An orc was currently eating sand in the desert.

His mouth was open wide as he gazed at the gigantic worm traveling through the sand. This was freaking crazy! His master had defeated those big guys?! How?!

The issue wasn't actually their size but their levels. It was freaking twice the level of the Wraith King they had struggled with!

But even then, Orc Pride wouldn't allow him to give up! Very soon, his Orc pride led him to be devoured.

Once, twice, a few dozen times over.

[At least he's stubborn]

"His problem is that his fighting style is too direct." Josh sighed.

The orc had incredible strength for his level, but his mobility and capabilities to hit small enemies were very lacking. He was like a slow, powerful tank: not the best to dodge or get rid of ants.

[But he seems to be improving quite fast.]

"For sure. He's relying more on the environment now."

[Hehe, soon he will deserve the title Green Monkey.]

True, he sure was jumping all over the place a lot. He was using the near-blindness of the worms to lead them into traps.

[Wow. He just made the worm skewer itself on a sharp rock!]

[Now he's making a worm skin Jacket?]

"It should help him to blend better, I guess."

[Are his eyes glowing?!]

[Is he in a berserk state or something?]

"No, he still has the light of clarity in there. Did he just breakthrough?!"

The orc suddenly seemed faster and stronger for some reason. But then, a few minutes later, he was overcome by a wave of exhaustion and eaten.

[Berserk ability! Kinda]

"It's better than nothing."

The two friends kept watching the orc's repeated tries, even losing count of how many times he died. But he finally cleared the level by making two worms fight each other to devour him.

[Nice, he's managed to win. Time for the next Floor!]

Then the orc was sent to sent to the Dog village for diplomacy.

[I'm curious how he'll fare on this one]

"He used to be a king, so he should 100% be fine."

[Oh? What used to? What happened?]

"Eh, he came from Floor 24. We fought till they were all dead. Then we made peace when I told him he was living a lie." Josh rubbed his head awkwardly.

[Wait, don't tell me he's from that basic Tower?!]

"Yes? Is it that surprising?"

[Yes. Towers aren't supposed to evolve that easily]

[Then again, the root cause is obvious.]

Josh could feel the weight of AT's "gaze" on him.

"Hey, I'm innocent! It's that one god-killer that suddenly attacked me!"

[..]

"."

[..]

True, it did sound crazy said like that. Josh wasn't sure when, but at some point, his bad luck seemed to have turned into chaotic luck. He somehow found himself in the middle of crazy situations daily.

They returned to watching the orc. While they were arguing, he had made lots of progress. Actually, wasn't this a bit too fast?!

He was now shouting in front of a large furry crowd:

"Orc Pride isn't about the color of your fur or the village you're from! Everyone has an orc inside them, buried very deep! The Legendary heroes of the past all had one!" He thundered.

The dogkins jumped in shock:

"Really?!"

"That's the secret?!"

"It sounds like a lie, but he does seem very convincing."

"This guy is crazy! Only destruction awaits whoever follows him!"

"Destruction my ass! We're about to face the monkey army. Destruction sounds great!"

They began bickering endlessly, only to be interrupted by a husky girl. She appeared as valiant and fluffy as she confronted the towering orc:

"You'll have to prove yourself if you want us to follow you to battle. Is your orcish pride powerful enough for you to venture into the savage lands?" She taunted.

"Show the way! This orc won't cower!" He assuredly replied.

She seemed slightly different than last time. More mature, perhaps? How intriguing that the NPCs would evolve. He was almost tempted to visit to see what she was becoming.

Then again, what would he tell her? "Hey there! I'm somebody that you used to know!" Hell, he could even sing it.

She was the OG sidekick before she lost her memory anyway. He could still remember how she happily wagged her tail as she followed after him. Ah, it was better he stayed away.

He glanced back toward the orc. How would he deal with the dinos? He'd probably die over and over, right?

But just as the orc and the husky girl were about to reach the rock cliff, the "TV" suddenly stopped working.

"What?!"

[I'll just record it. I think you should try the new challenge first!]

[You'll see it's pretty damn nice. I made it to train evasion!]

[You'll try it, right?! Tell me you will!]

Why was AT so insistent all of a sudden? Then again, perhaps watching the orc fail over and over was boring for him. After all, he witnessed similar stuff daily.

"Alright, I understand. Let's do this!"

[Do you want any hints or not?]

"Of course not!" He heroically declared as he headed to the elevator. It was time to face Floor 6

POV

The orc knew that he would probably die again, but so what?! He was ready for it! What he wasn't ready for, however, was how peculiar this new guide was.

