The High Orc In The Warehouse

We continued toward the warehouse and encountered another Orc. Once again, Elena’s bow and my butcher’s knife made short work of it. At that moment, Elena’s Individual Level increased.

Elena’s face twisted in pain, but the discomfort seemed to disappear almost immediately. Apparently, as your Individual Level increased, you became better able to withstand the pain. Elena smiled as she examined the list of skills now available for selection.

“Did something good happen?”

“The Archery skill just became available!”

It was probably because she had practiced archery and used her bow in actual combat. Elena seemed to have selected the Archery skill immediately.

That was when something occurred to me. Apparently, you could earn something resembling experience points simply by participating in combat, even if you weren’t the one who finished off the enemy. In other words, power leveling was possible, with a higher-level person helping someone at a lower level gain levels by having them participate in battles.

However, there was no telling what might happen during combat. If you brought someone into a battle against a powerful enemy, even a momentary opening could get them killed. Power leveling would be dangerous unless handled with extreme caution.

Our destination was a warehouse near the center of the Beastman Zone. The Waterworks Bureau rented the building, and Kashiwagi, who had worked there as an office employee, had apparently visited it many times.

Kashiwagi was a tall, lanky man who wielded a homemade spear.

“The warehouse is over there.”

In the direction he pointed stood a building that looked like a warehouse. However, Yaso North High School was situated just beyond it.

“That’s pretty close to Yaso North High School.”

I voiced my concern.

“It’s still about a hundred meters away. We should be fine.”

Muto didn’t seem particularly worried.

When we reached the warehouse, we discovered that its door had been broken.

“Looks like someone smashed the door and went inside.”

“Maybe they thought there was food in there.”

I overheard the Explorers Kuroi and Ninobe talking.

Kuroi was a sturdily built man who carried a heavy machete as his weapon. Ninobe, the other Explorer, wielded a crowbar. Incidentally, Muto used a hand axe.

We set down our belongings, readied our weapons, and entered through the broken doorway.

“I can sense something in here, but it’s too dark to see.”

Muto strained his eyes to peer deeper into the building, but apparently couldn’t make anything out. A little light entered through the broken doorway, but the interior remained shrouded in darkness.

I sensed the presence of something powerful. It wasn’t quite as overwhelming as the presence I had felt at the agricultural cooperative building, but it was still formidable.

“Be careful. Whatever’s in there seems pretty strong.”

At that instant, a roar that seemed to shake the very ground echoed from the depths of the warehouse.

“This is bad! Everybody outside!”

We rushed back into the daylight. Something came bursting out of the warehouse in pursuit.

Once it emerged into the light, I recognized it as a High Orc, a creature noticeably larger than an ordinary Orc. It stood approximately two meters tall and carried a willow-leaf saber. A willow-leaf saber was a type of Chinese blade used in Chinese martial arts.

Muto and the others looked terrified. Elena’s expression had also stiffened.

“I’ll fight it. Everyone else, support me.”

I gripped my butcher’s knife and prepared to step forward.

“Wait, wait! I’ll take this one!”

Ninobe, the high school student, glanced briefly at Elena before stepping forward.

The High Orc gave Ninobe a nasty grin. Perhaps it thought its prey had conveniently presented itself.

The High Orc lunged at Ninobe. It brought its willow-leaf saber down toward him, and Ninobe attempted to block the strike with his crowbar. The first blow sent the crowbar flying from his hands, and Ninobe fell backward onto his rear.

The High Orc kicked Ninobe into the air.

“Aaagh!”

Ninobe screamed as he flew through the air. I immediately sprang forward. Seeing me approach, the High Orc unleashed a threatening roar.

The roar made my ears ache. However, this High Orc didn’t feel nearly as threatening as the Minotaur I had encountered on the island. While I kept the High Orc occupied, Muto and the others dragged Ninobe, who lay sprawled on the ground, to safety behind us.

“Hey, are you seriously planning to fight that thing? Do you really think you can win?”

Muto apparently wanted to tell me we should run. However, after observing the High Orc’s movements, I doubted escaping would be easy.

Ordinary Orcs moved clumsily, lumbering around with plenty of openings to exploit. The High Orc was different. It used its tremendous strength to move with surprising agility.

“Elena, if you see an opening, shoot an arrow!”

“I-I’ll try!”

I charged toward the High Orc. As soon as I entered striking range, I swung my butcher’s knife with all my strength. The High Orc knocked it aside with its willow-leaf saber. The impact was so powerful that my weapon nearly flew out of my hands.

