At the quest board, we are the only ones standing there, and only very few are sitting around. Probably because there are only overly strong quests available, since there are currently only D-rank adventurers present. After we accepted the two quests, only B-rank or higher quests remained.
So I take a random B-rank quest that says: "Defeat a Starorclord."Above the quest description is an image showing a gigantic orc, wielding two greatswords, one in each hand. That alone means he is strong enough to swing a greatsword with one hand. The fact that something like this is only B-rank must mean he has weaknesses.
I take the quest and have it teleported to Sila. She looks at me in confusion while I wait for her to stamp it as being processed. She takes the stamp and stamps it. I snap my fingers, the quest paper appears in front of me and falls into the dimensional hole.
We walk away from the quest board. I wave goodbye as we leave, and Sila waves back at us with a smile. I'm sure Lui can handle an enemy like that. If not, I'll take over, since Sür and Mori are already exhausted.
We teleport to another large forest, farther away than the one that contained the snake. We land in front of the forest again in a violet light. With determined expressions, we step into the forest where the orc is supposed to live.
As we walk through it, I stretch my arm out in front of the girls and hand them the so-called ramen, which I just took out of the dimensional hole. I take ramen for myself as well and then close the dimensional hole. We sit down on fallen tree trunks. After a few minutes, we finish eating.
I stand up and collect every bowl. I put the bowls into the dimensional hole while the girls stand up. We move on, and after a few minutes, we sense a mana wave. It's large—very large—even for a B-rank monster. It could be the Starorclord.
We start running toward it, while Lui is already preparing a 30-hit combo. We arrive, and Lui immediately jumps high. An orc stands there, completely cloaked in black, with glowing points on his skin that look like stars. I sit down calmly while Lui unleashes her 30-hit combo on the orc.
Every strike lands, yet he doesn't even have a scratch. My eyes widen when I see this, because that attack could even kill A-rank monsters. Lui is, by far, the strongest member of the team now.
Sür and Mori look at Lui as if she's no longer human, someone they could never measure up to. However she became so strong so quickly, this is on a completely different level. If she keeps training like this, she'll reach my level in just a few days.
Meanwhile, something is happening in the guild that is a serious disadvantage for us.
Inside the guild, a young man runs toward the guild master, who is busy handling paperwork. The young man bursts through the door, startling the guild master and scattering several papers.
"Master, Master, Master, something terrible has happened!" the young man says, while the guild master looks annoyed."What is it now?" the guild master asks, looking irritated enough to fire him on the spot.
The young man steps forward as the guild master angrily gathers the papers.
"Well, it's like this: the Starorclord quest is a god-monster quest. It's ranked even above S-rank, and a group of freshly promoted C-ranks accepted it," the young man says in panic.
The guild master freezes. His eyes widen, his mouth falls open in shock. The realization terrifies him so much that he can't even speak.
Meanwhile, not much has changed on our side, except that every attack from both sides misses. Whether it's a 30-hit, 50-hit, or even a 70-hit combo.
I stand up, unable to believe what I'm seeing. Even I would have very poor chances against such a combo. Yet this orc dodges them despite his size. He must be as large as a house, yet he keeps evading Lui's attacks.
Lui is gasping for air, barely able to breathe. Her breathing is heavy. I clench my fists, on the verge of stepping in, but Lui raises her hand toward me as a sign not to help.
Lui stands back up after falling. Her hands are shaking, and uncertainty is visible in her eyes. I clench my fists even tighter and feel the orc's mana growing.
In that moment, I realize that this monster isn't just B-rank. Judging by its mana, it's using power on an S-rank level.
"Lui, this is too dangerous. Come here, I'll handle it," I say in an uncertain voice.
I look at her, and she looks back at me. Hesitantly, she nods and retreats. The orc follows her with his gaze.
I unleash all of my mana, glowing in purple-black colors. The mana grows larger and larger, while the orc's mana is compressed tightly around his body. I draw out everything I have, causing my mana to envelop the entire forest.
In Kimura, most people sense the mana, even though the forest is ten kilometers away. Some freeze in place, others don't notice it, while a guard sees the forest wrapped in my mana like a protective shell.
The girls freeze under the pressure of my mana. They try to stay standing but collapse to their knees. A shimmer surrounds the three of them as they can no longer feel any mana. It's a barrier that blocks all mana completely.
I'm not even sure myself whether I'll win or lose. I draw my dagger as my eyes turn into pure mana. These eyes see everything—even five seconds into the future.
I take a fighting stance as the orc starts to grin. That expression makes it clear to me that he is a god-monster.
God-monsters are creatures on the level of a Demon King or even beyond, and this orc is definitely one of them. Such monsters appear only rarely near cities or villages.
While all this is happening, chaos breaks out across the entire city.
The city lord sits on his throne as the guard who sensed my mana stands before him. The throne is completely covered in gold, with violet cushions, and the room is decorated with gemstones.
The city lord wears noble-style clothing: a red shirt and black pants. This seems normal in this land. In fact, this land only has mayors ruling cities and villages.
The mayor looks at the guard while setting down his drink, which looks like orange juice. The guard looks at him with fearful eyes.
"The forest east of the city… it—" the guard can't continue, paralyzed by fear.
The mayor looks at the guard with a questioning expression, then stands up, stretches, and walks over. He places a hand on the guard's shoulder.
"Tell me what happened," his rough voice says quietly, slightly calming.
The guard looks up, takes a short breath, and meets the mayor's eyes. Slowly, he calms down.
"The forest… there's an enormous amount of mana there," the guard says in a trembling, broken voice.
The mayor turns and looks east through a window. He sees the layer of mana glowing in purple-black colors around the entire forest. His eyes widen, and his mouth starts to tremble.
He raises his hand and declares an emergency. Everyone is ordered to barricade themselves inside their homes. Everything must be shut—doors, windows, everything.
A massive uproar spreads through the city. All guards gather around the mayor. No one is on the streets anymore. Everything is closed—shops, houses, taverns, inns, hotels.
The mayor considers sending guards, but it's far too dangerous.
Meanwhile, back with me and the girls: they look at me with smiles, knowing I will succeed. Still, this will not be easy. It's the hardest fight I've ever faced.
My hands grip the dagger perfectly. I take a deep breath in and out as my heart begins to race. My mana eyes pierce through everything.
The orc shows no sign of retreating or fear. I plant my feet firmly as the orc also takes a fighting stance, wielding both greatswords.
I glance down at the ground for a moment, then look back up at where the orc stands.
The fight begins.
I vanish in motion.