CHAPTER 42: KEEPING THE ORC SETTLEMENT SAFE 1

The system notification echoed in their minds, sharp and mechanical.

The orcs stood ready in front of their settlement. It was finally time, the battle they had prepared for.

Aria took her place at the front, her sharp gaze fixed on the dark line of mountains ahead.

’You’ve done all you can for us. Now it’s our turn. We won’t disappoint,’ she thought, her fingers curling into a tight fist.

"Alright," she began, her voice steady, "considering the situation, it’s better to rush them, take out as many as we can before they surround us. Our top priority is to keep those inside the settlement safe for as long as possible."

She turned briefly to glance back. Behind the wooden fences, the weaker orcs huddled together, clutching crude weapons and makeshift shields.

"We’re smaller in number," she continued, "but if we hit hard and fast, we can confuse the horde before they even figure out which way to move. Everyone clear on that?"

No one answered, but the sound of metal tightening in hands filled the silence, blades shifting, spears adjusting.

Nibo gripped his axe until his knuckles went pale. Beside him, J reached over his shoulder and pulled out the long spear strapped to his back. Its tip gleamed faintly a rough stone, sharpened to a deadly point.

"I actually made this spear for plucking fruit," J said with a crooked grin. "Now I’m suddenly facing a horde of beasts."

Aria couldn’t help a small laugh. "You really do know how to lighten the mood. Fine then, just imagine the beasts as fruit. You seemed to enjoy their tender meat yesterday."

"Hey, fruits don’t try to kill me at least," J shot back.

The group laughed, just a bit, but it was enough. The tension in the air loosened.

Then, a low growl rumbled from the trees.

Aria’s smile vanished. In a single motion, she unsheathed her sword.

From the shadows ahead, the first beast stepped out, a massive squirrel, nearly as tall as a grown man. Its fur was jet black, its eyes glowing red, and its claws scraped against the dirt with a metallic rasp.

"Chiwwiikk!"

Before anyone could react, J had already moved. His arm swung, and the spear whistled through the air.

Thwack!

The sound tore through the silence as the spear impaled the beast’s chest, lifting it off its feet. It slammed into the ground with a wet crunch, blood splattering across the forest floor.

The others stared, wide-eyed. The throw had covered nearly a hundred meters—and still hit dead center.

The creature twitched weakly, pinned and bleeding.

J didn’t wait. He sprinted toward it, closing the distance in seconds. With a quick leap and a midair somersault, he came down hard, driving his boot straight into the monster’s skull.

Crack.

The force of J’s stomp crushed the creature’s skull beneath his boot. Brain matter oozed out, mixing with dark blood that seeped into the soil.

J exhaled quietly, pulling his spear free from the beast’s limp body.

"Chiwwiik!!"

Another one burst from the trees—its red eyes blazing as it saw its fallen kin. With a guttural snarl, it lunged at J, claws slicing through the air.

But before the strike could land, a loud clank echoed through the clearing.

Nibo had already moved the moment J threw his spear. His axe met the beast’s claws head-on, metal crashing against bone. The recoil sent the monster stumbling backward, and Nibo seized the moment. He twisted his body and swung in one smooth motion.

Splaat!

The axe cleaved straight through the beast’s skull, splitting it like a ripe nut. Blood sprayed across the grass as the creature crumpled lifelessly.

Nibo grinned, catching his breath. "And you just said that spear was for plucking fruit! What was that killer move back there?"

J smirked, twirling his spear once before resting it against his shoulder. "I hate fruits that don’t stay still when I try to get them. They’re annoying. So I just eat them right after plucking—makes it worth the trouble. Guess these beasts aren’t any different."

He turned his gaze toward the battlefield.

In barely a minute, the beasts had swarmed across the open field. But thanks to their early strike, they hadn’t reached the settlement yet—still about twenty meters from the outer fences.

Many of the creatures already lay scattered and still, victims of quick, brutal counterattacks.

Then, the air shifted. A sharp, heavy pressure rolled through the clearing, instinctively tightening every muscle in their bodies.

