I Became a Gallery Newbie Beloved by Transcendents

I finished off three more orcs, then took down another group of four.

And then, I crossed a ridge.

As expected, things never went according to plan.

Despite what Yunes had said, the Orc Shaman, whom I thought we would encounter immediately, was nowhere to be seen.

The sun had long since set. The night deepened, stretching all the way into dawn.

But there was no time to set up camp and rest.

"We’ll sleep when it’s over."

Yunes kept whispering that the Orc Shaman was right in front of us now.

Falling asleep now would be tantamount to accepting death.

Fortunately, I wasn’t feeling any fatigue.

If anything, I was unnaturally alert.

Like a bowstring drawn taut and never released.