-----------------

'While Philip made his way through the forest, Dae went to the room where Petter was sleeping.'

/SNOOOORE…/

'Petter snored loudly as he slept in a small futon.'

"..."

'He looked at the snoring Petter and couldn't help but grimace.'

I hope you are having some nice dreams since from today onwards, it's going to be a living nightmare…

'Dae picked a bottle filled with some dark liquid, ready to pour inside Petter's mouth when he stopped.'

"No need to go so hard at the start." He said as he stored the bottle again

/SMACK!/

'He took out a small piece of wood from nearby and smacked Peter's ass.'

"Eh?..." He said as he woke up groggily as he scratched his bum

"Wake up, we need to go back." Said Dae as he turned around

"Awww… What about Philip?" He said as he yawned

(Jesus… Every time I read this line I yaw, I did this 4 times in a row already, help)

"Philip left while you were sleeping." Said Dae

"... Already huh? Not even saying goodbye to his bro."

"He said goodbye, you were the one who slept like a freaking log." Said Dae

"Can I be blamed for that? As if I could stand there seeing you puncture Philip's body with nails for two hours in utter silence!"

"Enough with your nagging! We don't have time to waste!" Said Dae as he went back to the other room

"It's always about time huh… Speaking of that, what are we going to do now?" Asked Petter as he stretched

"..."

"I'll tell you later, for now, gather your stuff, and meet me in the main room." He said as he left

The first month has passed, but things have not even properly begun yet…

I would say the first year is the most important one but that is not entirely accurate.

… In the end, I wasn't able to teach Philip much.

"I hope the book I wrote is enough..."

He will have to learn the rest on his own.

'Dae couldn't help but think of the original plan.'

Things are drastically different from what 'we' predicted…

However, the results are still the same, our actions this past month won't change the future much, so the original predictions are still applicable.

I just have to consider the fact that everything may be easier since our start was so strong…

With Philip out there, we will soon start to take the reins of the future.

It's just a shame I wasn't able to teach him much and he might have some trouble in the near future vs the initial plan.

However, thanks to the unexpected ability he got a month ago, he managed to read a lot of books… And with the book I gave him, that should be enough to make up for most of it.

"If only I had more time…" Said Dae as he shook his head

I can't throw away another month to teach the rest to him personally…

Not even a week.

It would make the schedule too tight and complicated…

There aren't that many opportunities to have him escape into the world outside in the next few months…

But there is one thing I can say for certain…

What he accomplished this month was nothing short of a miracle.

'Dae looked at his wristwatch.'

"5 months?..."

See you soon bastard.

I will have a lot of things prepared till then…

'And with that, Dae extinguished the light from the candle, leaving the underground church with Petter…'

…

/CLANG!/

/CLANK!/

'Deep in the forest, Orcs could be seen fighting each other just like any other day.'

'But today was not just any day.'

'Thick mist could be seen all around the camp, the Orcs saw the mist and thought it was unusual.'

'It isn't common for such thick mist to appear this time of the year.'

'However, despite the thick mist, they continued with their daily lives. As if a bit of mist would stop them…'

'That is… Until…'

/Sniff… Sniff…/

"Kih jiji!" Said an Orc

(I smell Blood!)

/Sniff!/

"Jiji tyt!" Said his sparring partner as he also started to smell blood

(Me too!)

"Lij Kio, yub Na ta itus!" Said the first Orc

(It's coming from the great Chieftain abode!)

'The second Orc went deep into thought before he snapped his fingers.'

"KAKA! Gyguo erb Na ta fus."

(HAHA! The great Chieftain must be enjoying a meal!)

"Hm… O cocs…" Said the first Orc

(Hm… You must be right…)

'The two Orcs stopped thinking and went back into sparring…'

/Step step…/

'Just when they turned around from the main tent, they heard sounds of steps coming from behind them.'

"?!"

'The first Orc immediately turned around to see a strange figure clad in black.'

'It slowly walked from inside the Chieftain tent.'

'They couldn't see its face, only its eyes, everything else was covered in some sort of dark leather.'

'His blood-red eyes stared deeply at the two of them.'

'On his right hand was a white sword clad in chains, blood could be seen dripping from its tip, and on his left hand was a big, strange metal stick.'

