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"Ah... shit," Kuro muttered under his breath, biting down on the inside of his cheek hard enough that he nearly drew blood.
He really didn't like how fast the situation had turned badly in his favour. Ideally, he would've liked a little bit more time to observe them, and maybe even find a weak spot he could attack from. But that plan had already been trampled into the dirt...So much for a surprise attack.
His eyes flicked upward.
Just above each of the orcs' heads, glowing faintly in the air, was a string of orange texts wrapped in brackets.
[BARBARIAN ORC]
Orange meant they were stronger than him, probably way stronger, and it wasn't just one. There were five of them... five oversized, axe-swinging brutes built like tanks. His fingers tensed slightly at his sides as he wondered what to do.
He didn't have much time to think, as they had already spotted him and they were slowly making their way towards him.
He had the trees on his side and If he played smart, he could move around them to go in and out, to attack from all sides
'Should I just leave the dungeon?' he wondered, already cycling through his options. The teleport stone was just a thought away...
Kuro sighed, narrowing his eyes slightly. 'The strongest Jutsu I've got is my Fireball... but if I use it now, I'll be running on fumes.' It might even take one of them out if it landed clean, but it would leave his chakra almost completely drained, and that was the last thing he needed when their were hundreds more of them out their.
[TITLE: ONE MAN ARMY – "I WILL NOT FALTER" IS ACTIVATING...]
A faint glow pulsed at the edge of his vision, followed by a warmth blooming throughout his whole body. The stat boost [ONE MAN ARMY] had, gave him a bit of reassurance. But It wasn't a game-changer, as it was only a 30% boost, which was still pretty good.
But just not up against these guy's....
'Still... maybe it's smarter to just back out now and return when I'm stronger.' The thought settled in his chest like a rock. It was just a tactical retreat for now and he could live to fight another day when he was stronger.
SWOOSH—
A sharp gust of wind tore through the space in front of him and in an instant, the hairs on his arms stood up. His senses flared as his eyes snapped up past his fading status screen to see...
A massive axe, jagged and rust-colored at the edges, came flying through the air, spinning like a death wheel straight for him.
Kuro quickly pushed off the ground with everything he had, his legs kicking into motion like springs. He shot sideways out of the bushes he was in, just as the massive axe flung past the place he was just in. The axe flew even further and buried itself deep into the tree directly behind.
"Fucking... pieces of shit! You almost cut me half!" he snapped, twisting mid-air before landing on the trunk of the nearest tree. His chakra gripped the surface as he latched onto the bark, wasting no time. He launched himself again, leaping from tree to tree, trying to put some distance between himself and the orcs below.
"TALKING FLYING FOOD!?.. MUST GET IT DOWN AND EAT!" one of the orcs roared, its deep voice rumbling through the forest.
Kuro barely had time to glance over his shoulder when he saw one of the bigger ones huffed stomping forward, and lifted up a massive boulder like it weighed nothing. With a grunt, the orc hurled it into the air, sending the giant rock hurtling toward Kuro like a cannonball.
"Shit—" he muttered under his breath, eyes snapping wide as the boulder came screaming in his direction.
"Goddamn it…" Kuro grunted under his breath, as he lunged out of the way landing on another tree. The moment he leapt away, the rock slammed into the tree behind him with brutal force causing the bark to explode out like shrapnel. And the whole trunk gave a deep creak before tipping over and crashing to the forest floor.
Kuro's fingers flicked through the air. "Inventory!" he called out, and the familiar screen blinked to life in front of him as he jumped to another tree. Reaching in his inventory, he pulled out the teleporation stone.
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[ NOTICE]
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Do you wish to use the Teleportation Stone?
[Y/N]
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"Yes! Yes!" Kuro jabbed at the screen, his finger tapping hard on the 'Yes' option.
But instead of the usual glow, the system screen flashed red.
