Chapter 4

Narseena, upon seeing me successfully repel the worm, agreed to head to the lower levels on the condition that we would immediately retreat if it became too dangerous. Thanks to her, we managed to reach the lower levels.

"Raaaaaaa!"

"GAAAAAAA!"

"GAAAAAAA!"

"GYAAAAAA!"

...No sooner had we arrived in the lower levels than we were surrounded by a group of orcs and liches.

Whether an adventurer party could reach the lower levels was the criterion for determining if they were a top-tier party or not. The reason for this is clear when you consider that only 10 percent of adventurers are top-tier.

To put it simply, the lower levels of the dungeon are extremely difficult.

They are filled with complex traps and powerful magical beasts with special skills. However, what makes them even more troublesome is the way the magical beasts fight. In the lower levels, the magical beasts form parties with different types of beasts, dividing into front and rear lines to attack adventurers.

...And the combination of orcs and liches is considered one of the most difficult in the lower levels.

"Wh-Why are we facing a party of liches and orcs right after entering the lower levels?! Big brother!"

Narseena, who was in front of me, had a tense expression and it was clear she was suggesting we retreat to the upper levels.

That was a reasonable judgment.

After all, there's no way two people could defeat orcs and liches. Especially since one of the orcs was a larger, enhanced variant.

Even top-tier adventurers would choose to flee in this situation.

...But whether we could escape was another matter.

"It's impossible. With the liches, who have magical skills, turning our backs would be too risky. Besides, if we retreat to the upper levels, there's a risk of causing secondary damage."

"——!"

Narseena, understanding the situation from my words, bit her lip and clenched her fists.

In the dungeon, it's important to know when to retreat when you sense danger, but fleeing impulsively can be even more dangerous.

In other words, we had no choice but to fight the enemies in front of us.

"Don't worry, these guys will be taken care of quickly."

"...Big brother?"

However, I felt no fear towards the enemies in front of me.

Individually, they would have been quite troublesome.

But now, I had a very reliable companion.

"Narseena, I'll draw all the enemies to me. Please take care of the liches when the opportunity arises."

"...Eh?"

So I smiled at Narseena and held a dagger in my right hand and a throwing knife in my left.

"Big brother!"

And in the next moment, with Narseena's voice echoing behind me, I ran towards the orcs...

◇◆◇

"GAAAA?"

"GAAAAAAA!"

"GYAAAAAA!"

The three orcs laughed mockingly as they saw me running towards them.

From their laughter, I understood that they didn't even recognize me as a threat.

But this wasn't just arrogance.

If I were a skinny man standing in front of a three-meter-tall orc, I would think I'd be killed instantly, and anyone else would think the same.

"GAAAAAAA!"

So the orcs showed no signs of caution towards me as I ran towards them.

They swung their log-like arms at me as if swatting a fly.

"The orcs don't have weapons, so it's easier to deflect their attacks."

"GA?"

And in the next moment, the orcs realized that the person they had mocked was not weak at all.

Their faces twisted in anger as they finally recognized me as an enemy.

"I was surprised to see an enhanced orc, but the orcs here are not much of a threat."

—It seems that even after being attacked by the orcs, I didn't perceive them as a threat.

"GYAAAAAAAA!"

In the next moment, the enhanced orc roared in rage at my attitude.

And with that roar as a signal, the orcs surrounded me...

The next moment, a one-sided attack from the orcs began...

◇◆◇

The battle that began with the orcs' rage was one-sided.

But it was one-sided in my favor.

"Haha. This should last a few hours."

—But in the midst of this battle, I was the one smiling.

Indeed, I was on the defensive and not attacking the orcs at all.

But it wasn't because I couldn't attack.

I was simply focusing on defense.

And to prove this, not a single orc attack touched my body.

From the side, from behind, from the front.

All the attacks from the orcs, who had far more destructive power and speed than orcs, were aimed at me.

But I dodged and deflected them all with my dagger.

As if I had eyes in every direction.

And in a sense, I did.

After all, I was currently aware of every orc's movements perfectly.

I am a healer who can fight, but that doesn't mean I have a natural talent for combat.

I'm not talentless, but I'm just versatile.

So I switched my mindset.

Between offense and defense.

—And with the switch set to defense, my movements were too fast for the orcs to catch.

"Haha!"

I deflected and dodged their attacks, taunting the orcs with a smirk as if to say, "Is this all you've got?"

Without breaking my calm demeanor.

"GYAAAAAA!"

Finally, the enhanced orc lost control and roared in rage.

He stepped forward with his massive body and swung a punch at me, his fist glowing red with some skill.

"Ah! Here it comes—"

That was exactly what I was waiting for.

I dodged the orc's punch, knowing it would throw me off balance.

And the enhanced orc's face broke into a satisfied smile.

He seemed to think I had finally been overwhelmed and was about to fall.

"Too bad."

"GAA, GAAA!?"

"GYAA!?"

But that was a mistake on the enhanced orc's part.

My desperate dodge caused the enhanced orc's punch to graze me slightly and hit the orc behind me.

The orc who was hit by the enhanced orc's skill-activated punch curled up in pain, protecting the injured area.

"GYA, GYAA!"

"GAAA"

The other two orcs stopped their attacks and stepped back.

The orcs in the lower levels have a certain level of intelligence and were disturbed by the sight of their fallen comrade.

And the moment I recognized their confusion, I started running.

My target was the lich.

I don't know if the lich had decided that the orcs could handle me or if it had concluded the battle was over based on my defensive stance.

But the lich, which was preparing to cast a spell at Narseena, didn't notice me running towards it.

"Raaaaa!?"

By the time the lich noticed me, I was already within range of my throwing knife.

"Raa!"

I threw the throwing knife with all my might, but it was deflected by the lich, who had inhuman physical abilities, even though it was a rear-line fighter.

Well, even with the element of surprise, I'm not skilled or talented enough to do more than this.

Besides, my goal wasn't to defeat the lich.

"Raaaaaaa!"

But the lich, unaware of this, roared emotionally and started giving orders to the orcs.

It also began preparing a spell to cast at me...

"Narseena, it's up to you!"

—I shouted with a broad smile at the lich's reaction.

"Raaa!?"

The lich turned around in a panic.

"Haaaaa!"

But it was too late.

Narseena's fist was already sinking into the lich's body before it could turn around.

"Raaaaaaa!"

In the next moment, the lich, known as one of the worst magical beasts at the entrance to the lower levels, dissipated in a cloud of mist...

This entire sequence of events took only a few minutes.

...The orcs' lack of resistance is terrible.

And while it may seem like the protagonist was dominating the orcs, in truth, Rauzto is not a typical overpowered protagonist. He is strong, but he has a very sharp edge, which is one of the reasons for his low evaluation among party members.

I plan to explain this in more detail in the main story!

*Note: I changed the orc from a mutant to an enhanced variant to avoid overlap.

I will explain the difference in the activity report!