Chapter 109: Limit Testing -1-

The shout broke the spell of fear for the Orcs completely.

The remaining orcs roared in fury and surged forward, abandoning their momentary fear for pure tribal aggression. They weren’t mindless slimes or dumb beasts. These were brutal, experienced warriors with a kill-or-be-killed mentality, and they immediately adjusted their tactics to deal with the fast, dangerous human who had just murdered their boss.

An orc on his left swung a crude spear low, deliberately aiming for Eren’s knee joints instead of his chest. Eren tried to backstep, but another orc had already circled behind him and kicked a hidden tripwire buried under the dirt to spring a snare trap.

Eren felt the rough rope catch his ankle and threw his weight forward to keep his balance. He barely avoided the spear, but a third orc threw a handful of coarse, toxic-smelling green powder directly at his face.

Their swords wouldn’t cut his bones or leave permanent scars on his body, maybe, but poison was another thing even if he had a resistance skill.

“Fuc*k!” Eren cursed, squeezing his eyes shut and holding his breath as the powder coated his hair and skin.

His Poison Resistance kicked in immediately, neutralizing the worst of the burning sensation, but his eyes still watered furiously. He couldn’t see perfectly, so he relied on pure instinct and his elevated Agility. He dropped low, dodging a sweeping club that whistled over his head, and drove the heavy iron dagger straight up into the groin of the spear-wielding orc. The creature let out a high-pitched shriek and crumpled, green blood pouring over Eren’s hands.

[You took the 100% energy of Level 41 Orc Warrior]

[Congratulations! Your Poison Resistance skill has reached Level 7]

WTF!

“Skills really develop in real deadly fights too fast!” Eren thought as he ripped the blade free and rolled across the dirt to avoid a pair of heavy boots stomping down on his previous position. He was glad for the abominally levelled up passive skill because there were other attempts to use different kind of poison around him.

Orcs really liked using poison for some reason!

Did they find a poison mine or something? It must be cheap to make this!

The fight devolved into a chaotic, desperate struggle for survival.

The orcs used their numbers flawlessly. When Eren lunged at one, two more would flank him and attack his blind spots. They kicked dirt into his eyes, used broken tent poles to trip him, and threw jagged rocks from a distance to disrupt his movement. It was like fighting a coordinated military squad that had abandoned all rules of engagement.

A spiked wooden mace clipped Eren’s left shoulder, tearing a chunk of flesh and sending a jarring shockwave down to his elbow. He gritted his teeth against the sharp pain, grabbed the thick wrist of the attacking orc, and pulled the creature forward using its own momentum. He slammed his forehead directly into the orc’s flat nose, feeling the cartilage crunch sickeningly against his skull.

While the orc staggered backward clutching its bleeding face, Eren spun the heavy dagger in his hand and buried it deep into the side of its neck.

[You took the 100% energy of Level 42 Orc Warrior]

He didn’t have time to read the rest of the notifications because the battlefield was far too dense. He kicked the dying orc off his blade and spun around just in time to catch a rusty sword on the flat side of his dagger. The impact rattled his teeth. These bastards were incredibly strong, almost matching his base stats with their raw, natural muscle mass.

Eren fought like a cornered animal. He threw sand back at them, kicked shattered armor pieces into their shins, and used their own dead bodies as meat shields against incoming spears. His movements became less like calculated gamer tactics and more like a desperate, bloody brawl.

[You took the 100% energy of Level 44 Orc Warrior]

He sliced the thick tendons of an advancing orc’s right leg, dropping it to the ground. The creature tried to stand, but the severed leg gave out completely, forcing it to drag its heavy body through the mud while swinging its axe wildly with one hand. Eren stepped over the flailing weapon and crushed its windpipe with a brutal stomp of his heel.

Another orc tackled him around the waist, driving him hard into the dirt. The massive green hands closed around his throat, squeezing with terrifying pressure. Eren couldn’t breathe, and black spots danced in his vision. He dropped the dagger, reached up with both hands, and dug his thumbs ruthlessly into the orc’s bloodshot eyes.

The creature roared in agony and let go, thrashing wildly. Eren bucked his hips, threw the blinded orc off him, grabbed his dagger from the dirt, and plunged it repeatedly into the creature’s chest until it stopped moving.

He scrambled back to his feet, panting heavily, his chest heaving as he wiped a mixture of sweat and green blood from his face.

The camp was finally quiet and he levelled up two more times.

[Congratulations! You have reached Level 46]

He looked at the destroyed tents, the shattered wooden barricades, and the broken bodies scattered across the muddy ground. He was entirely covered in blood, both his own red and their thick green. The metallic smell of death hung heavily in the humid air, mixing with the nasty black smoke from the burning Vanguard Chief.

It was a gruesome scene, the kind of absolute slaughter that belonged in a dark horror movie, not the life of an average guy from Earth. He had survived, but his body was battered, cut, and pushed to its absolute limits.

“Yeah, I am definitely going to need a very long, very hot shower with the girls when I get back!” He muttered internally while resting his hands on his knees to catch his breath.

But as the ringing in his ears began to fade, he realized the silence wasn’t real.

He slowly raised his head, looking past the ruined camp toward the dark, dense tree line of the forest. The low, rhythmic sound of heavy footsteps vibrated through the ground, accompanied by the distinct, terrifying metallic clicking of hundreds of weapons.

He wasn’t done yet. Whatever was emerging from the shadows of those trees was far worse than a single orc camp, but Eren didn’t feel like running.

Actually, he was smiling.

He felt a strange rush of satisfaction from using this new body, finally seeing what he was truly capable of when the System pushed his stats to the limit. He knew he could do much more—the last few brawls hadn’t even put him under real pressure yet. His heart wasn’t racing from fear, but from a dark, growing curiosity.

I’m not even breaking a sweat yet, he thought, tightening his grip on the heavy orc dagger. Let’s see where the real limit is.

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