Chapter 49: The Real Leader
The three Orc Champions let out bestial roars. Leading the charge, they lunged forward, ready for battle, with the horde of ordinary orcs following suit.
"They have Orc Champions? And here I thought the Orc Shaman was the only thing we had to worry about." Leonard was severely displeased.
Even after carefully scouting the area from afar, they hadn’t spotted the Orc Champions. It seemed the monsters had purposely kept their strongest forces hidden, saving them for when the awakeners launched their attack.
Despite the unwelcome surprise, the awakeners had no other choice but to fight until the bitter end. Gripping their weapons, they met the orcs’ charge head-on.
At the very back, Leonard spotted the Orc Shaman giving orders to the troops. Interestingly enough, despite being only Level 16, she commanded the Orc Champions who were four levels above her.
"Capture the humans! Break their bones, but don’t kill them! We need them alive!" The Orc Shaman declared, raising her staff high.
"So the orcs willingly obey her... Is it because they recognize her intelligence more than her strength, or is there another reason? Regardless, it’s better to play it safe for now. Refrain from engaging the Orc Champions unless absolutely necessary and observe them carefully." Leonard concluded.
However, to his dismay, the Orc Shaman fixed her gaze on him the next second.
Her eyes flared with pure hatred, remembering how he had been the only one swift enough to attack her and even ripped a portion of her robe with his axe, causing her to drop a Shard of Salvation.
"Make sure to kill this one! Painfully! Tonight, I want to feast on his guts!" She ordered, pointing her staff toward him and conjuring a black sphere that shot forward.
Leonard hadn’t expected her to target him. He avoided the frontal collision, yet when the sphere exploded, he was caught within its influence.
[You have come into direct contact with condensed corruption! Your corruption has risen by 10%!]
[Corruption 24%]
"Again?!" He felt his blood boil, more from anger than pain.
Twice now, the Orc Shaman had fired condensed corruption toward him. By all accounts, things had turned personal. He was determined to kill the damned orc himself!
As the heavy cloud settled, his eyes frantically searched for the Orc Shaman, only to realize that one of the Orc Champions was now approaching him with killing intent.
If the accumulating corruption wasn’t enough, he now found himself under the wrath of an Orc Champion!
"Damn it all! Valor, come forth!"
Aware that he would not last against a Level 20 monster by himself, Leonard didn’t hesitate to summon his loyal knight.
At once, Valor appeared in front of his master. He tilted his greatsword sideways, using it as a shield to absorb the impact.
The two collided, the impact pushing Valor back and almost sending Leonard off his feet.
Yet before he could lose his balance, Winston arrived from behind and offered support.
"B—Bro, why is one of the three deadliest monsters here aiming for you?! And why does it look so bloodthirsty?!" Winston stuttered, rendered almost speechless by the flying sparks as Valor clashed against the Orc Champion.
"Beats me! It won’t matter after we kill them all!" Leonard replied, closing in with Titanic Oath.
With Valor summoned, he needed to kill the enemy before his mana ran out.
Sadly, because the Orc Champion specialized in strength, even Valor, with his large attribute boost, was being overwhelmed by the monster!
Lightning cracked across his axe, heading straight for the neck.
Yet the Orc Champion proved faster. First, he toppled Valor with a shoulder-check. Then he abruptly turned his head toward the incoming strike and opened his mouth.
With terrifying speed, he clamped his jaws shut, catching Titanic Oath mid-swing and trapping it!
The edges of his mouth turned upward in contentment. He had rendered Leonard weaponless!
Certain of his victory, the Orc Champion swung his greatsword, eager to split Leonard in two.
[Dimensional Storage activated!]
But the next moment defied all reason.
Leonard used his skill to store the axe, surprising the orc. He then ducked low, the edge of the Orc Champion’s blade passing dangerously close, barely missing his hair.
"Close one." He muttered, his beating heart ringing in his ears.
"What are you looking at?! Focus on me!" Winston yelled, striking the side of the orc with his hammer.
The strike wasn’t lethal, yet it proved enough to disorient the orc.
Feeling his wrath replacing his reason, the Orc Champion turned around, eyes narrowing on Winston like a predator.
"O—On second thought, why not focus on the knight instead?" Winston felt a chill running down his spine, subtly hiding behind Valor.
Valor merely cleansed his chestplate with exaggerated movement before slashing toward the creature.
"Ugh! Why do you two always get into the most dangerous situations?! Stop being so reckless!" Harley appeared just in time, her rapier stabbing with precision, aiming for the gaps in the orc’s armor.
"Don’t blame us! It’s not us who are looking for trouble! It’s the other way around!" Leonard shouted, impaling the orc’s leg with his axe.
"That excuse doesn’t work when it happens repeatedly! What time is this?! The second? The third?!" Harley replied, strategically using the cover Valor provided to target the Orc Champion’s eyes.
Although she was seeing Valor for the first time, she didn’t bother asking questions, focusing on the threat first.
"How about you lovebirds continue your flirting when you get yourselves a room? We are fighting with our lives on the line here!" William emerged from the chaos, his gauntlet striking the orc in the chest and sending shockwaves across the monster’s body.
"F—Flirting?!" Harley suddenly felt a blush rising across her cheeks, which wasn’t caused by exertion.
"Stop spouting nonsense and fight!" Leonard roared.
Despite being Level 20, the Orc Champion was slowly being overwhelmed.
William and Harley had classes of their own, which, combined with the Primordial Bloodline Leonard carried and Valor’s support, proved simply too much for the lone monster to handle.
Riddled with holes and with many bones broken by William and Winston’s blunt attacks, the Orc Champion felt his consciousness wavering.
In the end, the monster fell to Valor’s blade, as the knight had proven invaluable in defeating the vicious creature.
[You have defeated a Level 20 Orc Champion.]
[You have gained 500 Experience!]
Level: 7 [Experience: 925/800]
[You have risen to Level 8!]
Level: 8 [Experience: 125/1,000]
[You have gained 5 Attribute Points and 10 Evolution Points!]
Finally, Leonard had reached Level 8, just two levels away from being able to obtain a class at last!
He teleported the corpse of the Orc Champion using the ring. He considered storing it in Dimensional Storage instead, but the academy would surely reward him far better than any agency.
With the Orc Champions reduced to just two, he surveyed the battlefield, his breathing ragged.
One of the creatures was being held single-handedly by Elizabeth, her ice bringing it immense pain, while the other was left rampaging through the ranks of the awakeners who clashed against the ordinary orcs.
"I joined your fight because you were already on the verge of winning. It was wiser to get rid of the biggest threats first." William explained, getting ready to jump on the second Orc Champion.
Before anyone was able to respond, the chant of the Orc Shaman echoed from behind.
"One of your three sons has fallen! Oh, chief, we plead for your aid!"
In response to her plea, a shadow scaled the walls and jumped past them, landing in the middle of the battleground. An orc clad in golden armor who rode upon a saber-toothed tiger.
[Level 25 Orc Chieftain.]