“New home?” I leaned against the wall and inquired. “Are you having trouble with something?”

I have made some conjectures based on what Logier said before. The way it uttered that name, bloodvores, reflected an immense hatred and loathing. It was a glaring clue. This Logier seems to have some sort of grudge against those bloodvores.

“Yer,” Logier grunted. “My tribe is in trouble. I’m looking for a new place to call home.”

After that, he went on to tell his story and the reason behind his presence here. It was a tragic but typical tale of violence and war. A larger orc tribe wanted Logier and his fellow orcs to submit to them. But due to their pride, since the other group once used to be Logier’s tribe’s servants, they didn’t agree.

What followed was simple.

The other tribe declared war against them.

Logier feared their impending defeat, so he wanted to relocate his tribe to somewhere safer.

“And it’s those bloodvores bastards who helped those imbeciles.”

Well, what can I say? I saw this coming mile away.

From the moment it uttered that word, bloodvores, its rage and hatred were practically tangible in the air.

Seriously, these bloodvores sound like a really powerful bunch. I was curious about them, so I asked, “who are they?”

Logier went silent. One minute, two minutes.. ten minutes! Just when I was about to give up, thinking that he wouldn’t answer me, Logier opened his mouth.

“They’re a tribe of us orcs. A royal tribe.”

“You orcs have royalties?” I asked, surprised.

“Ye, we do,” Logier confirmed.

I was left speechless.

From the moment we appeared on Asiavel, the king, those soldiers, and even the scholars fed us that monsters were but crude creatures without adequate intelligence.

I believed it at first due to how the game and novels portray them. This belief was further cemented after I met cave wolves and goblins.

However, this unexpected meeting with Logier broke that notion completely.

Questions arose in my heart. Are monsters really as they told us? In the first place, can I really believe those Asiavel bastards?

I felt lost.

“Little imp, can I ask ye a question?” Logier’s voice allowed me to distract from those depressing thoughts.

“You already did.” I joked.

“Huh? What do you mean?”

Sigh!

Well, what was I expecting? A playful banter?

Because this orc had such high intelligence and could keep a conversation going, I forgot it was not a human. It lacked the sense of humor that we do.

“You can ask,” I exhaled.

The heat waves on its body were normal. That means it was not a question of much importance. I breathed in relief and decided to humor it.

“That time, you said that you don’t hear any voice in your head. Is that true?”

I scratched my chin as I comprehended its question. Why was it asking that question? But, anyway, I saw no problem answering honestly. I did just that.

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“That’s true. I don’t hear any voice in my head.”

“How? All Seeds should have the keeper whispering into their ears.”

I heard it muttering some inconceivable things under its breath. Although it was barely above a whisper, I could hear just fine.

After that sudden pain, it seemed like all my senses improved tremendously. My hearing, vision, and even touch sensitiveness had grown to the next level. It might be a side effect of all my stats growing two points. Maybe some stats created a synergy effect which enhanced my body.

Either way, it was a good thing.

Just as I was about to ask Logier about what he was whispering, my ears picked up a sound. It was faint and almost indiscernible. However, I was able to pick it up.

My heart skipped a beat.

Someone or something was lurking in the dark. Patiently observing us.

Yet, my [Infrared Vision] didn’t pick up anything.

Did it have some way to avoid detection? I asked myself while slowly getting into a more ‘ready’ position.

I was so invested in what I was doing that I failed to notice just how flexible I had become. In past, moving my body was a chore sometimes. It was heavy and stuffy.

But now, those stuffy feelings had disappeared.

I squinted my eyes, trying to actively use [Infrared Vision] and forgetting that it was a passive ability, a racial trait.

Click!

I heard it again. It's the sound of someone stepping barefoot on a hard surface. I gave up on seeing and tried hard to determine the direction of the sound. In the meantime, I activated [Shapeshift], imagining a small frying pan.

After a few trials and errors, I managed to find the limits and requirements for this skill.

In theory, I could transfigure to anything as long as I have enough knowledge of my target. But, there are a few limits. One, I need to have enough ‘materials’ for the shapeshift to work.

In my case, muscle mass and blood were the so-called materials.

I tried to shapeshift into a human before, but it failed. I lacked enough muscle mass and blood. The skill started to drain my HP, which got me scared, and I stopped halfway.

There was another way to gather muscle mass aside from normal growth. To get fatter by overeating.

That’s where [Beastial Diet] came into play.

Shapeshift activated

-3 stamina

With the appearance of the system’s message, I felt a wave of tiredness hit me with the force of a speeding train.

My right hand transfigured until a round shield formed below my elbow. The outer surface was made from densely packed muscles and iron particles from the blood. It looked tough.

Since it was the first time I would be using it in the battle, I was a little nervous.

Logier had oddly gone quiet. But, I was not in the mood to care about that. Just now, I caught something red behind the orc chieftain. It was for the briefest moment, but I definitely saw the heat glow of a living organism a few steps behind Logier.

“Duck!” I screamed, jumping towards Logier’s back with the shield held before me.

Ting!!

It felt like a mountain crashed on me, and my hand nearly bent to an odd angle. My knees kissed the ground as the unending force kept me pinned.

“Ugh!” I couldn’t hold back the painful grunt. While I felt nothing in the region where the shield had formed, the force behind the attack ravaged my body.

My head felt light as I struggled to keep a grip on my conscious

-10 HP

You have taken damage equivalent to one-third of your maximum HP. You are suffering from the effect of dizziness.

“Cleanse!”

I was quick to utilize the newly acquired skill.

You’ve used [Cleansing]

You’ve successfully removed all debuffs

+0.5% proficiency

My concetration sharpened, and I felt clear-headed again. And then I noticed a few things which I had missed before.

Logier’s body was practically glowing like a miniature sun. Second, the attacker had revealed itself. From the shape and height, it seemed like a goblin. The body heat it exuded was similar to Logier.

“How?”

The attacker, presumably a goblin, stuttered with its grating voice. Its tone suggested its disbelief towards what happened just now.

“Thank you, little imp,” Logier growled before stepping ahead, and standing like a wall in front of me.

“I’ll crush its skull!!” The orc chieftain declared, displaying its anger.

Unfortunately, I missed Logier’s passionate proclamation because I was busy with something else.

It came from the [System].

Quest triggered

End the Stalker

Kill the stalker that tried to take the life of your newfound friend.

Rewards: +2 all stats. +1 level to a skill of your choice.