025. As Expected, Glad I Brought It
As expected, good that I brought it.
There are monsters commonly called greenskins: goblins, orcs, trolls. The classic green-skinned trio. They mostly live in forests and have insane libidos—if you take your eyes off them for a second, they'll multiply like crazy. Trolls at least give birth to one at a time, but goblins and orcs pop 'em out left and right, so whenever we found them, we'd wipe out the whole nest.
'Goblins dig burrows like pros, and orcs have such balanced physiques they thrive anywhere.' Truly ubiquitous pests. Highland orcs in the highlands, cave orcs in caves. In forests, just plain orcs.
They adapt so well to their environment that even their skin color changes over generations.
-Snort! Snort!
The gray orcs before me were hardly "greenskins" anymore. But that signature piggish snorting was still there.
How is the world different, yet these guys are exactly the same? A strange sense of familiarity washed over me as I drew the sword from my waist.
Not the Holy Sword. I could draw it, but without just cause, I shouldn't.
This was an arming sword made from monster materials, picked up at the department store near my place. Surprisingly solid craftsmanship.
In my other hand, like a proper student, I held a shield. Way more stable than flailing around with just a sword.
The Goddess lets out a momentary sigh.
Even random poison stingers without penetration? I'd block 'em clean—thwack thwack thwack.
If this were a speedrun, I'd charge with just the sword. But with two mana-deficient mages in the party, we advanced slowly and steadily. Safety first, always.
"I'll tank up front. Mages, prep your spells."
"I-I'll provide support."
Sepine shot her hand up and quickly chanted. Mana flowed into the iron ingot she always carried, and it began to writhe, morphing into a stylish female warrior clad in iron armor.
Pink-haired Maho smiled as she murmured her incantation rapidly, while rear-guard Imir stayed vigilant for surprises.
Everyone in position. Then the orc pack moved.
-Screeeeech!
Orcs are all brawny warriors, every last one. The gray cave orcs charged with swords and halberds, bellowing war cries. Six in total. Their weapon arms bulged, promising devastating swings.
First came the halberd. I lowered my center of gravity, angling my shield.
A massive halberd slammed into the iron shield from the department store.
BAMMM!
I absorbed the first blow effortlessly, then shoved the orc's weapon upward, stepping into its torso. The halberd rose, exposing its entire body.
Already in close, I thrust the arming sword hidden behind my shield.
Stab!Shunk!
Throat, then heart. No weapon to parry, the cave orc took the blades limply.
Even a troll couldn't survive those vitals. The orc's eyes rolled back as it crumbled.
I retracted the sword behind my shield, holding stance.
-Snort?!
-GRRROOOOAR!
The followers sensed the upset, eyes widening, but momentum in the narrow tunnel was unstoppable. Incoming swords and halberds.
CLANG! Parried a overhead sword slash with my own. Deflected a full-power halberd with the shield, sending the orc tumbling sideways. Stabbed its exposed neck.
The iron-sword orc, panicked, clashed blades twice more before I severed its head.
By then, the hammer orc arrived—but my mages weren't pushovers.
BOOMMM!
Blocked like the halberd, deflected aside. A perfectly formed steel warrior impaled the orc's gut.
Shunk!
Sepine Alavad's magic: a steel doll. Skin tone and texture aside, it was human-perfect.
'Ho ho.' And its swordplay? Better than expected—knight-level, at least from what little I'd seen.
I blocked the halberd with my shield, then booted the orc's torso to widen the gap.
"Wind Cutter!"
Maho's voice from behind unleashed a barrage of wind blades.
-Snort…!
The halberd orc couldn't recover, squealing like a stuck pig as it fell. The sneaky hammer one deflected some but got its left thigh shredded.
The steel warrior, eager to prove itself, swung relentlessly. Soon, the last orc was down.
"Phew."
Sepine's relieved sigh marked the end of our first fight. Flawless victory, zero injuries. I gazed contentedly at my shield.
'Yeah, glad I brought it.'
We repelled three more cave orc packs, reaching the deepest chamber. A room with a man-made door: the boss room.
Not all dungeons had one, but if they did, difficulty spiked—and so did rewards. Boss chests yielded random loot tied to the dungeon's theme and monsters. Higher odds for special elixir ingredients. I welcomed it, shoving the door open.
Creeeak… THUD.
Beyond: a leather-armored orc warrior, elite with red runes etched across its body. Orc battle tattoos—animal blood and paint for buffs.
Whoooosh—
Red mana from the tattoos enveloped it, pumping up its veins and muscles into a grotesque, hyper-aggressive form. Natural steroids, basically.
"B-Be careful! Elites start at C-rank hunter level."
Twice as strong as regulars, plus buffs. Top-tier for a D-rank.
The elite orc warrior gnashed its tusks, rolling its shoulders like pre-fight warm-up. It grabbed its greatsword from the floor, pointing at me—the frontliner.
I shrugged it off, but Sepine behind me gasped.
"…That shameless beast!"
"What's it doing?"
"Orcs do that when they find a male they like… it's a mating signal. From Monster Ecology class."
Sepine trailed off awkwardly, but sly-smiling Maho chimed in.
"Wants to make you her groom after beating you."
"…What?"
I blinked, then remembered: reverse world. Right, most monsters here, including these cave orcs, were female.
'Don't think about it.' Shaking off the daze, I raised my sword.
"Ah! Careful! Elites charge hard at first—dodge and—!"
Our party speedwagon Sepine didn't finish. The tattoo-mana berserk elite orc grinned and stomped the ground.
Greatsword high for a crushing overhead. Big wind-up.
Its inflamed muscles surged.
SMASHHH!
Shield block. Deflected aside, then stabbed the orc's exposed nape as it stumbled.
The red orc warrior never rose. Head mush usually does the trick.
"…Huh?"
Battle over.
Sepine looked stunned—the fight ended too fast—but that faded quick. A treasure chest sat in the back annex.