Chapter 6: The Second Trial (3)

Overpowering them wasn’t an option for me.

And although the goal of the trial was ‘assassination,’ that was near impossible with the guards on duty.

The heavenly mud wouldn’t really change that fact.

Finally, considering the ridiculously short time limit…

“Can’t be too picky.”

Broosh…!

A lit torch I made from putting together some dry wood from the floor.

I stared at the dancing flame nervously before I stored it in the inventory.

I didn’t know how the inventory worked, but the torch stayed lit while inside the inventory.

But that didn’t necessarily mean that the torch burned.

‘Having this outside could make me some good money.’

I’d have signed onto a guild and worked as a safeguard for important items or even a transporter.

The tower was giving these kinds of skills for free.

‘Let’s focus on the current situation for now.’

I held my breath from anticipation.

Just tossing this torch would set the whole forest on fire.

This was the crazy method I thought of.

If this was a location that the tower created, I didn’t have to worry about the consequences of setting the forest ablaze.

And even if this place existed in real life, it wouldn’t matter to me as long as I went back to the waiting area.

Some might say this was irresponsible but…

I had no responsibility to care about this place.

My life took precedence over wherever this may be.

I didn’t even feel guilty.

After I caused a fire, I’d have to pick out the separated orcs one by one.

Once I raised my stats using the orc souls, I’d have a much better chance against the chief.

I could have thought this plan through more but…

It wouldn’t have made a difference.

“There’s no other solution to this trial. What’s hesitation going to do for me?”

Although it was strange that the goal of the trial was ‘assassination,’ the trial made it very hard to do so.

The fence seemed very sturdy, and the pure number of orcs made it hard to sneak in no matter the time of day.

‘I won’t even be able to run away if I fail my assassination attempt.’

There’d be too much risk involved to try to sneak in.

But causing a fire was different.

‘All orc hunters go hunting early in the morning.’

Contrary to their looks, they were a hard-working species.

And one characteristic of the orc species is that once they left, they didn’t come back to their tribe until sundown.

Looking at the sun, it should be around noon right now.

‘They should be far away enough from their village now… ‘

I’d be able to fight them without their main source of strength.

With a chunk of their military missing, my chances of picking them off increased drastically.

It was just a stereotype that all orcs can fight.

‘Even the same species of monsters have rankings.’

The worker orcs had been designated as workers because they weren’t fit to fight.

And the guard orcs are the orcs who weren’t good enough to be a hunter orc.

‘The number of guards in the front and the scale of the fence suggests there aren’t too many of them.’

Conservatively, there should be two or three guards and just one old orc as their chief.

The Hunter Association released an official statement saying that the oldest orc becomes the chief of the tribe, so that information should be accurate.

If I could cause a commotion while most of their military might was away, I had a chance of being able to obliterate them.

‘I just have to stay calm and decrease their numbers…’

It would change the tide of the battle.

That meant I had to kill at least two or three orcs while they were confused.

‘I’m not strong enough to fight them at the gate entrance.’

‘I need to raise my strength to at least 20.’

If I had enough strength to be able to go head to head with an orc, everything would go much more smoothly.

There was a chance that the orcs could group together, but the chances of that were low.

‘Typically, they would get some water if they think they can handle the fire.’

Then most orcs would head to the nearby river or lake for some water.

The busiest orcs would be the worker orcs.

And I could take that time to kill them once they were far enough from the village.

‘If there’s a risk of death no matter what I do, I have to choose the most sure-fire plan.’

That hadn’t changed from the tutorial.

Rather than run around looking for an exit that may or may not exist, I chose to fight the sand golem with the given weapon.

Because that was more certain.

I was the only one who stood to lose anything from being hesitant.

I had to kill before I was killed.

I kept this in my mind as I took a step forward.

Now was the time to act.

***

After finishing my preparations, I started moving towards the mark on the map.

There wasn’t any time to waste.

I laid low on the ground again while I crawled through the grass.

‘I did cover myself in heavenly mud, but I can never be too careful.’

I’d only ever learned about this in books, so it was my first time putting this into practice.

One mistake could end up costing my life.

Shieek shiek.

After some time, I heard the orcs beyond the grass again.

I kept my breath steady while slowly crawling.

Occasionally observing the guards with my breath held.

No matter how strong these sentry orcs were, there weren’t that many of them.

They were just kept near the village as a backup when the hunters were away.

‘They probably think they can deal with invasions as long as a couple of them stay.’

