The First Challenger
The orc spearman. Clack clack clack clack!!! At my signal, No Hayun reacted first and unleashed her area-of-effect skill.
"Ice Field!"
Crrrrraaaack—!! Watery-blue mana raced across the ground, following every crack and fissure. This wasn't the skill I'd seen her use before. She must have dumped more than half her total mana into it at once—an ultimate technique that deserved to be called her finisher.
The orc warriors charging in with fierce momentum froze solid from the toes up, trapped by the bone-chilling ice magic spreading beneath them. Even after the lead orcs had their legs completely frozen, the ones behind them didn't hesitate. They simply trampled forward without a second thought.
Was it because they were ruthless bastards who didn't care about their comrades? Probably not. They lived in a strict hierarchy, but they were known for tight-knit bonds. No, they weren't stopping because they couldn't.
Paralyzed part of an orc warrior's body.
Acquired a small amount of experience!
Should've just charged right in. This is why idiots never make it.
Boom—! Crash! Crash! Crash!
The orcs who couldn't brake in time piled onto their frozen comrades, and the lower bodies of those trapped in ice shattered like glass. Over thirty orcs were instantly taken out of the fight, their legs reduced to glittering fragments.
It was a good start. Hayun's magic grew stronger with every battle she fought. What a monster of a woman.
That first bomb attack had raised my level by a full five stages. Killing a hundred at once combined with the massive gap between me and the orc warriors had created the perfect conditions. Light was pouring from Yeonhee's body too, so it looked like she'd gained several levels herself.
She could now summon higher-grade beasts. A summon scroll that would bring out something at least equal to Ran.
I'm looking forward to it.
Thanks to the level-up, my mana was full again. Unfortunately, I still couldn't distribute my stats.
Please select the path you must take first.
Is the system telling me to class-change first?
I'd never seen this kind of choice when I was human, so it was new to me.
I can't just pick something at random because I'm in a hurry, damn it!
Clatter!
Watching the orcs still tumbling over each other like dominoes helped ease my urgency. We'd cut their numbers significantly, but nearly nine hundred remained. Even an outstanding commander would struggle to control a force that size.
The orc warrior had issued only one simple order—capture them alive—without any detailed instructions. That was why they were suffering such heavy losses, and why we could retreat from the battlefield with some breathing room.
Besides...
Swishhhhh!!
The lizard unit led by No. 1 had taken position at our rear. They were checking the enemies that drew too close and covering our withdrawal.
Agility +8
The buff wrapped around all of us. Even though I ran at the front and changed direction constantly, the rest of the party followed surprisingly well.
But it wouldn't last. Orcs were far faster runners than they appeared. It made sense—the higher their rank, the more monstrous their physical abilities became.
I can't keep running from these physical freaks forever. We'll head into the forest and engage them at proper points along the way. Or Yeonhee and the mages will have to keep spamming their skills.
The ground shook violently beneath us as the rear guard of lizardmen vanished quickly in their clashes with the orc warriors.
Huff— Yeonhee continued the exhausting cycle of resummoning the fallen beasts and sending them back to the rear every few minutes.
"Huff… huff—"
Her breathing had grown ragged. Her stamina had never been high, so it looked like I'd have to carry her soon.
"Haak— huff huff—"
"Ugh, I'm gonna die…"
"Heek, hek, hek."
We'd been sprinting at full speed for five minutes straight. Even hunters who had surpassed human limits were bound to tire at this point.
"Rise!"
Quarrr— The rock-attribute mage in No Hayun's party raised a Rock Barrier to block the enemy's path. Mages weren't common, so having two of them was proving incredibly helpful.
They've got decent sense. The Bijeon Guild really does only accept people with real talent…
I quietly raised my evaluation of No Hayun's other party members and stopped at a suitable spot in the forest. We positioned ourselves with a small river—ten meters wide and three meters deep—right behind us. The narrow space made it perfect for fighting a large force.
"Good spot. We'll fight until that monster shows up, then retreat straight into the river."
"What if they just charge straight at us?"
"They won't. I've heard they love toying with their prey."
Even if they did push recklessly, No Hayun would create an escape route. Without her, I would have carried everyone and flown us out.
Grind— crack.
I'd made more bombs while running, but I only had five left in reserve. Obviously, wiping out all the orcs was impossible.
If we buy enough time, the people who escaped first will alert the outside world. Our job is to hold out as long as possible.
