Chapter 76: Chapter 76
The existence of half-orcs has been a tragedy from the very beginning.
The war between orcs and humans has stretched on for a thousand years, with each viewing the other as their greatest enemy. Thus, when one side achieves victory, burning, killing, and plundering become the natural means of retaliation.
Half-orcs were born precisely in such a context.
Their bodies flow with the bloodlines of both humans and orcs. On the positive side, they might possess both the strength of orcs and the intelligence of humans, but on the negative side, they might also inherit the weakness of humans and the foolishness of orcs.
This race born from mixed blood continuously came into being and multiplied throughout the war that lasted over a thousand years, growing in scale. To this day, they have become a significant race whose numbers cannot be ignored.
However, these lives whose very birth is filled with contradiction are naturally unwelcome on either side.
Humans despise the bestial parts of them, viewing them as heretics. Even though time has worn down the edges and peaceful coexistence is now possible, the vast majority of people still instinctively guard against them.
Or to put it more bluntly, they feel disgust and discrimination.
Meanwhile, orcs scorn their impure bloodlines, mock their relatively weak strength, drive them out of their territories, and leave them to fend for themselves.
Ellie once tried to actively make friends, but upon seeing her partially bestial body, even kind people would only offer an apologetic smile before hurriedly leaving.
And more commonly, there was scorn and hatred.
She had endured far too much contempt and harshness, so she finally hugged her scarred body tightly, put on a mask, and learned to perform.
The campfire flickered, the summer night's insect chirps sounded in her ears, and in a daze, Ellie suddenly felt this scene was very familiar... like a dream she had once lingered in.
"Just as Lena said, you really are a very, very kind person."
She rested her chin on her arm, tilted her head slightly, the firelight reflected in her eyes.
Lin Mo smiled faintly: "I don't really think so..."
What did they talk about that night?
Later, Ellie couldn't clearly remember the dialogue. She only remembered he was very close, carrying the scent of the sun mixed with a bit of sweat. It didn't smell particularly good, but it wasn't unpleasant at all.
A gentle smile always hung on his face, without any strain or avoidance.
Ellie's toes tapped the soft soil, her tail swaying gently behind her. The emptiness she felt gradually filled up.
But this warmth was ultimately too brief. He stood up, waved his hand, and returned to his tent.
Ellie stared somewhat blankly at his retreating back, the smile on her face forgotten for a moment, finally fading away bit by bit as her mood cooled. ᴛhis chapter is ᴜpdated by ⓝovelFire.net
The girl gently bit her lip, suddenly remembering a wish she hadn't thought about for a long, long time since growing up.
If she weren't a half-orc...
She shook her head, dismissing these distracting thoughts. Ellie tidied her chaotic emotions and lay down in the soft sleeping bag.
Better rest early. She needed to get up later for night watch, and there would be more adventures and battles tomorrow.
As dawn was about to break, Lin Mo opened his eyes and took the final night watch shift.
Alden, who took the first watch, and him, who took the last, relatively got the best rest. This was to maximize the team's combat capability.
After all, the enemy they faced today was no small skirmish like yesterday.
The Earth Bear, among elite-level magical creatures, is considered an elite among elites. Its strength far surpasses that of mutated goblins or giant slimes. Even Cursed Pattern Cat Demons and minotaurs cannot compare.
An adult Earth Bear with a threat level of 1 requires at least a full team led by a professional to confront.
This was a new term Lin Mo learned just yesterday.
Just like professionals, there are significant differences among different elite-level magical creatures. Even within the same species, the upper and lower limits can be worlds apart.
Therefore, to clearly describe the danger level of magical creatures, the Adventurers' Association uses the term "threat level" to correspond them one-to-one with professional levels.
A threat level of 1 corresponds to Level 1 professionals like Alden and Lin Mo.
However, even so, this system can only roughly delineate a range of strength.
For example, both Lin Mo and Alden are Level 1 professionals, but Lin Mo felt he could take on two Aldens.
And a stronger Level 1 professional might very well be able to take on two of him.
The prerequisite for being able to confront or even hunt the target magical creature is that the professional within the team can at least restrain it.
Alden wasn't confident about this. Even though the elite-level magical creatures one typically encounters upon first entering the deep forest area of Roland Forest aren't usually too strong, it was still an Earth Bear—a magical creature among magical creatures, an elite among elites, naturally stronger than other elite-level magical creatures by a notch.
That's why he wanted to recruit another team member to boost the squad's combat power.
The freshly awakened Alden rubbed his eyes and looked ahead at the young man sitting by the campfire.
He never expected to hit such a jackpot, recruiting a professional far stronger than himself!
More importantly, he was still young, with a future that could be said to be boundless.
Alden was no fool. Even though it might just be a brief association, if he could leave some impression on such a person's mind, perhaps at some point in the future, he could benefit immensely from it.
If it were him, perhaps Bella...
Alden's deep thoughts were interrupted by a scene suddenly appearing before his eyes. Ellie stretched as she walked out of the tent, seemingly aimlessly making her way to the fireside and sitting down not far from Lin Mo.
Hmm, better forget it.
This young and promising professional seems to have some rather... particular preferences...
As daybreak arrived, the other three also got up one after another. After a simple wash, they shook off the lingering drowsiness and returned to their adventuring state, starting with breakfast.
They filled their stomachs simply, ensuring hunger wouldn't affect their combat and judgment. After a quiet breakfast, everyone packed their things and set off again.
"The Earth Bear's activity range is in the deep forest area. Today's operation requires more caution and care than yesterday."
Alden reminded his team members. Even though this was common knowledge, he always reminded them before entering the deep forest area.
This was a lesson learned in blood!
In Alden's adventuring career, there had been more than one instance where a team member, due to carelessness, remained forever in this vast forest.
"Understood, Captain."
Fortunately, their team currently didn't have that kind of frivolous person. Even Solan, who usually seemed the most unrestrained and flippant, never slacked off during actual adventures and battles.
"Then, let's set off..."