The Mysterious Child: An Adventure Tale Beginning with Numerology

As planned, we had come for the orc settlement extermination quest early in the morning.

There was a lake deep in the forest southeast of Shaboom town, and on its shore was an abandoned village with a dark history - all its villagers had mysteriously disappeared about 50 years ago.

The truth behind this mass disappearance incident, full of horror game elements, apparently remains unclear. However, the deserted village, now empty of people, has become an ideal stronghold for orcs.

Until a few years ago, only about a dozen orcs lived there and didn't venture out to areas with human presence, so they weren't considered very dangerous. But it seems they've finally bred too much and run short on food, as they've started being spotted in the forest near the highway.

The quest was set up because there might be harm to humans if this continues.

Whatever the circumstances, it's our job as adventurers to hunt monsters in rural areas where the kingdom's knights can't reach.

I should focus on the job without thinking about unnecessary things.

"Alright! Let's quickly exterminate them and solve the mystery of the mass disappearance!"

"You're not focusing at all!"

As I was getting excited while walking through the forest, Saaya retorted.

"That's not true. I properly researched the monster's... um, was it goblins... no, orcs' weaknesses."

"What weaknesses?"

"The head or the heart."

"That's not called a weakness."

No, no, those are proper weaknesses. It's just common to almost all living beings.

Besides, orcs are D-rank monsters individually. According to the guild, about 100 of them are living there, so it's set as an A-rank quest, but honestly, for an extermination battle, no matter how many are in the herd, it's not much of a threat. It would be troublesome for a defensive battle though.

We continue through the forest while having such trivial chatter.

Elen, who was following behind, perhaps shy around Saaya, remained silent throughout.

Around what felt like noon, we finally reached the lake.

The lake was larger than I thought, with clear water forming slight ripples towards the shore.

The abandoned village where the orcs were supposed to be was on the opposite side of the lake. We couldn't see the orcs from here of course, but we could confirm many log-like things standing in the lake.

That's apparently an orc habit. They create obstacles to provide hiding places for fish, then catch the fish that settle there.

They're quite clever monsters.

"Just to let you know, I'm not going to fight orcs or anything, okay?"

"I know. Saaya, you're just observing."

In the first place, orcs are D-rank individually. Regardless of status, it's still too early for Saaya mentally, and more importantly, this is a group extermination battle. It's different from one-on-one.

As Saaya breathed a sigh of relief, Elen tensed up.

"Mm, leave it to me. I'll blow them away."

"Let's show a little restraint."

If she went all out, she'd probably blow away the lake too. Just because you can doesn't mean you should change the terrain.

Especially this time, we need to provide proof of subjugation, so we have to bring back lots of orc ears or noses. Unnecessarily high firepower isn't very kind to quests.

During her training period, Elen had failed many times because of this and reflected each time, but when it comes to actual combat, some mysterious destructive impulse seems to arise and she always ends up overkilling.

I can't count how many times the receptionist lady has been exasperated with us.

We approach the orc settlement by going around the lake, using the trees to hide ourselves. There are several orcs holding weapons that look like sentries around the perimeter of the settlement, so we're careful not to be spotted.

It reminds me of stealth games.

Of course, unlike games, there's no alert to inform us of enemy awareness or a sub-map displayed in the upper left, so we're prepared for immediate combat if we're spotted by unexpected encounters.

However, if possible, defeating them individually would be ideal. If they all come out at once, we'd have no choice but to blast them away with Elen's magic.

"Wow, orcs really do look like pigs."

Saaya, who seemed to be seeing orcs up close for the first time, frowned.

Imagine a muscular pig walking on two legs and holding a weapon. You'd understand, right? They're big too, so there's no doubt a normal person would want to run away if they encountered one.

By the way, males have tusks, while females don't.

Orcs also have young, but they reach adulthood in just half a year after birth, showcasing their high reproductive rate.

Like goblins, they're the type of monster where if you see one, you should assume there are ten. They multiply like black pests.

If even one is left alive, they could grow back to the same scale within a few years, so we need to be careful.

"Alright, it's about time."

"Do you have a plan?"

"Well... First, we'll quietly subdue the sentries and set traps outside the settlement without being noticed inside. Then, Elen will use her magic to keep them in check, and we'll defeat the orcs trying to leave the settlement one by one with traps and long-range attacks. After continuing this for a while, the numbers should decrease considerably, then we'll go in and exterminate them one by one. Elen, is that okay?"

"Mm, no problem."

"Good. Then Saaya, watch from here, and if any orcs or other monsters approach, shout. We'll come back to help immediately."

"O-Okay."

The two little girls nod.

I draw my mithril dagger and, getting as close to the settlement as possible, activate "Blade Shift" towards the sentry.

