The chief and I gathered in the middle of the village, and everyone who was available came to watch. It's the naked and unusually thin and toned me against the tall and fat Durghan in iron half plate. He’s truly armed this time with his axe. It isn't a battle axe, but it is a good deal larger than a regular war axe should be.

As already mentioned, I'm armed only with the femur of the demon wolf. It's unusually sturdy with a dark tinge to it. It's certainly unordinary, but uncertain whether it can take a direct hit from a blade.

I make the first move with a battle roar imbued with a high-pitched trill meant for disorienting the enemy. Durghan flinches, but he’s mostly recovered by the time I'm upon him. Still, he’s unable to block the jab from my club imbued with . I pin his shoulder with that move, and he temporarily loses control of his weapon.

After training with Durghan for several weeks, I know how he thinks in battle. If he can't use his weapon, he’ll attack with his legs. But I'm not the little kid you practiced against, chief.

The kick comes. I'm ready to block it with my forearm, but it’s a surprisingly low kick. I twist my posture somewhat so my legs won't come out from under me, and meet the attack with brute strength alone. The chief seems surprised that his kick can't even budge me, and he loses the chance to react to the butt of my club slamming into his face.

Blood comes out and the chief reels back a few steps, covering his face with his hands like an idiot. I deliver my own low kick and his legs come out from under him. When he crashes to the ground, I stomp hard on his wrist to keep his weapon down, and land my other knee on his solar plexus, my club pointed threateningly at his head.

“Durghan, you lose. I am stronger. I be chief now.”

He looks rather stunned. It's to be expected since he wasn't in control of the battle for even a moment. But, a look of acceptance appears, and he nods.

“I lose. You is stronger. Orcs be proud to have strong new chief.”

“Mm. Good.” This means I'm in charge now. What I say goes.

“Momma and I take your hut. You take ours.”

I take a good look at his armor. Honestly, I'm kind of jealous, but it won't fit me. Our body shapes are totally different. Ah, one thing looks like it will fit, though.

“Your bracers, I think they fit me? I want.”

“Mm, yes chief Vyra.”

What an admirable guy. He obediently took off his bracers and handed them to me. I strapped them on my forearms. It's a step in the right direction.

I have a few orcs move the few things from my old house to the chief’s hut. Before Durghan gets his things moved, I get to pick if there’s anything I want to keep. He had one good thing, but the rest I sent over.

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The thing I kept was a book. It seems to have been taken from a Human adventurer the hunting squad happened to run into. The letters inside are unfamiliar, but I will study it.

I also relieved my mother of her butchering duties for two days so she can focus on making something special for me. Except for the meat, the bodies of the holy fox and demonic wolf I killed have been saved up to now. I've asked for fur armor and adornments to be made out of them. She’s been working on it in her spare time, but now it will be the focus.

I am the leader of my village, but not too much has changed. I sit closest to the meat during the nightly meal time, and I arbitrate if any conflicts pop up, but they don't much. It's the same life as before, but with more respect.

Because it's a waste to leave Durghan doing nothing, I assigned him as the leader of the hunting squads. His job is to maximize gains while minimizing injury, and report to me if they spot anything strange out in the forest. He is also to administer training to the orcs who perform the poorest during hunts.

I spent two days training under the other women how to dress and butcher prey. Like the rest of them, I managed to obtain the skill.

The women don't hunt much, so their magical power is low, but in my hands, I'm sure this can become a formidable battle skill.

Also, one night, I directly stuck my non dominant hand into the cooking fires and gained . I can do stupid stuff like that thanks to and .

Later in the afternoon, I've been studying the Human book I got from Durghan. There are some illustrations, and I've been able to use them to deduce the meanings of several words. I don't know how to pronounce the letters, but I can understand what many of them mean.

I don't think I was this clever before. Is it the increased magic power? Or maybe I'm being fueled on by desperation? I don't really know. I tend to just take things as they are.

Three days after I became chief, momma finished my fur armor. I’d given her some tips on the style I wanted, and she did satisfactorily well. The majority of the armor was made from the demonic wolf’s fur. As requested, she crafted separate garments similar to underwear and a bra. As expected, having come from a different, more advanced world as a Human, it's doesn't feel right without these things.

The armor goes on top of that. There was a limit to the material we had, so there are a few gaps in the defenses. In order to cover my back well, the front is simply tied by leather cords. My shoulders are covered, but it cuts off at the arms. It tapers to a point at the small of my back, and resumes as a pair of leather pants with fur around the belt. My hooves don't work well for boots, so I haven't requested any.

The holy fox’s fur was used along with the demonic wolf’s teeth to make a matching pair of arm bands, a necklace, and a pillow for my bed. A headdress was made of the wolf’s head. I'm glad to have something there again, since orcs don't grow any hair. And yes, I had the dark wolf’s tail sewed to the back of my belt. I already have a curled tail of my own, but that isn't the point.

I feel much better now that I'm not completely naked, but I'm aware that my position is insecure. I grew to a point of overtaking Durghan as chief in under a month. There’s a very real possibility that the same will happen to me if I just stagnate like this. I can only feel assured if I become stronger.

The plan isn’t to join the hunting party. If that were a shortcut to strength, the hunters would all be awe inspiring by now, yet I am chief.

The key to quickly gaining strength is magic power.

It allows the usage of skills, empowers the body, and I'm sure there are other aspects that I'm simply not aware of. And, of course, the best way I know to obtain magic power is to kill magic beasts. Therefore, I've determined to slay at least one magic beast every week, the byproducts of which will belong to me alone. In exchange, I will not hoard any extra food or materials from the regular hunts.