Chapter 134
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 134
“My son wants to leave the village.”
That’s what the Uncle had said.
In a village already suffering from a labor shortage, one more person was leaving. Most of the villagers had tried to talk the boy out of it, but the Uncle had confided only in Niphrim.
He’d said that while everyone else called it a dangerous choice and tried to stop him, he didn’t want to be the one to crush his son’s dream.
That was why he had been saving money, little by little, for several years. He had even bought a coming-of-age gift in advance. He was already beaming at the thought of how happy his son would be.
It’s a secret.
Keep it between us.
“…Found it.”
After scouring the room, Niphrim finally found a sword hidden behind the wardrobe.
It was an ordinary longsword, nothing special. But to the Uncle, this sword, along with his son, must have been his entire world.
“Ha… who gives a longsword to a greenhorn who’s never even held a real blade?”
A bitter smile touched his lips, but he had no time to wallow in sentimentality.
As Niphrim gripped the sword and headed downstairs, four Orcs smashed through the door and stormed into the house. They were all elites, boasting larger builds and better equipment than the average Orc.
“Hah.”
Niphrim let out a short, mocking laugh. It wasn’t surprising. In fact, he’d been wondering when they would show up. There was no way the Orc Shamans wouldn’t locate him with detection magic once the escaped Orcs reported what happened.
“Die! Die! Human!”
The Orcs rushed at him with monstrous shrieks. It was incredibly stupid of them to charge single-file up the narrow staircase.
When he cut down the Orc in the lead, the others behind it tumbled backward in a heap.
Descending the stairs, Niphrim silenced the loudest of the remaining three and fixed the others with an icy stare.
“This is impo—”
They were probably deluding themselves that this was impossible. Their words weren’t even worth hearing.
Niphrim lunged forward and cut down another. As he moved to strike the last one, the Orc whose vitals he had just pierced desperately grabbed onto his sword.
In that split second, the other Orc swung its axe at him.
Thump!
Letting go of his sword for a moment, Niphrim made a snap judgment and headbutted the charging Orc.
While it was dazed from the impact, he wrenched his sword free with both hands and slashed the other Orc’s throat.
“Huff… huff…”
The effects of the medicine were starting to wear off. Killing them one by one like this felt endless.
The pain was gradually intensifying. Even so, he had to fight—if only for the villagers who might still be alive. The agony surged relentlessly, but he could just barely endure it through sheer willpower.
Just as Niphrim was catching his breath, the house began to shake.
Rumble!
The ceiling started to collapse.
“…Magic.”
The house was caving in. It seemed the Orc Shamans intended to bury him alive.
He tried to rush outside, but his injured leg buckled. Stumbling, Niphrim fell flat on the floor as debris from the ceiling rained down on him.
“Damn it.”
He didn't mind dying, but not yet. Even if all the villagers were dead, he wanted to at least bury them. He refused to lose everyone without being able to do anything, just like back at the Primordial Core.
But contrary to his desperate wish, Niphrim couldn’t get up. A heavy piece of the collapsed ceiling slammed into his back, piercing his spine. He coughed up a mouthful of blood.
“…Not yet.”
He couldn’t die such a meaningless death. He had to turn this around.
But he didn’t have that meat.
The only things in front of him were Orcs.
Memories flashed through his mind like a kaleidoscope.
「It’s best not to eat the raw meat of other beasts—only human flesh.」
「Your body is different from other humans. There’s no telling what kind of side effects might occur. Will you die? I don’t know how much damage your body will take. But even if you survive, it will probably be more painful than death.」
“Orcs…”
The raw meat of another species.
He had never even considered it. The researchers had unconditionally forced only cannibalism upon him. He’d never once questioned that fundamental rule.
However…
According to what the researchers said back then…
“…That means I might not die right away.”
*
The main force of the Kariem, led by Kaltum, had left the village over three hours ago. The troops remaining behind were the rearguard, tasked with cleaning up before rejoining the main force.
