CH 42

“Okay, I guess that wraps up the hunt for today.”

I came from the Adventurer’s Guild to the usual meadow and then to the forest to hunt and dismantle Dashboas and Forest Wolves.

Now that the entire process from hunting to dismantling could be done by magic, monster hunting had become a simple flow of work.

The process consisted of three main steps. First, the monster’s neck was divided into neck and torso by applying the wind magic “Blow Cutter” to the monster’s neck. Then a hole was made in the ground using the “Pit Hole” and the “Blow Cutter” was used to dismantle the monster, burying its internal organs in the hole. The disassembled materials would then be stored in a magic bag.

The reason I didn’t go for the suffocation death by Aquaball of water magic like before was that it takes longer for the monster to die, and I had the advantage of being able to complete the process of suffocating the monster and draining its blood in a single step.

Although it might be an alternative, I feel that it contains a bit of a splatter element to look at. ……Well, after hunting dozens of them, I will get used to the sight of them, so I don’t mind.

“Hm? This presence is…… goblins…… and what is this reaction?”

When I had all the materials for the requested monster, I had a reaction to detecting a sign.

Since defeating Wild Dashboa, I had further refined my abilities, and now I could somewhat understand the identity of a presence.

The goblin itself was not a problem, but what concerned me was the unknown reaction that was not in our data.

The strength of the reaction suggests that it was not a very powerful monster, but an unknown monster could be a threat in its own right.

In such a situation, the sudden appearance of goblins and mysterious monsters made me feel somewhat uncomfortable. This was because monsters have a habit called “territory.”

Each type of monster in this world had its own territory and often acted around that place.

Except in special cases such as dungeons, monsters rarely move out of their own territory unless they have a good reason to do so. So, what is the reason?

“I hope this isn’t a stampede flag?”

Stampede was a term used to describe a situation in which a monster has overpopulated to such an abnormal degree that it cannot be controlled and runs amok.

Stampedes often occurred in fantasy novels, and it was one of the most common cases in which the main characters were involved in other worlds.

“This is something that needs to be looked into.”

If there really was a stampede going on, it would be a vulnerable situation. I decided that I needed to get the information about whether I was going to run or fight.

At the same time as activating the presence detection skill, I also activated the presence blocking skill so that the other party would not be aware of my presence.

After walking through the forest for a while, I was about 10 meters away from the response that was caught by the presence detection when I heard the monster’s voice.

“Gigyi!?”

“Gi–gi–”

“Fugooooo.”

The goblins appeared to be being attacked by something, and they were screaming and panicking. The moment they saw who was attacking them, they immediately understood what it was.

“I see, it’s an orc.”

Orcs, like goblins, were herd monsters, humanoid monsters with the heads of pigs. It was often depicted that orcs kidnap females of other races, especially human females, and use them as a nursery to increase the number of their brethren.

Orcs in this world, no exception, also kidnap the females of other races. However, the discomfort was not in the fact that the orcs were attacking the goblins, but in the fact that the orcs were acting alone.

Orcs, as I mentioned earlier, were pack monsters. Orcs never act alone, and even more rarely on their own.

Such Orcs were currently attacking Goblins. And all alone.

(As I thought, something is happening in this forest. …… Just when I thought the Wild Dashboa thing was over, there’s trouble again!)

I was not paying attention to what was happening in front of me, but inwardly swearing at what might happen in the future.

In the meantime, the goblins were overrun by a single orc, and its carcass lay on the ground. With a yell of triumph, I confirmed that the satisfied orc had gone deeper into the forest, and started following it so that it would not notice me.

When considering the possibility that the orcs were acting alone, the presence of a higher species was suggested. One example would be the orc general.

Compared to the normal species of orc, they were larger in stature, and their size was such that even the rush of a Wild Dashboa would not scare them off.

Although they were monsters, they possessed a certain level of intelligence, and their ability to manipulate orcs as if they were their own limbs was truly worthy of the name “General”.

