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Kuro threw himself to the side, just as a massive axe tore through the air, missing his head only by a couple of inches. The blade slammed into the dirt with such force it sank deep into the ground, sending a soft shudder through the earth beneath his feet.
The orc wielding said axe stood hunched over, its chest heaving, and blood soaking every inch of his skin. Each breath he took sounded like he was choking on rage and exhaustion. His entire body was covered in deep, clean gashes...like a whip almost, but bigger.
Kuro quickly moved his feet before his mind caught up, backing away to gain distance from the orc. Far enough that he wasn't in its range of attack.
That thing was strong.
Ridiculously strong even.
If it got a hold of him, it'd rip him apart...
Kuro adjusted his grip, holding the dagger like a spear. He pulled his arm back slowly, locking in his aim as the tension in his shoulder built like a spring.
[GALE PALM JUTSU ACTIVATING] - Lv.10
The air around him picked up, just slightly. As a faint thrum built behind his shoulder before a sharp burst of wind exploded at the base of his throw, sending his dagger flying through the air like a bullet.
The dagger snapped forward, slicing through the air with a burst of speed too fast for the orc to follow. The orc, still wrestling with the axe buried in the dirt, didn't even flinch in time to react.
The blade pierced through his arm, passing through its bone without any resistance, then dug straight into his chest. It passed through his ribs, heart, everything really before tearing out the other side.
It didn't stop.
The dagger lodged itself deep into a tree behind him, still humming faintly from the force.
The orc just stood there, its eyes wide and unfocused as if its brain couldn't catch up with what just happened. For a second, it looked like it might stay standing, but then its legs buckled. It dropped to its knees, chest heaving, mouth hanging open as it clawed for air that wouldn't come. A sharp wheeze slipped out before it toppled sideways, twitching once before going still.
[BLOOD METER FILLED: MAX]
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[ NOTICE!]
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[YOU'VE KILLED BARBARIAN ORC]
[LEATHER POUCH]
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Kuro let out a sigh and rolled his shoulders, trying to ease the dull ache running through his arms. That throw had taken more out of him than he expected. He dropped his hands to his hips and took a moment, scanning the forest clearing he was in.
Orc bodies were scattered all over with their limbs at odd angles, and greenish blood soaking into the dirt like spilled oil.
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[ OBJECTIVE GIVEN]
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➤ KILL ALL ORCS
[100/ 350]
➤ KILL THE CHIEF ORC
[0/ 1]
Clear all objectives to move to the next floor...
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He had killed about 100 of these orcs so far and 250 of them were left.. which was still a lot to deal with. However after killing 100 of them, he had only leveled up six times, which felt both disappointing and frustrating at the same time. He'd figured he'd level up a bit more, but he reached the 80th mark, he stopped leveling up completely. Despite all the orcs he had slaughtered since then, he hadn't gained a single level, which was extremely disappointing to say the least.
"Fuck, I can't even tell the time..." He couldn't say exactly how much time had passed since there was no way to keep track of it, but he guessed at least a full two days had gone by based on what he could piece together.
The reason he couldn't be completely certain about the time came down to one strange detail...the sun never moved. It shone directly overhead at what seemed like noon, staying frozen at its highest point in the sky without ever changing. This made it nearly impossible to tell if any time was passing at all. However, he knew for certain that at least two days had gone by because he remembered getting drowsy at some point and climbing up into the thick branches of a tall tree to get some much-needed rest.
Him falling asleep told him that a day had passed or so..he wasn't fully sure.
"GAGH..." The sound echoed from somewhere within the scattered pile of lifeless bodies. An orc let out a pained cry as it struggled to drag itself forward, leaving a trail of blood behind.
Kuro noticed the sudden movement in the corner of his eye and walked over to where the orc lay covered in blood, some of it his own, some from his dead comrades. Stepping around to face the heavily wounded orc, Kuro looked down with a cold smile spreading across his face. "Where do you think you're going, buddy?" he asked.
The orc lifted its head and stared up at him with one good eye. The other eye was replaced by a mangled mess of blood and flesh that looked like a crushed egg sitting in its socket. When the orc's remaining eye focused on Kuro, terror washed over the creature like a sudden downpour. Anyone in their right mind would have been afraid, this was the same person who had cut down orc after orc with just one or two attacks, using some sort of mysterious powers that had wiped out all of his comrades in the blink of an eye.
And despite the countless orcs that had attacked him, Kuro stood there practically unharmed except for a few shallow scratches. To the orc's eye, this man was the devil himself, maybe even something worse. He was something more terrifying than any nightmare the orc could imagine.
"Please no kill orc! Orc love life..." it whimpered, unable to meet Kuro's gaze.
"I won't..." Kuro said, his words offering the orc a small glimmer of hope.
