Chapter 4

[Draw a card?]

[Yes/No]

I picked yes hoping I'll draw Witch again. Even with only Teacher, it'll take about five hits to kill that orge and I didn't think it would stand still for her to cast her spells. We don't know how fast it is nor if it is weaker or stronger than the rest of its kind. Not to mention it swung that club like it weighed nothing and it picked up its prize, a bloody dead thing.

I pulled the card slowly out from the deck as I felt my heart beating faster and faster, my fingers clamming up, sweat pouring down my face. I stared at my new card feeling disappointed.

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[Bugbear] (Passion)

(A tribe of bear people. They are friendly but extremely powerful.)

Level: 1/30 [0/100]

Attack: 1950

Defense: 1800

Soldiers: 1700

Special Skill: Bear Hug

Cost: 90 MP

Deal 150% Passion damage to a single enemy

Activation: 3/3 per day

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I took a peek at Teacher and noticed that she was staring at it with narrowed eyes. No, on a closer look, it's more like she's glaring, analyzing its every movement waiting for the perfect strike. I could feel the air starting to grow a little colder and just a few seconds in, I could see a light mist coming from my mouth with every exhale. I looked at her wand and noticed that she was gripping it pretty hard with the tip glowing dark blue. A small patch of the tree bark that touched it froze over.

I licked my dry lips, my knees shook with nervous energy and I did nothing else. I had a gut feeling that if I touch her, something bad will happen. I don't know how long we waited and watched the orge eat the rabbit raw. It felt like hours but only a dozen or so minutes passed. The orge soon went deeper into the forest, going straight over the tracks heading east.

She started following it quickly with me behind her trying to tell her it was a bad idea to follow it without saying anything. She cast a spell on both of us and she started talking normally, "We can talk normally now without it seeing or hearing us. We have to follow it. Orcs sometimes live in groups with goblins and usually attack merchants or passing carriages." She pauses for a moment, watching it turn to the right suddenly pushing past a few bushes covered in a spider's web.

"They usually take everything which means supplies, including any women which they repeatedly rape. As for the men well, they eat them," Teacher said glaring harshly at its back.

"Is that really a good idea? I'm not saying we're not going to help them, but the only thing I have is mana and a new card. There's not much I can do to help." I said showing her my card and waiting for her to say something which she didn't.

Teacher finally started speaking again after a few minutes which surprised me, "I know this is nerve-racking for you, and that's fine. It's normal to be scared in these types of situations. It's easier to say that you're going to do something than actually doing it." She told me putting her hand on my shoulder trying to comfort me. "We'll put them all to sleep and wait an hour before going in. In the meantime, why don't you tell me what you want to do after we deal with the ogre?"

What did I want? I bit my lip as I considered the question. For the longest time, all I wanted was to find a girlfriend, get a job, preferably an easy one with good pay and play my games. Nothing outrageous like being a doctor that saves everyone or a lawyer that wins all his cases, just normal stuff.

"I... I don't know. I guess to help rescue those women but after that? I honestly don't know, other than finding a safe place to live." I told her nervously wiping my sweaty palms on my pants.

"It's fine to not know. I know this isn't easy for you, but I also know you've got what it takes to get through it. If not, then why did you summon me and not just lay down and give up? It's because you're a survivor."

I didn't know what to say to that.

"The sooner you realize you are extraordinary, the better."

"Why?" I asked, brows furrowed.

"Because you'll hold yourself back otherwise. People who think less of themselves than they should, usually don't manage to accomplish up to their full potential. It would be a waste, especially in your case."

"The same can be said of those who think too highly of themselves," I said with a frown.

"Yes, but we both know you aren't at risk of that."

"No, I guess not," I agreed.

"I got to where I am because I know exactly what I want. I love being a teacher. I know it sounds corny, but it's never too late to find your passion if you don't hesitate and that first step forward." She said giving my shoulder another squeeze before she started walking again. It wasn't hard to follow the tracks it left even if we couldn't see it anymore.

We walked in silence for about 10 minutes and we soon came up to the mountainside where there's a cave hidden behind a few well-placed trees. We wouldn't have found it if it hasn't been for the ogre leading us here. We stayed a dozen or so feet back and watched it enter the darkness.

'Crap, it's caves... Why did it have to be caves. I hate caves.' I grumbled silently in my head.

"Oh, before I forget, can you summon that valkyrie and give me some more mana? I want to make a few things. We need all the help we can get."

[1,000 MP - 125 - 700 = 175 MP]

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My first thought when I summoned her was that she was so cute and the second thing was that she was tiny, about 4 1/2 feet or so.

"Roar, grrrrrr, roar, master!" Bugbear growled cutely as she was summoned and she hugged me suddenly. I wheezed at her strength, feeling my body being squeezed tight.

"Gah!" I screamed in pain feeling my back crack and hearing the shield break apart.

[-451]

[7,549 HP]

"Oh, right! Sorry master, I forgot that you're not strong like us." She said releasing me and I flopped to the floor face first. "Hm? Are you dead, master?" She asked poking me with a stick she somehow found in a few seconds much to Teacher's amusement.

"N-no... just in an... extreme amount of pain. Don't worry about it." I said sarcastically feeling my eye twitch with each poke she gave, struggling to breathe properly. She looked like a little girl mixed with bear fur and paws for the hands and feet.

"Okay!"

It took a few minutes for me to recover which Bugbear happily spend chasing after a grasshopper. Teacher on the other hand was making something that I couldn't see from my position.

"When these gems are fully charged, we can begin to save those women," Teacher finally spoke showing what she was working on. It was 6 red gems, 8 blue gems, and 2 purple gems with energy swirling inside them. Blue mana started to form around the gem, absorbing the mana and making the color burn brighter within the crystal.

"Ooh~ pretty. What do they do? Ow!" Bugbear asked with her tail wiggling in curiosity before she yelped when Teacher smacked her hand away.

"The red ones explode, the blue ones freeze and the purple ones release a sleeping gas that causes all creatures that inhales it to Instantly falling asleep." Teacher explained pointing to each.

"Do we really need the red gems since we're going inside a cave?" I asked keeping a wary eye on them and smacked Bugbear's hand away again, much to her annoyance if her growl means anything. Teacher raised her hand up higher causing Bugbear to start jumping up trying to get them.

"Give me one. I want to hold one. I won't throw it, I promise." Bugbear whined jumping trying to grab it before turning around, pouting with her arms crossed over her chest.

"Yes, as a last resort type of situation where you can at least escape." Teacher somberly said ignoring Bugbear. She picked up a rock and changed the color to bright red and handed it to her. Bugbear smiled and hugged Teacher before she started twirling around with it.

"...How long does it take for them to fully charge?" I asked finally able to sit up with my back resting against a tree.

[7,725 HP]

"I need at least 30 more minutes to fully charge them all."

"Ok, I'm going to go to the bathroom before we start," I told them walking behind a tree to go. While peeing, I just realize something about my deck. I could have put in just one card and drawn that card instead of putting them all at the same time. I could have had Witch in the beginning if I thought about it.

I almost smacked my forehead at the lost opportunity, but I stopped myself just in time. Though, just to make sure, I asked the system about that while I washed my hands with soap and the water that Teacher gave me.

[No. The minimum amount of cards in the deck is 20. All cards will be automatically transferred to the deck until the minimum amount is reached.]