Slightly interested, Viktor decided to ask. "What is an orc rider?"
Jessie heard the question, and explained that orc riders are a type of orc trained to ride on a monster, thus they can move faster compared to any other type of orc. With their high mobility, they are usually deployed as scouts or indiscriminate killers to attack weaker combatants.
<Huh! What do you even need this information for? You aren't even brave enough to kill them! Kekeke!>
Hearing that made Viktor tick a bit, and he told his group of a small horde nearby, before standing up.
"I'll check on them. You all stay here." Viktor said.
"Wait, I thought we were going to hide here?! why are you leaving?" The princess said.
Eva was actually right, and Viktor had no reason to leave. Although the Djinn's words did indeed irritate him, the truth was that he was just bored, and he really wanted to see what his enemies looked like.
"Yeah, but… I really needed to scout and check our enemies' strength… Just stay here, will you all?"
The princess stood up and held his hand tight, preventing him from going. "I can't agree to this if you go alone, at least bring someone."
Viktor scanned all the members of his group and thought. First, he glanced at Boris and Torri, who was standing guard by the door. They were professional bodyguards so they are better suited for guard duty and remain here.
His gaze then landed at Jessie, who seemed to want to accompany him as well. At first, he entertained the thought, but then he realized that if something happened to him and Jessie were caught up in it, there would be no one knowledgeable enough to lead the group in his stead.
Then, there was the option to bring Liza, but as strong as she is, she was highly unpredictable, and the last thing he wanted was for the scouting mission to fail because her bloodline caused chaos there.
With all that in mind, his decision to go alone was only solidified. He first tried to convince Eva, but she couldn't be persuaded. He was about to run out of options until an idea was formed in his mind. Then, the corners of his mouth curled into a devious smirk.
"Okay then, if I have to go with someone, I'll go with Gucci."
In response, the tiny creature poked out its head from the folds of Eva's clothing.
"Gucci? What can he be useful for?" Eva asked.
Viktor grabbed the wriggling creature with his hand and said.
"Well, I can think of a few ideas."
The rat seemed to understand, and it struggled to turn around while trying to bite Viktor with its front teeth. However, Viktor had anticipated it and held the lemming tight with his hand, while putting a finger over its head to keep it from opening its mouth. As a result, the lemming only sulked. If Viktor didn't know better, the creature would look like it was about to cry.
With one last threatening look, Viktor placed the lemming on his shoulder.
The Djinn led Viktor a bit into the forest, with the powerful sensor he manage to get close without being found. He sneakily enter the forest until he saw the one said as Orc raiders.
It was a small group of ten orcs carrying a unique looking saber. Each of them looked like they were slightly smaller than the average orcs, but in exchange, they all sat atop massive brown and black wolves with a huge maw and sharp teeth.
<Kekeke, are you scared? Those are called wargs! Those are wolves infused with the darkness element so they become faster and stronger, and they can run for several days. You won't be able to run from them>
"We'll see."
Viktor glanced at the menacing beasts and the wolves, before staring at his surroundings. Trees half as tall as skyscrapers grow around the place, while bramble bushes cover the area around the tree trunks. Meanwhile, the area they stood on was covered in dried leaves. If he wasn't careful, the orcs may have noticed him by now.
That gave him an idea.
"Gucci, it's your time to shine…" He grabbed the creature and looked at it with a creepy smile. "For Eva, you will help, right?"
Viktor did sound like he was asking, but in truth, he wasn't. The little rat understood that he had no choice and nodded.
Next he summoned the Djinn, and a blue husky dog appeared in a puff of mist.
"So, here is the plan…"
<Kekeke, I got it! You're not unsalvageable after all!>
After hearing the plan, Gucci looked at the orc warriors, a bit afraid, but right as Viktor stared at it again, it jumped down from his hand and scurried away into the bramble bushes, causing it to shake. The riders immediately stopped, each taking out their weapons and staring at the bushes.
The orcs let out a series of growls in an unknown language before three of them jumped down from their wargs. They walked toward the bushes, and Viktor whispered to the Djinn in his mind.
"Now!"
The blue husky ran from the bushes and barked at the wargs.
Woof! Woof woof!
Upon hearing the Djinn's barks, the wargs went into a frenzy and started to pull at their reins, taking away their riders with them.
Shocked, the three orc riders turned back to look at the commotion. Viktor saw a chance, and he leaped from behind the trees, pulling out his axe while liquid metal started to cover his body.
[Metal Fusion]
[Battle power increased by 10]
He slammed down the axe at the unsuspecting orc, cutting it in half in one slash and caused its blood to stain the forest floor. The smell of metal mixed with something rotten started to permeate the area,
The other two orcs muttered something in their language before they each pulled out their weapons.
"Well, now it's your turn," Viktor said confidently.
The two other orcs let out a battle cry and rushed forward, but as soon as they walked a step, a metal chain was formed under their feet and quickly entangled them down.
Again, not wanting to waste any chances, Viktor jumped forward and crushed the still lying down orc's head with his axe.
Splllaaatt!
When he was done and ready to face the third one, he saw that to his surprise, the orc was strong enough to break away from his [Metal Chain] skill and swing its saber directly at him. The creature's attack was fast, almost as fast as him. It was clear that even a little wrong move could kill him.
Viktor was tempted to use his Divine skill for a moment. But one orc was not worth the drawback, and he gritted his teeth as he pushed himself to move.
The orc let out an angered battle cry and jumped towards him, but Viktor managed to barely dodge.
"Damn it!"
He jumped a bit away from the orc and swung his axe to the side in a wide arc, creating a deep gash extending from the creature's right shoulder to its stomach. Blood started to seep out from its barely attached right arm, down to its stomach, and it vomited dark blood to the floor before falling down.
Right as he managed to finish the last of them, the Djinn was back.
"Did you manage to get away from them, Djinn? I guess you really are faster than those wargs."
The Djinn did not answer, but just like before Viktor could see its tail swinging. He knows for sure that the Djinn was happy from his compliment.
Viktor was ready to leave, but then he saw the weapons strewn on the floor, still stained with the fresh blood of the orcs.
[Sabre]
[Tier 2 weapon]
He then realized that unlike the orcs on the trial stages from the tower, the orcs didn't turn into motes of light. In addition, their weapons were still laying there, ready to be picked.
Out of interest, he decided to take the three downed orcs' weapons back. Each of them has the tier 2 sabre, coupled with a tier 1 ordinary-looking knife engraved with mysterious letters.
When he was about to head back, he realized that they might be able to track his movements back, and he would endanger the group by returning. Then, he stared at the blue husky next to him and got an idea.
"Hey Djinn, if you are faster than those wargs, I wonder if you can transform into something like them?"
As the Djinn can read his mind, he understood and actually agreed with teh idea
Blue mist started to cover the husky, and the dog started to twist and contort before it turned into a few meters tall wolf. As it walked closer to Viktor, it left a few gigantic pawprints.
"Growl!"
<How do i look? similar enough?>
"Perfect!" Viktor replied before he jumped into the Djinn warg form and proceeded to do a few loops around the place to cover their tracks, before Viktor decided to call it a day.
When he returned, looking at the new weapon he just looted, he suddenly thought
"I wonder if these could be extracted…" He muttered as he touched the blade. With no expectation, he activated his skill aim at the tier 1 dagger
[Metal Extraction]
[8 mid-level metal essence extracted.]
[Metal forged successfully.]
"No way! this is Amazing!"
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Written by Avans, Published exclusively by W.e.b.n.o.v.e.l,