A humanoid monster with a three-meter height and a bulky body swung a club-like wooden weapon, which missed and hit a tree shaking the tree violently.
Seeing that powerful attack, Haruka stepped further back in fear. 'This leader orc is too strong.' She moved backwards while facing the orc leader.
The orc was level 30. Not only that, but other low-level orcs were trying to surround her at every chance they got, so she kept stepping back to avoid falling into a trap.
An orc saw she was close and tried to attack, but Haruka was quick and slashed it but it didn't connect well, which only made a shallow wound.
'I don't know how to fight. Their neck should be the weak point, right? If I cut their windpipe, they might die.'
She turned back and dashed towards a tree, then took a step on a rock and jumped onto the tree. From there, she leaped onto an orc's back and cut its neck.
The orc fell while she jumped back. 'Good, this is working. I will do the same with all of them.'
Slowly, she took her time and killed all the underlings.
The orc leader looked at its fallen kin and then at Haruka. She understood it was angry.
'Maybe I should use the artifact I got.' She took out a dark brown bracelet and put it on her left hand.
**Item: Iron bull horn bracelet (S+)
Attack percentage: 102%
Defense: 350
Passive effect: 5% physical attack damage reduction from the enemy.
Due to incompatibility with level, defense is reduced to 30.**
The orc leader rushed at Haruka. It was fast, and in panic, she dodged it in the same direction as the orc's swing. In the end, she got hit a little and crashed on the ground.
But she didn't feel any pain or injury. 'Even 30 defense is no joke. Wait, the 5% damage reduction too. Then, if my attack is increased by 102%, maybe I can injure it.'
As the orc came to smash her, she boldly stood her ground, knowing that the orc would stretch its hand to attack. She took that gap to thrust her sword into its stomach.
She couldn't thrust it into the neck as the orc was huge, but the thrust to the stomach worked. The sword went deep, and she sliced to the right.
The orc fell on its knee while trying to balance with the club. It was distracted for a moment, and Haruka placed her sword at its neck and pulled the sword with both hands, cutting off the orc's head.
You killed the leader of the orc tribe. You made a 100% contribution. You received 3000 + 1500 exp. You received 1000 + 500 coins. You received level 30 crystal + 145 level 1 crystals.
'I kept seeing these crystals differ for each level. From what I calculated, x level crystal = (x-1)*10 level 1 crystals. Except for level 1 crystal, obviously.
I raided 4 dungeons but only got 2 first-time rewards. People are getting adapted quickly. They are not scared of these high-level monsters at all.' That brought her mood down. She had already seen a few people die fighting monsters.
She had a slim sword with a simple design but a cool look with a black and white color.
**Item: Yin and yang sword (SS)
Attack: 520 (can only use 50 attack)
Intelligence: 270 (can only use 50 intelligence)
When performing 2 slashes within 0.1 seconds, the 2nd slash damage is doubled.**
Few minutes later,
While cutting down more monsters in anger, Haruka flared up. 'Stupid, Aki. You sent me alone when I don't know how to kill monsters.'
She killed another orc leader, which calmed her, and she became cool. *Phew*
*Clap clap clap*
She heard claps coming from her back. Alert, she turned around to see a young man, two years older than her.
"You are strong too," he said, getting closer.
"Don't come closer," she pointed her sword to warn him.
He stopped as she wished. He had a cheerful and easygoing appearance. "OK, relax. I just want to meet your big brother. Can you give me his number? Now looking closely, you look sexy too."
A chill went through her skin. "Cut it out," she shouted and thought, 'Does he know I am a girl? But sexy too? He doesn't mean Aki, right?'
"I won't give his number, go away," she said with the highest level of creepiness.
"I am not harmful," he said with a soft voice, trying to sound harmless. "I've fallen for your big brother. He is so cool and handsome. Maybe you don't know your brother's taste; please introduce me to him. He will change him." He suddenly turned creepy mid-sentence, rubbing his palms eagerly.
Haruka's skin spiked with creepiness. "Are you gay?"
"That's right," he sent a heart symbol with a kiss.
"No, please stop. I can't bear it. Find someone else; he already has a girlfriend. He left me to grind dungeons with her."
His face turned down, but then he became hopeful. "It's fine, I will settle with you."
"No way. I already have a crush on my childhood friend. Just find someone else. Don't come near my family."
"Sigh! Ok. How many things we wish we had but we will only get a few." He sounded as if it were a philosophy and walked away.
Haruka felt awkward for a second as she paused and thought, 'That's... really a strange encounter.' But she didn't let her guard down.
'Wait, what if he is someone targeting us? Aki asked me to be very cautious of people who take the initiative to talk to me. I should use conceal and follow him to find out who he is.'
She cut open the orc bodies and took out crystals. 'Even though this is a game setting, they are making us dig crystals. Can't they just put them in inventory?'
Haruka followed the man with concealment. He met with a 43-year-old man with a great body build.
"Did you speak to him?" The old man asked.
Haruka was shocked and a little frightened; she didn't know how to respond to such situations. 'He really... came targeting us.'
"Yes, he tried his best to speak like a girl, but it's too obvious he is a boy. His newbie acting skills are a dead giveaway," said the young man.
"Are you sure?"
"Trust me," said the man confidently.
That petrified Haruka. 'I…I am a boy. Hehehe, I am a boy.' She had gone crazy for a second.
"The big brother has a girlfriend who is a player, and the little brother has a childhood friend. But seeing that he didn't bring her to grind, she must be a non-player."
"Ok, go with Little Green Snake to investigate any family that meets that description."
"Many people are wearing similar masks, so this might take longer," said the young man.
"What? Are you going to search for boyfriends at that time? Little Black Snake, just because we raised you doesn't mean we won't easily dispose of you."
"I know, I know. They are strong; maybe they are the Black Bear and White Rabbit from the Unlimited Absolute Safe Zone. I investigated it, but they left that area with their family."
Haruka sensed that they were dangerous people and walked away from them.
'They seem to be murderers even before the game descended. I have to tell Aki. No, I should directly tell him instead of using my mobile. We can't trust anything anymore.
They even found our house area, but because we didn't take the full percentage contribution privilege, they misunderstood that we left the area.'
She quickly found the reward entrance and entered the reward room. There were 10 weapons.
'Thank goodness, I am first.' She quickly went and noticed some strings in one slot. 'Aki said to get any throwable weapons like needles, cards, knives, etc., but I don't know any weapons like that. He also mentioned strings; is this it?'
**Item: Centerline steel strings
Rank: S+
???**
'Rank S.' She quickly grabbed it and put it in inventory.
The next second, she heard footsteps and looked back.
"Ho! It's Little Brother." It was Little Black Snake with the man.
Haruka stepped back in fear, but they thought she just got creeped out by Little Black Snake.
"Hey, I said I won't pursue you," said Little Black Snake. "Are you still creeped out? That hurts my feelings. I have the right to love too, you know."
Haruka quickly exited the dungeon and ran away. She didn't use concealment so that even if they wanted to pursue her, she could just shake them off with her stats. Otherwise, they might know she used concealment to hear them.
But those two didn't come out.
'I should also map out dungeons from home and take a map instead of a mobile. Mobile companies can track locations and might find our identity by connecting locations.'