This Hero is Sleeping!

The pitcher of water fell off the table—

—And stopped midair.

The pitcher turned upside down and froze at a height while swaying from side to side. Despite its top facing the ground, not a drop of water came flooding out of it.

The Orc hadn't noticed anything odd as it nervously walked up to the pile of hay. Instead of lying down and going to sleep on it, the Orc picked up the pile of hay and started stacking it up in front of the door. Before it could turn toward them, Claude softly grabbed the pitcher and pulled it under the table. He turned the right side up and looked at Elric with a curious and scared gaze.

Elric was covering half his face with one hand and had his other palm stretched out toward the pitcher. He scoffed and looked at the pitcher with an unyielding gaze.

"What the heck was that?" Claude mouthed. His voice didn't reach out, but Elric could tell what he asked.

"My secret ability," Elric mouthed back and posed, crossing his stretched arm over his chest and arching his back to the side. "Ruler of Water!"

"What!?"

Despite his silence, Elric was rather sad about his lack of mana. He had come to a different world and fainted after making a single ball of water. That was the extent of his damned abilities! How could Elric ever face someone and say 'Your fate is in my hands' with just that much? He thought it was useful for when he couldn't sleep, but there wasn't a time when Elric couldn't sleep.

But that disappointment changed when he tried to control pre-existing water. The water inside the pitcher was forced together so well that not a single drop fell, and he didn't feel more than a drop of mana leaving his body. It was finally his time to shine.

Claude and Elric engaged in a bewildering exchange as the Orc continued with its business. It piled up the hay in a tall stack in front of the door, blocking the entrance.

Just as the last of the hay was being piled up, Elric and Claude's gaze fell on the white mist wafting outside the hut.

The Orc was blocking the mist from coming side.

The two of them stopped their bickering and exchanged gazes.

'Do you think hay would stop it?'

'Probably not? But it should help a bit.'

They nodded and quietened down. The orc paced around the place, and before long, the mist started permeating into the hut.

Just as they had expected, the hay didn't help avoid it, but the mist that came in felt like wisps of white smoke and not a storm as it would have outside. Visibility inside the house had dropped considerably, and the light of the sun was barely coming as well, making the place darker.

The Orc walked up to the edge of the room, right opposite the table, and sat down.

Claude looked down at his hands. The stone-spiked club of the goblins was still in his hands, as for Elric, he turned his gaze to see Elric had formed a tiny needle from the water he had controlled. Claude had no idea how Elric had managed to learn and absorb the technique of controlling water to this extent already. He could only hope that the fact it wasn't something Elric had generated was what made it easier to control.

"Say," Claude spoke up after considering for a few seconds. His whisper was soft, but it was considerably bolder than before. "Should we bring this orc down? In the mist, we won't have to worry about others."

The mist would usually last for about thirty minutes in their experience.

"These Orcs know something."

Elric lowered his gaze at Claude's words, the needle still floating in front of his hands. After a few seconds, he nodded.

The two of them turned their gaze forward again. The Orc seemed to have noticed the whispers and was slightly on edge.

At that moment, Claude pulled up the club of the goblin.

Soft clangs rang out as the club lightly tapped against the table.

The Orc raised its head.

The clanging got louder and faster.

"GRRAR!" The Orc screamed and stood up. It shook its head around as its heavy feet fell one after the other. It made its way to the table. The Orc took the next step, its feet rose to the air and came stomping down to the ground, where a thin puddle of water formed a sheet. Instead of moving aside, the sheet of water maintained its form for a split second before breaking apart.

Surprised, the Orc lost its balance and reeled back. It raised its other foot to step backward, but as it fell, a round object of wood came under its feet.

The pitcher of water that was on the table rolled over at the perfect time, making the Orc further break its balance. The hefty body of the pig-faced giant was pulled backward as it started falling.

"GET THIS!"

A club of stone came swinging toward the falling Orc. Its spikes swerved through the air and rammed into the two tusks sticking out of the monster's mouth.

Stinging pain coursed through the monster's nerves as its two long ivory tusks snapped in half from the impact. Before it could even react, the club swung upward and came crashing down on its neck.

The Orc slammed against the ground and winced in pain.

A giant monster was naturally too slow.

In the blink of an eye, the much smaller Claude swiftly swung the club again and slammed it into the Orc's face.

Elric and Claude had completely left the cover of the table and assaulted the Orc.

Claude was absurdly strong for a student from a peaceful world, but that was all.

The Orc tanked the next hit.

"GRA!"

It growled and stretched its arm out in a slap. The swing of the monster's arm pushed away Claude's oncoming club and rammed into his stomach.

"Ugh!" Claude was pushed back. On top of the sheer force of the strike, the swing of the arm sent burns of pain all over Claude's skin.

The Orc's hand slammed down and it was about to turn toward the child when a blunt impact smashed into the back of its head. Elric had grabbed a stone from the fireplace and hammered the Orc's head down. In the barely visible space, it was tough to see things one wasn't focusing on.

The Orc turned its gaze toward Elric who had raised his hand for another strike. It was about to punch the kid.

A needle of water shot into its eye. The needle flooded the Orc's eye at once, it pushed the Orc back and blinded it, but couldn't tear through the eye.

"Fucking Orc!"

The swings of the Club returned, this time at a much faster pace than before. Elric watched dazedly for a few seconds as Claude thrashed the giant Orc's face with each swing of his club, as if he had been using one his entire life.

They were winning.

It was time to end this.

Elric raised the heavy stone high again and jumped over to the Orc's bottom. He aimed it right below the torso and between the legs of the monster.

"Secret Move!" Elric screamed. "The NUTCRACKER!"

"GAAAR!"

Pain incomparable to ever before climbed up the Orc's spine as the stone found its target and completely cracked its nuts. As if an electrifying sensation spread through its body, the Orc's limbs stretched out wildly while bumps rose all over its green skin.

Claude pulled the club back again.

"STOP!!"

Claude and Elric both stopped in their tracks and looked at each other. The two kids were heaving out each breath.

Claude raised his chin.

Elric shook his head.

Claude's brows furrowed.

"Stop… Please… Grabar Begs…"

Their eyes creaked over back to their target. With droll dripping down its mouth and tears flooding its eyes, the Orc begged them to stop.

"It was a monk..."