'It didn't seem like that great of an enemy, considering they were over 2.5 meters tall.'

'However…'

/Gulp…/

'The two Orcs stepped back as they looked at the figure in absolute fear.'

'As the figure walked, they could see a trail of bloody footsteps leading inside of the tent.'

'They knew, their Chieftain was long gone.'

"..."

"..."

'Paralysed by fear, the two Orcs remained in place…'

/POV change, back to the Mc/

…

/Chuckles…/

'Philip removed his Silversword from the head of the Orc once called the chieftain, but he couldn't help but laugh.'

{+34567 Blood Echoes}

'In the body of the Orc was now a small white light…'

"This was too easy… Easier than I wanted..."

Obviously, my first target was none other than the Boss of all Orcs.

I never fought against an Orc, so no matter how low level they seem I won't take it easy.

Because I don't know how strong an individual Orc is, it's of utmost importance that I don't let them be led and commanded by another Orc.

Killing him was easy, he didn't even notice my presence… Perhaps I tried too hard by utilizing all of my methods to hide.

"I will use the rest of the Orcs and slowly figure out where my current abilities stand."

'Philip went to the white spot of light and touched it.'

'No matter how many times he did this, collecting loot was his favorite part…'

{Blood vials + 2}

{QuickSilver Bullets +4}

{Coldblood Dew +1}

{Tempering Blood gemstone}

[Your inventory is full hence your items are being transferred to your item box]

[Your item Box is full, you can't acquire the items]

"... Is this it?" Said Philip in disappointment

This loot… Are you telling me this Chieftain is not even a Boss monster?!

He just dropped me shit!

All of these are normal mob drops!!!

'Philip cursed the heavens…'

"I shouldn't have expected anything…" He said as he turned around to leave the tent

Let's continue…

/Splash!/

'Philip stepped on the puddle of blood from the Chieftain without a care.'

…

"Are you two only going to stand there?" Asked Philip as he stared at the two Orcs

This won't do… What are they afraid of? I didn't even activate my Skill yet!

(Predator's presence LvMax (Hybrid) for those who forgot)

Hum… Maybe it's not me?... Oh…

They just saw a man leaving their Chieftain abode with a bloody sword…

Sigh… These guys won't do.

"OH!" Exclaimed Philip

Let me try that!

'Philip closed his eyes and concentrated, he had done this multiple times this past month…'

/Fwush…/

'The blood on the ground started to react as it seemed to boil…'

"I got it." Said Philip as he watched at his sword

'A thin layer of red blood could be seen enveloping the sword.'

/CUT!/

'Philip slashed his sword sideways, and with a red flash, the heads of the two Orcs rolled on the ground.'

{+ 3789 Blood echoes}

{+ 3978 Blood echoes}

/Bloop…/

'Like previously the blood from the two Orcs started to move and condense around the sword.'

"Something seems to be missing…" Said Philip as he stared at his sword

The more blood the sword gathers, the heavier it becomes.

This seems contradictory to the fast and precise swordsmanship used by lady Maria…

I guess this is why it's Level 8 and not Level max… There is still something to learn and improve.

'Philip shook his head. He didn't have time to waste.'

/CRACK!/

'Philip's foot dug into the ground as he accelerated towards the nearest group of Orcs!'

'It was time to rip and tear!'

…

/CLANG!/

'A small group of Orcs was spraying not that far away from where Philip previously was.'

'They seemed to be having fun…'

/BANG!/

/SPLASH!/

/Thud…/

'Suddenly, a thunderous sound echoed in the camp as the head of one of the Orcs turned to mush.'

'All of the Orcs turned their head to a single point in absolute maddening anger, only to see Philip standing there with his bloody sword and fuming gun.'

"Yes! That's the look!" He said as he looked at the Orcs

"ROOOOOOAR!" Exclaimed an Orc

"ROARR"

"ROOOOARR"

'All of the Orcs exclaimed at the same time, they had an intruder!'

"COME!" Exclaimed Philip as he ran after the group of Orcs

/SWUSH!/

'He swung his sword, a red wave suddenly flashed, cutting two of the closest Orcs in half.'

'The other Orcs didn't falter as they continued their charge.'