The orc, its throat silently slit, collapses to the ground.

I immediately leave the forest and head towards the settlement. Since I don't have a skill to conceal my presence, I cast "Threshold Compilation" on myself to make me look like one of the orcs' comrades from a distance. I'm not sure how well perception interference works on monsters, but it's better than nothing.

I hide the orc's corpse at the base of a nearby tree and start setting traps around the settlement.

The trap technique is "Landmine".

It's an activation-type technique set up by combining "Threshold Compilation" and "Refinement". It's similar to the barrier technique on my cloak, but "Landmine" is for attack.

When a certain amount of load is applied to the set location, the surrounding ground changes shape and thrusts up like a spear to impale the prey. It's just a technique that changes the shape of the ground, but it has enough power to pierce both legs of an orc.

After setting them up randomly to surround the settlement, I returned to where Elen and Saaya were.

"We're ready. Let's attack."

"Mm."

Elen and I reveal ourselves from behind the trees.

We can see several orcs in the settlement from here, but they don't seem to have noticed us yet.

Elen takes her staff in hand and chants a spell.

"'Flare Storm'"

What's born is "Flare Storm", a compound magic of fire and wind.

Without any warning, a hellfire tornado appears in the center of the settlement, burning nearby orcs while sweeping them up and scattering violent winds. Several orcs die burning without being able to resist, falling from the sky.

The orcs who quickly notice and come out of their houses are either caught up in the wind if they're close or collapse from the fire's aftereffects. The orcs are in panic, not knowing what's happening and running around in confusion.

It's truly a scene of pandemonium.

Wow~ That's brutal. As expected of Elen-san.

From there, it was a chorus of orc screams.

Many of the orcs trying to escape outside step on the "Landmines" and fall, impaled by earth spears. I take advantage of this opening to accurately deliver "Blade Shift" to their weak points, ensuring their defeat.

After nearly half of them are defeated, the orcs finally realize they're under attack. They each take weapons from their waists and charge at us.

Several fall to the landmines first, and I reliably take out the orcs who jump over their fallen comrades to cross the traps with a single strike.

During this time, Elen's fiery storm dissipates, and she begins to switch to single-target magic attacks.

"BUOOOOO!"

As the orcs charge at us with war cries, I act as a decoy, attracting and slashing them. Elen keeps her distance, taking them down with basic magic like "Fireball" and "Thunder Lance".

Among the orcs, there were some quick individuals who seemed quite clever, trying to approach Elen.

But it's futile.

While dealing with multiple orcs, I still manage to send "Blade Shift" from a distance to support Elen. Though even if they got past my defense, Elen could protect herself.

Who decided that pure magicians can't engage in close combat? Our Elen is so composed that she doesn't even blink when an attack comes within a few centimeters. And she can cast magic in a fraction of a second with her ultra-fast chanting.

At the Stoania Adventurers' Guild, adventurers who saw Elen's fighting style even coined the term "close-range magic combat".

Anyway, Saaya, who had been scared earlier, was now watching us admiringly as we moved with a clear awareness of our roles as vanguard and rear guard.

Well, we didn't reach the 100th floor of the dungeon as a two-person party for nothing. My movements are quite simple, keeping Elen in my field of vision most of the time while moving. It all comes down to fighting in the vanguard while watching the whole situation to provide support. It requires a fairly high level of calmness, but thanks to my "Calm and Collected" senior, my thoughts are always clear, so it's not too difficult. I really respect that senior.

In contrast, Elen hardly moves. Even when she does, she moves symmetrically to my movement line. Not too far, not too close, always maintaining a position where she can support me. Moreover, after casting a spell, she immediately starts chanting the next one, preparing to switch at any time. I don't know any magician superior to Elen in terms of chanting speed, power, variety of spells, or sustained combat ability.

Our Elen is too overpowered.

We calmly reduce the number of enemies.

"Amazing. So this is Ruruk and Elenora..."

Saaya let out an impressed voice. While watching us move in perfect sync, she was clutching her chest tightly, looking somewhat pained.

"Alright, there might not be many enemies coming out anymore. Elen, I'm going to hunt the orcs inside, please continue to take care of those who come out."

"Mm."

From here on, as per the plan, we'll act separately.

I use relative teleportation to cross the traps and enter the settlement.

There are many dilapidated houses befitting an abandoned village, but some are reinforced with animal bones and wood, showing that orcs live here. They've become even more run-down due to Elen's magic.

The orc houses smell bad and are dirty with leftover food just lying around, but I check each one. Some orcs hide and ambush, while others are brazenly sleeping even in this commotion. There were also quite a few hiding young and babies, but I make sure to take them all out without distinction.

Don't think it's pitiful. Not a single goblin or orc should be left alive... that's the iron rule and law for adventurers in this world.