The orc managed a bloodied smile as it looked toward Kuro, though it still avoided direct eye contact. "Really!?" its voice croaked, the sound rough and wet from the blood coating its throat.
Kuro nodded, then crouched down to meet the orc's gaze at eye level. "Only if you tell me where the rest of your orc buddies are." The only reason he asked this was because his supply of orcs was running low as they were becoming harder and harder to find. But there were still more than two hundred of them left somewhere, which meant they were either hiding or had some sort of camp where they gathered.
This made perfect sense to him since they would need some kind of settlement if they wanted to support 350 orcs. The mission had also mentioned an orc chief, which meant there was a leader among them. And where there's a leader, there's usually a civilization of some kind.
And where there's a civilization, there's bound to be a village.
The orc's lips began to tremble as it froze in place, its single eye darting around at the bodies of its dead comrades scattered everywhere. Even though orcs spoke like children who had just learned to talk, they weren't completely stupid and understood basic survival instincts. This orc's common sense screamed at him that if he didn't tell Kuro what he wanted to know, he was definitely going to die.
Unfortunately for the creature, it didn't realize that it was going to die either way...apparently they weren't quite as smart as he thought.
The orc looked around weakly, trying to get his bearings and figure out where he currently was. After scanning the area for several moments, he stopped and focused on one particular direction, then raised a shaking arm to point northwest. "You find village...there," it said, its voice barely above a whisper.
Kuro had expected the creature to put up more of a fight, especially since its kind were called barbarian orcs. They should have had at least some fierce pride, but he guessed he was wrong about that. "Well...thank you," Kuro said, looking in the direction where the orc had pointed before turning his attention back to the wounded orc.
"So I live...?" the orc asked, a faint trace of hope flickering in its remaining eye.
"No."
Kuro held out his hand, and a sudden bright blue glow appeared in his palm. Within seconds, a sharp dagger materialized in his grip, its blade gleaming with an otherworldly light. Without hesitation, he brought the weapon down and drove it deep into the orc's skull. The creature's body went limp instantly, dropping to the ground like a broken puppet.
He stood back up to his full height, brushing dirt from his clothes as he turned his attention toward the direction where the orc had pointed. "Let's see if he was lying or not..." Even if the orc had been lying, it wouldn't take long for Kuro to find the village on his own, so it didn't really matter either way.
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High up in the thick branches of a large tree, Kuro looked down at a surprisingly large village spread out below him. From this height, he could see almost everything that was happening both outside and inside the settlement. He raised a spyglass that he had bought from the store earlier, bringing it to his eye to get a clearer view of the village layout.
The entire village was surrounded by a wall made of large wooden logs, with the top of them being sharpened into deadly spikes that jutted out like teeth. Inside the protective barrier, dozens of large red tents stood scattered around, each one supported by a mix of wooden poles and what looked like massive bones from some unknown creatures.
Hundreds of orcs moved around the village, going about their daily routines. They acted just like any other peaceful community, completely unaware of the destruction that was heading their way. Kuro let out a quiet sigh as he watched them, feeling a strange pang of guilt about having to kill them all since they seemed to be minding their own business.
Through his spyglass, he could see small orc children running around and playing games while their mothers sat nearby, peacefully stitching together fur coats and other clothing. The scene looked almost... normal.
If they weren't orcs, Kuro would have said this was just like any other village he'd seen before.
Kuro lowered his spyglass and placed it back in his inventory, then shifted his attention to the barbarian guards patrolling outside the village perimeter. These orcs were much larger and more heavily armed than the ones inside, carrying crude but deadly weapons and wearing thick armor made of hide and bone.
"Damn... how am I supposed to just storm in there and start attacking?" he muttered to himself. He was completely outnumbered, outgunned, and overpowered. If he went charging in there blindly, he would definitely get killed. There was only so much he could handle at one time, even with his arsenal.
Then a thought came to his mind, and a grim smile crossed his face. "I'll just use the tried and true method... blow everything up." It was basically the same strategy he had used when taking over the Blood Ripper bandits' fort, and it had worked perfectly then.
All he needed to do was place enough explosive tags around the village to cause massive damage to their numbers while setting everything on fire. This would allow him to attack the injured and confused orcs after the explosion, making everything much easier for him to handle.
Since everything was made out of wood, it would make it even easier to destroy their entire village in one massive blast. While this was completely destructive behavior, he was totally up for it. After all, who didn't have a little bit of a destructive streak in them? Anyone who said they didn't was probably lying.
"Store..." he muttered under his breath, and the familiar glowing screen appeared in front of him. Going into the equipment section, he scrolled through the options and bought a large stack of explosive tags. Each one cost only 5,000 ryo, which was pretty reasonable for something that could level a building...a small one, but still pretty effective.
