Why can't humans do it too?

The sound was unfamiliar, like a leaky bellows, or as if someone had a hole in their throat, each word hissing and escaping. It was definitely not the voice of Suer's team members, after all, they even spoke a different language.

Silence.

For a moment, it seemed as if only his own rapid breathing could be heard in the world.

Is this the end of the road...?

as well as--

"It's an order! Run!"

His ears seemed to have lost their function; he could hear nothing. In the empty, silent environment, Sull watched as his hand reached out and tossed the small packet containing a few herbs into Lennie's arms. He watched as these people, who had already made up their minds and were willing to die without hesitation, turned and began to run wildly in accordance with his command.

Time seemed to slow down at this moment. Sull could see Lennie struggling to reach out to him but being pulled away by others and running away. He could also see those familiar faces, each with the most delicate expression.

Only he remained motionless.

There was no tearing pain, nor the howling wind. Suer knew he had to stay; he was the only one who could stay.

Of all those who came with him, he was the only one fluent in the orc language. In other words, although he didn't know what the owner of the sudden voice was planning and hadn't launched an attack, he was the only one among everyone here who could stall for a moment.

Slowly turning around, surprisingly, the only thing echoing in Su'er's mind at that moment was Riku's words, which he had emphasized countless times before—

We do not exist, we cannot exist, therefore we are imperceptible. Human resistance is simply not permitted, and we are forced to become prey to be hunted. We cannot resist because we cannot pose a threat. Even if we manage to launch a slight counterattack and achieve a minor victory, what difference would it make?

This is the survival strategy that has allowed the settlement where Sur is located to continue to develop to this day.

Is it my turn this time?

So, if sacrificing one person can save others... it's a win no matter what, right?

My calves seem to be trembling uncontrollably.

The dagger, which was tightly gripped, was quietly reversed. At this angle and in this direction, it was not intended to launch a desperate counterattack, but to end one's own life before the body was torn apart.

But... why can't I lift my arm?

It was too fast. Everything happened too fast. Even the method that Suer had thought about and practiced in private when his dark side erupted—the agreed-upon rule of ordering others to go out and lure the enemy away when real danger was encountered—could not be used in time.

By the time Suer realized what was happening, he was already facing this situation alone—he was the bait, the victim.

Even this order, this decision, came from his own mouth.

Right in that very first second.

Suer finally turned around.

Should we say it's fortunate? The owner of that voice didn't seem to be giving chase. Of course, it's also possible that he was confident that no matter how fast these moving monkeys ran, they couldn't escape his pursuit.

His long, pale hair was casually draped over his shoulders, his gray-white wolf ears stood up, and he wore a fierce, demon-like mask. His burly figure and body covered in armor resembling that of a standard samurai reminded Suer of the unique culture of that island nation from his previous life. The sharp longsword was casually rested on the shoulder of this orc, and Suer could even see several nicks on the blade, as well as the orc's sharp fingernails, which even gleamed coldly under the red sky.

"Aren't you going to run?"

The voice was full of interest, as if watching a monkey leaping through a ring of fire, wondering how much joy it could bring. The orc in front of him even easily took his longsword off his shoulder and used it as a cane, resting it on the ground with one hand.

Chapter Eight: Defense

Just standing there was enough to exert a suffocatingly oppressive aura, a power completely different from the group of Orks they had encountered before, but to fragile humans, it made no difference—after all, they were just fragile and would shatter at the slightest touch.

“Ah~, if you’re worried about your companions, you can rest assured for now,” said the orc with long gray hair. “I don’t have any companions to go after them either. I’m the only one scouting here. You can understand what I’m saying, right? You should be able to understand, right? After all, when I spoke just now, you were the only one whose reaction was different from theirs, so that’s what I think.”

"..."

He was met with silence, but it wasn't intentional. Suer did want to say something, but when he opened his mouth, he realized that his teeth were chattering rapidly, and his jaw was almost cramping.

This is fear stemming from an instinctive reaction, like a frog caught in the eye of a snake, frozen in place.

Suer could see the white vapor rising from the orc's breath in the frigid air, and his scarlet eyes. Although they seemed playful, the killing intent in his eyes never faded. Suer had no doubt that if he made even the slightest unnecessary movement, the orc in front of him could rip out his heart in less than a second. No, in the end, was he worth the orc's wariness?

"There's...there's a group of Orks...in that direction..."

Slowly raising his hand, Sur spoke slowly in the orc language, pointing to the spot where his group had just discovered the Ork squad.

Compared to his own flesh, the Orks, who enjoy killing and pose a great threat to the Orc tribes, should be the real threat—at least that's what Sur thought.

However, the orc's reaction disappointed him. Even through such a ferocious mask, Sul could see that the orc showed no sign of wavering... Did he already know?

A chilling cold seeped into Suer's internal organs, and realizing this fact made him feel as if he had swallowed a large chunk of ice—when exactly had this orc been following them?

“Ah, that’s already known, and I’ve already sent the message back,” as expected, the orc spoke frankly, his expression growing increasingly grim beneath his mask. “While waiting for the chief’s reply, it’s you who intrigues me more than the orks…”

"...Monkey, why do you need to learn our language?"

A sincere, simple, and unmalicious question, but from a certain perspective, it is the most widespread form of malice, directed at a particular group.

