Chapter 286: Battle Against the Orcs

Qiu Nuoya vaguely remembered reading something like that in a book.

And if orcs were gathered in a group, there was a chance they had been forced into submission by an even stronger monster.

Just as Qiu Nuoya reached that conclusion, an even larger figure emerged from the depths of the cavern. It was a full size bigger than the orcs standing before them.

Its overall appearance was much the same as the other orcs, but it wore armor and carried a club-like weapon in its hand.

Monsters were generally said to have low intelligence. There were certainly intelligent monsters, such as dragons, but monsters that were hostile toward humans were supposedly incapable of holding conversations with them. The common belief was that their intelligence was lower than that of a human child.

However, the orc standing before them was equipped with both weapons and armor. That meant it possessed at least enough intelligence to understand that wearing such equipment could be useful.

"That is most likely an Orc General."

Qiu Nuoya had heard of the name "Orc General" before, but he had never encountered one himself.

Apparently, on rare occasions, an orc would emerge with the leadership skills needed to command its own kind. Humans distinguished such individuals from ordinary orcs and called them "Orc Generals."

According to what Qiu Nuoya remembered reading in a book, ordinary orcs and Orc Generals were classified as the same type of monster. However, Orc Generals were more cunning and intelligent than their ordinary counterparts.

The Orc General tapped the head of one of the orcs that had been greedily devouring bats with its club. Then, as if telling it to look over there, it directed the orc’s gaze toward Qiu Nuoya and the others.

Apparently, the ordinary orcs had simply been drawn over by the delicious smell of the roasted bats. They hadn’t even noticed Qiu Nuoya and his companions until the Orc General pointed them out.

The moment the orcs realized their presence, they suddenly began radiating murderous intent.

Seriously, talk about being slow. They were far too late to notice their enemies, and even slower to start acting hostile.

However, once they had noticed Qiu Nuoya and the others, the orcs moved quickly. The five of them spread out in a line, blocking the path forward and threatening them as if to declare that they wouldn’t let anyone pass.

Apparently satisfied with their movements, the Orc General positioned itself imposingly behind the five orcs, its presence alone making it clear who was in charge.

"That thing might be responsible for guarding this underground passage."

"That’s certainly possible."

Monsters were said to be harder to organize than humans because of their lower intelligence. Humans had even established an entire profession called tamers, who trained and commanded monsters that were relatively easy to domesticate, such as wyverns. However, monsters coordinating with one another or working together to fulfill specific duties was practically unheard of.

But Qiu Nuoya and the others were currently beneath the castle where the Demon King resided. The Demon King was the ruler who commanded the demon race, beings whose nature was extremely close to that of monsters. It wouldn’t be particularly surprising if monsters served among the Demon King’s subordinates.

The Orc General let out a roar toward the orcs that appeared to be its subordinates. In response, all five orcs charged toward Qiu Nuoya and his companions at once.

The battle against the orcs wasn’t particularly difficult. After all, orcs weren’t very intelligent. Their usual fighting style relied on brute force, charging straight at their opponents without any clever tricks. Dodging their attacks was therefore fairly easy.

Three years ago, Qiu Nuoya had been caught and tormented by a single orc. Looking back now, he couldn’t help wondering why he had been so helpless.

Well, back then, he had lacked experience, resolve, and proper equipment.

To Qiu Nuoya’s front right, Igor had already engaged two orcs in close combat. Meanwhile, Viktor, standing to his left, had taken out a staff he rarely used and begun chanting what sounded like a spell.

Casting offensive magic took a little time, so Qiu Nuoya set about stopping the three orcs charging toward them.

"Earth Wall!"

As he chanted the spell, the ground beneath the orcs rose up. The leading orc tripped over the sudden obstacle and fell spectacularly. However, the other two didn’t even hesitate. They charged straight toward Qiu Nuoya and his companions, trampling over their fallen comrade as they went.

Qiu Nuoya couldn’t help giving a wry smile. Perhaps this was simply how monsters were. They didn’t seem to care about their own kind at all.

The orcs before them appeared capable of coordinating their movements, unlike the ordinary monsters found wandering around. Qiu Nuoya had expected them to act in a somewhat more organized manner, but that wasn’t the case at all. In the end, orcs were still orcs.

Amid all this, the Orc General stood watching the movements of its five subordinates intently. Its behavior really was strange compared to that of ordinary orcs.

The Orc General remained motionless. It didn’t so much as twitch, as though it were trying to assess the strength of Qiu Nuoya and his companions before making its move. Somehow, that made the creature all the more frightening.

As soon as Viktor finished chanting, flames burst from the tip of his staff and incinerated the orc in front of him.

Ah, that’s right. Orcs were weak against fire.

The memory was an unpleasant one, but Qiu Nuoya recalled how Viktor had once reduced the orc that tormented him to ashes with a single strike of Crimson Circle, leaving not even a single bone behind.

Being able to identify a monster’s weakness at a glance and immediately choose the right offensive spell was probably the result of experience.

While Qiu Nuoya was thinking about this, the two orcs Igor had taken down were already crawling along the ground ahead of them. Their necks were twisted at unnatural angles, so they were probably dead already.