Chapter 170 — Caught
At last.
At long last, he had found him.
The half-awakened orc concealed himself between the rocks and swallowed the swelling exhilaration within him.
After he had wandered outside following the scent of the leader’s blood, the leader had absurdly been hiding inside the cave.
No, it could not even be called hiding.
The only place within the cave that every orc knew, the very center of the cavern—
It was hardly appropriate to say that someone lying there defenselessly was hiding.
How the nearly dead leader had returned here was of no importance to the half-awakened orc.
Blinded by the joy of finally claiming the position of leader completely, the orc had no room to think about anything else.
All he had to do was eat that neck, and the next position of leader would belong to him.
He did not know why he wanted that position.
No, he did not even know whether he truly wanted to become leader in the first place.
Yet he felt no sense of discomfort.
It was as though someone inside his head were endlessly repeating that nothing else was worth considering.
There was no reason to resist such a powerful impulse.
Besides, his opponent was an old, powerless individual who had lost one arm.
There was no reason to hesitate.
“Kweek….”
Letting out a cry resembling delight, the orc lunged at the one who had once been leader.
The position of leader was finally his.
“Kweek!! Stop!!”
It would have been—
Had a single obstacle not stepped between him and that perfect opportunity.
“Kweek!!”
The orc staggered backward after the dimwit suddenly stepped forward and kicked him in the chest.
Quickly regaining his posture, the orc raised his head and glared at the dimwit.
At the appearance of another individual aiming for the leader’s head, the orc’s pupils narrowed.
The wariness in his eyes soon transformed into violent fury.
“K-Kweek, you...!”
Most of the orcs in the group looked alike, and there was usually no need to distinguish one from another.
But the half-awakened orc could never forget the dimwit.
The bastard had already interfered once when he had been on the verge of claiming the position of leader.
“Kweek, this time, you won’t interfere.”
His voice contained a thick, deep rage that did not match his stammering speech.
Though he did not finish the sentence, it also carried his determination to tear the dimwit’s body apart this time.
But the dimwit did not retreat.
His mind was dull, but even he understood. If he moved aside now, the one-armed orc would truly die.
This was different from merely stalling for time while following the humans.
He did not know why, but he did not want to see that happen.
Even if death came eventually—
Even if the moment arrived when the one-armed orc inevitably disappeared—
He did not want it to be now.
The dimwit did not know when he would be able to accept the leader’s death. But at the very least, it was not now.
The dimwit tightly closed his mouth and endured the murderous gaze of the massive orc.
He had been lucky last time.
He knew that such good fortune would not follow him again. His opponent also knew him well.
The orc did not miss the moment when the dimwit’s eyes shook, unable to cast away his fear completely.
With a vicious speed that did not suit his enormous body, the orc charged.
“Kweek!!”
With a short scream, the dimwit avoided the attack.
It was not a perfect evasion.
He had surrendered his shoulder to avoid an attack aimed at his neck.
“Kweeeek!!!”
The dimwit clutched his shoulder, where the bone was half exposed, and screamed.
The wound quickly healed.
But after experiencing the pain once, his body’s fear grew even stronger. The dimwit retreated with such desperation that it looked pitiful.
What stopped the survival instinct trying to outrun every thought in his mind was the thin, miserable leg at the edge of his vision.
One leg of the unconscious one-armed orc lying on the ground.
At that moment, the warning bells ringing in the dimwit’s head fell silent.
If he fled now, the leader would undoubtedly be eaten.
The orc who had nearly become leader noticed the change in him as well.
Following the dimwit’s gaze, the orc’s eyes gleamed with greed.
This time—
This time, he would finally fulfill the desire he had failed to achieve.
Without hesitation, he charged toward the leader.
The dimwit threw himself at the enemy as well. The two orcs tangled together and rolled across the ground several times.
“Kweeeeek!!!”
After instantly pinning the dimwit beneath him, the orc became certain of his victory. His teeth were just about to sink into the dimwit’s neck.
“Kweek, so it was you.”
At the low, metallic voice above his head, the orc looked up.
His eyes met the cold gaze looking down at him.
During that brief moment of hesitation, the back of his neck was seized in one motion.
Unable to resist the tremendous strength, the orc was forced backward and collapsed onto his rear.
He sprang upright immediately.
But by the time he regained his vision, the one-armed orc had already kicked him in the stomach.
His breath caught from the pain, and his body lost its balance and fell forward. After taking the leader’s attack head-on, the orc could not think clearly.
How was this possible?
The speed and strength were impossible for the one-armed bastard, who had looked ready to die at any moment.
This could not be happening.
When he had personally torn into that neck, the bastard had not even been conscious.
Then what was this—
Thud!
Before he could fully understand the situation, the orc was kicked in the solar plexus once more.
Bending forward from the pain that felt as though his organs would burst, the orc barely remained conscious when a merciless hand seized his throat.
