72-062 斃 Orcs

It was only a few minutes after the death of the hobgoblin that my detection caught the reaction.

Two reactions a little bigger than vipe-bears. They're coming towards us.

"I don't know if they're orcs or not, but they are. They seem a little stronger than vipe-vears.

"Then it's almost certainly Orcs. The only thing stronger than a vipu bear around here is the rare report of an ogre.

The ogre is overwhelmingly strong, so it should be more than 'a little' strong, apparently.

What should we do?　We don't have much time.

I don't know if it knows we're here or not, but it's approaching us almost straight away.

We have a few tens of seconds to spare.

"This time, Toya and I will handle it. If it gets dangerous, we'll need backup.

"All right. Be careful.

Toya and Natsuki stepped forward, weapons at the ready, while Haruka stood back a little, bow at the ready. Yuki and I have our weapons ready, but we are basically preparing for magic. In the event you're not sure what you're looking for, there are a few things you can do.

And then I saw the Orc ....... It's not what I imagined!

I had imagined it to be a large, pig-like creature that walked on two legs, but the creature that appeared had fur.

Its body was also more toned than I had imagined, and it was over three meters long, about the same size as a Weipu Bear. It looked like a biped based on a boar.

The face has tusks, though somewhat short, similar to those of a boar.

It holds a thick branch in its hand, perhaps as a club, but it does not appear to have been modified, nor does it wear any clothing. As a result, his crotch is in full view, but unlike humans, it can be retracted to a certain extent, and aside from his balls, his rod is not so conspicuous.

Thank God. If they were in such a state of readiness, we would not want to get close to them, let alone the women.

I hope they don't get so excited by the battle that they go to .......

I guess they noticed too.

Yes, they did. I'm not sure at what point it ...... smelled?

The way he approached cautiously, club at the ready, did not indicate that he was careless. At the very least, it was sure to have noticed us before we came into view.

The boar has a nose good enough to search for truffles in the ground. Depending on the direction of the wind, it might be able to spot me from a distance beyond my search area.

As the distance between us approached, Natsuki was the first to move.

He held his spear in a low stance and closed the distance at once. Toya jumped out to follow close behind.

The orc reacts to the two, but he's a little slow.

By the time he raises the club in his hand, Natsuki is already in attack range, and the spear is thrust out.

The tip of the spear dipped under his chin and slipped over his head to reveal a bloody point. At the same time, the upraised hand lost its strength and the club rolled to the ground.

Toya's was not a long one, and perhaps that was part of the reason. He jumped up in front of the other one and swung his sword down, but was caught by the Orc's club with a slight difference in time.

He dove for the middle of the thick club, but the wood seemed to be quite strong and did not seem to break.

The orc swung the club and tried to send Toya flying, but Toya timed it well and landed safely on the ground.

For backup!

No!

Toya shouts, takes a step back, and in the next instant, shrinks his body and leaps forward with his left shield at the ready.

The orc's left leg was just ahead of him. As soon as it hit his thigh, there was a thud, followed by the sound of a branch snapping and the scream of an Orc.

As the orc slumped and fell, Toya slipped behind him and plunged his sword into the back of the orc's neck, stopping it in an instant.

Nice work.

I clap my hands, and Toya opens her mouth, looking a little disappointed.

No, Natsuki beat me.

No, that's the nature of the weapon. No, it's a characteristic of the weapon.　I can't do that.　I can't do that.

Come to think of it, I've never seen a proper charge from Toya.

I'm not sure if it's a good idea, but it's a good idea. ...... Although it was more powerful than I imagined.

The femur supporting that huge body was snapped with a single blow.

It's not just the joints that are targeted from the side, it's the muscles wrapped around the femur that are hit head on and broken, the power is tremendous.

I mean, Toya, what about that charge?　I'm glad you got lucky and broke it, but the timing was wrong, but the location was wrong. You should at least aim for the joint.

You're right. If he steps on it, he'll get a clubbing blow from his back.

Toya scratched his head and laughed at both Haruka and Yuki's criticism.

You can't deny it. I'm sure you'll be able to find something that works for you.

I'm sure you could have won without using [Charge]. If you think about the difference in physique, there was a possibility that you could have been stopped, and if you think about safety, you have no choice.

"Well, well. It's your first time fighting an orc, and you have three backups, so that's why you're fighting the way you are, right?　If not, I'm sure you'll fight more carefully, right?

I'm sure that's ...... true.

It's not a bad idea to try it out with a margin of safety, if you put it that way.

But to be honest, it was weaker than expected.　I'm sure you'll be able to figure it out.

Yes, it's running slow, and it wasn't very strong, but maybe that's reasonable?

"...... What do you mean?

My spear skill is level 4 and Toya's is level 3. If the maximum skill level in this world is 10, then I think we can be considered to be at a reasonably high level. On the other hand, the Orcs and the Ogres, which we haven't met yet, are weak enemies in comparison to the rest of the world. If we are struggling at our level, there will be no one who can kill the really strong demons.

