Wow! The item-dropping rate is really high!

"Weapons are not important to them," Dai Lian shook his head, not taking the situation lightly at all.

To him, the gear of such creatures was mere decoration; their true reliance lay in their formidable bodies that allowed them to rampage freely.

Therefore, it was perfectly reasonable to see a scene where a thick axe full of spikes got deflected as it chopped onto what seemed like a rusted piece of iron armor.

Although the armor was subpar, the weapons were just as lackluster.

Wang Wenbo's eyes glimmered with excitement as he asked, "What do we do now?"

"Wait," Dai Lian's gaze was icy as he closely watched every move of the Orc Tribe's surge.

"Wait for them to leave, or… draw closer."

If they left, naturally it meant waiting for these orcs to leave before the large group behind them continued to advance.

If they drew closer… it might mean the large group at their rear would need to retreat and take a detour.

"Can't we fight?" Wang Wenbo licked his lips, somewhat reluctant.

"Fight?" Dai Lian glanced at the players beside him, "Go if you want to die."

"But they don't have many numbers…" Wang Wenbo was not quite convinced, although this guy was pretty strong, he was too cautious, lacking the boldness of "Sheng Yan." No wonder he could only play the role of a scout and enforcer in the team.

Dai Lian shook his head slightly, explaining with a hint of helplessness, "One of them is worth ten of us."

The first time they had encountered the orcs, the number wasn't large, but still, the players' brigade on a joint mission was sent scurrying like frightened mice.

Back then, the combat power of the players was quite decent, but now they were ailing, elderly, and sick. Though they numbered over a thousand, in a real fight, those who could effectively contribute might number only about a hundred or two—how could they possibly stand a chance against several hundred orcs?

"We can only avoid them." Saying this, Dai Lian paused, quickly devising other plans in his mind, "Of course, if you really want to engage with them, you can see if others share your sentiment. If you can form a small team, you might try drawing them in a different direction… Of course, that's assuming these orcs truly migrate towards our main force at the rear."

He knew the nature of players was to seek adventure and confrontation.

Asking them to hide like turtles went against many players' nature, but if the situation was urgent, throwing out some bait to mislead this Orc Tribe would undoubtedly be the most appropriate strategy.

"If you manage to survive in their hands, just continue heading southwest. Our main force isn't moving fast; you should be able to catch up," he said.

"…" Wang Wenbo twisted his mouth and fell silent.

Too cautious.

More than a thousand against a few hundred.

The advantage is ours.

So what if some NPCs die~ what does it have to do with us players if the original inhabitants of the game world live or die?

Wouldn't there be a pile of loot and experience points after annihilating this so-called Orc Tribe?

And now they ask the players to form a small team to serve as bait? Few against many is just asking to be killed, isn't it?

He wouldn't do such a thing.

So everything fell silent for a moment.

There were new changes in the distant fighting ring.

The orc who looked slightly smaller and had shabby armor was inevitably showing signs of decline after a prolonged confrontation.

However, just as he was sent spinning by an axe, a cunning glint flashed in the eyes of the smaller orc.

A small sleeve dagger that had been hidden under the piece of iron armor was gripped in his sturdy fingers and, in a lightning-quick motion, he spun around and shot it towards the head of the large and apparently proud brute behind him.

"Whizz!"

The furious winds, oblivious until now, only whipped up in the path of the flying sleeve dagger, but by that time, the large, green, and hideously ugly head was already gone.

"Blub blub blub~"

It landed far off, bouncing a few times on the ground.

The neck, separated from the body, was a mess of flesh and blood, yet the eyes on the head were still rolling around, seemingly pondering what had just happened.

Faced with the smaller orc who they had fully expected to lose, the onlooking orcs collectively fell silent, then suddenly erupted into chaos.

"waaaaaagh!"

"waaaaagh!"

The calls shook the heavens.

In the Orc Tribe, the weakest challenging the strongest and emerging victorious was the most popular form of entertainment.

As long as one wins, no matter what means or techniques are used, that one is acknowledged as the king by all!

Amid the thunderous cheering of his underlings, the smaller-bodied orc strode towards the headless torso that still stood in place, dazedly.

Lifting his large foot, he kicked over the headless body. The victorious orc snatched the full-body armor off the loser's body and haphazardly donned it on his ill-fitting frame.

"waaaaagh!" The victor raised his arms and howled as he stepped on the restless severed head beneath his foot.

And thus, followers began to flock to him.

"waaaaagh!"

Under the watchful eyes of all the orcs, the body of this orc underwent a visible transformation.

The green muscles instantly began to swell as if being inflated, rapidly enlarging his size, and after subsiding, was even larger than the loser's frame had been.

The armor that was already a tight fit on his body was now stretched even tighter, and the iron helmet on his head was comically pushed up, making him look somewhat ridiculous.

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The orc's fierce face, intertwined with a somewhat "simple-hearted" laugh, made the scene both eerie and comical.

"Enlarged... he's enlarged..." Wang Wenbo muttered in disbelief after witnessing everything.

Dai Lian's eyes were also filled with solemnity as he remained silent.

Was this some special sacrificial ritual?

Or a trait of the orc species?

Official game information about the Orc Tribe was sparse, leaving their secrets for players to explore within the game.

The previous battles had not revealed such a scene. Could it be that this enlarged orc would become one of the Orc Tribe's bosses?

"Eek!"

"Clatter, clatter, clatter~"@@novelbin@@

A startled cry next to him instantly made Dai Lian vigilant. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw the delicate telescope rolling down the rugged rocky surface, stopping only when it reached a small groove.

"What happened?"

Wen Bo, who had subconsciously tossed away the telescope in his hand, met Dai Lian's eyes, "He... he seems to have looked over here."

The victor was turning around, welcoming the fervent gaze of his kin. However, as he swept his gaze in their direction, he seemed to casually glance over at them.

Wen Bo, who had seen everything clearly through the telescope, had met the orc's gaze and felt the brute's violent aura hit him, causing him to throw away the precious telescope in fright.

Even in the game, the orc's presence was frighteningly realistic, enough to make one's heart tremble.

It was only then that he realized Dai Lian's caution was not unfounded.

"What... what should we do?"

"What should we do?" Dai Lian had already jumped down to pick up the telescope that Wen Bo had thrown away, "Go back! Tell them to move quickly and avoid."

The victor's movements were not just about the glance Wen Bo had seen. With a commanding gesture from the victor, all the orc younglings rushed towards their direction as if they had gone mad.

Dai Lian, having picked up the telescope, stuffed it into his chest and shared his plan with Wen Bo, "I'll lead them away as much as possible. You go back and tell them to prepare for battle, to cover everyone's retreat."

"Got it!" Wen Bo hastily responded before turning and leaping away, quickly disappearing into the distance.

Gong Yan, who had already received the message, did not wait for the next one to arrive. The movements of orcs were unpredictable, and even constant surveillance might not accurately control their path.

Evading these orcs required maximal avoidance.

"Order everyone to return the way we came. We can't just wait for the message upfront!" Sheng Yan decided immediately upon receiving the message.

(I went out for the National Day holiday... now I'm back and will resume updates.)