Chapter 26
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Golden Ogre.
A monster with a straightforward name, fitting for a monster.
As its name suggests, it's an ogre with golden skin.
Though it has a straightforward name, it's a troublesome monster.
Magic has little effect on it, its skin is tough, and the attacks unleashed by its massive body are powerful—taking one unprotected could be fatal in a single blow.
For a typical adventurer, taking it down solo safely would require at least Rank 7, though it depends on the adventurer's type.
Unless you're exceptionally skilled or exceptionally reckless, it's not an opponent you'd consider facing alone.
It's not a matter of whether you can do it, but a matter of safety.
The Golden Ogre seems to have noticed us and lets out a roar.
Even though it's still far away, the roar infused with magical energy sends shivers through my body.
"As expected, the roar of three of them at once is quite impressive."
Erika frowns as she endures the roars of the three Golden Ogres.
Is she imagining what would happen if this reached the village?
"Which one should we take on first?"
Showing not a shred of fear toward the three Golden Ogres, Erika asks which to deal with first—she looks so cool.
"Let's start with the one on the right. We can't let them reach the village, so first, we'll cripple their mobility."
The Golden Ogre is a rare type of monster in this area, but in Faltarl Kingdom, it's fairly well-known.
My mentor often made me hunt them down.
Though back then, I never faced three at once.
Hearing my words, magical energy swells around Erika.
"Let's start with a diversion."
The distance between us is about a hundred paces. Erika calls it a diversion, but I widen my eyes at the scale of it.
Dozens of arrows made of fire float around Erika.
It's a well-known magic called fire arrows, but usually, they're shot one at a time.
I know plenty of people who can fire them in succession, but I've never seen someone unleash a massive volley all at once.
As golden magic glimmers, the fire arrows are released.
This kind of power shouldn't be called a mere diversion.
I watch the Golden Ogre hurriedly shield its head with both arms, taking a defensive stance against the oncoming fire arrows, and think to myself.
The fire arrows rain down on the Golden Ogre, causing numerous small explosions around it.
This is definitely not a scene you'd associate with a diversion, I think, as I sharply boost my physical enhancement.
The soft soil of the farm road bursts under my feet.
"Fast!"
Erika's faint murmur already sounds distant.
By the time Erika muttered, I was already behind the Golden Ogre, which was still crouched low in a defensive stance.
I slash at its unprotected ankles while running past.
The Golden Ogre lets out a cry of agony.
The Golden Ogre swings its arms wildly, but by then, I've already put distance between us.
A beat later, Erika arrives beside me.
"I couldn't keep up."
Her voice sounds oddly dissatisfied.
"Isn't it a lady's etiquette to let a man take the lead sometimes?"
"Right now, I'm an adventurer."
I feel like the whole 'letting a man take the lead' thing was also mentioned in the context of being an adventurer, but I keep that to myself.
I'm not that stupid.
Besides, the Golden Ogre has gotten back up and is glaring at us with eyes full of hatred.
We're at a close distance, just a few steps away from entering striking range, locked in a stare-down.
According to my mentor, at this distance, the one who looks away loses.
The Golden Ogres charge at us from three directions, surrounding us at a speed comparable to a Rank 2 or 3 adventurer.
Considering their ankles have been slashed, their movement isn't bad, but it's still slow.
Before I even move, the direction of Erika's magical energy tells me she trusts me.
As I said earlier, I rush toward the Golden Ogre on the right, while Erika's magical energy heads toward the other two.
As the rightmost Golden Ogre swings down its massive fist, I dodge and use its arm as a stepping stone to climb up.
I push my physical enhancement to the limit while extending the enhancement to my sword.
It's one of the few practical magics I can use in combat, since I'm not good with magic.
The effect is simple—it makes the sword sturdier, nothing more.
By the way, it doesn't have a name, because I'm the only one who uses it, at least as far as I know.
According to my mentor, if you're going to use such a ridiculous magic, you might as well use a sturdy sword, and if you're dexterous enough to pull that off, you should hone other magics instead.
But for the second son of a poor viscount family, it's an extremely useful magic.
Why, you ask?
