Chapter 17: The Ogre’s Fall and Gratitude

Lycan shouted for them to attack the ogre. In truth, his voice was barely audible; the ogre’s footsteps were thunderous. The slow approach of the giant naturally intimidated the adventurers.

At that moment, a torn chunk of flesh fell before the adventurers—one of the victims who had been launched into the air by the ogre’s attack had joined them again. The sight was horrifying; arms and legs were twisted, and their upper and lower halves lay scattered indiscriminately. No adventurer could have failed to realize their own impending doom upon seeing such a scene.

“Hu, hhuuuuaaaak!”

Only then did I understand why the goblins had been fleeing. One by one, the adventurers began to turn and run, abandoning their weapons and even tossing aside their bags.

Their faces, pale with fear, were no different from those of the goblins.

“Stop! Don’t run away!”

Lycan shouted again, his voice a desperate roar. However, no one was listening.

What should I do? Should I run too?

“Krugh!”

At that moment, Lycan started to run—opposite to the direction the goblins and adventurers were fleeing. His crimson cloak fluttered, obscuring my vision.

It was then that I managed to rise to my feet.

“Stand your ground! Don’t back down! We’ll earn gold! I promise you 30 gold!”

Shouting as he charged towards the ogre, Lycan’s words made the adventurers hesitate, weighing their lives against the promise of riches.

Seeing their indecision, Lycan shouted again, “50 gold!”

Before his voice had even faded, he charged at the ogre. His stance resembled that of a wolf, and the bluish gleam emanating from his sword resembled sharp fangs.

Skkk!

The knight’s sword grazed the ogre’s thick arm, leaving a wound. However, he would soon pay the price for his attack.

Puh-ruhk!

A heavy punch came crashing down on Lycan, who was unexpectedly quick despite his enormous size.

As his body collided with the ogre’s fist, a powerful gust of wind erupted. The nearby white snow was sent spiraling into the air, and Lycan’s body was pushed back.

“Krugh…!”

He slid across the vast snowfield, but unlike other adventurers, he had endured the ogre’s blow. Although his face turned pale and he stumbled as if about to collapse, he did not drop his sword.

“Ugh, uuaaaak!”

Immediately after, the adventurers charged. Out of the three hundred adventurers, fewer than half surged forward, but the sudden counterattack caught the ogre off guard, prompting it to swing its fists wildly.

The massive fist passed by, creating a powerful wind that claimed the lives of several adventurers. Despite witnessing the gruesome fates of their companions, the adventurers did not halt their attacks. Swords, axes, and various blades were wildly swung around.

As the ogre’s attention was fully focused on the adventurers, Lycan charged in once more. However, the ogre was keenly observing Lycan’s every move.

It knows. The ogre was aware that Lycan’s attacks were far more threatening than those of the other humans.

In that moment, I realized it was the perfect opportunity. As soon as I recognized it, I sprang into action. There was no lengthy deliberation, and my body moved without hesitation. My legs, which had been frozen in place by fear of the monster, surged forward, and the mana circle surrounding my heart began to rotate rapidly.

My small body moved with incredible speed.

As I dashed through the throng of adventurers, the ogre’s enormous form loomed before me. With my momentum intact, I raised my sword high. The moonlight shining down, intertwined with the faint glimmer of starlight, prepared for a strike.

But the flow of mana didn’t stop there. The first mana circle, spinning rapidly, expanded outward toward my arms and legs. It began to take on the faint glow of starlight, replacing the muscles in my arms and legs.

Managing multiple types of mana simultaneously was incredibly challenging. I realized that if I took any longer, the mana I had gathered would disperse.

“Hyah!”

With a short shout, the moon wrapped in starlight fell straight down.

As my sword descended in a direct strike, it struck the ogre’s thigh, causing its thick skin to split and the blade to dig in deep.

[Krwoaaak!]

Startled by the sudden pain, the ogre let out a scream and dropped to one knee.

In that moment, Lycan launched his attack.

With one knee on the ground, the ogre’s upper body lowered, and Lycan’s blade aimed for its neck.

“Huuh!”

Covered in the ogre’s blood, my body felt hot. I exerted all my strength to twist the sword embedded deep in the ogre’s thigh, trying to pull it out.

Each twist of the blade tore through muscle and flesh, causing red blood to spurt out.

At that moment, the ogre began to move. Unable to retrieve my sword, I had no choice but to cling to it as I was shaken back and forth by the ogre’s movements.

