I wasn’t in the deepest sleep, but I was still sleeping . But of course, this was going to be another night where I was hurriedly awakened by Daniela .

“Asagi . Monsters . ”

I quickly sit up . After grinding my fists into my eyes and opening them, I grab my sword and stand up on my feet .

“Gra.s.s wolves again?”

I take in a deep breath to help get my brain working again . Then I leave the tent and drink a cup of water in one gulp . Thankfully, Daniela always wakes me up with just enough time to prepare before the fight .

“No . Unfortunately, it is orcs . ”

“Orcs?”

I had heard once from Gardo that orcs lived in the deepest reaches of the northern forest . Later, someone else said that there were also many at the base of the southern mountains . But both of those places were far from where we were now .

“Had you heard of it, Asagi? There was an orc hunt not long ago . ”

“What’s that?”

There was that one time that Gardo and Ness had been absent for quite a stretch . Perhaps that was what they were doing if they had gone to the southern mountains . Though, they never did tell me . So I had no way of knowing .

“That hunt took place in those southern mountains . ”

Daniela pointed at the mountains that were faintly lit by moonlight .

“They must be survivors who escaped that hunt and wandered over here . ”

I see . There was no other reason why there would be any orcs in such a thin forest .

Orcs lived in forests . But the ones that lived in the northern forest could only be encountered if you went very deep inside . They preferred dense, almost jungle-like environments . And the forest at the base of the southern mountain was so dense it could be called an ocean of trees . It was also connected to the forest that previously belonged to the forest wolves . So we could have entered it, but it would have been dangerous to enter Beowulf’s territory . Well, he wasn’t actually there anymore .

“Encountering orcs in this place… We must have the worst kind of luck…”

“Prepare yourself, Asagi . Every blow from an orc carries a lot of weight . These are monsters that can swing a log with one hand . ”

“Well, that’s encouraging . Do we have a hope of winning?”

Daniela laughs .

“Oh, they are nothing . As long as you do not get hit . ”

She was so cool recently… However, it was as she said . And I was pretty confident because of my high AGI . It was about the only thing I was confident in, actually .

“So these enemies. .h.i.t hard . And so we have to…”

“Make use of our speed . ”

And it was currently night time . Then…

“We should kill them quickly with an ambush . I think that would give us the best chance . ”

“Indeed . Well then, I will attack them with my bow from on top of a tree . ”

Daniela said as she held her bow .

“I’ll hide in the ground and attack from below . ”

There were plenty of dead leaves . I could use water to make them stick to my body for an instant ghillie suit . I’m sure the clean-up afterward will be fun .

“Understood . They will be coming here from the south . Three in all . Can you sense them?”

I use Presence Detection . Immediately, I detect the position of the three creatures . I nod at her and she nods back .

“I would say that our distance is about 700 . And there is a small clearing about 200 away from here . It’s too small for them to camp at, but it will be just enough for us to set up the ambush . ”

She must have gone out scouting as soon as she detected them . I did feel like I was being carried throughout this journey . I had to do my best so I could stand shoulder to shoulder with her in the near future .

“Good . Now, let us begin . Asagi . ”

“Leave it to me, Daniela . We’ll reach that town tomorrow . ”

We b.u.mped fists and then quietly darted off . It was fine . There was nothing to be worried about . We’ll just get this over with and arrive at Spiris .

I watched Daniela disappear into the forest ceiling before stretching a hand out to the dirt . I imagine that my hand is a showerhead and use magic . Just as I expected, water came spraying out and wet the leaves . I lay down over this and rolled around several times until I looked like a dead-leaf monster . Once I was satisfied with this, the next thing to do was find a place to wait . This area was a clearing, which meant it lacked any obstacles . There was nothing you could hide behind .

However, that wouldn’t be too much of a problem now . I just need to lie on the ground and I was hidden . So the thing I really needed to be wary of was the movement of the orcs . We knew that they would arrive from the south . So where would they pa.s.s through? There would be no point in hiding where nothing was happening . I needed to be hidden but also in a position where I could ambush them . I look carefully at my surroundings .

My eyes catch sight of two trees . If the orcs happened to pa.s.s through there, I could hide nearby and attack . The fact that it was so narrow would also help cause confusion in the moment . I would be able to cut off their heads in no time . But how could we lure them to come through there?

I hang some dried meat on the branches . Some fruit too, just in case . All of these were taken from the hollow bag . It was a good thing I brought it with me .

Now, I was done . I quietly put the sword on the ground and cover it with leaves . Then I hold the pommel and sigh . Here we go .

We waited for about ten minutes . The clouds thinned in the sky and the moonlight began to s.h.i.+ne through the leaves . As I squinted, I could see three giant forms walking this way . They were covered in scars . Likely, they were veteran warriors . But their skin was a pale green . They were not human . Monsters . At a glance, they look almost corpulent, but their arms and legs were thick with muscles, kind of like a sumo wrestler . They wielded giant clubs that looked like they were carved from uprooted trees .

