We're Almost A Hero! : Chapter 4: No Time To Relax

The Lost Forest is supposed to be one of the most elusive parts Oykuos. A living legend that drives off both children and adult from ever crossing this mysterious woods

Yet there are 2 people that still took the risk in order to get stronger

And who are these people may you ask? Well, they're-

"EARTH! STOP DAYDREAMING! WE GOT MONSTERS TO DEAL WITH!" Plina snapped Earth out his daze as he narrowly dodged a smack of a branch from Treant and a tackle from a boar

"Sorry! Won't happen again!" Earth responded as he dodged another attack from the monsters with his Boar-Flavor blades

"Earth! Get ready!" Plina shouted at the boy as her book started to glow

"Yosh! and " The chef killed a treant and a boar with his knife and cleaver at the same time

☆☆DOUBLE CRITICAL!☆☆

[+50 CRIT damage!] (0/50 HP) Boar

[+75 CRIT damage!] (0/75 HP) Treant

[You defeated a Boar]

[You defeated a Treant]

[+150 EXP]

[You killed them at the same time]

[+50 EXP bonus]

A bunch slimes began to leap towards Earth, trying to catch him off guard

But he anticipated this and ran towards Plina

"Its all yours, Plina!" Earth jumped up to give her a clear shot, as Plina activated her book

"{Bookmark: Page 3: }" she chanted and shot small pressurized wind from her book. The bullets made short work to the slimes, instantly blasting the slimes into sad small puddles

[You defeated a Slime] ×16

[+160 EXP]

Earth landed beside her, "Nice job!" He let out a thumbs up

"Thanks!" Plina smiled in response

"Now time to check the loot we got" The 2 sort-of hunters looked at the defeated monsters

"Umu! More stuff to infuse into Knive and Clive!" Earth looked at the body of Treant and Boar

"Ah! There's 2 Aqua Crystals in one of the slimes! This will come handy at my new magic book" Plina grabbed the blue crystals pocketed it

It's already been a week since Plina started to join the hunt. They've been leveling up like crazy. Each of them getting stronger and stronger

"Ok! Time to check our Status" Earth said as he stored the monster carcasses into his

+++++

"Earth" LV 11 (350/2400 EXP)

Class: Chef

HP: 150

MP: 90

STR: 21

AGI: 23

MAG: 12

DEF: 13

Skills:

Unique Skills:

(Sub-Skills)

-

-

-

Flavors:

[Knife]

-Boar

-Treant

-Slime

-Wood

-Leaf ☆

-Spice

-Bread

-Flora

-Herb

-Meat

-Bone

-Grass

[Cleaver]

-Boar

-Treant

-Slime

-Wood

-Leaf

-Spice

-Bread

-Flora

-Herb

-Meat

-Bone

-Grass

GIFT: Consume

+++++

Earth has been infusing a lot of things into his blades and discovered 2 things

First, some of the things he ate can be turned into the same "Flavor"

Like if he infused beef, it doesn't translate in a "Beef Flavor", instead it became "Meat Flavor". Pig and Chicken also falls into this category

He got Spice-Flavor by infusing salt, sugar and many kinds of spices, instead of having a Sugar or Salt Flavor. The perks of being a restaurant employee

Same with Bread-Flavor. Plina even joked that he literally has a "Bread Sword"

And secondly, just because he infused the flavor to his weapons, it doesn't mean he's safe the adverse effects from the things he ate

He tried eating a lot of random flowers and gained the Flora Flavor. But he paid the price by having a stomach ache for a whole day. Plina scolded him for being so stupid

Most of the flavors he got are little to entirely useless. He mostly uses Boar and Leaf Flavor when attacking. But who knows? Maybe he would get something if he keeps infusing more and more flavors into his weapons?

As for Plina...

