Time passed, and despite the gruesome battle that had just unfolded, the atmosphere was light. It needed to be, as the human mind needed reprieve. Of course, not everyone could act as though all was normal, but those who had survived until now at least had the mental fortitude to pretend.

Vertiy sat on the dusty floor of the colosseum, and stared at the trial window, a conflicted expression on his face.

‘Something’s wrong…’

He had dismissed his initial worries as paranoia when he first read the trial description, but the more time passed, the more anxious he became. He wanted to say that the trial couldn’t possibly be this easy, but the problem was that it had not been easy at all. More than half of the participants had died, and many more were wounded, or traumatized. He did want to believe that this was all there was to the trial, but he simply could not shake the thought that there was more.

As Felicia said, the system did not seem to pick its words haphazardly, and while the imp told them that they had to defeat goblins, the system said ‘enemies’ not ‘goblins’. Goblins were enemies, but enemies did not necessarily have to be goblins, and that is what was gnawing at Verity's mind. For now, he could only wait and hope for the best, but the longer it took for the trial’s end to be announced, the more concerned he became.

Eventually, once a few minutes had passed with no news, Verity approached Felicia, the only person he felt comfortable enough to speak to, and nudged her shoulder.

“There’s something wrong. The trial isn’t ending.” He said as he pulled her away, and whispered for no one but her to hear.

She frowned as she turned to him. “What do you mean?”

He did not want to say that he had read about it before, as that would engender another train of questions, so he based himself on the trial window. “The trial window said that we would be rewarded once the trial was over. Have you gotten a reward? I know I haven’t.”

She tilted her head. “There was the skill. Does that not count?”

Verity knew that this couldn’t be it. “And yet, we’re still here, the imp hasn’t reappeared, and the trial window is still there.”

Felicia’s frown grew deeper, and she slowly placed her hand on the hilt of her sword. “...You think there's more to it? A hidden goblin, maybe?”

“Maybe not a goblin.”

Felicia’s eyes widened. “Defeat all…. enemies…” And her pulse quickened. She drew the sword with one fluid motion, and her voice rang with urgency “EVERYONE, PREPARE FOR-”

A ripple of laughter cut through her warning, and finally, the imp reappeared, floating in the sky above. “And here I thought I could surprise you all.” It scanned the survivors, mumbling. “There sure are more of you than I expected.” And its gaze lingered on Verity. “It also seems there are some among you with a tad bit of brains…”

Verity felt a shiver going down his spine as the imp’s obsidian eyes looked down at him.

“Congratulations on killing the goblins!” It continued. “But your battle is not yet over! You see, the smell of dead goblin flesh has a very distinctive smell. A delicacy really, for the orcs that is. If adequately prepared, it becomes one of their favorite meals!”

It covered its mouth as an eerie grin replaced the innocent smile it had shown before. “Of course, there’s one delicacy orcs love even more than goblin flesh… ” It tried to stifle a laugh. “The meat of a Prime Race… Like humans, for example, it is very tasty to them… I wonder how they’d react to such a banquet if they were here, though I sense I won’t have to wonder much longer!” It said before vanishing once again with a mocking wave.

Verity cursed himself for being right, and drew his sword which had been resting at his side. “Sh*t sh*t sh*t!! All of you draw your weapons and be ready to fight!!”

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Most drew their weapons, as they already understood that this place was unforgiving, but after their victory against the goblins, confidence had gotten the better of their judgment.

“What the hell is an orc?” One of them asked, their voice tinged with curiosity rather than fear.

“No idea, but if we work together I’m sure it’s nothing we can’t beat, especially with these new powers of ours.” Another replied as he clenched his fist.

“Ah, I’ve read about this in fantasy books. It’s bigger than the goblins, but they’re usually stupid. I think we’ll be okay if we stay focused.” A last one added, a relaxed inflection in his voice.

‘These guys aren’t afraid at all! This is bad!!’ Verity thought, cold sweat running down his face.

