Chapter 96

Bang!— Players were warriors at heart. After all, like the boy about to be crushed by the ogre’s club, players had a high chance of meeting danger from the monsters that emerged from gates. They could be maimed or killed today or tomorrow, which was all the more reason why players needed to serve society and dedicate themselves to protecting the weak. At least then, perhaps they would be mourned when they lost everything overnight. Kuoh! The ogre felt the satisfying weight of its strike and roared in delight. To it, a player was a good toy—the hunt brought moderate entertainment, followed by intense pleasure. Even after falling into its master’s trap and being reduced to a slave, there was one way in which its existence hadn’t changed: it continued to hunt down humans relentlessly, and the outcome was always the same. Victory. It was an ogre’s natural birthright. And it stood in sharp contrast to humans, who often met with a miserable fate despite their efforts and awakening. However... “Maybe this is the reason why.” Kuweeoh? “You don’t know how to respect others.” This time, the ogre didn’t get the victory it wanted. It could still hear the voice of the human, but the human should have been smashed. How? Surprised, the ogre squinted at its club, which was still smashed against the ground. There was only dirt on it, not blood. “You should’ve checked sooner.” Jae-Hyeok slowly pushed away the ogre’s massive club and revealed an intact appearance. In his left hand, he held a small and round blue shield. [Heavy Moon] [Rating: Legendary Fully absorbs the shock when blocking attacks. There is a 1-minute cooldown time. * Stamina stat is increased by 20. * When shock absorption is on cooldown, the user will be cursed, becoming immobilized. * Heavy Moon cannot be unequipped while immobilized.] [Your body and mind are of a high standard after repeatedly enduring and overcoming your limits.] [You can resist low-level status conditions.] [The effect of Heavy Moon is released.] Jae-Hyeok didn’t give the ogre time to think. This giant monster was arrogant, believing its attacks could kill humans unconditionally. He had to take advantage of its confusion now that he’d broken that belief. After preventing the gate at the Gugang Hotel, Jae-Hyeok had gained three achievements—one was an Amazing achievement, obtained from breaking the auxiliary core; the other two were Legendary achievements, obtained from breaking the central core and defeating Yeon Ho-Ryeong. Thanks to this, all his stats had risen by a whopping 22 points. That was equivalent to an increase of more than 10 levels for him. Despite this, he’d still broken several ribs after being hit by the ogre’s kick; however he had blocked the ogre’s follow-up using Heavy Moon and managed to recover using a potion. Kuah! The ogre screamed as the human once again sliced deep cuts in its wrist. Nevertheless, it kept swinging its club, not realizing that all the muscles in its hand with the club were torn. Jae-Hyeok walked forward without being intimidated. A club containing thick killing intent screamed past, brushing against his clothes and messing up his hair, but he continued to take one step at a time. His self-confidence was evident. It was a confidence that came only from the kind of strength honed through hard work. Thump!Thump, thump, thump! The ogre’s club missed him and slammed into the ground every time. Its cut wrist bent and twisted under the force of its own swings, causing the club to fall off-target. K-Kuw... For the first time, the ogre’s voice became quieter. It was confused by the new emotions it was feeling. Jingle. The Earring of Confusion took advantage of the gap in the ogre’s mental strength. Kuak! When Jae-Hyeok arrived at the ogre’s foot, the ogre’s attacks intensified. It ignored the severe wounds on its wrist and swung its club like a windmill. But its attacks were aimed toward the sky, where there was nothing. The Earring of Confusion had caused Jae-Hyeok to grow huge in the ogre’s eyes. The giant Jae-Hyeok stared down at it with dark eyes. Down on the ground, Jae-Hyeok was bent low, holding the hilt of his sword as traces of yellow light flashed around him—Traces of Thunder Tribulation had triggered on sensing Jae-Hyeok preparing to release a Skill. Here and now, I have to prove it. I will prove that I am fit to be the new master of the Kang family. Jae-Hyeok’s back was straight as he executed an upward sword strike, and it was as if he were announcing the resurrection of the Kang family with that one attack. Iyarugt soared in a straight line and pierced the ogre’s wrist as two scythe-like auras appeared and dug into the ogre’s elbow—the effect of Two Scythes Block a Cart. Flash! Then, a bright yellow thunderbolt fell from the sky. [Traces of Thunder Tribulation has been excited and caused a thunderbolt!] The thunderbolt was aimed at Jae-Hyeok. But he was standing at the ogre’s feet. The ogre’s body towered over him and intercepted the path of the thunderbolt. When the thunderbolt struck the top of the ogre’s head, it convulsed violently. In its usual state, the ogre would’ve laughed at the power of a fake thunder tribulation. But currently, things were