“Adapt as the situation demands”
“Understood!”
I drew the sword I carried on my back, while Frill unsheathed the sword at her waist. My sword was a standard one, while Frill’s was long and slender. Both of us, including Frill, could wrap our fighting spirit around the sword to increase its strength and sharpness, so it was advantageous for Frill to use a thinner sword given her physique.
The Orcs, who were generally disliked, noticed us. All three were wielding clubs, making them somewhat troublesome. Moreover, since Orcs usually form settlements, these three were probably stragglers, similar to the goblins we encountered earlier.
There were three Orcs and only two of us, me and Frill. We hadn’t decided who would handle which Orc, but there was no particular concern.
“Haha.”
Oh, this is not good. I was so excited to swing my sword that I couldn’t help but laugh. Although I was still far from ideal, I was thrilled with the fact that this body was full of talent, unlike my previous life where I had none.
The rate of growth felt entirely different. The more I trained, the stronger, faster, and more flexible I became. My growth was proportional to my efforts.
“Let me try it out…!”
The Orcs approaching me were… two of them. The remaining one was with Frill. This was convenient. One Orc alone would have been too easy to handle.
The main concern was the attack with the club. As long as I was careful of that, they were just slow-witted pigs. Well, the club attacks were dangerous.
In an instant, the Orc in front of me swung its club high. The next move was predictable—a simple downward swing. And indeed… here it came.
A thick club was coming down on my head. Even though it was reinforced with fighting spirit, taking a hit to the head would likely result in death. I calmly kicked off the ground and dodged to the left.
In the next moment, the club struck the ground, creating a loud noise and vibration. Had I been standing on the ground, I would have stumbled, but since I had jumped lightly, there was no issue.
And now, this was the moment.
As I landed, I stepped forward and swung my sword. I aimed for the elbow of the arm holding the club. I felt a solid impact and saw fresh blood spurt out a little later. I couldn’t sever it completely, but I managed to slice it by about 20%.
— “Buggghhhh!”
The Orc let out an annoying scream. It was as loud as ever, but I was slightly relieved that it hadn’t lost its instinct.
As I did before, attacking after the Orc’s attack was the best strategy. Orcs are slow-moving but have heavy attacks.
Observing the Orc’s movements and dodging its attacks, I exploited the openings that appeared to counterattack. This was the basic strategy against Orcs and a safe way to fight.
A short distance away, Frill was engaged with one of the Orcs. She was using her fighting spirit fully and seemed quite relaxed. It looked like she was handling it well.
“Whoa… that was close.”
I lightly jumped back to dodge the Orc’s club. I was dealing with two Orcs. I had already slashed one’s right arm, but it seemed it could still move.
The two Orcs were maneuvering to flank me. This was a common tactic for monsters with some intelligence. However, I wasn’t about to let them trap me easily.
With three Orcs, it would be different, but with only two, escaping was simple. Moreover, the area was open. I kicked off the ground and dashed towards one Orc, then jumped sideways just before reaching it.
I had escaped. But it wasn’t over yet. I used my small body to slip behind the Orc and leaped again. With my body reinforced by fighting spirit, I controlled my form and swung my sword at the back of the Orc’s neck.
To avoid being cornered by the other Orc, I quickly created some distance after landing. The Orc whose neck I had sliced… fell.
It was surprisingly anticlimactic, but since their basic body structure was similar to humans, it made sense. Cutting the neck—essentially severing the cervical spine—renders the body immobile regardless of life or death.
There was only one Orc left, and it looked like Frill was about to finish hers soon. I shifted my gaze from the slightly off-target Orc to the one directly in front of me and leaped back diagonally.
It was the same repetitive task. The notable point of the Orc’s attack was its destructive power relying on brute strength. Nothing else stood out. They had few attack patterns.
Thus, I dodged the club attacks and exploited the resulting openings to slash with my sword. My sword wasn’t capable of instant kills yet due to my lack of skill. However, increasing the number of attacks was the solution.
“Hey, hey, hey… Is this it…?”
The Orc’s movements gradually slowed. It was covered in blood from the wounds caused by my sword. Death was probably just a matter of time.
I had expected to enjoy it more… but it was surprisingly dull. Compared to the monsters I fought in my previous life, this was nothing. Thinking about it, I suddenly lost interest.
It was just a matter of dodging and slashing repeatedly. The opponent showed no ingenuity or attempts to adapt. This wasn’t a battle; it was a monotonous task.