“Kweek, let go...!”
Fearing that his neck would be torn out at this rate, he hurriedly swung his arm.
This time, the attack from the right connected.
The leader, having lost his right arm, could not properly defend that side and was forced to release his grip.
Once the attack landed, the orc’s mind finally began to work rationally.
That was right.
There was no way the bastard could be perfectly fine. The leader’s condition had not improved. He was merely forcing that worn-out body to move.
He was only bluffing with an indifferent expression.
The certainty that the leader’s physical condition matched his expectations relieved the anxiety caused by uncertainty.
Once his doubts vanished, he began noticing every ruined part of the leader’s body.
The right arm that had not recovered at all. The face covered in countless wounds. The skin that had split from a single attack.
The corners of the orc’s mouth curled upward.
“Kweek, so you can b-barely stand after all?”
The leader did not answer.
Regaining his composure, the orc glanced at the unconscious dimwit lying on the ground.
“Kweek, that i-idiot might be fooled, but I won’t. Kweek, you won’t last long.”
The leader silently stared at the orc, who grinned without hiding his excitement.
The bastard was right. He would not last long in this condition.
If he failed to defeat him here, both he and the dimwit would undoubtedly lose their lives.
Even so, there was no reason to show weakness.
“Kweek, if you’re that confident, stop watching and attack.”
The half-awakened orc had once followed beneath the leader as well.
His body remembered how strong the leader was—
And how cruel he could become.
That memory prevented him from attacking carelessly.
The experienced leader had already seen through his opponent’s hesitation.
Orcs were generally simple.
Unless they were the kind of bastard like the dimwit who behaved so unpredictably that no one knew what he would do next, their thoughts were obvious.
The leader forced strength into his trembling legs and straightened his body.
“Kweek, or what? Kweek, do you lack the courage to attack anyone who isn’t asleep?”
“Kweek, shut up!”
The orc glared when the leader struck a sore point.
An agitated enemy was easy to handle. Their judgment became clouded, and their movements grew simple.
The problem was that, no matter how easy the opponent became, the leader would have only one chance to attack.
The leader knew his own condition just as well as he knew his opponent.
His body would not endure a brawl. What he needed was a single strike. One fatal attack capable of bringing the bastard down.
The leader glanced sideways at the dimwit lying on the ground.
As long as that bastard did not suddenly wake up and simply remained asleep, it should not be difficult.
The leader moved his gaze again and looked at the orc watching him with guarded eyes.
Then he walked past the dimwit and approached his opponent.
Alarm appeared on the half-awakened orc’s face when the leader suddenly closed the distance.
He’s completely frightened.
The leader swallowed his mockery but did not lower his guard. A hunt always required caution.
Yes.
This was a hunt.
Perhaps the final hunt before his life ended.
The leader finally stopped walking. He stood at a point slightly to the right within the half-awakened orc’s field of vision.
Now it was time to cast the bait.
If he offered an opening, the bastard would immediately attack.
Simply knowing the direction of the attack would make countering it easier.
Swallowing his breath without letting the opponent notice, the leader kicked off the ground and charged.
As expected of an individual who had half claimed the position of leader, the orc immediately assumed a stance to counter the leader’s attack.
If they clashed in that state, the leader’s chances of victory would drop significantly.
The leader stopped advancing and lowered his posture.
He was deliberately exposing an opening before an opponent prepared for battle. He lowered his center of gravity as though he had misplaced his footing.
The half-awakened orc, who had been watching him tensely, charged as though he had been waiting for precisely that moment.
At that point, the leader became certain of his victory.
Stupid orcs released all their tightly drawn tension the moment their opponent exposed an opening and attacked without thinking.
That hasty judgment became the leader’s irreversible mistake.
He realized it when the half-awakened orc rapidly closed the distance but did not attack him.
Instead, the bastard passed straight by.
Remembering what remained behind him, the leader desperately reached out.
But he failed to catch and stop the enemy.
He only barely avoided the sword the bastard swung wildly. Even that evasion was imperfect, leaving a wound across his arm.
But the leader did not care about such an injury.
Something far more important had already been taken by the half-awakened orc.
Unable to conceal his anger and alarm, the leader watched as the half-awakened orc grinned mockingly.
“Kweek, you’ve been watching this one since earlier. Kweek, this is important to you, isn’t it?”
The leader’s mistake had been judging his opponent too quickly.
He had forgotten that the bastard could also use a certain degree of intelligence.
The orc’s sword gleamed threateningly, as though it might plunge into the dimwit’s neck at any moment.
The leader’s entire body stiffened as though fixed to the ground, forcing him to watch.
“Kweek, don’t just stand there like an idiot. Come closer.”
Excited that his prediction had proven correct, the orc jerked his head.
The leader obediently and very carefully began walking forward.
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