They were orcs alright . Their appearance fits right in with what knowledge I had of fantasy creatures .

Oink . Oink . I wasn’t sure if they were breathing heavily or whispering to each other . But the three big pigs were not very quiet as they came closer . I stared and waited for the right timing . They were looking around their surroundings as if searching for something . Then one of them looked in our direction and pointed . Ah, so they were looking for food .

Any sense of caution seemed to have left them as they ran towards the food . They must have been really hungry . Unfortunately for them, this was the end of their road .

A current of magic pa.s.ses through my hand and into the ground . Just as it arrives at the feet of the orcs it turns into a light blue . The ice magic activates . There is no name for this spell . If I had to give it one, maybe ‘Upward Icicle . ’

“HGYAGHHGAGA!!!!!”

They pierced through the feet of the orcs . A dirty blue liquid that was likely their blood, covered the spears of ice as they shot from the ground . Without missing a beat, an arrow came flying down and landed in the brain of one of the orcs . The dead creature fell on its back . Its knees were bent as its feet were fixed to the ground .

I then stood up and swung my sword into the neck of the closest orc . It descended at an angle, cleanly cutting into the thick flesh . But, d.a.m.n . It did not go all the way through . However, a bright torrent of blood sprayed from the wound and rained down on the trees . I could probably just leave it and it would die by itself . But you should never underestimate larger enemies . The trick was to deal a deathblow .

I use magic to create ice in the air . It is in the shape of a sword . Sharp, thin, hard . The finished sword swings towards the half-severed neck .

As I was following this with my eyes, a chill runs down my spine . I don’t have time to see what is happening as I dive forward . A heavy sound and the pressure of wind shoots over my head . There was now a large club right where I had been squatting a second ago . That was close… The orc that should have been stuck to the ground by icicles was now looking straight at me . Its legs were covered in blood, but there was no ice . They must have broken…these guys were insanely strong .

Then I heard a snap . I turn my head just in time to see the other orc fall . Its head had fallen to its feet, the ice sword was stuck in the ground right next to it . So the magic attack was able to kill it after all . The snapping sound must have been the icicles that could no longer support the orc’s weight . In other words, those icicles weren’t strong enough against a force equal to their weight . I needed to make them stronger .

I pick up the ice sword that was in the ground . It was a little cold, but that wasn’t a problem . You just needed to run a current of magic through it and the sensation was gone .

I look at the orc in front of me, holding the steel sword and the ice sword in each hand .

Now there was just one guy left .

I wasn’t in the deepest sleep, but I was still sleeping . But of course, this was going to be another night where I was hurriedly awakened by Daniela . .

“Asagi . Monsters . ”.

I quickly sit up . After grinding my fists into my eyes and opening them, I grab my sword and stand up on my feet

“Gra.s.s wolves again?”.

I take in a deep breath to help get my brain working again . Then I leave the tent and drink a cup of water in one gulp . Thankfully, Daniela always wakes me up with just enough time to prepare before the fight

“No . Unfortunately, it is orcs . ”.

“Orcs?”.

I had heard once from Gardo that orcs lived in the deepest reaches of the northern forest . Later, someone else said that there were also many at the base of the southern mountains . But both of those places were far from where we were now

“Had you heard of it, Asagi? There was an orc hunt not long ago . ”.

“What’s that?”.

There was that one time that Gardo and Ness had been absent for quite a stretch . Perhaps that was what they were doing if they had gone to the southern mountains . Though, they never did tell me . So I had no way of knowing

“That hunt took place in those southern mountains . ”. . .

Daniela pointed at the mountains that were faintly lit by moonlight

“They must be survivors who escaped that hunt and wandered over here . ”.

I see . There was no other reason why there would be any orcs in such a thin forest

Orcs lived in forests . But the ones that lived in the northern forest could only be encountered if you went very deep inside . They preferred dense, almost jungle-like environments . And the forest at the base of the southern mountain was so dense it could be called an ocean of trees . It was also connected to the forest that previously belonged to the forest wolves . So we could have entered it, but it would have been dangerous to enter Beowulf’s territory . Well, he wasn’t actually there anymore

“Encountering orcs in this place… We must have the worst kind of luck…”.

“Prepare yourself, Asagi . Every blow from an orc carries a lot of weight . These are monsters that can swing a log with one hand . ”.

“Well, that’s encouraging . Do we have a hope of winning?”.

Daniela laughs

“Oh, they are nothing . As long as you do not get hit . ”.

She was so cool recently… However, it was as she said . And I was pretty confident because of my high AGI . It was about the only thing I was confident in, actually

“So these enemies. .h.i.t hard . And so we have to…”. . .

“Make use of our speed . ”.

And it was currently night time . Then….

“We should kill them quickly with an ambush . I think that would give us the best chance . ”.

“Indeed . Well then, I will attack them with my bow from on top of a tree . ”.

Daniela said as she held her bow

“I’ll hide in the ground and attack from below . ”.