/CLANG!/

'Philip blocked the ax of a large and muscular Orc but…'

"Pathetic." He said as he kicked the Orc in the guts

/Fwoosh!/

'The Orc was sent flying across the field until he hit the ground, lifeless…'

"Is that all you have?" He said as more blood condensed on his sword.

I barely even felt that!

"ROOOOAR!" Exclaimed an Orc beyond the mist

"A big one?"

[Lv 23]

'Philip smiled as he gazed at the Orc.'

/CLANG!/

'But his smile soon downgraded into one of pure disappointment.'

"Even though your Level is double the average of the other Orcs, it's still bat shit."

No technique and Skill. Just pure brutality.

Not to say its stats are lower than mine...

"ROAR!" Said the Orc as he raised his claymore with one hand and slashed

/BANG!/

'The sound of thunder echoed in the camp again as Philip shot his gun!'

/Splurge…/

'Philip's right hand punctured deep into the Orcs chest, ripping out its heart and crushing it.'

'It's exactly what you are thinking, it was a Ripost attack!'

'Philip used the recoil of the gun's bullet to make the Orc collapse on the ground, allowing him to strike!'

/Thud/

'The Orc fell on the ground.'

"..."

'The other Orcs present observed this with wide eyes.'

'And soon… The first Orc started to run away… Followed by more and more Orcs.'

'The new coming Orcs didn't know what was happening until they saw the body of the muscular Orc on the ground, turning around and running.'

"They are smarter than I thought."

Although I think a creature doesn't need to be smart to understand the notion of escaping.

But I can't allow them to do so.

'Philip's hand turned translucent as he took out an object from his inventory.'

'It was an old wooden flute.'

/~Fiuuu~/

'Philip didn't plan to make any fancy sound as he just placed the flute on his mouth and blew it.'

'The sound of the flute was terrible to the ears, however, Philip seemed fine.'

/Tremble…/

[Madaras Flute

Description:

Flute made by an unknown Hunter in memory of the Madaras twins, denizens of the Forbidden Woods.

The twins grew up alongside a poisonous snake and developed a silent, inhuman kinship.

The poisonous snake grew uncontrollably, raised on a healthy diet of beast entrails.

Even after their deaths, it is said to respond to the call of the twins' flute from within the Nightmare.

After finding the poisonous snake of the nightmare, a Hunter carved this flute in the hopes of calling the true body of the snake from beyond the nightmare.

]

[You are summoning an imaginary creature that lives within a nightmare]

[It cannot exist in a material plane under normal circumstances]

[Processing…]

[Your Class alters reality making the snake's existence possible]

[The snake is very hungry, feed it else it may dissipate into nothingness]

'The ground started to shake as a massive mouth suddenly broke free from the rocky ground!'

"It worked." Said Philip as he gazed at the massive creature that slowly wriggled out of the ground

'Its mouth opened wide, it was bigger than two full-sized Philip's on top of each other.'

'Its body was a mixture of a black, white, and green, although the black was mostly from the mud.'

"Nice to see you again." Said Philip as he petted the massive 20 Meter long snake

/TSSSsss…/

'The snake looked at Philip with its big round eyes, it seemed to think of him... Fondly?'

"Although I want to reconcile, we have things to do." He said as he pointed towards the Orc on the ground

"Kill everything." He said

'The snake looked at the Orc, and it couldn't help but salivate.'

'It looked to the side, beyond the smoke.'

'It had locked into its target.'

/FWOOSH!/

'In the blink of an eye, the horrifying snake disappeared into the mist.'

"... Why is that snake always hungry?" Asked Philip as he thought of the past

"Doesn't matter."

'Philip turned around and left into the mist…'

…

"G-Gu-K-Gu…"

'In front of Philip was a suspended Orc.'

'Multiple red threads bound it in the trees as it slowly suffocated to death.'

"Hum…"

This village consisted of around 5 dozen Orcs.

I tested several techniques and even some Hunter tools that were gathering dust in my inventory.

And the result is…

"I am too strong to figure out anything."

My body is stronger and they are disorganized. There ain't anything to test here at all.

Sigh…

"The worst is that I lost around 20 minutes in only this village when there are dozens."

