Especially the leader, the one wielding the sword.
They felt like Riley had been toying with them from the start, and now, one of them had died, making them more furious.
Roarr!
A particularly large among them—towering, broader, with a spiked shoulder guard—let out a thunderous roar.
Smoke puffed from its flared nostrils as its muscles tensed.
The air around it shifted.
Like heat rising before a wildfire.
It beat its chest repeatedly with its fist, then pointed its club toward Riley.
"GRAAAAAAAH!"
The message was clear.
I'll kill him!
Another orc—a large one with a rusted club—roared and charged forward, enraged by its fellow's cry.
It barreled toward Riley, steps thundering like boulders, club swinging sideways with crushing power.
Riley didn't flinch.
He raised his hand.
Swoosh!
A thin, sharp brown spike launched from his palm with a hiss. It whistled through the air—straight into the orc's face.
—84! [Critical Hit!]
The spike stabbed deep into the orc's right eye.
SCHLUNK!
Blood spurted from the wound like a burst pipe. The beast screamed, stumbling to the side, its swing going wide and crashing harmlessly into the grasses.
It staggered, grunting loudly in pain.
And Riley moved.
He dashed forward, low to the ground, boots barely touching the grasses. He raced behind the orc, already reaching for his blades.
SLASH!
One dagger sliced across the back of the orc's knee joint.
—80!
The beast dropped to one knee, roaring in pain.
It reached back wildly—but Riley was already moving, already rising.
He didn't hesitate.
He grabbed the back of its neck, pulled himself up—
—and stabbed.
Once.
—96! [Critical Hit!]
Then again.
—96! [Critical Hit!]
Both blades buried deep into the orc's throat from opposite sides.
The grunts that came next were less like screams and more like gurgles—wet, rattling sounds as blood erupted from its mouth and neck.
The creature's body twitched violently, but it didn't die… not yet.
It stretched its hand towards Riley, hoping to squash the bug hanging from its back.
But Riley had already expected this, so he swiftly pulled out his daggers, leaping away from the monster.
At that moment, his body suddenly wavered, fully appearing in the view of the orcs.
"Tsk." Riley clicked his tongue, his gaze briefly meeting with that of the orc leader.
The orc leader stared at him from a brief moment, before roaring in frustration.
The red tattoos pulsed, the orc leader's muscles bulging impossibly wide, with veins throbbing under its skin like thick cords.
Riley's eyes narrowed, and his expression turned serious.
A violent growl tore from the orc's throat, and then—
BOOM!
It lunged.
Its body blurred, speed doubling in an instant. It closed the distance between them in a blink, the massive sword raised high.
Riley's eyes widened.
'Fast—!'
He barely had time to react.
'Dash!'
[Dash Activated!]
[+15 points temporarily allocated to Agility.]
A sharp notification flashed across his vision, and Riley's body surged with speed. His muscles snapped taut, his limbs light as feathers.
His figure flickered to the side, vanishing from the path of the charging orc.
CRASH!
The sword struck down where he had stood a breath ago.
The ground exploded.
A crater split open beneath the impact, a deep groove torn through the grasses and earth.
Fwoosh!!
Tremors rippled outward, rattling the trees and kicking up a storm of dust and leaves.
Riley skidded across the forest floor, boots digging in for control.
A bead of sweat dripped down his temple.
'That… could've gone horribly wrong.'
He had been exposed.
For those few seconds when stealth was on cool-down, he'd been completely visible. A moment slower, a hesitation too long—and he would have been split in two.
His jaw clenched.
'Good thing I devoured those dire wolves before coming here.'
The huge amount of attributes he absorbed from those wolves were the only reason he could keep up with these monsters.
His eyes darted to the orc leader's glowing tattoos.
'Those things aren't just for decoration.'
The crimson markings throbbed with power, pumping energy into the orc's already massive body. They pulsed in rhythm, like veins directly connected to a source of mana.
Orcs weren't known for their connection to magic. Their race thrived on raw, brutal strength. Unlike other races, their affinity with mana was primitive—clumsy.
But these tattoos?
They were the bridge.
An artificial means of channeling mana through sheer willpower and pain tolerance.
And it wasn't something just any orc could do. Only the strong ones—high-level warriors and leaders—could survive the process of having their skin carved and infused with mana.
What's more, not all orc tattoos were the same. The designs varied based on tribe, role, and specialization.
Most enhanced mainly strength, along with other physical capabilities.
But there were a few orcs races known to enhance their mana and spell-casting abilities with their tattoos.
However, it was only for a short period of them.
The power was unstable, wild, but deadly.
Riley's eyes flicked to the other two orcs.
They roared, invigorated by their leader's charge.
Despite the grievous wounds slowing them down, they pushed forward with renewed strength.
One limped with a deep gash in its leg, and the other had blood spurting from its neck wound—but neither seemed to care.
They wanted to kill him.
And Riley?
His hands trembled slightly.
But not from fear.
From excitement.
'This is perfect.'
He didn't know what skill their leader used to boost its power like that, but if he was able to absorb it, his power would grow even more!
The thought electrified him.
One of the injured orcs roared again and swung its rusted club sideways.
BOOM!
The weapon slammed into the forest floor with bone-shattering force, throwing up a wave of dirt, bark, and shattered stone.
But the orc froze.
Its eyes twitched, confused.
The strike hadn't connected.
There was no impact. No sensation of crushing bone or meat.
Nothing.
And then—
FWOOOSH!
A sudden gust of wind grazed its face.
The orc's instincts screamed danger, but it was already too late.
CRACK!
A brown spike punched through its right eye.
—84! [Critical Hit!]
The orc reeled back, letting out a grunt of pain as blood burst from the socket. It clutched its face—but then Riley landed on its head.
Like a ghost, he appeared from the air, feet planted on its skull.
"Gotcha."
He drove a dagger into the orc's other eye.
—120! [Critical Hit!]
The blade sank deep, severing nerves and bursting blood vessels in one violent thrust.
The orc howled.
Its body thrashed violently, arms flailing and knees buckling. It couldn't see—it couldn't breathe—the pain was too much.
Riley didn't wait.
He pushed off the creature's face just as its body wobbled forward—
—and slammed into the earth with a loud, thunderous thud.
Dust spiraled into the air.
The forest floor trembled slightly from the weight of the fall.
[You have killed Level 14 Red Orc Warrior!]
[+150 EXP]
Riley landed in a crouch, daggers poised in his hands, eyes flicking to the last orc still standing.
Two down.
One heavily wounded.
And one berserk, tattooed leader glowing with power.
Riley straightened slowly, his breathing steady, a wild smirk tugging at the corners of his lips.
"Who's next?" he whispered, his voice calm, yet burning with anticipation.
The orc leader roared, and the markings along its arms began to glow brighter. The pressure in the air thickened—heavier than before.
It was preparing to strike again.
And Riley?
He was ready.