The ogre fought fiercely against Lycan, thrashing around violently. Each time it moved, its muscles bulged significantly, and the same was true for the muscles in its thighs.

The massively expanded muscles gripped my sword tightly, ensuring it would not come free.

“Huuh…!”

The ogre didn’t even glance my way as it dealt with Lycan and the other adventurers. It began swinging adventurers who had approached it as makeshift weapons or picked up fallen logs to threaten others. When a log couldn’t withstand its strength and broke, it simply picked up another.

I clung to the ogre’s thigh, observing Lycan’s expression. His face was twisted in agony, sweat and blood pouring down. Though his eyes still sparkled, I didn’t feel he could defeat the ogre.

I exhaled slowly and rapidly rotated the second mana circle. The natural mana, devoid of starlight, began to release a chilling cold.

The cold winter breeze surged through my body, and the icy blood coursed through my veins. Handling purely refined natural mana through the rotation of the circle was extremely dangerous. My heartbeat gradually slowed, and my vision blurred.

Frowning, I concentrated the movement of the mana in one direction.

The chilling air began to race forth. Just as the form of the circle wrapped around my heart began to fade, the cold air rushed out through my arms.

The mana that flowed through my arms surged toward the sword.

Chzzzt!

The mana released through the sword disobeyed my control. Pure mana began to run rampant.

Exploding outward, the mana froze everything in its vicinity.

White frost spread from the ogre’s thigh, encasing its leg in ice. I expelled all remaining mana from my body. As I felt my senses grow cold, I fell to the ground.

[Krwoaaak!]

It seemed my attack wasn’t in vain. As the ogre screamed and moved its legs, the white-frozen right leg shattered like ice. Suddenly losing one leg, the ogre collapsed and could not evade Lycan’s strike.

Kwaddddd!

Lycan’s sword cleaved through the ogre’s head. With that blow, a fountain of red blood erupted, splattering over Lycan and me.

“Huff… Huff…”

Lycan sank to the ground, gasping for breath. It must have been the release of tension.

“I, I won!”

“I won!”

The adventurers cheered at the sight of the fallen ogre. No one considered the loud voices to be annoying.

After the battle with the ogre, the adventurers’ attitudes changed. Whenever I approached or spoke to them, they flinched and started to gauge their surroundings.

Lycan’s demeanor had also shifted.

Late in the evening, I sat across from Lycan by a campfire. He expressed his gratitude to me with a calm face.

“Thank you. Thanks to you, we were able to defeat the ogre.”

I shook my head. While my help had been significant, it was ultimately Lycan who had brought the ogre down. Without him, we wouldn’t have been able to catch it.

“It was thanks to you, Lycan.”

“You’re being too humble.”

Silently, I extended my hand toward the campfire. The spot where the cold mana had surged still felt chilly.

“I’ll formally express my gratitude through the mage tower via the mayor.”

“Oh, no, there’s no need for that.”

“That’s out of the question.”

“Um…”

I awkwardly laughed at Lycan’s firm attitude and turned my gaze away. It seemed that all the magicians in this world were affiliated with a mage tower.

Were there really no free-spirited magicians in this world?

I wanted to ask about the mages, but I kept my mouth shut, not wanting to create unnecessary misunderstandings. Instead, I decided to ask something else.

“Lycan, could I possibly get the ogre’s hide?”

“The hide? Of course, I can also get the tendons for you.”

Lycan transferred half of the materials obtained from the ogre to me. No adventurer questioned that decision.

Meanwhile, Rain and her mentor rushed into the port city, riding in a carriage.

Rain, wielding a sword despite her small stature, drew attention wherever she went, especially with her beauty.

The townspeople naturally remembered Seris.

“Haah…”

“Ugh…”

Rain let out a dejected sigh with her mentor.

Despite their hard journey, the girl named Seris was nowhere to be found in this city.

According to rumors, she had left the city just a day ago, part of a monster eradication unit that had been summoned.

“I’m sorry…”

“It can’t be helped. If we wait in this city, she’ll surely return.”

“Hmm…”

With a gloomy expression, Rain lowered her head.

The reason for their delay was none other than Rain herself.

How could she have made a mistake while writing the report?

Recalling her foolish blunder, Rain sighed deeply.

She silently wished that the little girl would return to this city before her mentor’s outdoor activities came to an end.

With a sigh, Rain muttered softly.