Walking in the forest under moonlight, they soon came across two orcs,
Chris chanted, " Radiant burst ", a ray of light flashed on the orcs from his staff, blinding them.
Iris rapidly fired multiple arrows at the orcs, each arrow struck the legs of the orcs, making them fall to their knees.
Jake swiftly approached the orcs and, with a single powerful swing of his sword, dispatched them. He also removed their tusks as he dealt with them.
Jake: "Only six to go!! "
Pete, hiding behind the priestess, watched with shining eyes filled with excitement.
Suddenly, heavy footsteps echoed from all directions. Orcs emerged from the shadows, some wielding clubs on their shoulders, others barehanded.
The four of them swiftly formed a defensive circle, with the priestess and Pete at the center. The dozen or so orcs closed in, their eyes gleaming with bloodlust.
Iris, with her keen eyes and swift reflexes, acted first. Drawing her bow, she conjured mana arrows and unleashed a volley that flew true, striking the orcs with deadly precision. Each arrow struck the head of the orc, felling several orcs and slowing their advance.
Chris raised his staff, chanting fire incantations that illuminated the forest and seared through the orc ranks. Fireballs exploded upon impact, scattering the orcs and creating a barrier of flames that momentarily held them at bay.
Meanwhile, Jake infused his body with mana, enveloped his sword with mana. With incredible speed, he launched into action, striking the orcs with precision and force.
The priestess stood firm, her staff glowing gently as she focused on casting healing and mana recovery spells to ensure others are in fighting condition.
Watching the intense battle, Pete's excitement overtook him. "How can a hero hide from a challenge?" he muttered to himself, his gaze fixed on the advancing orcs.
With clenched fists, Pete dashed towards the orcs, moving even faster than Jake. He delivered a powerful punch to the chest of an orc, sending it hurtling through the air to crash heavily on the ground, ribs broken.
Iris swiftly followed up, shooting mana arrows that swiftly finished off the incapacitated orc.
Pete, now filled with confidence, attacked with a smile on his face, knocking down the orcs with swift, powerful blows. Chris and Iris swiftly finished off the incapacitated orcs, significantly reducing their numbers.
Jake said, "I knew he was strong... judging from his speed and strength, he's at least a second-rate warrior."
As the last orc fell, an eerie silence descended over the forest.
Jake knelt beside a fallen orc, deftly removing its tusks with a knife and tossing them in his storage bag. Iris joined in, swiftly extracting tusks and adding them to the pile.
Pete watched this curiously,
Jake, noticing Pete's curiosity, "Come here, Pete. Let me show you how it's done," Jake said warmly.
Pete, eager to learn, watches intently as Jake demonstrates the process. Pete mimics Jake's actions, but to Jake's surprise, Pete easily took out the tusks as he had done it before, but his movements were rusted as someone who hasn't done something for years.
Jake raised an eyebrow in surprise. "Have you done this before?"
Pete shook his head. "No, first time."
J
Jake initially felt skeptical, but when he looked into Pete's sincere eyes, he let go of his suspicion.
Iris, on the other hand, remained vigilant and skeptical, observing Pete closely.
Noticing Iris's gaze, Pete blushed and thought to himself, 'Did she fall in love with me?'
A shy smile crept onto Pete's face as he mused further, 'She must be the first girl to fall for the hero... but I haven't even seen her face.'
Iris noticed Pete's blush and quickly averted her gaze.
Pete, misinterpreting her actions, thought to himself, 'She is shy now... she must have fallen for me.'
After they collected all the tusks, they gathered in one place.
Jake: "We collected 66 tusks now... it's way more than we were supposed to collect, we can earn more from them "
Iris said with concern, "But something doesn't add up... there shouldn't be this many orcs in this area."
Chris added, "And it's odd there was no chief among them, considering it was a whole orc tribe."
Jake nodded thoughtfully, "Now that you mention it, it's rather strange... we should report this to the guild."
As they were talking, Pete stood quietly in the corner observing.
Jake turned to him and said: "Pete, you're strong... why don't you join our party?"
Iris interjected sharply, "What are you doing? We don't even know his background!"
Priestess Sofia chimed in softly, "I agree with Jake. Pete seems pure, and I can sense the Goddess's grace upon him."
Hearing Sofia, they all looked at Pete with a mixture of curiosity and uncertainty.
Pete pondered to himself, 'Should I join them? I'm destined to find my own party as a hero. I can accompany them until then.'
"I can join you," Pete spoke aloud, "but only until I find my destined party."
