Chapter 16: Chapter 14: Do you know the Definition of Insanity, Orc?

Author Notes: First Third Person Narrator time of the story!

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Home.

What was home? Well, if you asked our little dragon, it would be her apartment back on Earth in New York’s Manhattan. A safe haven for your weary body and mind, where you could feel alright to let loose.

Even if that place was a cold, claustrophobic cave with little to nothing to eat, it was better to be roofless. It was a closed cavern, protecting its inhabitants from outside attacks better than sleeping outside.

With this truth, five orcs currently called a medium-sized cave in the northeast of the Belzac forest their home. They relished in their moment of respite, as they knew they had to return to the hunt, soo.

One of these humanoid monsters, however, stayed behind in the cave for his cohorts. There needed to be a defender, but what was there to do in this rather desolated cave? The grey-skinned orcs were intelligent beings, as such, they needed mental stimulation. And what was there to satisfy that here?

Why, eating and training, of course. For an orc, stuffing their stomach full was their most blissful moment, for that tickled their desire for superiority. Food was a source for life and strength, and an orc was quite narcissistic about their large muscles, aside from their two tusk-like fangs.

This group of orc was, unfortunately, fresh out of rations but that was nothing to worry about for the lonesome orc. It may not have been long since they settled in this cave, but they knew it well enough to know the existence of an underwater lake filled with savory fish. They just needed one of them to go fetch enough for everyone.

And this very orc was the one we were following right now.

Hmmm, fish. Can’t wait for fish. Get much for group. Feast! Gahahaha!

Fishing was rather hard for these large humanoids. They were slightly larger than a human with ears similar to an elf’s, but they were comparably primitive to the two aforementioned races. Although a spear in his hand, he and his companions had only recently learned how to fish with it. Still, his enthusiasm was commendable.

Cave always so dark. Eyes not good. But nose good. Smell takes me to fish.

An exaggeration. The orc, like all other monsters, knew instinctively of the existence of the skill system created by this world’s gods. Rarely would they learn of the full existence of the Profile, but all of them were used to System messages informing them of their levels and skills. And orcs possessed a racial skill where they started with a strong [Enhanced Olfactory Sense].

Coincidentally, our little dragon girl was the same. As a dragon, classified as a monster, the existence of the skill system and the Profile was already imprinted into her nature. However, by retaining her memories before her rebirth, she was able to unravel the intricacy of the System without outside help.

Path safe. Smell goes this way.

This orc had, due to his living environment, learned the [Night Vision] skill and, naturally, leveled it enough to be able to identify and navigate throughout the cave. The issue, however, came from his lackluster drive to remember the path since he trusted his nose.

The path to the lake with fish? Why remember when the smell would lead him eventually to his destination. A lazy way of thinking, but it was working. You could say don’t change what wasn’t broken. And similar to every attempt before, he made it to the lake.

Fish smells good. My brothers and sister hunt. I get the fish before they come back. Must hurry or no meat for me!

A division of labor.  It was decided by the whole group that four would hunt, while one would guard the cave, fishing on the sides. To them, it was a good idea and whenever the hunters came back home, they would to huge grilled fish.

Water so good. So good. Haha. Fish will be good too. Catch many for brothers and sister!

A good attitude. Lamentably, a correct attitude will not aid him with fishing. The fish were monster, too, and they didn’t take the orc’s attempt to eat them too kindly. However, the orc was still a D rank while the fish were only F rank. The difference in stats and skills was too damning.

Still, the fish were in their elements while the orc had problems maneuvering in the water as it reached his stomach. He also wasn’t the most patient, so not every strike would reach its mark. All while the fish continued shooting out water bullets at him.

Surely, this should dissuade the orc from continuing his futile attempts, right? Evidently, no. Insistent and too immersed in the situation, the orc laughed outloud as he continuously wielded his spear, using his skills and weapon abilities until an unlucky barracuda was pierced.

“Gahaha!”

Laughing haughtily, he dined on the first bounty of many to come. After enjoying a nice rest, he went back to continue his work.

A cycle of hunt and rest was to become his life until his companions’ return. In this cave without a sun nor clock, one could only fancy a guess how many days had passed since he began. Tirelessly, the orc focused on his task, ignoring anything not related to it. More and more fish were being stacked to the sides, and he was only satisfied once he couldn’t carry anymore.

Perhaps, neglecting the influence of a correct attitude was a bit too rash. His persistence and hard work did after all result in a job well done.

“Gruuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuohhhhhhhh!” An excited shout echoed through the cave.

