The Ogres began their advance.
The ground-shaking created by their massive bodies accelerated. They were hulking colossal beasts with the bodies of three-horned rhinoceroses and legs as long as an elephant’s.
The Ogre Charge Unit began to run.
RUMBLE RUMBLE RUMBLE!
Commander James, having discovered the charging Ogres, gave an order.
“Archers, focus your fire on the Ogre Charge Unit!”
No one knew what would happen if those hulks collided with the castle gate.
If the gate, already cracked from several battles, was breached, a catastrophe was inevitable.
THUD THUD THUD!
A concentrated volley that looked as though it would instantly kill any ordinary Magic Beast poured down, but the beasts, covered in tough hide, continued their charge.
Then it happened.
WHOOSH!
A single trajectory drew a straight line through the air.
THUNK!
A spear embedded itself precisely between one beast’s brows. The moment it struck, the light of life went out from the beast’s eyes.
“Graaaagh!”
The Ogre riding it also fell.
Before it could even recover itself, it was trampled by another beast racing nearby and never rose again.
The one who had sniped it with a spear was none other than James, the knight and commander defending the fortress wall.
His spear strike, condensed with mana, had pierced through the beast’s tough hide and thick skull.
Starting with James’s opening attack, the knights who could handle mana began hurling spears one after another.
However.
THUD THUD THUD THUD!
It was not enough to annihilate the charging Ogre Knights.
Would they have no choice but to be broken through like this?
Just as Knight James drew his sword and prepared to leap down himself to defend the front of the castle gate…
FLASH!
A red magic circle was engraved in front of the direction from which the Ogres were charging. Then, blazing spears of flame erupted in a straight line.
BOOM! BOOM!
BOOM BOOM BOOM!
Flare Strike.
Powerful flame magic struck the Ogres in the front row.
An Ogre that had been hit toppled from the beast’s back, and a beast whose head had been completely burned away charged blindly in another direction before crashing into a rock.
CRASH!
“Th-the Mage Corps!”
James’s expression lit up.
It was the offensive magic chant of Im Hyeon-min, Hanul’s raid captain, who had been recognized as the one who had brought the Mage Corps.
With Im Hyeon-min at the forefront, spells completed here and there began to shine.
Black lines shot wildly upward from a magic circle drawn on the ground. They tore everything apart, and the severed shadows swept through the area.
SLASH. SLASH. SLASH!
Following Dark Blade, a cutting spell with the darkness attribute, flashing lightning burst out in clusters.
It was Chain Lightning, a representative area-of-effect spell.
The chain-linked lightning scattered in all directions, and five Ogres were electrocuted in an instant, their bodies stiffening as they trembled.
“Waaaaaaaah!”
Spears of cold poured down from within an ice vortex, freezing the surrounding area. The middle of the air grew scorching hot, condensed together, and then Magnetic Boom exploded in a direct hit.
BOOM! BANG!
Mages were not called the flower of war for nothing.
After all, not only the Ogres, but also the many Goblin forces gathered nearby were being swept up in the magic and dying.
Of course, even so, the enemy’s numbers were still overwhelming.
Ji Min-jeong chanted the spell she had completed toward the enemies surging in again.
“Shadow Root.”
CRACKLE!
Shadow vines rose from the ground and began wrapping around the legs of the Goblins and beasts.
The Goblins, unable to move an inch, stared helplessly at the rain of arrows pouring down on them.
RUMBLE!
Thanks to their overwhelming mass, the beasts avoided being fully bound, but with their movement speed reduced, they became excellent targets for the knights.
After once again successfully sniping an Ogre, James swept his gaze over the battle.
‘It is not bad. Not bad at all…….’
They only had to endure like this.
“Hold out just a little longer! Then His Excellency will soon arrive with the main force!”
The reason they were merely holding out in this fortress was to wait for the troops personally led by the count.
The count’s messenger had arrived four days ago. Only today.
They only had to overcome today’s crisis.
BWOOOOOOOOOO!
