Hazel soon found Astrid after leaving her hideout spot. The dark elf was perched on a thick tree branch, looking ahead with an intense gaze. The novice mage followed her line of sight but saw nothing but bushes and trees.

Astrid must have been using her [Eagle Eye] skill to spot the monsters. Which meant they were quite far from their current location. Instead of talking to the dark elf normally, Hazel messaged her through the Chat room.

[Hazel Thatcher: What’s the current situation?]

The dark elf turned to glance at Hazel, realizing that she was close by before turning her gaze back on the Orcs in the distance.

[Astrid Skogr: The Orcs are lazing around at the moment. But I don’t know why.]

[Hazel Thatcher: Maybe they’re just bored?]

[Astrid Skogr: Could be…but I’m not sure that’s the case.]

[Hazel Thatcher: What do you mean?]

[Astrid Skogr: It…just looks like they’re waiting for something]

Hazel stared at the message in confusion. She didn’t like the idea of whatever the Orcs were waiting for. And didn’t want to be anywhere near it.

[Hazel Thatcher: Waiting for what exactly?]

[Astrid Skogr: I don’t know. But I think we should deal with them now while we have the upper hand.]

[Hazel Thatcher: Roger that. How should we go about this, then?]

Despite the ominous behavior of the Orcs, neither player could ignore the sight of twenty monsters just waiting to be killed.

[Astrid Skogr: Attacking them from here would be preferable, but I won’t be able to incapacitate all of them before they catch on. That and I would need to use more arrows to wound them enough.]

[Hazel Thatcher: Makes sense. These guys aren’t like the Dire Wolves, so we have to do something else to deal with them.]

[Astrid Skogr: My thoughts exactly. Which is why I feel that we should do a sneak attack and ambush them that way.]

[Hazel Thatcher: You mean like we take down a couple in one go? What about the Challenge?]

[Astrid Skogr: If we both attack, then the team kill should still count.]

[Hazel Thatcher: Okay, so how should we do this then?]

[Astrid Skogr: I’ll use [Quick Shot] to fire multiple arrows at the Orcs, then you’ll use [Baneful Sickle] to kill them. As for the rest, we’ll deal with them like we did with the last group of Orcs.]

[Hazel Thatcher: Alright, let’s get this show on the road then.]

Setting their plan in motion, the dark elf jumped off the tree and gracefully landed next to Hazel. Not even making a sound as her feet touched the ground.

Hazel wasn’t sure how she pulled that off, but a part of her was jealous. But she would never admit that to the gray-skinned ranger. She would take that secret to her grave before confessing such a thing.

The players then crept over to where the Orcs were located. Once they got close, the pair hid behind some trees. With their backs against the bark, they then peered their head over to take a look at the monsters.

Not surprisingly, the Orcs were doing exactly what Astrid said before. The hulking green beasts were just lazing around like a bunch of fools. Some of them were either sitting on boulders or tree stumps while the rest were standing.

While looking at the monsters, Hazel used this chance to identify them to see their levels. To which she discovered that their levels ranged from seven to ten. A good majority were closer to Level ten.

Despite this, Hazel didn’t feel intimidated. Maybe it was because she fought monsters stronger than her before or the fact that she had Astrid assisting her. Either way, the novice mage felt confident in her chances against them.

And that was all that mattered.

Hazel turned to Astrid, making eye contact with the dark elf.

[Hazel Thatcher: Ready when you are.]

Astrid read the message before giving a firm nod to the mage. With her bow in hand, the ranger pulled the string with a hint of determination in her eyes.

A split second later, she loosed the arrow. Then another. And another. And another. Each shot was faster than the last.

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The Orcs were assaulted by a volley of arrows striking them out of nowhere. Hazel could hear their angry roars as they stood up in preparation for a battle.

Just as they did, Astrid’s arrow barrage seized immediately.

[Astrid Skogr: You’re up!]

Hazel didn’t even need to see the message to know what was supposed to happen next. Gripping her staff, she moved away from the tree and revealed herself. The Orcs instantly spotted her, but not before she fired a Baneful Sickle at them.

The spinning sickle zipped through the air with malicious intent before cutting some of the Orcs in its path. The other hulking monsters dove out of the way as their brethren who weren’t so lucky were killed in an instant.

[Level 7 Orc has been defeated!]

[Level 8 Orc has been defeated!]

[Level 8 Orc has been defeated!]

[Level 7 Orc…!]

Hazel ignored the kill notifications, not wanting to get distracted while in the middle of a fight. After eliminating some of the Orcs, the rest got ready for battle, setting their sights on the mage that slew their brethren.

A couple of them rushed at Hazel, their weapons high and bloodlust through the roof. Just before they got close, more arrows were fired, striking their necks. The Orcs that were hit stumbled to a stop, looking like they were about to collapse.

Hazel saw the opportunity before her and hurled a few Mana Bolts. Her bolts penetrated the wounds where Astrid’s arrows, serving as the killing blow.