Hunters back! Home! Smell so good!

Simple, joyful thoughts for his returning companions. Now the feast may start. Carrying how many fish he could, while eating any leftovers, he marched onwards with his nose as his guide.

This way is correct. Smell s— Hmm? Cooked? Hrm! Hrmmm! Tasty!

Although the smell was foreign to him, the tenderizing aroma of fat juices overwhelmed him to the point he forgot to scrutinize it. Living in this cave, where threats were non-existent for a D rank monster like him, he had forgotten to place his guard up in a monster-infested area like the Belzac forest. Death was looming everywhere… even in your own home.

If he had placed his guard up, he probably would have recognized his impending doom a little sooner before he found what was at the end of this delectable smell. What did he find? A medium dog-sized lizard. Not his brethren.

The orc instantly became wary of this stranger, but his eyes were quickly drawn away as the aroma of grilled fish entered his nose. Spices and herbs fully brought out the full potential of the fish, tickling the orc’s tongue with smell alone. He was salivating. He had never experienced something like this before.

Smell so good! Want to eat. But what is that other thing? It smells like nothing.

The lizard produced no smell due to the [Wind Magic Lv. 3] spell [Air Shield], which created a barrier that blocked anything from coming in or leaving, including air itself. It was also hard to appraise her appearance due to her black scales melting with the darkness, causing the orc to put down his fish and tightly grip his spear.

“Grm?”

Smell-less thing is pointing arm. Attacking? Hmmm. Offering food? Making same movements as sister tracker when showing food to eat.

Apparently, one of the other orcs was familiar with a hand gesture of offering something. He was considering if this was a trap or not, but as his chin was slowly being covered in his saliva, he quickly licked his lips and rushed forwards.

Not for the lizard, but the fish. His primitive appetite told him to eat and enjoy.

Ahhhh. Taste good. Fish the best fish. Sound when eating makes me want more. The best food ever.

The orc continued to devour the rest of the grilled fish that was offered. After licking the last bit of juices left on his fingers, the orc eyed the mysterious lizard, filled with awe and respect for this display of kindness. If he were to introduce his leading brother to this creature, it could give them more of this exquisite food. The orcs would obtain another companion in their lives.

It would be a smart choice.

Want more! Smell-less has more. Want to eat too. Eaaaaaat!

… A shame it was ruined by gluttony.

“Gruuuuarrrr…! Gr— Gruuargh! Grorck!”

Controlled by feeding frenzy, the shimmering, magical rune circles, evidence of magic, went unnoticed to him. [Haste], [Sturdy Earth], [Strengthening Flames], [Swift Winds] and [Holy Protection]. All activated in succession. The lizard shook her dead in disappointment as she readied for battle.

He also neglected the existence of an [Earth Strike] trap placed right behind the fish. The trap activated and skewered his feet, shooting a sharp pain right up his body. It did little health damage, but it still made him want to shout. As he opened his mouth, a [Fire Ball] shot right into his gaping mouth.

Hurts! Pain! Why can I not shout? Throat hurts so much. Fire. Lizard, what you do?!

Glaring at the source of all his pain, he finally recognized the lizard for what it truly was. The light was banished from around them at the appearance of [Light]. The mysterious foe, unveiled.

No! Horns. Wings. Fire. Dra-Dragon!

“Kish kish. Krah Kraah krash kraaaa!“

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<Multiple proficiency requirements fulfilled. [Wind Magic Lv. 4] [Acrobatic Lv. 4]. 400 SP remaining>

<Multiple acquisition requirements fulfilled. [Silent Casting Lv. 1] [Trap Creation Lv. 1] acquired>

<Multiple proficiency requirements fulfilled. [Spark Fire Dragon Lv. 5] [Mana Control Lv. 7] [Fire Magic Lv. 5] [Earth Magic Lv. 7] [Wind Magic Lv. 5] [Trap Creation Lv. 3] [Stealth Lv. 7] [Silent Casting Lv. 2] [Identify Lv. 9] [Prediction Lv. 4] [Enhanced Enemy Sense Lv. 9] [Enhanced Olfactory Sense Lv. 3] [Night Vision Lv. 6] [Presence Killer Lv. 5] [Acrobatic Lv. 5] [Cooking Lv. 6] [Parallel Thoughts Lv. 3] [Pain Resistance Lv. 5] [Fire Resistance Lv. 5] gained>

<Skill gained: [Spark Fire Breath]>

<Magic gained: [Strengthening Flames] [Sturdy Earth] [Earth Spears] [Air Shield] [Wind Slash] [Swift Winds]>

<Skill requirement fulfilled. [Earth Magic Efficiency] gained>

<[Battle Frenzy (Moderate)] [Various Spell Buff] inflicted on [Young Spark Fire Dragon *]>

Ha ha ha ha ha ha. You finally came out!

