Why can't humans do it too?

He gritted his teeth, not uttering his regret. After watching the group of Orks shouting and talking to each other as they walked away, Sull quickly shrank back and signaled the others to follow him closely.

They crawled along the back of the rocks, clad in animal skins, on all fours, carefully trying not to make a sound. Not only Suer, but the others also realized the seriousness of the situation, and their movements became much faster.

This silent journey continued for a long time. Apart from the inexplicable panic and loneliness, the only thing that could make them feel fortunate was that they were not attacked by anything until they reached their destination. The only price they had to pay was their limbs and bodies that were once again cold and stiff.

“Shall we go take a look over there?” Lennie asked, gesturing in sign language as he pointed in the direction of the settlement they had escaped from three years ago.

“There’s no need,” Su’er rejected the suggestion without even thinking. “After the orcs looted the place, there shouldn’t be anything usable left. Let’s just go to where the herbs were planted.”

After realizing that she might have made a bad decision, Suer was in a bad mood for the rest of the journey and had no time to indulge her emotions.

That's far too extravagant.

"Get the herbs as soon as possible and return as soon as possible," Suer said, glancing back at his teammates who were waiting for orders.

"Yes."

Chapter Seven: Moment & Choice

One, two, three...

The situation was much better than Suer had expected. Due to the planting and concealment conditions, the herb-growing site chosen by Suer's former settlement was indeed difficult to discover. What was most gratifying was that this hopeful place was not found even after the orcs destroyed the settlement, and it was also very fortunate that it was not affected by a casual attack from those races that had the power to change the surface of the planet.

Even if he couldn't remember all the types of herbs that humans had discovered so far, Sull had already seen quite a few herbs that could be effective for Credo's condition.

"Try to keep the root system intact, and speed things up a bit," Suer urged again in a low voice as he quickly dug into the ground with his dagger.

He didn't know if it was that decision in the cave that he didn't know whether to call it a mistake, but for a long time afterward, he always had a sense of urgency and panic that kept his heart in his throat.

It was as if something was silently watching them from beyond the reach of their five senses.

And the worst part is that this vague feeling might actually be true.

There really is something watching them.

It was as if some invisible rope was gradually tightening in the air, and Su Er was endlessly torn between two decisions—to leave now, or to dig up a few more herbs before leaving.

The lives of everyone were in his hands. His decision would determine whether they survived this expedition. Should he trust his instincts or not? In the midst of this panic, Su'er's hand gripping the dagger trembled slightly.

"Everyone... pack the herbs and evacuate immediately."

Taking a deep breath, Suer gave the order.

Over the past three years, a considerable amount of herbs have grown, but less than a third have been collected. Suer's sudden decision at this moment caused his team members to look up in astonishment.

"But, but here there is still—"

"immediately!"

Abruptly interrupting the man, Suer took the lead and wrapped the already dug-up herbs in a small piece of cloth.

No more questions were raised. Although great doubts remained in their hearts, everyone immediately obeyed Suer's orders, quickly packing up the herbs they had collected and preparing to leave.

However, the heaviness in Su'er's heart showed no sign of dissipating. He watched his teammates tidy themselves up in just a few seconds, watched them quickly clean up the traces they had left behind, watched them reluctantly glance at the two-thirds of the herbs that hadn't yet been dug up, until—

"Oh? Why are you in such a hurry to leave?"

The sound was unfamiliar, like a leaky bellows, or as if someone had a hole in their throat, each word hissing and escaping. It was definitely not the voice of Suer's team members, after all, they even spoke a different language.

Silence.

For a moment, it seemed as if only his own rapid breathing could be heard in the world.

Is this the end of the road...?

as well as--

"It's an order! Run!"

His ears seemed to have lost their function; he could hear nothing. In the empty, silent environment, Sull watched as his hand reached out and tossed the small packet containing a few herbs into Lennie's arms. He watched as these people, who had already made up their minds and were willing to die without hesitation, turned and began to run wildly in accordance with his command.

Time seemed to slow down at this moment. Sull could see Lennie struggling to reach out to him but being pulled away by others and running away. He could also see those familiar faces, each with the most delicate expression.

Only he remained motionless.

There was no tearing pain, nor the howling wind. Suer knew he had to stay; he was the only one who could stay.

Of all those who came with him, he was the only one fluent in the orc language. In other words, although he didn't know what the owner of the sudden voice was planning and hadn't launched an attack, he was the only one among everyone here who could stall for a moment.

Slowly turning around, surprisingly, the only thing echoing in Su'er's mind at that moment was Riku's words, which he had emphasized countless times before—

We do not exist, we cannot exist, therefore we are imperceptible. Human resistance is simply not permitted, and we are forced to become prey to be hunted. We cannot resist because we cannot pose a threat. Even if we manage to launch a slight counterattack and achieve a minor victory, what difference would it make?

This is the survival strategy that has allowed the settlement where Sur is located to continue to develop to this day.

Is it my turn this time?

So, if sacrificing one person can save others... it's a win no matter what, right?

My calves seem to be trembling uncontrollably.

The dagger, which was tightly gripped, was quietly reversed. At this angle and in this direction, it was not intended to launch a desperate counterattack, but to end one's own life before the body was torn apart.

But... why can't I lift my arm?