“Try not to destroy all of my arrows, Thatcher,” Astrid scolded. “I do reuse those to save me the trouble of making more.”

“S-sorry,” Hazel apologized, nervously laughing.

Astrid shook her head dismissively before charging at the remaining Orcs standing before them. She strapped her bow on her back and whipped out her daggers, resorting to close combat.

Getting close, one of the Orcs slammed their spiked club down on the ranger. She easily shifted to the side to avoid it. And with her dagger, the dark elf dug her blade into the Orc’s ankle.

Its Achilles heel, more specifically. If it was a normal monster, they would’ve instantly collapsed from the pain and pressure placed on the wound. However, this creature was a Fractured. A corrupted, undead monstrosity that didn’t feel pain.

So, to neither Hazel nor Astrid’s surprise, the Orc was barely fazed by the injury and resumed its assault. But just as it was about to swing its club again, a mana bolt could be seen hurtling toward the monster, piercing its ankle.

The spell destroyed the beast’s ankle, leaving only bits of fractured flesh left. Unable to support itself, it fell to its knees with a loud thud. Hazel was about to fire another spell to finish it off but Astrid beat her to it.

She lunged at the beast, latching onto its back and holding on for dear life. The dark elf ignored the fierce and angry roars of the Orc as she thrust her dagger into its skull. The noise ceased right after as the green beast collapsed on the spot.

Astrid rolled along the ground before repositioning herself. Just in time for two more Orcs to appear from behind. She leaped back, avoiding their weapons as they descended upon her.

She blurred toward one and slashed its chest and stomach. Neither were life-threatening, but they were enough to register as an attack for Hazel. A few more mana bolts were fired, striking its chest and exiting through its back.

Astrid wasted no time and got to work on the other Orc, closing the distance in an instant. She climbed its body like a spider, stabbing it multiple times with her blade. The Orc tried to get her off, attempting to grab her but failed. It looked like it was trying to scratch a spot on its body it couldn’t reach.

Hazel provided the necessary support, launching several more mana bolts at the Orc to keep it from getting her. It wasn’t long before Astrid finally finished the job and slit the beast's throat.

The mage watched as the dark elf dug the blade deep into its neck while sliding it across. If these fractured beasts still possessed blood, she imagined its neck spraying like a faucet with how the ranger carved into it.

Ignoring the Orc turned to purple fragments, the dark elf moved on to her next victim. Meanwhile, Hazel did her part and supported her partner from a distance.

With how this fight was going, they were going to win in no time. Not only that, but they were also close to completing their challenge as well. Just a few more team kills and they would soon be rewarded for their little hunt.

If only things turned out so easy…

While eyeing the Orcs around Astrid, a sudden chill crawled down Hazel’s spine. And by pure instinct, the mage bent down in a flash just as a battle axe struck the spot of the tree her head was previously. Shards of bark pelted the mage, but that was the least of her concerns at the moment.

In a panic, Hazel moved away from the tree and in essence, the enemy that nearly took her head. Looking back, she saw another Orc towering before her as it ripped its weapon out of the tree.

How did she let one of the Orcs get behind her? They should’ve all been focused on Astrid instead.

Looking back, the mage counted the Orcs surrounding her partner, only for her face to turn pale. All of the ones near Astrid were the ones they spotted before. Which meant…the Orc that nearly killed Hazel was a new one.

And it wasn’t the only one either. Emerging from behind the Orc, more of its kind appeared. First one, then two, then five. Including the first Orc, there were a total of six new Orcs. And all of them looked even more dangerous than the ones she and Astrid were currently dealing with.

And just before Hazel could wonder how things could get worse…they did. Very terribly, at that.

Marching toward the front, one Orc stood before the mage. It stood well over eight feet tall with tattoos drawn all over its body. Its hair was longer and braided with even more beads and other accessories decorated on it.

But what really terrified Hazel regarding the beast was the nasty scar on its face. It looked like another monster left three claw scratches on its face. The scar went down to its mouth, revealing bits of its teeth.

Hazel stared at the beastly Orc with widened eyes, unsure of what she was staring at. Judging from its fierce and commanding appearance, it looked like the leader or boss of the other Orcs.

Her suspicion was only proven further when she tried to identify it.

Level 17

The Leader of an Orc Tribe. Its desire for power and control was extremely heightened due to the corruption from the Mana Overload. Its skills are far superior than any Orc within its tribe, and its intellect is just as exceptional. Players are to beware of encountering such a beast, especially if it's leading its fellow orcs into battle.

“Could have told me that before I encountered one, don’t you think?!” The mage grumbled, reading its description.

Just then, the Orc chief looked down at Hazel. Its piercing purple eyes stared right into her soul. The Orc’s lips curled into a vicious smile as if spotting its next prey.

Meanwhile, Hazel was slowly starting to regret her life choices. Since it was possible she won’t be alive for long to do that.