This was also a characteristic of the orc species.

According to the Hunter Association, the guard orcs aren’t always on patrol.

‘They go back to the village for meals and lunch.’

They don’t stay for too long but it’s still useful information.

‘There are cases where the workers go on patrol instead due to a lack of guards but that’s not important to me.’

Worker orcs tended to be much weaker than the other types of orcs.

If these guards ran to their water source, I’d just have to take care of them secretly from the back.

But before then, I had to go unnoticed and stay totally silent.

After all, the mud only masked the scent and sight.

This was the most important part of the plan.

“……”

Every bodily muscle stiffened up as I observed my surroundings.

Just as my legs were about to fall asleep—

“Shiek, shieek!”

One of the guards breathed out heavily as he waved to the other.

‘Did they see me……?’

I instinctively opened my inventory to prepare for a battle, but I realized that I was mistaken.

Step, step.

Looking exhausted, the guards yawned and stepped back into the wooden fence.

This was what I was waiting for.

I might not get another chance.

I quietly got up and chose a location to set on fire.

Tall grass and wooden fence, it was perfect for spreading fire.

I took out the torch from the inventory.

Brooosh!

The fire spread itself to the grass as if it had a life of its own.

I carried it over to the fence and the nearby trees to spread it further.

Brooooshh…….!

The smoke filled the air in an instant.

I tossed the torch on the other side to invoke another fire.

I thought this might be too much fire to lead out just an orc or two but…

What could I do?

Better bigger than smaller.

I hid behind one of the unaffected trees and waited for their response.

The workers should be coming out soon to take this out.

‘This should be small enough for them to rush to stop it.’

The spread was fast, but it wasn’t to a point where you couldn’t stop it.

After a short wait,

“Shiek? Shieeeek!”

I heard a panicked scream beyond the fence.

Following that, an orc ran towards the fire in a rush.

‘Is it a sentry?’

No.

He wasn’t armed. It was a worker orc.

“Sh-Shiek? Shiek, shieeeek!”

He looked in horror as the flames got bigger.

Taken back, he stood there, confused as to what to do next.

Then.

I took my first steps towards it.

There would never be a more perfect chance.

‘He’s not even a guard who can effectively fight back.’

I didn’t give it much thought and moved according to my plan.

Running towards his back, I push off the ground and close the distance.

Tat, tat, tat!

“Sh-shieek…?!”

As the orc turned around in a panic—

Stab!

“Sh-Shiek, shiek, shieeeek.”

I shoved the sword I took out of my inventory into its stomach.

There was no way he could have reacted to this.

Without even being able to let out so much of a squeal, the orc stumbled backward, letting out voiceless screams.

Some may sympathize with the monsters, but I was far from it.

It was their fault that my life was ruined.

“Take that, you bastard.”

Rather than feeling guilt or excitement, my heartbeat slowed down.

I pulled my sword out to thrust it straight through its heart.

There was no hesitation.

“Sh…..iek.”

The orc let out a weak breath before being enveloped by a black fog.

Yes, this was what I was waiting for.

「 Activating innate ability ‘Necromancy(F)’ 」

「 Would you like to absorb the spirit of the orc? 」

「 Y/N 」

I placed the orc’s corpse down so it wouldn’t make a noise and pressed ‘Y.’

「 You have absorbed the soul of the orc. 」

「 Number of souls in possession – 1/5 」

「 Proficiency increased by 9% 」

I exchanged the soul for stats as soon as I absorbed it.

「 Permanently increasing your stats using the souls in captivity. 」

「 Strength increased by 4. 」

「 Agility increased by 2. 」

「 Number of souls in possession – 0/5 」

I opened my status window as I felt a rush of adrenaline.

「 Han Sungyeun 」

「 Strength – 16 」         「 Stamina – 11 」

「 Agility – 11 」                 「 Mana – 8 」

「 Innate ability – ‘Necromancy(F) 」

「 Skill – Accelerated Regeneration(E+) 」

‘My strength is nearing 20 now.’

My stamina and agility also passed 10 and are on their way to 20 as well.

I should be able to handle an orc in a direct battle now.

But I didn’t get long to give myself a pat on the back.

“ Sh-shieeeeek!”

This time, it was a fully armed guard orc.

But I wasn’t scared like last time.

I’d have been unsure if there were 2 orcs, but he came alone.

Feeling blessed, I muttered a word underneath my breath.

“Inventory.”

I took out my shield and stood face to face with the orc.

Showtime.

____