different. The ogre’s HP fell low enough. It lost the thing that protected it. Ku? A universe unfolded before the ogre’s eyes as it staggered on the verge of collapsing. Before it, white blood sprayed, and by its foot lay a severed hand—its hand, which had been holding the club moments ago. The border of the wound was jagged and rough like torn paper, the result of Jae-Hyeok’s dozens of slices and stabs. Only then did the ogre comprehend what had happened. It shouldn’t have allowed the little human to attack to his heart’s content. “It’s too late to realize it now.” Jae-Hyeok sneered as he pushed aside the ogre’s hand, which was larger than his own body, with his foot. “From now on, you will feel pain too.” Players were at a disadvantage against monsters because, no matter how powerful players became, they had human bodies—which meant being wounded always hurt, and they would die instantly if struck in the vitals. This was true for both ordinary players and National Treasures. Could an ogre bear that burden now that its health was low and it was on the same level as a human? Jae-Hyeok thought it unlikely. The way to overcome fear of death was to have firm convictions, but there was no way that was possible for monsters who lived according to their instincts. Bam! Jae-Hyeok threw the Grand Justice Alus's Dagger, which stuck in the ogre’s knee. Kuwe! Frightened by the pain, the ogre scrambled to grab its club from the ground, but when it bent over, Jae-Hyeok slashed its exposed back. ......! This time, the ogre couldn’t even scream. It became dizzy from the pain, but it had managed to grab its club and swung frantically. Jae-Hyeok didn’t change the direction of his assault and continued to advance. He narrowly dodged the ogre's swings and, slash by slash, began cutting the ogre's other arm. There’s only one reason Jae-Hyeok risked confronting the ogre head-on. Psychological warfare. K-Kuh... The ogre had lost most of its health and awakened the concept of death. To it, Jae-Hyeok started to look like a monster wearing a human mask. The human wouldn’t retreat, no matter what it did. How could it fight someone unafraid of death? In the end, its fighting spirit was further dampened after having such questions. Jae-Hyeok continued to press forward, attacking the ogre’s exposed weak points with increasing momentum. And then— Slash! Jae-Hyeok cut the ogre’s ankle, forcing it to kneel. He then climbed its leg and stabbed its chest before drawing a crescent arc with his sword. He felt it when the tip of Iyarugt tore across the ogre’s heart. Jae-Hyeok and the ogre both heard its final heartbeat. Kuwooooooh! Death. It was over. The ogre sensed its end and unleashed one final burst of fury. Now that things had reached this point, it slapped Jae-Hyeok, who was on its lap, as hard as possible with the intention of dying together. Bang! But the ogre felt it. The human was immovable under its palm. “You’re always slow to react. You can only regret it in your next life,” Jae-Hyeok said. Heavy Moon had a cooldown time of one minute. And that time had already passed. He thrust the shield against the ogre’s palm and repelled it. Then he adjusted his grip on Iyarugt, taking a reverse grip, and slashed the ogre’s throat. The light went out in the ogre’s eyes as white blood gushed from its mouth and heart. [You have defeated an ogre.] [Your level has risen by 8.] [Amazing achievement!] [You have fought a monster stronger than you and won.] [All stats have increased by 2.] The ogre’s large body tipped over and fell into the surrounding fire. Its massive body temporarily snuffed out a portion of the flames. I have to hurry. Jae-Hyeok didn’t even pay attention to the ogre’s corpse. Although ogre blood was an ingredient for an elixir being traded at a high price, he needed to leave while the fire was weakened. Above all, Jae-Hyeok was worried about the Jaegyeong Pharmaceutical employees who were still being chased by the orcs. Those guys somehow managed to lure the orcs away despite the life-threatening situation. He was worried, but also happy for some reason. Jae-Hyeok smiled and quickened his pace. *** “Which... which bastard dared?!” Tamed monsters received and sent signals to their master. Naturally, the ogre’s master had sensed the ogre’s crisis and death. But by the time he’d rushed to the scene, it was too late; the quick-witted culprit had abandoned the ogre’s expensive corpse and fled in a hurry. It isn’t the security forces.There’s no way those greedy bastards would turn a blind eye to an ogre corpse. Furthermore, to prevent the same mistake as last time, he had identified the movements and schedules of the security forces for the day and released his monsters in a safe place. If things had gone according to his plan, his monsters should’ve surprised and slaughtered the Jaegyeong Pharmaceuticals employees after they’d arrived a few hours later. But instead... what was this terrible outcome? “I won’t forgive you! I am definitely going to kill you!” the man vowed. However, that was easier said than done. The forest fire had completely wiped out any traces that could be tracked. “Kuaaaaaack!” His scream filled the charred forest like a requiem for the ogre.