Even Entering an Orc Den, Part 1
"Squeeeeeeal!"
I gripped the horse's reins irritably at the sound of another orc screeching from the left. Just how many of these damn orcs were scattered around here? There was no way Ratel had been taken down by them so quickly. Which meant this unpleasant screeching coming from so close by could only mean one thing: there was another pack of them. The sun was glaring brightly in the sky, yet orcs were roaming around in broad daylight. What on earth was going on?
"Squeeeeeeal!"
The orcs' cries echoed again, sounding even closer this time. For creatures that walked on two legs, they seemed to move faster than a horse. Or was it because we were in the mountains, allowing them to outpace a horse on this terrain?
"Damn it."
I wasn't Ratel, so I couldn't gauge their exact numbers, but I knew for a fact there were more than just one or two. At this rate, both the horse and I were going to end up dead.
"Go on ahead to Jing. You'll be able to run much faster without someone on your back."
I spoke to the horse, which was on the verge of foaming at the mouth, and leapt off its back.
Neigh—!
I didn't know what it was trying to say, but I took it as a sign of agreement. With no time to waste, I slapped its flank, and the beast reared its front hooves once before bolting forward like an arrow.
As soon as I saw the horse escape safely, I immediately transformed into a crow. Flying would be much faster and safer. In an instant, my body grew light, and with a few flaps of my wings, I soared into the air. Rising high into the sky, the entire forest unfolded beneath me at a single glance.
"Squeeeal!"
Almost the exact moment I took flight, a pack of orcs burst into view with heavy, thudding footsteps. As if signaling that I had escaped mortal peril, my pounding heart began to settle down.
But seriously, what was going on? The battle with the orc pack was an episode that was supposed to happen after arriving at the temple. It wasn't supposed to take place in broad daylight, either. Weren't they unable to move under direct sunlight? Why were they running wild in the middle of the day?
Whether I understood it or not, the orcs didn't stop their advance. Having caught the scent of beasts, they sniffed the air and began searching the area where the horse and I had just been standing.
"Squeak! Squeak! Squeak!"
I couldn't understand their language, but I doubted they were saying anything pleasant about me. As their cries echoed through the forest, the pack's movements shifted once more. They began gathering in one place.
From my vantage point in the sky, their positions were perfectly clear. At the end of their path lay Ratel. Over thirty orcs were tearing through the forest, targeting Ratel alone.
Ratel should be able to handle thirty of them somehow. Shaking off my uneasy feeling, I turned and flew in a different direction. My plan was to land a short distance away from Jing, transform back into a human, and join them. That was, until I spotted another pack of orcs moving in a bizarre pattern.
It wasn't just thirty. Orcs from all over the area were converging on a single spot. What was going on? Jing and Lia were out there too, so why were they targeting Ratel so obsessively? ...Could he actually win?
No matter how strong he was, there was no telling if he could handle those numbers alone. In the original novel, around this time, he was supposed to team up with Jing and Lia to wipe out a hundred orcs. Right now, I couldn't be sure if he could defeat that many on his own. If the protagonist died here, the novel would simply end. And if that happened... I cursed under my breath and veered away from the direction of Jing and Lia. I had to at least prevent all the packs from swarming him at once.
"Damn it."
Perching on a tree directly in the path of the closest pack heading toward Ratel, I immediately reverted to my human form. Inside my bag were several pouches, identical to the ones I had given to Ratel. It was the Orcs Herb I had bought back in Lucha Village. I had purchased it just in case for this orc-slaying episode, but I never expected to use it so soon.
These leaves emitted a distinct, pungent scent that orcs absolutely detested and avoided. Not many people knew about this property, so it was usually just used as a mediocre wound treatment. Still, it should be enough to stall their movements for a short while. I tossed a pouch, and it fell right at their feet.
Orcs weren't perceptive enough to notice a tiny pouch dropping near their feet. The pouch burst open, releasing a sharp, stinging aroma.
"Squeak...? Squeak?"
Sensitive to foul odors, the orcs began to hesitate and falter. This would buy some time before they could regain their bearings. Next up were the ones rushing in from the west. Having confirmed the herb's effectiveness, I turned back into a crow and took to the sky once more.
That damn protagonist. If he weren't destined to save the world, I would have ignored him long ago. Down below, an even larger pack of orcs was charging toward Ratel at a terrifying speed. Not only were they numerous, but their builds also seemed strangely larger.
Landing on another tree to scatter more Orcs Herb, I narrowed my eyes and leaned forward to get a better look at them.
"Squeeeal!!!"
This time, there was a truly massive one. Easily twice the size of any normal orc, this giant was leading a pack of about twenty orcs at the front. Slung across his back was a worn but colossal bow along with a quiver of arrows. It meant he didn't just mindlessly swing weapons around.
The orc legion he led carried an entirely different aura compared to the mindless beasts that had been hunting Ratel and me. I recognized him instantly. Yes, this guy was explicitly mentioned in the novel. The Orc Leader. He possessed strength far superior to ordinary orcs, and above all else...
