?


    "I ept!" The orc Chieftain replied with the only answer it could give. Refuse, and the warriors following hismand would mock him endlessly.


    Yet, that did not mean he trusted the humans to stay true to their words. Assigning his most elite warriors to protect the shaman, he strafed towards Judith. Shouting, "I am Gnalurg! Name yourself!"


    "Judith!" she replied, confirming the Chieftain Gnalurg''s strength while she had time to spare. It was going to be a difficult fight, that was for sure.


    [Gnalurg — Orc Chieftain (Overlord) [Ruler] Tier 5, Level 33]


    [HP: 3465/3465— Mana: 386/462 — Stamina: 3898/3898]


    [Attack: 595 (67) [266]]


    [Strength: 888 — Agility: 383]


    [The recovery rate of any orc is a thing of wonder. Capable of healing any non-fatal wound within minutes at the cost of stamina.]


    [Orchish Constitution: Per 2 stamina consumed, recovers 1 HP (Effectively gives the Chieftain 2k extra HP should an attack fail to kill or fatally wound)]


    [Ranked as an Overlord, this Chieftain has fought his way to the top. Gaining the right to rule his n by might, and might alone.]


    Seeing these values, Judith swallowed with difficulty. She knew the Chieftain was going to be strong, but this was something else. ''Might have bitten off more than I can chew.'' She thought, wishing she had gone ahead and unlocked the All-Search function.


    Sadly, it was too expensive. While her level was decently high for her reckless ystyle, she didn''t have millions (or even billions) of XP to spend on system functions.


    As useless as she felt levels were, she still needed some of their stats. She couldn''t lose too many, she needed those small stat boosts for her sword.


    It was one she had gotten while fighting in Kynigo. Back then, Eldrian had picked one of the few Tier 8 weapons (of about a hundred that had been sent to the city).


    But, since Judith didn''t have the stats to bind such items to her, she had gone for a more modest Tier 6 greatsword.


    Its name was simple: y. And y it did.


    A weapon focused on damage, just like all her gear, it could massively boost her attacks for a few seconds. And that was what she would have to rely on toe out on top. After all, her stats weren''t near the Chieftain''s.


    [Judith]


    [Level: 42]


    [Hidden ss: Barbarian (Tier 3)]


    She had gotten her hidden ss recently. Unlike Eldrian''s, it was a moremon type of hidden ss. One not gained by auras but by a rare quest that had required her to fight hordes of monsters without reprieve.


    To level it, she had to do the same. Kill with a sword, fist, or de. No healing, no stalling. Just killing.


    This was another reason she fought so recklessly these days. The thicker the fighting, the quicker she could level it.


    [Normal ss: Melee (Tier 5) | Range (Tier 4) | Magic (Tier 2)]


    [Soulbound items: y (Greatsword), Berserker''s Gauntlets]


    [Avatar Affinity: 99.379%]


    [Attributes — Constitution: 437 | Strength: 643 | Agility: 395 | Spirit: 182 | Intelligence: 131]


    [Eldrian''s attributes (forparison) — Constitution: 1108 | Strength: 1012 | Agility: 1201 | Spirit: 1202 | Intelligence: 1036]


    [25 free attributes]


    [Stats — HP: 1202 | Mana: 272 | Stamina: 876]


    [Eldrian''s stats (forparison) — HP: 8.9k | Mana: 10.2k | Stamina: 12.56k]<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    Honestly, Judith lost badly against the Chieftain if stats were all that mattered. But they weren''t.


    Their duel soon started. But this was a battlefield. All that their duel meant was that they would fight one another one-on-one. No one was to interfere.


    Orcs knew this, it was an actualw in their culture and religions. Duels were sacred.


    To honor this, Judith had told everyone to not intervene. Saying she would kill any who dared.


    "Well spoken," Gnalurg said, right as his first strike came. A heavy blow from a battle-axe.


    To get a feel for the battle, Judith blocked the first few attacks. The pain singing through her hands and up her arms told her just how big a two hundred Strength gap was. As did the trails she had left as she was forced back.


    Her footsteps were deep, and at times, she was pushed back so far that she skid along the ground. But she had managed to weather Gnalurg''s attacks for about a minute now. And she was slowly getting ready for her counter.


    "Not bad," Gnalurgmented, visibly surprised that she had managed to endure his blows without her arms breaking. Acknowledging her as a true opponent, he got into a more serious stance.


    He had expected her to be decent. She had managed to push back his warriors after all. But having now traded blows, Gnalurg grew excited.


    She was someone he could test his skill against, and use to prove his dominance to his subordinates. Especially the Shaman.


    With a roar, Gnalurg charged. His axe held high. This time, however, Judith did not meet it with her sword. She slipped past as it swung down and aimed her sword at the orc''s arms.


    Grinning, Gnalurg huffed and blocked her de with the back of his axe''s handle (reinforced with metal, it easily survived the encounter) before sending his axe flying sideways.


    Judith deftly brought her sword close to her, angled down. Supporting both ends with her arms, she let the blownd, directing it to the ground to reduce the impact she felt.


    Yet, the power behind it still sent her stumbling. And hardly having lost any momentum, Gnalurg kept his axe moving. Letting itplete its journey; down, up, and back toward the still-recovering Judith.


    ''He''s good.'' Judith thought, managing to deflect or dodge the next couple of strikes. However, each time, she would be forced back.


    She used all the techniques she had at her disposal, but, at best, she was Gnalurg''s equal. And with him having the stat advantage, there was no way she would manage to catch him by surprise.


    Had she been Eldrian, she would have thrown a spell or two in the mix to throw off her opponent. But she was not, and that was not the image of a Barbarian. It was not something she was willing to do, even if she was capable.


    Judith''s ideal was that of someone who grew stronger and stronger as the battle went on. It required her to take damage to dish out damage.


    This was why her armor gave nearly no protection. It was certainly an aesthetic choice, but she had also worked with the smiths to get the right items for her.


    As she fought, spent her stamina, and lost health, this all slowly gathered towards her sword.


    She had no idea how it worked, all she knew was that it was only possible thanks to her sword. The smiths had based their design of her gauntlets on this ability.


    And now, five minutes into the battle, with only a hundred HP left and exhausted, Judith smiled.


    Seeing her smile and sensing danger, Gnalurg moved fast.


    Not fast enough.


    Judith moved, she struck. Her attack took form, from start to finish, in the blink of an eye.


    Reappearing behind her opponent, Judith held y high. Now dripping fresh with blood.


    Behind her, Gnalurg fell to the ground. Split in two.


    Seeing this, the orcs were visibly astounded. While they had all continued to fight, they had also kept an eye on the battle. Weighing their Chieftain and whether or not they could challenge him.


    Seeing him copse—cut in half, even—when he had been seconds away from finishing the girl. It made them all halt in shock.


    An opening the yers did not let slip past them.