Chương 17: Orc Duo

Entering the grand hallway again, I move forward, ignoring the first left and right small hallways I've already cleared. Every time I enter a bigger area, I expect the far-off corners to be hidden in darkness. But the eerie, even light level everywhere makes the whole dungeon feel like a cheap video game. Come to think of it, I don't remember ever being too cold or too hot, except for when I just finished a fight and was exhausted. I think as I walk, but this time I concentrate when looking for traps.

If it wasn't for my enhanced skeleton, that blade trap could have removed my leg and forced me out of fighting for the rest of the dungeon. If not killing me from blood loss entirely. It only took about ten seconds after the trap for the two hobgoblins to walk out of the room. So yeah, I would have certainly died. I move for a few minutes while imagining different scenarios and fights. Eventually, I come to another two hallways to the left and right, exactly the same size as the two near the door.

The large hallway continues on as usual. I chuckle to myself. Sorta reminds me of the strip mines I used to make in a certain pixelated block game. With some planning, I walk to the entrance to the hallway and set down my weapons. If any enemies spot me, I'll have to run back. But wandering around with a clunky shield and gauntlets while sneaking around is simply a bad idea. Slowly, I slink into the hallway and keep a keen eye out for traps as I move.

The hallway is no different from the ones near the room, but the system indicated increased difficulty the further I moved from my home room. I spot a doorway-sized opening in the wall a distance away. After only making it a few steps, I freeze. Quickly, I slither forward and look at the floor. Only about a foot off the floor, a thin wire leads from a minuscule hole in the wall from one side of the hallway to the other.

For once, I'm thankful that my highest stat is perception, because without any light source, the wire is almost impossible to see without a glint. Carefully, I step over it and keep moving towards the opening in the wall. Heavy mumbles enter my ears as I see the predictable metal cell door. I tiptoe carefully over the cobblestone floor and peek as little of my head as possible. Identify Living Being [Orc lv. 10] [Orc lv. 11] My expression becomes conflicted as I see what's inside the room.

Two orcs sit across from each other, speaking in harsh tones with plenty of Ks and CHs. They don't wield the nailed club of the first orc. No, they wield massive scimitars. Over four feet long and one-handed. Well, I assume they are one-handed compared to the size of the monsters next to them. Furthermore, these are not blades that are falling apart. These swords hardly have any structural damage at all, only a slight bit of surface rust, like they haven't been maintained properly.

I doubt I could use one effectively, even with two hands. Along with that, they are both clad in two knee guards and two shoulder guards. Besides that, they are mostly similar to the orc I fought as the boss of the tutorial area. Seven feet tall, large underbite with tusks or teeth. Actually… My vision narrows. The orcs aren't just similar, they look like exact copies. I can really compare now that the two are next to each other.

The left tusk is slightly longer than the other, and it has the same facial features as well. I see the left orc's head turn slightly in my direction, and I jerk my head back behind cover. Silence. My heartbeat ramps up quickly. My breathing becomes shallower and faster as my nerves rise. I hold my breath. One second. Two. Three. Silence. I don't hear them stand. Four. Five. Six. The orcs continue talking to each other as if nothing had happened.

Shit, that was close I let out a slow and shaky breath, standing up and silently walking back to the main hallway. I want to keep moving deeper in the hallway I'm in, but I'm not sure if I can get past the doorway without them seeing me. My breath steadies as my steps become more casual, not caring about sound as I move further away from the doorway. I look for and spot the tripwire. While I'm stepping over, I think. If they saw me, I would have had to jump the tripwire while running to my- I freeze mid-step again.

Quickly, I turn around and lower my head to the ground. Very carefully, I reach out with a finger and just barely touch the wire. It wasn't pulled taut. If it's not tight, that means it's most likely not for tripping or cutting legs, it's part of a mechanism for activating a trap. A massive grin grows on my face as a plan blooms in my mind. Without thinking further, I move. I run to the main hallway as fast as I can without risking my injured leg.

I slip past my weapons and down the hallway towards the tutorial area. Even in my excitement, I keep an eye out for any other traps. I make it to the wooden door and immediately turn left down the hallway. Enjoying the story? Show your support by reading it on the official site. Passing the first room with a couple of dead hobgoblins, I keep moving. A blade with a smear of blood on it hangs limply from the wall, but I ignore it. My old trail of blood leads from the blade to the second room, and I dash inside.

Right in front of my eyes is the object of my desire. I dash forward, picking up the bow from the floor. I reach and pull the archer's body up, picking up and equipping its quiver. One by one, I pick up the arrows scattered behind it from its fall and put them in the quiver. I count them at fourteen in number. With a bow in hand and a quiver on my back, I retrace my path back to my gauntlets and shield. It's surprising how little I'm exhausted from the run.

Before I entered the dungeon, even a thirty-second sprint would leave me heaving for breath. Shaking my head, I return to my plan. I pull the bow out and knock an arrow. I did a little archery when I was twelve, but the difference between using a carbon compound bow produced by modern technology and a primitive stick with a string is massive. I shoot a couple of arrows at the wall. The impacts dent the tip and make the arrows unusable, but I don't care. Got to make sure I can do what I need to do.

After practicing for a few minutes, I feel satisfied. I know I'll never reach the skill of the original wielder of the bow, but it's good enough. Holding the bow, I move into the hallway where I saw the orcs. I slip over the tripwire and move until the opening comes into sight. My movement quiets down into careful steps as I get closer to the cell door. Eventually, I stop next to it and catch my breath. I hear the orcs continue to speak in their language. Wait a second My face becomes conflicted. System, status.

I go through the screen and open one of my general skills. [Intelligent Universal Translator] [Automatically translates another intelligent user's language into the user's] Confused, I stick my ear out and listen.