If every village maintains an average of 50-60 Orcs, that would mean I would have to attack over 200 villages to make for the 10 thousand Orcs…

Even if I cut the time of the raid to 5 minutes, the time I need to travel between each is just as big…

It's definitely possible but I would have to increase my pace.

I have less than a day, perhaps even less since there might be some Heroes who might come here to fight tomorrow early.

The others will only come to hunt later.

/CRUCK!/

'Philip closed his hand, and the red threads cut the Orc into pieces.'

/Swush…/

'The blood slowly moved, condensing into Philip's sword.'

"This is becoming a bother…"

If all of the blood concentrates on the sword, this is going to get in my way.

I only need a minimum amount to perform some techniques.

"How about this?"

'The blood started to move from the sword and into the air.'

'It slowly gathered into a small ball on top of Philip.'

"Much better." Said Philip as he swung his sword around

And I can always control it even if it's not on my sword.

'The large blood ball suddenly shot out several red spikes that penetrated deep in the ground.'

"Rather slow, but much better than before..."

[Lady Maria combat technique Lv8 -> Lv9]

"Oh?"

So this was one of the requirements?

To gather the blood outside of my main weapon… Simple enough

'Philip looked around the place and took out a small birdcage and opened it.'

/DINN!/

'With the clear sound, all of the mist started to gather inside the small birdcage, and soon, it was as if the mist never existed in the first place.'

'With the mist gone, one could now see the multiple bodies of the Orcs scattered around the place…'

'Entrails, body pieces, and blood scattered everywhere... What demonic beast passed through here?'

/Tss…/

'He looked to the side to see the massive snake looking at him,'

"You are here? Good."

'He had an idea.'

"The plan is simple. You go around the place and kill as many of these creatures as you can."

'The snake looked at the Orcs and flashed its tongue out as if nodding.'

"Perfect." Said Philip as he watched the snake go away

"With the snake taking care of the outer Camps, I can focus on getting closer to the main area on the foot of the mountain."

If I am lucky, I may be able to gather enough to max my status.

And also…

"Stronger opponents are sure to be deeper right?"

'Philip grinned as he turned into white mist…'

'... Soon, cries could be heard as they echoed in the forest...'

…

/Over half a day later…/

'Deeper in the forest and near a mountain was a magnificent village.'

'It had extensive crop grounds and sturdy stone walls. Although the houses were mostly made out of wood, this camp had a very basic architectural style.'

'It had wooden lamps that shinned using some sort of strange beetle, it looked beautiful under the moonlight.'

'It even had rudimentary stone roads!'

'However, the place was now filled to the brim with mist…'

'Part of the village was built on a mountain wall, and at the middle section, several dozen Metres above ground was a large wooden house built on a series of platforms.'

"GUOOOO!" Screamed an Orc in fear as its head was blasted into bits

"GAAA!" Screamed another Orc as the blasted bits of his companion head fell on him

"HAHAHA!" Laughed the Red-eyed Demon as it swung its sword around the place

'On the mountain house, two Orcs stood on an overlooking platform.'

'The two gazed at the mist and the occasional screams coming from the mist…'

"Na ta! Jup gertir!" Exclaimed an Orc

(Great Chieftain! We are being decimated!)

"..."

'The Great Chieftain gazed at his village below with a serious face.'

'This isn't your usual Orc. Standing at an overwhelming 4 M tall and with long dark hair, this Orc's muscles were thicker than your average Human male waist.'

'There was no brutality in its eyes, only wonder as it analyzed the situation.'

"Hio Tatum feld." Said the Chieftain with its deep voice

(Sound the emergency gathering horns)

/FUOOOOOMMMM!/

'The loud sound of a horn soon echoed in the plain.'

'All of the Orcs who were confused turned their head as they started to run towards the origin of said sounds.'

/SPLAT!/

"Hm?" Said Philip as he looked up

'He seemed to notice a tall and overbearing Orc gazing at the fields below.'

'His vision was different from others, he wasn't affected by the mist.'

'For him, it was like a very thin mist, but for the others, it looked like a white wall, making them unable to see even their hands if they placed them forward.'

"!"

'The tall Orc turned his head suddenly, looking at the mist.'

'He couldn't see anything apart from a pair of red dots staring at him from within the mist.'

"..."

'He clenched his fists.'