J and Nibo froze, their eyes darting toward the forest.

From between the trees, a new figure emerged—another beast.

But this one was different.

Not in form. Not in size.

It was the feeling that hit them first—something darker, heavier, far more dangerous than anything they had faced so far.

It was a humanoid boar beast, its deep red eyes glowing with pure malice.

Pitch-black horns curled from its head, matching the shade of its rugged, dark body.

The creature stepped forward, baring its tusks in a threatening stance.

Everyone felt it—the strange, heavy pressure spreading across the battlefield. For a brief moment, the fighting stopped. Every orc turned, eyes locking on the monstrous figure.

{Noir Noctis – Death Boar}

{Mutant Level 3}

{Level 50} {Basic}

The group stared at the newcomer with grim expressions. And it wasn’t just the boar—another beast appeared right behind it, larger and even more menacing.

"Things took a hard turn in no time," Aria muttered, cutting a beast clean in half before shifting her gaze toward the new threat.

Unbeknownst to the orcs, a few unexpected guests were observing them from the edge of the forest.

Samxon and Hale stood silently, their eyes fixed on the unfolding chaos.

"What’s happening here? How did their strength rise so fast? How can all of them increase their mutant level at once?" Hale asked, disbelief clear on her face.

Samxon didn’t respond, but his expression said enough—he was equally stunned.

If it had been only Nibo and Aria, it would’ve made sense. But now, twenty orcs had advanced in rank. Their power was visibly greater, their movements sharper.

From what he could tell, most of them had already reached level 20, and a few were pushing past level 25.

’This must have something to do with that bastard,’ Samxon thought, a sharp pang of jealousy twisting inside him.

Still, he forced his focus back to the mission and the soldiers waiting behind them.

"Hmph. It doesn’t matter if they’ve grown stronger," he said, his tone low and cold. "Facing a level 50 beast won’t be easy for any of them. Remember what we came here for—we don’t interfere unless things turn dire. In fact, it might be better to wait until a few of them fall first."

"No, that won’t be wise," Hale said sharply, cutting him off. Samxon’s eyes darkened at the interruption.

"If they don’t participate at all, they won’t earn any rewards. It’s better if they join after a few minutes, once the situation stabilizes."

Samxon opened his mouth to argue, but Hale spoke again before he could.

"It’ll be a waste if we leave here without achieving anything. Like Langdon said, helping them benefits us just as much—it’ll also make them more willing to cooperate later."

Samxon went silent, his jaw tightening as he turned his gaze back toward the battlefield.

"Whatever," he muttered finally. "Let’s just head to the other side and deal with the boss." His voice carried a note of irritation.

Hale exhaled softly, more tired than angry. "Remember what I said. Wait a few minutes, then step in. We’ll be heading into the mountain range."

"Yes, Miss Hale!" the men replied firmly.

Without another word, Hale and Samxon began making their way toward the opposite side of the mountain, avoiding the path where the beasts were gathering.

The sounds of battle faded behind them as they moved deeper into the forest, the orc camp disappearing from sight.

Samxon glanced back one last time, scanning the ranks of orcs.

’Why didn’t I see that bastard with them? Did he run off? Hmph. Coward. I’ll deal with him once I claim the boss’s core.’

His eyes gleamed with malice as they vanished into the dark folds of the mountain forest.

Similarly, watching everything from above was a little drone up in the air.

And on the other side, a young man looked at the screen with confusion.

"I truly expected that they would need our aid quickly. But what is this that we have here?"

He was genuinely surprised by the sight before him.

Not only had the orcs become stronger, in such a short time.

But it also seemed as though some of them had leveled up significantly.

"Just what happened?" Langdon stated Curiosily.

While looking at the screen, he also noticed something off.

"Where is he?"

He couldn’t find one man, the supposed leader of the orcs.

Had he abandoned them in such a dire moment, Langdon couldn’t help but wonder to himself.

Blood trickled down from his nose making the young man wince.

{Warning! You have surpassed mutant level usage}

"I guess that’s the much I can do for now"