The Last Flame
The last orc stragglers were wiped out cleanly within minutes of us joining the fray. They were already exhausted to the point of collapse; a single tap would have sent them tumbling. "Huff— huff—" That guy... how the hell did he end up like that?
The interesting part was that the mid-rank orc warrior who had thrown his axe at me was still alive, burning with fighting spirit until the very end. Did he raise his level during this battle? A red aura clung noticeably to his body. He had clearly stepped onto the path toward the upper ranks. Even as he gasped for breath, his movements were growing faster instead. Perfect. I want our kids to get some experience off him.
Just ten minutes ago, he had been trading one-on-one bouts with several hunters in succession. In short, he had been forced into the role of a sandbag so the hunters could farm combat experience. It wasn't a common sight, but orcs enjoyed one-on-one duels, so these matches happened from time to time. Hunters gained experience and a chance to gauge their own skill, while the orc got the satisfying fight it craved. Of course, lives could be lost in the process, but unlike orcs, hunters never abandoned a comrade in danger, so the risk of death remained low.
From what I could tell, none of the hunters here could surpass him. Me stepping in would be... problematic. I could just kill him myself, but too many eyes were watching. Plenty of hunters already remembered the overwhelming performance I had put on at the start of the battle. Everyone knew I was strong, but even that had its limits. Right now I'm standing right on the line.
I had already slain well over a hundred monsters by myself. A single summon had devoured a hundred out of a thousand. Adding in the kills from the lizardmen and the rest of the summons... at least two hundred total. Hunters were already eyeing us with suspicion. Unless monsters were steamrolling everyone, hunters who monopolized kills rarely earned goodwill. If I finished off this orc too, the image of a powerful summon would shift into that of a summon that harmed hunters. The one who would suffer wouldn't be me—it would be Yeonhee. Baseless attacks against her would spread online, and strangers in dungeons would start targeting her.
It's a hassle, but... I need to hold back. I pretended my mana was depleted and I could no longer use magic, tilting my head in confusion over and over. It felt ridiculous and made my hands curl in embarrassment, but I was certain the act mattered because several hunters within my senses were watching me closely.
Wait... among the ones staring at me right now, wasn't there one who kept twisting my name into something weird? The moment I turned my head and glared at them, they suddenly pretended to be looking at the sky. I just hoped those loose-lipped idiots would spread some false information about me online after seeing this.
The perception that I'm a monster with exploitable openings. That's what matters.
After wasting time with that pointless performance, it was time to let our party and the other hunters finish things off for a beautiful conclusion to the boss fight. Ha... is there no dungeon where I can just fight alone? This is suffocating. The desire to clash with everything I had, without caring about anyone else's gaze—that was something every hunter felt. I was no exception. Knowing it was a pointless wish, I turned my attention back to the orc and the hunters.
—Kuhak!
A woman who took a direct punch to the face from the orc hurriedly threw herself backward. Blood gushed from her nose like a faucet. She had taken a clean hit. "Uwooooo!!" That monstrous bastard... I don't even have the strength left to shout. We...Annoying little shit.Thirteenth one... No more challengers left, it seems.Damn it, who the hell raised that thing? It's insanely strong.You guys raised it, remember? Three of you already lost and now you're complaining.Hey, it was just a joke. Don't get so worked up.How embarrassing... Thirteen hunters couldn't beat it and only helped it grow stronger.It came out as a boss-level orc to begin with. What's there to be embarrassed about?Whatever. Should we all just finish it off together? Doesn't look like anyone else wants to try.That bastard's almost out of stamina too. It got some kind of buff when it leveled up, but that seems to have worn off.
Hunters who had been watching the orc's performance while sharpening their weapons, sitting cross-legged, or receiving treatment slowly rose to their feet, baring their teeth. No matter how much stronger the orc had become in a short time, there was no surviving a group beating. Just as they said, the orc's stamina had hit rock bottom. If it had killed a hunter and gained additional levels, the story might have been different, but there was a limit to growth from combat experience alone.
"Puhuk—" "Chyahar...!" "Huh? You want to fight?"
At that moment, Deonni No. 1 and No. 2 both stepped forward, clearly requesting a duel. They're angry. An unreadable fury burned in their eyes. They had told me that orcs encountered in dungeons were simply enemies, yet seeing a fellow orc treated like a lab rat had apparently pushed them past their limit. Even so, they showed no hostility toward the hunters. They want to finish this themselves. I suppose I should allow them that much.