"Gerfior! BAER!" He said towards his subordinate on the side

(My weapon! NOW!)

'But when he looked back towards the mist, the red dots had disappeared.'

"..."

It's strong…

'His body tensed as he thought.'

'But he had a thick smile on his face.'

…

"GUOOO!"

"GUAARRR!…"

/KABOOOM!/

'As time passed, screams and loud sounds of explosions continued to sound in the village, and to the anger of the Orc Chieftain, very few Orcs actually made it to the emergency location even after 10 Minutes.'

'His once beautiful village containing over 300 battle-ready Orcs was now reduced to a few sick, old, and small Orcs cowering in the corner.'

'This happens because, in the Orc hierarchy, the old, woman, and the young live closer to the Orc Chief house while the strong warriors live in the outer perimeter to protect the village.'

"URHHHG!" Screamed the Orc Chief in anger

'The other Orcs around him were also fuming in anger!'

"GYAAaaa…"

'The last scream seemed to be the last straw for the Orc chief as he picked his ax and jumped into the mist from the platform into the ground below like a gray meteor!'

/… BOOM!/

…

/CUT!/

"Things are going well!" Said Philip as he collected the loot from yet another fallen Orc

'The scene of the man inspecting the bodies of the Orcs on top of a red pool of blood and viscera seemed rather... Nauseating.'

'He looked around and noticed he couldn't detect the presence of any Orc…'

'Breathing, sounds, smell, the flow of their blood…. He couldn't detect anyone nearby.'

After interrogating a few Orcs, I got the basic idea of territory distribution and figured out the other villages' positions.

How did I do that? Remember that I can understand them thanks to my language Skill... Most of the time...

It seems as if each camp is ruled autonomously, but in fact, they are all branches from this place… This Village

On the surface, they look like normal Wild Orcs camps, however, every single one of those camps is ruled by a strong High-Orc Officer.

This is quite insane when you start to consider what a High Orc is.

They live considerably far away from the Human territory and they would never in their sane conscience send over 50 High Orcs to watch over Wild Orcs' camps to launch an attack on the Humans.

From their perspective, that's like, picking 50 elite soldiers and having them watch a group of monkeys, only to lead them on a suicide mission against a group you have nothing against.

I can't even see what they would gain by doing this.

High Orcs are also rather reclusive, living in their own zone, far away from Humans.

"However. There is a possibility…"

Like I read in the book Dae gave me, these Orcs are actually Elf slaves.

It's just normal that just like Humans have Elf slaves, Elves would have Orc slaves.

So the Elves are using these guys as a smokescreen, once this event ends, the Humans will try to track the perpetrators… Only to end at the High Orcs.

[+ 4234… + 2367…]

"Looks like the snake is working non-stop."

If this continues, I should, definitely be able to eliminate all of them by tomorrow.

Well, it's already tomorrow…

'Philip picked his pocket watch and read it.'

"5:56 Am… Pretty early in the mooring…"

/BOOM!/

"?!"

/SWOOSH!/

'Philip crouched down as a massive blade cut the air above him, carving out a path in the mist!'

"ROAR!" Exclaimed the Orc as he lifted his ax and swung it down!

"HUMPH!" Said Philip as he swung his sword!

/CLANG!/

/FWUSH!/

'The impact of their weapons pushed the mist around them!'

"?! A… Human?" Said the Orc as he observed Philip

'Philip repositioned himself, putting his sword on his shoulder.'

'He also gazed at the Orc.'

'The Orc was 4 meters tall with gray skin, his hair was also gray, long, and greasy.'

'He was wearing a mix of leather and metal armor, looking like an Orc Warlord as he held his massive ax.'

"Yo." Said Philip

"Why is a Human here?" Asked the Chieftain in an angry tone

"Are you all breaking the promise?!" He said in anger as he smashed his ax on the ground

"Promise? Is this what this is about? We aren't breaking anything." Said Philip

'He had no idea what the Orc was talking about but he could figure it out.'

'It wouldn't be strange for the crown to use a village of Orcs to manage the forest.'

"SO WHY ARE YOU ATTACKING US?!" Screamed the Orc as he kicked the ground, creating a fissure in it

"..."

[Lv ?]

