{11,327}
After the first horde, Akhil was left with a small fortune.
It wasn’t much, but compared to the other players he was far ahead—maybe not ahead of everyone, but it was definitely a high number.
That was enough to get him over twenty stabilizers, and Akhil didn’t hesitate to buy them.
Helping the orcs was his primary mission at the moment. Making money wasn’t an issue; this was a small investment for a better future. Besides, he already had other means to grow stronger himself.
Akhil went through the orc camp, handing out the stabilizers. He gave ten portions to Nibo and shared the remaining ten with some of the orcs.
At the moment, he only had two left and was about to give those to another orc when his gaze fell on a sick orc who was nearly as large as Nibo.
Akhil paused, then took a sharp turn toward the orc.
The orc looked surprised as Akhil stopped in front of him. He gave Akhil a quizzical look as Akhil brought his hands closer.
"Aren’t you going to use it for the others? You need a powerful force, you don’t need to waste it on me," the man said, raising a brow.
Akhil smiled softly. "I have a feeling you’ll be a better investment than the others."
The man burst into loud laughter, which was quickly followed by a violent cough. "Aren’t we meant to be scared that our leader has turned into a businessman? His people are now investments," the man joked.
Akhil laughed, waving his hand as if to clear the man’s doubt. "I didn’t mean it that way. But my instinct tells me you’ll be a force to be reckoned with."
He looked much like the orc tribal chief from the game. If he was right, having the man among their forces would be a great addition.
"You said you haven’t tested the stabilizers on any of the sick orcs before. What if it doesn’t work? We can’t afford to waste them if they’re limited," the old man reasoned.
"He’s right," a much younger orc added from behind.
Akhil glanced briefly at the younger orc, noticing the remark was driven more by greed than concern. The young orc was eager to get a stabilizer and hated seeing the opportunity slip away.
Akhil turned back to the large orc. "Well, we’ll never know if it works unless we try."
"But—"
"Sir, what’s your name?" Akhil asked calmly.
"My name’s Ryan."
"Sir Ryan, I want you to be greedy for once. You can be generous on the battlefield," Akhil said calmly.
The man looked at Akhil, silent for a while, his eyes filled with hesitation and thought. His expression shifted between doubt and curiosity as if weighing Akhil’s words carefully.
After what felt like a full minute, Ryan finally let out a slow sigh of defeat.
"Alright... what’s your name?" he asked quietly.
Since Akhil had called him by name, it felt rude not to return the gesture, especially for someone so determined to help him despite the risk. Ryan had seen the effort Akhil poured into helping the orcs, and he couldn’t help but respect that kind of resolve.
"My name..." Akhil paused for a moment. It had been a while since he’d heard anyone call him by his real name. For days now, the orcs had only known him as Nexus. Slowly, he’d started to accept that identity, letting it merge with who he was becoming.
But at that moment, he wanted to remember who he truly was.
"My name is Akhil," he said, extending his hand for a handshake.
Ryan gripped it firmly, his gaze steady. "Akhil, I’ll do everything I can to support you in this hellish game, so long as I’m still breathing."
Akhil smiled. "Then I’ll do the same."
Without wasting time, Akhil transferred the serum to Ryan. The vial vanished from his inventory, reappearing instantly in Ryan’s.
"Let’s hope your instincts aren’t wrong," Ryan muttered, taking a deep breath. Without another word, he closed his eyes and drank the serum.
Akhil watched closely as Ryan’s body reacted. The large orc clenched his jaw, his muscles twitching as pain coursed through him. With Akhil’s heightened senses, he could hear the orc’s heart pounding—each beat heavier and faster than the last, echoing like a war drum. It was as though his chest might burst open from the pressure.
Slowly, the purple lines that streaked across Ryan’s veins began to fade. The change was subtle at first, but noticeable.
Akhil’s eyes narrowed in quiet amazement. What truly caught his attention wasn’t the fading sickness but Ryan’s endurance. The man didn’t scream. Not a single cry escaped his lips.
