Chapter 19
Chapter 19
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 19
Chapter Title: The Orc Swarm
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It hit me that monsters had broken out in droves when we passed through the village entrance.
The number of patrolmen and guards had visibly swelled, and the captain of the guard was out there personally barking orders.
The reason was obvious. Orcs had started showing up near the village, which used only to see goblins.
"Don't let your guard down!"
"Surround 'em and stab true!"
The guards were locked in combat with the orcs.
Compared to goblins, orcs were much bulkier. They were shorter and fatter than the average human on average, but they wore crude armor for protection and handled their weapons with practiced ease.
"Hold it. You two there, stop right where you are."
That's when a guard I'd never seen before stepped up to block us.
"It's dangerous up ahead. Monsters are swarming everywhere—it's an orc infestation."
"We're adventurers tasked with orc extermination."
"I'll need to see your licenses."
Everyone's faces looked razor-sharp with tension.
Since I didn't have a license, Esty stepped forward in my place.
"Here."
She handed over a square card that looked like an ID, and the guard took it, inspecting it meticulously.
"My apologies. With a Diamond-rank adventurer like you lending a hand, it'll be a huge help to the people of Marn. Thank you."
Thanks to Esty, I got a free pass.
She was basically my guardian.
"The mood here's pretty grim."
"Yeah, outbreaks like this claim a lot of lives. Gotta stay sharp. That's when the thieves come out too—attacking adventurers to steal their soul stones."
"Thieves? Attacking people instead of monsters?"
"That's the thief type for you. They think it's stupid to hunt monsters honestly and collect souls that way.
So, Decal, don't trust every adventurer you meet just 'cause they say they are one."
I could see what kind of mindset Esty must've carried through her adventuring life.
Sure, people scamming other people happened all the time back in my world too.
But had I ever been this up close and personal with the bloodshed?
Even I started feeling the tension.
At the forest's edge, we spotted plenty of adventurers out doing the same thing—taking down orcs.
But the deeper we went, the more the orcs outnumbered us.
No, seriously, where the hell were all these things even eating and shitting?
Groups of orcs hadn't noticed us yet, but I was ready to head home.
"Maybe we should just turn back..."
There were just too damn many.
Armed orcs, a dozen or so.
"I'll handle them."
Esty took up position. Out of nowhere in empty air appeared a translucent bow.
When the leader speaks, you listen. I braced for battle. The moment Esty loosed her bowstring, the air whistled cleanly—
And the heads of over ten orcs in the pack exploded in an instant.
I gasped, swallowing hard.
"Done."
What the hell just happened?
The orcs weren't even lined up single-file, but one arrow had traced an impossible path, piercing their vitals.
Exploded was the right word—pure destruction.
"Decal?"
Esty glanced back at me.
"That was... insane..."
"Handle" meant she'd wipe them out in a flash, not that we were charging in together.
"Orcs are easy pickings for me."
Esty said it flatly.
No way all elves were this strong, right?
If they were, humans would've gone extinct ages ago.
Thinking back to that first time I talked to her... what would've happened if things had gone just a little sideways?
It really sank in whose hypnosis I'd cast.
"Oh, right—gotta collect the souls."
I pulled a large soul stone from my personal inventory and harvested the orcs' souls.
"Come on. Orcs that way."
Orcs where?
Esty strode ahead like she could see everything, shooting down every orc in sight.
Incredible. Her skill was so overwhelming, words failed me.
Elegant form, flawless shots—arrow after arrow dropping targets dead.
Trees, bushes—none of it mattered to her.
The gap in combat prowess was so vast, I was reduced to a soul-sucking pack mule.
But hey, not a bad gig.
Watching Esty's pretty profile as she focused, her tense posture... it was enjoyable enough.
Probably no one else got this close to an elf mid-monster hunt.
Curiosity struck.
"How do you spot them so perfectly? Can you see them?"
Esty's knack for finding orcs was unreal.