Ahhhh, what the hell! That took too long. Do you know how long I had to wait for you to stop fishing! How were you able to keep fishing without doing anything else? All you did was fish, eat and sleep. I at least did some cooking and magic practice!

Urgh, I never could have imagined this to take ages when I decided to kill you all! Kraaaa!

Waiting. Waiting. That was all I did when I saw the orc going to the underground lake. Sure, I knew he would be fishing there, but I didn't expect him to do it forever until the others came back.

It wasn’t too bad for the first day, I guess. I did fall asleep while laughing at how often the orc flailed around, looking like an idiot while catching fish. It was like watching stupid animal videos, just that it got dull after a while. But, at least waiting around did improve my stealth skills like crazy. I even got the skill [Silent Casting] while trying to cook unnoticed.

It was enough to drive me insane had I not dropped the 24/7 stakeout. I had to give up. I didn’t want to fight a D rank monster in the open, without having set up a plan.

And boy did I spend my time afterwards trying to think of a plan. Two brains were better than one, and the fact I had [Parallel Thought] to help out showed this. While I, the original mind, did my best to buff ourselves up by doing my magic and skill practice, my parallel mind began theorycrafting.

Although, even with my rather serious situation, I had an itch to just sing. And, yes, I understood it was too risky. I loved singing, and I wanted to do something else than train all the time. I was all alone in this damn cave and all I could do was watch an orc fail, speak with myself like a lunatic, or train nonstop like a madman.

Ooh, I was even contemplating dancing. Get the rust off, but then I remembered it counted as [Acrobatic] training. I instantly lost my motivation.

Although, admittedly, flinging and testing magic out in a semi-serious mood made me more aware of what they could do. What I could do with them. Be more creative. My magic could not only affect my opponent, but it could also alter my surroundings like the labyrinth I made against the kobolds. I just had to be more aware.

Using magic like that was incredibly fun. Experimenting and learning how much my magic could do felt awesome. This was magic! This was the sorta thing people dreamed of while playing video games or watching fantasy movies.

I finally remembered how I felt when I cast my first [Minor Heal] on myself. Blissful ignorance of the true meaning of reincarnating into a new world… Sadly, I then remembered I was stuck inside a cave. My mood took a nosedive and I had to question how I was able to do all that sneaking around and ambush hunting until now.

The worst part was [Battle Frenzy] that randomly appeared during all this wait. After getting it, I just had this uncontrollable urge to just fight something, but I… just… gruuuuialk! I-I just couldn’t; ‘cause there was nothing to fight.

Even my parallel mind began to act agitated from my increased aggression. My emotional state affected them, also, and it just got worse. [Battle Frenzy] started with minor, then it turned into moderate. I wanted to know how I got it, but [Identify] was not high enough for some reason. Did I need [Identify Lv.10]?

And without an answer, I couldn’t do anything about this need to fight. I kinda remembered feeling something similar during the kobold encounter, when they decided to fight me instead of leaving me alone. But how did I trigger that one? What was [Battle Frenzy] even?

However, now that I was finally engaging this orc, all that pent-up stress exploded into ecstasy and excitement. I felt free. I felt as if I could destroy and conquer everything before me. I could feel my blood pumping through every fiber of my being!

“Kraaaaaaaahh!”

This mix of exhilaration, anger, and impatience made me roar in a loud provocative way.

Speaking of the kobolds, I actually considered a more peaceful method instead of letting my instincts go wild. I didn’t want the same situation to happen again. Watching the kobold children cry was heartbreaking. Sure, they tried to kill me, but that didn’t mean killing them made me feel any better.

As such, I hoped this orc was reasonable. I even offered him food to become friends. You know, keep my conscience clean and maybe, finally, get somebody else to talk with. Being all alone was just horrendous… But, my faith was betrayed. The insurance I placed activated, unfortunately.

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“Urgh…gug…ghhh…hhh!”

Back to reality. My spells shaved a good chunk away from him, but they weren’t enough for a decisive blow. Well, it would have been pretty anticlimactic if the orc died just like that. All the planning, the worrying, the training; it would have gone to waste.

With a loud bellow, the orc rushed head-on, with stone spikes still sticking out of his feet. He seemed to be berserk, so this should be easy enough.

