Chapter 17: Massive and Knowledgeable (2)
The Ogre Berserker was the one Gono had smashed in the head with a club.
He wielded a club carved from an entire log and stood nearly 3 meters tall.
His fierce face and protruding fangs, each the size of a human forearm, were enough to make one’s knees tremble just by looking at him.
And originally, his bald, yellow-skinned head should have been covered by an iron helmet with horns.
But the Ogre Berserker standing before me now—
[The Ogre Berserker has equipped the Archmage Gandalf’s Hat!]
—was instead wearing an old, wide-brimmed hat with notches missing here and there.
That’s right.
It was that hat—the one the elderly wizards in the Harry Xter series or The Lord of the Xings always wear.
But that wasn’t the issue.
— This humble servant greets the King of All Knowledge.
It was this voice, speaking directly into my mind.
A deep, courteous voice—truly a gentleman’s voice.
“……I want to believe that’s not the case.”
I asked the Ogre Berserker staring at me from beyond the dome.
“Was that you?”
— Yes, my King of All Knowledge, my sovereign lord of this realm. Please, give me your command.
As if in answer, the Ogre Berserker smiled benevolently.
No joke.
He smiled calmly, his eyes—which had been blazing fiercely just moments before—now filled with gentleness.
Crazy.
He was just swinging that log around with a “GRROOAAARR!”
He swung first and asked questions later, even though that kind of thing doesn’t work on incorporeal magic!
Why is he smiling like a great wizard who just saved the world, deepening the wrinkles around his eyes?
“Kiirook.”
Gono shook me, unable to process the absurdity.
He lifted up the Pigmallet he was holding, showing it to me.
Only then did I register the situation again.
I patted Gono’s head and fixed my sharp gaze on the center of the lake, beyond the Ogre.
“Ogre Berserker, I will now give you an order.”
— Yes, my liege.
“Break through this storm and advance to the center. I will follow behind you.”
— The sorcery currently encroaching upon this field exceeds the resistance you can withstand, my lord. Exiting the dome is dangerous. How about I handle the source of the sorcery while you ensure your safety?
The Ogre Berserker.
He was smart.
He had planted sound advice in my head.
But I shook my head.
“To grasp the situation accurately, we need to move together. Don’t worry about me. I can hold my own.”
With the stats of Dragon Child Gular Count combined, I should be able to endure within the storm to some degree.
The problem was the limited activation time.
To eliminate any potential variables, moving together was the right call.
“Gono, gather the fallen Pigmallets in one spot. After the storm ends, take them to that Healer. Once the Trial ends, the healing should work properly.”
“Kiirook.”
Gono nodded.
“Kkyuiiiit!”
But as I moved to step forward, a few lively Pigmallets blocked the way.
“Don’t worry. I have no intention of dying to save you guys in a place like this.”
“Kkyu, kkyuuu.”
The Pigmallets finally stepped aside.
I stood right before the wall, which was faintly emitting a blue glow.
Water torrents, raging as if ready to tear flesh, violently swept across the wall’s surface.
It was a grim sight, but I couldn’t be intimidated by something like this.
It was frightening, but to show it would betray the deep trust I saw in the eyes of the monsters watching me.
That trust that said, ‘This is our liege, after all.’
[Activating Monarch’s Afterimage Lv.1.]
[Stats of Dragon Child Gular Count are being added.]
I activated the skill and pushed against the wall.
The energy wall forming the dome let me through like soft jelly.
And the moment my entire body emerged—
KWA-A-A-A!
“Guh!”
A watery hell, completely different from inside the dome, welcomed me.
Fierce water jets pounded my entire body like tentacles.
Waves mixed with violent winds crashed over me relentlessly, making it hard to even draw a proper breath.
All I could do was barely maintain my balance and stand.
Then, the impacts battering my body suddenly lessened as if by a lie.
“Stand behind me, my liege.”
The Ogre Berserker stood before me, shielding me.
Whether due to innate resistance or sheer size, he stood as firm as a fortress wall even as the storm lashed against him.
I nodded.
“Let’s go.”
“Yes, my liege.”
The Ogre began to advance, step by step.
I followed in the footprints he left behind.
In the storm where I couldn’t see an inch ahead, that was the only thing I could make out.
“My liege!”
Perhaps a minute of walking like that.
The Ogre ahead called out to me.
The reason became immediately apparent.
“Siii!”
Within the storm, a sharp blade light flashed.
I instinctively bent my body nearly 90 degrees.
SWHWAK!
Simultaneously, a chilling metallic sound echoed.
Rolling back and righting myself, I saw two Lizardmen flickering their tongues.
“You bastards……”
A moment later and my head would have been severed.
But instead of dread, fury surged within me.
“A cowardly ambush?”
Against me, in whom dwells the soul of your ancestors, Dragon Child Gular Count?
“Odolf.”
“O-odolf? Are you bestowing a name upon me, my liege!”
The Ogre asked back, his voice slightly flustered.
Right, since he’s an Ogre wearing Gandalf’s hat, I’ll conveniently call him Odolf.
