Chapter 59: Lightning and Blood

Pushed far back, I quickly prepared my Skill and dashed forward again.

“Woo…”

The Ogre swung its hefty club at me as it lumbered in my direction.

Boom. Crash!

Having already tasted its power, I dodged the attack and immediately unleashed the Skill I’d prepared.

“Wind Blade!”

Blades of wind formed around me. I hurled them straight at the Ogre.

Pew pew pew, bang!

The Ogre took the wind blades head on.

Though Wind Blade wasn’t sharp enough to cut clean through its body, as a 4th Circle spell, it at least inflicted bleeding wounds.

In that moment, I used ‘Dash’ to rapidly slip into the Ogre’s left side.

Then I slashed my sword at its flank.

Slash.

It was a deeper wound than Wind Blade had left, but still, my attack power was weak.

Still, I had to keep attacking.

To defeat the Ogre.

In response to my assault, the Ogre tried to grab me with its massive free hand.

“Dash.”

I evaded that giant hand, moving to the opposite side, and hurriedly prepared another Skill.

“Fireball. Shield.”

I fired my main offensive, the Fireball Dunk, right into the Ogre’s side.

This wasn’t an ordinary Fireball—it contained the full force of 5th Circle mana, and even more mana was packed in with my control.

Expecting it to cause more than just a scratch, I detonated the Fireball.

Boom!

The blinding flames engulfed the Ogre. I stepped back to avoid being swallowed by the flames myself. Even as I retreated, I didn’t just stand idle.

“Fireball, Fireball, Fireball!”

Each time I took a step back, I sent out another Fireball, ensuring the raging fire didn’t die down.

And perhaps it was working—what came from the Ogre’s mouth wasn’t a roar, but a scream.

geu wor

Even if I couldn’t burn the Ogre completely, I could still overheat its body.

And if the flames managed to slip into its eyes or mouth, that would be fatal.

Before the blaze died down, I readied my next Skill.

Thump, thump.

Flailing, thrashing.

The Ogre wildly swung its club, desperately trying to dispel the flames.

After struggling for a moment, it finally extinguished the fire, but now one of its eyes was shut tight.

“Fire Cannon!”

At the reeling Ogre, I unleashed an even stronger fire bomb.

A beam of flame shot from my hand, slamming into the Ogre, and another huge explosion followed.

Gwaaaah!

Being a 5th Circle Skill, the explosion sounded like nothing I’d heard so far—truly thunderous.

Of course, I didn’t expect it to end here.

The Ogre was the fiercest tyrant of the land. A monster like that wouldn’t die so easily.

So I readied my next Skill, gripping my sword as I advanced.

“Wild Slash!”

Aiming at the Ogre still wrapped in fire, I unleashed Wild Slash.

Slash slash slash slash slash.

My sword swung relentlessly.

Just as the name “Wild Slash” suggested, my blade swept in every direction and angle it could reach.

“Grawr!”

Even if I couldn’t land deep wounds, the pain must have been adding up—again, the Ogre tried to grab me.

But I wouldn’t let it catch me.

“Stone Edge!”

Rocks burst up from the ground in front of me.

Crack!

A perfectly timed Stone Edge erupted before the Ogre’s hand, and it grabbed onto it, thinking it had caught me.

Bang.

The conjured Stone Edge exploded in its grasp. I used my Skill again.

“Wild Slash.”

-Skill ‘Wild Slash’ has leveled up.

The Skill leveled up, and wounds appeared on the Ogre’s body.

Blood streamed down, staining the Ogre.

They weren’t deep wounds, but the constant injuries kept the blood flowing.

Suddenly, I felt something catch in my throat, so I stepped back.

“Ptui.”

What came out was clotted blood.

At the same time, the heaviness in my body faded, and I felt light again.

“Wow, Transcendent Regeneration. It’s amazing.”

I’d healed my wounds while focusing on the fight.

Confidence surged anew. The Ogre’s body was already covered in blood.

Sticky, thick blood soaked the ground, and because of my fire spells, the Ogre couldn’t open one of its eyes.

I could even see it moving more sluggishly.

“Good. Let’s keep this up.”

There was still hope.

I glanced over at the Troll and the Ogre fighting in the distance.

The two of them looked almost the same as before.

The Troll was still swinging its club with stubborn force, its body gradually getting battered.

There was a difference, though—the Troll’s unique regeneration must have been at work, as it still looked almost unscathed.

In contrast, the Ogre’s green skin was mottled with bruises, slowly turning a bluish hue.

Still, those patches weren’t too numerous yet.

Crash! Bang!

As I watched, the Troll’s and Ogre’s clubs struck each other, and both shattered on the spot.

“Grrraah?”

“Grrok?”

They tossed away the club handles and charged at each other.

Thwack!

The Troll’s fist slammed into the Ogre’s belly. But the Ogre, unfazed, returned the blow, punching the Troll in the face.

Thwack!

The Troll’s face twisted to the side.

Trading blows only seemed to enrage them further, and they began pounding at each other with fists and feet.

Thud, thud, bang.

It wasn’t as heavy a sound as when they used clubs, but the impact still sounded massive.

