“Buuuuuuuu!”
As the thunderous roar cut through the plain, hundreds of Ogres erupted simultaneously with maddened shouts.
“Kuwaaaaaaah!”
The sound was tremendous.
The howling of hundreds of Ogres surged forward like a colossal sound wave, as if piercing through the air itself.
Just from that terrifying noise alone, their brutality and ferocity were conveyed in full force.
The impact felt as if a gigantic hammer was smashing their heads, causing one’s mind to reel.
“Grrrrok!”
Leon, whose frame had grown larger, growled lowly as if refusing to be outdone.
His usually gentle eyes were nowhere to be seen; only a sharp, piercing aura, like a dagger, lingered.
Like a predator eyeing its prey, his gaze fixed on the front, unmoving.
Sang-woong gently patted the back of Leon’s neck to calm him, sensing that Leon looked ready to charge at any moment.
“Leon, it’s alright. That’s nothing.”
Sang-woong’s confidence came from his belief in his own growth.
By his original ability, C-rank Hunter was his limit.
But through effort, he had broken through that barrier, reaching B-Rank Hunter in his previous life.
Rumor in the Hunter Community was that B-Rank was the final stage achievable through effort alone.
No Hunter had ever reached above B-Rank by effort only.
Sang-woong had done the impossible in his past life.
And now, synchronizing with the earth, he had accumulated a staggering amount of Experience beyond imagination.
Monsters invaded the plains daily, and all the Experience gained was concentrated into Sang-woong.
As the Experience piled up day after day, one day, the overwhelming flood of Experience shattered the wall of his abilities.
In a blink, like a dam breaking, he surged to Level 10 and became a A-Rank Hunter.
No matter how strong or numerous the Ogres were, Sang-woong was confident.
Besides, behind him stood 100 Wood Golems and 100 Stone Golems, ready to obey his orders without hesitation—even charging into a furnace.
“Alright, shall we start the greeting?”
As Sang-woong’s will was conveyed, the Giant Thorn Cacti rooted in the earth responded.
Shwim! Shwim! Shwim!! Shwim!
Multiple thorns shot forth in arcs toward the heads of the Ogre horde.
The thorns pierced through the massive bodies of the Ogres with sharp ping! sounds.
Their force was so great that even at some distance, the Ogres couldn’t utter a sound as they toppled over.
Behind the fallen Ogres, the waves of the battlefield seemed to pause for a moment.
“Wow! This is amazing!” Sang-woong muttered in awe.
The force was powerful enough to slice through the fierce morale of a battle in one stroke.
But it was only for a moment.
Ignoring their fallen kin, the Ogres that had stopped moved back, while even more Ogres charged forward with snarling fury.
The thunderous steps of hundreds of Ogres once again made the ground tremble.
“Aria, let’s begin!”
Sang-woong commanded.
“Yes, Master!”
The first strike came from Aria, who focused her spirit and shouted,
“Chilling cold energy, freeze all living things!”
In an instant, an unbelievable spectacle unfolded.
Cold air began spreading from beneath Aria’s feet, shimmering blue as it crawled across the ground.
Like transparent cobwebs covering the earth, white frost gradually settled, and in a blink, the ground beneath hundreds of Ogre feet transformed into a solid ice sheet.
Sang-woong was not the only one who had improved.
Aria was also regaining her strength by recovering earth energy and steadily consuming Elemental Food and Spirit Snacks.
Before, she had only been able to weave Spirit Ropes, but now she could wield powerful Ice Magic strong enough to bind hundreds of Ogres’ feet.
The first Ogres to charge onto the sudden ice began slipping uncontrollably.
Their huge feet flailed weakly on the ice, and the unbalanced beasts fell to the ground with dull thuds, as if their necks were broken.
The following Ogres suffered the same fate.
They slipped and fell over the fallen, tangled together to form massive heaps of bodies.
Despite their pitiful appearance, the battlefield was pure chaos.
Clubs cut through the air, and the panicked, agonized howls filled the air.
Like bowling pins all falling at once, a mix of sounds created a chaotic roar that deafened the ears.
In that moment, amidst the Ogres’ agonizing screams, strangely audible words could be heard.
“Save me!”
“Aaa…”
Though the invasion was one-sided, the words carried meaning.
‘Could it be… that monsters include understanding the languages of their own kind?’
Sang-woong was briefly caught off guard by the unexpected situation.
He looked toward Leon, who was biting and crushing the necks of the confused Ogres.
When their eyes met, Leon spoke.
“Master, what are you doing? Just standing there dumbfounded? Come on!”
Leon’s harsh gaze didn’t quite reach Sang-woong’s eyes, but that voice was definitely Leon’s!
Leon was talking to him!
“Alright, then. I’ll move!”
Without realizing it, Sang-woong responded and readjusted his grip on his sword.
“Golems! Kill them all!”
Ignoring the slippery ice, Sang-woong and Leon dashed swiftly into the Ogre horde.
The Stone Golems, much heavier than the Ogres, smashed the ice beneath their stomping feet and pushed forward relentlessly.