So he is over Level 40? Quite decent…

"Let me ask that question first."

'Philip pointed towards the Big Orc.'

"Can I ask you why you allowed for all of this to happen? To allow so many Wild Orcs into the forest without contacting us?" Asked Philip

"WHAT?! You were the ones who asked me to manage them!" Exclaimed the Orc in anger

"... I see." Said Philip as he smiled

"Why are you smiling."

"Haha… It seems you were tricked... Or were you?"

'The Orc narrowed his eyes.'

"It isn't hard to figure it out, with over 10000 Wild Orcs being led around by a mysterious group of High Orcs… Do you think that's normal?" Asked Philip

"..."

'The Orc didn't reply.'

"It's obvious… In fact, you know about it too… Let me guess? You accepted their offer in return for freedom and to return to your homeland?"

There are two groups of High Orcs here, the ones sent by the Elves, and the ones that made a pact with the crown to take care of the garden.

You can infer the rest…

"..."

'The Orc just grabbed his ax.'

"Sigh…"

"I don't blame you, the crown wasn't really threatening the Orcs here that well."

For dozens of generations, they were forced to live in this forsaken place, and to be targets of the Heroes that appear every 100 years…

To thrive, only to be butchered every so often...

/FWUSH!/

'The Orc sprinted forward faster than a sports car!'

/BANG!/

'Philip predicted the trajectory of the axe and drew his gun quickly, with a precise shot, the Orc lost his balance, allowing Philip to do a Ripost attack!'

'Philip hand glowed red as it made its way into his heart…'

"ROARR!" Exclaimed the Orc as his muscles tightened

/FWUSH!/

'The Orc forcibly broke away from the strange power holding him in place and swung his ax diagonally!'

"Wow!" Exclaimed Philip as he turned into smoke and phased through the Orcs attack

"I guess you need to be this strong to be the big boss!" He said as a large red ball emerged from the mist!

'A portion of the blood moved to his sword, cladding it in a thin red barrier.'

'At the same time, multiple Orcs started to descend from the high ground and converge on their battlefield!'

"KIKA!" Exclaimed the Orc chief

(Retreat!)

"The spectators want to join? Fine by me!" He said as he grinned

'All of the sudden, a terrific pressure started to exude from his body, sending the Orcs to their knees.'

"If you can't even resist that, then. do not interfere!" Said Philip as his pressure peaked

[Predator's presence LvMax has fully activated]

'He turned his gaze to the chieftain Orc that was now holding his ax with a firm gaze.'

"Don't worry, I won't touch them for now…"

'He smiled like a devil.'

"Until I kill you that is."

"#!"

"ROOOOOAR!"

'With boiling anger, the Orc jumped in the air as he slashed his ax down.'

/FWOOSH!/

/CRACK!/

'Philip evaded to the side by using Quickening and he drew out a strange tool from his inventory…'

"There are many things I want to test, so make sure to stay alive!" He said as he grasped the strange marble in his hand

/BAM!/

'The Marble lit up in blue light as a bolt of blue lightning hit the Orc.'

'His gray skin was now fuming, however, no more damage was apparent.'

"Hm…"

/BAM!/

'He did not remain there as he jumped once again, this time, he learned from his previous mistake as he drew energy from his insides…'

/SHIUM!/

'A green wave of energy was released from the ax as it cut the air!'

"HA!" Exclaimed Philip as he gathered energy into his sword and slashed

'Red and Green energy clashed, causing an immense explosion!'

/KABOOM!/

"... Phew… This is great." Said Philip as he cracked his neck

Was that Vital force?

'Below him was now a 1-meter deep pit.'

'But the environment wasn't any better.'

'The houses in a 10-meter range around them were flattened while the ground had many cracks in it.'

"Huff…" Exhaled the Orc as he got up

'He looked forward… Only to see the strange Human take out yet another tool…'

'But his enemy wasn't even looking at him.'

'The Orc anger continued to rise as he watched his enemy under the rising sun, how did he look beneath that mask and hat?'

'Because he wanted to see his expression when he teared his arms out!'

"Let's try this out!" Said Philip as he took out a… Dried Heart?!

/Badum…/

'The heart contracted once, releasing a wave of dark energy that corroded all plants around Philip.'