Completely unsuspecting, the white-haired, wolf-eared orc slowly approached, jabbing the ground with his longsword. The crisp, clanging sounds were like heavy punches to Suer's brain, suggesting the situation was perhaps worse than he imagined.

"What are you planning? Or what can such weak beasts do?"

The white-haired werewolf slowly circled around the monkey that was standing stiffly in place, curiously looking it up and down. He had never paid attention to the monkeys' movements before.

[You cannot resist, nor can you pose a threat]

Riku...

Perhaps remaining silent and continuing to resist would be a mistake. Sul trembled, gripping the dagger in his hand as if it could give him courage and strength. But neither he nor the orcs surrounding him believed that such a small toy could cause the slightest harm to the orcs.

Shouldn't it be time to end it all? Just stab it in there, stab it hard... But Leni and the others shouldn't have gone far yet, and besides—when I make that move, will this orc standing next to me really be too late to stop me?

My mind is spasming.

“…In order to get closer, closer to the orc race,” Sul gasped for breath, his voice trembling as he finished speaking, like anyone who was timid to the point of cowardice, “We, we are monkeys…aren’t we? We are, we are beasts…”

He forced himself to put on an ugly smile, but the taut mask on his face reminded him that he was still hiding himself.

"Hahahahahahaha!" A burst of truly hearty laughter erupted from the white-haired orc, as if he had heard the most outrageous joke in the world. "Want to become one of us orcs? Hahahahahaha!"

"Haha, hahaha," unable to fathom the orc's true thoughts, Suer could only force a forced and awkward laugh along with him.

"lie!!!"

A roar suddenly erupted from the laughter, and the white-haired orc abruptly removed the demon mask covering his face. He bent down menacingly, leaned close to Sul, and took a deep breath.

For the first time, Suer saw the face of this orc at such close range.

His face was covered in fierce horizontal lines and scars. He was blind in one eye, with several terrible scars covering the area around his eye socket. There were even traces of skin being torn off. Even though it had healed, Suer could still vaguely see some pale white bone showing through.

His numerous wrinkles made him appear much older, but his face was somewhat youthful, as if he had lost a great deal of vitality. Even among orcs, Sur judged him to be a veteran.

The bared canines seemed poised to gnaw through Suer's fragile neck at any moment. He could barely breathe, every muscle in his body was spasming—a biological instinct to suppress its own, the most primal reaction to deadly danger.

Suer desperately wanted to defend himself, to prove that he wasn't lying. He even had a long, logical string of words forming in his mind, but in the end, he said nothing, as if his body no longer obeyed his commands.

It’s over.

Suer closed his eyes.

However, the pain was delayed. The suddenly erupting orc did not bite through Sul's throat or tear him in two. He simply returned to his calm state. This time, without his mask, Sul could clearly observe his every expression.

"Are you denying me... no, you should be denying us?" The white-haired orc took a half-step back to create enough space before reaching out and tearing off the mask covering Sul's face.

What else are you hiding?

Chapter Nine: Yearning

……negative?

Am I... denying them?

To deny the existence of this invincible orc race, which is like a demon god?

Suer's blank mind even felt a little amused—had this white-haired orc gone mad? Where did he get such a judgment from?

"That's not right, is it?" Before Suer could refute, the wolf-like orc continued, "Or haven't you noticed it yourself? That kind of arrogance in its bones... what kind of person, or what kind of race, gave the monkey such confidence?"

The white-furred orc continued to scrutinize the motionless Sul from head to toe, its two white wolf ears twitching occasionally. Sul, however, had no idea what this creature, who could tear apart such a fragile prey with a mere flick of its wrist, was waiting for.

What was he saying?

So what if it's death? Bring it on! Huh?!

Suer is ready.

Looking at the orc with his brows furrowed as if he were pondering something dangerous, Suer felt a mixture of amusement and doubt.

'Saying I'm negating him or something, isn't that giving me a bit too much credit? And saying I'm negating the entire orc race?'

Even as the chill of fear seeped into his entire body, Suer couldn't help but want to burst out laughing.

however,

"—You're wrong. I don't think too highly of you. I'm just curious about what exactly is keeping you monkeys in captivity these days."

Before the mockery that had been lingering in Suer's heart had faded, a faint voice sounded in his ear, freezing all his thoughts and even twisting the slight upturn of his lips.

'My thoughts...were read?'

“Yes, I’ve seen through it completely,” the hideous face reappeared before Suer. “For lowly beasts like you, this is probably an ability that belongs only to the superior races, something you would never even dream of.”

With a sinister smile that exuded oppressive power, the white-haired werewolf said with an evil grin, "It's exactly what you're thinking right now. I've seen through all your thoughts."

A declaration sufficient to end all final struggles.

"..."

The air fell silent for a moment, with only the howling wind remaining. The orc also remained considerately quiet, seemingly enjoying the despair that Suer was experiencing.

'Reading...minds?'

Hey.

Hello?

Isn't this a bit too much? They've even developed the ability to read minds?

Surprisingly, Suer felt inexplicably relaxed at this moment, and even murmured to himself with a relaxed feeling he hadn't had in a long time—"Liku, your intelligence report is probably going to lose an intelligence report that may never be recorded again, huh?"

It felt like a dream.

But deep down, I believed it.

Compared to those who can reshape the earth with their breath, carve insurmountable chasms on the ground with a wave of their hand, and shatter stars in the sky with a mere burst of energy... mind reading is nothing more than a child's toy.

and so--