I'm sure you're not the only one who has a problem with this.

I've been able to use my spear better than I did at first, even though my skill level hasn't improved.

It's hard to raise your skill level.

Well, I've been training diligently, but I've only been doing it for less than two months, so it's not surprising. If it only takes a few months, the highest level won't be 10.

Oh, by the way, I'm now level 3 in archery.

"Oh, really?　I've been practicing more than Haruka, haven't I?

What?　It's not that easy.

In the event that you're looking for the best way to get the most out of your business, you'll want to take a look at this website.

I'm not sure what to make of it.　I'm not sure what to make of this.　But I'm still level 3!

"That's still understandable since it's 3 to 4. But Haruka and I are both level 2. We both have the same talent .......

Is it possible that there is a difference in the same "talent"?

I'm not sure if this is a good idea, but I think it's a good idea.

It's not a comparison. You can't compare the two. Even though Toya had no talent, he got the stick technique relatively quickly and made it to level 2.

...... I guess that's true.

Yeah. I'm sure you're not the only one.

I'm sure I've studied more hours than you, but I'm losing in grades!　Why? You can't date Haruka and her friends if you're thinking like that.

It would be much more meaningful to ask for advice and make an effort before thinking like that.

"Hey, don't talk like that, let's dismantle it and go home. We don't have much time.

"Oh, yeah. Sorry.

I apologize to Yuki who interrupted me as if out of frustration, and we all proceed to dismantle the orc.

I'm not sure what to do, but I'm not sure what to do.

Fortunately, Toya and I have also acquired the [Dismantling] skill, and Haruka is now at level 2, so we can work more efficiently. Natsuki doesn't have it yet, but he's been helping me, so I'm sure he'll get it soon.

He seems to be able to handle a knife well because he can cook, so he can do it in a shorter time than us.

As for the motsu, we will collect the same parts as the boar, but discard the head and the tips of the limbs because they are somehow unpleasant. But there are fingers.

"Why does it have fingers when it looks like a boar?

"Well, boars are even-toed ungulates, but that doesn't mean they don't have fingers.

Is that so?

Yes, they do. The fingers have degenerated and the third and fourth toes have become hooves, so it is possible that the other fingers would still be there if they had not degenerated. Or maybe they evolved again after degenerating. I don't know about that.

So those hooves were fingers.

I don't know if they evolved from boars to orcs, or if they went through some other evolutionary process, or if they just ignore all that because they are demons, but I don't think the fingers themselves are strange.

I'm not sure if it's a good thing or not.

If you don't pay attention to it, you don't think it's a finger. If you're not conscious of it, you don't think of it as a finger, but more like a paw.

According to Yuki, dogs and cats have five toes on their front legs and four toes on their back legs.

This orc has four feet. "This orc has four legs. It has five hands, so it's similar to cats and dogs.

I see. But Toya?　Don't bother to show me, okay?

I protested to Toya, who lifted the cut off leg and pointed the sole at me.

The fact that it looks more like a monkey than a cat or a dog is even more disgusting.

Is that so?　Biologically speaking, it's kind of interesting.

I'll leave that to the scientists. I'll leave that to the scientists. Get on with the dismantling.

Yeah. I'm almost done with .......

The meat is divided into parts and packed in individual backpacks, and the parts that don't fit are placed in other bags on the side. There are five such bags in total.

They vary in size, but each of them must carry at least one bag to collect the amount of meat that can be carried. All that remained on the ground were limbs, bones, heads, and organs. ...... Again, it looks like the scene of a freak murder.

"Hmm, what a waste of bones. If you take them home, you can get pork chops from .......

I'm not sure what to think.　I honestly don't think I'd have much of an appetite in this situation.

Toya's mental structure is too tough. In the beginning, you and I were pale when we dismembered the boar.

I wonder if one day I'll be able to look at a bloodied pork chop and think, 'That looks good.

Toya, you can't do that.

Oh, tell him, Haruka!

Pork bones stink and take a long time. You can't use it until you buy a house.

That's it!　You can't use pork bones unless you make ramen.

Well, you don't make it at home unless you have a lot of free time. It's not worth the cost.

Considering the amount of fuel, time, and ingredients needed to boil, wash, and crush the bones, and then boil them with vegetables and broth ......, the bar is too high to make it for just a few people.

It's not like you can store it for a long time, so you can't make it in large quantities. ...... Or is it possible now?　I'm not sure if it's a good idea, but it's a good idea.

I'm not sure what to do. We don't have much time.

"Oh, right. It might get dark if we don't hurry. Nao, Toya, take the course that avoids encountering enemies as much as possible.

Don't be absurd. We'll just go back the way we came. We'll keep looking for them, but ...... let's hope we don't run into any orcs.

The hobgoblin didn't notice us, but judging by the orc's movements, it's possible that he noticed us first from outside my search range.

We each lifted a sack of meat and started walking out of the forest.