Even with the outbreak, zeroing in on packs every time was tongue-to-the-ground impressive.
But Esty didn't brag—just answered calmly.
"Any Gold-rank hunter or higher can do it. It's the Search skill."
"Search skill?"
"Picks up on monster tracks, traces, presences—pinpoints their locations."
Yeah, essential for any hunter.
Trailing Esty and watching orcs drop left my tension in the dust.
She erased them before they even realized they were dead.
"Whew."
Less than an hour, and she'd cleared over a hundred. First thing she did was let out a short sigh.
Without breaking a sweat.
"Wanna drink?"
I offered her the goddess's water bottle.
"Thanks."
"Next round, lemme take a shot. Getting bored."
Esty drained it and let out a small laugh.
"Got it. I'll cover you if it gets dicey."
Reliable as hell.
"Okay then... somewhere with just one..."
Esty wasn't just spotting orcs—she could count them too.
"This way."
Sure enough, a lone orc wandered nearby.
"Alright."
I cast magic right away.
It hadn't noticed us, so I overcharged with the focus bracelet.
"Fire Arrow!"
Max-power Fire Arrow straight to its back.
The orc lurched forward from the impact. Looked dead, but it staggered back up.
"Tough bastard."
It could've shattered dungeon skeletons in Bordeaux.
One more overcharge...!
"Fire Arrow!"
Orc down for good.
(Your level has increased.)
Two overcharged Fire Arrows. Packs of three would be trouble for me.
"Got it, Esty."
Esty smiled.
"Nice one."
Hey, I'll take the compliment.
"Didn't know you could sling spells, Decal."
"Got it from that goddess. Basic self-defense magic."
"Stronger than any Fire Arrow I've seen from others."
Sharp eyes.
"I can overcharge my magic. Thanks to this bracelet."
"Maybe I can help you get even stronger."
"Me?"
Expecting some new spell, but Esty pulled out an arrow.
One of her translucent glass ones.
"Use magic to set the arrowhead on fire."
I did as told—cast Fire Arrow, trying to ignite the tip.
But magic flame didn't catch easy.
"Not working great."
"It's fine. Be patient."
Following her guidance, I kept trying.
Then a new message popped up.
(You have learned Fire Enchant.)
"This is..."
"Basic fire-element imbue spell. You pick it up when you try infusing objects with elements."
"Oh."
A flaming arrow—our collab?
Cool as hell.
"And..."
Esty nailed a passing orc.
(Your level has increased.)
My level went up.
"See? You can grow like this too."
"Awesome?"
Since I enchanted her arrow, it counted as contributing to the kill.
Normally, I wouldn't get EXP from her solo kills, but this bypassed that.
"Didn't think peeking over your shoulder would pay off like this."
"Wanna call me Master?"
"..."
Esty suddenly stared me down.
"Huh? What's up?"
"Do better."
She wheedled in that cute, coquettish voice.
I kissed her. Arm around her waist natural as breathing, kneading her ass like it was mine.
Esty didn't resist—our tongues tangled.
"Like this?"
"Your lips taste better than water, Decal."
If we weren't in the woods...
Nah, woods or not—if fat armed monsters weren't lumbering around, I'd have pinned her right there.
"Orcs are a joke to you anyway.
So, teach me a useful skill?"
"Useful skill?"
"Like that Search one you mentioned."
"Sure. I'll teach you."
Private lesson from a Diamond-rank hunter? Jackpot.
Plus EXP every time she kills.
Huge win.
Esty cleared orcs ten times faster than me, easy.
"Search starts with focusing on monster footprints, traces, presences."
"Footprints like this?"
"Yeah. Plenty of monsters around here, so keep at it—you'll get the knack. Let's keep going."
We had a new routine for hunts.
She draws an arrow, I fire-enchant it.
MP drained fast, but water fixed that.
And Esty? One arrow could skewer ten-plus orcs.
In 2 seconds—no, 1—I vacuumed up a whole pack's EXP like a maniac.