Chapter 6

006. The Second Trial (3)

There's no way to succeed without using force.

Although the theme of the trial is ‘assassination,’ it’s impossible to infiltrate the orc tribe as long as there are sentries.

Even if there were celestial mud, it wouldn’t make a difference.

And considering the ‘remaining time’ is absurdly insufficient...

"Clearly, this isn’t a situation to be picky about hot or cold rice."

Whoosh...

A torch made from suitable firewood gathered from the forest.

I looked at the torch in my hand with an uneasy gaze and then stored it in my inventory.

No matter how the interior of the inventory is designed, the torch doesn’t go out.

It doesn’t burn out either.

'If I could use the inventory outside, making money would have been easy.'

I could have joined a guild to store important valuables or worked as a porter to earn a substantial income.

I wondered what kind of place the Tower of Trials was to grant such abilities as a basic feature.

'But now, I need to focus here.'

I took a deep breath and began to heighten my tension.

If I just toss the torch into the forest, the flames will spread everywhere.

The crazy idea that came to mind was this.

Since this is a space created by the Tower of Trials, I don’t need to worry about the aftermath of starting a fire.

Even if this place exists somewhere, it’s not important to me as I will return to the waiting room.

It might seem irresponsible, but...

In reality, setting the forest on fire won’t harm me.

Surviving is the priority, so I don’t feel much guilt about burning the forest.

After starting the fire, I can defeat the orcs one by one as they panic.

By doing so, I can boost my stats and have a higher chance of defeating the chieftain, thus overcoming the trial.

Of course, I did consider if there was a better method...

But that wouldn’t change what I need to do.

"What else can I do if this is the only answer?"

The theme of the trial is ‘assassination,’ but it’s not a feasible situation.

The palisade is sturdy, and there are quite a few orcs inside, making infiltration difficult whether it’s day or night.

'If I attempt assassination and fail, I won’t even be able to escape.'

The risk of failure is too high.

On the other hand, starting a fire is different.

'Ork hunters always go hunting early in the morning.'

Despite their lazy appearance, orcs are a diligent race.

By their nature, they return when the sun sets.

Given the time, it must be around noon.

'So, the ork hunters won’t be in the village now, and I can take advantage of this...'

By excluding the ork hunters, the number of combat-capable orcs will decrease.

In such a situation, defeating them one by one will have a higher success rate.

Not all orcs are skilled in combat.

'Even among monsters, there are different levels.'

Worker orcs are not suitable for combat and are assigned to do odd jobs.

Ork sentries are not good enough to be hunters and are left behind.

'Considering the size of the palisade and the sentries at the entrance, the number of orcs won’t be large.'

There are likely only two to three ork sentries, and the chieftain is probably an old orc.

According to the Hunter’s Association, the most experienced hunter usually becomes the chieftain, so this is certain.

If I start a fire when the number of combat-capable orcs is low, I can sweep through all the orcs except the hunters.

'If I carefully reduce their numbers and then attack...'

I might be able to turn the numerical advantage in my favor.

To do this, I need to kill two to three orcs in the chaos.

'If I try to attack head-on, my current stats won’t be enough.'

If the most important stat for a hunter is lacking, the plan will fail.

'I need to boost my strength stat to around 20.'

If I can match the orcs’ strength, the rest will be easier.

So, defeating isolated orcs one by one is essential.

Of course, there’s a possibility the orcs won’t scatter.

But the probability of that is very low.

'If they think the fire can be contained, they will fetch water from a nearby source.'

The orcs will go to a nearby lake or river to get water.

The worker orcs will be the busiest.

I can ambush them when they are far enough away.

'If the risk is high no matter what, I should choose the more certain option.'

This was true during the tutorial and is still true now.

Instead of running around looking for an escape route that might not exist...

I chose to kill the sand golem with the given weapon.

It was more certain.

Hesitation will only harm me, and if I die, it will be my own fault.

I need to kill before I die.

I engraved this simple rule in my mind and took a step forward.

Now is the time to act, not to think.

***

After completing all preparations, I immediately started moving toward the ork village marked on the map.

Time is running out, so I can’t waste any more.

As before, I moved in a prone position through the bushes from the middle onward.

'Even though I applied celestial mud, I still need to be careful.'

I had to be cautious since I had only learned this theoretically.

If any variable arises, survival will be impossible.

Swoosh, swoosh.

How long had I moved? Soon, I could hear the breathing of orcs beyond the bushes.

"Snort, snort."

I moved slowly toward the source of the regular breathing.

I hid in the nearby bushes, muffling my breath, and observed the ork sentries.

Although the ork sentries are vigilant, their numbers are not large.

Most are capable warriors, but they are left behind to guard against external threats.

'They probably think that leaving a few behind will ensure they can respond to any ambush.'

This is a characteristic of the orcs, so it can’t be wrong.

According to the Hunter’s Association, ork sentries don’t always stand guard.