+++++

"Plina" LV 7 (310/1400 EXP)

Class: Librarian

HP: 125

MP: 100

STR: 8

AGI: 9

MAG: 30

DEF: 7

Skills:

Unique Skills:

-

-

-

Elemental Inks:

- Lux Ink (22ml)

- Aer Ink (11 ml)

- Aqua Ink (10ml)

- Ignis Ink (6ml)

Magic Books:

{Book of Illumination} LV 2

- Page 1

- Page 2

- Page 3

- Page 4

{Book of Tempest} LV 2

- Page 1

- Page 2

- Page 3

{Book of Hydration} LV 2

- Page 1

- Page 2

- Page 3

{Book of Combustion} LV 2

- Page 1

- Page 2

- Page 3

[6 more magic books stored in ]

GIFT: Linguistics

+++++

While her level is lower than Earth, she can still pack a punch due to the number of magic books she created. Plina had been busy making a lot of magic books

Her ability to mix and match spells would be groundbreaking in the magical community. So we decided to keep it secret, lest we want some sketchy people in dark robes trying to kidnap Plina for "experiments"

Earth showed his and for Plina to add to her ever-expanding magic books

Currently, she can wield 4 elements now. Light, Wind, Water and Fire

Which is an oddity, because most mages can only master 1 element, 2 if they're talented. But this humble Librarian can possibly master all of them

Truly, the class system is overbalanced

"Hey Plina, can I have that crystal?" Earth asked

"What? Why? I still need it for my next experiments" Plina replied

"I wanna try infusing magic crystals into my blades. I thought maybe it can make a cool knife or cleaver" Earth explained

Plina gave him a deadpanned stare, "You want to eat a crystal that could probably mess up your stomach again just to "probably" discover a good sword?" She said in a dry tone

"Yes...?" Earth said in an unconvincing tone

Plina glared at him for a bit before giving him the crystal she found

"Just don't blame me if you start vomiting" she warned Earth

"Sure" he looked at the blue crystal on his hand

×××××

[Aqua Crystal]

Element: Water

{A crystal that naturally grows on places with a lot of mana imbued with water}

×××××

Earth could eat this in whole (and suffer as the sharp object tears his throat and stomach) to imbue it to his weapons

OR

Find a way to ingest this safely, or at least lessen the damage it'll take

"If you're so keen on eating everything you see like a toddler, why not try cooking it instead" Plina said sarcastically

"That's a good idea!" Earth immediately said

"Wait! No! I was just joking!" Plina tried to stop Earth's reckless ideas

-o-o-o-

"I can't believe you just cooked it so easily!" Plina whined as Earth held out 2 dishes that he cooked from the materials they gathered

+++++

[Lost Forest Stew]

Quality: Uncommon

Effects:

+25 HP, +10 MP, +10% STR and AGI for 10 minutes

{A stew made out of various kinds of monsters living in the Lost Forest}

+++++

+++++

[Hard Aqua Rock Concoction]

Quality: Rare

Effects:

+10% Earth and Water-Type Attack Damage for 5 minutes

-15% AGI for 5 minutes, -25 HP

{An idiotic creation made out of crushed rock and aqua crystals and turning into juice. Extremely dry and painful to drink}

+++++

[ skill has leveled up!]

Cooking LV 19 ---> 20

[New skill acquired]

- Lowers the temperature to preserve the food's freshness

He quickly dismissed the new skill he got as Earth proudly showed his creations with a prideful smile, "Now, want to try first?" He asked

"I'll try the stew but don't expect me to drink that rocky juice" Plina replied with a sigh. She decided to just roll with Earth's ridiculous schemes

"Fair enough. Now, time to max out my masteries on my flavors"

Earth poured 2 bowls stew for him and Plina. He sipped into the warm stew, as his ears chimed to the massive amount of notification he received

☆MASTERY UP☆ ×7

*****

[Leaf-Flavor Cleaver] ☆Mastered☆ (Clive)

Effects:

[+20 MAG, +10 MP]

{Infuse more Leaf flavors to unlock more effects}

Mastery (100/100)

Mastery Bonus:

*****

*****

[Wood-Flavor Kitchen Knife] ☆Mastered☆ (Knive)

Effects:

[+10 DEF, +5% ATK for Nature-type Skills]

{Infuse more Wood flavors to unlock more effects}

Mastery (100/100)

Mastery Bonus:

