Surprisingly, the ogre didn’t die even after taking a direct hit from a meteor.
‘What in the world is this body made of?’
I hadn’t used too much magic power. After trying it a few times, I learned that even with a minimum of 1,000 magic power, area magic spells could be quite effective.
However, watching over 20% of its body melt away and its flesh sizzling in the flames while it endured and recovered was truly terrifying.
I desperately needed a follow-up strike.
‘No rush, just be sure.’
“Beeeeep—!!”
Summoned Creature ‘Gori’ flew in and obscured the ogre’s view, and while in [Stealth] mode, I approached from behind and lightly swung my great sword.
Swoosh───!!
I sliced through the space and cut a large gash into its left scapula.
‘Damn… was that too shallow?’
What I wanted was its neck.
The moment I swung my great sword, the ground beneath me suddenly caved in, causing me to lose my balance.
Fwoosh──!
As the ogre’s hot blood surged up over my shoulder, its body started changing color to a vivid red, and it began to boost its magic power explosively.
At the same time, something intangible was engraved into my chest.
The [Ogre’s Wrath] mark was now imprinted on me.
In this state, my stealth ability became useless, and most importantly.
– Uooooo!!
– Kraaah!!
‘It’s calling other ogres.’
At the booming roar of another high-ranking ogre in the distance, the hunters who had been calmly responding froze like ice.
‘You stupid bastard said it would be a one-on-one fight.’
The ogre, whose shoulder had been cut off, didn’t care and roared back in response to the other ogre’s call.
Its eyes were completely insane, with only the whites showing.
Swish──!
‘Huh?!’
Just when I was about to launch another attack, the weeds on the ground grew long and wrapped around my arm.
It was weak enough for an F-rank hunter to shake off, but for me, with my senses sharply heightened, it was enough to restrict my movements.
Taking advantage of that brief moment, the ogre fled in the distance.
‘Ogre’s Wrath effect…’
In the state of its fury, all natural things that surrounded me became my enemies.
Could it be that the shake of the ground earlier was a demonstration of the ogre’s power coming from being favored by nature?
‘It’s unfair! That skill didn’t activate at all when I was dying!!’
I lightly shook off the writhing weeds from my legs.
Thinking about it, it might be natural that a being born from death like me couldn’t handle a nature-based skill properly, but the feeling of injustice lingered.
‘Jung Tae-hyung!! Krabe! Orc Warriors!!’
Four extra-high ogres were charging toward me, matching the level of the ogre in front of me.
Since it broke the one-on-one rule, handling a horde of ogres by myself was impossible, so I had no choice but to transition to a team fight.
First, the Orc Skeleton ‘Krabe’ seemed uninterested in the staggering ogre and headed towards the closest other ogre.
And the three orc warriors that I had just defeated set off toward another ogre.
Yes, the orc skeletons with less creative names like Warrior 1, 2, and 3 were dashing toward the different ogre.
“I will join you.”
“Clap, Clap, Clap!”
Jung Tae-hyung, having just slashed the side of the ogre I had been dealing with with his dual sickles, positioned himself next to me.
Seeing subordinates move like my own limbs filled me with immense satisfaction.
– You have defeated an Orc High-Rank Fighter!
– You have defeated a Mutant Orc High-Rank Fighter!
The effects of [Meteor] were still lingering, as messages announcing the defeat of more minions kept coming in. That was yet another reason to smile.
Boom──!
Before long, the Sword Dragon’s breath that returned after repelling attacks from another direction engulfed the fleeing ogre.
“Kraaaah!!”
Screaming in agony as the ogre was caught in the breath’s area, it actually didn’t die and instead showed an even more surprising recovery rate.
Should we really call it a being that reached S-rank status?
Feeling somewhat exhausted after unleashing Meteor, I debated on whether to push myself to chase after it.
At that moment, a massive creature over six meters tall fell from the sky as the Sword Dragon soared in the air.
Kuuuuuh───!!
It was the appearance of an Alpha Ogre, combining the strength of forty ogres summoned by Yeon-hee.
KLANG─!
As it landed, the Alpha Ogre absorbed the Sword Dragon’s breath and slammed a fist as hard as rock into the ‘Thunder Warrior Ogre’’s jaw.
Bang! KABOOM!!
Being hit squarely on the jaw, the ogre wildly swung its fists in a desperate counterattack.
The ogres exchanged punches, their huge bodies colliding with a resonating sound that echoed through the air, trembling the bones.
However, only the Alpha Ogre’s attacks landed solidly.
‘Can’t miss this opportunity.’
[Flame Shot]
Fwoosh──!!
Releasing a flame shot charged with 500 magic power, it exploded upon hitting the dismembered shoulder of the two ogres engaged in a dance.
“Kruuuh–!”
Enveloped in sharp flames, the ogre fell into a burn state.
It could no longer boast its previously explosive recovery capabilities.
Taking a deep breath, the Alpha Ogre that toppled the other one began to unleash a flurry of punches onto its face at a mad speed.
BAM BAM BAM BAM!!
The merciless pummeling combined with previously accumulated damage quickly diminished the ogre’s life force until finally.
“Grrroooorrr…”
– You have greatly helped in defeating the Thunder Warrior Ogre!
The ogre, consumed by pain, burned fiercely until it turned to ashes.
Considering it suffered such damage with only a few attackers, I had to admit it had remarkable endurance.
‘Wait, if it dies like this, will the skill activate…?!’
I hurriedly activated [Necromancer’s Art], but the ogre that had turned to dust could not rise.
‘Looks like at least a minimal skeleton needs to remain for it to work.’
As I sighed in regret, Jung Tae-hyung spoke urgently.
“Master, the eastern side seems to be a little dangerous. Should I assist?”
‘Do it.’
