Laying Traps (Please Support)

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"I'll have to learn some poisoning techniques next time."

In the woods, a safe distance from the Orc settlement, Gu Su stood beneath the shade of a tree with his hands behind his back, staring intently toward the distant ruins.

The Skeletons under his command were hard at work in an orderly fashion.

Ordinary Skeletons gripped rough planks with both hands and dug furiously at the earth. Soil slid down in soft showers as they quickly dug one trap after another, each of suitable depth.

Nearby, the Elite Skeletons stood in a circle, gripping their sharpened weapons and carefully carving thick logs. Wood chips flew as sharp, pointed stakes gradually took shape—deadly spikes intended for the bottoms of the traps.

Earlier, Gu Su had cautiously made brief contact with the Orcs.

He had originally had a great plan. Just as he had with the Wild Marsh Wolves, he would send White Crow to provoke the Orcs and lure them out one by one, then concentrate the Skeleton Squad's strength to eliminate them individually. It would be safe and efficient.

But he had never imagined that the moment White Crow, who had been sent to provoke them, flew over the ruins where the Orcs lived—

before it could even approach one of the Orcs Gu Su had picked out, a tall Orc swung its arm. The rough wooden club in its hand whooshed through the air and slammed into White Crow.

With a sharp crack, White Crow was instantly smashed to pieces. White bone feathers and fragments of bone scattered in every direction.

That single blow was all it took for Gu Su to make up his mind.

The Orcs' attack power was at least 3.

That figure might not seem high, but against his Skeletons, it was deadly.

Ordinary Skeletons had only 1 defense and 10 health. If an Orc landed a hit, it would take roughly three blows to smash one apart.

Even the Elite Skeletons, with their somewhat higher defense, could withstand only one more hit. They wouldn't last long.

Clearly, in a head-on fight, his Skeleton Squad had no advantage whatsoever. They were at an absolute disadvantage.

Even if he called over all six Zombies guarding the Graveyard Demon's territory, it wouldn't help.

Zombies had 3 defense, and Orcs could still damage them. And Orcs weren't stupid; they wouldn't focus on the Zombies while ignoring the Skeletons.

So this time, he had to win through strategy, not force.

And that brought Gu Su's greatest weakness into sharp focus.

He had accumulated plenty of experience, but since he hadn't completed his level-up quest, he still couldn't advance. As a result, he hadn't unlocked any necromancy spells either.

If he were any other Necromancer of his level, he would already be using all kinds of bone, curse, and poison spells.

He could wear down enemies from a distance and weaken them. Unlike Gu Su, who was tied down and could only rely on the most primitive, basic traps to deal with his foes, leaving him in a sorry state.

Thanks to the Skeletons' efficiency, the traps were nearly finished.

While they worked, Gu Su ordered the Skeletons to whittle the thick logs he had prepared into spears about three meters long. He sharpened the tips of each one until they were razor-sharp. They felt heavy in the hand and packed a serious punch.

They had also finished laying traps made from various vines.

Gu Su wasn't a professional hunter, but he knew a few things about setting traps.

He had already worked out a plan of attack.

He would lure the Orcs into the woods, but he couldn't let them get too close to the Skeletons' ambush sites, much less give them a chance to charge the Skeleton Squad head-on.

Instead, he would use traps to split the enemy apart. The ordinary Skeletons would pin down the Orcs with their spears, while the Elite Skeletons moved in to attack.

The two Spellcaster Skeletons who could use magic would wait behind them, ready to attack wherever trouble arose and provide support.

As for the one that couldn't cast spells, it was now carrying a wooden spear and blending in with the ordinary Skeletons.

With the Skeletons working together, all the traps were finally in place.

Gu Su had carefully chosen every trap location.

Some were hidden behind trees, concealed and inconspicuous, yet positioned along the Orcs' unavoidable route into the woods.

Others were near the Skeletons' ambush positions. The moment an Orc fell into one, the Skeletons lying in wait could attack at once, leaving no chance to struggle free.

Once everything was arranged without a flaw, Gu Su raised his hand again and waved to the White Crows perched in the branches.

At his signal, the White Crows immediately flapped their wings and swept toward the ruins where the Orcs lived, a vast black flock whose chattering cries broke the wilderness silence.

As the flock drew near, the Orcs in the ruins quickly noticed something unusual in the woods.

They stopped what they were doing and exchanged glances. Wild excitement flashed across their faces. Without a moment's hesitation, more than a dozen Orcs drew their iron weapons and charged toward the woods, howling with excitement.

There was not a trace of unease or fear in their eyes, only a fervent hunger for battle.

Within a radius of one or two thousand meters, they were the undisputed overlords. They had never encountered anyone bold enough to provoke them. Now that someone had come to them, they could finally let off some steam.

It never occurred to them that anyone might have set traps in these woods.

They hunted and roamed here every day. They knew the place like the backs of their hands. In their own words, they could walk through these woods with their eyes closed and never take a wrong step.

But they could never have guessed that this time, they would run into a schemer like Gu Su, who had set deadly traps in the very place they knew best.

The dozen or so Orcs had barely taken a few steps into the woods when several sharp snaps rang out. Several of the Orcs at the front tripped over the vine snares Gu Su had set earlier. They lost their balance and crashed heavily to the ground, their weapons flying from their hands.

As they struggled to get back up, the Skeletons lying in wait in the trees released the ropes they were holding. One sharpened log after another plunged straight down with a whistle, aimed at the Orcs sprawled on the ground.

Gu Su had carved and sharpened every one of those logs himself with the Plague Cutter. The Plague Toxin left on the cutter had also clung firmly to the tips.

Even if the blow didn't kill an Orc outright, the poison on the stakes would be more than enough to make them suffer. At best, they would grow weak all over and lose the ability to fight; at worst, the poison would kill them on the spot.

At the same time, the other Skeletons thrust their spears at the Orcs, driving them toward the locations of the other traps.