Savage Ascension: Starting with God-Tier Plunder Ability-Chapter 48: Even an Orc’s Eyes Could’ve Been Deceived

When his brother pulled away the half-remaining hornet liquor, his brother nodded several times and said cheerfully:

"It’s a trial to hunt greedy humans who live their entire lives caught between faith and doubt, living between belief and suspicion. Our god wants you to become independent..."

Killing humans. That meant being a proper, full-fledged orc. Brother Donetous trailed off.

"Should I make the back mountain my mountain while I’m at it?"

"After killing the one-eyed troll, it might be worth trying, but it’s still too early."

"We’re the same age, what do you mean too early."

Bickering like that, they shared hornet liquor and conversation bloomed. They had no choice but to live in mountains near human territory, where there were no other orcs. That was the only way to escape from the fence called orc tradition.

The next day, brother Amantous looked around Brother Mountain, the mountain they’d named, and went around checking what was different from the day before.

An orc born with exceptional hunter’s talent could see traces while simply walking that humans would have to crouch to check, and could smell from afar what humans would have to get close to detect.

His visual discernment was so excellent he could tell what color had passed just by glancing at the very small gaps in the bushes, and he could dodge bolts as fast as light rays shooting from a crossbow’s tension even at ten paces.

When humans spoke of orcs vulgarly, they sometimes called them Gehra, meaning walking beasts.

’Hmm?’

Brother Mountain’s mid-slope. Among those areas, the most gentle spot, which they didn’t frequent much—brother Amantous narrowed his eyes while looking from afar.

Because he saw where the natural swaying of the bushes had been disrupted. This swaying of bushes was a discernment unique to the orc race that could be confirmed from afar—checking the tangling of naturally extended bushes.

’It’s damaged like it was trampled.’

Brother Mountain didn’t even have forest paths where animals passed. Because it was thoroughly managed by the orcs. So intruders had no choice but to step on plants, and brother Amantous confirmed that.

Whoosh!

Like a warhorse running on flat ground, the green-skinned orc dashed. Orcs could increase their speed like a gale even on downhill slopes. It was a downhill humans would be too scared to run on, and even if they did run, it would be at speeds that would make them tumble head-first—but orcs were skilled at this.

Thud! Rustle!

Brother Amantous landed on a large tree and grinned. His body tingled with the sense of speed. The tree remained fine even supporting Amantous’s body weight of over 150kg. It was an orc tree his brother greatly cherished. Unlike other orc trees, it had a curved back, making it good for landing.

It was their tribe’s traditional orc tree growth method for making Kommer Bryta (Unbreakable Bow). The most distinctive feature was a rock on top blocking it from growing straight, as if placed naturally.

’Three people. Seeing they erased traces, they’re guys with some skill.’

Brother Amantous, who’d accurately determined the number of people through the traces humans had erased, knelt and brought his eyes close to the ground.

’A heavy guy. Large soles. There’s also one woman.’

The remaining one had no distinguishing features, so he couldn’t tell. Had to see them as a decent warrior. Couldn’t even distinguish if it was a woman or man.

’How dare they.’

Anger boiled up but quickly subsided. As a hunter, you had to stay calm in front of bears. He had to be coldest amid excitement, and it was also a basic virtue of orcs living in the wild.

Brother Amantous swept all the way to the entrance.

’They even scouted from the trees.’

He touched the wound created from gripping the tree bark hard and using great strength to climb up. Above that too, tree wounds were clearly visible, spaced like short human strides.

’They’re professionals.’

Brother Amantous stopped walking and fell into thought.

The main group was three people. They’d come up to the gentle mid-slope and gone down. They’d thought carefully about direction both ascending and descending. They’d chosen only places hard to see from afar.

If you went close to those places you could see the traces, but they would’ve assumed people wouldn’t go there. If not for the swaying bushes, even an orc’s eyes could’ve been deceived.

On top of that, they’d used scouts. They climbed trees to watch movements and tried to find something. They moved very carefully.

’The humans of Mushroom Mountain Village are finally ignoring our warning.’

It was a year ago that the two orc brothers had warned those humans who carelessly took resources from Brother Mountain that they’d cultivated and raised. They’d stopped coming so he’d forgotten, but it seemed they’d sent human warriors.

"Pale monkey bastards."

At another orc tree between Brother Mountain’s entrance and mid-slope, he also found traces. Orc trees used to shape axes from orc trees and attach iron full of impurities—very hard but also quite brittle—to make orc weapons were very sensitive resources to orcs.

He couldn’t help but be greatly angered by traces of digging them up. He hurriedly but carefully dug at the tree’s base. Several important roots were broken. Like this, it couldn’t properly absorb beast innards and mountain medicinal herbs, so it had no choice but to become a low-grade orc tree.

’I’ve been raising this one for ten years.’

This year, no—until next year, they’d have to leave it unused as a resource. Until the roots regrew and absorption improved, even if used it would only be good for furniture.

’Total personnel is five? If they have reserves, that makes seven.’

Brother Amantous returned to the cave through the rough areas on the opposite side that were hard for humans to climb. He knew well that greedy humans would never back down.

No one knew who would be the one hunted. They just had to mobilize everything they had. But he soon stopped.

Because his brother was currently suffering from body aches.