The Orc followed Dummy through the dark forest, club in hand.
'Why the hell is he walking so far…' He clenched his jaw as he crouched behind a tree. 'Just pee already.'
Dummy's massive frame stumbled forward, scratching his belly and yawning. The forest was quiet, its quietness interrupted only by Dummy's steps as he walked over twigs and branches.
'It's like he's trying to make as much noise as possible…' The Orc slowly exhaled. 'Still… this isn't bad. The farther he goes, the better for me.'
He glanced back. The light reflected by the Elf's metallic cage under the moonlight was far enough to be out of view.
'If it happens here, they won't hear a thing.'
Dummy stopped.
The Orc pressed his back against a thick trunk and peeked.
Dummy lazily looked around, shrugged, and lowered the cloth wrapped around his waist.
The Orc's grip on the branch tightened. His makeshift weapon was heavier than it looked, especially with the rock bound at the tip.
'Now.' He told himself.
But his body didn't move.
Dummy was unguarded. Exposed. Vulnerable. Completely at his mercy.
'He won't even know what hit him. Just one swing. One good swing is all...'
Still, the Orc didn't move.
His heart pounded. Not from fear or from guilt. A strange heat crawled down his spine.
'Why am I hesitating?'
He wasn't afraid of killing. He felt his anger and hatred was more than justified.
However, the Orc was afraid of doing it wrong. He was afraid of wasting the one opportunity he had.
The Orc inhaled. His legs moved. Quietly and slowly steps. Dummy was completely oblivious as the Orc stood right behind him..
The Orc raised the club high above, both hands tightly gripping the rope-wrapped wood.
His eyes narrowed.
And he swung.
GARGH!
The sound was sick, dull. Dummy groaned loudly as he stumbled forward while turning, piss spraying the ground before he collapsed to the ground.
'Shit!'
The Orc's mind blanked. For a moment, he just stood there, staring. Breathing.
Dummy wasn't dead. He was lying on the ground, staring right at him.
'Finish it… Finish him!'
He raised the club again and stepped forward.
The club was swung vertically, aimed at Dummy's head. However,
Grown!
The impact stopped.
The Orc's eyes widened.
'He blocked it?'
Dummy's hand trembled from the blow.
He had moved just in time to intercept the rock aimed at his head!
The Orc's nervousness increased in intensity. He had swung the club with both hands, yet Dummy had only used one to block the hit!
'Shit, shit… SHIT!'
The Orc yanked the club back. Dummy's lips parted, confusion still clouding his face.
How could this be? How could the weakling be-
CRACK—
The club swung sideways, low and fast, like a golf swing aimed at a ball below him.
The rock struck Dummy's skull just above the ear.
Spurt!
Dummy's head snapped violently to the side. His body twisted.
Thud.
The Orc stood there, frozen.
His hands trembled, and the club trembled with them.
[Sub-Quest 2 Progress has been detected.]
[Eliminated Target: Dummy.]
[Reward: 3 Unused Stat Points Acquired]
The Orc dropped to a knee, one hand clutching the tree for support.
He was breathing hard. His chest rose and fell like he'd just run for hours.
Goosebumps raced up his arms.
His first kill.
He stared at Dummy's body.
The blood pooled. Dummy's eyes stayed open.
He had done it.
He had killed.
'He's dead.'
And he wasn't.
'I won. I won against someone stronger than me.'
The Orc's gaze slowly moved towards the club in his hand.
'It worked.'
He shivered.
A strange feeling he was not familiar with overtook him.
The corners of his lips curled upwards.
The first hunt was a success. The first kill was incredibly satisfying.
The Orc took a deep breath again.
He couldn't wait for the next hunt.
Still, the image of Dummy blocking his second strike mellowed the burning heat that made his hands twitch.
He stood up and began walking.
Minutes later, the Elf saw him emerge from the darkness.
The moment she did, her stomach tightened.
'His face…?'
He didn't look hurt.
But something had changed.
His eyes scanned the camp calmly. Piggy and Hideous were still sleeping, sprawled out like beasts.
The Orc stopped near the cage and quietly tied the rope back around it.
The Elf didn't say a word. She didn't know what to say.
There was blood on the side of his club.
His hands were trembling slightly. His breathing shallow.
He sat down near the cage.
"You…?"
His eyes met hers, and held the gaze.
There was something burning behind those eyes of his. Something that wasn't burning before. Or, at the very least, had been burning with much weaker intensity.
She could see it. She could feel it.
Just like she could sense that he was different from the others.
His chest rose, and his gaze dropped.
Her lips. Her thighs. Her skin beneath the torn folds of her clothes…
He looked away. His heart was beating fast.
The accelerated heart rate was caused by both the hunt and the Elf's presence.
[Your Lust Level has increased.]
He wanted to look at her for longer. To scan her body with his eyes. He wanted to get closer to her. He wanted… Why? He wanted it more than ever before. Why? Because he had killed? Because he had gone through his first hunt?
[Lust Level: 3 —> 4]
[Your Lust Level has increased!]
[Your Vitality Stat increases by 2 Stat Points.]
[Your Endurance Stat increases by 3 Stat Points.]
[Lust Level: 4—>5!]
[Your Lust Level has increased!]
[You have gained the Skill "Speech[D]".]
[Speech[D-Rank]: You…]
The Orc's eyelids wavered as the last reward was described.
Slowly, his gaze returned to the Elf.
She blinked.
"…You okay?" The Elf whispered.
His lips parted.
He felt something building in his throat.
The Orc felt great nervousness at the idea.
He felt it tingle in his throat.
The Elf's eyes widened, waiting.
The Orc looked away.
She stared at him for a bit.
"What… What happened out there?" The Elf asked.
Of course, she wasn't expecting an answer.
'...'
The Orc curled himself up and closed his eyes.
She could have gotten answer, but he decided against it.
'Going to sleep on me, huh?' The Elf sighed. 'I expected a reaction or something…' Her gaze moved towards the darkness that Dummy had previously entered.
For hours, her gaze remained alert.
It was only at dawn that she accepted it.
"You really…" She whispered, her gaze turning towards the sleeping Orc. "You really did it." The Elf stared at his wide back as she rubbed her sleepy eyes. "He finally got what he deserved." She smiled.
Indeed, there was no use staring at that area anymore. Dummy wasn't coming back.