I simultaneously created three walls of earth with my three parallel minds, now that [Parallel Thoughts] was level three. I moved to the side and, expectantly, a well-built D rank monster was easily able to stampede through some [Earth Wall].

His advance went unstopped and all my hard work crumbled down into dust. Well, since those walls were supposed to act like a smokescreen, they did their job just fine.

Earth Spear.

With dust in the orc’s eyes, I did wonder if he could see my spell coming.

“Gur…!” And the orc simply smacked my spell away with his muscular arms, using his superior stats to defend himself. Not even a scratch could be seen on his arm.

Wha—?! Tch, damn D rank brute!

“Grrruuu!”

A flurry of spear attacks suddenly appeared after the orc found me. It was the same move he did to catch the fish, but with how often I observed him, I knew his attack speed well enough to avoid it.

I was able to react to every strike, using my evolution’s increased Agility to my advantage. It was precisely due to the fact that this orc shouldn’t have left himself open for a counterattack. I only needed a single window of opportunity to—

Imbue Fire!

“Graaaaaaaaagh!!!”

My evolution had given me sickle-like claws, perfect to dig into soft flesh. By coating my front legs in fire, you could hear sparks suddenly coming from my arms, but that wasn’t really important for now. What was important was how my claws dug right into the orc’s stomach like butter.

“Grugh!” It groaned as I pulled my right front claws out.

Making use of [Prediction], I predicted the orc trying to swing his spear at me. I learned its trajectory and dodged under it before twisting my slender body into a jump. Like a scythe, I slashed right through his dominant arm, reaping him of a limb.

Now bleeding profusely with plenty of burns, the orc agonized over the loss of his limb and attempted to staunch the flow of blood however he could. Before he could run, I shot three [Fire Ball]s at his head, ending his misery.

<Multiple proficiency requirements fulfilled. [Space-Time Magic Lv. 3] [Fire Magic Lv. 6] [Mana Control Lv. 8] [Evasion Lv. 4] [Enhanced Claws Lv. 5] gained>

<Magic gained: [Flame Spear]>

<Skill requirement fulfilled. [Space-Time Magic Efficiency] gained>

<Experience has reached multiple breaking points. [Young Spark Fire Dragon *] has risen from [Level 4] to [Level 9]>

<Attributes have increased due to level up>

<Acquired 750 skill points>

Phew. Guess even a rank D can't survive this many point-blank fireballs to the face.

Looking at my claws, I let out a sigh of relief to know they were still as sharp as ever, even after cutting flesh, muscles, nerves and bones. My claws were never so sharp before. This evolution rocked!

Ehehe. I did it! Yes! Yes!

I couldn’t believe it went that smoothly. The firepower you got from being a fire spark dragon was just incredible. It was all thanks to [Spark Fire’s Fire Boost]. It boosted all fire elemental attacks I did, which included [Imbue Fire] covered claws.

I didn’t even have to use [Mana Strike] when I attacked his belly and arm. [Imbue Fire] flat out made my attacks stronger while having a lower mana cost. Hell, I didn’t even have to use a single [Fire Spark Dragon] skill yet, but my fire spells still destroyed that orc’s health pool.

What a rush, honestly.

I was beginning to think I was turning into a battle junkie. If you had told my past life I would turn into this, then I would have called you crazy.

Well, at least [Battle Frenzy] was completely gone, and with that, the serenity inside my head returned. The tension and stress of how many days or weeks just washed away when I killed the orc.

Anyways, enough with the celebration. There were still four orcs left.

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Hey, it was me again~

What was I doing?

Preparing to ambush~

You see, although I complained about sneaking beforehand, it wasn’t like I could just give up on something I needed right now, right? It couldn’t be helped. One orc was doable, four? I didn’t think so. How could a fair maiden like myself ever think of confronting four large muscle dudes front-on? At least not fairly, mind you.

I did level a bunch after killing the first orc, but that didn’t mean I am ready to fight four of them on equal terms. As a [Young Spark Fire Dragon], my stats favored an offensive hit-and-run style of combat. A style I had preferred since birth. I had incredible firepower — physical and magical — but my defenses were fragile without my defensive spells and skills.

A single clean hit from an orc was no joke for me. Even my own attacks were too dangerous to use on myself; the reason why my resistance skills hadn't leveled up that much. I once used a single fire spell on myself, resulting in me squirming on the ground, begging my parallel minds to heal me. Fortunately, it did instantly level up pain and fire resistance.

