I Became a Foreign Worker Loved by Transcendents

Chapter 160: Second Teacher...?

“Death.”

His neck was severed, and strength drained from his body.

That was the end recognized by Kamachu.

As the one who severed his neck said, no matter how much vigor one displayed, it would be futile in the face of overwhelming power; that was the nature of life.

“This is death.”

But that moment had not yet completely passed.

Even with his head on the ground, Kamachu was still perceiving the world, and his wide-open eyes were fixed on the outsider who had severed him.

They were fixed on the enemy, who was already preparing to turn his back after finishing the fight.

“If I let him go, they’ll die. My kin will die...”

The moment he realized those footsteps were headed in the direction his kin had fled, the sensation in his fingertips began to return.

His joints, which should have stiffened, began to stretch, and his open hand demonstrated the will to grasp his fallen head from the ground.

“Do you desire power?”

As his dead body rose, fragments of the past began to faintly resurface in Kamachu’s mind.

A canyon they had reached while wandering, searching for a place to live with his kin.

A cup filled with blood presented by a powerful figure who had overwhelmed him when they came to this place.

“If so, drink. Drink and gain power.”

He felt tempted the moment he faced the cup, instinctively understanding that by drinking it, he would be reborn as a new being.

To truly achieve the honor he desired.

And to protect his kin, he would need immense power to defend against all the dangers in this world.

“What is the price of gaining power?”

And it was certain that such power would not come freely.

Foreseeing this question, he responded with a deep smile.

“Everything.”

It meant that from the moment he drank the cup and needed power, he would become a slave to that power.

If that happened, he would no longer be an orc, and it would be impossible to pursue the honor he admired in the orcs.

“My kin...”

But he had resolved himself for that as well.

Even if he became a different being, and even if he fell into slavery.

“I will protect my kin...!”

If he could protect his kin at that cost.

Because he believed that everything he achieved would remain in this world.

-Thud!

The moment the body that had risen from the end kicked off the ground and rushed in, I hurriedly moved back and glared at the body.

“...What is that?”

The headless orc was standing up.

It stood up holding its head in its hand, rushed in, and smashed the building of the settlement with a magic-filled fist.

How is this possible?

I’m sure I hit its vital spot; I cut off its entire head, so how can it stand up?

“I am... Kamachu.”

The first thought that came to mind was that it had revived as an undead, but the feeling was entirely different from the undead.

There was no ominous aura, and its corpse was not decaying.

The strength felt from the blood vessels rising from its severed neck was definitely not an illusion caused by my confusion.

“I will protect my kin...”

A bizarre situation where a voice was leaking out from such a severed section.

The magic surging from its body was concentrated in its head held in its hand and soon began to swing towards where I was.

“You will never leave... Aaaah!!”

Bang!!!

The head, swung like a flail, mercilessly smashed the buildings of the settlement, and the accompanying mana spread wildly, turning the surroundings into chaos.

The ferocity was incomparable to before. I could feel my breath gradually stiffening in real-time as I struggled to approach.

Damn, what the hell is going on? It’s not even an undead, so why did it suddenly come back to life?!

-Screeech!!

But whatever it is, if it has come back to life, I just have to kill it again to put it to rest.

But no matter how lively it seemed, it was now just an organ without a master.

“...This is how to eliminate a creature turned into a vampire.”

-Splat!

Cheska stomped on the heart thrown on the ground, crushing it.

Even though his foot and clothes were soiled by the action, Cheska didn’t care and began to look at me intently.

“Is there anything you don’t understand from my explanation so far?”

The cold gaze felt beyond his glasses.

His usual blunt expression felt different with his feet covered in blood.

“...You.”

Naturally, I couldn’t help but be tense.

Calmly throwing a dagger at an enemy that even I, a hero, couldn’t help but be bewildered by, and nonchalantly reciting how to break it.

“How did you do that just now?”

“Anyone can learn how to hunt abnormal beings if they look through the records.”

“No, what you did just now isn’t something you can learn...”

“By the way, it’s a bit late to mention this.”

As I questioned him, Cheska freed all the expedition members from their restraints and patted their backs encouragingly.

Afterwards, he stood up and began moving in the direction the orcs had fled.

“You don’t need to worry about the fleeing orcs. I’ve already anticipated their escape route and set traps.”

“...What?”

“Even if they have intelligence, their behavior usually relies on their physical abilities. Instead of erasing their traces or causing confusion, they tend to escape in a direction that makes it physically difficult for their pursuers to follow.”

Saying so, he arrived at a slope not far from the settlement.

The steep slope, densely covered with trees and bushes, seemed difficult to traverse quickly unless you had strong physical abilities like an orc.

However, what was visible at the bottom of the slope were the bodies of the orcs believed to have fled.

Seeing over a hundred orc corpses cut into pieces and scattered at the bottom of the cliff, my breath was stifled as Cheska approached something tied between the trees and began to pull it.

With a sharp sound, the blood-stained thread was being retrieved.

I realized immediately upon seeing it.

While I was fighting the orcs, he had already anticipated their escape and set traps in their potential escape routes.

And he was sure that all the escaping orcs would die without exception, setting the traps and then coming to help me capture the revived leader.

“So, what will you do now?”

Despite doing all that, Cheska didn’t celebrate but looked at me as if he had just done his job.

I instinctively flinched because I sensed that the person before me was not just an ordinary noble.

“Wh-what do you mean?”

“We’ve defeated the orc leader and massacred the subordinates around him, successfully taking over the settlement.”

He was explaining the situation he had assessed without concern.

“But the subordinates here aren’t all of them. From what I’ve observed, their goal isn’t reproduction, so their numbers are smaller than expected. However, from my investigations so far, it seems there are quite a few orcs that have migrated from outside.”

Unlike me, who couldn’t make proper judgments in the sudden situation, he had a clear grasp of the situation.

Despite this, he wasn’t taking the lead himself but was asking for my opinion.

“Whether to stay here and continue the hunt or to retreat nearby to resupply and then return to handle it... that decision is up to you as the leader of the expedition.”

Despite having the status of a noble, it seemed he didn’t base his identity on such a position.

-Gulp.

Saliva flowed into my suddenly dry throat.

Suppressing that sensation, I soon spoke out my response to his words.

“...We need to continue the hunt.”

“You have decided to stay here and continue the hunt... is that correct?”

“Yes, we have resupplied before coming here, so we still have some leeway...”

“Understood. Then I’ll integrate the prisoners into the main force and instruct the expedition to come here and establish a base.”

Saying so, Cheska Plandor began to gradually move away from me.

While he was persuading the trembling prisoners to follow him, I took a moment to pull out and examine one of the notes I had in my possession.

[Written here are the ways to win over your second teacher who will aid in your growth. Open this after completing your first large-scale hunting mission.]

The first large-scale hunt was presumably about the orcs occupying this canyon.

If so, does that mean Cheska will be my second teacher after Jang?