“—That makes 500.”

A dagger plunges into the orc’s neck, reducing its HP to zero.

However, the dagger, worn down from previous use, breaks from this final blow.

Knowing it was nearing its limit, I quickly draw and equip a new dagger without missing a beat.

Next, I check the SP bonus from my awards, and immediately allocate the points into my skills.

I have achieved three awards up until now.

【Goblin Slayer】 for reaching a total of 1000 goblin kills.

【Demihunter】 for reaching a total of 1000 demihuman kills.

And the one I just achieved, 【Orc Hunter】 for reaching a total of 500 orc kills.

The SP gained has already been allocated into my skills.

However, the Stampede is entering its 【Second Wave】.

The number of appearing goblins has more than doubled, and the appearance rate of higher-ranked species is also increasing.

Currently, the town of Loine does not possess the strength to survive the 【Third Wave】.

Considering the time it takes to search for the boss, it’s about time to start moving.

Still, I need a bit more.

Just a bit more SP is lacking.

Even as it stands now, I have enough stats to kill a 【Goblin King】.

But the thought of encountering a rare case makes me feel insecure about my stats.

The odds are minuscule.

While the possibility is low, considering a safety margin, my current stats leave me uneasy.

(Let’s get another award)

Due to the 【Second Wave】, the total number of monsters has increased.

In this state, I can get that award.

The 【Monster Hunter】 award, which can be obtained by killing 100 monsters within a minute.

After advancing in the game to a certain extent, this award becomes easy to get.

Therefore, in high-level areas, it only provides a small amount of SP.

However, in terms of SP that can be earned at the very beginning, it’s an extraordinary amount.

Yet, the condition of 【100 kills within a minute】 is quite challenging.

Simply calculated, it requires killing more than 1.7 monsters per second.

If one can use sword techniques that deal damage over a wide area, or magic with penetration attributes, it’s not a difficult award to earn.

When monsters are crowded, you could potentially get it in one shot if you’re lucky.

But I haven’t learned either of those yet.

I have to take down each and every one with single-hit techniques.

— Ability 『Ability Release』

A technique that is unlocked when both 【Body Technique】 and 【Physical Enhancement】 levels reach 4 or above.

The effect is 【No ST consumption and a 200% increase in attack power while the ability is active】.

However, 【ST continues to decrease at a set rate】.

The effect lasts until ST reaches zero or the activation is cancelled.

The cooldown is one hour at level 4.

During that time, you can use sword techniques as many times as you want.

Considering the remaining amount of ST, I can only keep it active for about 30 seconds.

If I keep 『Ability Release』 active any longer, even if I managed to get the award, I’d be ganged up on by the monsters as soon as my ST runs out.

I only get one chance.

Holding a new dagger in each hand, I dash towards the horde of monsters.