24 Chapter 24: The orc arc

Obviously, I didn't go to a tavern to drink and drown my sorrows. I was under the legal age for drinking anyway…or I would have been in Japan, but that didn't mean I was going to start drinking in Restia because of different laws.

Alcohol just didn't appeal to me.

"Is there a library?" I asked one of the villagers, who stared at me strangely and shook his head. Evidently the mass printing industry hadn't taken off yet and most of the citizens were illiterate. There wouldn't be a point in establishing a library in a small village like this.

It was a pity. Reading was my only source of entertainment. With nothing else to do, I headed to a tavern and ordered some meat. While dining, I began conjuring my blue holographic screen and reading the eBooks stored inside my Library of Eden.

Oh, wow. So I can do something like this too.

Since we were subjugating orcs the next day, I decided to read up on orcs. Even though I had just slain one, I thought I would read up on them. Selecting the encyclopedia on demon and monster species, I scanned the contents page for the relevant topic and tapped on the orc tab, which immediately brought me to the appropriate page.

EBooks were so convenient.

"Yvonne-chan! Over here!"

Hmm?

I glanced up as one of the customers called out to the waitress. Unlike Miranda from the Blue Moon Inn, Yvonne was a brunette with shoulder-length hair. She wasn't dressed in a maid uniform, but the tight outfit clung to her feminine curves and emphasized her assets, and her short skirt revealed a lot of thigh.

"Sure!"

"Another cup over here!"

"Right away!"

She was busily running up and down, serving customers to the best of her ability. But never once did she lose that bright smile.

Wow, I'm impressed by her professionalism.

She couldn't be much older than me, but she was a lot more mature. She certainly was more matured than the 16-year-old teenagers in my party, even the usually composed and polite Alan. There was a lot Alicia could learn from her.

I decided not to disturb her. If possible, I wanted to make her job as easy as possible, so I sat in my own corner, poked my meat and engrossed myself in reading my eBook. Orcs were basically like hobgoblins in terms of size and strength, but in much greater numbers. They might lack the cunning of goblin shamans and chieftains, but they possessed tremendous strength and great skill with weapons. They usually wielded melee weapons such as clubs, broadswords and axes while outfitted with heavy armor that made them impervious to blade and arrow.

Fortunately, I didn't use such physical weapons. It appeared that they were vulnerable to magic, so my best bet of defeating them was my destructive spells.

Even though Alicia was dressed in a noble-looking dress that seemed more like a uniform from an academy, from what I gathered, she was a knight like Alan. Alan might seem strong, but Alicia probably wouldn't have the sheer power to punch through the orcs' armor. Probably she relied on speed and dexterity, in which case she could pinpoint the vulnerable spots with precision and deal fatal wounds. But at this point this was all speculation.

Well, I'll get to see her fight tomorrow, I guess.

It was too bad the Orcs here didn't have shootas. The one I met had a choppa, but that was it. So no looted Battlewagons, Trukks or any of those things they would have if they were Orcs in space.

How disappointing.

I popped another slab of meat into my mouth and washed it down with fruit juice. Flipping the page, I was disappointed to see that the entry on orcs was over. Maybe I should switch to a novel or historical records of warfare against orcs…

Before I could find the relevant books, someone came crashing into the tavern, screaming.

"Th…there's trouble!"

Slamming the door open, he staggered into the tavern, blood flowing down his destroyed arm. His face was as pale as a ghost and he was shivering violently, probably from shock. He was on the verge of collapse, which wasn't surprising, given the amount of blood he had lost.

"It's the orcs! There are a lot of orcs!"

He fell, but I caught him before he hit the ground. With a wave of my hand, I casted Regeneration on him, and his mangled arm was restored.

"What…?"

The man stared at me blankly, his jaw dropping.

"What did you do?"

"Healing spell," I replied, but my voice was drowned out by panicked screams. The customers in the tavern were yelling and screaming in panic.