"Kwek—! Stop! Squeeeal—!"
He possessed intelligence. He was clearly speaking the human tongue. His voice sounded like a pig choking on phlegm, and his pronunciation was so slurred it was hard to understand, but it was human speech nonetheless.
Seriously, you were supposed to stay cooped up in your settlement and never come out. Why are you leading your subordinates out in this sweltering heat so boldly? At their leader's command, the orcs came to a hesitant halt.
"Kwek—! Scent... Squeeeal—!"
The leader's sense of smell was also vastly superior to the others. In the novel, because of this, the characters had to capture an orc and smear its body odor all over themselves to launch a surprise attack. There was even a scene where Lia looked absolutely disgusted by it.
Reading about such tense situations in a book was entertaining, but experiencing them firsthand was a completely different story. Facing an orc in reality wasn't a thrilling, nail-biting adventure; it was a sweat-drenched nightmare. I quickly transformed back into a crow.
Confused by the sudden disappearance of the human scent, the Orc Leader sniffed the air and began pacing around the tree. I was too terrified of the arrows on his back to rashly fly away. I knew all too well that those massive arrows possessed enough power to pierce right through a human torso.
I waited on the branch, hoping he would just resume his chase after Ratel. By now, Ratel had either defeated the other orcs or joined up with Jing and Lia to fight. If I went to these lengths and he still lost to a bunch of orcs, he was simply disqualified from being the protagonist. If that happened, prophecy be damned, I'd just grab some smart black-haired kid and make him the protagonist instead.
Trying to calm my racing heart, I desperately prayed that the Orc Leader would lose interest and leave.
"Kwek."
But regardless of my wishes, the Orc Leader didn't change direction. Instead, he began circling the tree. Thud! He slammed his body straight into the trunk.
Of course. When had things ever gone my way? I was someone who was far too accustomed to cursing the heavens for my rotten luck.
Thud! The Orc Leader slammed into the tree once more. Unable to withstand the sheer strength of the orc's shoulder, the poor tree began to tilt. The subordinate orcs, who had been standing around blankly, followed their leader's cue and swarmed the tree. More and more of them began hacking at it with their weapons and ramming it with their shoulders. It was only a matter of time before the tree fell.
Just as I decided it would be better to simply fly away, my eyes locked with the Orc Leader's.
"Squeeeeeeal!"
As if he had some terrible past trauma involving crows, he let out a screech like a dying pig and reached for the quiver on his back. He wouldn't just randomly feel like shooting an arrow for no reason, so that bow was definitely aimed at me.
I steeled my resolve. With few options left, I had no choice but to gamble. Before he could notch an arrow to his bowstring, I dove straight off the branch. Flying directly toward the Orc Leader, I shifted back into my human form mid-air.
The surrounding orcs squealed in uproar, their rough hands reaching out to grab me, but I ignored them and focused entirely on my single target. Clenching my hand around his neck, I prayed desperately from the bottom of my heart. I want to become an orc.
A hot energy surged from deep within my dantian. But unlike before, it wasn't a pleasant warmth; an uncomfortably scorching heat enveloped my entire body. Just as the realization that something had gone horribly wrong crossed my mind, my consciousness faded into black.
The moment I realized I could transform into animals, a natural hypothesis had crossed my mind. If animals are possible, could I transform into monsters too? But I hadn't been curious enough to gamble my life facing a monster to find out. To be honest, I often felt terrified even when encountering bears or wolves. Approaching a monster head-on, reaching out, and grabbing its neck was utterly out of the question.
That was why, when I finally became able to converse with El, I thought it was the perfect opportunity to resolve this curiosity. What did that guy say when I asked if I could transform into monsters as well?
"Go ahead and try. But with your weak power, if you recklessly transform into a monster, you'll find it incredibly difficult to change back."
I vividly remembered punching him right in his smug, mocking face after he said that.
It stung. My entire body was stinging painfully. It felt as though my skin was screaming, exposed naked under the scorching summer sun. What was this? Did the orcs actually skin me alive?
"Squeak... Squeak..."
As if to prove my suspicions correct, the cries of orcs echoed right next to my head. Thinking that skinning someone alive was a bit too inhumane, I tossed and turned. Well, I suppose they weren't human to begin with. Still, if I was going to be eaten anyway, maybe it would be better to just lose consciousness again.
As I was lost in these dazed thoughts, something heavy dropped onto my head. Crack! Along with a brutal sound, an immense pain flared in my forehead.
"Squeak!!!"
I let out a scream without realizing it, then immediately clamped my hand over my mouth. Did I just squeak? Only then did my hands and feet come into view. Thick, green hands and legs. A much higher field of vision. And dozens of orcs staring down at me. Everything pointed to one conclusion: I had successfully transformed into an orc.
"Kwek—! Get up, kwek—!"
Coherent words drifted down from above. Looking down at me was the Orc Leader, holding a shield that was undoubtedly the source of the pain in my forehead.