Lifting an ogre with just its tail? That was truly astonishing.
Of course, it was partly due to my strength increase from replacing one of the Runes of Giants with a higher grade, but as someone who lived as a guide in my past life, I never imagined I would engage in such tussles with ogres.
I struck the ogre caught in paralysis with [Flame Cut] and quickly finished it off with [Flame Explosion], while also plunging a dagger into the neck of the one I had in a headlock.
KWAANG──!
– Ogre defeated!
– Ogre defeated!
– Experience points increased!
– Acquired Mana Stone (High Grade).
– Acquired Rune of Giants (High Grade).
– Level up! Choose three stats to increase.
“Oh, already leveling up again with a high-grade rune.”
Having already leveled up twice through the manhwa portal, I couldn’t believe I was leveling up again.
After defeating my tenth ogre, I glanced at Ah-rin, who was struggling with her own ogre, and the companions holding out in the ‘Castle’.
“It seems I can leave Ah-rin for now… but I’m the real problem.”
The ogre’s rage had stacked up to ten already.
Though the mark would disappear over time…
“I remember it lasting over 30 minutes. That’s troublesome.”
I could feel the entire environment of flora and fauna in the forest weighing against me.
Whether it was plants continuously wrapping around me or the ground cracking beneath my feet with every step I took, maintaining my balance was incredibly difficult.
As if that weren’t enough, the ‘Prosphidi’ that never took the initiative had somehow crawled over to bite at my legs, and even the Hanjaring, which we had casually treated like chicken, flew over to peck at my skull.
PERC-!
– Prosphidi defeated.
– Hanjaring defeated.
“I understand now why my former companions shied away from ogres. This is a surprisingly frightening ability.”
Was there a god governing nature that favored ogres?
Having experienced various abilities in this lifetime, this was bewilderingly different.
It felt as if the world was rejecting and pushing me away.
As the rage stacked up, that very power grew, making me feel like the villain against the ogres.
I looked back at the group of ogres charging toward me from the ‘Castle’.
“A blessed species…”
I could see seven ogres right in front of me, and the ones detected within my range exceeded twenty.
It truly felt like all the ogres that fell into this dungeon were rushing at me.
“On one hand, that’s fortunate… but the hunters will surely realize they can move with a target in mind if they observe closely… they won’t make the mistake of attacking first.”
Of course, that was a broad perspective, and it was a bad omen for us right now.
“Aaaah!”
As I gathered my thoughts while distancing myself from the castle, I caught sight of Ah-rin being hurled away by an ogre’s attack.
It seemed she had managed to dodge, but her face was swollen, her cheek as big as a fist.
Ah-rin, having regained her stance with a quick roll, yelled out to me, who was staring at her.
“Don’t come! I can handle it! I really can!”
‘She hasn’t moved, though?’
Raising her thumb at me as I tilted my head, Ah-rin dashed back toward the ogre.
She likely thought the end was in sight.
The ogre’s movements were vastly different from when I first saw it, having lost its rage effect and diminished its regeneration ability.
In contrast, Ah-rin still had plenty of magic power, and her swordsmanship, backed by her rapid speed, dealt significant damage to the ogre.
The ogre’s legs were wobbling like rags and looked perilously close to collapsing.
Ah-rin was clearly overcoming its [Solid Skin] trait, showing how much her attack strength had improved.
But…
“It’s a shame it’s taking so long.”
The reason I gathered the ogre group and coordinated with my companions was due to the constraints of time.
‘With solid skin…’
[Solid Skin]
– The ogre’s skin has endured numerous adversities over the ages and serves as a formidable defense in itself.
Seeing the description of this newly acquired trait, I couldn’t help but scratch my chin.
“I have no skin…”
I would need to test it more to know for sure, but since acquiring this trait, I hadn’t felt any significant change.
“When in human form, it might have an effect.”
I guess I should be satisfied knowing I can endure safely in this altered state.
A little later, the battle between the ogre and Ah-rin quickly reached its conclusion.
KUAANG─!
The ogre slammed down on the ground, creating a massive crater, and in an instant, Ah-rin lost balance and looked ready to be caught by the ogre’s grip.
WHOOSH-
PUCK-!
“Crack?!”
In the end, I had no choice but to intervene in her battle.
I threw daggers in rapid succession to block the ogre’s attack, confirming the conditions were met before activating my skill.
[Flame Explosion]
Ah-rin, on the ground, watched the ogre being engulfed in flames and fading away with a dazed expression.
She felt relieved to be alive but was also frustrated not to have defeated the enemy; her lips pursed as if on the verge of tears.
TAP- TAP-
I approached her and lightly patted her head, telling her she fought well.
She nodded as if she understood my message.
I lifted her, who couldn’t get up easily, and headed toward the ‘Castle’.
