Chapter 122
"Alright, I'm heading out for a bit."
"Don't tell me... you're going alone?"
"Yeah, otherwise I won't be able to get the title."
Titles can be obtained intentionally, but there are also cases where people unintentionally earn them and only realize they've acquired one after the fact.
"...First, explain yourself. Otherwise, not just me, but the others won't be able to rest easy either."
The title I'm aiming for this time is "Hide-and-Seek Expert." As the name suggests, its effect is straightforward: it boosts the effectiveness of stealth-related skills.
"You're right about that."
I had been about to head into the Orc Forest alone, but when Claudie said that, I reconsidered. It's true that going into the Orc Forest without any explanation would make the others uneasy.
So, I explained how to obtain the Hide-and-Seek Expert title and why I wanted it.
"The title I want is called 'Hide-and-Seek Expert.' It boosts the effects of stealth skills and can even evolve."
"I've heard of it. It's said to be a title often held by scouts."
"It's a title that scouts, who often operate alone, tend to acquire easily. And it happens to be incredibly useful for me."
The "Headhunter Assassin" build is exactly what it sounds like—a setup focused on assassination and landing critical hits.
It's designed to minimize combat effort, allowing for solo activity while also functioning as a scout in a party.
At first glance, it might seem stronger to choose titles that enhance combat abilities, but...
"My fighting style revolves around disappearing mid-combat, forcing the enemy to search for me, and then striking their weak points for massive damage while they're distracted. To pull that off, I need stealth skills at their maximum potential, and the 'Hide-and-Seek' series of titles is perfect for that. 'Hide-and-Seek Expert' can evolve into 'Hide-and-Seek Master' and eventually 'Hide-and-Seek Virtuoso.'"
For a Headhunter Assassin, enhancing stealth is the key to greater strength.
The moment the enemy loses track of you is the perfect opportunity to strike. The skill setup revolves around surprise attacks that increase critical damage.
Thus, skills that let you hide, vanish suddenly, or become untraceable are essential—they're the lifeline.
"At max level, 'Hide-and-Seek Expert' only gives a modest 10% boost to stealth skills. But 'Hide-and-Seek Master' raises it to 30%, and 'Virtuoso' to 50%—a significant improvement."
Plus, it has the added benefit of letting you excel as a scout in a party while also functioning as an attacker who doesn’t draw aggro.
"I see, I understand why the title is useful. But that brings us to the question of why you need to enter the Orc Forest alone. I know you're strong enough to handle orcs easily, but the risk of unforeseen dangers when acting alone can't be ignored."
At least my presentation on the benefits of the Hide-and-Seek title series convinced her of its usefulness.
"To get this title, solo action and stealth skills are mandatory. You have to evade multiple enemies of equal or higher level while staying hidden in a specific location for a set amount of time."
"So it's a title that requires taking risks?"
And if I say it's necessary to grow stronger, Claudie can't really argue.
She sees my resolve and the reasoning behind it.
With those two factors in place, any thought of stopping me out of goodwill vanishes from her mind.
"Understood. If that's the case, I won't stop you. As a guardian, I might be failing my duty, but trying to fit you into the framework of 'normal adult common sense' would be a mistake."
Even I have to admit, as an adult, letting a kid go alone into orc territory is pretty irresponsible.
The mental image is terrible.
But Claudie knows I'm a hero sent by the gods, so she seems to have judged that the only real issue is appearances.
"If it aligns with your goals, then there’s no need to worry about what others think. Just promise me one thing: come back safely."
"Got it."
She gave the go-ahead, figuring that since I'd be operating stealthily, appearances wouldn’t be an issue.
And as for the reactions of Nel and the others—who, in a typical story, would be the ones fretting—well...
"Liberta will be fine."
"Yeah, it's Liberta, after all."
"Lord Liberta won’t have any problems."
"Uh... I get that they trust me, but doesn’t this feel a little too casual?"
Being told "You'll be fine because it's you" is flattering, but the sheer nonchalance leaves me with mixed feelings.
I mean, I’d be annoyed if they made a big fuss like some heroine archetype, but this is almost too relaxed.
"If anything happens, scream! We’ll come help!"
"I doubt I’d scream as loud as Amina, though."
"Don’t worry! I’ll make sure to catch Libertà’s voice!"
At least they’re cheering me on in their own way.
"If it comes to that, it’ll probably be a panicked shriek while running for my life. Counting on you."
With their concerns weighing on my back, I ventured into the forest alone.
Orcs rely on their senses in this order: smell, hearing, then sight.
That makes scent the most common way they detect intruders—and the most troublesome.
In a game world that replicates smell, you naturally start paying attention to wind direction.
If your scent carries downwind, you know enemies will come from that direction.
And in this forest, the wind’s flow is predictable.
"Come and get me, orcs!"
Leading a few orcs through the forest is no problem.
