When the orcs observed how Michael sat there so nonchalantly, their rage began to bubble. Unlike the scholarly orcs who cherished learning and avoided violence, the Vilnius orcs reveled in brutality. Michael's audacious act of sitting calmly before them ignited their desire to tear him apart.
"You must be out of your mind, human," grumbled another orc. But Michael gently set down the orc he had subdued and propped his leg on top of him.
The orcs seethed with anger, ready to pounce on Michael.
"Stop!" Just as the orcs were about to unleash their fury upon him, Elmer's voice resonated through the hall, freezing them in their tracks.
Elmer, too, couldn't hide his surprise at the sight of the human sitting so casually, his leg resting atop the orc.
"Well, well, well, this is quite unexpected," Elmer chuckled. Yet, a dangerous glint lurked within his eyes, filled with a silent intent to kill.
Michael noticed a yellow aura enveloping Elmer, a clear sign that Elmer possessed strength equal to his own. Of course, Michael was aware that if he unleashed his godly powers, Elmer wouldn't stand a chance in a battle.
"If you're this composed and collected, I'm sure you've got some kind of plan. I doubt you volunteered to see the hostages out of sheer heroism. You must have other intentions," Elmer remarked, then pulled up a chair and seated himself across from Michael.
"Of course," Michael replied with a chuckle. "As you said, I'd be a fool to simply volunteer to check on the hostages."
Elmer glanced at the orcs, silently gesturing for them to step back. The orcs despised seeing their fellow orc under a human's foot, but they dared not cross Elmer.
"Surprise me with your plan, human. But let's start with your name," Elmer requested.
"John," Michael calmly stated.
"So, John, what's your plan here? My orcs have the place surrounded, and the fate of the hostages rests in my hands," Elmer said as he reclined in his chair. Michael listened to Elmer silently.
"You're certainly no angel, that's clear. Even if you're stronger than us in terms of cultivation, you can't simply kill us and rescue the hostages. In fact, if you did, you'd be sentenced to death by the Durran orcs. I must say, those orcs are sticklers for rules and laws," Elmer explained, his tone almost tinged with enjoyment, as if relishing the game.
"Only if they find your bodies," Michael replied, his voice laced with both coldness and amusement.
"A clever one, aren't you? You must have guessed that I wouldn't have come in here and locked myself in with you if I didn't have an escape plan," Michael continued, nodding toward Vedora's heads.
"So, why don't we stop wasting each other's time and split the loot inside the vault? Fighting amongst ourselves will only give Barug and his men more time to break through the door. You and I both know we can't remain locked in here forever," Michael suggested.
Upon hearing this, Elmer burst into laughter. "John, you must have nerves of steel. What makes you think we'd share anything with you?" he asked.
In response, Michael didn't answer but summoned the dark flames. Pitch-black flames materialized above Michael's hand and danced ominously.
Elmer's smile instantly froze as he felt the intense heat emanating from the dark flames. He had never witnessed such all-consuming black flames in his life. Under the shocked gazes of Elmer and the orcs, Michael pressed the dark flames onto the orc beneath his foot.
"ARGGHHHHHH!" The orc let out a blood-curdling scream, but the runes in the room prevented any sound from escaping. The dark flames devoured the orc like a ravenous beast, and within moments, the orc was reduced to nothing. Elmer was startled to see that not even ashes remained.
In a matter of seconds, the fully grown seven-foot orc had been reduced to mere nothingness by the flames.
"Now tell me, Elmer, do you think the Durran orcs wouldn't believe me if I told them you and your gang looted the vault and disappeared?" Michael asked, his smile chilling.
The dark flames had left both the orcs and Elmer visibly sweating. As the dark flames dissipated, the room's temperature gradually returned to normal.
"That dark flame... that's something," Elmer remarked, his surprise evident. However, there was no sign of fear in his expression.
"You seem to have forgotten about the hostages, John. I can recognize a cold-blooded killer when I see one. You might be a killer, but you won't harm the hostages," Elmer declared.
"What's happening in there?" Pink's voice echoed in Michael's ear, but he ignored her, keeping his focus on Elmer.
Instead of responding to Elmer's comment, Michael leaned forward, pointing his fingers at his eyes.
"Look into my eyes and tell me I don't have a plan to deal with the hostages," Michael challenged.
When Elmer locked eyes with Michael, he could clearly discern that John had some sort of plan. His confidence and demeanor spoke volumes, making Elmer second-guess any thoughts of eliminating John. Slowly, Elmer began to realize that John might have a strategy to prevent them from harming the hostages.
"Why are you negotiating with that human scum, Elmer?" one of the orcs, losing patience, growled.
"Yeah, just kill him and toss his body out. It'll send a message," another orc roared.
Michael knew he could dispatch the orcs and Elmer and incinerate their bodies with the dark flames if necessary. However, he considered that option a last resort. Instead, Michael wanted to collaborate with Elmer and the Vilnius gang. He saw an opportunity to work with them to start a side business that would amass a fortune in gold coins.
