The people who had been in a daze just moments ago seemed to have activated their awakening effects in this crisis situation.
‘Nice look in their eyes.’
I had worried about the variables and hid my companions, but I felt a much greater sense of relief seeing their determination to overcome even an unexpected situation.
“Ugh, really! I’m going out to fight too!”
“Ah, just stay still! Is Il-wol acting like this for no reason?”
Ha-yoon seemed ready to jump out at any moment, but Joo-ah held her tightly from behind, stopping her.
‘Don’t underestimate the ogre…’
It’s a creature that has an extreme affinity against sorcerers.
Even an A-rank sorcerer doesn’t recklessly confront them, so what are we planning to do here?
Ogres are known to get excited more easily than orcs, and while they are said to have low intelligence, they’re not foolish enough to charge in like werewolves.
They may appear sluggish, but they have surprisingly good agility and their strength is among the highest among monsters.
Their grip strength is incredible, making it so that even an upper-tier hunter struggles to break free once caught.
Especially, even if status effects are applied, the three horns glowing brightly can quickly dispel them, posing a significant threat to sorcerers and support-type hunters.
Thud—thud—
Once the monsters emerged from the gate, they leisurely scanned the surroundings.
The typical calmness of human-type monsters who recognize they’re strong.
Grrrrrrr───!
“Ugh-!”
As if they had made a promise, the ogres let out their heavy roars.
Even from hundreds of meters away, the sound was so booming that my companions covered their ears simultaneously.
‘They’re increasing in number…’
Did they hear the roars of their kin? They soon started moving toward one spot.
Ogres usually prefer to roam alone, but they don’t reject their kind.
Instead, they reportedly communicate to respect each other’s territories and willingly dedicate themselves for kin in a crisis.
Suddenly thrust into another world, they seem to have assessed the situation as dangerous.
‘Are they grouping up?’
Before I knew it, two had joined, growing the ogre cluster to five.
It was as if they had some pheromones among themselves, as their numbers increased one by one while moving.
They were accurately gathering at a central point.
‘Drawing them in with provocation could be dangerous.’
Drawing aggro for other hunters in the dungeon is something we only do when we have time, but given how fast their numbers are growing, securing our lives comes first.
‘Damn… If they connect with other dungeons, the rank will mean absolutely nothing.’
On my way here, I heard discussions among my companions.
The government and the association were apparently in talks about the rules of dungeon entry, and the most likely proposal was that at least one hunter of a higher rank than the dungeon must be in the party.
The fact that they came up with such a proposal after a whole two weeks of deliberation left many feeling fed up.
‘Having to include a higher-ranked hunter isn’t even close to sufficient.’
With so many ogres crowding around, not even a single B-rank hunter would suffice.
‘Still, if that standard for dungeon entry changes… should I give Cha Jin-hyuk a call? It might be easier to lead things as we intend with someone we know rather than a stranger.’
If events keep unfolding like this in the dungeon, the outcome is clear:
‘Either increase the party size, or just give up.’
Even if you’re not a hunter, an Awakened person can make a living anywhere.
Even working as manual labor in construction would pay significantly better.
So, many have likely put the sweet rewards of subjugation on hold.
If there’s no money to be made, there’s no reason to take the risks and enter the dungeons.
With the danger level rising excessively, there’s no reason to enter the dungeons.
As hunters envision a rosy future of becoming hundreds of billions in annual salary, the number of F-rank hunters willing to take risks will also rapidly decline.
The thrill of exploring a new world and slowly growing is exhilarating, but it isn’t more important than life.
If capable individuals do not grow to face the ogre army that will engulf the world in the future, it means that this world’s future is darkening.
No matter how powerful I become, the range I can cover is limited, and ultimately, we will be walking steadily toward destruction.
While these thoughts crossed my mind, my body had already finished preparing to move.
Leaving my companions behind, I began moving toward the spot where they were gathering.
– Ah, Il-wol-!
Yeon-hee’s voice calling me grew fainter.
The three ogres I had initially spotted had now grown to seven.
The first gate wasn’t all there was, as others suddenly fell within my detection range.
In this situation, it would be more efficient to move alone than to keep Yeon-hee with me.
‘Though there are quite a few hunters fleeing towards the exit.’
It was worth firing off that signal flare early. Those who are now scattering and fleeing without looking back are truly wise.
‘Seems like they will meet right here.’
I planned to explode a bomb at the meeting point.
It’d be more effective to utilize a timed bomb feature than dropping one from above, giving them time to prepare.
[Groundbreaker]
I started digging downwards, placing a hundred pre-prepared skeleton bombs underground.
While I hurried to finish, I felt a party of seven encounter an ogre walking toward my direction.
‘… Of all places, to be at the site where the gate appeared.’
The party immediately entered a combat stance upon spotting the creature.
They likely thought it would be easy to overpower the solitary ogre with their numbers, but that was a massive miscalculation.
The ogre faltered momentarily from the onslaught of the seven skills, but soon regained its balance and began to show its immense strength.