Jake looked at Pete with puzzled expression. "What are you talking about?"
"I am the hero," Pete declared confidently, "I'm here to protect the world from the Demon Lord. The Goddess must have arranged a party for me."
Morsh: "Why the hell would you tell something like this when you don't even know them!"
Pete ignored Morsh, as he was absorbed in observing the reactions of the others, with a sense of pride.
All four of them were now in a state of shock, their attention focused on Sofia.
Sofia, visibly astonished, approached Pete and extended her hand, saying, "Hold my hand."
Pete took her hand, and Sofia closed her eyes. After a few moments, a radiant golden light emanated from Pete, illuminating a large area around them.
The light faded quickly, but tears welled up in Sofia's eyes. "Thank you, Goddess, for sending us the hero..."
Sofia's revelation left all three of them in surprise, finally realizing Pete's true identity as a hero.
Jake nodded, understanding now. "That explains his strength."
Iris remained silent, her gaze fixed on Pete.
Pete beamed with a wide smile, reveling in the attention. "That's settled then. I can join you now, but I'll depart once I find my destined teammates."
Jake joined Pete in smiling happily, while Sofia was captivated by Pete, still holding his hand.
Chris frowned slightly as he observed Sofia holding hands with Pete and looking at him affectionately. He chose not to intervene to avoid upsetting Sofia.
Sofia looking at Pete lovingly and spoke with conviction, "Our world will be saved now... I will inform the church when we reach the town "
Jake's smile faded upon hearing about involving the church. "I don't think it's wise to tell the church about him... you know what they did to the last hero."
Sofia shot Jake an angry glare. "That was in the past... the church has changed, and we don't practice those things anymore."
Pete, sensing tension, asked curiously, "What did they do to the last hero?"
Sofia, visibly became upset with Jake's remark but maintained her affectionate demeanor towards Pete. "That's in the past. You don't need to know about that."
Jake said: "They imprisoned the last hero to extract divine power from him, to create more heroes."
Sofia countered firmly, "We don't do that anymore. Those responsible have been punished."
Jake scoffed, his disbelief evident. "Punishment, huh? They were just put under house arrest for a week. They're free now and still hold power."
The tension in the group grew palpable, reflecting the weight of their newfound knowledge about past injustices committed by the church.
Pete, now scared, spoke out, "Please don't tell the church if that's what they do."
Jake said decisively, "We have to respect the hero's wishes, Sofia."
Reluctantly, Sofia agreed, "I will respect the hero's wishes."
Jake. "Let's move then. We'll help him register as an adventurer."
Jake spoke with a serious tone, "Pete, if you want to live peacefully, don't reveal your identity."
Pete smiled heroically in response, "I am the hero... Why should I be afraid of revealing my identity?"
Sofia's face brightened hearing this, but others were different, Jake was looking at Pete all concerned, while Chris was angry, and Iris was indifferent.
Jake suggested, "It's getting late. We should find a place to camp."
They all agreed and settled on a spot away from the orc bodies. After starting a campfire and cooking a meal, they discussed the night's guard duty.
Sofia asserted, "The hero needs rest. You three will take turns keeping watch."
Jake nodded with a sigh, glancing at Iris and Chris. "We'll rotate shifts throughout the night."
Meanwhile, Pete settled into his sleeping bag, and Sofia did the same beside him.
Pete couldn't help stealing glances at Sofia, feeling a surge of admiration. He hesitated, wanting to reach out but restraining himself. "Not now," Pete reminded himself softly.
Sofia noticed Pete's gaze and smiled warmly. "You can do anything to me hero... I am your servant"
Pete blushed, covered his face, and couldn't even peek out.
Morsh: "Don't get involved with that girl... she's dangerous."
Pete retorted angrily, "What are you talking about? She's so sweet."
"That's just a facade," Morsh countered. "How could someone be so loyal after just one meeting?"
Pete shook his head. "You don't understand... this is a fantasy world."
Morsh sighed quietly and said nothing more.
The next day, everyone prepared to move out.
Iris, having just washed her face, didn't cover it. Her skin glowed in the sunlight, her sharp green eyes her fluttering green hairs with a cold expression giving her an otherworldly beauty that was both cute and mature.
Pete was stunned as he saw Iris for the first time.
Sofia, noticing Pete's reaction, whispered in his ear, "We can arrange something with her too, if the hero wishes..."
Pete choked on his breath, caught off guard by Sofia's suggestion.
Sofia chuckled softly and winked at Pete.
Jake interrupted the moment, "Let's get going."