Hazel continued to watch the Elf Player battle against the small horde of monsters attacking her. She was swift and nimble, easily maneuvering around the beasts with relative ease. Just as one of the monsters swung its axe at her, the Elf rolled away in an instant.

When she repositioned herself, she then nocked an arrow and fired at the monster’s eye. It roared angrily while clutching the wound. It didn’t do this because it was in pain but instead reaching for the arrow lodged into its eye socket.

The green monster ripped the projectile right out of its eye before angrily tossing it to the side. It let out a savage snarl while charging at the Elf player once again.

Now that Hazel observed the green beasts, she realized that she didn’t know what they were. Well, she had an inkling of their identity but didn’t want to assume things in case she was mistaken about what species they were.

Her curiosity peaked, the novice mage used this time to identify the creatures.

Level 8

Orcs are beastly creatures that hunt, pillage, and ravage settlements for their own enjoyment and benefit. As a Fractured, their instincts are amplified, making them more dangerous and savage to deal with. Especially when there are more than one.

“So, they’re Orcs, huh?” Hazel mused.

While she wasn’t certain, she assumed that the beasts that the Elf player was up against were Orcs. The green skin and tusks protruding from their jaws were very evidence of this.

Hazel had seen plenty of Orcs back home from video games and movies. But seeing them in reality instead of on a screen made the novice mage pause.

“I know Orcs aren’t exactly models, but they’re a lot uglier in real life than video games.” The mage muttered with disgust.

While their appearance wasn’t the most pleasing to the eyes, these beasts were honestly a far cry from the hideous appearance of goblins. Hazel would rather look at the Orc’s massive tusks than those jagged piss-stained teeth from a goblin.

She paused for a moment, realizing her train of thought. She then shook her head and tried to focus on the task at hand, setting her eyes back on the battle. That was when a thought suddenly occurred to her.

“I wonder if I could try and identify the player…” Hazel muttered, staring intently at the Elf player in question.

She had only appraised items and monsters after coming to this dungeon. She never tried it on a player, other than herself. Mainly because…she was on her own. And it seemed that the Elf player was in a similar situation.

As Hazel kept watching the Elf fight the orcs, she noticed that there were no other players around her. Which meant that she was essentially a solo player like the novice mage. This also explained why a Ranger was fighting in such a manner instead of at a distance.

Taking note of this fact, Hazel quickly identified the Elf Ranger, curious to know what her status would look like.

Race: Dark Elf

Class: Ranger

Level: 12

The Eldest daughter of the Tribal Chief and current Captain of the Greyvolk Legion. As the Eldest daughter and child of the Greyvolk Chief, Astrid is next in line to become the next Tribal Chief of her people.

The mage’s eyes widened in surprise. “Wow, I can see her Name and Class. That’s a nice bonus.”

Normally, identifying living beings would only show their level and race. But with the dark elf, she could see a bit more. Not only that but there was even a character bio for her as well, which was what really caught her interest.

“The eldest daughter of a Tribal chief,” She mused, leaning her head to the side. “Does that make her royalty or something? Maybe a noble?”

This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it

While encountering the daughter of a chief wasn’t on her bingo card, just the fact that she finally found someone was more than enough.

However, that led to a rather important question; should Hazel help her? While she was excited to finally meet a person, the mage was slowly reconsidering after taking a moment to think things over.

For one thing, Hazel doesn’t know this Dark Elf. For all she knew, this ranger could be very dangerous and could kill her if given the chance. So if she helped the dark elf, her life would be in danger. And it wouldn’t be from the Orcs.

But, this was also the first person Hazel had come across after getting dumped in this dungeon. If she left now, that chance of communication would get squandered in a second.

And yet Hazel hesitated to act. She wasn’t certain of what to do in her current situation.

While fretting over this dilemma, Hazel’s gaze trailed back over to the Dark Elf and the Orcs.

Astrid fired off several arrows at the beasts. However, the projectiles only struck non-vital areas like their arms or legs, which the Orcs shrugged off before continuing their assault.