*****

*****

[Wood-Flavor Cleaver] ☆Mastered☆ (Clive)

Effects:

[+10 STR, +5% ATK for Nature-Type Skills]

{Infuse more Wood flavors to unlock more effects}

Mastery (100/100)

Mastery Bonus:

*****

*****

[Boar-Flavor Kitchen Knife] ☆Mastered☆ (Knive)

Effects:

[+10 AGI, +20 HP]

{Infuse more Boar flavors to unlock more effects}

Mastery (100/100)

Mastery Bonus:

****

*****

[Boar-Flavor Cleaver] ☆Mastered☆ (Clive)

Effects:

[+10 STR, +25 HP]

{Infuse more Boar flavors to unlock more effects}

Mastery (100/100)

Mastery Bonus:

*****

*****

[Slime-Flavor Kitchen Knife] ☆Mastered☆ (Knive)

Effects:

[+15 STR, +10% ATK Water-Type Skills]

{Infuse more Slime flavors to unlock more effects}

Mastery (100/100)

Mastery Bonus:

****

*****

[Slime-Flavor Cleaver] ☆Mastered☆ (Clive)

Effects:

[+10 MP, +25 HP]

{Infuse more Slime flavors to unlock more effects}

Mastery (100/100)

Mastery Bonus:

*****

[New Skills Acquired]

- Grants the user the ability to slowly absorb mana on the elements. Level up to improve the rate of mana regeneration

- The user's skin has the hardness of wood. Permanently raise the user's defense by 5%. All nature-related skills are improved by 1%

- User's weapons and armor currently equipped slowly regenerates its durability, and can "grow" over time

- Temporarily boost AGI by 50% in 10 seconds. Large amounts of MP is required

- Permanently boost AGI by 10%. Improved stamina

- 1% chance to inflict {Dissolving} effect for 5 seconds whenever using any weapon. Level up to increase the chance and effectiveness of the acid

- Repeatedly bounce between enemies when attacking. Each successful "bounce" raises the damage by 5%

[ and skills are detected. Fusing...]

[2 skills has been fused due to their similarities]

[New Fused Skill Created]

- Naturally slowly regenerate MP whenever exposed to sunlight or air. Level up to improve the rate of MP regeneration (Current Rate: 5 MP per second)

[ has leveled up]

Flavor Mastery LV 2 ---> 3

Earth smiled at new skills he got after mastering a lot of flavors, "Now for the exciting part" he looked at rocky juice he made

"This is so stupid" Plina muttered as she watched Earth drink the juice

Earth reflexively gagged and tried to vomit as the sharp liquid ran down his throat

[+25 damage] (125/150 HP) Earth

[You consumed something inedible. You idiot]

-15% AGI for 5 min

+10% Earth and Water element effectiveness for 5 min

He quickly infused the flavors into his blades

*****

[Stone-Flavor Kitchen Knife] (Knive)

Effects:

[+10 DEF, +5% ATK Earth-Type Skills]

{Infuse more Stone flavors to unlock more effects}

Mastery (14/100)

*****

*****

[Crystal-Flavor Cleaver] (Clive)

Effects:

[+5 MAG, +10% ATK Water-Type Skills]

{Infuse more Crystal flavors to unlock more effects}

Mastery (2/100)

*****

"Yup. Definitely a bad idea" Earth coughed some gravel. His throat was badly injured, but fortunately, it slowly healed

"I warned you" Plina sighed at her friend foolishness

×××××

{Hidden Requirements Discovered}

{"Consume Everything!"}

Requirement 1: Try "Consuming" something inedible [COMPLETE]

Requirement 2: a Green Slime [COMPLETE]

Requirement 3: ???

Requirement 4: ???