When the goal was simply buying time, there was one method every hunter knew when facing orcs.
"You're going to request a duel, right? But looking at us, there aren't many who can last against those things."
Orcs valued honor above all. Being challenged to a duel and refusing was considered more shameful than death itself.
"Who should go first? Just so you know, neither I nor this friend can go out."
Of course I had no intention of sending the two mages. If they volunteered, I would have stopped them. They'd probably already thought of this plan and decided on an order.
The first challenger was obvious.
"L-Lizard No. 1!! Go!!"
Swish!!
It was No. 1's turn, so I called out to him.
(Hey! No. 1! Run around as much as you can and buy time!)
(I'll kill them.)
(Don't fight, just dodge, you idiot!)
(The lizard race does not dodge!)
(Goddammit.)
He wasn't going to listen, as expected.
(I want to be first too. I want to go out.)
Deonni voiced his dissatisfaction, but there was no point rushing. Dead was dead whether you went first or last.
"Watch the battles closely. The next one I can send out will be the second orc. The third is…"
She glanced at me. I nodded as if it were obvious.
"The third is Ilwol."
"You mean that skeleton who summoned bombs in the sky earlier?"
The rock-attribute mage from No Hayun's party asked, and Yeonhee gave a vague affirmative. Since I'd flown up while stealthed, they probably hadn't realized I was the one dropping the bombs. Still, connecting the dots to me must have come from sensing my mana.
She really wasn't ordinary.
"It can even fight in close quarters? No way… Now I understand why Lady Hayun is so interested. Could I submit a formal report to the academic community?"
"If I told you not to, would you really refrain?"
"The timing would be delayed a bit, of course."
"Then I'd appreciate it if you could hold off for now…"
Yeonhee said this while looking at No Hayun. Hayun simply shrugged, indicating this was outside her control. Even as the guild leader's daughter, she clearly couldn't wield unlimited power over guild members. The Bijeon Guild wasn't that corrupt.
Anyway, the ones Yeonhee had told to watch carefully were the two close-combat fighters from No Hayun's party. Their stats were high enough that reaching D-grade wouldn't be strange, and their equipment looked like it had been commissioned from a reputable workshop. They should be able to participate in at least one duel.
Of course, if things went badly they were to surrender and retreat. They'd receive harsh criticism from the orcs, but since those creatures already viewed humans as less than insects, it didn't matter.
"Um… what about us…?"
The Helen duo asked with worried eyes, afraid they might be called up too. Fortunately, no one wanted to send them to their deaths. They sighed in relief when everyone shook their heads.
"You there. Let's fight."
Lizard No. 1 pointed at the largest orc among the growing crowd ahead.
……
Pffft! Kya-ha-ha-ha—!!
The orcs burst into roaring laughter and mocked the chosen warrior. The selected orc's face flushed bright red with rage as he strode forward.
"I'll kill you!! I'll trample you to pieces!!"
Being chosen by a lizardman far beneath him must have felt like the ultimate insult.
The orc warrior who stepped forward bare-bodied took out an unusually long spear from his inventory. It went against the typical orc tendency of never letting go of their weapons.
A variant? He's strong. Damn it, of all the orcs he could have picked, he chose the strongest one. Tsk tsk.
Still, we needed someone we could at least exchange blows with to buy time. Asking No. 1 to think that strategically had apparently been too much.
The orc warrior gripped his spear expertly and took stance before charging straight at the lizardman.
Don't they usually yield the first move?
When fighting weaker opponents, orcs had a custom of granting the first strike. But it seemed that courtesy didn't apply when the challenger was an overreaching lizardman.
"So fast!"
"Hup!"
"Huh?"
Whether from the unexpected speed or sheer shock, the observers' breathing stopped for an instant.
Clang—!
A clean metallic ring. A deep breath.
One exchange between spear and mateche.
Surprisingly, No. 1 had blocked the orc warrior's strike perfectly.
Grin— His elongated, torn mouth curved into a satisfied arc, as if pleased with his first defense.
But the attack's massive destructive power had been taken head-on with only his arms. One arm bent in a direction it should never bend. Before he could even recover, the orc warrior's follow-up strikes rained down.
Clang! Clang! Clang— Shluk—!!
No. 1 barely managed to block a few more times with one arm, but that was his limit. The orc warrior's spear pierced straight through his mateche and sank deep into his abdomen.