One of the Orcs got close to the dark elf and attempted to grab her. Its meaty hand descended upon its prey, hoping to grasp her. Thankfully, Astrid saw this coming a mile away. She spun around while pulling out a dagger from her side.

Blade in hand, the dark elf lunged at the Orc. Her feet were planted on its chest as she clung to its shoulder with one hand. As for the hand that wielded the dagger, she then proceeded to drive it through its skull with ease.

The beast couldn’t even mutter out a roar as it fell to its knees. Astrid jumped back after finishing the job, not even watching the monster fracture completely.

Behind her, another Orc swung its blade, attempting to cleave her in two. Astrid reacted in time and leaped backward to avoid it. However, she tripped over her foot in the process, resulting in her falling to the ground.

Momentarily defenseless, the Orcs saw their chance and took it. The remaining living orcs closed in on the dark elf, ready to take her down all at once.

“C-crap…!” Hazel panicked, watching the scene unfold.

What should she do? Help or do nothing?

Hazel was conflicted with these decisions, frightened of what the outcome of her actions could be. However, after sparing another glance at the dark elf who was about to die at the hands of those Orcs, her decision was made.

And the novice mage took action.

“Duck!” She shouted.

Hearing her voice, not only the dark elf but also the Orcs turned out to see where it was coming from. Just then, Hazel emerged from the trees, staff in hand and ready to join the fight.

She turned the gnarled weapon toward the Orcs and fired a Baneful sickle. A malicious crescent blade materialized as Hazel hurled it toward the monsters. The dark elf, Astrid, saw the spell and immediately planted her body on the ground.

As for the Orcs, they couldn’t escape the cursed sickle that tore through them with ease. Before their severed bodies split apart, the cracks festered like mad before their vessels shattered completely.

[Level 7 Orc has been defeated!]

[Level 8 Orc has been defeated!]

[Level 5 Orc has been defeated!]

[Level 5 Orc has been defeated!]

Watching the purple fragments disburse in the air, Hazel stood still for a moment, processing what she had just done. She really just exposed herself and helped a player. While this would be a moment for her to feel proud of herself, the mage couldn’t help but feel that she made a mistake.

Meanwhile, the dark elf slowly rose from the ground while dusting the dirt off her clothing. Her eyes then locked onto Hazel, causing her to flinch in response.

The mage froze, unsure of what to do in this situation. It was like she was a nervous student at school trying to make new friends. How do you talk to people, again?

The dark elf continued to stare at Hazel with an intense yet suspicious gaze. It was clear that Astrid didn’t seem to trust Hazel. And Frankly, the mage understood why. Considering the circumstances, if she was saved by a stranger, she’d feel suspicious toward her savior as well.

Regardless, the intense staring contest was slowly getting to Hazel. If she didn’t do something to break this awkward silence, there was no telling how long they would be here.

“U-uh…” Hazel stuttered while raising her hands defensively. “I…come in peace?”

Yeah, someone just shoot her already. Her first actual encounter with another player, and she instantly ruined it.

And why was it out of everything she could’ve said…she quoted a reference involving aliens. Even if that was a spur of the moment, Hazel felt that she could’ve done better than that.

Hearing this, the Dark elf narrowed her eyes and remained silent. This only made the silence even worse as Hazel stood there with a face redder than a ripe apple.

If she could crawl into a hole and die, she would do that in seconds. Anything was better than what she just did right now.

Out of nowhere, distant roars came from around Hazel and the dark elf. The pair spun around in alarm, trying to locate the source. That was when they spotted more Orcs emerging from the trees, surrounding the two players.

From what Hazel saw, there were more than twenty of them. And all of them were between level eight to level ten. Which meant they were a lot stronger than the previous Orcs Hazel took down to save the dark elf player.

“Well, this is quite a problem…” She muttered with a hint of panic in her voice.

It was at that point that Hazel started to believe that saving this dark elf…was a lot more daunting than she expected it to be.