The world shrank to distance and time.
Kai had no armor. No good edge. He had one advantage: the orc believed he was an obstacle, not a real threat.
That was perfect.
Kai picked up the club he had dropped earlier, never taking his eyes off the orc. The weight struck his arm—familiar and awful.
The orc let out a short ugh.
“Back to the rock,” it mocked.
Kai didn’t respond.
He moved to the side, forcing it to turn. He wanted it away from Katherine. He wanted it in the narrow point of the corridor, where the orc’s rge body couldn’t surround him.
The orc advanced, confident.
Kai raised the club and struck the axe—not to block cleanly, but to deflect, to break rhythm.
CLANG!
The metal shrieked. Kai’s arm vibrated up to the shoulder.
The orc used the csh to throw a kick.
Kai felt the impact in his thigh.
It hurt.
But he held.
Body Fortification skill: don’t fall.
Kai twisted the club and struck the orc’s knee.
It wasn’t like the skeletons.
There was flesh here. Tendons. Weight.
The orc grunted and dipped slightly, surprised that Kai aimed low.
“Cheater,” it spat.
“Practical,” Kai thought.
The orc raised the axe to split him from above.
Kai stepped in close, pressing against its body, like he had done with the mace-wielding skeleton. If the bde came down that close, it would get in the way of its own force.
The axe came down—but struck the wall instead of sinking into Kai.
Sparks flew.
Kai hit the orc’s torso with the club, straight into the ribs.
A dull sound.
The orc let out a breath like a snort.
Kai struck again.
And again.
Not to kill with a single blow—but to make it lose patience.
The orc headbutted him.
Kai saw stars.
For a second, the world tried to slip away.
But the Body Fortification skill held the thread: the pain didn’t shut him down completely.
Kai staggered back two steps, breathing like he’d swallowed fire.
Katherine shouted something behind him, but he didn’t understand the words.
The orc advanced, furious now, without the smile.
“I’m going to break you,” it said.
Kai gnced around quickly. The floor. Bones. Weapons. A broken spear against the wall.
And the rusted sword… still lodged in its hip, crooked.
The orc ripped it out with a grunt and tossed it aside like trash.
Kai smiled inwardly.
Good. You threw away metal.
The orc raised the axe again.
Kai aimed for the weapon.
He struck the handle with the club.
The axe shifted off course.
He struck again.
The orc’s grip loosened slightly.
Kai hit the wrist.
Crack.
Not a broken bone. But real pain.
The orc roared and dropped the axe.
The metal hit the ground with a heavy thud.
For the first time, the orc had no weapon.
Kai did.
And he knew it.
The orc’s eyes flicked toward Katherine—quickly, calcuting an exit.
“There it is,” Kai thought. “Your pn.”
The orc lunged toward her.
Kai reacted without thinking.
He moved behind it and smmed the club into the base of its skull.
A dry hit.
The orc stumbled.
Kai grabbed its belt—ropes and all—and pulled with everything he had.
The orc dropped to its knees.
Kai struck again.
And again.
Until the monster was propped up on one hand, breathing heavily, no ughter left.
Kai was trembling. Not from fear. From effort. The club weighed like guilt.
“Body Fortification,” he muttered again.
The orc lifted its head, spat dark blood, and smiled—a broken smile—as if even losing gave it pleasure.
“Little human…” it rasped. “I like you.”
Kai raised the club one st time.
“I don’t.”
And struck.
The orc fell to the side. It went still.
Silence returned, heavy.
Kai breathed deeply. Everything hurt. But he was standing.
Katherine approached slowly, with short steps, staring at the body as if she feared it would get up again.
“Is it… dead?” she asked, barely audible.
“I don’t know,” Kai said. And swallowed. “But if it moves… I’ll put it down again.”
The screen appeared.
[System][Mission Complete][Reward: +132 XP obtained][Current XP: 132/132]
Kai blinked. His heart pounded in his throat.
There was no fanfare. Just confirmation.
Katherine looked at Kai, still trembling.
“Why… why was it ughing?” she asked. “What did it want?”
Kai didn’t answer immediately.
Because the answer sat poorly even with him.
“It wanted to decide for us,” he finally said. “Like everyone else.”
The screen flickered again, and this time the message hooked into him like a barb.
[System][Do you want to subordinate the orc?][Yes or No]
Kai froze.
Katherine looked at him, not understanding why he had gone still again.
“Kai… what’s wrong?”
Kai swallowed.
He looked at the orc’s body.
Then at Katherine.
And for the first time since arriving in this world, he didn’t know if the right decision was the one that benefited him… or the one that kept him from becoming something worse.
The screen kept waiting.
[Yes or No]