“Report to the main force,” ordered Ragol, second-in-command of the Kariem Tribe. “Tell them the human the Chieftain was interested in escaped, went on a rampage, and killed his comrades. We had no choice but to crush him to death.”
“I… obey your command.”
At Ragol’s order, the Orc Shamans who had been checking for signs of life with detection magic began preparing their communication spell.
The building was completely leveled. They had used intermediate-level magic that shook the very foundations of the site; there was no chance of survival.
“Clean this up.”
The unit’s losses were far too great for occupying one small village. Ragol couldn’t even imagine what kind of reprimand he would receive when they joined the army of the great Legion Commander, Kurak. If they were going to report blunders, they at least had to arrive quickly.
Just as everyone was preparing to leave after looting the few remaining supplies, a panicked voice cried out.
“Ssssh!”
Not long after the house had collapsed, a subordinate’s terrified hiss cut through the air.
“……”
Ragol turned his head.
The collapsed house. The debris.
It was rattling.
“What in the…”
Was that thing even human? Monster was the only word for it.
The Orc Shamans, who had been communicating with the main force, stopped their transmission and cast detection magic again. Their blood ran cold.
His life force should have been rapidly burning out. By all rights, he should have been dead.
And yet, as Niphrim rose from the rubble, he was completely restored. Not only were his crushed legs perfectly fine, but even the shallow scratches covering his body were healing at a speed visible to the naked eye.
Having cleared the debris, Niphrim stood and muttered softly.
“And they said it would be agonizing enough to kill me.”
They said there would be side effects. He had wondered, but in the end…
“It was all bullshit.”
Niphrim spat out what he had been chewing. Ragol and the few other Orcs who were still thinking clearly saw what it was.
It was Orc skin.
“I will handle this,” Ragol declared.
The enemy’s condition was unnatural. This was the human who had briefly held his own against the Chieftain, Kaltum. Ragol fully acknowledged his strength. Sending his subordinates in one by one would only get them killed.
However, Ragol had no intention of fighting fairly.
At his gesture, numerous Orc Shamans infused his body with enhancement magic. Ragol roared, feeling as if every cell in his body was surging with power.
“GUOOOOOOOOOO!!”
He would incapacitate the man in a single blow, before he could pull any more tricks.
That human had never countered an attack during his fight with the Chieftain. He couldn’t even inflict proper damage with his daggers. He’s agile but lacks power, Ragol thought, confident of his victory.
His axe was a magic tool. Even if the human dodged, a flash of light would erupt the moment the blade struck the ground. A human who loses their sight becomes utterly helpless. That’s when he would cleave the body in two with a second strike.
Sub-Form Iron Blood
Clang!
Ragol’s attack was blocked with ease.
An attack that no one had ever parried so easily was stopped cold by a simple forward thrust of the longsword, as if by magic rather than swordsmanship.
I’m going to lose.
Ragol knew it after that single exchange. He couldn’t win.
This is…
Even the Chieftain, Kaltum, wouldn’t be able to win this.
Ragol assessed the situation. With his current skill, he doubted he could last five exchanges. He had to find an opening within those five blows to create some distance. They could only win if all his subordinates charged at once.
Just as he was withdrawing his axe for the next attack…
Sub-Form Flash Moon Break
The sword drew a fang-shaped arc, slicing straight across Ragol’s abdomen.
His body, split in two, fell to the ground.
* * *
Splash, splash.
The water in the puddles on the ground splashed twice.
The eyes of every Orc turned toward the sound.
Ragol, the captain of the rearguard, lay there cut in half, his life draining away. The metallic tang of blood mingled with the earthy scent of rain.
“All… troops…”
Even in death, Ragol did not let go of his axe. Its blade was pointed squarely at Niphrim. To the very end, he was trying to give the order to charge.
But not a single Orc dared to step forward.
Most Orcs have families. No matter how much they bluster about being great warriors, their own lives—and the families who depend on them—matter most. The reason they could fight was because two beliefs coexisted in their minds: the vague confidence that even on a battlefield, they alone would survive, and the conviction that if they did die, their death would be a noble one.