"ARG!"

'The wave reached the Orc, and although no visible damage was done, the small cuts on his skin started to bleed again.'

"Hum… The effectiveness of the item was reduced…"

/BAM!/

'The Orc slammed his right hand on the ground and said:'

"STOP PLAYING AROUND AND FIGHT ME!"

/SHUA!/

'Green energy was released from his body as he grew from 4 Meters tall to 5 M.'

/CRACK!/

'The Orc charged again with unstoppable momentum!'

"Haha! This is great!" Exclaimed Philip as he stored his gun and grabbed his sword with his two hands

"HUP!"

/CLANG!/

'The two clashed again!'

/CLING!/

/CLONG!/

'And again and again!'

'Within the speck of 10 seconds, they had clashed dozens of times!'

/BANG!/

'Every once in a while, Philip took out his gun and parried his attack with a perfect shot!'

'But every time… The Orc forced his way out of the mysterious energy that held him in place.'

"Is that all Human?!" He said as he swiped his sword horizontally

/FWUSH!/

'Philip took a step behind, perfectly evading the ax, and threw 5 poisoned knives at the Orc!'

/CLANG CLANG CLANG…/

"Didn't I tell you? Enough with the tricks!" He said as he raised his ax high

"..."

'But Philip suddenly got serious.'

'He placed one foot in front of the other and his leg muscles suddenly tightened.'

/BAM!/

"PFFT!"

'Philip suddenly disappeared from his location and punched the Orc on the stomach, sending him flying.'

/CRASH!/

'The Orc crashed against the village wall, breaking it.'

'Philip watched the Orc get up as he fixed his glove.'

"You are strong, but you don't have any technique."

"I can tell you awakened that power on your own without any training, you are talented, more so than most, however, with no technique to fight, that's as far as you can go." Said Philip as he disappeared from his location once again

"?!"

/BANG!/

'Philip punched the back of the Orc's head, sending him crashing into the ground.'

"..."

"I see… So you could've ended the fight from the beginning…" Said the Orc as he rolled on the ground

'His face was bleeding heavily, his eyes tired as looked somewhere on the mountain wall.'

"What a failure…" He said as he closed his eyes

"You lost, not because you lacked strength, but because you lacked teaching." Said Philip as he took yet another tool from his inventory

"A loss is a loss, it doesn't matter how." Said the Orc as he reopened his eyes and looked at the observing Orcs

"Can you…"

"No." Replied Philip

'The Orc closed his eyes again and grimaced.'

"I figured…"

"Even if I let them live, I am sure they would fall towards someone else, and I don't have the time nor the will to care about Orcs." Said, Philip

"..."

'The big Orc stopped talking...'

"ROAAAAAR" He screamed as he mustered all of his strength

/BAM!/

'He suddenly got up and kicked Philip, only to miss as Philip turned into smoke and…'

/BANG!/

/SPLAT!/

[+ 92045 Blood Echoes]

[You got the Wail of Ive]

[You got the Contract written in strange runes]

"AHA!"

I knew he was a Boss. To drop me such loot.

[DING!]

[A considerable achievement]

[You slew a creature 50 Levels above your own]

[...]

'He stated the system messages as it wasn't the place to look at them.'

'Philip looked to the side and locked eyes with the Orcs.'

'They were shaken to their core.'

"..."

'Philip killed many creatures in the dream, some of them were sapient Humans.'

'He is well used to killing such beings, he isn't going to hesitate just because they look pitiful.'

"I hope you have a good life in your next life." Said Philip as the massive blood ball made its way to the Orcs…

/Snap/

'Philip snapped his fingers...'

/BOOOM!/

[+ 3238 Blood Echoes]

[+ 2234 Blood Echoes]

[+ 4235 Blood Echoes]

[+...]

/Splash splash…/

'In the rain of blood caused by the detonation of the blood orb, Philip made his way to the chieftain's abode.'

'He still felt the presence of a few Orcs in there…'

...

'The Hunter's first big opponent was strong, but far lacking in the technique department.'

'So much so he was easily defeated once Philip used his own techniques.'

'Philip might be Level 0, but he has very high stats and incredible Abilities.'

'It would need much more than a strong High Orc to bring him down.'

