As Volk steadied himself, brushing the last bits of fading light from his vision, a realization hit him.

The blonde man was gone.

Really gone.

And not just a regular disappearance.

The sensation he felt — the disorientation, the intense light — it all pointed to teleportation.

Volk frowned, scratching his chin.

How was he supposed to hunt down a man who could just blink out of existence like that?

His jaw clenched in frustration, his eyes narrowing as he replayed the scene in his mind.

His system didn’t give impossible missions — that much he knew.

There had to be a way to track that arrogant little prick, but how?

Then, as if reading his thoughts, a new screen flickered to life in front of him, its blue hue casting a soft glow on his face:

DING!

| Host has unlocked a new ability: Universal Growing Language. |

The description scrolled beneath it, explaining that Volk could now use two additional universal languages — not just with creatures or people but with anything sentient, including rocks, trees, or even the ground itself.

His brows raised, momentarily impressed. But then he huffed, dismissing the notion of talking to dirt and rocks. No, he had a better idea.

He turned his gaze toward the two women standing just a few paces away.

The system hadn’t only unlocked the language ability; it had helpfully highlighted their names in faint green above their heads: Lira and Mareen.

Both were shaking visibly, their faces pale, their breaths shallow as they watched the giant, muscular Orc who had just withstood both hounds and powerful magic.

Another notification blinked.

DING!

| Would Host like to activate Universal Growing Language with the two nearby targets? |

Volk grunted in affirmation, nodding toward the screen.

The system shimmered briefly, and then, as if a switch had been flipped, a strange warmth settled in his mind.

It felt like he’d unlocked a new gear in his head, and suddenly, the speech of the two women became clearer, less garbled.

At first, the two stood frozen, rooted in fear, eyes wide as they took in the enormity of him.

Lira, a short but well-built woman with brown skin and dark braids that fell down her back, was the first to try speaking, but her words came out as a whisper, barely audible.

“Y-you… You’re not… like the others…” she stammered, clutching a stone necklace hanging around her neck.

Her eyes darted to Mareen, who looked equally petrified, her knuckles white as she gripped a wooden staff decorated with carved symbols.

Volk raised an eyebrow, crossing his arms as he waited, his expression half-curious, half-annoyed.

“Well?” he rumbled, his voice like distant thunder. “You got something to say? Spit it out.”

Mareen tried to straighten up, swallowing hard. Her voice came out shaky, but there was a hint of defiance in her eyes.

“W-we… w-we… don’t… don’t know anything about… about you. But… but we know him. The man you faced.”

She looked away, but her eyes were drawn back to his towering figure, and she winced slightly.

“He’s… he’s… a… a noble.”

Volk tilted his head, leaning down a bit so that he could hear them better, his gaze fixed on them intently.

They flinched as he moved closer, their breaths hitching as they took in his massive frame, his skin a deep, mottled green that seemed to ripple with muscle beneath.

His arms were thicker than their waists, covered in faint scars, and his tusks gleamed dangerously as he grinned.

“Start from the beginning,” he demanded, his voice softer but no less intimidating. “And don’t leave out any details.”

Lira bit her lip, glancing at Mareen, who gave a reluctant nod.

The two women seemed to gather their courage, their eyes darting between each other and Volk.

Your journey continues at empire

Finally, Lira took a shaky breath, her voice barely louder than a whisper.

“He… he’s one of the Servithian nobility,” she managed, her eyes widening as Volk’s expression darkened.

“They… they live in the Foramina Kingdom, far east from here… beyond the cliffs.”

Her hands trembled as she spoke, clutching her necklace as though it might shield her.

“People say they… they don’t have mercy… that they hunt for sport. Like he was… like he was doing with us.”

Volk’s jaw tightened, his eyes narrowing as he absorbed her words.

The Servithian nobility…

That explained the arrogance, the cruelty. But it didn’t answer the most pressing question.

“Which direction?” he growled, his gaze sharp.

The two women exchanged a nervous glance, hesitating.

Mareen looked down, biting her lip as though weighing whether or not to answer.

Then, with a deep breath, she lifted her gaze to meet his.

“He… he’ll be heading back to the Foramina Kingdom,” she murmured, her voice steadying slightly.

“But there are… There are dangers along the way. The Servithians don’t travel alone. They’ll have… creatures with them… monsters.”

“Monsters?” Volk’s eyes gleamed with interest, his lip curling into a grin. “What kind?”

Lira and Mareen exchanged a fearful look, but Volk’s gaze was relentless, pinning them down, demanding answers.

“The worst kind,” Mareen whispered, her voice barely audible.

“Flesh-eaters… shadowbeasts… creatures that don’t die easily.”

She shuddered, her eyes distant as though haunted by memories.

“They… they come out at night, hunting anything that dares to cross into their lands. And they serve the Servithians.”

Volk grunted, his expression a mix of intrigue and annoyance.

He’d hoped for more precise directions, but at least they can communicate with him now.

Volk’s patience was wearing dangerously thin, his brow furrowed, and his massive hands clenched in frustration.

He’d been trying to get these two to give him a straight answer, but they seemed more interested in dodging his questions than actually helping him.

With a sharp intake of breath, he clapped his hands, the sound echoing through the dense forest like thunder.

The two women jolted, snapping out of their whispered conversation, eyes wide as they looked up at him, trembling like leaves in a storm.

Volk leaned forward, looming over them like a dark mountain, his gaze fixed and intense.

“I don’t need stories. I need one thing. Which. Direction,” he demanded, enunciating each word with growing impatience. “Point. Your. Hands. And be done with it.”

Lira and Mareen exchanged glances, their expressions darting between fear and hesitation.

Mareen opened her mouth as if to speak, but her voice faltered, and she only stammered out a few uncertain words.

“W-we… it’s… well… I mean, it’s not so simple…”

Lira chimed in, nodding as though her life depended on it.

“Y-yes, you see, Foramina is… it’s beyond several ridges, and… well, there are landmarks, but they’re tricky to follow if… if you’ve never traveled that way before. Some… some say there are places that move. Like, when you go back… things have shifted… “

Mareen jumped in, her voice wavering but somehow finding more confidence in the stall tactic.

“Yes! And the Servithian guards, they… they set traps. Traps we don’t even know how to avoid ourselves. We barely escaped when we did… and that was only because they didn’t think we were worth the trouble of chasing…”

Volk’s eye twitched, and he resisted the urge to growl. “I don’t need to know about shifting trees or guards or traps. Just. Give. Me. A direction.”

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep