Something’s Strange with the Orcs

We all descended the labyrinth stairs wearing our robes.

“Keruruk!”

As we entered the goblin cave devoid of miners, a group of goblins immediately charged at us. It was a small number, just three of them.

“Isabella.”

I ordered Isabella, not Inis, to handle the goblins. She immediately picked up her bow. She nocked an arrow to the string and drew it.

Whizz―!

With the sound of air being cut, a goblin fell backward. The others approaching us looked completely flustered.

“Keruruk!”

The two remaining goblins scattered to either side. How would she handle this? The question didn’t last long.

Whizz―!

An arrow that had been fired somehow took care of one. Then she immediately released the bowstring again. It was rapid-fire shooting that wouldn’t have seemed strange if done almost instantaneously.

Thud―

The goblin collapsed to the ground without even letting out a death cry. Seeing this, I nodded. I could understand why Egun had said it would be a waste to kill her. Her skill level was impressive.

“Did you teach yourself archery? Or did you learn from a master?”

“I practiced on my own. I didn’t think I could ever stand at the front with a sword. And I wasn’t confident about contracting with a demon.”

“That’s similar to Inis. Inis learned swordsmanship through self-study too.”

“Really?”

Inis shook her head.

“It’s ambiguous to say I learned by myself. I secretly stole techniques from the swordsmanship guild.”

“You didn’t learn formally. You saw parts and applied them, so it’s essentially self-taught.”

“I think so too!”

Isabella looked at Inis with sparkling eyes. Inis turned her head slightly, as if uncomfortable.

“…Shall we go down?”

“Yes.”

We passed through the goblin cave again. Goblins appeared occasionally, but they were all handled by Isabella, so there was no need for me to use magic power.

We arrived at the Green Skin layer. We went down the circular stairs. As soon as we all stepped onto the ground, the stairs collapsed and disappeared.

“Does this mean the calamity is still ongoing?”

“That might not be the case. I heard that after a calamity, the labyrinth undergoes changes in some form.”

“So the disappearing stairs could be a change that occurred after the calamity.”

If that was really true, conquering the Green Skin layer would become even more difficult in the future.

It meant that adventurers would have to search for stairs that continuously disappeared and reappeared, rather than fixed exits. That was a significant burden for adventurers.

“This is troublesome. I was planning to just check Isabella’s skills and go back up today. But now that might be difficult.”

The fortunate thing was that we had brought plenty of food and water just in case.

“Let’s look around for now. We can quickly figure out what’s happening by seeing what form the orcs or goblins are in.”

We slowly scouted the vast grassland. There was no rush. Hastiness in the labyrinth was nothing but poison.

Toot toot toot―!

While we were walking, we heard the sound of a horn. It was a noise I couldn’t forget even if I tried.

“To the right, Master!”

Inis and Isabella were looking around. Isabella spotted the enemy first and raised her bow.

Turning my gaze in that direction, I saw four orcs and eight goblins approaching simultaneously.

‘An alliance?’

Why were these creatures, who were desperate to kill each other just a few days ago, suddenly coming together? This could only mean one thing.

The calamity was over.

I didn’t know which race had won the war, but one side had been subjugated. Seeing the goblins leading the way, it was highly likely that the orcs had won.

Whoosh―!

“Master!”

A goblin’s stone throw broke my train of thought.

“Isabella. Focus on taking out the goblin throwers. Inis, block incoming attacks as much as possible.”

Saying this, I immediately summoned a fire arrow. The divine power advanced toward the enemy as I moved my finger.

Whizz―!

The arrow shot by Isabella brushed past my fire arrow. It stuck straight into a goblin thrower’s head.

Flare―!

The divine power that arrived next began to burn an orc warrior. As its body caught fire, it tumbled and rolled on the ground.

“Kuaaaaaargh―!”

At this sight, the three orcs stopped walking. They suddenly stood in the middle of the plain and began to converse.

I narrowed my brow as I watched them and summoned the next arrow.

An orc with a shield stepped forward. It raised both arms to block the attack. It was futile.

Flare―

I moved my hand to avoid the creature’s shield and then stuck the arrow into its shoulder. Its entire body burst into flames.

“Kuaaaaaargh!”

The two orcs exchanged glances and then gestured to the goblins. At the same time, they began to flee in the opposite direction.

“What?”

Orcs are fierce and aggressive monsters. Even if they know they’ll die, they attack strong opponents without discrimination—that’s exactly what orcs are. If anything, the stronger the opponent, the more orcs like it.

For such creatures to suddenly use goblins as meat shields and run away? This was extremely unusual.

An ominous feeling crept up my spine. With a frown on my face due to the unsettling feeling, I opened my mouth.

“Ignite!”

I shouted at the orc’s back, but nothing happened. It had already gone beyond my range.

“Inis. Chase the orcs!”

“Yes!”

With the current speed of my fire arrows, it wouldn’t be easy to close the distance with the orcs. But she could certainly catch up to them.

