At the heart of Kragfrost stood a large stone castle, built directly into the steep side of the mountain that the city was nestled around. Inside, Reena was seated in a grand dining table in complete silence.
She was seated near the end of a long table, staring blankly at Sol, who sat in the chair opposite her.
"Miss, what would you like to drink? We have a wide selection of beverages—alcohol included, if that's your desire."
It was only when an orc, dressed like a butler, appeared at her side and offered her something to drink. He had already taken everyone's order, only she was left so he called her out directly which finally snapped her out of her daze.
"Just water is fine…"
"Of course. I'll return shortly."
She watched the orc butler disappear into the kitchen. Once he was gone, only four people remained in the dining hall. Reena turned to Sol and spoke in a hushed but urgent voice.
"You said we were going to eat! Why are we in the Chieftain's home?!"
Since she was being kept here against her will, she demanded for some food at least. She was starving after everything that had happened before and during their trip to the void. Sol had agreed easily enough. What she didn't expect was to be brought directly into the Chieftain's castle.
"Ah, well… they invited us to dinner." Sol replied plainly. "It would've been rude to say no after they lent us that house for you to rest in."
"Yeah, but why would they invite you?!"
It didn't make sense. A random human being welcomed so warmly by the orcs? If anything, she, an elf from a people who typically had better relations with orcs than humans did, should've been the one better received. Yet no orc had even looked her way, always heading towards Sol first. And whenever they did speak, it was with a tone of deep respect, always calling him "Savior."
"Ah, that's a long story." Sol said with a shrug. "Not sure we should get into it here. I was told Chieftain Kuruck will return from his hunt soon."
As if on cue, the doors to the dining hall swung open. But the one who entered wasn't the Chieftain, it was a younger orc, carrying the corpse of a Large Winter Rabbit over his shoulder.
Looking around and seeing only guests, he grinned. "Hah! I'm the first one back! Someone come take my prize!"
The orc butler promptly returned and took the large rabbit off to the kitchen.
The young orc then made his way to the table and, unbothered by the dried blood on his armor, sat down in one of the chairs. He turned to Sol and grinned.
"We finally meet, Savior! I'm Retnak, the seventh child of Kuruck."
Sol nodded politely. "Nice to meet you. Did you also go hunting with the Chieftain?"
Retnak shook his head. "No. Whenever there's a special occasion, Father sends all of us on a grand hunt. We each venture outside the city alone to find the strongest prey we can. We then slay it and bring it back for dinner."
He smirked and motioned toward the kitchen where the butler had taken the rabbit.
"It might not look like much, but that cheeky rabbit was a level 70 beast. Its kicks could shatter boulders. I had to be careful not to get hit."
"Woah, impressive you managed to kill it." While a level 70 beast was nothing to Sol, he could tell, without even using [Analysis], that Retnak wasn't yet level 50. He found the feat genuinely admirable.
"I would accept nothing less for you, Savior." Retnak said, returning the compliment. "Still, I'm satisfied with my prize… but my siblings will probably bring back something more impressive. The grand hunt has a time limit of two hours, so they should be arriving soon."
And they did.
Next came Mazon, the fifth child, dragging in a level 84 Snowgrave Bison, its heavy faceplate shattered by the massive hammer on her back.
Then came Granect, the fourth child, hauling a level 91 Shrieking Ape that had its chest punctured by a spear.
After him was Nocren, the third child, returning with a level 79 Vicious Frost Glider who's wings were in tatters and its head decapitated.
Each of Chieftain Kuruck's children greeted Sol respectfully before taking their seats around the table. Banter quickly followed as they compared the results of their hunts.
Granect smirked at Nocren and teased, "And here I thought you took longer because you found something strong. All you came back with was a level 79 Vicious Frost Glider?"
Nocren quickly defending himself. "I wasn't just looking for something strong... I was also considering the taste! Everyone knows Vicious Frost Glider meat is extremely tender and savory!"
Mazon laughed. "Yeah? I thought we were supposed to hunt the strongest, not the tastiest."
The others jumped in, poking fun at him. The point of the hunt was to showcase strength, not culinary preference. Their skilled orc chefs could make any meat taste amazing so it really didn't matter what they brought it. Even the Snowgrave Bison, known for its toughness would melt in their mouths after their chefs got their hands on it.
Under their combined teasing, Nocren finally relented. "Alright! I'll admit it! I couldn't find anything else, okay?! Is that what you wanted to hear?!"
"You've gotten rusty, brother." a voice suddenly said from the entrance of the dining room.
Another orc stepped in. This one was Orla, the second child. Behind her, she dragged the enormous corpse of a level 122 Coldsnap Mantis, which she handed off to the waiting butler.
The rest of Kuruck's children stared in awe. Even in death, the mantis exuded a powerful aura.
Sol's eyes even widened slightly. From the creature's body, he could see a faint tether, slightly larger than the others.
'A pseudo law technique.'
Reacting quickly, he used [Siphon].
[Learned [Lacerate] Lv MAX!]
He hadn't bothered absorbing the abilities of the other beasts, they were too weak to be useful. But this one was definitely worth it.
He smiled faintly, pleased with the new skill, and began considering whether to keep it as is or combine it with something else.