coldly. "I have to protect the others."

That crazy bastard! Daro's incomprehensible chivalric spirit had ignited. The situation was bad. Worse than bad. Fighting an enemy you couldn't beat was recklessness. There were times when you had to run. Courage and recklessness were separated by a single sheet of paper.

"I'll attack first!"

"Damn it, Daro! Hey! Where are you going?"

That stupid raider! Watching Daro dash into the goblin horde in an instant, I knew all hope for this party had vanished.

There was a crucial difference between Daro and me. I could see the system, but he couldn't. I had played Dungeon Overseer and understood the strength of various dungeons and monsters. But Daro didn't know that. Damn it... He must have heard rumors that orc warriors were strong. But he had no idea we weren't even close to that level!

"Uwooooo!" The orc warrior roared!

My mind went blank. I had desperately tried to stop him, but the party leader had charged out to take on the orc warrior. The other party members were caught in the middle, unable to act.

"Hyaaaa!"

"Jian!"

"We have ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠to help Daro!"

As if pulled by inertia, Jian also charged toward the orc warrior. That was group psychology. Once one person started something insane, others followed even while knowing it was crazy. Daro had begun it, and Jian was dragged along.

I had to stop them. This was no different from a game where victims were chosen by lottery. If we didn't all charge the orc warrior, three out of four could survive. Looking at it coldly and objectively, between everyone dying together or one person dying while the rest escaped safely, the choice was obvious. If only we could abandon the optimistic belief that sticking together would let us survive...

Anyone could make that judgment. My eyes met Somi's as she trembled with fear.

"Run."

That was all I could say.

"If you want to live, run, you idiots!"

And I started running in the opposite direction. Somi stared at me in horror.

"Uwaaaaa!" A terrifying roar echoed, as if tearing through our chests. Its owner was Daro. With fearsome momentum, he charged the orc warrior and thrust his arming sword forward.

Swish.

But the thick chainmail blocked it completely, dealing no damage. Confusion flashed across Daro's face. The orc warrior kicked him in the stomach.

Thud!

Daro staggered backward. The orc warrior roared.

"Uwooooo!"

Having lost his balance, Daro had no way to block the orc warrior's strike. The two-handed sword came down on his unshielded forearm.

"Graaaaaah!"

"Daro!"

Thud. Daro's severed left arm fell to the ground with a wet sound. He looked to be in agony. But something worse than pain remained. The orc warrior raised its sword high. Gripping it with both hands, it brought the blade down like ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠splitting firewood—an overhead strike. The two-handed sword brutally severed Daro's neck.

"No!"

I couldn't bear to watch. Daro, dead with his head cut off. Jian running toward his corpse. The orc warrior, drenched in blood, letting out a victory cry. Every scene seemed to move in slow motion.

How much time had passed? In that frozen moment, Jian's sharp scream reached my ears. I moved my body as if waking from a trance. I had to move. I had to do something right now!

"Somi! Run!"

Somi came running toward me in a panic. As she fled unsteadily, she stepped on loose gravel and slipped. Behind her, over a dozen goblin scouts chased madly.

"Kyaaaa!"

With a sharp scream, Somi swung her whip from her awkward position. A dozen goblins surrounded her, shouting. Damn it. I turned my head. I didn't have time to stand around watching. Could I save her? No. Not at all. I could barely take care of myself. Worrying about others wasn't an option. I had to survive first.

"Kyaaaaak!"

I sprinted at full speed without worrying about stamina management. After running for a while, I saw the end of the valley. I leaped from a roughly two-meter rock, and beyond it was forest again. Fewer goblins were chasing me than I'd expected. Maybe five had stuck to Somi. About seven were after me.

...My chances of survival were growing slimmer.