Inis began to chase the enemy, kicking off the ground. Her speed was faster than the orcs. Her legs, now fully recovered, moved vigorously as she tracked the orcs.

“Fire Arrow.”

I summoned a flame arrow and shot it toward the orcs. Even if it was difficult to overtake them, it was worth a try.

“Keruk!”

But a goblin took the arrow in the orc’s place. My mind momentarily froze at this unexpected behavior.

Selfish and cunning goblins making such self-sacrificial moves? What’s happening here?

Whizz―!

An arrow shot by Isabella took care of another goblin.

“Ignite.”

After dealing with the remaining one, I belatedly ran after Inis.

Clang―!

The sound of metal echoed across the plain. Bright red sparks flew.

I could see a large orc attacking Inis as if to crush her. Behind it, another orc was seen fleeing.

“Isabella. Stop and shoot whenever you think you can hit.”

“Understood!”

The orc swung its axe repeatedly. Each time, Inis skillfully blocked the attack using her longsword and shield.

This must be the first time she’s properly used a shield, but her talent was remarkably excellent.

Whizz―!

Just as I was about to attack the orc using magic power, an arrow flew. The attack that passed by my face stuck straight into the side of the orc’s head.

Thud!

The enemy’s figure staggered and collapsed. It was an impressively precise shot, but it was too early to admire it.

“Inis!!!”

At my shout, she began running across the field again. This was because there was still another orc fleeing.

“Huff, huff….”

I ran as fast as I could, but it was simply impossible to keep up with Inis and the orc’s speed.

“Master. Are you alright?”

Moreover, Isabella, who had been behind me, had now arrived at my side. This meant there was that much of a difference in movement speed.

“Gasp… I’m fine… huff, I’m fine….”

I hadn’t neglected stamina training, but no matter how much I trained, I simply couldn’t catch up.

Clang!

With my breath coming up to my chin, I finally had to slow down. If I ran any further, it felt like my heart would burst.

“Whew, whew….”

I placed my hands on my knees and just slightly raised my head. Through the falling sweat drops, I could vaguely see Inis fighting with the orc.

The shield wasn’t visible in her hand. Turning my gaze slightly, I could see the shield lying far away. I wasn’t sure if it had been knocked away by an attack or if she had used it as a throwing weapon.

Clang! Clang―!

After that, the sound of metal rang out several times. Unlike before, Inis was now unilaterally pressuring the orc.

She used her speed and small frame. Inis continually hit and retreated, toying with the enemy.

“Kuaaaaaargh-!”

It was the moment when the creature, getting heated up, raised its axe high into the sky.

Thud!

She kicked off the ground. The sight of her diving into the orc’s embrace and stabbing the longsword into its side. The creature collapsed in the very posture it was about to strike.

Slash―!

The embedded sword cut through the abdomen. As the intestines spilled out, the orc could no longer endure. It knelt on the ground, and as the blade passed through its neck, the battle ended.

“Ha….”

Seeing this, I sat down right there. When the tension eased, my legs gave out in turn. Isabella gently sat down beside me.

“Master!”

Inis approached us with a bright smile. A cheerful face.

“Look at this! I can run as much as I want now!”

She jumped up and down on the spot and spoke excitedly. If she hadn’t been covered in blood, it would have been a beautiful scene.

“That’s good….”

“And I feel like my strength and speed have generally improved.”

Probably thanks to Egun’s blessing.

“But Master. Are you hurt somewhere?”

“No… I just ran until I was out of breath for the first time in a while….”

Unlike me, who was completely drained, Inis and Isabella were perfectly fine. It seems I need to do more endurance training.

“Let’s rest for a moment.”

“Yes.”

I brought my bag forward. I took out jerky and water from inside.

“Thank you!”

Inis and Isabella received them and drank. I also gulped down water past my throat. After putting some jerky in my mouth and chewing, I felt some strength returning.

“So it seems the calamity is over?”

“Yes. The goblins were following the orcs’ orders. That means the orcs won the war.”

“I think so too.”

Although I hadn’t met the orc tribal chief, I had encountered the goblin king. At that time, its momentum had been alarming, but who would have thought it would be defeated?

“I wonder how strong the orc tribal chief is?”

“Well, probably incredibly strong? It’s an entity that rules over an entire layer.”

“I hope we don’t encounter it. Looking at what the orcs are doing, it seems a bit dangerous, doesn’t it?”

“Hmm. Yes.”

Inis nodded. Isabella, who had been quietly listening to the conversation, gently joined in.

“I think the orcs fled because of you, Master.”

“That’s what I thought too. They suddenly started to flee as soon as I used divine power.”

“Yes. Considering the characteristics of orcs, for them to abandon both comrades and subordinates and run away? This is definitely a peculiar phenomenon.”

She chewed the jerky and continued.

“This means one thing. The orcs fear you to that extent and simultaneously see you as a target to be dealt with. In our terms, it’s like there’s a bounty on our heads.”

“This happens just as we decide to move to the next layer.”

I let out a deep sigh. I had a feeling that this time, things wouldn’t be easy at all.