Chapter 174: Chapter 173: Assessing the Situation

Colin looked toward the cave entrance, but no one emerged for a long while.

Just as he was about to dismiss it as a gust of wind, the Orcs near the entrance parted to make way. A moment later, four small figures, each about a meter tall, walked up to Colin.

A closer look revealed a group of two Gnomes and two Halflings.

"Oh, heavens, someone from the civilized world is finally here!" one of the Gnomes exclaimed, looking up at Colin.

’There shouldn’t be anyone here besides the Orcs, so...’

"You’re the ’Black Giant Root’ team?" Colin asked hesitantly.

The Gnome’s shrill voice reminded him of the strange rat that had notified him of the mission.

The Gnome put his hands on his hips and said, "Are you questioning our professionalism? You big oaf."

"I’m just questioning your..."

"Our team has two Forest Gnomes and two Halflings. We have one Druid, two Rangers who are renowned in their hometown, and a Flying Thief who has mastered the arts of stealth and thievery!"

"We agreed not to bring that up! I’m a special agent! Special agent!"

"Calm down! Don’t lose face in front of this oaf!" After scolding his companion, the Gnome cleared his throat and said, "Now, do you still question our professionalism?"

Colin interjected, "I was just questioning your team name."

"Team name? ’Black Giant Root’? What’s there to question about an acronym for ’Giant Black Oak Root’?"

"Oh, then it’s nothing."

"What a strange tall guy. Anyway, you are..."

At that moment, the Old Orc standing nearby gestured and said, "Please, come inside to talk, everyone."

The group followed him into the inner cave.

Inside was a small stone tower built of stacked rocks, looking like a miniature version of the large Ancestor Stone on the rock ledge above. The inner walls of this small chamber were also painted with the image of a female Orc in a reddish-brown pigment.

’This must be some kind of shrine,’ Colin thought.

At the Old Orc’s direction, they each sat down on some rocks.

Kase was the first to speak. "So, what exactly has been happening?"

"About ten or so days ago, these little ones found us with the token you gave them," the Old Orc said. "They told us to move south."

The Gnome who had been called a Flying Thief chimed in, "But we discovered that the Crystal Ball for contacting Thousand Masts City was broken. We wasted a few days fixing the damn thing, and then those crazy Druids showed up. You know how Druids are!"

"You’re the one who’s crazy!"

As soon as he finished speaking, the other Gnome pounced on him.

The two small figures with large heads grabbed each other’s collars and started wrestling, looking like a pair of groundhogs.

The Old Orc chuckled and continued, "We could only answer the goddess’s call and fight the risen bones. Those things are practically endless, so we had no choice but to retreat here."

"When we were on our way here, Five-Stringed’s people told us the Magic Net in this area was in chaos. This must be the reason," Colin said.

’They said the Magic Net was in chaos, but I haven’t had any trouble casting Magic these past two days...’

"Never mind the reason for now, sir," a Halfling walked over and asked. "How do you plan to get us out of here?"

Another Halfling said, "Our team specializes in reconnaissance and communication. We can guarantee the Skeletons won’t see us, but we’re useless in a head-on battle."

"Then tell me more about why you can’t escape. When we came here, we only saw a small, lightly guarded outpost," Colin asked.

"This place is an enclosed valley with only one way out."

The Halfling continued, "We tried with the Orcs. If that little outpost is attacked, the Skeletons from the mountains will swarm down quickly. We can’t outrun them on foot.

"Fortunately, they stop chasing once they reach the outside of this cavern. They even go back on their own, which is why we’ve been able to hole up here and survive."

"How many Skeletons?"

"Feels like several thousand. A real army. We can’t possibly defeat them."

"Is that so..."

’This isn’t like before, when it was just a team of less than a hundred,’ Colin thought. ’This is real trouble now.’

"Also, do you have any food?" the Halfling asked again. "The food reserves here are running low. Even if we ration it, we’d barely have enough to make it back to Snow Deer Ridge. Every day we delay, the food shortage gets worse."

"I have a necklace that can create food..." Orelia quickly took out the necklace the Snow Elf had given her.

The two Gnomes stopped fighting and quickly led the Tiefling out to distribute the food.

The chamber fell silent.

Colin lowered his head, deep in thought.

’These Skeletons only have memories from when they were alive. That must mean this cavern didn’t exist back then, which is why the Skeletons don’t know people can hide in here.’

’But no matter how you look at it, the situation has become quite tricky.’

’What we just did might have provoked the Skeletons again. I wonder if it will be even more trouble next time we go out.’

’It would be one thing if it were just us, but there are so many starving Orcs here too. If the Skeletons catch up to them, it will be a massacre.’

’All in all, our arrival hasn’t really improved their predicament much at all.’

"What do we do, brother?"

Kase’s voice sounded beside him.

"Let’s wait. There’s always a way."

’I have to give Kase some confidence right now...’

After speaking, Colin looked at the Half-Orc and said, "I’ll definitely figure something out by tomorrow, Kase. I’m sure of it. We still have the necklace from the Snow Elf, so we have time."

"I believe in you, brother." Kase nodded solemnly. "Even if the world were ending tomorrow, I’d still believe in you."

He turned to the Old Orc and said, "War Mistress, let us stay by the storeroom. There should be some space there."

The Old Orc, addressed as the War Mistress, sighed.

She glanced at the silent Ale standing nearby and said, "Go on and take them, Kase."

"Follow me. Let’s put your things down first."

Kase walked out as he spoke, and the others followed.

The moment he pulled back the curtain flap, the deep voices of the Orcs surged in from all directions.

Cheers erupted once again from the main hall outside.

The nearby Orcs desperately pushed forward to speak with Kase. The Orc children also tried to get closer, but they were quickly pulled back by the female Orcs.

Kase laughed heartily as he answered the Orcs’ questions.

He puffed out his chest, striding forward and loudly calling back to his kin.

Following behind, Colin watched Kase’s towering back. He had never seen the Half-Orc so confident and spirited.

But seeing him like this, Colin suddenly felt a sense of suffocation.

The kind of suffocation that comes from being crushed, unable to breathe.

He grew more and more worried about Kase’s state of mind.

For the Orcs here, their original situation had been utterly desperate.

Now, Kase, once their strongest Totem Warrior, had returned. He had instantly become the last hope for the hundred-plus Orcs he had lived with day and night. Every single Orc had placed their lives on this one Half-Orc’s shoulders.

But Kase was no savior.

Colin felt an inexplicable sadness.

’He’s the Low-tier Adventurer who huddled with me in the slums, gambling his life for rent money. He’s the teammate who fought and bled with me for a few pathetic Silver Coins. He’s the Half-Orc tormented by Lady Rime’s Curse to the point of agony...’

’...The only thing he is no longer is the invincible Totem Warrior from a few years ago.’