The higher level Orc-King could lead a troop of more than a hundred orcs, or even a thousand or more.

Although they understand human language and can communicate verbally, their brutal and ruthless nature renders discussion pointless.

(Was there a herd, after all? And is that the……general?)

I followed the orcs and encountered a group of orcs a short time later. There were about 30 or so of them, which was about the size of a medium-sized group, but still, with that many humanoid monsters in the area, they were still a threat.

The orc I was chasing was reporting something to an orc about a size larger than a normal orc.

“BUHI, BUHIBUHIBUHI”

(I don’t know what you’re talking about. But still, Orc General, huh? Can I beat him now?)

I was curious about the strength of the orcs in front of me, as well as the higher-level orc generals, so I used the appraisal to find out and was astonished by the results. First of all, here was the result for normal orcs.

[Name]: Orc

[Age]: 3 years old

[Gender]: Male

[Race]: Orc

[Occupation]: None (C rank)

Physical strength: 1700

Magic power: 200

Strength: B

Endurance: B-

Agility: C

Dexterity: D

Mental Strength: C

Resistance: D+

Luck: E+

[Skills]: Rush Lv4, Roar Lv3, Physical Enhancement Lv2, Unequaled Lv5(+), Cudgel Technique Lv3

Overall, they’re pretty strong, almost as capable as I am right now. And there are 30 of them. ……Yeah, I can’t win.

What’s more, it’s very orc-like to have “unequaled” in the skill column. By the way, you can guess the effect of the incessant affair from the……character.

And when it came to Orc General, the results were beyond hopeless.

[Name]: Orc General

[Age]: 7 years old

[Gender]: Male

[Race]: Orc

[Occupation]: None (B rank)

Physical strength: 2700

Magic power: 400

Strength: A-

Endurance: B+

Agility: B-

Dexterity: C

Mental Strength: B-

Resistance: C+

Luck: D

[Skills]: Rush Lv6, Roar Lv5, Physical Enhancement Lv4, Unequaled Lv8, Cudgel Technique Lv5, Leadership Lv5

Being a higher species of orc, I must say that his power was overwhelming. Moreover, Unequaled was also level 8. I’ll say it again because it’s important, it’s level 8.

Naturally, I was no match for him, and if I fought him, I was sure to be killed.

Fortunately, or perhaps I should say unfortunately, I was currently in a forest more than half a day’s travel away from the city of Rendark by the average adventurer’s feet.

Monsters would never leave their own territory unless something bad happened, so it was unlikely that this herd of orcs would suddenly attack the town of Rendark, but even so, the fact that they were so close to the town was more than enough to pose a threat.

(I have to leave this place somehow……)

I thought inwardly, and with my Presence Blocking in full operation, I retreated backward step by step.

Unfortunately, a tailwind that brushed against my body reached the orcs, and they became visibly noisy.

Orcs were pig-shaped monsters, so their noses were quite good. The wind that blew in accidentally picked up my scent, and the orcs noticed it.

However, since I had turned the Presence Detection off, I could not get an exact location, but at this rate, it was only a matter of time before they found me.

( I have no choice, let’s just run away, even if it means getting found out.)

“[Aquamist]”

As the name suggests, this magic, which generated fog, had the same effect as the spell called ma0sa(+) that appeared in that national RPG, magic that envelops the opponent in fog and takes away their vision.

The sudden appearance of the fog caused confusion among the crowd of orcs. They are probably too confused to look for me.

(Okay, while I still can—!?)

A moment later, as I was about to leave the scene while the orcs were stalled, I felt a bad premonition, and something passed right by my face.

As I looked closer, I saw a large rock the size of a Wild Dashboa lying on the ground, which was also the object that had passed right by me.

(Oh man, if I had been a few centimeters off, I would have taken a direct hit.)

With my nine lives intact, I succeeded in escaping my life with the orcs, who were still in turmoil.