But as though mocking that hope, the piercing sound of a horn rang out.
“Ah…….”
A lament slipped from James’s mouth.
Along with the sound of the horn, heavily armed Ogres emerged from the forest.
The Ogre Butchers had appeared, exuding an overwhelming aura on an entirely different level from the other Ogres.
‘Does this mean that, as His Excellency draws near, the Ogre Lord has also arrived nearby?’
They truly only had to endure for a little longer, so why had such tremendous forces appeared?
Could they block the Ogre Butchers, who were said to rival the kingdom’s well-trained elite knight order, with their current strength?
But James soon steeled himself.
Somehow……
Somehow, defending the fortress was his duty.
“Knights!! All of you… hm?”
As James was about to concentrate the knights’ forces and somehow deal with the Butchers, his eyes clearly caught sight of a person sliding down the fortress wall.
“Jeong Hyeon-su!!”
Ji Min-jeong was startled by the sudden action of Jeong Hyeon-su, the very person in question.
But Jeong Hyeon-su, who had shot forward at a tremendous speed before anyone could predict it, was already far away.
“Ji Min-jeong, focus on the battle.”
Raid Captain Im Hyeon-min was somewhat flustered by Jeong Hyeon-su’s sudden action, but he had no intention of taking any particular measures.
“The guild master gave an order.”
“An order?”
“Yes. To be precise, he told us to watch.”
“But if this continues……”
“He is heading into a place where anyone can see he will die, entirely on his own. Do we have to risk danger to save him? Because of you?”
It was a terribly cold thing to say.
Jeong Hyeon-su could be considered a benefactor.
But having the mages enter the middle of those Ogres to help that benefactor, who was clearly doing whatever he wanted, was a different matter.
“We will not leave him to die. We are simply doing everything we must do.”
Pillars of fire rose along the path where Jeong Hyeon-su was running.
They were providing a degree of support, but ultimately, that was all.
Ji Min-jeong suddenly recalled the memory of that day.
— If you cannot win, you either join him or aim for the next opportunity. As long as you have the will to create the greatest guild, enduring years of patience should be nothing.
After seeing Jeong Hyeon-su in person and clearly acknowledging his skill, Ji Sang-uk had told her to look far ahead.
There was no need to become his enemy. It would be better to keep him as an acquaintance.
But if they could eliminate him, then doing so decisively could also be considered a guild’s cold competition.
Even so.
“I… cannot do that.”
“You cannot? What, do you mean to help him? With your skills?”
Ji Min-jeong clenched her teeth.
“I will do as much as I can.”
“You are still young.”
Despite Im Hyeon-min’s sneer, Ji Min-jeong did not bend her will.
In the meantime, Jeong Hyeon-su slid down the fortress wall and collided with the Ogre Charge Unit.
The massive zanbato Jeong Hyeon-su raised split the air.
WHOOOOSH!
Matching him, the Ogre riding the beast also swung the crude hammer it held as if it refused to lose.
It was a clash of strength against strength. The two powers collided.
CRAAAACK!
“…!”
Ji Min-jeong, who was watching, gaped.
Jeong Hyeon-su’s zanbato had split the Ogre’s crown in a single blow.
SPLASH!
Green fluid sprayed out.
It was a truly unreal sight.
“…He should still be nothing more than a rookie, so how…….”
The severed handle of the hammer was clutched in the Ogre’s hands, and its body, which had been closer to him than anyone else, drifted away.
Through that split body and the gushing green blood, Jeong Hyeon-su’s zanbato emerged and was drawn horizontally without hesitation.
WHOOSH!
This time as well, there was no exception.
Even Im Hyeon-min was shocked by the overwhelming Dominance that should never have been possible at that Rank level.
‘What… is that bastard?’
He did not deny the achievements Jeong Hyeon-su had accumulated since his debut up to this point.
It was certain that he was a talent who would surpass even Im Hyeon-min himself in the near future. After all, he was a talent the guild master had personally gone to confirm.
However.