Completion Reward: A way to inedible materials without adverse effects

×××××

Earth looked at the new notification with a smug smile, "Ha! See?! It was worth it after all!" He showed the message to Plina. The girl pouted in response

"Judging from the Green Slime requirement, it looks like I have to consume more kinds of slimes" Earth thought as he made a mental to-do list inside his head

"Okay! Apparently, the skill system is stupid" Plina said

Earth laughed at Plina's reaction and checked his Status

+++++

"Earth" LV 11 (250/2400 EXP)

Class: Chef

HP: 150

MP: 90

STR: 21

AGI: 25.3 (23)

MAG: 12

DEF: 13.7 (13)

Affinities:

Nature: 1%

Skills:

Unique Skills:

(Sub-Skills)

-

-

-

Flavors:

[Knife]

-Boar☆

-Treant

-Slime☆

-Wood☆

-Leaf ☆

-Spice

-Bread

-Flora

-Herb

-Meat

-Bone

-Milk

-Grass

-Stone

[Cleaver]

-Boar☆

-Treant

-Slime☆

-Wood☆

-Leaf☆

-Spice

-Bread

-Flora

-Herb

-Meat

-Bone

-Milk

-Grass

-Crystal

GIFT: Consume

+++++

"You're really getting stronger fast" Plina commented as she peeked at Earth's status

"Well, I did train hard" he chuckled softly

"Oh! By the way, I got this new skill that you may want to copy" Earth said

"Show me then" Plina replied

"Ok, " Earth pointed the nearby rock, as it slowly froze

Plina scanned the magic circle only to fail and get a notification

[User's skill set is incomplete. Unable to scan {Ice Tier Magic}]

"Huh? I can't read it" she said in surprise

"What? What do you mean you can't?" Earth replied

Before Plina could say anything, an array of new notifications appeared

×××××

{Requirements Discovered}

"2nd Tier Upgrade!"

Requirement 1: Master all basic elements (4/6 elements mastered)

Requirement 2:

Requirement 3:

Requirement 4: ???

Completion Reward: Ability to read 2nd tier magic. Unlock Ice, Lightning, Metal, Nature, Void and Mind Elements

×××××

"Looks like you have to level up more if you want to cast ice magic" Earth commented, Plina sighed

"But for me, I'm going to test another theory of mine!" Earth said as he brought up a red liquid

×××××

[Red Slime Goo] (57 ml)

Effects:

-10 HP

for 15 seconds

{Very Acidic. DO NOT CONSUME}

×××××

Plina widen her eyes as she saw the idiot has a red slime in his flask

"Earth! Don't!" She tried to stop him, but he already drank the whole flask

A second passed, "Huh? That wasn't so ba- GAKK!!!" Earth felt a sharp pain inside his stomach

[+10 damage] (115/150 HP) {Dissolving, 15 sec} Earth

[You are DISSOLVING, -5 HP per sec for 15 sec]

(110/150 HP) {Dissolving, 14 sec} Earth

(105/150 HP) {Dissolving, 13 sec} Earth

(100/150 HP) {Dissolving, 12 sec} Earth

Plina panicked as she saw him collapse to his knees while Earth infused the flavor as quickly as possible

The lime green kitchen knife slowly turned into crimson red like a slime he just consumed

♤FLAVOR UPGRADE♤

({Slime} Flavor UP)

*****

[Slime-Flavor Kitchen Knife II] (Knive)

Effects:

[+20 STR, +15% ATK Water-Type Skills]

[+5 MAG, +5% effectiveness of skill]

{Infuse more Slime flavors to unlock more effects}

Mastery (101/200)

Mastery Bonus:

???

*****

×××××

{Hidden Requirements}

{"Consume Everything!"}

Requirement 1: Try "Consuming" something inedible [COMPLETE]

Requirement 2: a Green Slime [COMPLETE]

Requirement 3: ???

Requirement 4: a Red Slime [COMPLETE]

Completion Reward: A way to inedible materials without adverse effects

×××××

Earth continued to take damage as he spat a glob of blood. It took a moment for the acid to subside

(45/150 HP) Earth

"Heh, I survived" he looked at the new knife he unlocked. +20 STR is a great boost indeed and the +5% acidic chance isn't too bad

It seems his slime theory is correct. All he needs is to find a Blue Slime and then he can consume anything

"That was really reckless, Earth!" Plina scolded the boy

"Sorry! I was kinda excited that I unlocked a lot of my power. Now that's all over, I'm going to-"