There were plenty of dead leaves . I could use water to make them stick to my body for an instant ghillie suit . I’m sure the clean-up afterward will be fun

“Understood . They will be coming here from the south . Three in all . Can you sense them?”.

I use Presence Detection . Immediately, I detect the position of the three creatures . I nod at her and she nods back

“I would say that our distance is about 700 . And there is a small clearing about 200 away from here . It’s too small for them to camp at, but it will be just enough for us to set up the ambush . ”.

She must have gone out scouting as soon as she detected them . I did feel like I was being carried throughout this journey . I had to do my best so I could stand shoulder to shoulder with her in the near future

“Good . Now, let us begin . Asagi . ”.

“Leave it to me, Daniela . We’ll reach that town tomorrow . ”.

We b.u.mped fists and then quietly darted off . It was fine . There was nothing to be worried about . We’ll just get this over with and arrive at Spiris

□ □ □ □.

I watched Daniela disappear into the forest ceiling before stretching a hand out to the dirt . I imagine that my hand is a showerhead and use magic . Just as I expected, water came spraying out and wet the leaves . I lay down over this and rolled around several times until I looked like a dead-leaf monster . Once I was satisfied with this, the next thing to do was find a place to wait . This area was a clearing, which meant it lacked any obstacles . There was nothing you could hide behind

However, that wouldn’t be too much of a problem now . I just need to lie on the ground and I was hidden . So the thing I really needed to be wary of was the movement of the orcs . We knew that they would arrive from the south . So where would they pa.s.s through? There would be no point in hiding where nothing was happening . I needed to be hidden but also in a position where I could ambush them . I look carefully at my surroundings

My eyes catch sight of two trees . If the orcs happened to pa.s.s through there, I could hide nearby and attack . The fact that it was so narrow would also help cause confusion in the moment . I would be able to cut off their heads in no time . But how could we lure them to come through there?.

I hang some dried meat on the branches . Some fruit too, just in case . All of these were taken from the hollow bag . It was a good thing I brought it with me

Now, I was done . I quietly put the sword on the ground and cover it with leaves . Then I hold the pommel and sigh . Here we go

We waited for about ten minutes . The clouds thinned in the sky and the moonlight began to s.h.i.+ne through the leaves . As I squinted, I could see three giant forms walking this way . They were covered in scars . Likely, they were veteran warriors . But their skin was a pale green . They were not human . Monsters . At a glance, they look almost corpulent, but their arms and legs were thick with muscles, kind of like a sumo wrestler . They wielded giant clubs that looked like they were carved from uprooted trees

They were orcs alright . Their appearance fits right in with what knowledge I had of fantasy creatures

Oink . Oink . I wasn’t sure if they were breathing heavily or whispering to each other . But the three big pigs were not very quiet as they came closer . I stared and waited for the right timing . They were looking around their surroundings as if searching for something . Then one of them looked in our direction and pointed . Ah, so they were looking for food

Any sense of caution seemed to have left them as they ran towards the food . They must have been really hungry . Unfortunately for them, this was the end of their road

A current of magic pa.s.ses through my hand and into the ground . Just as it arrives at the feet of the orcs it turns into a light blue . The ice magic activates . There is no name for this spell . If I had to give it one, maybe ‘Upward Icicle . ’.

“HGYAGHHGAGA!!!!!”.

They pierced through the feet of the orcs . A dirty blue liquid that was likely their blood, covered the spears of ice as they shot from the ground . Without missing a beat, an arrow came flying down and landed in the brain of one of the orcs . The dead creature fell on its back . Its knees were bent as its feet were fixed to the ground

I then stood up and swung my sword into the neck of the closest orc . It descended at an angle, cleanly cutting into the thick flesh . But, d.a.m.n . It did not go all the way through . However, a bright torrent of blood sprayed from the wound and rained down on the trees . I could probably just leave it and it would die by itself . But you should never underestimate larger enemies . The trick was to deal a deathblow

I use magic to create ice in the air . It is in the shape of a sword . Sharp, thin, hard . The finished sword swings towards the half-severed neck

As I was following this with my eyes, a chill runs down my spine . I don’t have time to see what is happening as I dive forward . A heavy sound and the pressure of wind shoots over my head . There was now a large club right where I had been squatting a second ago . That was close… The orc that should have been stuck to the ground by icicles was now looking straight at me . Its legs were covered in blood, but there was no ice . They must have broken…these guys were insanely strong

Then I heard a snap . I turn my head just in time to see the other orc fall . Its head had fallen to its feet, the ice sword was stuck in the ground right next to it . So the magic attack was able to kill it after all . The snapping sound must have been the icicles that could no longer support the orc’s weight . In other words, those icicles weren’t strong enough against a force equal to their weight . I needed to make them stronger

I pick up the ice sword that was in the ground . It was a little cold, but that wasn’t a problem . You just needed to run a current of magic through it and the sensation was gone

I look at the orc in front of me, holding the steel sword and the ice sword in each hand

Now there was just one guy left