Chapter 161 : Chapter 161

Chapter 161: Sacrifice

I ‍​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​​‌​​‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​‌​​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌​​​​‌‌​​​‌​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌​​​‌‌‌​‌​‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌​​‌​​​​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌‌‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌‌​‌​​​‌​‌​‌‌​‌‌​​​​‌‌​​​​​‌​‌​‌​​​​‌‌​​​​​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​​​‌​‌​​‌‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​​‌​​​​‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​‌​‌​​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌​​​‌​​‌​​‌​​​​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌​​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌​​​​​‌​​‌‌​​​‌​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​​​​‌‌​​‌​​‌​‌​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌​‌‌‌‌​​​​​‌‌​​​‌​‌‌​​‌​​​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​​‌​​‌​‌​‌​​​‌​​‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌‌‌​‌​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌​​​‌‌‌​‌​​​‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌‌‌​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​​​​‌​​‌​‌​​​‌​‌‌‌‌​‌​​‌​​​‌​‌​‌‌‌‌​​‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌​​‌‌‌‌​​​​​‌‌​​​‌​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌​​​​​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌‌​‌‌​‌​‌‌‌‌​​​​‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​​​​‌​​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​​‌​​‌​​‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌​‌‌‌​​​​​​‌‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​​‌​​‌​‌​‌‌‌​‌‌​‌​​​​​‌‌​‌​‌​‌‌​​​‌​​​‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌​​​‌​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​​​​​‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌‌​‌‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​‌​​​​‌‌​‌‌​​‌​​​‌​​​‌‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌‌‌​​​‌​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​​‌​​​​‌​‌​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​​​‌‌​​​​​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​‌‌‌​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​​​‌​​​‌‌‌​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌‌‌‌​‌​​‌​‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌‌​‌​​​‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​​‌​‌​​‌​​​‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​​‌‌‌​‌‌‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌​‌​‌‌‌​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌‌​​​​​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​​​​​‌​​​‌‌​​‌​‌​​​​​‌‌​​​‌​​‌​​‌​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​​‌‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​​​‌​‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‌​​​​​‌‌‌‌​​‌​‌​‌​​‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌​‌​​​​​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​‌‌​‌​‌​‌​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌​​​‌​‌​‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌‌‌​‌​​‌​​‌‌​​​‌‌‌‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​​​​‌​​‌​​​‌‌‌​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌‌‌‌​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​​‌​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌‌‌​‌​​​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​​​​​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​‌​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌‌‌‌​​‌​‌‌‌​‌​​​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌‌‌​​‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​​​‌​‌​​​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​​‌​​​​‌‌​​​‌​‌‌​‌‌​​​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​​​​​‌​‌​‌​​​​‌‌​​​​​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌​​​‌​​​​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌‌​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌​‌‌‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌‌‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​​‌​​‌​​‌‌​‌​​​‌​​‌‌‌‌​‌​​​‌‌‌​‌​‌​​​‌​​‌‌​​​​​‌​​‌‌‌‌​‌​​​‌‌‌​‌​​‌​​‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​‌​‌‌‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌​‌​​‌​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌​‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​​‌​​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌‌‌‌​‌​​‌​​‌‌‌‌​‌​‌​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​‌​‌​​​‌​‌​​​‌​​‌‌​​‌​​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌‌​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌‌‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌​​‌​​‌​​‌​‌‌‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌‌‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌​‌​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​‌‌‌​‌​‌​​​‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌‌‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌​​​‌​‌‌‌‌​​​​‌​​‌‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌​​‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌‌‌​‌​‌​‌​​​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​​​‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌‌​​‌​​​‌​​​‌‌‌​‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌‌‌​​​‌‌​​​​​​‌‌‌‌​‌‍dodged the leader’s fist and grabbed him by the neck.

Then, before he could resist even more violently, I knocked him straight to the floor and pinned his limbs down.

“Kkwek......!”

The leader’s furious eyes turned toward me.

When I loosened the strength in my hand just enough that he would not suffocate to death, the bastard immediately spat out his anger.

“Kkwek. Do you think helping a human will get you what you want?!”

Of course it would.

Because I had fulfilled every condition needed to get what I needed.

I quietly looked down at the thrashing leader.

“Kkwek. From the very beginning, you only ever meant to kill me.”

“Kkwek. You know that well! Kkwek. There has not been a single moment until now when you were not suspicious!”

At the face that clearly wanted to tear me to death at once, I tilted my head.

That is why it was strange.

That he could go this far for the half-wit, who had treated me as the new leader in his place several times.