"No" Plina interrupted the boy

"Eh?" Earth was surprised at Plina

"No! That's enough stupid plans from you Earth! Let's just take a break for the rest of the afternoon" the librarian said sternly

"Wait! Wait! I still wanna test something!" Earth childishly said as Plina dragged the boy towards home

Plina can be very strict if something annoys her enough

"Geez, women are troublesome"

-o-o-o-

In Oykuos, Earth and Plina are in their casual clothes as they went sight-seeing at the town square

Earth let out a sigh, "You know, I can use this time to train or even help Uncle in the restaurant" he said

"Nonsense! It's been a while since we relaxed in this city. We've been so busy to our jobs and getting stronger that these slow days are worth for our hard work" Plina said

"Plus, isn't it fine that we can spend time like this?" She smiled at Earth

He looked at Plina's smile and let out a blissful sigh, "I guess your right" Earth agreed

They looked at the sightings of the city, bought few items from nearby merchants and played a bit with the local children

Sunset finally came and the 2 decided to sit nearby the central fountain of the city. The calming sounds of the city was heard, as its residents prepared for the incoming nighttime

Earth pleasantly sighed, "These moments really hit spot when your dead tired from all life's troubles" he said

"Come to think of it, its exactly been a month since you saved me from that orc" Plina wondered as she noticed this is the very place where Earth discovered his hidden power

"Heh, I guess this place is my start to on the path of becoming a hero" he chuckled. Plina shook her head as Earth let out another smug look

They stared at the orange sky as the sun dipped into the horizon. The villagers starting to light their lanterns for the night

"Hey Earth, we're getting stronger and stronger each day, so why aren't we signing up as adventurers?" Plina questioned the Earth

Earth has been deciding whether should they become adventurers for a while now. It would be very beneficial that they can earn money by doing quests like normal adventurers

But...

"We can't Plina. The guild wouldn't allow people with "commoner" classes to register as an adventurer, even if we surpass most of those adventurers" he replied

"Plus..."

"I HATE adventurers" Earth added with a frown in his face

Earth remembered a memory of the ax-wielding adventurer. His prideful smile and "that look" he constantly had in his eyes. Those eyes, all adventurers he saw had that look. It's revolting to Earth's opinion

"Earth..." Plina was slightly concerned at her friend's expression

Earth rarely shows negative emotions and mostly had an optimistic and cheerful attitude, but there are times where he lets out his frustration and anger when pushed

It seems that he had a past experience that made him develop a grudge towards adventurers

"Haa... it's already late. We better go home and get ready for the hunt tomorrow" Earth quickly wiped off his frown and returned to his usual attitude

Plina gave him a small smile, "Sure, Hero" she teased

"Maybe someday he'll tell me why he hates adventurers" Plina thought as they walked back home

"Oof!" Plina suddenly bumped into a man in the street, causing the man to drop a crystal object as it shattered to the ground

"S-Sorry! I didn't mean to" she quickly apologized to the man

"Huh? Do you have any idea how much that was worth? That was crystal tusk and you just shattered it!" The man complained at Plina

"I'm really am sorry! L-Let me pay for that" Plina nervously said

"Oh no, you're not getting off that easily" the man angrily stomped towards Plina. The girls just backed away in fear

"Hey. Isn't that a bit too much for one item?" Earth tried to intervene the man from hurting Plina

"Hah? Who are you? Don't you stick your nose in other people's business!" the man was still angry at his destroyed item

"It's my business when it involves my friend. Just let me pay for that crystal tusk" he offered

Plina tried to convince him to stop paying, "Earth, you don't have to-"

"Wait... I recognize you" the man pointed at Earth

"You're that chef boy who tried to fight monsters when adventurers were fighting" he said

Earth flinched at the mention of that event

"So that was it, huh? Trying to be a hero for that girl? Well too bad pal, nobody wants a delusional idiot that does nothing but bothers everyone's work" The man taunted

Earth clenched his fist in anger as Plina tried to break up the 2 people to prevent them from fighting

"It's better than a whiny man child who complains to a girl when their shiny item was broken because his clumsy hands" Earth taunted back, the man sneered at him

People started gathering towards them, watching the 2 hot-headed people on the verge of fighting

"Earth! Stop! I could just pay for the crystal tusk!" Plina pulled Earth away from the man

"Why you, little-"

BAAANNGG!!!