"Kyaaa!"

"What do you mean a lot?"

"We've to get away from here!"

"Hurry up and run!"

"Hide all the girls! Don't let them find the girls!"

I glanced outside the window and caught sight of massive, lumbering shapes whose silhouettes were barely outlined in the night. Fortunately, thanks to me being an undead, I could see them clearly as if it was day.

The orcs looked exactly like the picture as depicted in my monster encyclopedia. Humanoid boars that walked on two legs, they were over three meters tall, with dark brown skin and tusks sprouting from their lower jaw. Unlike goblins, whose noses were hooked, the orcs' noses expanded into a boar-like snout, and their triangular ears were perched atop their bald heads, twitching as they listened to the cries of human victims.

As I thought, they were heavily armed and dressed in armor that was half metal and half leather. They were smashing resisting men apart with clubs or cleaving village guards with broadswords while grabbing hold of whatever women in sight.

Like the goblins, I doubted I could reason with them. I briefly wondered if I could get them under control with Machiavellian Charisma, but as usual I couldn't count on that to produce any tangible results. In other words, I had no choice.

"Yvonne-chan."

I stood up from my table after swallowing the last of my steak, and walked toward the exit.

"Eh? Um…" the waitress was flustered as she watched me leave the safety of the tavern for the dangerous outside. "Dear customer, the orcs are…"

"I know. I'll deal with them. For now, here's my payment."

"Eh?"

I placed a single silver coin on the table. Even though most of my pay was input as credit in my guild card, I had drawn some money over the week for pocket change because there were many outlets and shops that didn't accept payment by credit.

"That's a little too much…"

The meat and fruit juice was only 15 bronze coins, but I paid a silver coin, which was equivalent to 100 bronze coins.

"I don't need the change, so you can just keep it. Consider it a tip."

"O…okay."

Perspiration dripped down Yvonne's face as she watched me go, but she didn't protest any further. She probably thought I was a suicidal idiot.

In a way, she was probably right. I was stupid.

Why the hell was I imitating a 40-year-old ossan from a light novel? Especially when his actions were so stupid…come to think of it, was he really a 40-year-old ossan? His actions and behavior seemed so juvenile. I mean, when a bloody teenager like me can pull this off so naturally, then why was a middle-aged man doing it? What was the point of making your protagonist 40 if he was going to behave like an impulsive, horny high school student?

I kicked the door open and drew my staff before striding boldly into the open. Much to my dismay, most of the village was already in ruins, with the orcs going to town on the residents. Blood spurted to my right as a man fell, screaming.

There were two orcs right in front of me. While the one on my right was slicing the poor male victim to bits, the one of my left had taken hold of a girl and ripped off her clothes, getting ready to **** her.

Typical…same as goblins. The orcs killed the guys and raped the girls. I could see the female victim in front of me pleading and weeping.

"W…what do we do?"

There was a single villager who had followed me out of the tavern, clutching a spear nervously. He was useless in combat, clearly an amateur who had never fought before. The guy was shaking so badly that he was close to pissing himself.

"You stay back."

The two orcs had noticed me. Letting go of the girl and leaving the poor guy alone, they straightened and lunged forward.

"Waaagh!" they shouted as they charged with their choppas. I sighed and shook my head.

"It must be nice to be such idiots."

Raising my staff, I unleashed a Doombolt that obliterated the both of them in a single go. Their smoking corpses dropped to the ground, almost like puppets with their strings cut. The armed villager beside me flinched.

"What…how…?"

"Help the wounded back into the tavern. I'll take care of the rest."

As I stepped past the weeping woman and the wounded man, I casted Regeneration on the latter. His eyes widened as his severed arm was reattached and his fatal injuries mended in less than a minute.

"Whoa…how?!"

"Healing spell. Now get into the tavern if you don't want to get cut up again."

The guy didn't question the stroke of fortune and quickly scrambled into the tavern. The armed villager helped up the poor girl and escorted her back into the safety of the tavern. As they did so, I continued into the junction.