He gritted his teeth and dug his fingers into the ground, trembling but never losing control.
Akhil watched as his canines lengthened, sharper and thicker than before. His hair grew longer, wilder. Muscles swelled beneath his skin, veins pulsing with renewed strength. The orc’s green skin deepened in color, becoming richer and more defined. Strange black markings began to surface across his body, tribal-like tattoos that pulsed faintly with light.
All around, the orcs had stopped what they were doing, their attention drawn to the transformation. The camp was silent except for Ryan’s heavy breathing and the faint hum of energy radiating from his body.
Then, just as suddenly as it had begun, everything came to an abrupt stop.
The purple veins reappeared, though much fainter than before.
They were still visible, thin lines running faintly beneath the orc’s skin. The transformation had worked, but the signs of the plague hadn’t vanished completely.
Ryan slowly opened his eyes, glancing down at himself in disbelief. His body looked different, stronger and more defined, but the veins still marred his arms. He let out a quiet sigh, half relief and half frustration.
He quickly summoned his system screen.
{Mutant Level: 3}
"It didn’t change much," Ryan muttered with a short laugh, though disappointment lingered in his tone. "Feels like I just got a makeover."
He was close, painfully close, to breaking through. He could still feel the energy raging inside him, the fire that had ignited the moment he took the serum. For a second, it felt like he would burst from the sheer force of it. Then, suddenly, it was gone. The process had stopped halfway, leaving him trapped between sickness and strength.
He clenched his fists. His muscles were stronger now, but his body was still fragile, still restricted.
The plague was ruthless. It acted almost like a cancer, destroying the body from within. The newly modified cells clashed with the old ones, unable to coexist. The body’s defense system turned against itself, killing both in confusion. Slowly, it stripped away movement, then sight, and finally breath.
It was a slow, cruel death.
Akhil stood silently, watching him with determination burning in his eyes.
He wasn’t going to let this end here. Not after coming this far.
’A person can take the serum twice before it loses effect,’ he thought, recalling the system details. ’That means he still has one more chance.’
"No," Akhil said firmly, stepping forward. "It’ll work. I have one more. We’ll use it."
Ryan frowned, his brow creasing with worry. "What if—"
"Trust me," Akhil cut in, his voice steady. "Just one more time."
Ryan hesitated, then nodded slowly. Hope flickered in his gaze.
Akhil raised his hand, transferring another stabilizer to him. The vial appeared in Ryan’s inventory, glowing faintly with a crimson hue.
Ryan took a deep breath, meeting Akhil’s eyes.
Akhil gave a reassuring nod. "Do it."
Without another word, Ryan closed his eyes and drank the serum.
A moment of silence passed, then a piercing scream ripped through the camp.
Flames erupted from Ryan’s body, engulfing him in a blazing inferno. His skin glowed red-hot as if molten metal flowed through his veins. Akhil instinctively shielded his face, stepping back from the sudden heat.
The fire burned violently, lighting up the night sky. Every orc in the camp froze, watching in awe and horror.
Aria rushed forward, ready to douse the flames, but Akhil held out his arm to stop her. His eyes widened as a system notification appeared before him.
{New Species Unlocked!}
{Great Urum Orc}
{Mutant Level: 4}
The flames gradually subsided, and when the fire finally dimmed, Akhil’s breath caught in his throat.
Ryan stood tall in the ashes, his body transformed, his skin darker and gleaming with a faint metallic sheen. His eyes glowed a deep gold, and intricate black tattoos crawled up his neck and shoulders, pulsing like living veins of power.
Akhil’s lips parted in astonishment.
The name felt familiar, and after seeing Ryan’s transformation, Akhil’s chest tightened.
’Could it be?’
He had seen this particular orc before, and it was perhaps the strongest he had ever faced when he played the game.
This wasn’t just another random orc. This was the strongest orc race.
But there was one issue with the orcs he had faced.
"You’re—"