A sudden explosion interrupted their little dispute, causing all of them to look for the source

The ground shook, making some villagers scream out in terror

At the near east side of the city, smoke rises to the sky as several city guards noticed the breach of the wall

"Breach! Sir, we have a breach in the city!" One of the guards came running towards the captain of the guards

"What is it?" The captain asked

"Orcs, sir. All of them are armed with a giant orc accompanying them" the guard reported

Earth and Plina heard the conversation nearby, "Orcs? In the city?" He thought

He looked at man earlier as he escaped and ran away as fast as he could

"Coward" Earth muttered and looked at the rising smoke in the east wall of the city

"Let's check it out" He ran towards the smoke

"Earth! Wait!" Plina followed him also, as they ran towards the breach

-o-o-o-

Both of them arrived at the east side and it does not look pretty

The whole wall is busted, letting in a lot of orcs with large weapons to wreak havoc to the city

The guards desperately tried to hold back the incoming invaders, only to be smacked away like flies by using their enormous strength

Earth and Plina looked at the Orcs statuses

*****

"Warrior Orc" LV 13

HP: 400

MP: 30

STR: 42

AGI: 11

MAG: 0

DEF: 17

{A variant of Orcs that are adept and trained with basic fighting skills. Can wield large weapons with ease}

Skills:

*****

The orcs are at least 40 in number, all of them are destroying the buildings with their large wooden clubs. A lot of humans are either injured or dead, as the invaders continued to cause more damage

They could see adventurers fighting against the orc by striking from behind

"These orcs aren't much of a challenge at all!" Arciel the ax-wielding adventure said with a grin as he easily cleaved another orc

"Wait, what are those idiots doing?!" Earth yelled in anger

He was angry because most of the orcs are getting pushed deeper inside the city by adventurers scaring them in front. He even noticed they're extremely reckless causing a lot of damage to nearby property by using flashy and unnecessary skills

"The orcs are heading towards the center of the city!" Plina shouted as she pointed at the orcs running

She saw a little girl almost getting run over by one of the stampeding orcs

Plina quickly ran and grabbed the girl as she pulls her into safety

"Are you okay?" She quickly asked the girl. The child nodded, as her mother found her

Earth and Plina followed the orcs going deeper in the city and saw people getting cornered by orcs

The last of the guards were cornered against the wall also, orcs closed in on them, ready to slaughter them

"Plina, we have to help them!" Earth took out his blades ran towards the cornered guards

Plina took out her magic book and followed Earth

"" he activated one of his skills as his speed increased

[+50% AGI for 10 seconds] Earth

The orcs noticed Earth running towards them and tried to block his attack

"" He instantly stabbed the orc in the heart, killing it instantly

☆CRITICAL☆

[+400 CRIT damage] (0/400 HP) Orc

The orc diverted attention towards the corner guards and focused on the sudden attacker

One of the orcs raised his wooden club and tried to smash the boy

But Earth was quick to react and immediately dodged by rolling to the side in safety

"" he activated his skill again and stab the orc right in the foot and chop its neck with a cleaver after it collapsed to the ground

☆CRITICAL☆

[+373 CRIT damage] (27/400 HP) Orc

[+27 damage] (0/400 HP) Orc

A group of orcs quickly swarmed towards Earth, way too many for Earth to defend against

"{Bookmark: Page 1: }" Plina chanted as blades of light came out her book and stopped the orcs from coming closer

[+43 damage] (357/400 HP) Orc

[+51 damage] (349/400 HP) Orc

[+47 damage] (353/400 HP) Orc

" " Earth proceeded to finish the orcs off with quick stabs from his weapons

☆CRITICAL☆

[+357 CRIT damage] (0/400 HP) Orc

[+349 CRIT damage] (0/400 HP) Orc

[+353 CRIT damage] (0/400 HP) Orc

"{Bookmark: Page 4: }" Plina defeated the remaining orcs by barraging them with balls of light. Both got hit in the head and instantly got defeated

[+47 damage] (0/400 HP) Orc

[+53 damage] (0/400 HP) Orc

+++++

[ skill has leveled up!]