An entire horde of orcs awaited, slaughtering, raping and looting. They noticed that two of their comrades had just been annihilated, and they turned toward me.

"The first who strikes has the advantage."

I let loose a couple more Doombolts to destroy at least five more before the rest of them closed in on me, enraged. There were so many of them that they formed an impenetrable ring around me, their broadswords, clubs and axes held in front of them. Bellowing in guttural voices, they charged forward, hoping to make use of their superior numbers to overwhelm me.

Doombolt wouldn't be practical here. At least not before they cut me up. Actually, I doubted they had the ability to cut me up, especially when I had my Redwood jacket on. There was no way their crude weapons could pierce the multiple protective defensive layers that my Redwood jacket projected around my body.

That didn't mean I was going to stand around and let them hack at me.

"Corrupting Darkness."

I slammed my staff against the ground and unleashed a colossal tide of miasma from the center, which spread rapidly and engulfed the attacking orcs. The boar-like beasts howled in agony as their skin blackened and they crashed onto the ground, rolling about. The nearest orcs died immediately, turning into desiccated corpses as the foul magic depleted their life forces, but the remaining creatures were tenacious enough to survive.

Growling in vengeful fury, they picked themselves up and resumed their charge, hoping to kill me before I could launch another devastating attack.

Corrupting Darkness was a great area of effect attack that could hit multiple targets at once, and was great for anti-horde tactics, but it lacked the power and strength of Doombolt. Consequently, a single blast of Corrupting Darkness wouldn't be able to clear out the entire pack of orcs. Having fought the goblins the other day, I understood this very well.

That said, it wasn't the only trick in my arsenal.

"Reanimate."

The dead orcs rose jerkily to their feet. Whether they had been split apart by my Doombolt or corrupted by my Corrupting Darkness, it didn't matter. They were all equal before my necromantic spell, conscripted into serving me as undead warriors.

The living orcs spun around, horrified by the sudden onslaught from their once-living comrades. They felled a lot of the undead, but the zombie orcs felt no pain and continued to stubbornly claw at the living, biting, scratching, slashing or attacking in whatever manner that suited them the most. Most of the orcs fell before the relentless tide of the dead, which only grew bigger after every skirmish.

The zombies weren't immortal, though. Many of them succumbed to their living brethren, who loped heads off rotting necks, or disarmed them by amputating their limbs. Despite their best efforts, the dwindling number of orcs found themselves vulnerable to my snipes as I picked them off with well-aimed Doombolts.

At the same time, while my zombies were keeping the enemy orcs busy, I casted Regeneration on the wounded villagers, healed them and sent them running to safety. It didn't matter how badly they were hurt, or if they were on the verge of death. As long as they were still alive, I could restore them to full health. I could do nothing about the dead, or psychological trauma (particularly the **** victims) but I was going to save as many people as I could.

"Go! Run!" I snapped at the male victims, who were staring at their restored bodies, amazed that they were brought back from the brink of death. "Hide first, ask questions later! You don't want to get cut up again, do you?"

That was persuasive enough to get them to listen to me. Rising to their feet, they scrambled into safe refuge while the battle between the dead and the living raged on.

Within a few minutes, the village was left with nothing but a zombie horde. Many of them had fallen, but it a still a healthy number…about six or seven.

Compare that to zero living orcs.

"Hmph. Small fries."

I was the guy who killed two heroes and devoured the Demon Lord. There was no way mundane orcs could pose a threat to me…at least that was what I wanted to say, but I wasn't stupid enough to underestimate my enemies like I did with the goblins. The moment I became complacent was the moment my foes took advantage and kill me.

"Ah…"

I turned around and caught sight of a couple of armored mercenaries who were staring at something enormous. A gigantic foot crunched against the gravel stone of the village, almost causing a tremor.

"It's the high orc!"