Even from a distance, the blows sent a chill down my spine.

Since their battle wasn’t over yet, my fight with the Ogre wouldn’t be interrupted. I rushed at the Ogre again.

Its left eye was shut, so that side was a blind spot. I quickly slipped into that angle.

geu wor?

With only one eye, the Ogre lost track of me.

I targeted the same wound on its left side, spinning around and using a Skill.

“Spinning Blade.”

I didn’t just spin normally—by rotating for a full circle, I strengthened the centrifugal force before releasing the Skill.

Whoosh!

This time, my attack landed solidly, tearing open a deep wound and drawing out more blood.

“Gwaaaah!”

Maybe from the pain in its side, the Ogre tried to spin its body by swinging its left arm. I spun in the same direction. And as I did, I readied another Skill.

“Grease.”

Instantly, the ground turned slippery, and the Ogre skidded and slipped.

Rumble.

To avoid the toppling Ogre, I used another Skill.

“Blink.”

I teleported away from the Ogre in an instant and prepared my next Skill.

The Ogre still couldn’t get up because of Grease, not only from the Skill itself, but also from the blood pouring out of its body.

Hmph.

Looking at all that blood, an idea struck me, and I conjured another spell.

“Lightning Bolt.”

Crack!

A bolt of lightning shot out and pierced the Ogre’s body.

“Graaaargh!”

As a 3rd Circle spell, it should have left only minor burns, but the blood coating the Ogre amplified the effect.

Blood contains liquids, after all.

While the Ogre convulsed from electrocution, I prepared an even more powerful Skill and used it.

“Call Lightning!”

Not just any Call Lightning, but one packed with as much mana as possible for maximum effect.

Rumble, crack!

A bolt of lightning crashed down.

“Graaaagh!”

Struck full on, the Ogre shrieked, its body twisting in agony.

The burns made its eyes pop open wide, pain contorting its face.

Thud.

The Call Lightning ended, and the Ogre collapsed to the ground.

But incredibly, it was still alive—its chest kept rising and falling, over and over.

“Damn, it’s still not dead?”

I was exasperated, but, as expected, prepared my next Skill.

I formed the completed Skill by shaping my fingers into a bell, then aimed at the Ogre.

“Laser.”

A beam of light shot from my hand, streaking towards the Ogre’s torso and piercing its chest.

Slowly, Laser melted the Ogre’s chest, finally leaving a gaping hole.

That was the end—the Ogre no longer moved.

-Level up!

-You have received 5 bonus stat points.

-Level up!

-You have received 5 bonus stat points.

-Level up!

-You have received 5 bonus stat points.

Defeating the Ogre earned me three level-ups.

My level was now 55.

I invested all 15 bonus stat points into Magic Power.

What I needed most right now was intelligence—the stat that increases my Skill damage.

And I looked back at the still-fighting Troll and Ogre.

Surprisingly, their battle was also coming to an end.

The Ogre’s face was caked with blood, its body bruised blue like a smurf, while the Troll’s arm was torn off, blood spurting, and it pressed a hand to one of its eyes.

Both were in shambles, gasping for breath—one more hit and either could fall.

Just one final blow would decide it.

“If the Troll wins, I’ll wait. If the Ogre wins, I’ll finish it off right away.”

I held my sword in one hand, readying a Skill in the other.

Depending on the outcome, my next move would change.

The gasping Troll and Ogre moved at the same moment.

The Troll swung its only remaining arm, the Ogre did the same.

Smash!

At the same time, their fists struck each other’s faces. With a heavy thud, both bodies collapsed.

Thud, thunk.

The Ogre fell first.

It sprawled face down on the ground. Unlike the Ogre, the Troll fell to one knee.

“Kwah… kwah… gon…”

It breathed like it was dying.

It looked like it could drop dead at any moment. But that was all.

The Troll didn’t move again, frozen in place.

“Kwaa…”

The Troll looked at me and let out a rough cry.

I could guess what it meant.

“Yeah…”

Right now, the Troll was asking me.

It was dying, unable to move, so it was asking me to kill the Ogre.

I walked over to the Ogre, sword in hand.

Step, step, step.

Standing before the Ogre, I glanced at the Troll. The Troll nodded its head slightly.

“Ha… bit…”

I raised my sword and slashed the Ogre’s neck.

Slash.

A final blow. The notification popped up—Ogre defeated.

-Level up!

-You have received 5 bonus stat points.

I got another level-up just for delivering the finishing blow.

Then I looked at the Troll.

The Troll’s eyes were closed, but it was still breathing faintly, not quite dead.

But it was only a matter of time.

No matter how strong a Troll’s Rebirth is, with an arm torn off and losing so much blood, there was no way it could survive.

“I’ll send you off peacefully.”

With that, I spoke to the Troll and raised my sword.

To ease its suffering and let it die in peace.

I beheaded the Troll.

-Level up!

-You have received 5 bonus stat points.

A notification announced the Troll’s death.

For a moment, I offered a prayer for the Troll. If not for it, I wouldn’t have been able to kill the Ogre.

After my prayer ended and I turned away—

A notification popped up, announcing that the Quest was complete.