A Long Day

  After slaying the orc, I felt a slight sense of relief. The battle had been more insane than I expected. This wasn’t just any bloodthirsty beast—it was intelligent and had excellent control over its magic, unlike most other bloodthirsty creatures. It truly fought like a fierce warrior.

  We managed to defeat it because of our teamwork and support for each other. Without that, victory would have been much harder—not impossible, but certainly more costly. I surveyed the battlefield; none of the archers had died, and the prince was unharmed. The knights had successfully taken down the creatures drawn to the noise of our battle.

  The snow bears and other creatures lacked awareness or intelligence. They attacked purely on instinct. You could dodge and wound them, but they would keep coming. It was best to take them down in one strike.

  Thaid was unscathed, having skillfully exploited the openings we created for him. Stone, on the other hand, had sustained some injuries—not life-threatening, but bad enough to require treatment. As for me, I was in pain, my head pounding like hell, and I had lost hearing in my right ear due to excessive use of my innate ability.

  Thaid touched my shoulder with a wide, happy grin. “We did it!”

  I smiled back. “Yeah, we did.” Then I lightly smacked his back, cutting short the dramatic moment. “We need to move. The weather’s getting colder.”

  The prince’s voice rang out as the noise of battle settled. “You all did well,” he said with a look of pride. “We defeated the Flame Orc without casualties. A great victory. We should return and inform the king.”

  I replied, “We can’t go back.”

  His face showed clear surprise.

  The reasons were simple. The forest was still full of monsters. The Flame Orc might not have been the strongest or the weakest among them. We couldn’t take the risk. Also, the weather would only get worse. Trying to return in such conditions was suicide.

  I proposed a practical idea. “There are a few things we need—some dry wood and the orc’s meat.”

  The knights’ faces were filled with disbelief, but then their expressions shifted.

  “We’re not… eating it, are we?” one of them asked hesitantly.

  You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.

  I answered, “It’s not a choice. We don’t have enough food for everyone. This is for our survival, so you all need to accept it.”

  I drew my sword and approached the orc’s corpse. What remained was nothing more than a cold, pitiful body. Stepping onto its chest, I plunged my blade into the lower section of its heart—the organ responsible for producing mana. It could be considered a second heart, one that pumped magical energy. Destroying it was crucial to prevent other monsters from consuming it and growing stronger.

  I also plucked out its eyes and crushed them. Monster eyes contained high concentrations of mana. It was an instinctive action—something I had done for years, making it simple and natural for me. But for those who weren’t adventurers, it must have been a terrifying sight.

  There was a sense of regret, though. Both the orc’s heart and its eyes held immense value. It was a shame they were nothing more than illusions.

  Removing an enemy’s eyes was the last thing I needed to do. I stretched my muscles and prepared an attack with the Dark Lord’s Sword. This blade had an incredible ability to absorb mana from its wielder or enemies, and the dark energy flowing through it could be unleashed in a devastating strike capable of piercing through anything.

  The reason I hadn’t used it before was simple—it consumed a massive amount of energy and took time to draw mana. In that time, the orc would have simply cut me down. He wasn’t some cheap novel villain waiting for me to charge my attack. Well, once I became stronger, I’d be able to use the sword more effectively.

  With two swift swings, I severed the orc’s arm at the joint.

  The prince raised his voice. “Drag it inside. We’ll feast on orc meat tonight.”

  We retreated into the cave for shelter. It was vast, dark, and filled with skeletal remains. Its walls were lined with various plants, and there were rocks and sand lightly mixed with moisture. Overall, it was warmer and more reassuring than the outside.

  Forty minutes later, everything was set. The orc’s arm had been dragged inside, and dry wood had been gathered for a fire. The soldiers, horses, Prince Fabian, Thaid, and Stone were all inside. Stone had regained consciousness after passing out for a few minutes following the battle. He seemed ashamed of losing consciousness.

  Thaid sat beside me, attempting to lighten the mood with jokes. On my left, Stone sat in silence, while in front of me sat the prince. The soldiers were gathered in separate groups at the prince’s request.

  The prince spoke first. “Well done, everyone. The Flame Orc had been attacking the fortress repeatedly. My father will be proud of this victory.” Then he turned to me. “Based on your experience, Ilarion, what rank do you think that orc was?”

  As he spoke, I glanced at the yellow piece of meat roasting before me. The aroma was surprisingly appetizing. I looked at Thaid and Stone, then sighed. “Alright, I’ll answer.” I took a bite of the meat before continuing.

  “It’s simple. This is the power ranking system. I mentioned before that I’m an adventurer, so I’ll explain it in a straightforward way. There are five ranks for humans and six ranks for monsters. Each rank has five levels, with 5 being the weakest and 1 and 2 being significant power jumps. The same applies to both humans and monsters.”

  Human Ranks (Weakest to Strongest):

  5 – Mana Observer

  4 – Absolute Sense

  3 – Authority Master

  2 – Core Master

  1 – Mana Lord (Strongest)

  Monster Ranks (Weakest to Strongest):

  6 – Lost Beast

  5 – Bloodthirsty Beast

  4 – Corruptor

  3 – Harbinger of Destruction

  2 – Calamity

  1 – Disaster Lord

  “This is the power hierarchy. The orc we fought was a Bloodthirsty Beast, rank 2, if I had to guess. That explains why the power gap was so significant.”

  Ilarion smirked bitterly. “The Vile Spider was a Corruptor, rank 5... Alright, we move at dawn. Eat and get some rest. We have a long day ahead.”

  I turned to Stone. “I know you’re not feeling great, but I need you for something.”

  He glanced at me. “What do you need?”

  “I want you to seal the cave entrance.”

  Stone stood and muttered in a weak voice, “Watch this.”

  He grabbed the staff strapped to his back and struck the ground firmly. Holding it in one hand, he raised his other hand from the ground upward. The cave trembled as the earth at the entrance began rising. It was an impressive sight, but it took time.

  I told him to leave a small opening for air. He snapped, “I know that! It’s obvious, don’t order me around!”

  I smirked silently, thinking to myself, Does he have childhood trauma or something? Maybe...