The male mercenary shouted in fear as he looked upward. Unlike the normal orcs that reached a maximum height of three or four meters, this orc towered over ten meters, dwarfing even the buildings and houses in the village.

The two mercenaries staggered backward, reeling from the horrifying sight. I glanced up calmly, recalling the information that I had read from my encyclopedia.

High orc…so the leader of the orcs, basically…only that it was over twice the size of a normal orc and ten times more powerful. Just one of them could level an entire village by himself. They were basically on par with giants.

"Why is he here?"

"Hurry up and run away! You need to escape too!"

The two mercenaries fled before the terrifying visage of the gigantic high orc, sprinting past me. I ignored them and stood my ground, glaring defiantly at the high orc.

"So…if this is a game, he's the equivalent of a boss monster, correct?"

Licking my lips, I gripped my staff tightly and prepared to cast a spell. It didn't matter if it was a high orc or a boss monster. They were all the same to me. I was a hero-killer, the ultimate antihero. If I couldn't slay a high orc, how could I ever achieve my goal of vengeance?

"Tanaka-san!"

As I exhaled and got ready to finish channeling my magical energy, a familiar voice called out to me. Turning around, I caught sight of the flustered trio rushing out of the inn. They were all fully dressed. Allen and Alicia were clad in the pristine, silver armor of knights while Sophia had her magician cloak on. The two girls had drawn their weapons, but Alan's broadsword was still sheathed on his back. The guy was so panicky that he had forgotten about his sword.

"Sorry for the wait! I heard that there were orcs…"

The three of them paused when they saw the carnage and the seven orc zombies, their expressions turning into absolute shock.

"What…?!"

I didn't blame him. He must be completely terrified, particularly at the sight of the high orc.

However, I didn't know why they bothered to come. They were completely useless.

My seven orc zombies launched themselves at the high orc, who didn't hesitate to crush his former comrades. The first one was squashed to a pulp underfoot, while the next two were cleaved apart by his gigantic broadsword. Snarling, the high orc swatted a fourth zombie away, sending the undead orc flying into the wall of a nearby building. So tremendous was the force that the zombie went splat and burst like a ripe fruit against the brick wall.

In the space of ten seconds, more than half of my zombie squad had been obliterated.

"Come on," I muttered. The remaining three zombies, deprived of their free will and fear, continued to claw away at the high orc, but he smashed one of them against the ground with a hand, turning it into bloody paste. He kicked the sixth one, sending it flying sky high, its body folded unnaturally. Needless to say, it was broken beyond repair, disappearing over a couple of buildings. The final one was diced into pieces by the sheer weight of his broadsword.

"That's not good."

It looked like I had no zombies left. Maybe I should have used Thousand Astral Graves, after all. Enhanced zombies would have stood a much better chance against an enemy of this magnitude. It didn't matter. Even without my zombies, I was still confident of defeating that big, ugly brute.

If worst comes to worst, I can still use that.

"Tanaka-san, what's going on?"

Before I could answer his question, the dark shadow of the high orc enveloped us in utter darkness, and the three of them gazed up in horror.

"Eh? T…that's a hi…high orc?"

"Why is it in a place like this?" Alicia demanded, her voice quivering in fear. I shrugged and gave a speculative reply.

"Must be one of the survivors from that last battle who fled after the Demon Lord was killed. I guess he and his war band was wandering around the area aimlessly."

"No, that's not what I meant…"

"Anyway, that's the last one left." I ignored Alicia. It was so good to return the favor. Childish, yes, but absolutely satisfying. "Let's all try our best."

"Are you an idiot? That monster is no longer on the level where we can beat it by trying our best!" Alicia snapped. Alan nodded in agreement.

"If it's just us, then it's impossible. Normally, high orcs are high-level monsters that can only be defeated by several parties of at least mid-ranked mercenaries or warriors." He placed a hand on my shoulder to stop me from advancing. "We need to call the knights!"