“Keep going. I’ll follow while dealing with these.”
“Are you sure you’ll be alright, my liege!”
“It’s fine. You take time dealing with small fry anyway. Because of your size.”
“That is true. Then I shall clear the path. Good luck, my liege!”
Odolf readily accepted.
The pounding of the Ogre’s feet, kicking up water, echoed again.
I turned back to the Lizardmen holding their weapons ready.
“Looks like you guys need a lesson from your ancestor.”
“Kiiiit!”
Lizardman High Priest, Zen Karuk, gripped his staff so hard it might break.
The water pillar swirling up from his staff showed no sign of losing power.
Zen Karuk was an agent acting on behalf of the god’s authority.
As long as he held no doubt in his god, this miracle would never fade.
“Kiiiit.”
Yet he was uneasy.
A strong unease that something was approaching him from beyond the storm.
To dispel that unease, he had sent the remaining Lizardmen beyond the storm.
But there had been no word from them since.
Ultimately, that choice only deepened Zen Karuk’s anxiety.
He tapped his staff impatiently.
Then, suddenly.
KOONG!
“Kyet?!”
Ripples spread across the water barrier protecting him in a dome shape.
Where those ripples originated from, he could not tell.
The storm emanating from his staff had even obscured his own vision.
Zen Karuk flicked his tongue and focused his senses beyond the water barrier.
— My liege, this is a specialized type of barrier magic.
— Try hitting one spot with your club. See if it breaks?
— ‘Its structure is not that simple, my liege. This is a complex, multi-layered spell composed of upper-elemental magic from the 8 High Elements and barrier magic of the 5th Circle or higher.’
“Kiiiit?!”
His reptilian yellow eyes widened as if they might pop out.
In a single stroke, ‘Cataclysmic Wave,’ one of the god’s powers, had been analyzed.
It meant whoever had reached the water barrier was knowledgeable about magic.
“Kiiiit.”
Even so, Zen Karuk stretched his lips wide.
It was meaningless, no matter how much knowledge they possessed.
As the intruder said, ‘Cataclysmic Wave’ was a complex spell combining barrier magic that blocked physical attacks with elemental magic.
It was an invincible barrier that could not be breached unless combined with physical force exceeding the barrier’s capacity and dispel magic surpassing the elemental magic.
— Still, try it once. Even bulletproof glass breaks if you keep shooting the same spot.
— As you command, my liege.
KWANG!
“Kiiiit?!”
A tearing crack echoed simultaneously.
But Zen Karuk maintained his composure and adjusted his grip on his staff.
It wouldn’t be breached by a mere physical or magical attack anyway.
This is a complex formula barrier, human!
KWANG!
So it’s usele—
KWA-A-ANG!
JJEOJEJEOK!
— My liege, a crack is forming!
— See, I told you it would work.
“Kiiiit?”
Zen Karuk’s snout hung open in a daze.
No, this couldn’t be happening.
Unless paired with immense physical strength and appropriate dispel magic, the god’s power should never be—
KWACHANG!
It broke.
And spectacularly so.
Showered with fragments of the barrier shattering like glass shards, Zen Karuk stared blankly ahead.
Those who had smashed the god’s power emerged from the storm.
But one of them was—something.
Monstrously large for a human.
“Truly, the King of All Knowledge’s foresight never ceases to amaze!”
“Persistence pays off. That’s the golden rule around here. Remember that, Odolf.”
Zen Karuk blinked.
It wasn’t human.
To his knowledge, that was a species called ‘Ogre.’
There was no mistaking it, despite the ridiculous hat.
They were warlike, low-intelligence, strong but sluggish creatures.
They were supposed to be like that, yet—
“Wielding a staff imbued with dispel magic at our liege’s insight, what base sorcery could possibly stand against it!”
The monstrously sized log carried by the Ogre.
What was that faintly glowing white light upon it?
Why could an Ogre use dispel magic?
And a high-level dispel magic that surpassed the god’s own authority?
“Ki, kiiiit……”
Zen Karuk desperately sought his god.
If only he could reach his god, he would provide an answer for this absurd situation.
But even the god remained silent.
Instead, the human beside the Ogre spoke.
“Oh, are you Zen Karuk?”
“Kiiiit!”
Zen Karuk gripped his staff tightly, flicking his tongue.
The power had already faded, and the storm was clearing.
But that meant he could now fully concentrate on offensive magic.
No matter how specialized the Ogre was in magic, this spell would not be easily undone by dispel magic.
KWARUREUREUK!
Fierce water vapor began to condense at the tip of his staff.
The Ogre responded in turn.
“Gal!”
He launched something at Zen Karuk, who was chanting his spell.
“Kiiiit!”
The High Priest’s snout gaped open.
He had preemptively cast dispel magic, anticipating this.
Any ordinary projectile magic would simply vanish!
“Siiiit?”
And only after that ‘projectile’ reached right before his nose—
Did Zen Karuk realize something was wrong.
But what exactly was wrong, he never figured out.
“Odolf.”
“Yes, my liege.”