There are many true stories of adventurers sparing young monsters only to have nearby villages attacked by the grown monsters half a year later, with women suffering cruel fates before being killed. These serve as lessons for adventurers.

In the largest mansion ruins in the abandoned village, there was an individual larger and stronger than the other orcs. When it saw me, it made its guard-like orcs step back and faced me with a large spear.

I don't understand its words, but I understand the meaning of its actions.

"Oh, a one-on-one duel?"

Looking at it, it seems to have evolved into a higher-ranking individual. Its intelligence and strength have increased, becoming a B-rank monster, a Black Orc.

I'm a man too. Even if it's a monster, I can't refuse a challenge to a duel.

We face each other head-on, our eyes meeting.

"BUGOOOO!"

With a short roar, the Black Orc charges.

Using its overwhelming reach with its 3-meter tall body and long spear, it attacks. I deliberately dash straight towards it, closing the distance.

I dodge the spear by shifting my body slightly, and continue to close in.

But as if the Black Orc had anticipated this, it jumps sideways to maintain distance. It's quite agile for its huge body.

Before the Black Orc's feet touch the ground, this time I take a backstep to create distance myself. When fighting an opponent who can manage distance well, the smaller one doesn't need to force a disadvantageous contest of strength.

-- Or so one would normally think, right?

The Black Orc must have judged so too.

That's precisely why I attacked.

"'Refinement'"

I deploy the technique at my feet as I step back.

I transform the flat ground into a rectangular pillar.

When I activate it to launch towards the Black Orc, the ground explosively pushes up against the soles of my feet.

At the same time, I kick off the ground to accelerate. A double acceleration.

Like a cannonball, I accelerate and exploit the Black Orc's slight carelessness, diving in to pass by it in an instant.

After that, I just need to run my mithril dagger as if placing it.

After a slight resistance like cutting paper, a line of blood seeps onto the Black Orc's neck.

"Bu... moo..."

With a thud, the Black Orc's head falls and its body collapses backward.

Seeing this, a nearby orc tries to flee in panic, so I cut its back with "Blade Shift".

Good. I think I've dealt with all the orcs I've found... Let me check the village once more to make sure I haven't missed any.

I went around the village without letting my guard down, but I didn't find any surviving orcs.

Just to be sure, I had Elen use "Full Search" to detect enemies, and after a final confirmation, I catch my breath.

Phew. With this, the quest is complete.

"Ruruk! Elenora! Good work!"

Saaya brought out a water bottle.

While drinking the cold water, I survey the orc settlement strewn with corpses.

"There were roughly about 120 of them. There was even a Black Orc among them."

"Mm, Ruruk is stronger."

"That's true, but you know. I was unusually challenged to a duel."

"A duel? You accepted?"

"Yeah. I felt bad about taking it out from a distance, so I defeated it directly."

"Are Black Orcs strong?"

"They're B-rank monsters, so they're fairly strong."

From the looks of it, it seemed like it was about to evolve into an A-rank King Orc.

Though it's too late now since I've already taken it out.

After taking a short break, we went around cutting off the orcs' ears. Saaya frowned even at just cutting off ears, but since it's not actual combat, I made her experience it with a stern heart. If you're going to live as an adventurer, even if you can't fight, you should at least be able to do this much.

By the way, I also cut out and kept the livers, which are valuable both as food and materials, but Saaya looked like she was about to throw up, so I decided not to make her experience that.

At times like these, the automatic drop system in dungeons is convenient and nice. Come to think of it, I've never really thought about it before, but why do monster bodies disappear and materials drop when they die inside dungeons... It's a mystery, isn't it...?

"Ugh~ My hands are all sticky with blood..."

Saaya muttered in disgust.

"You can wash them in the lake. It's cold and feels good."

"I'll do that... Oh, that's right! Hey Ruruk, when we go back to the other side of the lake, why don't we take a quick dip?"

Indeed, the sunlight is strong and it's sweaty and hot.

Thinking it's been a while since I heard words like "take a dip", I answer.

"If Saaya wants to, feel free."

"What are you saying, you're coming too, Ruruk. Of course, Elenora as well!"

"But we don't have swimsuits."

"We don't need those! We're children after all!"

"Even if you say children, our minds are... you know."

"No! That doesn't count right now! Oh, or could it be that Ruruk is the type to lust after children?"

"Absolutely not! My preference is for elven older sisters!"

"Then it's fine, isn't it? Oh, if you refuse, it's confirmed that you're a lolicon."

Please, anything but that. I like little girls, but I'm just purely admiring them...!

And so, unable to resist the unreasonableness disguised as an irresistible force, we who had successfully exterminated the orc settlement somehow ended up going for a swim.