It was too fast. Everything happened too fast. Even the method that Suer had thought about and practiced in private when his dark side erupted—the agreed-upon rule of ordering others to go out and lure the enemy away when real danger was encountered—could not be used in time.

By the time Suer realized what was happening, he was already facing this situation alone—he was the bait, the victim.

Even this order, this decision, came from his own mouth.

Right in that very first second.

Suer finally turned around.

Should we say it's fortunate? The owner of that voice didn't seem to be giving chase. Of course, it's also possible that he was confident that no matter how fast these moving monkeys ran, they couldn't escape his pursuit.

His long, pale hair was casually draped over his shoulders, his gray-white wolf ears stood up, and he wore a fierce, demon-like mask. His burly figure and body covered in armor resembling that of a standard samurai reminded Suer of the unique culture of that island nation from his previous life. The sharp longsword was casually rested on the shoulder of this orc, and Suer could even see several nicks on the blade, as well as the orc's sharp fingernails, which even gleamed coldly under the red sky.

"Aren't you going to run?"

The voice was full of interest, as if watching a monkey leaping through a ring of fire, wondering how much joy it could bring. The orc in front of him even easily took his longsword off his shoulder and used it as a cane, resting it on the ground with one hand.

Chapter Eight: Defense

Just standing there was enough to exert a suffocatingly oppressive aura, a power completely different from the group of Orks they had encountered before, but to fragile humans, it made no difference—after all, they were just fragile and would shatter at the slightest touch.

“Ah~, if you’re worried about your companions, you can rest assured for now,” said the orc with long gray hair. “I don’t have any companions to go after them either. I’m the only one scouting here. You can understand what I’m saying, right? You should be able to understand, right? After all, when I spoke just now, you were the only one whose reaction was different from theirs, so that’s what I think.”

"..."

He was met with silence, but it wasn't intentional. Suer did want to say something, but when he opened his mouth, he realized that his teeth were chattering rapidly, and his jaw was almost cramping.

This is fear stemming from an instinctive reaction, like a frog caught in the eye of a snake, frozen in place.

Suer could see the white vapor rising from the orc's breath in the frigid air, and his scarlet eyes. Although they seemed playful, the killing intent in his eyes never faded. Suer had no doubt that if he made even the slightest unnecessary movement, the orc in front of him could rip out his heart in less than a second. No, in the end, was he worth the orc's wariness?

"There's...there's a group of Orks...in that direction..."

Slowly raising his hand, Sur spoke slowly in the orc language, pointing to the spot where his group had just discovered the Ork squad.

Compared to his own flesh, the Orks, who enjoy killing and pose a great threat to the Orc tribes, should be the real threat—at least that's what Sur thought.

However, the orc's reaction disappointed him. Even through such a ferocious mask, Sul could see that the orc showed no sign of wavering... Did he already know?

A chilling cold seeped into Suer's internal organs, and realizing this fact made him feel as if he had swallowed a large chunk of ice—when exactly had this orc been following them?

“Ah, that’s already known, and I’ve already sent the message back,” as expected, the orc spoke frankly, his expression growing increasingly grim beneath his mask. “While waiting for the chief’s reply, it’s you who intrigues me more than the orks…”

"...Monkey, why do you need to learn our language?"

A sincere, simple, and unmalicious question, but from a certain perspective, it is the most widespread form of malice, directed at a particular group.

Completely unsuspecting, the white-haired, wolf-eared orc slowly approached, jabbing the ground with his longsword. The crisp, clanging sounds were like heavy punches to Suer's brain, suggesting the situation was perhaps worse than he imagined.

"What are you planning? Or what can such weak beasts do?"

The white-haired werewolf slowly circled around the monkey that was standing stiffly in place, curiously looking it up and down. He had never paid attention to the monkeys' movements before.

[You cannot resist, nor can you pose a threat]

Riku...

Perhaps remaining silent and continuing to resist would be a mistake. Sul trembled, gripping the dagger in his hand as if it could give him courage and strength. But neither he nor the orcs surrounding him believed that such a small toy could cause the slightest harm to the orcs.

Shouldn't it be time to end it all? Just stab it in there, stab it hard... But Leni and the others shouldn't have gone far yet, and besides—when I make that move, will this orc standing next to me really be too late to stop me?

My mind is spasming.

“…In order to get closer, closer to the orc race,” Sul gasped for breath, his voice trembling as he finished speaking, like anyone who was timid to the point of cowardice, “We, we are monkeys…aren’t we? We are, we are beasts…”

He forced himself to put on an ugly smile, but the taut mask on his face reminded him that he was still hiding himself.

"Hahahahahahaha!" A burst of truly hearty laughter erupted from the white-haired orc, as if he had heard the most outrageous joke in the world. "Want to become one of us orcs? Hahahahahaha!"

"Haha, hahaha," unable to fathom the orc's true thoughts, Suer could only force a forced and awkward laugh along with him.

"lie!!!"

A roar suddenly erupted from the laughter, and the white-haired orc abruptly removed the demon mask covering his face. He bent down menacingly, leaned close to Sul, and took a deep breath.

For the first time, Suer saw the face of this orc at such close range.

His face was covered in fierce horizontal lines and scars. He was blind in one eye, with several terrible scars covering the area around his eye socket. There were even traces of skin being torn off. Even though it had healed, Suer could still vaguely see some pale white bone showing through.