hotmtlnovel Book 3: Chapter 6
Book 3: Chapter 6
Book 3: Chapter 6
Orc Subjugation
I would hold back a group of orc that included a rank 5 by myself for a month.
Anyone would surely consider me crazy or suicidal if they only heard that sentence. I thought that it would cause some argument in a good or bad sense when I announced that, but perhaps I had threatened everyone too much with my pressure, because everyone there consented instead.
The number of enemies based on the previously obtained information was more than fifty normal orcs who were equivalent to rank 3 each, four orc soldiers who were equivalent to rank 4 each, and then an orc general who was a rank 5. Militias with no combat skill wouldnt even serve as meat shield if they fought such group head on. Even soldiers with proper training would need ten times the orcs number in order to match them.
Thinking properly, anyone should think that a hundred or more adventurers and soldiers would be needed just to hold back such group of orc.
That was based on proper thinking.
Perhaps I would be able to find the house where Gil and Shuri were living in if I searched for it but, I had no intention of looking after someone I didnt know. If Gil and Shuris little brother and stepmother planned to run away then Id at least buy them time to do that. But, it would be their own choice whether to run or stay here.
I had heard about the general location of the orc group from the guilds receptionist lady, but the soldier who first talked to me told me about the location in more detail. I then headed toward the orcs base right at that same day without staying for the night.
I was told that it was two days distance from here with the average adventurers speed, so I should be able to shorten it to around half a day if it was me.
The location had a village until around ten years ago, so there should be a road for carriage to there, but now that road had been reduced into animal trail now after ten years had passed.
I tried examining the ground when the road turned into grassy place midway. I found large footprints that had passed through there recently, so it seemed that I wasnt heading to a wrong way.
After that I found several more spots that had similar footprints. From there I guessed that the orcs werent moving independently but in group of around three.
Orcs intelligence was something like above goblin but below human, however higher rank monster had the tendency of getting smarter, so I could catch some glimpses even just from the footprints and trails I found that the orcs were under a leadership.
I wouldnt say that I couldnt defeat a group of orc that consisted of at least three orcs, but the opponents were still rank 3 monsters despite everything. It was possible that they would call for help if I failed to defeat all of them.
Monsters strength wasnt in their flexibility and adaptability from having multiple skills like human, but their brute force from their single skill and high status. An orcs combat strength was only around half of mine despite also being a rank 3, but I would be in disadvantage if I faced more than one of them due to their high stamina point. I wouldnt be able to whittle down their stamina completely in a protracted battle.
Besides even if I defeated some orcs, the other orcs could discover their corpses and learned that they were under attack. In that case they might attack the town as revenge.
The omnivorous orcs were staling the corps remaining in the farms outside the town, so they werent troubled for food until now, but just like human, surely they would get greedy after their basic need was fulfilled and they would want meat next.
Orc was omnivorous. And they liked meat more than vegetable. I guessed they were also hunting around the abandoned village, but if they ran out of game there, the orcs would definitely attack the small town for meat.
But
I mustnt misunderstand here. I wasnt a hero or a saint.
What I had to do wasnt exterminating the orcs. I mustnt forget that in the end my objective was only to buy time until the towns residences escaped. To do that, what I needed to do wasnt hunting the orcs who were procuring food and driving them into a corner, but maintaining the current situation.
A self-deprecating smile formed on my lips as I was considering such strategy.
Thes no such thing as proper strategy at this point of time though.
.
I advanced through the forest while keeping myself hidden. Half a day passed before I encountered orcs walking inside the forest. As I thought they seemed to be moving in a team of three. It was very troublesome but they werent beyond my means to defeat.
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OrcOrdinary Type RaceBeast DemihumanRank
Magic Power7280Stamina
Overall Combat StrengthWith Body Strenghtening
.
It seemed they were equipped with rusty spear or crude stone axe, but I should be warier toward their stamina parameter. It was possible that I wouldnt be able to finish them off even with surprise attack when their stamina was that high.
They werent carrying any prey with them so these orcs were most likely patrols against external enemy that dared entered their territory. In that case I would only put the orcs in high alert pointlessly if this team didnt go back. Even if I wanted to target them I could only wait until they were very far away from their settlement.
After that I encountered another orcs several times. I hid inside a bush to wait them to pass me or crawl on the ground to slip from their side. Then I finally arrived at the abandoned village where the orc group was living.