Wood Golems followed behind, clearing away the shattered ice chunks.
Ogres slipping on the ice desperately tried to get up, but the slick surface betrayed their footing every time.
Their awkward falls, sprawling limbs, and rear-end hits were pitiful to watch, yet their eyes still burned with murderous intent.
Sang-woong quickly closed in on the nearest Ogre and swung his sword.
The sharp blade cut through the Ogre’s thick, dull skin like paper, spraying crimson blood onto the white ice in a grisly scene.
“Kyaaah!”
The Ogre let out a pained howl and collapsed helplessly.
Leon, strengthened by earth energy, had also transformed into a tiger-sized beast and charged fiercely at an Ogre’s neck, biting down with a thud!
The screams and howls of the Ogres were unending.
Though barely able to stand, they desperately swung clubs or bared rotten teeth in a last-ditch effort to fight back.
But their slipping bodies were no real threat.
Meanwhile, the Stone Golems crushed Ogres beneath their heavy steps as they marched onward.
Each swing of their massive flails shattered bones with horrendous crunches, breaking or crushing the Ogres.
Wood Golems smashed Ogre heads with solid wooden maces, the sound ping! echoing sharply.
The ice-covered ground was quickly stained red.
As time passed, the number of fallen Ogres on the ice grew exponentially.
From hundreds, only about half remained standing.
Among them were Ogres with eyes full of terror, glaring desperately at Sang-woong, Leon, and the Golems.
If things continued like this, they would be annihilated.
Mid-battle, a massive Heavy Ogre, no longer able to stand by idly, revealed himself.
His expression was a mixture of nervousness and rage.
He was far larger and more fearsome than the other Ogres, and his bone club was irregularly embedded with sharp Cursed Fragments.
The Heavy Ogre charged at the Golems with fierce momentum, shaking their defensive line like falling leaves.
Several Golems crumbled helplessly under his assault.
But Sang-woong would not let this continue.
He moved quickly to engage the Heavy Ogre head-on.
Jjeong!
With a tremendous roar, Sang-woong’s sword clashed violently against the Heavy Ogre’s bone club.
The sharp fragments embedded in the club clanged and cracked against the sword, mixing with the sounds of breaking bones.
Sang-woong gritted his teeth against the overwhelming force.
It was a heavy, destructive power unlike that of ordinary Ogres.
He barely managed to hold his sword from being knocked away with his Mana.
The Heavy Ogre swung his bone club again without pause.
The speed was as threatening as his size.
Sang-woong narrowly dodged the attack and stepped back.
A sharp wind swept through where the club had passed.
Had he been even a moment slower, not a bone would have been left.
“Khahaha! Pathetic weakling humans!”
The Heavy Ogre sneered down at Sang-woong, his twisted, bumpy forearms covered with scars.
He bore the demeanor of a veteran warrior who had survived countless battles.
Sang-woong calmly gripped his sword without responding to the Ogre’s provocation.
He was also a seasoned Hunter with decades of experience fighting monsters.
Watching the Heavy Ogre’s movements, Sang-woong waited for an opening.
The Ogre’s attacks were powerful but, due to his massive size, lacked agility.
The Heavy Ogre swung his bone club once more with even fiercer intent.
Sang-woong swiftly dodged sideways while stabbing sharply at the Ogre’s thigh with his sword.
“Krawk!”
The Heavy Ogre howled in pain.
But Sang-woong’s assault did not stop there.
Seizing the opportunity, he drew his sword again and slashed the other thigh.
In an instant, the Heavy Ogre’s legs were deeply wounded, and he staggered, dropping to one knee.
“You, you little…!”
Raging, the Heavy Ogre unleashed his last strength, swinging the bone club even as he fell.
Sang-woong quickly backed away to avoid the blow, but a single bone shard embedded in the club grazed his arm.
Heat and pain surged through his arm as red blood dripped down.
Sang-woong clenched his arm momentarily but gripped his sword firmly again.
Looking down at the fallen Heavy Ogre, his eyes were cold and sharp.
“You’re quite strong. If this were the old me, you might have won. But now, you’re no match.”
Sang-woong decided there was no time to waste.
He concentrated Mana into his sword, preparing for the final strike.
A blue aura of Mana flared strongly from the blade.
“Die!”
With all his might, Sang-woong swung his sword.
His blade moved like lightning, accurately slicing through the Heavy Ogre’s neck.
The Heavy Ogre gasped his last breath and collapsed to the ground.
His massive body thudded heavily onto the earth, the dull sound echoing across the battlefield.
The fierce gleam in his eyes slowly faded as he stopped moving.
Confirming the Heavy Ogre’s death, Sang-woong relaxed his grip on his sword.
Though his arm throbbed slightly from the pain, the spirit of victory made him forget everything else.
He glanced briefly at the fallen Heavy Ogre, then shifted his gaze to the remaining Ogres.
The Heavy Ogre’s defeat seemed to have dealt a tremendous shock to the others.
Their eyes now held fear and hesitation instead of the ferocity from before.
It was only natural after witnessing their strongest leader fall so quickly.
Sang-woong would not let this chance slip away.