And after that incident… I found myself in this world.
The world of World of Ash and Steel.
Just like in the challenge.
As an orc.
More precisely, I was born into this world as an orc child.
At first, I thought it was nothing more than a terrifying nightmare. Something my mind had created after staring at the screen for too long. But as days passed—no, as years passed—living as an orc child, I finally understood the truth.
This world was real.
It was exactly that game.
And yet, I still don't know how I truly ended up here. The last thing I remember is accepting the challenge… being dragged into the screen… and then being born into this world as an orc infant.
Nothing in between.
As time passed, I slowly adapted to this body. To this world. I began gathering information, observing everything around me.
That was when I learned the truth of my birth.
I was the child of the chieftain's sister of the Talak Tribe.
At first, I thought that was a blessing.
But with time, I realized it was actually a curse.
My mother—my orc mother in this world—died the moment she gave birth to me. That alone was tragic… but it wasn't the real problem.
The real problem was how I was born.
Before my birth, my mother had been captured by humans. They experimented on her. Dark mages used her body in forbidden rituals, attempting to create offspring using human blood.
That was the reason I existed.
My body was human-like in shape, but my skin, my strength, my endurance—everything else was unmistakably orc.
At first, I thought this made me special.
I was wrong.
The orcs despised humans. Humans hunted them relentlessly and branded them as monsters. And because I was born with human blood, that hatred was directed at me.
I was insulted. Mocked. Spat on.
Some didn't even bother hiding their desire to kill me if given the chance.
The only reason I was still alive was because the chieftain of the tribe—my uncle by blood—protected me.
Nothing more.
"Seventeen years have passed…"
"When I look at myself now, even I find it strange."
"I stand at around six and a half feet tall—about the height of an average human. Not the towering frame people expect from an orc. Just… normal."
"My hair is black. Short. Smooth, though always a little messy no matter how much I try to fix it. Guess some habits never change."
"And my eyes…"
"…emerald green."
"Too bright. Too sharp. They don't look like an orc's eyes. Every time I catch my reflection, I'm reminded of that."
"My body looks human, but the strength inside it isn't. I can feel it with every breath, every step. Power that doesn't belong to this shape—yet obeys it."
"I'm not fully human."
"And I'm not fully orc."
"I've lived seventeen years in this body, in this world… long enough to know that I don't belong anywhere."
"…But that's fine."
"If this world won't give me a place—
then I'll carve one out myself."
A gray wolf burst through the tall trees and thick bushes. Something was chasing it.
The wolf slipped into the undergrowth and stopped near a tree, looking around frantically, as if hiding from something it deeply feared. Several wounds were visible across its body, fresh and old alike.
Then—
Viiish!
A sword flew out of nowhere.
The wolf tried to escape, but it was too late. The blade cleanly severed its head. Blood sprayed briefly across the leaves and tree bark.
The sword was caught mid-air by a humanoid figure with green skin.
He was an orc.
"Finally," the orc said calmly. "That thing ran way too much."
"I've never heard of wolves running like that," he muttered.
A blue window suddenly appeared before his eyes.
[Congratulations! You have gained 30 EXP.]
Another blue screen followed immediately.
[Congratulations! You have reached Level 10.]
The orc stared at it for a moment before letting out a breath.
"Finally… after seven years," he said. "This part of World of Ash and Steel is seriously brutal."
"You can level up your character," he continued in his thoughts, "but it's ridiculously hard. I honestly don't know why the developers thought this was a good idea."
Fortunately, the game didn't rely only on leveling. Characters could also be trained to raise their stats directly. That was why most gamers preferred training their characters instead of chasing levels.
"But difficulty always comes with rewards," the orc said to himself.
And those rewards were skills.
Every five levels, players received a skill tailored to their character. Yes, skills could be obtained through specific training methods, but their quality could never match the ones earned through leveling.
Another blue screen appeared.
[Congratulations! You have obtained a new skill: Killer Move.]
Killer Move:
Boosts all user stats by 20%.
Passive Effects:
– When damage is dealt using sharp-bladed weapons, a Bleeding effect is applied.
– Until treated by special means or stopped by the user, the target loses 3% of its max HP per minute.
– When used alongside defensive equipment, the effects of shockwaves and status abnormalities are reduced by 15%.
The orc read through the details slowly.
"Damn…" he muttered. "Am I really allowed to be this strong?"
"This is an insane skill."
Another screen appeared.
[Second Awakening has begun.]
From now on, you will receive one skill every 3 levels.
"Now that's more like it," the orc said, feeling a sense of relief.
After skinning the wolf, he nodded to himself.
"Alright. I can head back now."
He wore a belt made from special fur, with a leather strap designed to hold a sword sheath. A dagger hung at his side as well.
His hair was short, black, slightly messy, yet smooth in its own way. His green eyes stood out sharply, and his face was far more refined than that of a typical orc. Well-defined muscles were clearly visible beneath his skin.
Standing at least 6'5" tall, he slowly began walking between the trees and bushes, disappearing deeper into the forest.