Michael felt no guilt or remorse about contemplating robbing places like Rideon Funds. According to Pink, Durran was a wealthy kingdom, and accumulating wealth was necessary for his survival in this world. In comparison to his own survival, the prospect of robbery didn't weigh heavily on Michael's conscience.
"We both won't get anything we want until that lazy orc Gilrut breaks the vault. I have to say, John, I spent weeks planning this heist, and you are complicating things. I don't like complications," Elmer coldly remarked, but Michael couldn't help but burst into laughter.
"Weeks? Are you kidding me?" Michael chuckled.
"I could have robbed this place clean in a day or two," he added, with a confident grin.
"A smart man like you knows that giving me my share will be fruitful in the long run. Think about it," Michael urged.
Hearing Michael's proposal, Elmer couldn't help but snicker. "You said you could rob this place in a day or two, so I don't see why you need us," he said, playing along to gather more information.
It was a high-stakes game of mental chess between Michael and Elmer.
"Because I have too many things to do. If you agree to work with me, I'll let you choose the place and time of the robbery and do the legwork. I will give you a foolproof plan to hit the places and clean out the loot with zero complications and a hundred percent success rate," Michael calmly offered.
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Hearing Michael's intention to rob more places, Vedora felt a mix of shock and excitement.
"I've had enough of this!" Suddenly, an impatient orc charged at Michael from behind.
Michael didn't even flinch as he assessed the approaching orc through Elmer's eyes. Swiftly, he moved to the side, grabbed the orc's axe, and pulled the orc off balance.
The orc had severely underestimated Michael's raw strength. In their eyes, he was just a human, but they had no inkling of his godly power. As far as they were concerned, he made the orc feel weightless. When the orc fell under the force of Michael's pull, he snatched the axe from the orc's hand and cleanly severed the orc's head from his shoulders with a single, powerful swing.
Blood splattered across the floor and onto Elmer's face. The orc's lifeless body twitched as its head rolled on the ground.
Michael stood there, his face speckled with blood, and flashed a confident smile at Elmer.
"If you want to work with me, you need to get rid of these idiots," Michael said.
The orcs who had witnessed Michael's incredible speed and raw strength took a step back, their hearts gripped by fear and shock.
"What if you rat us out when you get outside?" Elmer asked, considering the possibility of working with Michael instead of opposing him.
"Honor among thieves," Michael simply replied.
When the other orcs grew agitated and started to inch forward, Elmer swiftly rose to his feet, raising his hands in a calming gesture.
"Stop," Elmer firmly ordered his men.
"I love thrills like this. So, I will agree to give you a share. But I can't give you half. As you can see, I have more mouths to feed," Elmer reasoned.
"Since we will be working together in the future, I can let you take sixty-five percent of the loot," Michael proposed.
"Hahaha," Elmer laughed heartily before wiping the blood from his face.
He then extended his hand toward Michael, sealing their agreement with a handshake.
"You have to clean this blood," Elmer pointed out, and Michael nodded in agreement.
With a flick of his wrist, Michael produced a colorless liquid vial and poured it onto the ground. To Elmer's surprise, the liquid flowed across the floor, completely erasing any traces of blood.
"Now, let's go break the vault," Michael suggested. Unbeknownst to Elmer, a spyder had discreetly crawled onto his robes, concealing itself in his pockets. Soon, this inconspicuous spyder would transmit everything Elmer saw and heard back to Pink's hideout.
Unintentionally, Elmer had just become Michael's subordinate in the pursuit of robbing wealthy places.
As they walked toward the vault, Michael summoned the system to change his attire. His emerald green robes were swiftly replaced with dark robes, his face concealed by a hood and a skull mask.
"I assume you have a plan to break the vault," Elmer inquired, growing more intrigued as he witnessed John's transformation.
"I thought you would never ask," Michael snickered.
Upon reaching the vault room, Michael observed Gilrut still diligently working on the runes to breach the vault. The hostages lay trembling on the ground, their fear palpable. Without hesitation, Michael tossed a glass vial containing his own concoction into the vault room through the open door.
The vial shattered upon impact, startling the hostages.
"What the hell is this?" Gilrut muttered in confusion as he examined the shattered vial. However, before he could react, Gilrut collapsed, unconscious. Everyone inside the vault room, including the orc guards, followed suit, falling to the ground.
Michael then calmly stepped through the door and stood before the imposing metal vault door.
"I am waiting," Elmer stated, his hand subtly gripping the dagger at his waist, prepared for any unexpected actions from John.
To Elmer's astonishment, Michael merely clenched the vault door with his godly strength. Elmer watched in awe as the solid metal door trembled, with cracks beginning to form in the surrounding wall.
The massive vault door continued to crack and tremble under Michael's relentless grip until, with a thunderous crash, it fell to the ground. A dazzling sight met their eyes as the vault's contents were revealed. Shimmering piles of gold coins, sparkling rubies and diamonds, and gleaming gold bars and biscuits lay before them, bathed in a brilliant, radiant light that danced across their faces.
Michael couldn't help but be amused at the sight before him. He turned to Elmer and the other orcs, a wry grin playing on his lips.
"Now that's what I call a damn good score," Michael remarked with a chuckle, his eyes fixed on the glittering treasure trove.
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