I Have a Task Log

Chapter 315: Chapter 314: Exquisite Sword Skill

The sturdy little children only came inside to play beside the two of them after Kase waved them over. They’d occasionally snack on some dried meat.

He had just mourned his old friends this morning; spending the afternoon with children was indeed quite healing.

After relaxing for a while, Colin suddenly realized a startling fact.

Unless he saw them taking care of children or heard them speak, he found it impossible to distinguish an Orc’s gender... The differences between male and female Orcs seemed even smaller than Kase had described.

Time passed, and as night fell, the Orcs’ evening feast began.

The War Mistress entered Colin’s tent and sat with them at the table. The tent flap was held open, revealing the Orcs outside gathered around a bonfire, roasting meat, drinking, dancing, and wrestling. The atmosphere was incredibly lively.

The best-roasted food was brought into the tent and served at the table for Colin and the others.

It was called a feast, but in truth, there was nothing besides roasted meat and alcohol. Having lived in a godforsaken place like Snow Deer Valley, this group of Orcs had what could be called a complete lack of culinary culture.

Of course, that might be a bit unfair. After all, they didn’t have access to their familiar ingredients here. Perhaps back in Snow Deer Valley, they could actually serve up something worthy of being called a delicacy.

Colin picked up a wild boar rib and took a bite, then began to stare blankly at the distant bonfire.

After a while, the rowdy Orcs outside suddenly all turned to look inside the tent, shouting with flushed faces.

Kase, sitting opposite him, laughed and used a small knife to cut off a piece of roasted meat, offering it to Colin.

He said, "Colin, my friend, they want to see your muscles."

"See my muscles?"

"It means they want a look at your skills. If you don’t want to, we’ll just tell them to get lost," Kase said.

Colin glanced at the half-eaten rib in his hand. Only one small piece of meat remained; the rest had been gnawed clean.

"It won’t be a problem if this little display doesn’t go so well, right?"

"Of course not," Kase said, waving his hand dismissively.

"Alright then. But I’m definitely not showing them my muscles. Clear some space for me." Colin handed the rib, which had one last bite of meat on it, to Kase, then drew [Burning Blood] from his waist.

’Because of what happened with Orelia, I haven’t really trained much lately.’

’I really do want to know what I’m capable of now.’

He took a deep breath, and as he entered the [Sword Dance] state, he reached out and gripped the blade of his sword.

The sharp edge instantly sliced open his palm. Along with a sharp sting, waves of heat traveled from his palm to his heart. As his blood flowed, the red markings on [Burning Blood]’s blade began to glow ever brighter.

Seeing this, the surrounding Orcs immediately let out a few wild cries.

The heat from the blade slowly faded.

’It should be active now,’ Colin thought, then said to Kase, "Throw it."

Kase immediately tossed the rib with the remaining piece of meat toward him.

Colin took a deep breath, his eyes locked on the rib in mid-air.

In that instant, time seemed to stand still.

"Haaa..."

The sound of his own breathing filled his ears. Colin tightened his grip on his weapon, adjusting it to a perfect angle.

He felt that he could, to some extent, predict the rib’s trajectory for the next few seconds.

This wasn’t a blind feeling. It was an instinct born from countless hours of Swordsmanship training and combat experience. This experience had not only made him increasingly proficient with his weapon, but had also manifested as several Specialties that enhanced his Swordsmanship.

WHOOSH!

The blade carved a perfect arc through the air, precisely slicing the piece of meat off the rib and sending it flying.

Colin then thrust his sword forward, neatly spearing the piece of roasted meat on its tip.

The area fell silent.

’I can’t believe that actually worked,’ Colin thought. He had already prepared something to say to smooth things over in case he failed.

Colin took the roasted meat from the tip of his sword and tossed it cleanly into his mouth. He then walked forward, picked up the bone—which now had only sinew clinging to it—and showed it to the surrounding Orcs.

Only then did the Orcs realize what this seemingly "scrawny" human had done.

"Colin, my friend! You’re really something!" Kase shouted with delight.

His words were like a strange signal. The surrounding Orcs erupted in deafening cheers that made Colin’s scalp tingle. He could only smile and wave at the crowd, but that just made the Orcs shout even more enthusiastically.

The revelry continued for several hours before the feast finally came to an end.

Half-drunk, Colin simply grabbed a Beast Hide in the tent and went to sleep.

Early the next morning, Colin was woken by the thuds and smacks of a fight. He wanted to sleep a little longer, but even pulling the Beast Hide over his head couldn’t block out the noise.

Opening his eyes, he saw Kase standing at the tent entrance, watching something.

Colin rubbed his sleepy eyes and walked over to his side.

Outside the tent, a group of Orcs was wrestling by the bonfire, seemingly in the middle of a tournament.

"You guys do this every day? No wonder you’re all so well-built," Colin remarked.

"Not really. It’s mainly because it’s time to have children, so we need to select the strongest fathers and mothers," Kase said.

"What does that mean?"

"We select the strongest fathers and mothers, and then they have children together," Kase said matter-of-factly. "We have enough food now, and we constantly need to send people out, so we have to have more children to increase our numbers."

Colin hesitated for a moment, then asked, "So... the man and woman don’t need to communicate or spend time together?"

"Of course they communicate. For about an afternoon. That’s a time just for the two of them," Kase said. "Usually, the two Orcs will wrestle or go hunting together, and then one night is all it takes."

’That’s brutally simple,’ Colin thought. ’It seems things like love barely exist among the Orcs.’

"What about you?" Kase asked.

"What about me?"

"Are you going to join? I figure after your performance yesterday, there should be quite a few..."

Colin glanced at the "sturdy" Orcs in the middle of the tribe, whose genders he couldn’t distinguish. He said nonchalantly, "I have some urgent business. I need to get back to Thousand Masts City. Are you coming back with me?"

"In such a hurry?" Kase frowned. "I have to stay for another two days to learn and teach some combat techniques."

"That’s a real shame."

Colin quickly packed his things and left the Orc Tribe.

After several more days of travel, he finally returned to Thousand Masts City.

As he walked through the streets, Colin silently went over his plans.

’With that, most of what needed to be done is taken care of. Now I just have to wait for Orelia to return, and then I can go test the waters in the Undercity. I don’t need to go too deep; just exploring around the first level will be enough.’

’Ale and the others aren’t back yet, so I’m all alone in Thousand Masts City. I can’t just sit around, though. I need to learn more Magic techniques.’

Thinking of this, Colin glanced at the sky.

He hurried back to his room to drop off his things. After tidying up a bit, he headed for the Black Heart Tavern, planning to grab a quick bite before going to the Black Tower to practice Magic.