They were stronger now, but if the goblins had eradicated over half of them, he couldn’t even imagine what the orcs could do. His gut screamed that this would be incomparable to the enemies they had just faced.

Then, the ground trembled. It felt as though an earthquake was shaking the entire colosseum. It was faint at fists, but with each passing moment, the rumble grew louder, and louder, until it was the only thing they could hear.

“How many of them are there?? This sounds like an army!!” Felicia asked Verity, agitated.

Verity bit his lip. “I’m not sure but… probably not that many…” He said.

A dry chuckle escaped her mouth “Seriously…?” And from the shadows permeating the sole exit to the colosseum, five figures emerged.

Only five.

Marco scoffed in disbelief. “That’s…insane..”

They were gigantic, at least ten feet tall. Large fangs protruded from the bottom of their mouth, and their skin was of a crimson red, which seemed natural, but may have also been the blood of their enemies.

Every single muscle on their bodies was built solely for strength, for war. Their very existence spoke of unrestrained, savage power. Towering mountains of might and lethality. The earth broke beneath the soles of their feet. Their armor was simple, yet equally terrifying. While their chest, stomach and head were not covered, impressive sets of bone armor covered their shoulders, shins, and forearms.

“That's… an orc?” Felicia mumbled.

“I think that thing’s weapon is bigger than I am…” Marco muttered beside Verity, taking a hesitant step back.

Once they had all crossed the entrance to the colosseum, the orcs stopped their advance, and they scanned the battlefield with their predatory eyes. The air was tense, and Verity could only hold his breath as he laid eyes upon these terrifying beasts. They had come, and yet, there was no charge, as if they were contemplating something. All five of them were inspecting every inch of the battle field, and they spent an especially long time looking at the man standing by himself on the other side of the colosseum.

Finally, one of them grinned, its lips parted, and it spoke in a language Verity could not understand.

“Grakk Vorr!!”

The orc shouted, before throwing its massive axe straight toward Verity’s group. It sliced the air as it traveled at a speed barely perceivable, and it cleaved straight through a man who did not have time to react. Blood sprayed in an arc as both halves of his body fell to the ground. Verity only felt the gust of wind the attack produced before the real carnage began.

ROAR!!

The orcs charged toward the humans, drool leaking from their mouths, and their stomachs already growling at the thought of the feast

“[B-Bullseye]!!” A woman screamed, as she drew her bow and fired at one of the orcs. It was a skill that allowed her to never miss the vital points of her target when used, though it could still be blocked.

The orc caught the arrow out of the air, and crushed it with one hand. With a dismissive grunt, it jumped, and landed only a few inches before her. When they were side by side, the size difference was almost comical. The orc was literally twice, maybe three times as wide as her and twice as tall.

Standing before such a monstrosity, the woman’s bow slipped through her weakened fingers, and she fell to her knees. That seemed to amuse the orc. It snickered, and placed its thick clawed finger under her chin. “Krag Marr.” It said, its putrid breath hitting the woman’s face like a tidal wave.

Felicia’s grip tightened, and she was the first to decide to move. “Damnit!! [Horizontal Slash]!”

Felicia’s blade struck true, drawing a black substance which they could only assume to be its blood. Hope sparked in the group for a moment, but that only seemed to amuse the orc even more, as if it thought it was cute.

The orc dismissed Felicia as if she was no more than an afterthought, and in no more than a second, the wound she had inflicted closed before her very eyes. The orc could not help but snicker at her shock.

Its massive hand wrapped around the woman’s head, and in one swift motion, it crushed it between its fingers. Its attention then turned to the rest of the participants, and it once g again stood tall towering above them. Some found their hands trembling, some found tears leaking from their eyes, and others even dropped their weapons.

The orc, on the other hand, was laughing, mocking the weak, pitiful humans. Its laughter echoed within the walls of the colosseum, followed by that of its kin. The hierarchy had been made clear with that action. The orcs were the hunters, and the humans the prey.

‘There’s five… like this…?’