After a growl, the Forest Orc leader rushed towards me like a raging mad bull. It didn’t even scoff at its comrades’ corpses. Despite the huge hammer it was wielding, it’s speed was nowhere near the other Forest Orcs.

Within a few breaths, the Forest Orc leader was already swinging its gigantic hammer towards me. Glancing at my stats, I confirmed that I still had enough mana for another Crescent Slash and two or three more casual spells. With my blade still covered by a good amount of mana, I guessed that my chances of winning weren't slim.

It slammed his hammer downwards, but I managed to jump away and evade its attack. However, it quickly managed to pull its hammer out and follow up with another smash. It was nowhere as slow as the other Forest Orcs. It wielded its huge hammer as efficiently wielding a small wooden club.

That speed wasn’t something I anticipated. With my reaction speed, I could barely lift my sword up and jump away. The hammer hit my mana-clad sword. Fortunately, I managed to jump, so I didn’t get the full brunt of the swing. Even so, the hammer’s force easily made the mana covering my sword disperse. Now, the mana was merely paper-thin.

The mana on my sword shouldn’t last for more than half a minute in its state. However, that was still a lot better than losing my life.

With that exchange, I knew I had to end it quickly. The more it dragged, the slimmer my chances of winning was.

The leader wasn’t about to give me any time to breathe, more so plan. It was already rushing towards me with its gigantic hammer high in the air. Having an idea as to how fast its attack could be, I didn’t gander with just a simple jump back. I used Wind Walk to propel myself backwards and away from harm’s way. But the moment the hammer hit the ground, I used Wind Walk again to thrust myself towards the Forest Orc leader.

Clasping the sword with both hands, I thrusted towards the Forest Orc leader before it could raise its hammer again. With the momentum from Wind Walk, I plunged my sword towards the Forest Orc leader’s chest, but the thin layer of mana left could only do little damage. It could barely penetrate its leather vest. However, being hit almost made the Forest Orc stagger.

That was enough for me. I quickly withdrew my sword, which no longer had any trace of mana, then thought, Crescent Slash!

Just then, the black void of mana condensed into a slash. I aimed towards the Forest Orc leader’s head, then unleashed it.

That was literally every last bit of mana I still had, and it proved stronger than whatever muscle a Forest Orc neck had.

The Forest Orc leader’s head flew into the arch and sprayed green blood as it did. Seeing my really close battle, my knees buckled and my butt hit the ground.

***

“Will this be a nightly occurrence now?” Crit stared daggers into me.

“It seems so,” Piram nonchalantly replied. She didn’t seem bothered by the fact that her home could be swarmed by monsters on a nightly basis.

Crit groaned. He was obviously dissatisfied about it, especially since he had to defend the house as Piram took her rest. Piram ignored his protest.

“It’s been two days in a row. There’s a chance that it’s a mere coincidence, but that’s highly unlikely. It may be safer to assume that those monsters are unto you, Kite.” Piram smiled, the ever so calm expression plastered on her face.

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I gulped. Ever since I defeated the Forest Orc leader the night before, I already figured out that I was the cause of this attack. However, that being pointed out was another thing altogether. It seemed that Lureschka wouldn’t just so eagerly let me go. But, why?

As my thoughts wandered, Piram continued, “Maybe it has something to do with your curse, Kite.”

My eyes widened, and another cloud of doubt formed inside my mind. Perhaps it’s not Lureschka chasing me, but simply the curse she put on me.

Hoping to clear my doubt a bit, I asked, “What do you mean?”

Piram obliged, “Your monstrous stench, to say the least, isn’t weak. Perhaps, it’s nothing less than the Forest Orc leader you’ve killed. To us, humans, it’s enough to give a sense of nausea. Given some monsters' sense of violence, territorialism, and pure rage, you could be a walking lure. Of course, these are nothing but speculations.”

What Piram said made sense, but it wasn’t strong enough to remove my doubt that Lureschka didn’t deliberately make these monsters chase after me. Also, there’s also the possibility of Piram and Crit being another Shiki and Bria.

A sharp pang of pain hit me as the thought hit me. What’s worse was the feeling that even if they were, I had no means to fight them. Especially now that I had personally faced and fought with Crit. As difficult as it was, I pushed the thought into the back of my mind. After all, the only thing I could do in order to save myself and avenge my army was to get stronger.

“Then, are you telling me to leave…” My voice trailed off subconsciously.

As much as I had steeled my resolve, I knew in myself that my current strength wasn’t enough to face the world yet. Even though I hated the idea of it, the thought of being protected by Crit and Piram comforted me.

“Well,” Piram started, which made my heart beat faster. “That’s up to you. We won’t force you to stay if you no longer wished to be with us.”

For the first time, a hint of sadness flashed on Piram’s face. Seeing that made me feel a pang of sadness.

“No…” I mumbled unconsciously. “If you will allow, please let me stay a little longer.”

Crit scoffed, but before he could even say anything, Piram replied, “Alright. I’ll be making lunch.’

***

A week passed just like that. Night after night, increasingly stronger monsters raided the house. Last night’s attackers were already at level 30, which was already five levels above me. If this continued, I figured I wouldn’t even last a month, so I finally decided to leave Crit and Piram’s care.

Well, that was one of the reasons. During the past week, Crit’s torture training continued. Even though I could parry and exchange a few blows with him now, he could still easily overpower me. Even if the monsters get to me first, I would probably go insane from Crit’s training.

“Are you really sure you’re going to leave us now?” Piram asked, tears were already pooling on the sides of her eyes.

“Yes, I should be strong enough to fend for myself now,” my voice croaked. I might have doubted them at first, but they did treat me well despite the helling training.

“Take this with you. Each one should mask your stench for a week. Of course, stronger humans can still sense your curse, so avoid them as much as you can.” Piram brushed the tears off and handed me ten bundles of scroll.

“Thank you, Piram.” I inched closer to give her a hug.

During the past week, Piram and Crit became the closest thing to a family to me. I was convinced that if they really did want to cause me harm, they could’ve killed me with ease.

Breaking out of the hug, I looked at Crit.

To my surprise, he said, “Remember. Meet with Maya, our Divineer friend, in the north of Hartil Forest. She might be able to help you.”

I bowed to sincerely express my gratitude. “Crit, Piram… Thank you…”

When I raised my head, tears were already rolling down my cheeks.

“Wipe your tears. Go on, and if they ask for your identity, just say you are Crit and Piram’s child,” Piram said as she fixed my cape.

“Take care of your sword,” Crit reminded, “and that little guy too.” He pointed at Meru, who was now level 20.

Meru had been gobbling down on the monsters we’ve killed. Somehow, that incredulously raised his level.

I nudged at Meru, then said, “Let’s go, buddy.”

(End of Part 1)