In Danmachi with My System

With heavy steps, the orc approached a dry, leafless tree that seemed to have stood in a sunless place for many years. It dug its fingers effortlessly into the cracked wood and yanked it out of the ground with a jerk.

―CRAK! The roots snapped like strands of paper.

"Really, I have to face the Hulk?" I muttered, instinctively shrinking back.

The monster threw the trunk with tremendous force, turning it into a brown blur that ripped the air. I jumped to the side without even having time to think. The trunk roared past me and crashed to the ground, sending up a cloud of dust and splinters.

At the same moment I dodged, I heard a roar behind me. I quickly stopped rolling on the ground and found a point of balance to turn my head. I was surprised to see the orc charging with an angry face. Then I realized it had used the tree trunk as a distraction.

I should praise its cunning, but its huge hand didn't give me time to even consider it. I took a quick step back, only to have its fingers close inches from my nose.

―Swosh!

That was where it had used its second arm, which descended with the force of an avalanche. Cursing, I barely managed to jump aside. But even at that distance, the shock wave from the impact hit me. The ground shook violently, dust rose like a thick curtain, and my feet staggered from the vibration.

"Ugh..."

I watched the orc straighten up after the blow. Its chest rose and fell like a bellows. Other than this obvious lack of stamina, this monster didn't seem to have many obvious weaknesses. Its skin was as tough as steel armor, it could crush rocks with its strength, and if that wasn't enough, it had enough mental capacity to be considered more intelligent than ordinary orcs.

However, almost every living thing had one thing in common.

"Their eyes..."

My thoughts focused on them. They were small, sunken under a perpetually frowning forehead, but they were high enough to be a challenge. If I wanted to hit them, I would have to jump or find a way to get closer.

The other option was to use my chain sword from a safe distance, but there was always the chance that the bastard could block the attack with its thick arms or simply dodge it.

I couldn't keep fighting at its pace. I'd only be inviting it to crush me with its brute strength. I needed a distraction to get close to it.

"Lili!" I shouted, my eyes never leaving the orc, knowing that it could think of anything barbaric. "Distract it! Use your projectiles to keep it busy!"

From my peripheral position, the little girl nodded. With quick, precise movements, she loaded her mini-crossbow, raised her arm, and fired.

"Thunk! Thunk! Thunk!"

Three bullets flew in quick succession and hit the orc's right face. Though the projectiles had failed to penetrate its thick skin, I was satisfied with the job. The monster roared and turned its head towards Lili.

"Come on, big guy! This way!" She provoked the monster by jumping back to keep her distance.

Seeing that Lili managed to get the enemy's attention, I tightened my grip on the Ravenous Mandible as the chain roared with a crunching sound. The distraction had given me the opportunity to act.

I leaned forward into a low stance, my fingers brushing the ground. I copied the stance of an athlete about to take off. I took a deep breath. My body was tense and my leg muscles were bulging.

"Now..."

With a burst of speed, I lunged forward. The air hissed in my ears as the dungeon walls blurred into a strange, blurry, misshapen passageway.

When I was close enough, I redirected my trajectory toward the wall. My feet hit the rocky surface and I ran over it. I felt gravity trying to pull me back to the ground, and friction stubbornly resisting.

"Just a little more..."

I pushed hard, jerking my legs before launching myself into the air. But as I flew to position myself behind the orc, the monster turned its head. Its bloodshot eyes met mine in the air.

With a deafening growl, it raised its massive arm and swung at me as if it were trying to swat a pesky insect.

I couldn't dodge in midair.

"Eithan-sama!" Lili's voice echoed behind me.

Her panic seemed to come from the fact that if I died there, she, who had no one to protect her and defeat the monster, would be the next to have her corpse in the dungeon.

"Heh~" I chuckled.

Ravenous Mandible's chain had already done its work. I had thrown it into the air the moment I jumped, and now it was wrapped around the orc's wrist like a snake. Just as its huge arm lunged at me, ready to swat me like a fly, I gritted my teeth and pulled on the chain with all my might.

"Come on!"

My body spun in the air, deflecting from the blow by an incredibly narrow margin. The wind from the orc's arm brushed my side, but I was already out of its reach. I pushed past it and quickly pulled back the chain that had trapped the monster.

My feet found its shoulder, almost behind its head. The creature was barely three meters tall, which made it incredibly uncomfortable to be up there; there wasn't enough room to get a good grip, and any sudden movement on its part, or mine for that matter, could throw me off its back. But there was no interest or time to think about that.

"I can't miss..."

I couldn't let the monster react, because if I did, I would lose my golden opportunity. I tightened my fingers around the hilt and bent my body over the monster, aiming the crimson, curved blade at a critical point.

"Take that!"

With all the strength I could muster, I plunged the blade into the concave of its left eye.

―SHUNK!

The sound was muffled and wet. Green blood, thick as tree sap, spurted from where an eye should have been. As the orc roared, it jerked its head upward, splashing blood all over my arm and face.

The gut-wrenching, agonizing sound echoed like thunder between the walls. Its body staggered, and I cursed as I struggled to keep my balance on its wobbly shoulder.

"Just a little more!" I gritted my teeth and tightened my grip as the monster writhed, blinded by pain and rage.

I raised the blade of the Ravenous Mandible above my head, intending to stab its other eye. And that would be the final blow. I thought so until...

―Grruooooohhhh!

The orc let out a louder roar than ever, its heavy breath clouding the air around it as it raised its arm in a clenched fist. It was a quick move for such a large creature.

I, still standing on its back, watched as the fist came closer. With a nimble twist, I leapt into the air the moment the orc threw its blow. The giant hand swung hard, but perhaps in its desperation to finish off the ant, it lacked accuracy.

―BOOM!

There was a deafening explosion as the orc struck its own face with a force that shook the ground and sent shockwaves through the air. For a moment, the monster staggered in confusion. A second or two later, its snarl turned into a piercing scream.

If I had taken a second longer to move, I wouldn't be here to reflect. That blow would have literally reduced my existence to a flash of fragments. But surprisingly, and to my disgrace, the monster was still standing. And somehow, not only had its fury not abated, it seemed to be burning with an even more ferocious intensity.

Lili and I had already come to the conclusion that this was no ordinary Orc. It wasn't even one of those orcs enhanced by the corrupting influence of the dungeon, as I had imagined. What I saw before me reminded me of Lethal Ant.

A mini-boss.

And I had the misfortune to run into it as soon as I entered the tenth floor.

Of course, knowing that didn't change anything. It was still standing in front of me, imposing.

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