It looked like that village originally had logs driven into the ground to act as wall that surrounded it, but some spots had become very damaged or rotten now. The orcs only piled some rocks half-heartedly at those spots to block the hole.
I returned into the forest temporarily, then slathered my mantel with the soil and mud of the area to cover up my figure and scent. I also slathered mood on my face and hair.
From here, I couldnt be discovered by them even once.
They mustnt detect me even once until I had finished all my preparations.
I had a meal that only consisted of a bit of dried meat and nutrition pills that were made with alchemy. I hid myself by clinging on a tall tree trunk until it became dark at night.
Other than that, I also had a bit of acid. I slathered it on the joining points of the weapons that the orcs carelessly placed outside the houses in order to weaken their weapons durability.
Patiently and thoroughlythe malice that was me was permeating into the orcs.
I didnt do anything foolish like getting impatient and lying my hand on them.
I wasnt someone powerful like Feld or Grave. I didnt overestimate myself so much that I thought I would be able to continue defeating them bit by bit in group of two or three until they all died by my hands.
My failure would directly lead to the death of many people. If I carelessly took action and the orcs action surpassed my expectation for even just a little, that would become the place where I died.
Failure couldnt be permitted. I couldnt give even the slightest chance for the orcs to counterattack.
That was why facing this large army of the orcs that was like a giant rock, I didnt use a great sword to split it open or breaking it from the sides using hammer, instead I whittled a hole into it using a needle to pour in malice(poison).
.
But, even that would reach the limit soon.
The poison that I used wasnt anything significant. In the first place it was just medicine that couldnt even be called poison. What I used was just common medicines like laxative or medicine to treat nasal inflammation.
There was no need for me to explain what laxative was. It was originally something that was used to eject poisonous substance from inside the body, but it would cause dehydration when it got used for long period and lowered the stamina.
And then the nasal inflammation medicine had the effect of reducing snot when someone caught fever. However, it would make the throat became abnormally dry as the side effect. And then it would make the orcs drank the water more and more, bringing in more of my malice to gnaw inside the orcs.
After three weeks passed, almost all of the orcs were starting to get dehydration symptom.
It was then the orcs finally started to consider that something was causing this. It seemed that they thought the cause came from eating the dropped meats.
They were half correct because I had also mixed the poison into the meats. There the orcs that were in charge of hunting and made to rest because of the dehydration symptom and the orcs that were in charge of stealing crops from the town were sent outside the abandoned village in order to look for foods other than meat.
But they soon ran out of food with just that. The higher rank orcs that preferred meat should choose to attack the town after this.
There was one more week until the evacuation of the residents who could run away was finishedI sensed that my effort to buy time in this way would reach its limit soon, so I started with the last step of the strategy, which was me directly stopping them.
Three orcs were walking inside the forest. They were carrying furs that they used as bag instead of large weapon, so they were most likely planning to gather fruits and wild plants that seemed edible instead of hunting.
But, their condition was different from three weeks ago. They seemed lifeless and it looked like just walking through the undulating ground of the forest was a difficult task for them.
I would manage somehow if it was like this.
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OrcOrdinary Type RaceBeast DemihumanRank
Magic Power5482Stamina11739
Overall Combat Strength154/28345DOWN
StatusWeakened
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*Tan* I kicked on the branch and leaped down from the tree where I was looking down on the orcs. I readied Galbass black dagger and put my whole bodys weight to the stabbing the blade into the skull of the orc whose combat strength had been halved.
*Gatsun-!*
BUMOAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA-!!
Even then it didnt die instantly and let out a death throe. The other two reacted and yelled in warning. But, their voices wouldnt reach the other orcs from this location.
The remaining orcs yelled while attacking me simultaneously with their rusty axe and hatchet.
*Hyun-!*
Buoo!?
The blade of the pendulum that I made to circle around grazed an orcs eye. I kicked up the rotten leaves under my foot to the face of the other one, blocking its sight. I readied the black dagger and a thin knife with both hands and stabbed them together toward their brains from below their jaws.
Buboo
It was a bit hard but, even I could stab through the relaxed muscle of orc. When I pulled out the blades that pierced the orcs from below their jaws, *blob* blood spilled out as though they were coughing it out and the two collapsed at the same time.
I dont hold any grudge against any of you.
You all had simply, become our enemies.