I couldn’t afford that in a real fight, of course. Pain sucked. Plain and simple; and I didn't want to feel it if it wasn't necessary. That was why I needed to compromise with myself and wait until I evolved a few more times. “Haste makes waste,” and I didn’t plan to rush into my death ‘cause of my impatience.

So, I was following an orc who separated himself from the group, probably looking for his now-deceased companion. After he made it to a crossway, I thought it was time to attack.

Buffs up.

<[Various Spell Buff] inflicted on [Young Spark Fire Dragon *]>

With my defensive and offensive buffing spells active, I pounced at the target. Peace wasn’t an option at this point. I already killed one of them.

Earth Strike! Fire Ball!

The [Earth Strike] pierced the orc’s feet and locked him in place for my [Fire Ball] to hit him right in his face, sizzling away the skin.

“Gruaarrrrrrghhhh!”

Call for your friends! They won't make it in time anyway.

Hmm, I should rephrase that. It made me sound too much like a villain.

Earth Spear. Earth Spear.

“Gruk!”

I used my rock spears to skewer his leg’s triceps right into the ground, disabling his movements completely. Three more fireballs should end him just like the other one.

Fire…!

<Proficiency requirement fulfilled. [Prediction Lv. 4] evolved into [Prediction Lv. 5]>

Wha—?!

An arrow narrowly flew right past my left eye, only grazing my cheek. I panicked, jumping around towards the direction of the sneak attack. I made sure no other orc was close by or following the one I was tracking. Was my [Enhanced Enemy Sense] not working properly?

Scheiße!

As I was trying to find the one responsible for it, another arrow came flying at me. I rolled out of it just in time, but this moment gave me the chance to locate the orc in this darkness. I remembered. The one orc with a bow, the “tracker” of the group who had a decently leveled [Sneak] and [Presence Killer]. Appraising her again, her stealth skills weren’t much higher than mine, but I presumed my proficiency with [Enhanced Enemy Sense] left a lot to be desired.

‘You shouldn’t have screeched so loud, you idiot.’

Out of nowhere, one of my parallel minds talked. As I mentioned before, during my training, [Parallel Thoughts] had leveled up. It increased my total parallel minds to three. This one, parallel mind #2, reminded me of the roar I let out against the first orc. I guessed it would have been weird if nobody had heard me.

“Gruuuuuargh!”

“Gruaaaaaaghhhh!”

I could hear the remaining orcs. Not good. With the tracker aiming her bow at me, I couldn’t attack the trapped orc. I would also presume talking this out was impossible at this point. As such, it was time for Plan B.

Air Shield! Earth Wall!

Two spells activated, prompting the orc to release another arrow, but this one was simply deflected by my barrier of wind. A giant wall of earth rose from the ground, diving this hall way into two.

I then snapped my head around and clad my claws with [Imbue Fire]. With a quick jump, I drilled my claw into the trapped orc’s head, turning it into a donut as the gore bits leaked out.

<Experience has reached multiple breaking points. [Young Spark Fire Dragon *] has risen from [Level 9] to [Level 13]>

<Attributes have increased due to level up>

<Acquired 1000 skill points>

Now… RUN AWAY!

Determined to hunt me down, the tracker chose to pursue me. With a strong charge, she broke through the earth wall with ease. I probably should have made it thicker, but I was in a bit of a panic there. I had to act fast.

After she saw the deceased orc, she let out a roar with a mix of sadness and anger. I could sympathize with her, but another part of me was happy she was preoccupying herself. Still, this elation only lasted a fleeting moment before she shot another arrow, hitting my barrier.

She wasn’t waiting for her companions. She wasn’t about to let me go after what I did. With her [Tracking], she kept up with me despite how much of a maze this whole cave was. In an endurance run, I probably would lose against the orc.. But, fortunately, plan B didn’t require me to run a marathon to escape. I just needed to be fast, even at the cost of my stamina.

With my stamina only having 30% left, I arrived in a large room filled with earth constructions similar to an obstacle or parkour course. Of course, this was all man-made… or dragon-made, you could say.

As I made my way to the center of it, an elevated platform like a concert stage, I turned around, seeing all three orcs had arrived together. While the tracker was still in form, the other two were out of breath. Considering how they caught up to us, it wasn’t a big surprise. All three were confused at how weird the room was, but immediately refocused on me with their weapons ready.

I did want them to admire it a bit more, but, it wasn’t the time to do so, I guess. I mean, I worked hard to create all of this with my magic without being found out by the first orc. However, not like anybody could hear my rant. All that was important was that the final stage of this goose chase was here.

A grand performance ready once plan A failed.

Welcome to my (boss) stage!

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