I knew it would be better to simply keep my mouth shut here and wait for Ratel to catch the half-wit and bring him back.

But I felt the urge to confirm one final thing with him.

“Kkwek. Do you know what you just did?”

“Kkwek!! Are you mocking me!! Kkwek!! I tried to kill you and failed!!”

The leader glared at me and shouted, sounding indignant.

It seemed the bastard still did not know what he had done.

He did not realize that he had thrown away his final chance to escape for the half-wit’s sake and made the absurd choice to risk his life and charge at me.

“Kkwek. No, that’s not it. You weren’t trying to kill me.”

You were buying time for the half-wit to run.

One could even call it sacrifice.

The leader’s stubborn sacrifice continued as he clung to me until the end, preventing me from checking on the half-wit who had fallen below.

The bastard, who had been dragging me with his one remaining arm, seemed to decide that was not enough to stop me, and soon began biting my leg and holding on.

Without knowing that all of it was futile.

As long as the leader was in our hands, it would not be difficult to lure the bastard back again.

I swallowed the lengthy explanation and forcibly tore the leader off me.

Then I shoved him into the passage.

The leader’s body, flung aside, rolled all the way to Ratel’s feet.

“Kkwek. Keep watch over that stupid bastard. Kkwek. As long as we have the leader, the half-wit is bound to come back anyway. Kkwek. He must know the way back up from below too......”

There were two reasons I failed to finish my sentence.

The first was that my body shook because the floor, which had been perfectly fine until then, suddenly collapsed.

“Kkwek......!”

The second was the two green hands that clung to both my legs from behind.

When I lowered my head at the fierce grip strength that was tight enough to cut off blood flow, my eyes met the half-wit’s, full of venom.

His eyes held a strong will to drag me down no matter what.

I saw Ratel rushing toward me from the front to stop the half-wit head-on.

But as always, the number of times the god of this world sided with me could be counted on one hand.

This time was no different.

No, rather, it was at times like this that my bad luck proved its existence.

ROAAAAAAAR-----

A massive pillar of water rising from the floor blocked the space between me and Ratel.

The backflowing water blocked my vision, but I no longer even felt irritated.

Yes, I thought it was too quiet.

I had no choice but to surrender my body to the force pulling at my ankles and the force of the water pushing from the front.

***

Ran’s fall was the result of a process more complicated than one might think.

The start of it might have been nothing but misfortune, just as someone had expected.

At the very least, it meant Sierra’s power remaining in the cave had not moved to fuck over Ran and Ratel.

Probably.

***

Dragging a body that felt ready to collapse, a mind that felt ready to faint, and a soul that felt ready to scatter, Ria forced her difficult steps forward.

No, at this point, saying she was being led would be more accurate.

It was because of the strange situations that unfolded every time her weak desire to rest for just a little while raised its head.

A sudden cascade of water would fall under the tree where she stopped, or the place where she sat down to rest for a moment would just so happen to be a puddle.

It was enough to make her think that something refusing to allow her to rest was chasing her from behind.

As if the island itself were alive.

“It isn’t impossible, I suppose.”

Ria muttered as if agreeing with the assumption in her own head.

With even the river water thrashing as if to swallow people, what would be so difficult about the entire island moving?

If all of this was truly a lash telling her not to rest even for a moment, she could instead think of it as being on her side.

If it was forcing her weakened body to rise, she had no reason to refuse.

Ria willingly relied on the lash whose master she did not know and walked.

Before long, the next lash fell upon her as she moved her feet mechanically like a horse being dragged along.

SPLAT.

Ria pitched forward into mud that had suddenly appeared beneath her feet.

She was sure there had been nothing there.

Having lost even the strength to be surprised by these strange phenomena now, Ria lay sprawled on the ground and thought blankly.

Lying on the ground made her body feel so comfortable that even the chill of the earth felt cozy.

She desperately wanted to fall asleep while lying like this, but this time too, comfort did not last very long.

CRUNCH.

At the sound of leaves crumbling, her loosened body grew tense again.

Someone was moving.

No, something was moving.

Ria held her breath and opened her ears.

Her extremely sensitive hearing heightened her tension.

CRUNCH, CRUNCH.

The sound of dry leaves crumbling scraped at Ria’s nerves, but Ria tried to regain her calm.

However, human effort was generally not very effective at preventing incidents.

CRUNCH, THUD.

CRUNCH, THUD.

Feeling the fine hairs on the back of her neck stand on end, Ria swallowed her breath.

CRUNCH, THUD.

CRUNCH, THUD.

