Chapter 7 - The Second Trial (4) (1/2)
Chapter 7: The Second Trial (4)
Surprisingly, it happened in an instant.
My strengthened stats played a role in taking him down, but it was mostly because he was in shock from the situation.
But…
「 You have absorbed the soul of the orc. 」
「 Number of souls in possession – 1/5 」
「 Proficiency increased by 7% 」
“Huff, huff.”
Although I caught him off guard, an orc was an orc.
I just barely dodged all his attacks and managed to stick my sword into his neck.
「 Activating Skill – ‘Accelerated Regeneration.’ 」
The small wounds I got during the process already started to close.
‘Is this how accelerated regeneration works…?’
My energy was sapped from my body as the wounds disappeared.
‘I didn’t know until now but…’
I finally understood the regeneration’s mechanisms.
As the name suggests, the skill speeds up the healing process of small injuries by consuming my vitality.
Of course, it wouldn’t do much against life-threatening injuries.
But…
‘I’m healed enough to fight again already.’
I don’t have to use any of my potions.
At least, not yet.
I’d consider using them if I was in a pinch later.
Still gasping, I converted the soul into extra stats.
「 Permanently increasing your stats using the souls in captivity. 」
「 Strength increased by 2. 」
「 Agility increased by 3. 」
「 Stamina increased by 4. 」
「 Number of souls in possession – 0/5 」
Unlike the worker orc’s soul, the guard orc’s soul also increased my stamina.
As a weight lifted off my body from the extra stamina, I noticed something.
‘The rate at which my strength is increasing has decreased.’
But it was pretty easy to guess why this was happening.
My stats were starting to reach heights where it wasn’t possible to easily increase them.
It was a pleasant surprise.
That just meant I was surpassing the limits of a normal human.
“Huff, huff’
I panted as I looked around with the sword and shield in my hand.
In the split second it took to kill those orcs, the fire spread to the entrance and completely blocked it off.
‘Good.’
That meant the hunter orcs wouldn’t be able to come in through this entrance.
They’d have to take the long way around if they wanted to get here.
Of course…
“That applies to me as well.”
I realized that I was also in a position where I couldn’t easily escape now.
I got the 2 orc souls going for me though.
‘I even killed a guard orc so this is going better than I planned.’
I was initially worried that the increased stats would feel foreign to my body but…
It felt strangely natural.
‘Maybe it’s because my stats aren’t too high yet.’
Either way, it didn’t feel bad at all.
It would cost me the trial if I needed more time to get used to these new stats.
“Sheik! Sh-sheik! Sheeeeeik!”
“Sh-sheik? Sheeeeeik!”
“Sheeeeeik!”
A group of orcs poured out from the entrance.
There was an old orc in the center of the group, as though he was being protected.
‘That’s probably the chief.’
They seemed to recognize me as a threat as they were armed with a bow and arrow, stone swords, and spears.
‘Well, it would be stranger if they didn’t know with all the commotion I caused.’
‘Thanks for grouping up for me.’
There were only about 5 enemies.
And only one of the five had a battle-related job.
The worker orcs weren’t too dangerous even if they were holding a weapon.
So…
Tatat!
While the orcs were still taking in the situation, I ran in to seize the opportunity.
With my current stats…
I had a feeling I could get through this battle.
“Sh-sheeeeeeik!”
One of the orcs aimed its arrow at me.
Whoosh!
It was fast.
Looking at the speed and accuracy of the arrow, the orc seemed to have some experience with the bow.
It wasn’t something I could dodge at my current stats, but my shield wasn’t just for show.
Ting!
“Sh-sheeeeik?”
I raised the shield and easily bounced off the arrow.
The bow-wielding orc was clearly flustered, but I wasn’t.
I swiftly slashed my blade at the bow-wielding orc’s neck and sliced through.
“Sheeeeeeeeik!”
“Sheeeeik!”
The nearby orcs pointed their swords and spears at me to no avail.
It was honest, predictable, and sloppy.
Their only target was my heart.
I took a step back and held my shield up to my chest.
Worker orcs tended to have little to no battle experience and only relied on their natural strength.
Tang!
On the flip side, although I’ve only just started getting stronger, I’ve been studying battle techniques for the last 7 years.
So it wasn’t too hard to block their attacks.
“Sheeeik!”
The orcs seemed surprised that their attacks were blocked.
This is what happened to most people who lack fighting experience.
Same with orcs.
Sket!
I swung my sword as their spears and swords bounced off my shield.