And yet, right now…
If I attack, I will die.
Everyone was certain of it. And it wouldn't be a noble sacrifice. It would be a purely meaningless death. The proof was right at their feet: Ragol, the greatest warrior among them after Kaltum, was lying in a puddle, cut down before he could even fight back.
Numerical superiority meant nothing. No one wanted a dog's death.
“Sss… ssssh.”
One Orc let out a wheezing gasp. Soon, as if by silent agreement, the Orcs surrounding the clearing all took a step back.
With Niphrim at the center, the empty space around him grew even wider.
“Ha… ahaha…”
Niphrim, who had been waiting for them with a staggering, hunched posture, let out a ragged, convulsive laugh, as if he had finally reached his limit.
He was crazed, but his eyes were sharp and filled with bloodlust.
“What’s the point of being scared now?”
Niphrim kicked off the ground and lunged into the Orc host.
Fearing a meaningless death, no one had sounded the charge. Unfortunately, the scene that followed was a massacre of meaningless deaths.
Blood sprayed everywhere. Niphrim tore through their ranks, beheading Orcs left and right. The village ground was stained so red that one might mistake the rainwater for blood.
“Ch-Charge!”
A few Orcs who belatedly grasped the situation rushed toward Niphrim, but their makeshift courage was extinguished in an instant.
Screams flooded the air.
Whenever his body began to feel sluggish, Niphrim tore at the Orc corpses scattered around him.
“Ssssh, ssssssh!”
The Orcs used every trick they could think of to survive. A few of the smarter ones decided to flee toward the main force.
“To the Chieftain! To the Chieftain…!”
The rearguard was wiped out by the same human Kaltum had taken down with a single punch? Even if they reached the main force with such news, they wouldn't escape execution for their failure.
“At least… at least bring something.”
Thinking this, a few Orcs hurriedly pulled luggage carts up the mountain path. They intended to at least salvage some loot to atone for their sins.
Soon, the Orc Shamans who had saved themselves with <Transference> joined them. Bolstered by <Light Feathers> and <Step of Silence> magic, the Orcs and their carts quickly ascended the steep mountain path.
“Just this… even just this…”
The creaking of the carts felt unusually loud.
“Ssssh… b-behind us.”
From far away, they sensed a presence ascending the mountain path at an unbelievable speed.
“Block him! Block him!” an Orc Shaman shouted, throwing off his robe.
There were three carts in total; they had to save at least one.
The Shamans hurriedly finished their casting and deployed a veil of magic across the path. But before the veil could even fully form, it was ruthlessly shattered. Several attack spells followed, but their trajectories were already warped by the rain, and they flew wide of their mark.
“Block him! Block him!”
The Shamans’ voices grew increasingly desperate. Finally, the Orcs at the rear of the group turned and rushed toward Niphrim in a suicidal charge.
“Damn it, dammit! Block the human!”
There was no stopping him.
Niphrim slaughtered the Orcs without even slowing down, then snatched an axe from one of his victims and hurled it.
The axe buried itself in the back of an Orc pulling the last cart.
“Sss… ssssssh!”
The falling Orc’s foot got caught in the cart’s wheel. With a loud creak, the already strained wheel popped off.
The cloth covering the cart was torn away.
The sacks loaded onto it ripped open.
The dismembered corpses of the villagers spilled out, tumbling down the muddy slope.
“……”
Niphrim, who had been giving chase, froze. His eyes widened. They hadn't dismembered the bodies for some simple, sick hobby. If that were the case, they wouldn't have bothered loading them onto a cart.
…They intended to use them as food.
I knew they were dead, but…
Among the tumbling corpses, he saw the child who had been taken hostage during the fight with Kaltum.
The hostage was already dead.
He had held on to a small, foolish hope that the child, at least, might have survived.
「You were skin and bones when I first found you. It’s good to see you so healthy now. I’m glad, truly glad.」
The grandmother who had always treated him like her own grandson.
「I hope you have good dreams.」
The Uncle who had shown him such warmth.
And… probably…
「What’s with that dazed look on your face!」