The High Orc brought its willow-leaf saber straight down from above. I leaped sideways to avoid the blow and thrust my butcher’s knife toward its abdomen. The High Orc jumped backward to evade the attack. Even so, the blade left a shallow cut along its flank.

It was only a scratch, hardly enough to cause serious pain. Nevertheless, the High Orc let out an enraged howl. Furious, it began swinging its willow-leaf saber wildly. I waited for an opportunity while dodging the blade as it came at me with terrifying speed.

Elena released an arrow. It struck the High Orc’s right shoulder, penetrating only about two centimeters. The wound wasn’t deep, but it was enough to divert the High Orc’s attention from me to Elena.

I slipped into the High Orc’s blind spot and unleashed a slash with my butcher’s knife. The blade cut deeply into its left thigh. The High Orc swung its willow-leaf saber with brute force, creating an opening. Immediately after evading the saber, I brought my butcher’s knife down on the hand gripping its weapon.

By chance, my movements aligned perfectly with a technique taught by my Saber Technique skill, producing tremendous cutting power. I severed the High Orc’s hand at the wrist.

“Someone grab that saber!”

“R-Right!”

Muto picked up the saber. I took the willow-leaf saber from him and began attacking with it.

Even after its hand had been severed, bright red blood hadn’t come spurting from the wound. Only a little blue blood, its bodily fluid, seeped out. It didn’t feel as though I had cut into a normal living creature. That was probably because Aberrant Beasts weren’t natural organisms, but monsters created by whatever entity was responsible for that mysterious voice.

Having lost its weapon, the High Orc launched itself into a reckless body slam without the slightest hesitation. I narrowly dodged the charge and drove the willow-leaf saber through its neck. Its pig-like head flew into the air.

The High Orc transformed into a Heartstone, leaving the willow-leaf saber in my hand.

That familiar voice echoed inside my head. Elena seemed to have heard it as well. I endured the sudden wave of pain while remaining on my feet, but Elena crouched down.

Watching us, Muto and the others appeared to realize what had happened.

“Congratulations. Looks like your Individual Levels went up.”

I nodded, exhaled, and raised the willow-leaf saber in my right hand to inspect it. Muto noticed the weapon.

“What’s going on? Why is the saber still there?”

Apparently, Muto and the others didn’t know that if you took an Aberrant Beast’s weapon and killed it with that weapon, the weapon would remain instead of turning into a Heartstone. They were surprised when I explained it.

“Still, you’re incredible, Kojiro-kun.”

Kashiwagi, the former Waterworks Bureau employee, spoke up.

After resting briefly, I suggested that we begin investigating the warehouse.

“Already? Why don’t you rest a little longer?”

Elena spoke with concern.

“I’m fine. Besides, I’m curious about what’s inside the warehouse.”

It was only then that I noticed the condition of my butcher’s knife. Its blade had become chipped and badly damaged from blocking the willow-leaf saber’s attacks.

“I’m amazed I managed to cut through the High Orc’s wrist with this thing.”

For the time being, I took out a piece of cloth, wrapped the butcher’s knife in it, and put it in my backpack. The willow-leaf saber didn’t have a scabbard, so I had to carry it with its blade exposed.

Ninobe’s injuries didn’t seem particularly serious. He got to his feet, picked up the High Orc’s black Heartstone, and handed it to me.

“Thanks. You really saved me.”

He looked embarrassed about having recklessly challenged the monster only to be defeated so easily. Apparently, Muto and the others had told him what happened, and he was grateful that I had rescued him.

Kashiwagi found a flashlight on a shelf near the warehouse entrance, so we used it to examine the interior. There didn’t appear to be any other Aberrant Beasts besides the High Orc.

I wondered what the High Orc had been doing inside the warehouse.

“What do you suppose that High Orc was doing in here?”

“Who knows? There’s no telling what those Aberrant Beasts are thinking.”

Muto didn’t seem particularly interested in understanding the behavior of Aberrant Beasts.

A truck was parked near the warehouse entrance.

We discovered large quantities of pipes, fittings, tools, and other supplies inside the warehouse. That was hardly surprising. After all, the warehouse was connected to the Waterworks Bureau, and Kashiwagi, who had worked there as an office employee, already knew that pipes were stored inside.

The truck in the warehouse still had some fuel remaining. Kuroi, who had previously worked as a truck driver, was delighted that his turn to shine had finally arrived.

We all worked together to load the PVC pipes and other supplies onto the truck and transport them to Shimojo Fortress. After making about five round trips, we managed to move nearly everything. However, the truck ran out of fuel afterward, much to Kuroi’s disappointment.