"Kra'ama sech mi lam kra'mua sick num." Nope, I have no clue. Does the system not count them as intelligent? Or maybe it just doesn't work on dungeon monsters because the system doesn't want me to understand them? I shake my head and force myself to focus.

"Kevin, focus and stay calm until the fight ends. Also, don't miss," I whisper. The errant thoughts are smothered like a finished campfire. Emotion disappears from my face as I act. I move quickly, displaying myself in front of the cell door. I quickly pull back a knocked arrow. The orc on the left spots me just as I release the arrow. It whistles through the air and hits it in the thigh a few inches above the knee. My suspicions are confirmed that my command can't suddenly make me better at something I'm bad at.

I knock another arrow as the orcs stand up. I fire at the other one, hitting it in the side. The second I release the arrow, I drop the bow like it's a hot coal. I decide to be risky and sprint with my damaged leg. My last sight through the bars of the door is both orcs beginning their charge towards the door with a roar. Excitement fills my veins, and a nervous smile appears on my face as I run. I hear the sound of metal slamming on stone as the orcs throw the door open.

My heart jumps at the noise, but the command hushes it and keeps me moving like a machine. For a few seconds, I run while hearing the heavy slaps of orc feet chasing after me. As casually as possible, I step slightly higher over the tripwire, trying not to seem too suspicious. I make it to my gauntlets and quickly slip them on. Flipping on my heels, I watch them as they charge closer. It's easy to imagine the hundreds of ways this can go wrong, but the command shuts it down quickly with an iron fist.

I stand there and hold my fists up for a few seconds, preparing for the worst. The orcs finally push against the tripwire. I expect a trapdoor to a pit, arrows flying out of the wall by the tens, and I imagine another blade coming out of the wall to hit them. None of that happens. I watch as colossal, sharpened metal poles fall from the ceiling. Not the size of spears, but the size of flagpoles. Over two dozen giant poles fall like rain on the orcs.

The orcs stop and look at the loose wire on the ground, but that's the exact opposite of what they should have done. The first orc catches a metal pole against the head. The pole carves a shallow groove in its head before sliding against it, entering its neck right above the collarbone. The orc's flesh is nothing but a suggestion to the weapon. The pole slides through the orc's body like butter and exits out of the groin with an explosion of gore.

The other orc barely begins to turn his head before it becomes the next victim. The first pole rips through its shoulder, gliding through flesh as frictionless as glass. The pole suddenly catches on a bone, but it doesn't care; the bone simply moves with it. With a horrible ripping noise, the orc's arm is forcibly removed from the shoulder. To follow, a second pole makes itself known, digging through the orc's thigh only for a few inches before exiting again.

It finishes by digging and rooting the orc's foot in the stone. In only a few seconds, all the poles leave their deliberately hidden holes in the ceiling and crash to the ground. All of them embed several inches into the stone floor. The orc on the left doesn't make any sounds. Its eyes simply dim over a handful of seconds. Chime As I expect, the noise is quickly followed by the roaring ecstasy of a level up. The familiar well of life appears within me, but feels weak.

The pitiful sensation is overshadowed by a thick feeling of reinforcement. My bones become denser. My skin thickens and compacts. My muscles strain and become more solid. The orc that's still alive roars in pain, but I ignore it as I delve deep into the tingling of my body changing. After a few seconds, it finishes, and I take a deep breath and smile. I leap into the air.

"Yahoo!" My plan actually worked!

"Hahahaha!" I laugh to myself for a second before it's watered down by the painful noises of the orc. A cough sounds out as I clear my throat with an embarrassed face. A single gauntlet goes on my hand before beginning the short walk. The orc doesn't react to me and only looks at its foot impaled to the ground by a giant lance of metal. I speak as I get closer.

"Sorry, buddy, I celebrated a bit too soon there."

"I don't want you to suffer any more than you have to." I reach the trap zone and begin weaving through the small forest of metal poles casually. The orc looks up and finally notices me. With surprising reaction speed, it reaches down towards the sword it dropped when it was first hit by the trap. My expression turns serious, and I pick up the pace, sliding around the poles and winding up a punch. The last expression I see on the orc is disbelief when it can't pick up its sword.

The arm it's using to grab the weapon isn't there anymore. My gauntlet crashes into its face hard, sending it crashing to the ground. But I know these things don't die so easily. With a hardened heart, I pull my gauntlet up, bringing it down and crushing the orc's face in. I hoist my weapon up again. The orc weakly moves its arm in front of its face, but I kick it to the side. I slam the gauntlet down again. And again. And again. After the fourth strike, I stop, finally hearing what I was waiting for.

Chime I sigh and stand up. With hope in my eyes, I check the bodies of both of the orcs, finding a couple more bread sashes. When I look inside, I find a pleasant surprise. The sash is not a sash, but a pouch, and it's full of jerky. I happily pocket both of the bags and move onto the room the orcs came out of. Before I enter, I see my poor bow, snapped clean in half. One of the orcs must have stepped on it on the way out. I look at the broken bow with a somber expression. Guess it wasn't meant to be.

Moving on, I enter the room and take a look around. The scenery is the same, just bones and sticks. The reward chest is far easier to find this time. Instead of being the size of a jewelry box, it's now big enough to hold something like a dagger. It's also a little prettier with no jutting small spikes of wood to catch as splinters. I pop it open, eager to actually find something, but the insides only hold a sound. Chime I shrug and toss the box over my shoulder.

Exiting the room, I pass by the orcs, wondering if I should take one of their swords. Eh, I'll come back if I need them for something. I stop by the entrance of the hallway to grab my shield and other gauntlets before beginning my trek home. Let's see how I grew this time.