In a vast fortress courtyard, an orc shaman intently stared at an “orc warrior”. 

“You…what’s wrong with you.” 

As the shaman’s voice echoed, the orcs nearby couldn’t help but unconsciously gulp. Whatever the problem was, this brother was likely fucked! The ones who had been friendly to him earlier wanted nothing to do with him anymore! 

Josh couldn’t help but feel at a loss. What should he even reply? What was wrong with him? So many things! 

1. Lost the people he loved 

2. Catapulted to a different world 

3. More godly curses than a cheap hooker had STDs. 

4. There was so much he didn’t know about the Tower. 

But chances were that he would instantly perish if he opened up to this angry shrink. He remained perfectly still and silent for now, making sure to show a perplexed expression. 

It wasn’t that he didn’t wish to cooperate. He just didn’t know how! 

The orc shaman approached his green wrinkly face from him and began sniffing intently. 

— Sniff! Sniff! — 

Talk about a multi-talented individual! He could inspect troops like a general, steal one’s life akin to a vampire, and now he could even sniff like a dog?! 

“There is a strange smell on you. There are whiffs of human, but also something else, something that is oddly familiar, but what?” The orc pondered aloud.

Think, think, think. What could it be? Josh was as confused as the other warriors. 

“Speak, what is it?” The shaman gave an ultimatum. 

“Grass, maybe?” Josh uttered only for the orc to frown and emit killing intent. Wait, no, they should all be smelling of grass. How could he explain a smell specific to only him? “Ah! The bones!” He cried out. 

The shaman looked at him for a second before nodding in approval. “Right, so that’s it. I knew it was familiar!” But then he turned hostile: “But, why would you ever go there even after I had specifically forbidden it?!” 

Oh shit! This was the guy who had killed someone for being a bit loud. He had to make a good excuse, or he wouldn’t live past today! 

“Please give me another chance! I will catch this insolent human for you if he ever reappears! That’s all that I desire!” Josh cried out with incredible zeal. 

There was hate and regret oozing through his voice. He wanted to be useful to the shaman! He even seemed ready to accept death, just that he didn’t wish to die a needless death. 

“I see…did the human retreat to the danger area? Is that why he chased in there?” He turned to the other orc warriors. 

They all nodded vehemently. It wasn’t out of the goodness of their hearts. They simply didn’t dare to lie to their master. 

“I see….I’ll let you live this once. You better not fail next time!” The shaman warned sternly. 

Josh couldn’t help but breathe a sigh of relief. The hardest part was over. It would likely be easier to move about as long as this inspection was over. 

Still, talk about irony: almost getting killed for risking his life. Then again, it wasn’t about him at all, but more so the other orcs. It was likely that the shaman needed them alive and kicking to do its bidding. 

But just as he thought he was out of danger, the orc shaman suddenly frowned once more. 

“Actually, there is something else, but what?”

What was it now?! Why the heck was this guy so persistent?! Couldn’t he do like many supervisors and just half-ass his job?! This was such a pain! Josh couldn’t show any sign of it either. 

“Ah! What if?!” The shaman suddenly realized something as it grabbed a red orb…from its loin area?! This guy had a literal family jewel hidden in there?! What the actual fuck?! 

“Here, put your hand on it.” The orc instructed with Josh forced to comply. He could only hope that this thing wasn’t a trap of any kind. 

That’s when the ruby crystal began glowing, dimly at first but then with increasing intensity. The bystanders could only gasp in surprise. What the hell was happening?! At this moment, Josh really wished he freaking knew. 

That’s when a huge rotten smile blossomed on the shaman’s face. It was quite frankly one that could have earned it a horror show on its own! Shock, happiness, and, most importantly, incredible greed showed in the creature’s eyes. 

It glanced at him how a wealthy magnate would look at a newly acquired gigantic proved oil reserve! 

“Hahaha! Great! It seems you have some talent for magic! You truly are lucky! I will take you under my wing and show you the ropes, are you willing?” 

Truly lucky? This guy would try to enslave him for sure. Was that even possible from a Tower monster? He didn’t know, but he would resist for sure. Still, for now, he had to show extreme eagerness. 

