'Can I really kill that bastard?' The Orc asked himself, unsure of his capabilities. 'My strength might have increased but… I don't think I am strong enough.'
He had stopped running, and started walking instead.
'I need to think about this a bit. System, how high are their Stats?'
[An average Orc's average Stat is 15, with Strength above 20, Mana at 0, and Vitality at around 12.]
'Despite the fact that my body was strengthened, I can feel that I am far from strong enough to beat them.' The Orc thought, clenching his fists. 'The System gave me five Unused Stat Points that I can assign freely. By joining them again, I will have cleared the first Sub-Quest. Six Unused Stat Points… Is not enough to close the gap.'
A strange sense of wonder and satisfaction started echoing in his heart.
'System, what should I do with the Stat Points?'
[As using them is not enough to close the gap, it would be wiser to use them on your Vitality Stat.]
[By making you more durable, you will be able to survive more dangerous wounds.]
[Additionally, resistance to pain increases with the Vitality Stat.]
While the Orc had asked the System for guidance, the answer did not please him.
'You want me to use them on my Vitality Stat… So I can take more beatings and wounds?'
His Vitality Stat was at 14, while the average Orc's was at 12.
With Vitality being linked to one's ability to handle pain, he could easily understand why it was higher than average.
'It's because I was beaten up so many times that my Vitality Stat is higher. Even though it won't be enough to close the gap, what I want is…'
Growl!
So deep in thought that he forgot himself and about the lit torches previously in the distance, the Orc had re-joined the group without realizing it.
A punch to the gut that made his entire body curl up woke him up.
"Arghh!" He groaned, holding his stomach with both hands.
[Sub-Quest 1 has been Cleared.]
[You have received 1 Unused Stat Point.]
Seeing the arrogant smirk on the attacker's face, the Orc felt intense anger and hatred that made him clench his right fist while his face twisted.
[Your Strength Stat increases by 6 Stat Points.]
[Strength Stat: 8—>14.]
The attacker's eyes momentarily widened with shock as a punch landed on its chin.
'I…' The Orc could barely believe his eyes. 'I knocked him out!'
The other Orcs were just as confused. He had moved faster and exerted more strength than was possible for him.
'It's because he didn't expect me to hit back at all! He was completely relaxed when I hit him!' A surge of excitement and fear caused his fist to tremble slightly.
He gulped.
As was expected, the others didn't care much. It was an issue between those two, and it would be resolved by those two. Still, he knew that when the unconscious bastard would wake…
His experience as the weakest led to him realizing exactly what the right thing to do was.
He ignored the stunned faces of those two, walked past the unconscious one, and reached for the rope around the cage.
A moment later, the cage was on his back, and the Orc was ready to walk.
The cage was much lighter than it used to be. The rope didn't burn as much. An Orc lay unconscious, having been knocked out by him.
'I did get stronger.' The Orc nodded to himself. 'Now…'
[Sub-Quest 2: Kill your Party's current Leader.]
The leader was most suspicious of him. Still, just like they used to beat him up for being late, the leader walked over and kicked the unconscious Orc awake.
'...!' He watched as the Orc he had knocked out looked around in confusion and hurriedly stood up. 'Phew.' He sighed. 'He doesn't remember that I punched him. I guess he thinks that he somehow just went to sleep without realizing… It's also frustrating.' The Orc thought with a frown. 'I can still feel the sting of his punch in my gut, while he doesn't feel anything.'
Still, nothing could be done about that.
While Vitality was linked to pain resistance, so was Strength. After all, the latter allowed for thick and tough protective muscle to shield internal organs from damage.
Seconds later, they started moving through the dark forest again.
"Hey." A whisper echoed from behind him.
The skin on his back tingled and shivered as her soft hand touched him once more.
He turned around slightly.
The caged Elf was smiling, and her other hand showed a thumbs-up.
"Good for you."
The Orc stared for a moment before gulping and turning away.
The Elf blinked, surprised by the fact that, for the first time, he hadn't groaned.
A couple of steps later, he stopped, wanting to get a closer look at her.
[Affection Gauge: 13/100.]
'Hm…' The only way to understand how high or low 13 truly was, was by looking at the others.
[Affection Gauge: -51/100.]
[Affection Gauge: -10/100.]
[Affection Gauge: -15/100.]
'Hm. So they all dislike or hate me, System.'
[Correct.]
[The Affection Gauge showing 0/100 would show perfect indifference, a complete lack of Affection.]
The Orc started walking again. Letting the torches disappear into the distance would be trouble. If they were to realize that he had fallen behind, another beating would descend on him.
The Orc walked with his gaze pretty much stuck to the ground as a thought, just as warm as it was cold, echoed in his mind repeatedly.
'Right now, this Elf held captive in a cage might be…''
[Affection Gauge: -51/100.]
'The only one in the whole wide world…'
[Affection Gauge: 13/100.]
'With any shred of affection for me.'
Her hand lay on his back again.
"Hey,"
He turned around, his gaze falling on the milky skin visible through the cuts in her torn clothes.
"The two of us…"
[Lust Level: 0—>1!]
[Your Lust Level has increased!]
[All Stats increase by 2 Stat Points!]
[Lust Level: 1—>2!]
[Your Lust Level has increased!]