"Then call the knights," I replied, my gaze falling upon a wounded couple who had failed to get away in time. The high orc was passing by them, but it suddenly stop to rest its gaze on the immobilized couple. "But there's still people who are unable to escape. I'll draw the high orc's attention and buy them some time to get away."

"Even so! We need to retreat!"

"Uwaaaa!"

The couple screamed as the high orc reached out to crush them into a bloody pulp with its gigantic broadsword.

Before its massive weapon could reach them, however, several explosions buffeted its colossal body and sent it reeling backward.

"Sophia!"

Alan and I glanced back at Sophia, who had raised her staff and launch the devastating bombardment of fireballs. She was panting heavily from the exertion, her face red and perspiration dripping down.

"Amazing! If it's magic, then he's weak against it…"

Alan trailed off even as the smoke dissipated from the colossal high orc's face. It gritted its teeth and roared. Other than its ugly face being singed, the high orc looked completely unscathed.

"Eh…?"

Alan and Alicia trembled when the high orc turned toward us. The two knights stood their ground firmly, but I could hear their teeth chattering and their armor jangling as they trembled in fear. Meanwhile, Sophia had sunk to her knees, completely exhausted from using that massive spell earlier. The three of them remained behind me, unsure whether to run away or put up a last-ditch fight. As for me, I already knew what I wanted to do.

The high orc, sensing my intention, bellowed as it lumbered toward us. Raising its titanic broadsword, it slashed at us.

"Uwaaaa!"

Alicia screamed as she tried to shield Sophia with her body. Despite trembling in far, Alan firmly stood in front of the girls to protect them the best as he could. As for me, I stepped forward and parried the blow with my staff.

The massive blade stopped as it clashed against my staff…no, it wasn't just my staff. The broadsword failed to penetrate even one layer of the protective enchantment my Redwood Robe provided. And I had a dozen layers.

"Is this some sort of a joke?" I murmured, staring at the dozens of invisible layers that shielded my body. The high orc's arms trembled as it tried to force its broadsword down, and it finally broke through the first layer. However, the top layer regenerated and repaired itself near instantaneously, rendering its efforts wasted. Roaring in frustration, the high orc put all its weight into it, and the ground beneath my feet split from the pressure. Despite that. I felt absolutely nothing, the multiple barriers of my Redwood Robe holding up. The first layer broke a couple of times, but it regenerated almost immediately, much to the high orc's infuriation. "Is this the best you can do, you giant oaf?"

"Guoooh!"

"Oh, shut the hell up."

I was feeling bored. Time to end this.

"Shadow Lunar Fang."

The entire village was enveloped in an enormous crescent-shaped arc of black magical energy. The high orc bellowed thunderously as it was swept off its feet, disappearing in the overwhelming wave of destruction.

The shadowy crescent surged all the way up and sliced into the heavens, breaking apart clouds and almost reaching the moon. The silvery rays of the moon then bathed the desolate ruins of the village, casting some sort of illumination on the aftermath.

The high orc lay on its side, most of its body obliterated by that blow.

"Hmph."

I lowered my staff and shook my head while pushing my glasses up my nose with my other hand.

"Wha…what are you…?"

Alicia stammered as she stared at me in disbelief, still being shielded by a completely confused Alan, who was watching the entire scene, dumbstruck.

What a useless bunch of mercenaries. In the end, if I wanted to get the job done, I had to do it myself. As I thought, I was better off being a solo mercenary.

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"Hah…" I exhaled in relief. As much as I wanted to look cool, that last attack took a lot out of me. I was feeling exactly like Sophia right now, completely drained and exhausted. But I refused to turn back and reveal my true state, and instead remained standing. "Not a problem at all."

"What…?"

"I got high from blasting the high orc sky-high."

Despite himself, Alan couldn't help but burst out laughing.

"You sure did, Tanaka-san," he chuckled, shaking his head in disbelief. "You sure did."