As time passed, Takeru led the three in hunting goblins, kobolds, giant centipedes, and woodland spirits.
Facing the once-threatening woodland spirits, Yusuke and the others could now easily kill them with just a bit of effort.
By the end of the day, the two had completed another class change, further increasing their attributes.
Keita felt as if his arms were ruined, trembling uncontrollably. Seeing this, Yusuke simply patted him lightly on the shoulder. He deeply understood this feeling.
However, thanks to their special recovery abilities, they would be back to normal within a night at most, ready to push themselves hard again the next day...
"It's so delicious! This is too much, Kusue and Yusuke, you guys have been eating food this delicious for the past few days? What kind of egg is this anyway!" Iu, hugging a huge boiled egg and devouring it, showed an expression of pure enjoyment.
"Gulp, ahh, so good. Master, please give me another bottle!" Keita nearby downed a liter of Mooo Milk in one go and excitedly spoke to Takeru.
"There's none left. Each person is limited to one bottle per day." Hearing his words, Takeru said calmly.
"Eh!" Hearing Takeru's refusal, Keita's face fell.
"Hahaha!" Yusuke and the others watched and secretly laughed.
"Hey, Yusuke, we're fellow disciples under the same master, right?" Seeing he couldn't get any more, Keita came over to Yusuke, putting his arm around his shoulder.
"No way!" Seeing his move, Yusuke quickly guarded his milk.
"Don't be so stingy, Yusuke," Keita said with a familiar, casual air.
...
After dinner, Takeru teleported everyone back to Jiffon Island. Briefly sensing the situation, he noticed the orcs seemed to be growing impatient. Perhaps the battle would come sooner than the scheduled time, but everyone still had at least two or three days to prepare.
Time flew by quickly. Amidst everyone's arduous training, three days passed rapidly. That night, everyone gathered because Takeru had already informed them of the orcs' movements.
"Takeru-san, will the orcs really appear from here?" Looking at the calm, windless port, Cantil asked Takeru curiously.
"Undoubtedly. They'll arrive in about ten minutes. There will be three of them this time." Hearing Cantil's words, Hachiman directly stated.
"I see." Hearing Hachiman's words, Cantil fell silent.
"Master, can we try our hand this time?" Keita asked Takeru expectantly.
"Consider this orc encounter a small test for you." Hearing his words, Takeru said calmly.
"Thank you, Master!" Hearing Takeru say this, not only Keita but also Yusuke, Iu, and the others ignited with fighting spirit.
Soon, three large, green-skinned orcs climbed up from the port. They had swum here. Now, seeing everyone seemingly expecting them, they showed surprised expressions, quickly replaced by rage.
Seeing this, Cantil directly drew his sword. Not only him, but Ryce, Thanza, and the other mercenaries also assumed vigilant stances.
"Please wait, Cantil-san. Could you leave this to us?" Looking at Cantil's action, Yusuke stepped forward and spoke seriously.
"Well... I understand." Hearing Yusuke's words, Cantil also wanted to test how much he had improved recently, but after glancing at Hachiman and Takeru, he relented.
"Thanks, Cantil-san." Seeing Cantil agree, Yusuke nodded to him. At this moment, the orcs could no longer hold back, directly swinging their boulder-sized fists.
"Hey, big guy, I'm your opponent." Keita targeted one orc, charging forward to provoke it.
Seeing Keita's provocation, the orc charged at him. Facing the aggressive orc, Keita's demeanor changed. He became solemn and serious, no longer his usual playful self.
Soon, facing the orc's straightforward punch, Keita sidestepped to dodge the attack. Although his strength had increased considerably, he had no intention of matching power with these large brutes.
Evading the orc's attack, the massive orc seemed full of openings in Keita's eyes. He lightly raised the spear Takeru had given him and thrust. The orc's thick arm was like tofu… he quickly carved a deep gash into it.
"Roar!" Feeling the immense pain and seeing his arm gushing blood, the orc roared in fury, then swung its other fist at Keita.