– Fast, fast!
Even encountering a monster I had heard so much about never prepared me for what it was actually like.
– Aah!!
I could hear every sound, even the ones I didn’t want to thanks to [Well-Hearing Ear].
‘The ogre’s running speed is nearly on par with that of a dire wolf, so it wouldn’t be easy to escape. Damn…’
Unfortunately, a man was caught by the ogre, which began using him as a weapon to strike others.
Splat─!
The hunter who collided with the man had his head burst like a watermelon.
His body was torn apart like paper, and the two fleeing sorcerers hastily used skills that didn’t even leave a scratch on the ogre.
It had particularly high magical resistance.
‘If I can’t concentrate, my magic won’t have the needed impact.’
Even though the world has turned like a game, using a skill meant to deal 100 damage doesn’t always mean you will deal 100 damage.
That’s why my trait, [Calm], is such a precious ability.
The hunters who had attempted to attack first quickly realized their mistakes and began to flee.
Thanks to everyone scattering in different directions, a few managed to survive.
Only three remained.
In just a few minutes, four hunters had lost their lives.
And such carnage surely wasn’t happening in just one place.
Hunters were undoubtedly falling prey to them all over the dungeon.
‘Ha…’
With a sigh, I emerged outside again, replenishing my skeleton bombs as I amplified a fireball in one hand.
– [Rage of Pierce Big Boar] is activated.
Strength: 375(+20)
Agility: 393(+20)
As the gathered creatures entered my domain, my strength and agility increased by 20.
In an instant, power surged through my body, and I felt an urge to leap out and scream.
[Calm]
‘Hoo─ Come.’
I never dreamed I could destroy them with the first attack.
This was a completely different situation from when I took down a dire wolf in one slash.
Even if I could apply the swordsmanship I used back then, I wouldn’t see any spectacular scenery occur.
My swordsmanship isn’t perfected yet, and I accurately recognized the limits of my ability through rigorous training.
I might manage to strike at a wrist, but they are monsters that can regenerate even after losing a bodily part.
‘Using the Manhwa Portal would struggle to break through their defenses.’
That technique is most effective against numerous enemies.
With its single destructive power, [Flame Cut] would be the better choice.
For now, I plan to wear down their health as much as possible and lure them toward my companions for a collective strike.
“Grrr!”
“Broo?”
The monsters clashed and exchanged conversations for a while.
‘Eleven of them… I’ve never seen so many ogres gather before.’
Even while chatting, they scratched their heads, confused as if they didn’t know what was happening.
Thinking about it, they might be in a more absurd situation than Chinese folks. There’s no way back for them.
‘Oh no…’
Then, I noticed something familiar in the hand of one of them.
It appeared to be the lower half of a woman, captured by the ogre and bleeding.
The ogre was using her legs as a toothpick to clean its massive fangs.
And when the ogre finally tossed her into its mouth…
“Clap, Clap, Clap.”
Boom───!
With my signal, a hundred skeleton bombs exploded all at once.
The ground-shaking sound accompanied with the horrifying explosion echoed, and I soared into the air, shooting a fireball the size of a small car.
In the chain of explosions, even those with high magical resistance took considerable damage.
Their health must have dropped significantly. Right? I hope so.
[Chain of Flame]
Pachin─!
As the monsters writhed in agony from the bomb attack, I consecutively activated the Chain of Flame to bind all eleven of them.
‘Ah… Maybe using this one after another was a bit excessive.’
My head felt like it was about to burst from the effort.
“Grrr?!”
I hurled every dagger I had gathered at the bound monsters.
Swaaaack──!
Even in their restrained state, the creatures twisted their bodies to avoid the daggers raining down to avoid getting hit in crucial spots.
Thud- Thud—
However, aside from a few that missed, it was clear many daggers lodged into their arms and torsos.
Among those, some fortunate ones left behind the Flame Mark.
The ones adorned with marks tilted their heads in confusion, seeing flames they had never encountered flare up on their shoulders.
‘Using it to inscribe marks doesn’t seem very efficient.’
The one that bore the most marks barely got two.
The rest only got one each.
I had gained the ability to leave marks while using bones in my attacks when I class-changed, but it seems the odds were lower than expected.
The brief binding effect passed, and the monsters roared as they broke free.
“Grrrraaah—!”
The creatures that shrugged off the chain were seething with anger, their eyes glowing bright red.
‘Time to retreat.’
I began to disperse [Special Strong Acid] above their heads while floating in the air.
This was a deliberate action done in hopes of making them focus on me.
Chiiiii──
“Wroooaar!”
They absolutely despise having their horns attacked, and upon discovering me in the sky tormenting them, they continued to unleash their cries.
‘Oh, how scary. Nothing can be done when I’m up here.’
As their skin peeled and blisters formed from the severe burns, new flesh rapidly began to emerge on their bodies.
‘Those monstrous creatures have excellent recovery rates as well.’
I slowly flew away, and they began to follow me hypnotically with their gazes fixed on me.
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