'There's nothing wrong with me?'
To the Elf, it was the most obvious thing in the world.
He wasn't smaller. Not in height, not in limb length, not even in frame. The only thing missing was muscle.
The Orc wasn't born weak. He had been made weak.
If it were in his blood, if it were fate, then why weren't his wrists thinner, his shoulders narrower, his limbs shorter?
It wasn't blood. It was malnutrition.
And it hadn't started from birth, she could tell. If it had, his body would've shown other signs.
'There's nothing wrong with me.' The Orc repeated to himself, staring at his hands. 'But if it's not my fault then,' He clenched his fists, his arm muscles contracting at once. 'If it's not my fault, then why, why did I go through all of that?'
He was the weakest.
The Orc had accepted that long ago.
He was the weakest, which is why he didn't deserve to eat like the others.
The Orc had accepted that as well.
He was the weakest, which is why he was treated like the worthless being he was.
'The only reason I went through all that, the reason why I accepted it, the reason why I didn't hit back, or fight, was because I thought that I was the problem! That it was my fault! But if that's not the case, if the weakness isn't in my blood then…'
Unruly wrath swirled inside his heart. The possibility of the treatment being unjustified changed everything. Because yes, he thought that it was justifiable before.
The possibility that not only was the treatment not justified, but that he had been robbed of the potential strength and life he could have had, filled him with anger greater than he ever felt after being punched, kicked, knocked out, choked, bitten, or slashed.
'Why did I have to feed on scraps and bones? Why did I have to sleep under the rain and in the mud? Why…'
The list went on and on, and his anger only burned hotter, and darker.
Eventually, a crack echoed as the bone in his hand shattered.
'...'
The Orc immediately became aware of the fact that his thoughts and emotions could show themselves outwardly.
His gaze moved towards the three. One by one, he stared at Dummy, Hideous, and Piggy.
'He's getting angry.' The Elf thought to herself with a calculating gaze. 'I've been slowly letting out my Mana so that the path we have taken can be seen.' She pressed her lips together. 'But how would Trish and Eva even know that I was taken captive by Orcs? I can't even remember how it happened. I just suddenly woke up at their mercy. I have to believe that they will find me somehow… No matter how unlikely.' With the glimmer of hope that the Orc represented, the spark that had previously died out sparked anew. 'Even if they somehow realize what happened and follow the trail, can they win against four Orcs? I need to do this myself. To escape by myself.' Her eyes focused on the Orc, who was currently looking at his brethren. 'If he is truly different from the rest, then maybe, maybe…'
As the flames of hatred and rage inside the Orc's heart turned darker and darker,
[A strong emotional change has been detected!]
[The "Sub-Quest 2: Kill your Party's current Leader" is being altered!]
The Orc's eyes narrowed as he read the words.
[Changes have been finalized!]
[Sub-Quest 2: Kill Dummy, Hideous, and Piggy.]
[Your Rewards will depend on your Achievements.]
[Kill Dummy: 3 Unused Stat Points.]
[Kill Hideous: Gain the Skill "War Cry[E]".]
[Kill Piggy: 1 Skill Point.]
[Killing all three: "Hatred's Gambit[D]".]
[Hatred's Gambit[D-Rank]: When facing someone with a negative Affection Gauge, your Strength and Agility Stats increase by 30% while your Vitality and Endurance Stats decrease by 20%.]
'Yes. Right now,' The Orc's gaze grew cold and hateful. 'I do want to kill all of them.'
However, the Orc had no way of doing so.
'Even though my Stats have increased, I can't do it. My strength is still too low. Much too low to kill the three of them.'
He needed to calm down. To repress his anger and rage.
Just like he had done countless times already.
'Wait,' His eyelids slowly rose. 'I don't have to jump at them right away. Earlier, I lost control of myself and punched. By calming down, I can think clearly. Just because I'm angry doesn't mean that I have to fight them now. Just because I obey for now doesn't mean that I am on their side. Yes, I can hide the way I feel. Additionally, if I wait for them to get separated, then I can fight them one by one. I can also attack when they are at their most vulnerable, like when they're asleep!' The Orc felt his mind racing for the first time. 'But even if they're asleep, it's not possible for me to kill them. One free hit wouldn't be enough to turn the tables.' His hand slowly moved closer to his chin and mouth as he thought. 'One wrong move and they will kill me. If they do, then she won't have anyone. Let alone once they get her to the Chief, they will probably… Yes, the Orc Chief doesn't know about her yet. If I die, they will be free to do whatever they want with her. It's still not too late to bring the Orc Chief something else. I need to survive, and I need to do something. I need to hurt them. To kill them. Do I wait for the System to give me ways to increase my Stats? The current Quest is to kill them. The only other way for me to grow stronger is my Lust Level.'
While one hand hovered in front of his mouth and chin, his other hand moved towards his waist.
'I don't want to die again. So when I make my move, I have to make sure it is definite.'
The Orc felt goosebumps and shivers moving up and down his entire body.
'A way to make it definite. A way to win when my physical strength is lower. A way to…' The corner of his lips slowly curled upwards as the shivers intensified. 'Thought and reason…' His eyes glimmered. 'Are such amazing abilities!'