"Such straightforward attacks," Keita muttered, shaking his head slightly as he again moved sideways. The clumsy orc simply couldn't keep up with Keita's speed.
Arriving behind the orc, Keita raised his spear and fiercely stabbed at the orc's thigh, quickly withdrawing. He left a deep puncture wound in the orc's leg.
Unable to exert force due to the leg wound, the orc knelt on the ground, howling in agony.
"Goodbye." Looking at the orc, now full of openings, Keita leaped high and forcefully swept his spear across the orc's neck.
"Shlick!" A torrent of blood gushed out. The orc could only clutch its neck in pain before falling dead...
"Hehe, everyone, how did I do?" Keita, having single-handedly killed an orc, turned around to boast about his achievement, only to find the other two orcs already dead on the ground.
"Too slow." Hearing Keita's words, Yusuke said unceremoniously.
"No way, I was hunting alone, that's why I was slow. Iu, you be the judge!" Hearing Yusuke's words, Keita instantly reverted to his usual goofy self. His cold, composed image from moments ago completely collapsed.
"You are all truly incredible!" The mercenaries who had been watching, along with some villagers who had joined the preparations, had witnessed the orcs, creatures they considered extremely dangerous and seemingly invincible, fall in moments against the group. They cheered excitedly.
"Counting the orc that died earlier, there should only be eleven orcs left, right?" Some villagers, seeing the dead orcs, spoke excitedly.
"Then, Master, should we take the initiative to attack?" Subsequently, Yusuke looked at Takeru.
"Yes. But you all stay here." Hearing his words, Takeru said calmly.
"Eh, we stay here?" Hearing Takeru's words, Yusuke and the others were stunned. Before they could ask further, Takeru directly took Mio and Hachiman to the orcs' stronghold.
"How foolish. You've come to deliver yourselves?" Seeing Takeru, Hachiman, and Mio suddenly appear before her, the Orc Queen, who had been preparing to order her subordinates to launch a full-scale attack on the island, frowned.
"Eh, you can talk!" Hearing the Orc Queen speak, Mio was somewhat surprised. Having hunted so many monsters, she had thought the creatures in this world couldn't speak.
"Hmph. Why are humans such a foolish species? You have much better brains than us orcs, yet you are unaware of your own weakness. You completely forget the kindness you've received, you are obsessed with fighting, you are savage and cruel." Looking at Takeru and the others, the Orc Queen spoke again.
"Well, I won't deny much of what you say. But as they say, things turn into their opposite when they reach the extreme. Everything has positive and negative sides. Also, you are the invaders here. What kindness have you received?"
"And finally, you call us weak. Then let me show you. Takeru, can I handle her?" Hearing her words, Hachiman calmly rebutted, then looked at Takeru.
"Naturally." Hearing his words, Takeru did not refuse.
"Thanks." Hearing Takeru's words, Hachiman spoke sincerely to Takeru.
Then, Hachiman raised his longsword and charged at the Orc Queen.
Seeing Hachiman charging straight at her, the Orc Queen showed no mercy. She predicted Hachiman's speed, and just as he was about two meters away, she abruptly clapped her hands together.
"Boom!" The immense force of her clap produced a loud sound. However, the Orc Queen sensed something was wrong. Her hands hadn't struck anything.
The next moment, before she could think further, her left arm was severed cleanly at the root, blood gushing out.
"Wh-why?" The sudden turn of events left the Orc Queen bewildered.
"Sorry, that speed wasn't my limit." Having moved behind her, Hachiman said calmly.
"Damn you!" Hearing Hachiman's words, the Orc Queen, without thinking, swung her remaining right arm down at Hachiman's position.
"Bang!" The immense power created a small crater in the ground, along with a cloud of dust. But when the Orc Queen raised her arm, she didn't see Hachiman's corpse. Clearly, Hachiman had dodged her attack in that instant.
"I'm sorry, but our strength is beyond your imagination." Saying this, Hachiman, his longsword coated in Armament Haki, severed the Orc Queen's neck.