Shota's Isekai NTR Adventure Chapter 2010: Emerging from its shell

Surprisingly, the orcs that showed up coordinated their efforts in a manner unusual for their kind.

In fact, they helped one another to propel themselves into the air.

A few orcs stayed rooted in position, using their arms to catapult the others upward, allowing them to get close to me and the egg perched atop Joan's head.

Joan, after all, stood quite tall.

By the moment I snapped out of my surprise, the orcs appeared ready to seize the egg.

Though I desperately wanted to intervene, there was truly nothing I could manage to halt their approach toward the egg.

Thus, I stood helpless, observing as the orcs soared straight toward the egg.

Yet, in the final moments, not a single orc managed to touch the egg, for it abruptly unleashed that familiar energy once more.

Even though the orcs couldn't grasp the egg, the method the egg used to repel them left me far from pleased.

This approach carried its own risks, no doubt.

While the orcs hung suspended in the air, trapped by the force, they didn't appear overly bothered. Joyful expressions even flickered across their faces as the egg's energy elevated them.

I wasn't thrilled by the sight, yet it remained the preferable outcome between the two possibilities.

Had the orcs succeeded in reaching the egg, the consequences were unpredictable.

At the very least, they stayed somewhat controllable even as the energy empowered them.

Visible transformations overtook their forms; I watched as certain areas began expanding. It felt inevitable that they'd soon evolve into an entirely new species.

With such developments unfolding, stopping them became essential.

However, before I could act, an unexpected noise echoed through the air.

"Crack."

I whipped my head toward the egg, realizing the noise originated from it.

This wasn't merely an ordinary noise—it signaled the egg's shell beginning to fracture.

A lone crack appeared initially, yet soon additional fissures spiderwebbed across the shell's exterior. The whole thing seemed poised to shatter completely at any second.

Worry gripped me, as it appeared the egg—or more precisely, its contents—faced peril. I had no clue about the intended hatching timeline, but the current chaos suggested an early emergence.

Still, I remained clueless on how to intervene...

Out of options, I extended both hands toward the egg, as though intending to clutch it. But my aim went beyond mere holding; I meant to compress it, hoping to mend the cracks.

Admittedly, this wasn't a brilliant strategy, but it highlighted my utter lack of better ideas.

In the end, though, I never made contact, for something emerged from the fissures. Upon closer inspection, it resembled a hoof protruding from the egg.

Could that imply the creature within was equine in nature?

Stunned by the hoof's sudden reveal, I saw even more of the limb emerge through the egg's split.

With further exposure, it became clear this wasn't any horse. Scales covered the section just above the hoof, after all.

Horses lacked such features entirely, though this evoked memories from my previous existence.

I felt convinced this being didn't belong in this realm, based on what I recalled from the game.

Yet here it was, manifesting before my eyes.

As cracks multiplied across the egg, the hoof thrust outward, causing the shell to burst into fragments. With the shell in ruins, the entity within stood revealed, confirming my suspicions.

"What is a qilin doing here?" I muttered in a stunned, bewildered tone.

The freshly hatched qilin from the egg abruptly opened its eyes, scanning the surroundings as if searching for a particular target.

Only when its gaze settled on me did the qilin cease its search. After studying me briefly, it began approaching my location.

Despite having just emerged, this qilin moved independently with ease. Its growth clearly surpassed typical expectations for a newborn.

It was like the qilin had advanced considerably even within the egg.

Upon reaching me, it tilted its head upward, seemingly anticipating something from me. Yet I hadn't the faintest idea what it desired.

The tense quiet lingered momentarily until disrupted by the grunts from behind.

One orc had progressed enough to escape the peculiar energy restraining it.

Upon dropping to the ground, it paid me no heed, its focus locked entirely on the qilin.

The intensity in its stare suggested it would go to any lengths to claim the qilin.