In my arms, she glanced up at me, her lips moving as if she had something to say.
Seeing her ears still perked up meant she wasn’t too disheartened.
She swallowed the words she had almost spoken and I gently set her down among the companions gathered in the castle.
“Well done, Ah-rin!”
“Hey, when did you grow so much? You did great! You just went toe-to-toe with that ogre.”
Yeon-hee and Joo-ah welcomed her, expressing surprise, and Ah-rin shrugged as if it was nothing and shifted her gaze back to the ogre still clobbering the castle.
The group of ogres, now two, was focusing their assault on a specific point of the castle.
I could see cracks gradually appearing in the castle’s defenses.
Yeon-hee used her magic to repair the castle’s defenses with a mystic display, but she shook her head, indicating it wasn’t an easy situation.
“It’s okay for now, but the castle’s durability is quickly being worn down. I can maintain it with my magic, but if their numbers increase, I can’t guarantee it.”
Yeon-hee explained that the ‘Castle’ was in a [Fortification] state, during which a new durability metric appeared.
As it took hits, the maximum durability dropped, and there would eventually come a time when Yeon-hee’s repairs would hold no meaning.
“I think we should draw some attention away from those guys… it looks pretty dangerous to me.”
“The ogres are all looking at Il-wol. I guess it’s because he’s the one who killed so many of their kind…”
*CLAP, CLAP, CLAP.*
(…… You should go out there and distract them. They’re getting stronger with each hit they take.)
‘……’
Despite it not being a request from my companions, seeing them coming for me motivated me to head back outside.
Bounding over the castle, I soared high into the sky, dropping skeleton bombs and fireballs onto their heads.
As my magic exceeded 1,000, I found myself able to use my skills much more comfortably.
“KRROOAR!”
They kept roaring and using skills at me, but it was completely pointless.
[Ferocious Roar]
– A dreadful roar that scares the opponent.
– It sends weaker enemies into a state of uncontrollable panic.
I tried using the same skill on them.
“CLAP, CLAP, CLAP!”
……
‘… It still doesn’t work. Why?’
Even though it was a newly acquired ability, unlike the [Warrior’s Cry] that had effect just from teeth clashing, this skill was completely unusable for me.
Could it be that a skill supporting allies is different from one used against opponents?
‘Damn… I have so many abilities I can’t even utilize.’
Today was the day I acutely felt the drawbacks of being a skeleton. I also realized once again that the system’s standards are arbitrarily set.
“It looks like this is going to be a long battle. Everyone, stay sharp!”
“Wow— I could end up pulling an all-nighter here.”
As Ah-rin said, the extended battle had begun.
I lured the ogres while methodically whittling down their health, but suddenly a gust of wind blew, and dozens of Hanjaring swarmed in to peck at me, giving me quite a workout.
“Argh! Damn it.”
Being on the receiving end of the ‘Threat of Nature’ ability was genuinely excruciating.
However, as time passed, the mark was removed, and the rage imprinted onto me stagnated to some extent.
Ah-rin repeatedly darted in and out of the castle, showcasing her skills, while the other companions also did their utmost.
Afterward, we had to endure a whopping five hours battling ogres.
The number of ogres we defeated totaled over 60.
Just from the ones I obliterated with Flame Explosion, the count was 40.
The remaining ones were mostly taken down by the sorcerers.
‘I thought there would be over a hundred. It seems there weren’t as many as I expected. Did the gates just open around the spot we’re in?’
I couldn’t steal the skill for removing the ogre’s status ailments since it was a skill, but I was nonetheless pleased that none of my companions took any damage.
‘Already at level 79… progress is quick.’
Naturally, since they were of a higher grade than me, the experience gain was quite nice.
I was just one step away from reaching level 80.
Of course, it wouldn’t be easy to level up by just wandering around a C-grade dungeon. But it wasn’t like something like the last incident with Cha Jin-hyuk would come up again.
Plus, there’s the chance to take down the Great Evil One, so I was poised to get another job change opportunity relatively soon.
“Hmph… I’m starting to feel a bit worn out.”
It was basically like grinding for five hours.
Even after leveling up and adapting perfectly to the ogres’ movements, the filthy tenacity and the ridiculous ability called [Ogre’s Rage] caused the transition from dusk to full-blown night.
“Wow… if it weren’t for this kid, we would have all been dead. Thank you, Yeon-hee.”
Joo-ah affectionately patted the castle, expressing her gratitude to Yeon-hee.
It wasn’t empty flattery.
If it weren’t for the castle, I wouldn’t have been able to hold my ground.
Not just us, but the other hunters left in this dungeon would likely have met the same fate.
‘Thank you.’
[……]
With its characteristic playful grin, the castle slowly began to fade away.
As soon as Yeon-hee dismissed the castle, she collapsed into my arms.
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