I stepped in front of the hunters who were tightening their encirclement for a group lynching and pointed at our Deonni brothers.
Even the hunters who had been about to deliver the finishing blow couldn't help but show great interest in a match between Yeonhee's summons and a dungeon monster. Soon, a circular arena formed, surrounded by people. It was a one-on-one duel between Deonni No. 1 and the mid-rank orc warrior. No other orcs remained alive. Yet the unwavering gaze and dignified bearing of the warrior made me want to learn from him. My past life had left me with no fondness for orcs, but scenes like this made it impossible to simply hate them.
The end, like an orc. Someone had once said that... I couldn't remember who. In any case, it was a rare spectacle, so all ninety-eight hunters gathered to watch the duel. Hunters with shields formed a barricade at the front.
"Chaha!" "Puhyaaa!!"
Originally, Deonni No. 1, still a low-rank warrior, would have had almost zero chance of defeating him. But the situation was different now. It was a fight between Deonni, who still had all his strength, and an orc who was completely exhausted. Thud—! Yet the enemy took the initiative first. The mid-rank warrior swung an axe that most hunters would need two hands to lift, using only one. His strength stat was already the highest among everyone in this dungeon. Deonni tried to dodge as best he could, but still took a heavy impact. The mid-rank warrior pressed forward with relentless follow-up strikes, showing no intention of dragging the fight out. With so little stamina left, he probably just wanted at least one companion on his way out.
But after the midpoint of the duel, Deonni No. 1's offensive gradually gained momentum, and for a while the two were evenly matched. Whoa... Deonni No. 1 is pretty good. However— Thud! Deonni No. 1 dropped to his knees before the mid-rank warrior. He tried to shift the momentum too aggressively and messed up his stamina management. His arms trembled violently, as if he no longer had the strength to even lift a finger.
"Puruk—" "......"
The two exchanged glances for a moment. It was hard to guess what emotions they were feeling. In a way, both were beings placed in situations they hadn't wanted. They closed their eyes at the same time. To me, it looked as though they were offering prayers for each other's cruel fates. The mid-rank orc warrior opened his eyes and immediately raised his axe. Deonni's head soared high into the sky. Shriririk— But the body that should have fallen, spilling blood, turned into smoke and vanished without a trace.
"No. 2, finish it."
Yeonhee spoke with considerable weight, displaying the dignity of a summoner. At her signal, the green creature shot forward like a bullet. "Krrgh!!" Bang bang bang bang!! It's over. That guy was the last flame after all. He had put on a decent fight against Deonni No. 1, but the second match ended the moment it began. Deonni No. 2 swung his arm, and this time the mid-rank orc warrior's head flew high into the sky. That was the end of this boss fight.
Light flashed several times across Deonni No. 2's body. These guys seem to get generous experience... Why am I so stingy in comparison... Even if sword demons grow slowly. Haa—
This is going to get twisted again, isn't it? If word spreads that two summons took down a boss-level monster, that could be trouble. Given how freely they twisted my own name, it was entirely possible. As if the intense duel had never happened, the hunters scattered in all directions, each wrapping up the boss fight in their own way. There were only two deaths, but many hunters had suffered serious injuries. Still, the system sometimes granted appropriate rewards to those who overcame such crises, so it could become a new opportunity for them. Some people probably threw themselves into the fight expecting exactly that.
"Whew— It's over. I feel like I could do way better if we did it one more time." "Really! My level went up too, and I think I realized something today." "Arin, did you reach enlightenment?" "Not quite that far, but... something happened." "Hooong... I see..." Joo-ah seemed to harbor a subtle sense of rivalry toward Arin. She might not have realized it herself, but watching from the side, it was obvious. In terms of raw talent alone, Arin had the edge in some areas, so it was understandable for a friend to feel impatient. Arin had even reached D-rank first. "Then... it's finally time for the after-party!!" "Ugh— Let's go. Move it. I'm going to see just how well you eat." "Hehehehe—" We quickened our steps toward the after-party that Joo-ah had been singing about. "Ah... those people..." "Yeah..." Among the hunters heading back ahead of us were the Apex guys. I had been keeping an eye on them throughout the battle, but they had stuck to the plan and focused solely on the boss fight.
However, there was a man being dragged along by two Apex party members, bound and gagged. It was the lover of the woman with the [Scout] ability. Something like a gag had been shoved into his mouth. His hands were tied behind his back as well. Why is he tied up like that?