The sound of something pushing through the bushes and something heavy touching the ground soon became vibrations and reached Ria.

THUD, THUD.

THUD,THUD,THUD,THUD,THUD.

Ria’s body was already moving before her head gave the command.

This was no longer the time to worry about things like the sound of her footsteps.

Ria sprang to her feet and ran with all her strength.

It was soon revealed that this had not been a hasty judgment at all.

“Kkquweeeek!!!!”

A chilling cry followed from behind.

Clinging to the consciousness that felt as if it might slip away at any moment, Ria clamped both hands over her mouth.

It was the first time she had ever closed the distance with a monster this much.

The terrible stench, the rough breathing, and the brightly burning eyes.

It was not simply a matter of the difference in weight class.

The orc’s eyes held murderous intent that seemed capable of tearing its opponent to pieces at any moment.

It was an emotion Ria had never once possessed. No, one she had never even imagined possessing.

She did not feel as if she could possibly win.

Feeling goosebumps rise along the back of her neck, Ria desperately stifled the breath that had climbed all the way to her chin.

But she knew this temporary measure was useless.

She had heard their noses were sensitive.

It would not take long for it to notice her scent.

Ria’s mind began spinning as fast as her racing heart.

Smell. What do I do to erase the smell?

Should I get in the water?

But she had already gotten far away from the river.

If she could not block the smell, what could she do?

Should she cover it with a stronger smell?

What do I have that smells the strongest?

Among the list of items in her bag that ran through her head, there was one thing that matched the conditions.

Oaks grass.

It was used for treating wounds, but compared to its effects, its smell was so strong......

“They said it isn’t popular because the smell is so strong......”

Ria, who had muttered without realizing it, climbed the tallest tree with the thickest trunk among the nearby trees with trembling hands.

Then she rummaged through her bag as quietly as possible.

Her hands slipped several times because of the trembling, but Ria found the small pouch she had buried deep inside her bag.

If the smell suddenly gets stronger, it’ll think that’s strange too.

She had heard they were not an intelligent race, but there was no harm in being careful.

Ria calmly opened the pouch and took out a little of the Oaks grass powder.

Then she carefully began sprinkling the powder over her whole body, starting from her neck and hair.

When Ria finally reached her hand toward her legs, she stopped moving.

The orc that had been chasing Ria while pushing through the bushes revealed itself again.

Every time the orc flared its nostrils and turned its head this way and that, Ria’s heart beat faster.

But the next moment, Ria, who had been quietly staying in place, exhaled without realizing it from the shock that felt as if her heart would burst.

“Kkwek. Human...... I smell human......”

The orc was speaking clumsily.

***

At that sight, as grotesque as the murderous intent carried in a voice full of metallic rasp, Ria froze in both movement and breath.

“Kkwek. Human...... I smell human......”

Language flowed from the orc’s mouth.

It was different from the other orcs, which had merely moved according to instinct.

Because it was moving with the will and thought that it would kill a human.

Ria trembled at the grotesqueness of that sharpness.

If it speaks human words, doesn’t that mean it’s that intelligent?

It was soon revealed that her ominous premonition had not been wrong.

Because the orc, which had been looking around, snapped its head up and glared at the tree where Ria was clinging.

The orc’s murderous eyes pointed exactly at Ria.

It was the first time she had faced such a fierce gaze so close, a gaze tightly packed with obsession and malice that meant to tear its opponent to death.

For a moment, overwhelmed by the thick murderous intent, Ria made the mistake of letting her terrified expression show.

And that helped the orc decide to devour the human before its eyes.

“Kkweeeek!!!”

Ria came back to her senses one step too late at the orc’s charge.

She instinctively gripped her only weapon tightly.

THUD!

At the same time, the orc slammed into the tree Ria had climbed.

The tree shook violently.

Both Ria and the orc knew the tree would not last long.

At the orc’s face, filled with glee at the thought that it would soon be able to devour a human, Ria felt all the blood drain from her body.

Even so, she could not just meekly let herself be eaten without doing anything.

She had not saved Jing, she had not found Ran and Ratel yet, and more than anything else, she simply did not want to die.

Orcs died only when their necks were cut.

Ria knew the only way to kill the monster before her eyes.

Though she was not particularly confident in it.

THUD!

The orc slammed into the tree again.

On top of the tilting trunk, Ria judged that this was no longer a situation where she could keep racking her brain.

Ria gripped her sword firmly with both hands and jumped down.

The target of her sword tip was the orc’s neck.

Please, please let me cut through its neck in one blow.

With that desperate wish, Ria put her body’s weight behind it and swung her sword with all her strength.