Even so, the sight he was showing right now was far too incongruous.
His strength could be explained. His natural physical power and talent were different, after all.
But the power he showed in battle, and that battle sense with which he exquisitely avoided his opponent’s attacks while ruthlessly destroying each weakness and opening, was ringing alarm bells in Im Hyeon-min’s mind.
THWACK!
The power of the Heavenly Tyrant Ghost King Art, inflated by Mountain-Uprooting Strength, World-Overturning Spirit.
Furthermore, there were the “bonus stats” he had accumulated by climbing the Tower with SSS-Rank records until now.
Not content with that alone, each day he had spent training like a madman had created this unrealistic might.
“He has not even gone through the promotion battle yet…….”
Jeong Hyeon-su, who possessed everything that made it impossible to believe he was a Hunter who had only just reached the vicinity of the sixth floor, was charging forward.
He did not even bother dealing with Goblins. As if seeing several moves ahead, he only advanced and advanced again across the battlefield.
This time, the master of the zanbato, who cut down an Ogre and a beast at once, soon found himself facing an enormous Ogre standing tall before him.
The elite of the Ogres.
Even before the Ogre Butchers, who could be considered symbols of blood and death, Jeong Hyeon-su gave a faint laugh.
“In the end, you are only imitations, are you not?”
Jeong Hyeon-su had personally cut down the king of the Ogres and the corps commanders who had supported that tyrant from behind.
The Butchers sent with the vanguard were simply cute.
GROOOOOOH!
Perhaps they had sensed Jeong Hyeon-su’s Heavenly Tyrant Ghost King Art, because the Butchers also unleashed their strength without restraint and charged.
THUD! THUD! RUMBLE!
After leaving deep footprints and leaping forward, an Ogre Butcher brought down its enormous greatsword.
Jeong Hyeon-su swung his zanbato horizontally and deflected the attack. Then another Butcher wearing gauntlets on both hands launched a counterattack.
SCREECH!
Using the sword handle to block the gauntlet precisely, Jeong Hyeon-su bent his waist backward.
“Dangerous!”
But contrary to that perilous appearance, Jeong Hyeon-su had perfectly diverted the Ogre’s power.
Instead, taking advantage of that rotational force, Jeong Hyeon-su spun once in midair.
The Tyrant Heaven Energy loaded into the top of his foot struck the Ogre’s skull.
THWAAAAACK!
With the impact coming from the side, the Ogre’s face, its jawbone shattered, completely caved in.
GRRRRAAAAAAH!
Another Butcher aimed for Jeong Hyeon-su again.
Before the straight punch carrying the battle aura that could be considered the Ogres’ mana, Jeong Hyeon-su thrust out his fist.
“Damn it! What a reckless bastard!”
No matter how well one had trained and how well one fought, there were things that were absolute.
To meet the power of that mighty Butcher, clad in battle aura, head-on!
Im Hyeon-min cursed without realizing it.
In truth, although he had spoken coldly in front of Ji Min-jeong, he still had to secure Jeong Hyeon-su’s life. He hurriedly tried to create a wall of flame to protect him, but it seemed too late.
BOOOOOM!
No, instead, the wall of flame was destroyed.
Was the Ogre Butcher’s battle aura truly that strong?
THWAAAAACK!
At the horrible sound of impact that followed, Ji Min-jeong squeezed her eyes shut.
Anyone would have thought that Jeong Hyeon-su was about to be reduced to a bloody pulp.
“…Wh-what is this?”
At Im Hyeon-min’s bewildered voice, Ji Min-jeong opened her eyes to see what had happened, and her eyes widened.
The one reduced to a bloody mess was not Jeong Hyeon-su.
A single punch, wrapped in black haze, was buried in the Ogre’s face.
Unable to understand the situation, those watching could only stare blankly.
“What are you all doing? Feed those Butcher bastards some magic this instant!”
With Im Hyeon-min, who was the first to regain his senses, at the forefront, magic began pouring down again.
Naturally, with Jeong Hyeon-su at the center.