Other Orcs grew like wild mushrooms: big, fast, and thoughtless. But Kenji grew like a thorn—slow, cunning, and painful when touched.
It had been over a month since he was reborn in this small body. In that short time, his body had transformed: his dark green skin hardened like rhino hide, his fangs sharpened, and his eyes glowed red with increasingly sharp pupils. Yet compared to other Orcs, his body was still smaller—even for his current size. If a normal Orc was as tall as a seven-year-old human child, Kenji was still like a skinny, agile five-year-old.
But that didn't matter.
Kenji knew from the start: muscle strength wasn't the only way to survive. In this world, big creatures could crush enemies with a single blow—but that also made them predictable. Too much reliance on instinct, too little use of the mind.
And in the middle of it all, Kenji—the former overthinking Japanese salaryman—found he had an unmatched advantage: the power to analyze.
The cave they lived in wasn't just a lair. It was a complex living system. In a week, Kenji had drawn a rough mental map: entry and exit routes, water sources, where the adults gathered, the area where carcasses were dumped, even small holes connecting to lower caves where strange sounds echoed at night.
Kenji began observing the adult Orcs' behavior. They weren't all stupid. Some had clear roles: guards, gatherers, gatekeepers. But the most interesting part was how Orcs acted when there was no immediate threat.
They had a system—primitive, yet systematic.
There were leaders. There were followers.
And everyone feared one place: the Blood Stone.
It was a huge altar in the main cave, impaled with skulls of various creatures. Atop it was an ancient symbol carved in blood. On full moon nights, Orcs knelt before it, chanting, beating their chests until they bled.
"They worship something..." Kenji thought.
But that wasn't all. When Kenji eavesdropped behind rocks, he heard names:
"Goroth hasn't chosen a successor."
"If the queen dies, the clan must pick a new leader in the Trial of Three Bloods."
"Females can't ascend the throne. That's the Ancestors' law."
This clan wasn't wild. They had structure. Traditions. Even superstitions.
And that meant—they could be manipulated.
That afternoon, Kenji sat behind a large rock, scratching simple shapes into the dirt with his sharp nails: circles for Orcs, triangles for the Blood Stone, arrows for movement. This wasn't just idle doodling—it was strategy.
Across from him sat a young Orc twice his size but with a blank face.
His name was Gruk. Twice Kenji's size, muscles hard as rope, but too dumb to understand tactics. Since day one, Gruk tried to intimidate Kenji with growls and throwing stones. But every time, Kenji countered by distracting Gruk with food or trapping him in small injuries.
Now, Gruk sat staring at the drawings, puzzled.
"Is this... a game?" Gruk asked in a low voice, almost like an animal questioning its shadow.
Kenji nodded. "Yes. A game of who's smartest."
Gruk grinned. "Gruk smart. Gruk hit hard."
Kenji chuckled shortly. "But if you hit a rock, it doesn't die. If you hit an Orc, you might be eaten in your sleep."
Gruk stopped grinning.
"If you know your enemy, you survive. If you know your friends, you win," Kenji continued.
Gruk scratched his bald head. "Who's Gruk's friend?"
Kenji looked deep into his eyes. "We survive together. But only one can lead."
That night, the cave shook with a rare event: a fight among adult Orcs near the Blood Stone. Three huge Orcs tore at each other with fangs and bones. Blood splattered on the walls. The loser was dragged into darkness by other Orcs. No mercy. Only brutal natural selection.
Kenji watched from afar. His eyes didn't reflect horror, but calculation.
One by one, the leadership contenders destroyed each other.
Fewer and fewer remained.
The next day, Kenji sneaked through a narrow crack he had found earlier. The path led to the stone warehouse where Orcs stored leftover food—usually locked by adults, but the guard had died in the previous night's duel.
Kenji took only a little. He wasn't stupid. Too much would raise suspicion. But enough for three to eat.
When he returned, he shared some with Gruk.
Gruk looked confused. "Kenji... strong?"
Kenji nodded. "Strength isn't about muscle. It's knowing when to strike, and when to stay quiet."
Day by day, Kenji gathered something even the adults couldn't make: loyalty.
Two young Orcs began following him. Gruk—loyal because of food—and Brakka, a small female Orc with an old back wound. No one cared about her, but Kenji gave her some rotten meat when she was starving. Since then, she never left Kenji's side.
The three of them—a small Orc with a human brain, a big but dumb Orc, and an outcast female—formed the first small tribe.
And that threatened the hierarchy.
That afternoon, as they watched from behind a rock, Kenji showed his rough drawing on the ground:
"Here, we steal meat. There, big Orcs sleep. We throw stones. They chase left. We go right."
Gruk nodded slowly. Brakka just stared.
That night, the plan worked perfectly. The adults were distracted by the noise. Kenji and his two companions took four large chunks of meat and escaped to the lower cave.
No one noticed.
The next morning, they returned as usual, pretending to be hungry and confused like the others.
And that night, something changed.
[Skill Unlocked: Adaptive Touch]
Kenji froze as a voice echoed inside his mind. Not an Orc voice, not from outside—but like a system: cold and clear.
Skill: Adaptive Touch – Allows the user to absorb tactical information from inanimate objects and the environment through touch. Effectiveness increases with strategic complexity.
His eyes widened. This world wasn't just brutal—it was system-based.
That explained why he survived. Why his mind remained human. Maybe this world recognized his intellect—and turned it into power.
A few days later, Gruk challenged him.
In front of other young Orcs, Gruk stood and declared, "Gruk wants to lead. Kenji... too small. Can't lead."
Kenji knew this moment would come. And he was ready.
He smiled faintly and replied, "Alright. Let's prove it. Who deserves to lead."