"Now, I need a way of getting in there undetected..." he said, rubbing his chin thoughtfully. He obviously knew a method he could use to sneak in and out while setting the explosive tags, but he wasn't sure if he could pull off without getting caught.
And that very method was called espionage...Using his transformation jutsu, he could sneak in and plant the explosive tags without causing much of a fuss. The plan was simple but effective..blend in with the orcs, set the charges, and get out before anyone noticed.
"And then boom..." he muttered with a dark smile spreading across his face. With that plan in mind, he dropped down from the tree and began searching the area for a fresh corpse he could use to replicate an orc's appearance.
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*RUSTLE*... *RUSTLE*
The bushes directly in front of the village gates suddenly started moving, immediately catching the attention of the guards. They raised their rusted spears and battle-worn axes, pointing them toward the source of the sound with practiced alertness.
"WHO THERE!" one of the orcs bellowed, his voice echoing through the forest. He began moving closer to the bush, but his steps were slow and cautious.
Then, emerging from the thick foliage, came a tall barbarian orc wearing a leather pelt. Hanging from a rope across his back was the carcass of a deer-like creature, but this wasn't any normal deer. The dead animal had eight glassy eyes instead of two, and four twisted horns sprouting from its skull instead of the usual two.
The guard orc lowered his spear as the tension in his massive shoulders began to fade. "Oh, it you..." he huffed, the sound making the bone nose piercing in his nostril jiggle slightly. But then his thick brows creased together in confusion as he looked around. "Where is the rest of you hunting party?" His eyes wandered behind the returning orc, scanning the area, but saw that there was nobody else with him.
"Oh...them left me to bring back food... They hunt more." the orc replied, meeting the guard's suspicious stare with a steady confidence.
The orc guard remained perfectly still for several long seconds, his dark eyes looking the orc up and down. Finally, his massive shoulders lifted in a careless shrug. "Fine... go ahead then." He stepped aside with heavy footsteps, his thick arm gesturing for him to go forward.
The orc gave a quick nod of thanks and continued walking along the worn dirt trail that stretched toward the village's massive wooden gates. The two additional orc guards stood at attention on either side of the entrance, their weathered faces turning to watch him approach. Their piercing gazes followed his every movement as he passed between them, and both guards let out dismissive huffs before returning their attention to the path ahead.
'Well, that actually worked. Pretty easily too,' Kuro thought to himself, feeling a mixture of relief and surprise wash over him. He took a moment to scan the bustling village that spread out before him, filled with some rough stone buildings and crowded market stalls where orcs went about their daily business.
'Alright... time to get to work,' he decided, his expression growing more serious as he began carefully placing each explosive device in strategic locations throughout the settlement, positioning them to cause maximum destruction when it was time to set them.
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The thick branches creaked under Kuro's weight as he crouched looking over the village.
Kuro bit down on his cheek, his fingers gripping the bark so hard that he crushed it. "Well, sorry for this... but I can't die," he whispered to himself, the words barely audible above the rustling leaves around him.
He knew that innocent people would suffer, families would be torn apart, children would lose their parents, and lives would be snuffed out in an instant. The memories of his time in the army came flooding back, reminding him of all the civilian casualties he had witnessed, all the collateral damage that war inevitably brought. Innocent people were always the ones who paid the highest price, and he had seen it happen over and over again until the sight of suffering had become as familiar as breathing.
But he was trapped here, caught in circumstances beyond his control. If he didn't complete this mission, he would never make it home. His own survival depended on the destruction of the village below, and as much as the thought sickened him, he knew there was no other choice...they had to die, so he could live.
Finally, with a heavy sigh that seemed to carry the weight of his conscience, Kuro slowly raised one hand toward the sky. He closed his eyes and began to focus, gathering his chakra at his fingertips. He could feel it building, growing stronger with each passing second, and then, with a final surge of chakra flowing through his fingertips, he released the energy.
BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM
The explosion erupted, sending a massive shockwave rippling through the air. The ground trembled and shook as the ground shot up in chunks. Bright orange and red flames shot skyward, reaching high above the trees. The peaceful village was instantly transformed into a hellscape of fire and chaos, with wooden tents collapsing into themselves and debris flying in all directions.
The heat from the explosion washed over Kuro's face even from his position high in the tree, and the acrid smell of burning wood and worse things filled his nostrils. Without so much as a word, he pushed himself away from the branch and dropped toward the ground below, his body cutting through the smoke-filled air.
The screams of terror and pain echoed throughout the area, mixing with the sharp crackling of flames and the groaning of collapsing structures.
His feet hit the ground with a solid thud, and he immediately began sprinting toward the burning village. As he ran, he flicked his palm outward in a fluid, practiced motion. And a bright blue light appeared across his fingers for just an instant before his trusted dagger materialized in his grip.
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I'm experimenting a little bit, but just trust the process.
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