[ERROR! YOU CANNOT LEAVE THIS DUNGEON WITHOUT FIRST COMPLETING THIS FLOOR.]
Kuro's face dropped.
"You've gotta be kidding me…" he muttered, stunned. His eyes widened for a second, and then a frustrated groan escaped his throat. "So I can't leave this stupid place?"
He rubbed his hand down his face, dragging it along his jaw as he peeked down through the trees. The orcs were still at it as they were yelling, and throwing anything they could get their hands on, one of them even ripping a smaller tree branch clean off to hurling at him.
But he just jumped to another tree, each time they got closer and closer.
"Fantastic," Kuro muttered, slipping the stone back into his inventory. 'Fine… if I can't leave… then I'll just kill them before they kill me.' he thought.
He didn't like being pushed into a corner, but there wasn't much of a choice. He had to kill them if he wanted to live...so the option was a no brainier. So if brute strength wouldn't work, then stealth would have to do the trick.
He pulled the hallow cloak's hood over his head. The fabric slipped into place with a faint shimmer for a moment before he disappeared completely, leaving only the faintest ripple in the air behind him.
[ACTIVATING INVISIBILITY CLOAK]
"WHERE DID FLYING TALKING FOOD GO?!" one of the orcs bellowed, spinning in circles as if a ghost might grab him from behind. Another one raised his axe like he just saw dark magic. The rest of them looked around with wide, twitchy eyes, their heavy steps stomping on the ground as they searched for their "food".
Kuro, now completely invisible, crouched low on a thick branch above them, watching them look around like idiots...which they were.
Kuro smirked to himself. "Dumbasses…" he muttered under his breath, before he then bent his knees and launched off the branch. His body was weightless in the air, as he dove straight down. Mid-air, his hands flashed through a series of hand signs in quick succession.
As he finished the last seal, wind began to wrap around his dagger, spiraling around the blade until it gave off a faint high-pitched hum, like a buzzsaw.
Below, one of the orcs jerked his head, his ears twitching at the faint noise. Before he then quickly turned his gaze upward, but all he saw was empty air. "Sound from above…? But no see fo—"
The sentence never finished.
A streak of wind cut through the silence as Kuro came crashing down, his blade slicing clean across the orc's face, before dragging down and cutting his body in half. A heavy thud followed as the orc split apart in both ways, its organs hanging out and blood spilling out from the sides.
[BLOOD METER FILLING: 13%]
The others flinched back in fear, their grips tightening around their axes. "DEVIL!" one of them roared, spinning in frantic circles as they tried to find Kuro to no avail. "Demon food! DEMON!"
Kuro using his speed and cloak to his advantage, he quickly got behind the second orc and wrap his arm around its burly neck before snapping it in the opposite direction. And to finish it off, he used his dagger and tore it clean across its throat, causing blood to spray in the air like rain.
The third one swung wildly, its eyes darting around, trying to find the cause of what was doing this. Kuro ducked under the swing, stepping in close, and jammed his blade straight into the orc's gut before ripping it free. The orc choked out a grunt as its gut spewed out like a gutty waterfall before it dropped to its knees, trying to grab at its intestines that was falling out.
[BLOOD METER FILLING: 18%]
The orc dropped to its knees before it fell face forward to the ground. The two remaining orcs froze, their eyes wide with a mixture of confusion and fear. They hadn't even seen who or what was responsible, just that their comrades was dying one after the other.
A soft shimmer rippled in front of them.
[INVISIBILITY CLOAK HAS WORN OFF | Cooldown: 30 min]
Kuro's figure slowly faded into view, starting from his head down to his sandals. His hood dropped back, revealing the boy standing in front of the orc's corpse.
The orcs' eyes snapped toward him. Their brows furrowed, and veins bulged near their temples.
"FOOD DID THIS!" one of them howled, pointing a massive finger at Kuro. "KILL FOOD AND PISS ON CORPSE!" It roared like a beast as it charged at kuro, dragging its jagged axe through the dirt before swinging it downward with all its weight.