…

'Philip slowly climbed the long stone chairs leading towards the highest area in the village.'

/Cries…/

'He heard cries coming from the large wooden hit hanging by the mountain wall.'

"No guards? Did all of them…"

/FWOOSH!/

/CLANG!/

"GURG!" Exclaimed the Orc when he noticed his hidden attack failed

[Lv 37]

"Quite decent. But I don't have time to play anymore." Said Philip as he punched the Orc

/CRUNCH!/

'Philip's first dug into the Orc's chest as he punctured a hole that went all of the way towards his back.'

'Philip moved his arm to the side, through the Orcs body to the side as the blood moved from his hand and into the ground.'

"Blood manipulation is so useful, I don't need to stay bloodied for days like in the past."

And Eviscerate is really a vicious technique, my arm punctured that Orc as if it was made out of butter.

I might need to investigate it a bit more later... Perhaps, I should spend some time to try and develop more techniques?

Sigh… This is the difference between having a technique and not having one.

/Creek…/

'Philip took a step inside the wooden house and noticed the silent atmosphere.'

'But despite all, he still felt the shallow breathing of two creatures behind a wall.'

"Hum?"

/BAM!/

'Philip punched the wall, breaking it!'

"GUAA!" Exclaimed an Orc behind the stone wall

"Ah… Shit…" Said Philip as he looked at the scene in front of him

'A frail-looking Orc holding tightly into a small sleeping Orc, protecting it from the debris.'

'The Orc woman looked at Philip in fear, anger, and helplessness as tears fell from her eyes.'

"..."

Where lies the border?

When should I stop?

Is this ok?

These were questions I made for myself many times while in the dream.

To hunt with a friend and to later hunt the friend that became a beast.

To go to his family and tell them what happened…

This Orc is by no means different from a Human woman, but stopping here would be the pinnacle of Hypocrisy.

However, would I stop if the person in front of me was Human?

That's not it.

Perhaps it's the baby, am I hesitating because of the baby?

How stupid, how many Orc children did I slay on my way here?

'Philip breathed deeply.'

"I am not a Hero, nor do I consider myself a demon."

'The Orc looked at Philip in worry, she noticed what was going to happen from his tone.'

"The… Most I can do is make this fast." He said as he drew his gun

—---------------

"... Someone has to pull the trigger kid." Said old man Reggie as he watched the pregnant woman in front of him

"..."

"Don't show me that look, she is beyond saving, and so is the kid…" He said as he patted Philip's back

"Everyone is fighting to survive, it's good you can still feel pity and anger. Hold onto that Hesitation because that is the sign you are still… Human." Said Reggie as he turned around…

/BANG!/

—---------------

'Philip sat on a table inside the Orc chieftains house.'

'On his hand was a small map of the entire forest surrounding the Nadir Royal Garden.'

'This included patrol times, number of troops, defense choke points… Etc.'

"They were really going to attack us…"

And if I backtrack things… As expected.

'Philip looked at a certain mountain path beyond this mountain, that's where the smugglers most likely are.'

"I have a little bit over 5 hours."

They are meant to move at noon.

After that, I would have to intercept them on their way to the Human territory.

Failure is not an option.

'As if to cheer him up the messengers appeared on his side with a bunch of things on their hands...'

'He smiled, took the supplies put on his hat, and cleaned his face with the water from a nearby water stream.'

'He looked at himself in the reflection of the water on the ground and thought:'

What do I want?

After this endless bloodbath?

[Your Trait, Unyielding, helps you maintain your focus]

"Hah… That's fucking right."

'Philip looked behind him to see the endless forest with the massive church he was summoned in, on the horizon.'

"This world… Has much to offer to me!"

Instead of grimacing over one death, I should instead carry on.

If I stop over such a minor thing, how will I face the horrors of the future?

Life isn't fair, there is no need to think about this anymore.

I don't care if I am a hypocrite or if I am a villain… When did I ever care about that?

I just want to…

"Have a lot of fun in this magical world." He said as he turned around and continued on a mountain path

'His destination? The Smugglers!'

/Crack…/

'Behind him, the Orc chieftain house started to burn, and soon enough, it was consumed by fire.'

'Several hours later, the Orc settlement would be consumed by a raging fire…'

-----------------------------