S-Rank Tactics

The school building was screaming.

Just from the vibration of the orc walking, plaster was peeling off the walls and window frames were warping.

The first floor entrance area was already half-destroyed by its rampage. The shoe lockers were crushed, and the scattered indoor shoes were stained with blood.

(Power idiot. What is it, construction site heavy machinery?)

I observed the carnage from the connecting corridor on the second floor, looking down through the atrium.

If I fought it head-on, even with my Body Strengthening, one hit would turn me into a pulpy mess. The mass difference was too great. It would be like a compact car colliding head-on with a dump truck.

But battle isn't just a numbers comparison of specs.

The key was staying off the enemy's turf and dragging them onto yours instead.

That was S-rank adventurer tactics.

"First, I'll take away its sight and smell."

I dashed to the science prep room.

The door was locked, but I kicked it open.

I rummaged through the chemical cabinet, smashed the hazardous materials cabinet's glass with the rebar, and checked the contents.

Hydrochloric acid, ammonia solution, ethanol.

Just school supplies level, but plenty enough for my current opponent.

"Monsters have sharp senses. Orcs especially have a pig's keen sense of smell."

I grabbed two bottles of ammonia solution and one polyethylene tank of ethanol.

Additionally, I took a can of floor wax from the cleaning supply closet and exited the prep room.

BUMOOOOO!!

A roar echoed from directly below.

The orc had caught the scent of prey and was trying to climb the stairs.

"Whoops, that way's a dead end."

I stood at the staircase landing and let out a sharp whistle.

The piercing sound echoed through the building.

"Hey, pig bastard! The food's over here!"

The orc turned around.

Its murky eyes locked onto me.

A human far smaller than itself was looking down at it, and that fact wounded its kingly pride.

FUGOO!!

The orc changed course and thundered up the stairs.

The handrails crumpled, concrete steps shattered.

Tremendous charging power.

I calmly gauged the timing.

Distance, five meters.

Four, three…

"Eat up, pig."

I hurled the bottle of ammonia solution at the orc's face with everything I had.

GASHAAAN!

The bottle shattered, and high-concentration ammonia splashed all over the orc's snout.

The pungent, acrid smell polluted the surrounding air entirely.

BUGIIIIII!?

The orc screamed and recoiled, covering its face.

For a monster with hypersensitive smell, an ammonia bomb at point-blank range was like having its nasal membranes burned.

It probably couldn't even keep its eyes open.

"Next is the footing."

I slipped past the writhing orc and lured it into the corridor.

The floor was already coated with a sea of floor wax I'd spread earlier.

Blinded and enraged, the orc charged in, but its massive body couldn't keep its footing on the slick surface.

ZUDENN!!

A thunderous crash like a two-ton truck rolling over.

The orc tumbled pathetically and slid down the corridor following the laws of inertia.

What awaited at the end wasn't a wall.

It was the exposed high-voltage cables from the electrical panel I'd destroyed beforehand.

BACHIBACHIBACHI!!

"GYEAAAAAAAH!?"

Electricity coursed through its wet body.

Blue-white sparks flew, and the orc's muscles convulsed.

Not a lethal dose. The voltage wasn't enough to fry that massive frame.

But it was plenty to stop its movements, scramble its thoughts, and push its rage to the breaking point.

"… What a sorry sight."

I looked down at the giant beast from several meters away as it struggled to rise, charred and smoking.

The orc's eyes were bloodshot red, foam bubbling from its mouth.

Not a shred of reason left. Only the murderous urge to crush the annoying little human before it.

(Completely lost its cool. Guidance complete.)

An intelligent enemy would have been wary and stopped.

But monsters acted on instinct.

Cause them pain and they get angry; flee and they give chase.

Exploit that simple nature, and even a superior monster becomes nothing but a puppet on strings.

"Come on. Let's play somewhere with more room."

I beckoned tauntingly and vaulted over the corridor railing.

Destination: first floor.

The entrance hall atrium.

BUMOOOOOOO!!

The orc smashed through the railing and leaped after me.

Its massive body fell in accordance with gravity.

I took a breakfall as I landed and sprinted to the center of the hall.

Behind me, the heavy THUD of the orc's landing echoed.

The marble floor cracked, fragments scattering.

I stopped and turned around.

A spacious hall.

An open space with a ceiling that stretched up to the atrium.

From the second and third floor galleries, students who hadn't escaped in time watched the scene unfold with bated breath.

The perfect stage.

I raised my rebar and slowly faced off against the orc.

No more tricks.

I'd worn it down with traps and stolen its composure with rage.

All that remained was to take its head in a frontal assault.

"Alright, let's finish this."

As if answering my words, the orc raised its club.

S-rank knowledge versus D-rank violence.

Their final clash was about to begin.