Lesser Blade Arts LV 19 ---> MAX

[ has turned into ]

- {Blade} weapons are now 15% more effective

+++++

Earth dismissed the notifications he went to the terrified villager

"You guys, okay?" He calmly asked

"Yes, we're just a bit scratched and bruised but nothing too serious" one of the villagers said

Plina went to one of the guards, "Can you escort the other villagers into safety? We'll keep any orcs from following you" She asked

The guards were a bit confused but nodded in response as they lead the villager to safety

"So, how much MP do you have left?" Earth said

"Not enough to stop that army" she sighed and shown her status

(45/100 MP) Plina

"Me too. I can't recover much MP at this time" Earth looked at the night sky. Without sunlight, his skill to regenerate MP is significantly been hampered

(25/90 MP) +0.5 MP per second, Earth

Suddenly, loud thumping sounds shook nearby buildings. They slowly looked at the perpetrator

"Hmm, I've been wondering what happened to most of my troops. Looks like the 2 of you has something to do with it" a giant orc appeared with its giant saber in his hand and has the ability to speak

Both of them looked in terror at the size of the orc. He has metal armor on his body as its face was full of scars, clearly showing that he's experienced in combat

"I am Krok, Chief of Lost Orc Tribe" the orc introduced himself

×××××

"Krok, High Chief Forest Orc" LV 26 {BOSS}

HP: 1500

MP: 700

STR: 97

AGI: 31

MAG: 22

DEF: 78

{Chief of the Lost Orc Tribe. Has a vendetta against humanity. His sword was originally owned by a strong adventurer. Looks like they're not strong enough hold against Krok}

Skills:

×××××

Earth stared in fear as he looked at Krok's stats. It's way too strong for both of them

"The other humans are distracted fighting my frontal warriors. But you humans killed my men going into the city" Krok replied as he grabbed his blade

"You both need to die" Krok threatened them as he lifted the saber

"{Bookmark: Page 1: }" Plina quickly chanted as blades of light sliced the orc in multiple directions

[+11 damage] (1489/1500 HP) Krok

But the giant orc remained unaffected to Plina's horror. It seems Krok is resistant to magic

"" Earth was next to strike and boosted his speed

Krok looked at him with an expressionless look

"" he raised his cleaver and strike Krok directly at his chest

*CRACK*

Earth widen his eyes as he saw his cleaver shattered into pieces. As he looked at the remaining broken hilt of his cleaver

[+7 damage] (1482/1500 HP) Krok

[Standard Iron Cleaver {Clive} is too broken for use]

[All {Cleaver Flavor Weapon Forms} are temporarily disabled until its repaired]

"I barely made a dent in him" Earth said in fear

"Hmm, I thought you humans are strong because you defeated my warriors. But it turns out that you 2 are too weak to break my armor" Krok said

"Now let me show you what strength looks like" Krok raised his sword

"PLINA! RUN!" They both tried to run away from the giant orc

"" Krok used his skill as a wide arc of attack both hit Earth and Plina

"Argh!!" Earth felt the blade slice his back

"Umph!!" Plina's shoulder was sliced by the attack

[+98 damage] (52/150 HP) Earth

[+81 damage] (44/125 HP) Plina

The 2 flew against a house nearby, both seriously injured in just one attack

"Damnit! We can't handle another attack like that!" Earth said. They were clearly overwhelmed at the strength of the orc

"Uh... Earth?" Plina called out. He looked at the girl as she showed the ripped remains of her magic book

[{Book of Illumination} is too damaged for use]

[All saved spells in the {Book of Illumination} is lost]

Earth paled at the ripped book. It must have been sliced from that attack earlier

He looked at Krok walking towards them, ready to fight them

"This is bad. Really bad" Earth could only say at the moment

They knew this battle is not going to be an easy one