“Yes, Master.”
Quick and experienced, Jung Tae-hyung adopts a strategy of defending key points in the main force while responding only when I summon him.
‘Krabe is battling the ogre that was coming from the south, right?’
Could Krabe, weakened as a skeleton, withstand the ogre alone? If my guess was right, it would barely maintain balance.
However, if Ogre’s Wrath activates and another ogre rushes in to assist, he would need to retreat immediately to this location.
Meanwhile, the three orc warriors I raised with the Necromancer’s Art just met the ogre that charged from the opposite side.
In fact, we had the advantage in this situation of 3 to 1, a better position than Krabe.
Now, only the two ogres charging towards me remained.
“Il-wol! ‘Gongi’ will stay there!!”
Yeon-hee seemed to think she couldn’t manage against the two ogres charging in this battlefield alone.
Her back, flying away toward the main force, appeared quite gallant.
It wasn’t just the increase in stats. Now, over a thousand refugees filled the area.
Even though she must bear the heavy weight on her shoulders as the most recognized defense force among those in the shelter, she didn’t seem overwhelmed by that weight.
Flap-flap-
The sight of the Sword Dragon rapidly teleporting through the sky alongside Yeon-hee was also impressive.
Now he had reached a clear S-rank level.
The Sword Dragon now was a completely different entity from when it first appeared; it had grown immensely.
Even though the White Dragon had appeared, the number of monsters slain per hour by the Sword Dragon still surpassed that of the White Dragon.
‘Looks like the Sword Dragon really listens to Yeon-hee.’
As I watched the Sword Dragon glance my way, I wondered if we could eventually become one.
BAM BAM BAM───!
I saw hundreds of orcs being swept away by the ice storm created by Noh Ha-yoon in the distance.
It was an incredibly extensive ice spell, so much so that it felt like an ice castle was forming in an instant. In terms of its dazzling display and range, one could say she had mastered ice attributes.
‘Hana, her issue is always magic power. As her power increases, so does the consumption of magic, so it’s a shame that ‘Silver Shaquiras’ only boosts her recovery rate.’
Thud thud thud thud─
“Woooaaaaa!!”
The Alpha Ogre, who had been standing quietly beside me, began brutally smashing orcs, even without any command.
Slam-!
‘Just swiping with its palm, and the orc fighter turns into a pancake…’
It wasn’t the most pleasant sight to witness, but considering the two ogres about to arrive, it provided overwhelming reassurance.
* * *
At the same time.
“Phew─ I barely closed it again. Forcing the gate shut… is really frustrating. Don’t you think, Senior?”
Kang Yeon-su, having closed an orc gate that had been oozing like a swarm of bugs, asked a giant, who was tearing into beef jerky.
“Haha, it takes me back to the good old days, what can I say? Thankfully, ‘Kim Jae-hyun’ left something big behind. I never thought closing a gate would be plausible,” he replied.
S-rank Barrier Mage ‘Kim Jae-hyun,’ who was murdered by Jo Gi-man during their fight against the Great Beast ‘Debsorpia,’ was an important figure among barrier mages in our country.
His free-thinking approach to unexpected ideas eventually led to his downfall with the lure of dark magic, erasing him from this world, but the achievements he researched during his life had ultimately led to results for future generations.
This was one unforeseen aspect that Jo Gi-man hadn’t anticipated.
The closure of gates should have only been something he could do.
Meanwhile, the surprising ability of Jo Gi-man remained focused solely on killing the blue-eyed one, unable to notice his surroundings.
He even easily ceded his representative position in the White Knight Guild, which he was somewhat attached to.
Of course, no one knew yet what repercussions his choices would lead to in the future.
Chamu-yeol, chuckling, stood behind him, with over fifty barrier mages lining up to gulp down mana potions.
The closure of the gate.
This was the first successful party to officially accomplish it, and everyone’s faces were bright with excitement.
Of course, Jo Gi-man could have handled it alone, but that was a secret known only to him and a few of his subordinates.
“Ah, Senior, you must be used to this atmosphere.”
“Used to it? Oh, are you talking about the First Wave?”
“Yeah, it was probably worse back then, right?”
At the conclusion of the First Wave, tank Chamu-yeol, who remembered the early chaotic times, agreed it was indeed much better now than back then.
“Back then, there was no system. Those caught in chaos indulged in their primal instincts, committing violent acts—truly a savage era.”
“Ugh… how lucky I am to have been born late.”
Chamu-yeol nodded quietly at Kang Yeon-su’s sincere sigh.
“Anyway, closing just two gates… how long will it take? I’ve heard there are over 200 gates opened just in our country already.”
“We still have to. Steadily.”
“It costs too many mana stones and crystals to close one. The ogres are going crazy and rampaging, so we can’t spend all our resources here, it’s frustrating.”
“What can we do? We fought to enjoy the good life so we can fight earnestly in times like this, so stop complaining and guide us to the next spot, our representative.”
“Haha, hearing you call me representative makes my mana recovery speed feel faster.”
“Hohoho, your wit has certainly grown, Representative.”
Chamu-yeol, being one of the few people Kang Yeon-su trusted in the White Knight Guild, didn’t find this exhausting task too difficult.
As the two prepared to leave their spot, they suddenly froze like ice.
──────?!
“Senior…?”
“Yeah…”
Both of their hands moved toward their weapons, spurred on by an energy they had never felt before.
Clatter─
A black shape slowly revealed itself over the ruins of a building not far away.
If what Kang Yeon-su just felt was true, that black figure must have crawled out of the gate they had just closed.
Whether it was a monster or a great beast, it was a natural judgment that they should launch the first attack, but.
“Uh… um?”
“D-Did you…?”
Recognizing the familiar face and shape, Yeon-su couldn’t help but draw back.
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