I asked quietly.
“You said that was a magic rod, right?”
Odolf, who had been standing in a baseball pitcher’s pose until then, straightened up.
Then he strode over and pulled the log embedded in the ground.
Beneath it lay the corpse of Zen Karuk, now a bloody pulp.
The Ogre smiled benevolently.
“Forgive me, my liege. My knowledge is still lacking. I could not devise a high-level elemental spell to counter that magic.”
So he just slammed the magic rod itself into him.
Right. That works.
For an Ogre Archmage, that works.
It could work, right?
“Nevertheless, the item you desired, my liege, remains completely undamaged.”
Odolf, returning with the log, held something out.
An Energy Stone the size of a fist.
Unlike other stones, something orange and fiery swirled within it.
As I took it from his enormous palm, a crack opened above as if waiting.
I tossed the stone inside.
[Selling 1 Special Soul Stone.]
[The Castle rewards you. Rewards: 1 Special Space Development Ticket, 1 Premium Draw Ticket, 4000 Gold (Payment delayed due to insufficient funds—to be provided later).]
[Named Monster ‘Zen Karuk’ has been added to the Castle. ‘Zen Karuk’ can now be deployed during Wave defenses.]
A lot of things came in, but I could check them slowly later.
Then Odolf knelt on one knee before me.
“Mount me, my liege. I shall safely carry you back.”
He was telling me to get on his shoulder.
An offer I wanted to refuse.
“I’m fine.”
“The field’s special properties have collapsed. We could sink at any moment. Please, let’s get to land quickly, my liege.”
He was right.
We were currently standing on the surface of the lake, in the middle of it.
Coming here was fine because Zen Karuk’s magic had covered the entire field.
But now, it wouldn’t be strange if we sank at any moment.
“Besides, your grace’s Afterimage has likely been fully expended. You must be tired. Please leave the return to me.”
Like a true wizard, he had noticed the Monarch’s Afterimage was fully depleted.
…Fine.
When else would I get to ride an Ogre?
“Keruk, kiirook!”
Returning to where the Pigmallets had gathered after dismissing Odolf, Gono greeted me.
“Gono, the Pigmallets?”
“Kiirook!”
Gono pointed towards the forest interior.
The forest after being swept by the storm was in tatters.
“Kkyuiiiit, kkyuuu!”
But amidst the wreckage of broken trees and bushes, the Pigmallets who had been waiting for me were lively.
“Ah, Hunter Han-ul!”
And among them was the kind-looking Healer.
Min Ji-seon rose from her spot and bowed her head.
“Hunter Han-ul, thank you so much. You saved us.”
“How are the other Hunters?”
Indeed, among the Pigmallets, members of the Indomitable Guild were also lying down.
“Everyone’s alive. I brought them here and treated them as soon as the storm stopped. Most are crippled, though……”
Min Ji-seon’s eyes turned to Jo Gwang-su, sitting surrounded by Pigmallets.
He sat dazed, a bandage over one eye.
But only for a moment.
His remaining eye met mine.
Immediately, he rose and strode towards me.
“Guild Master!”
Min Ji-seon tried to stop him, but I raised my hand to halt her.
Jo Gwang-su approached until he was right before me.
Thump.
He knelt.
“I am sorry. I was… mistaken in my thinking.”
“…….”
“I failed to act responsibly, as a leader, or even as a Hunter. I was only looking for the easy path, thinking any road would do as long as it reached the goal.”
He murmured that he had lost his way somewhere along the line.
“I had forgotten that this business isn’t one where you survive on tricks.”
Jo Gwang-su clenched his teeth, looking at his unconscious guild members.
“At least I realized it now. I’m glad.”
“……I’m sorry.”
“There’s no place in this world where you survive on tricks alone.”
I summed it up simply.
That’s just how the world worked.
Taking shortcuts is fine.
But if you only seek shortcuts, you’ll eventually pay the price.
“I will engrave this deeply in my heart.”
Jo Gwang-su bowed his head, nearly pressing it to the ground.
I said nothing more.
Because it was unnecessary.
And with perfect timing, a voice rang out.
[Congratulations. You have overcome the Trial of Mind.]
[Rewards are given to all challengers who overcame the Trial. After checking the received rewards, you may choose to either leave midway or enter the Deep Layer. Challengers who lost consciousness will be automatically processed as leaving midway.]
“I would like to meet you again sometime, even later. I will definitely show you a changed version of myself.”
Jo Gwang-su said that even as he rose with Min Ji-seon’s support.
I simply nodded briefly.
“Then I wish you luck, Hunter Kim Han-ul.”
“Please be careful, Hunter Han-ul.”
With those final words, Min Ji-seon and Jo Gwang-su dissolved into particles of light.
The other Indomitable Guild Hunters who had been lying down did the same.
Now, only me, the Pigmallets, and Gono remained in the forest that had become a mess.
Right. Now, let’s take it easy.
[Congratulations. You have completed the Hidden Mission—Subjugate the Source of the Trial. A special reward will be given in addition to the standard reward.]
Time to check my reward.