She was called the princess of the Hard-Paws clan.

She was small in stature, full of cute gray fur, but had a heroic air about her. She was not intimidating in the least, yet he had the feeling he shouldn't ever mess with her!

This NPC wasodd.

They journeyed in silence, but he felt her gaze follow him all the while. It was as if she was sizing him up. Even his orc pride didn't prevent him from feeling the coldness of her gaze.

But then they reached the entrance to the savage lands.

That's when he blanked.

The orc was so shocked that he couldn't even move his legs anymore. Inscribed in the rock was a title:

<130 Reasons Why Master Is Awesome!>

- Powerful

- Kind

- Gentle

- Smart

- Ruthless

- Headpats

- Scaly Devils' Nightmare

- Can resist the attraction of pristine bones

- ...

But that's not what made him freeze. No, right next to the list, there was a drawing on the rock. The lines were blurry, and it was nearly impossible to identify the man it depicted.

Well, for anyone else, that is.

"M-master?!" The orc shouted in shock.

What the hell was up with that?! Wait, it wasn't that strange. After all, this place was part of his school. It was normal for there to be traces of him at times.

But that's when he felt a crushing pressure directed at him. It was deadly too! He hurriedly threw himself on the side, but it was already too late.

The husky girl was already right in front of him. Her sharp claws were so close to his throat that he would die should he even twitch a muscle.

Her eyes glowed with a cold steel light. He was nothing more than a fish on a cutting board. At this moment, the orc felt like even AT wouldn't be able to save him were she to slaughter him.

"Talk." She growled.

The orc was genuinely confused. What was up with her? NPCs shouldn't even know about the outside world. Then again, he also was an exception.

There was one thread linking them both to the outside world: Josh!

At this moment, he felt his curiosity rising. It was time to investigate! This was the same instinct that made him research the humans so much.

"Why don't you move your claws first? I have plenty to tell, but so do you." The orc whispered.

She took a deep breath, gave him a warning glance, and finally freed him.

"Now, where do I start?" He pondered for a few seconds before resuming.

"It all started when a Madman invaded Floor 24." He began his story.

The husky girl followed the story with rapt attention as soon as she realized who it was about.

Her eyes widened as he described Josh's courageous invasion of the Orc Fortress.

She clenched her fists in excitement as he shared the amazing fight that ensued.

She gazed at the orc with envy and resentment when she learned that he used to be an NPC. Heck, she almost diced him at that moment! But, the orc tactfully reminded her that there was hope for her too.

He wasn't sure of her circumstances, but he kept going. He shared their Blattagriff and wraith king fight. Then he told her about a few stories he had heard when they were out drinking.

She was drinking each of his words. She was akin to a dying plant in the desert, and stories about Josh were like holy water to her. She kept exclaiming with every twist.

"He faced a god?!"

"He did what?! That's so cool!"

"They attacked him?! Kill them!!"

"They laughed at him?! Kill them too!!"

"Of course, Master is the best! That much is obvious!"

She was insatiable. But at some point, the orc did run out of stories. After all there, he hadn't known Josh that long. He had to change the topic.

"You should tell me about you." She frowned and looked so displeased. But then he added an offer she couldn't turn down. "I'll try my best to bring you out of here!"

She nodded as she began her tale.

How he had been so awesome that she had decided to dedicate her life to him.

How he had saved her entire race and sent their enemies running for their lives.

How she had learned that she was just an NPC and that there was a vast world out there.

How she cried in joy when he asked her to follow him out.

How she felt like falling into an abyss when they found out that she couldn't follow him.

How he had decided to wipe her memories to protect her from loneliness.

How she had recorded everything she knew about him on this wall, even using students to gather more information making them promise to remain quiet about the whole thing.

She was painting a sorrowful yet beautiful tale. The burly and loud orc was soon crying his heart out. She was so damn brave! It would have been so easy to forget it all, and yet she persevered.

"T-this is what it means to have an Orc Pride!!! No matter what happens, you keep struggling! Master inspired this. He's ready to kill even gods if they stand in his way!!"

"Tchh what are puny gods compared to master's awesomeness!!" She retorted.

Both shared a look of understanding.

"I'll look for a way to get you out of this prison." He promised.

"Not a word to master!!" She growled.

He understood. Who knows to what crazy lengths he would go to stop her from suffering this constant torture. Being the only one awake in a world of NPCs was so harsh!

They would carry this burden