“YES!!!” Josh shouted extremely motivated before suddenly showing horror as he realized how loudly he had done it. 

“Hahaha, alright, from now on, you will be my student! You will have to work hard for the clan’s sake!” The shaman “magnanimously” disregarded his previous offense. After all, he was already thinking of a thousand ways to exploit this youngster. 

At least, this was an excellent opportunity for Josh. Getting a legitimate reason to approach one’s target usually made it easier to kill them. 

Still, he would have to be extremely careful. This guy was dangerous even on his own, especially with that drain ability! It seemed like an instant-kill ability. Either that or the orc warrior didn’t have much magic resistance. 

“Alright, we will get busy real soon. I will have to finish their runic enchantment first. Observe very carefully. This can be a great learning experience.” He happily chuckled as he got to work. 

Josh couldn’t help but agree that it was a somewhat elegant process. Even with how cruel and orcish the guy was, he sure knew how to draw runes! Every line was so confidently drawn, and his hand never shook. 

Then an aura seemed to come out of it once it was done. It radiated with powerful energy. It was as if the orcs had been reborn from ordinary warriors to mighty ones. 

Josh couldn’t help but feel envious of such a power. Was it possible for him to learn it? It would fit so freaking well: red glowing runes with bright red eyes! Was there any better option out there?! 

Soon it all ended, and the shaman came swaggering back. 

“Follow me.” It authoritatively ordered. 

Josh complied under the envious gaze of all the bystanders. He could feel their intense jealousy. Why couldn’t it be them who had the potential for magic?! But there could be nothing about it, so they soon averted their gazes. 

“Hehe, how does it feel? To be admired by all? To know that you are superior to the rabble? There is something that feels even better: magic itself! It is even sweeter than the sweetest of blood wines!” The shaman uttered with longing. 

He indeed seemed to believe this and wasn’t just trying to hoodwink him. He guided him toward a large stone room filled with trinkets of various kinds. There were tons of bones and leather pouches filled with diverse ingredients. 

“This here is all the magic happens.” Literally! 

Josh nodded, showing as much marvel in his eyes as humanly possible. He had no clue how it actually looked on his orc-self, but the orc seemed to be buying it. 

“Alright, it is time for the oath!” He enthusiastically declared. “From now on, you will do my bidding and obey all my orders. In exchange, I will teach you. Do you agree?” 

“Yes! I will serve you with all my being!” Josh fanatically shouted. 

“Good, good! Now, drink!” The shaman grabbed a jar from a corner of the room.

As he opened it, a bloody scent spread throughout the entire place. The shaman was now gesturing for him to drink. What was this shit? It was most likely what they called blood wine. As for its main ingredients…it would have made a vampire very happy! 

Josh now had to drink blood, human blood! 

He was now confronted with an enormous inner dilemma: would he drink under peer pressure or because he was thirsty?! Oh, wait… the reason didn’t matter much. 

Josh began gulping it so fast that the shaman started panicking. 

“What the hell do you think you’re doing?! This is the only jar I have!” The shaman hurriedly grabbed his jar back, full of fear. 

How the heck was this guy drinking so fast?! It wanted to punish him, but it could wait until the slave contract was established. What if he used the apprentice’s blood to make some more wine later? It ought to be charged with magic, right? 

Josh gave an awkward smile as he saw the surprisingly decent-tasting wine being taken away. He truly was innocent. The shaman had told him to drink, so he had complied! 

With a sigh, the shaman stared at him directly. A red light began enveloping them both as he ordered: 

“Repeat after me. I hereby give my life to Kato’R the Wise and will accomplish his bidding to the best of my abilities. I swear upon my orc bloodline and ancestors to hereby uphold this pledge!” 

“I hereby […..] I swear upon my orc bloodline—” Just as Josh reached that part, something happened. 

— KACHA!! — 

The red aura surrounding both of them shattered loudly. The pledge had failed, most definitely because he didn’t have an ounce of orc bloodline in him! 

Oh, fucking shit! The gig was up….