'They enter the village to eat or rest.'

Although their stay is not long, it’s perfect for my plan.

'Sometimes, worker orcs are assigned to stand guard, but it doesn’t matter.'

Worker orcs are of lower quality compared to ork sentries.

When the time comes, I can quietly deal with the worker orcs or secretly start the fire without drawing their attention.

But until then, I must not make any noise and remain silent.

The celestial mud can’t silence sound.

I must remain as still as if I were not alive.

That’s the most important thing.

"..."

I minimized my breathing, stiffened my body, and focused on the front.

When my legs and arms, which were pressing into the ground, started to feel numb...

"Snort, snort!"

Suddenly, an ork sentry snorted and gestured to a nearby companion.

'Did they notice me...?'

I instantly tensed and opened my inventory to prepare for battle, but I soon realized it was a misunderstanding.

Thud, thud.

The ork sentries yawned, looking tired, and entered the palisade.

The moment I had been waiting for, holding my breath, had arrived.

Yes, if I don’t act now, there won’t be another chance.

I quietly stood up and moved to a spot to start the fire without making a sound.

The palisade, the nearby bushes, and the surrounding trees.

'There’s enough firewood, and it’s in a location where the fire can spread easily.'

I made this judgment and immediately took out the torch from my inventory.

Whoosh!

As soon as I brought the torch to the bushes, the fire spread fiercely.

I moved the fire to the palisade and set the nearby trees on fire with the torch.

Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!

The palisade and bushes quickly caught fire, and smoke began to rise.

Swish!

I threw the torch in another direction to start more fires.

I thought that if the fires were scattered, they would spread more.

Although I only needed to catch two or three orcs, I didn’t overdo it.

What can I do?

If I don’t do this thoroughly, my life might be in danger.

I retreated and hid behind a tree that hadn’t caught fire.

Now, I just need to wait for the orcs to scatter and then ambush them.

The worker orcs will soon move to extinguish the fire.

'They will try to put out the fire.'

The fire spreads quickly, but it’s not uncontrollable.

Certainly, some orcs will run to a water source to try to extinguish it, and I can target them.

After a while, as the fire spread...

"Snort? Snort, snort!"

A scream-like voice of an orc was heard from beyond the palisade.

Then, an orc rushed out of the palisade.

'Is it an ork sentry?'

No.

It was an unarmed, ordinary worker orc.

"Snort, snort? Snort, snort!"

The worker orc looked shocked and stared at the fire I had started.

He seemed at a loss.

At that moment,

I took advantage of the worker orc’s confusion and moved stealthily.

This was a perfect opportunity.

Only one orc had rushed out in response to the fire.

'And it’s a worker orc, not skilled in combat.'

Without much thought, I moved as I had prepared.

I circled around behind the orc and closed the distance in one leap.

Thud!

"Snort, snort...?!"

As the worker orc turned his head in surprise.

Thump!

"Snort, snort. Snort, snort."

I thrust the sword I had taken from my inventory into the orc’s stomach.

It was a surprise attack from behind, not a direct confrontation.

'There’s no way he could react.'

The worker orc couldn’t even scream and staggered backward.

Someone might find this scene pitiful, but not me.

My life has become so unfortunate because of these monsters.

"Damn bastards."

Instead of feeling guilt or excitement, my heart grew calmer.

I pulled out the sword and immediately stabbed the orc’s heart.

There was no pointless hesitation.

Crunch!

"Snort."

The worker orc let out a short scream and emitted black smoke.

Yes, I was waiting for this.

「Unique Skill ‘Necromancy (F)’ activated.」

「Do you want to absorb the orc’s spirit?」

「Y/N」

I silently placed the worker orc’s body and pressed ‘Y’.

「The orc’s spirit has been absorbed.」

「Current number of spirits: 1/5」

「Proficiency increased by 9%.」

Swoosh!

At the same time, I converted the absorbed spirit into stats.

「Using the absorbed spirit to permanently increase stats.」

「Strength increased by 4.」

「Agility increased by 2.」

「Current number of spirits: 0/5」

Feeling the pleasure of growth spreading through my body, I opened my status window.

『Han Sungyun』

『Strength – 16』 『Health – 11』

『Agility – 11』 『Magic – 7』

『Unique Skill – Necromancy (F)』

『Skill – Rapid Regeneration (E+)』

'My strength is getting close to 20.'

My health and agility are also over 10 and heading toward 20.

Now, I can defeat orcs head-on.

However, I didn’t have time to revel in my growth.

"Snort, snort, snort!"

This time, a properly armed ork sentry appeared.

But it wasn’t as scary as before.

If it were two, it would be different, but the ork sentry appeared alone.

Feeling fortunate, I spoke.

"Inventory."

Swish.

I took out a shield from my inventory and braced myself, facing the ork sentry.

Now, it’s time for a frontal assault.