Primordial Awakening: My Bloodline Evolves Infinitely

Chapter 44: Under Siege

Taken by surprise, the awakeners could only stare at Leonard.

Although the tree already bore a few marks from past attempts at being cut down, he had severed the trunk so effortlessly that it made them wonder if their eyes were playing tricks on them.

Yet, no matter how many times they blinked and rubbed their eyes, the chopped-down tree continued to lie on the ground.

Once the realization settled in, gossip erupted. Some hurried toward Leonard’s side.

"It fell down in one swing?!"

"He must bear a Legendary Bloodline at least!"

"Let’s team up!"

Before any of them could get close, Winston appeared. His chubby body acted as a shield, blocking the way.

"Leave my bro alone!" He bellowed in a commanding voice. "Despite what you may think, he is a Common Bloodline bearer, so don’t even get the idea of freeloading off him!"

Because he regarded himself as a country bumpkin, Winston knew that many awakeners tended to curry favor with those above them in hopes of leeching off their power.

He didn’t want his friend to have to deal with awakeners who wanted to exploit him, so he sought to get them off his trail from the start.

"Common Bloodline? Then maybe his axe has a special effect?"

"No wonder he knew how to cut trees. Commoners like him ought to know how to handle manual labor while we, the true awakeners, focus on dealing with monsters!"

"Speak for yourself! While he is here chopping down wood, how many monsters have you managed to kill since coming here?!"

"W—Well, can you blame me?! The orcs are Level 10 at least! How am I supposed to compete against that?!"

The notion that Leonard had the lowest-ranked Bloodline caused mixed reactions. Some saw him as a potential liability, while others only cared that he would be able to speed up the construction of their camp.

Of course, Leonard himself wasn’t about to clear up the misconception. Claiming that he bore a Primordial Bloodline would only earn him funny looks with no actual benefits.

"Wait, you have been a Common Bloodline all along?" William blurted out, his surprise palpable.

Judging by how naturally Leonard moved, he had suspected that he was at least a Rare Bloodline bearer, considering he had so easily led Winston and Harley.

"Is there a problem?" Leonard asked, his eyes narrowing slightly.

"Oh, not at all." William waved both hands in denial. "I was just surprised, that’s all."

"I suppose the fault lies with us since we never bothered to ask." Samantha remarked. "For the record, both William and I have Epic Bloodlines."

Winston shared that he had a Rare Bloodline, and nobody was surprised.

But when Harley revealed her Bloodline and class, she caused the interest of the two awakeners to pique.

"Another awakener with a class? Our chances against the orc tribe have increased more than we thought!" William breathed a sigh of relief, feeling like a complete idiot for not having asked sooner.

Nevertheless, casual chatter could be left for later. First and foremost, Leonard started to sever trees one after another.

Using Titanic Oath, he split the trunks into several logs. The others sharpened their ends into tips before driving them deep into the earth.

There wasn’t a builder among the camp, so the result was lackluster. Though at least they were able to erect a primitive wall that faced the orc tribe.

Just as they completed building the first barrier, a worried awakener returned from his scouting journey and alerted the others.

"A horde of orcs is coming here as we speak! It’s only a matter of time until they reach us!" He warned.

"How did they find us so fast?! We haven’t even attacked them yet!" Winston readied his shield and hammer.

"Maybe they have a way to locate us?" Harley suggested, raising her rapier.

"Doesn’t matter now. Get ready!" Leonard focused his senses forward.

Past the enacted barrier, a group of five orcs came into view, each one more imposing than the last.

[Level 10 Orc.]

However, they all paled in comparison to the orc that stood slightly behind them.

[Level 16 Orc Shaman.]

Unlike the ordinary orcs, the Orc Shaman was female and nearly two heads shorter. Her skin was covered in many wrinkles, with most of it hidden beneath a robe made from animal fur.

In one of her hands, she carried a staff topped with a deer’s skull, whose empty eye sockets glowed with an eerie green light. It was adorned with feathers and large fangs, giving off an unsettling aura.

In her other hand, she held an orb that displayed several red, blinking dots.

With just a glance, Leonard knew that the orb had been the device that spelled out their location to the orcs.

"Orc Shamans are supposed to be smarter, but creating such an orb should be beyond their abilities. That only leaves one possibility...it was given to them instead!"

Leonard started to see the full picture.

The Void Believers hadn’t randomly teleported the participants into the Void. They had placed them within the territory of the orc tribe and intentionally provided the monsters with the means to find them!

For what reason, he did not know. Yet it explained why the orcs had been capturing humans instead of eating them outright. They were clearly following orders, and he wasn’t willing to find out what would happen if he were imprisoned.

"Fortunately, we found William and Samantha in time. If we had wandered aimlessly or refused to join the campsite, it would have been only a matter of time before we were found and overwhelmed." Leonard realized.

He was glad that at least numbers were on their side.

"Frontline fighters, protect those at the back! Don’t let them break through our ranks! If you are injured, fall back to be healed by Samantha!" William ordered, leading the charge.

Despite their awakener status, many lacked real combat experience. Taking deep breaths to steel their resolve, they raced to meet the oncoming orcs head-on.

Meanwhile, Leonard and his party remained unfazed. They had already brought down one orc, so there was no need to worry.

He, Winston, and Harley lunged at the orc on the far left.

Strangely, the creature looked more enraged than normal. A red outline traced its figure. Without a doubt, the monster had been strengthened by a buff.

Still, their goal was to follow the same plan and adapt according to the situation. They didn’t know how long the buff would last, so waiting for it to run out was too risky.

Sadly, Leonard was forced to halt, feeling an intense gaze fixed on him.

Faster than the blink of an eye, the Orc Shaman conjured a black sphere with her staff and hurled it toward him!

Leonard proved faster. He dodged to the side, and the sphere missed him by a wide margin.

However, the projectile wasn’t finished. When it collided with the ground not far away, it exploded into a heavy cloud, engulfing Leonard and his party.

Breathing became noticeably harder, his limbs felt heavier, and his eyes turned watery.

The foreign power that slowly seeped into him took root faster.

[You have come into direct contact with condensed corruption! Your corruption has risen by 10%!]

[Corruption 17%]