Kuro quickly sidestepped the axe as it missed only by a couple inches and crashed into the ground, kicking up chunks of dirt and rocks.
Kuro then quickly jumped onto the flat of the axe and sprinted up the handle. The orc grunted in confusion, raising its arm to swat him down. Kuro leapt just before the hit connected, flyings over its shoulder before dragging his dagger across its face, cutting his eyes.
"ARRRGH!" the creature cried, stumbling back while holding its face.
But as Kuro dropped to the floor and moved to finish off the orc, the second orc had already rushed in from the side, swinging its weapon horizontally with enough force to tear through a tree. Kuro ducked under it and rolled with the momentum, letting his blade flash out in a clean motion as he sprang upward.
With a sharp yell, he drove the blade straight into the side of the orc's head. The impact knocked the creature off balance, and with a twist of his wrist, Kuro sent the orc toppling backward with a groan.
As its body hit the ground, still and unmoving, Kuro landed beside it and unwidge his dagger from its head.
[BLOOD METER FILLING: 24%]
Kuro tightened his grip on the dagger, steadying his breathing a little. He then turned his back, looking at the last remaining orc that was writhing on the ground, clutching its face as it groaned in pain. The orc rolled from side to side, causing the ground beneath it to shake, as thick strands of drool spilled from its open mouth.
"GRAGHH!" It screamed out in pain.
Kuro slowly walked over, feeling the faint breeze brush against his face. "Don't worry…" he muttered under his breath. "I'll make this quick."
Forming a string of hand signs in a blur, a soft wind began to hum around his blade, giving it a faint glow. With a light jump, Kuro landed atop the orc's broad chest. The beast grunted, stunned for a moment by the sudden weight. But before it could do anything, he raised the dagger just above his head and drove it down straight into the orc's heart.
The orc thrashed for a few more seconds, its limbs flailing in every direction. But little by little, the strength in its body started to fade. Its body went sluggish, until finally...its arms dropped at its sides, and the rest of its body went completely still.
[BLOOD METER FILLING: 32.6%]
Kuro stood there for a moment longer, the wind brushing past him as he looked down at the dead orc. "That's all of them…" he sighed, jumping off the orc.
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[ NOTICE!]
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[YOU'VE DEFEATED BARBARIAN ORC]
[YOU'VE DEFEATED BARBARIAN ORC]
[YOU'VE DEFEATED BARBARIAN ORC]
[YOU'VE DEFEATED BARBARIAN ORC]
[YOU'VE DEFEATED BARBARIAN ORC]
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Kuro dropped down onto the grass, leaning up against the orcs corpse. He then rubbed the back of his neck, letting out a tired yawn before leaning forward with a stretch. "Alright…" he muttered, a small grin tugged at the corner of his lips. "Let's see what we got."
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[ NOTICE!]
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[YOU LEVELED UP!]
[YOU LEVELED UP!]
[VACUUM BLADE JUTSU HAS LEVELED UP]
[BASIC KUNAI TECHNIQUES SKILL HAS LEVELED UP BY ONE.]
[BARBARIAN COAT 1x ] - Uncommon
[LEATHER POUCH]
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Kuro's smile faded into a flat line as he gave a small shrug. "Could've been better… but not bad honestly," he muttered, rubbing at his chin as he stood up from the grass. Still, he leveled a couple times so that made it worth it. 'Just a couple more levels...and I can get my job change quest.'
He stretched out his arms, letting out a heavy grunt. "Time to deal with the rest of these sons of bitches," he said, rolling his shoulders loose.
Just then, a deep, guttural voice echoed from deeper within the forest.
"ME HEARD NOISE OVER HERE! CHECK OUT!"
Kuro's head turned in the direction of the sound, his eyes narrowing slightly as a faint red flickered across them.
"Heh… looks like it's not my bad day after all." he said with a grin.
. . . . .
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