— “Buggghhhh!”
The Orc let out a roar as if to strike back. I didn’t know what it was thinking, but it seemed to be motivated.
But, it was a bit too late.
“You… that’s enough.”
I cut off the flow of air as I kicked off the ground. The Orc reacted to confront me, but I was no longer interested in engaging.
At top speed, I closed the distance and leaped. In front of the Orc, which had a delayed reaction, I swung my sword rapidly. I landed on the ground following gravity and took a few steps.
A moment later, the Orc’s head slid off, and its massive body fell.
“I want to fight something stronger… sigh.”
A rough tone came out. I had been trying to use a polite tone since reincarnating, but it seemed I unconsciously reverted to my old ways in the heat of battle.
It was strange and amusing to think of a five-year-old speaking like this. Normally, I was perfect, but in life-or-death combat, it didn’t always work out. It seemed fixing it… was unlikely.
“Lord kraze, killing two Orcs is impressive.”
“Well, it might be impressive, but… it was too monotonous and boring. And… Frill, it took you surprisingly long.”
At a short distance, the Orcs killed by Frill lay defeated. Their fingers were missing, and their bodies were torn and covered in blood. If it was just killing, it wouldn’t have been such a gruesome scene…
“Ah… I got carried away by my hatred for Orcs and ended up slicing them more than necessary, which took time.”
“I thought so… You’re no longer the gentle maid. You’re now the blood-soaked maid.”
“What? That’s terrible, Lord kraze. Please don’t use such a violent name.”
She puffed out her cheeks and protested cutely. However, Frill’s clothes were splattered with blood, and her slender sword at her waist made her look rather crazed. If there were such a woman in a dark forest at night, fear would be inevitable.
“kraze! That was amazing—”
As usual, my brother ran towards me to hug me, but I dodged just in time. He crashed into a tree directly behind him. What a clumsy sight.
“Ouch, ouch… That’s terrible, kraze!”
“I’m sorry. I reflexively dodged. Your face was just so disgusting.”
“Disgusting…!?”
My brother seemed shocked by my indifferent words and leaned back. It seemed overly dramatic to me, but perhaps it was different for him. I couldn’t really understand the peculiarities of people like my brother or Frill.
“…But kraze, even though you’re only five, defeating two Orcs is impressive. And you did it with a sword, not magic.”
“…Thank you.”
…I don’t quite understand my brother’s emotional range. One moment he’s reacting to something disgusting, and the next he’s giving idealistic praise. Of course, as a human being, I’m happy to be praised, but it left me with a complex feeling.
“Oh, you’re embarrassed! kraze is blushing!”
“Tch.”
Give me back the feelings I had just a moment ago. My brother is still a nuisance with his perverted behavior. His incessant patting on my head is annoying. Maybe I should punch him in the stomach.
“Oops, if I keep this up,kraze might dislike me. I’d better stop. Alright… Let’s head to the next location with enthusiasm!”
It seemed my brother understood my boiling point. Changing his demeanor from slovenly to serious, he started walking off alone.
My brother is really hard to pin down.
Afterwards, we encountered some straggling goblins and Orcs and defeated each of them—myself, Frill, and my brother.
From the experience, I realized that level 8 monsters no longer satisfied me, Frill was stronger than I had imagined, and my brother was truly a genius.
Until now, I had been sparring with Frill, but it might be a good idea to train with my brother for magical combat training. Setting aside his perverted traits, it was clear that my brother was a genius in magic. It would be unwise not to use him.
“—And that’s how it went.”
“That’s really… impressive, Rowen and kraze.”
During dinner, as I recounted today’s events, my mother murmured with admiration. Although my brother’s boastful comments about me were a bit distracting, my parents listened quietly with gentle expressions. They were the parents I admired.
My parents’ particular reaction was to my achievements. It was rare to see combat with a sword, so they were probably intrigued.
I was praised by my father, praised by my mother, and even praised by my brother. It was all good and I was pleased.
However… I felt discontent. Something within me was churning.
…It was unsatisfying.
I wanted to fight stronger opponents. I wanted to engage in battles that teetered on the edge of life and death. I wanted to be so absorbed in combat that nothing else mattered… I wanted blood-boiling battles.
I was dissatisfied with my own strength and combat experience.
I was dissatisfied with everything.
Enchanted by the sword, obsessed with the sword, dedicated to the sword.
My path is still long.
I am still… dry.
