Ambush

[Name - (?)

Class - Level 6 Orc Hunter

Attributes:

Strength – 7 | Agility – 3 | Vitality – 5

Status - Healthy

Skills - Archery (24), Hunter Sense (5)]

Arthur made a sign to William, who acted quickly and cast the [Fire Arrow] spell.

The spell targeted the leader of the hunters. It was easily recognizable since it was the only orc out of the six orc hunters wearing beast skin. His bow seemed luxurious as well, though not nearly as well crafted as the one Arthur was using.

Having 5 points of vitality himself, Arthur knew that a single spell was unlikely to finish the beast, but he immediately jumped from his tree after the spell connected.

'Gloria Glacians', he muttered.

His hand turned blue, and the surroundings became incredibly cold. Before any of the orcs could react, Arthur punched the orc hunter leader, causing it to fall. Right after, Arthur pummelled him on the ground, causing its face to become unrecognizable. The fire burned him slightly, but his ice-elemental spell reduced the damage considerably, as it was negating the burn effect from William's spell.

Soon enough, he heard a sound that made him smile like a devil.

[Beep! You have killed [Level 6 Orc Hunter]. You have earned 120 EXP]

John also joined the battle, trying desperately to fight an orc warrior who was charging towards Arthur, but the racial difference could already be seen. John was wielding his sword decently, but it was not nearly enough to make up for the difference in stamina and strength. He could only take one orc at a time. William was already casting another [Fire Arrow] to support him, but two more orcs were coming towards John, while two others were already about to attack Arthur.

*SWOOSH*

However, unlike John, Arthur could be called a true body refinement acolyte. His strength far surpassed that of the orc warriors.

[Name – Arthur Landragon

Class – Level 6 [Beginner Rank] Acolyte (0 / 1 600 EXP)

HP – 48 / 50 | Mana: 60 / 60

→ Experience Stored: 460

Attributes:

Strength – 8 | Agility – 3 | Vitality – 5 | Magic Power – 6

Skills: Intermediate Swordsmanship (52), Magical Knowledge (31), Archery (31), Ice Magical Knowledge (25), Deceiving (20), Spell Reading (18), Acting (16), Cartography (16), Scroll Copying (15), Eloquence (14), Charming (12), Poetry (10), Trading (8), Information gathering (6)

Knight Technique: Heavy Vertical Strike (18), Power Thrust (9), Killing Intent (8)

Spell: Freezing Touch [Low Grade – Rank 0] (16)

Items: Celeste (Medium-grade Enchanted Weapon), Ring of Courage (Low-grade Enchanted Item), Amulet of Healing (Low-grade Enchanted Item), Orc General Flag (Low-grade Enchanted Item)]

Be it skills, physique or equipment, everything far outclassed the standards of savage orc warriors.

The result was evident. Using the Landragon Household's signature knight-killing technique [Heavy Vertical Strike], the incoming orc warrior's club was cut all the way through, taking the poor beast's arm with it. Arthur quickly finished it off with a decent thrust to the throat.

The orc tried to grumble some words, before falling.

[Beep! You have killed [Level 4 Orc Warrior]. You have earned 40 EXP]

'So they are capable of speech too, although they don't seem to talk much. Only the chieftain spoke words before...', Arthur analysed.

However, before he could make more assumptions on these strange yet interesting humanoid beasts, a second orc came towards him with the intent to chop his head off. It was an axe-wielding orc. Arthur dodged the strike with ease, as his agility was higher, before slashing its ribs.

Massive amount of red blood came off the orc's side. The monster could not believe its eyes.

Arthur left him to agonize on the ground, before moving towards John's side of the battle.

John had somehow managed to unleash his knight family's killing technique, taking out one of the three orcs that had rushed. William's [Fire Arrow] spell also took out an orc warrior, but there still remained one orc hunter.

The last orc hunter was aiming at John's throat, but right before it shot its arrow, its head flew in the air.

[Beep! You have killed [Level 4 Orc Hunter]. You have received 50 EXP]

'So, orc hunters are worth more than orc warriors...Interesting'

Soon enough, he received another beeping sound in his mind.

The bleeding orc had fallen, giving him 30 more EXP.

John almost died, and was panting in despair. William was also scared, while Evangeline was in awe. She had never descended from her tree, and although she was ready to support her subordinates, Arthur had forbidden her from doing so. She was good enough to be nurtured into a true ally of the Black Widow Brotherhood. He just needed her full trust and loyalty before doing it.

The woman was in awe. Arthur's skills far exceeded anything she had seen.

Orcs were strong, unbelievably strong. This is why the mission was so rewarding.

Dorian probably put his trust in Karl. Little did he know, for the man perished before reaching the orc settlement. However, it seemed like Dorian greatly underestimated orcs, like most acolytes.

If it weren't for Arthur, the group probably wouldn't have survived an encounter with four orc warriors, not to mention this elite group of orc hunters. Most acolytes would also think so, not taking into account the orc's vitality and weapon mastery. Acolytes knew orcs from books and reports. However, fighting against an orc and reading about how to kill them were two different activities.

John stood up, and kneeled in front of Arthur: "I apologize from my behaviour since the start of the mission, Arthur. You just saved my life. I owe you"

Kneeling. For a noble to kneel, this was the mark of pure gratitude.

Arthur smiled, and benevolently said: "Don't worry, you will be able to repay me soon enough. Grow stronger from your mistakes, and contribute to the Law Enforcement Faction under my lead. In a few years, I guarantee you will be on par with the current me"

John's opinion of Arthur skyrocketed. If before, he was suspicious about Arthur's leadership. He was now completely admirative.

From the side, William was smiling dumbly. He could tell Arthur was growing increasingly stronger at a fast pace, while he wasn't making much progress.