"Without weapon-bearers, escaping would be easy, but I’d like to gather a few more."
Of course, I’m not actually fighting them.
Title acquisition rates scale with the difficulty of the challenge.
From a god’s perspective, the harder the trial, the more impressive the feat—and the more deserving you are of a title.
So, while monster training is usually a despicable act, I carefully lured more orcs, making sure no one was around to witness it.
Most orcs in the shallow areas move in groups of one to three.
Right now, I’ve got four chasing me.
Ideally, I’d like to escape from ten, then slip away at the last moment to earn the title.
But I’d need to adjust their numbers carefully, and...
"Ugh."
Then I saw something awful.
A space where monsters gather unintentionally—what’s commonly called a "monster house."
The number?
"Twenty-three..."
Including the orcs I’d already lured, that makes twenty-seven.
Almost triple my target.
"Even if I thin them out, that’s a bit much..."
My lips twitch, but I can’t exactly complain to anyone.
There shouldn’t be any monster house traps around here, so someone must have deliberately created this.
Probably some adventurer party that fled and left this horde behind.
The orcs, bloodshot and furious at the child invading their territory, turn their rage toward me.
"Well, at least this’ll be good practice for shaking off the rust on my Headhunter Assassin moves."
Search and destroy.
As if embodying those words—
"GROOOOAAARR!!"
With a unified roar, the orcs charge at me.
Three of them are armed.
Trapped between the monster house ahead and the orcs I’d lured behind, I sigh.
"First, I need to hide."
The best place to lose orcs that track by scent?
Namely...
"Ugh, I’d really rather not..."
Water.
There’s a water source in the forest, but it’s also the orcs’ watering hole—far from clean.
Diving in is... unappealing.
In a game, I’d happily jump in and wait them out. But this isn’t a game. In reality, who knows what pathogens lurk in that water? Hard pass.
"Up a tree? No good. In the bushes? They’d just charge through."
Hiding in a forest is easy against humans, but against scent-trackers, options shrink fast.
Then, a sound gives me hope.
The crashing of water.
A waterfall.
There’s a river in the Orc Forest, flowing down from the mountains—with a waterfall along its path.
"That’s... slightly better."
Knowing this, I lead the orc horde toward the waterfall.
Praying no adventurers are ahead, I maintain distance, using the forest’s uneven terrain to slow their advance.
"Whoa, scary scary."
But with so many massive bodies moving as one, their path isn’t smooth.
They crash into trees and rocks, even smashing through them to keep coming.
If one of those attacks lands, I’m done for.
Hiding behind a tree? They’ll just destroy the tree too.
It’s more terrifying than any cheap threat.
But for me, it’s just spice—adding tension to the chase.
The waterfall’s roar grows louder.
Hiding is mandatory, and I need to break their line of sight at least once.
Simply jumping into the pool won’t cut it.
"One chance. One moment."
I sprint through the forest, keeping just enough distance to maintain their aggression.
If only there were something to obscure their vision...
And as I search, luck provides.
The waterfall’s roar is deafening now. I’m close.
Behind me, orc bellows and the sound of destruction grow louder.
The tension is perfect.
At the last second, I duck behind a tree, vanishing from their sight, then use my spear to vault into the branches.
Moving like a monkey, I traverse the treetops before plunging into the river near the waterfall.
As I leap, I catch a glimpse of the orcs swarming the tree, searching for me.
They haven’t spotted me.
Confirming that, I anchor myself in the riverbed with my spear, fighting the current.
The key to earning "Hide-and-Seek Expert" isn’t just running—it’s hiding.
You need pursuers, and you must stay unfound for a set time.
I’d led the orcs on a chase, then vanished.
The water is cold, the current strong.
Even retrieving my deeply embedded spear will be a pain.
But this is the perfect hiding spot.
A minute or two of hiding won’t cut it for the title.
So I stay still, holding my breath.
One minute passes. Then two.
Breathing grows harder.
But this harsh environment is ideal for meeting the title’s conditions.
Three minutes. I’m nearing my limit.
Four minutes. Any longer, and I won’t have the strength to escape.
Just as I’m about to give up—
『Title "Hide-and-Seek Expert" has been granted.』
It’s mine.
Immediately, I push off the riverbed toward the surface.
"Gah—!"
Fighting the current, I gasp for air, then drag myself to shore using my spear.
"That... was way too close."
Gasping, I steady my breathing and peer out from behind a rock.
"They’ve... given up searching."
The orcs are dispersing, having lost track of me.
I’d hidden successfully—from a horde.
That’s the requirement: staying hidden long enough for their aggro to fade.
The more aggro you accumulate, the more "experience" you earn when it drops.
This time, stumbling into a monster house gave me enough "experience" to earn the title quickly.
"Now... for cleanup."
With the title secured, it’s time to handle the orc horde.
It’s my responsibility, since I gathered them.