Because even when I slice through the thick neck of a Golden Ogre, which would normally chip a blade, my sword doesn't get a single nick.
As the Golden Ogre's head separates from its body, the now-headless torso rapidly changes.
Its golden skin quickly fades to a pale gray, losing the softness typical of living beings.
And as I land and turn around, it collapses into pieces with a clattering sound.
When a monster dies, it leaves behind a core called a magic stone, and its body turns into pale gray crystals known as magic stone fragments.
Occasionally, parts of the body remain, but not this time. Just my luck.
Two more to go!
With that thought fueling my resolve, I put even more strength into my limbs, only to freeze for a moment at the sight before me.
Following the fire arrows, another commonly used diversion magic—simple, versatile, easy to adjust in power, and straightforward to construct—some even say that if you're using fire magic, this alone is enough.
Fireball.
Two fireballs strike the faces of the remaining two Golden Ogres at that very moment.
The golden skin of a Golden Ogre is famous for being resistant to magic.
If the power isn't enough, it's not uncommon for the attack to be deflected.
In fact, the fire arrows Erika used earlier managed to stall them but didn't leave any significant damage on the Golden Ogre that focused on defense.
The power of magic is proportional to the amount of magical energy infused and the complexity of the magic circle constructed within the body.
Magic that can be used quickly has a simple magic circle, which makes it harder to infuse with magical energy.
Generally, powerful magic takes time to activate because it requires constructing a complex magic circle that can hold more magical energy.
However, that doesn't mean a simple magic circle can't hold magical energy.
It's just inefficient.
And when you brute-force that inefficiency, this is what happens.
It's absurd.
I think to myself as I watch the Golden Ogre stagger back after taking a fireball to the face.
One is barely alive, but the other's head is half-destroyed.
I can't even imagine how much absurd magical energy it takes to produce this kind of power with a fireball.
My momentary daze is broken by the Golden Ogre's roar.
The Golden Ogre with its half-destroyed head lets out a scream like a death knell.
Erika wasn't letting her guard down.
That's why her focus was already on the other Golden Ogre.
The roar that struck her was a dying cry, the last and greatest effort of a fading life.
The roar, emitted as its body began to crystallize, momentarily robs Erika of her freedom of movement.
Letting out a very human-like bellow, the remaining Golden Ogre raises both hands.
Its face, torn by the fireball, with flesh burned and rotting, distorts with the bellow, revealing torn flesh and even bone.
Erika's expression shows she's bracing herself to take the hit.
There's no way I can allow that.
Before I realize it, I've positioned myself between Erika and the Golden Ogre.
No, getting between them is only natural, but my thoughts can't keep up with my actions.
The bellow I squeeze from my throat, the magical energy coursing through my entire body—everything is outpacing my thoughts.
Ah, am I an idiot?
To think I'd try to parry the Golden Ogre's descending arm with my sword.
Even with my physical enhancement pushed to the limit, the hand gripping my sword feels numb, as if I've slashed at a massive boulder.
The Golden Ogre's arm, covered in tough skin and thick muscle, bends in an unnatural direction.
Just one more.
I've only managed to deflect the right arm so far.
No, but even if I had to push myself, I should have bought a better sword.
If I could have cut off both of the Golden Ogre's arms, I wouldn't be struggling this much.
Riding the momentum from deflecting the right arm, my sword crashes into the left arm, trembling from the impact.
And then, an unexpected sensation runs through both my hands.
My sword had pierced halfway into the Golden Ogre's left arm.
My sword isn't some masterwork or anything; it's just a mass-produced piece.
Since I could enhance it, I never really cared about its sharpness.
So I know full well that with my skill and my sword's edge, I can't cut through something as tough as the Golden Ogre's arm.
So that's how it is, damn it.
I think to myself that if my hands weren't numb, I could have let go of the sword, but I steel myself anyway.
The Golden Ogre pulls its left arm with the sword stuck in it, and my stance collapses as I'm dragged along.
Since I had jumped in with an already reckless posture, I couldn't even resist.
I could see the Golden Ogre's face twist into a ferocious grimace.
I can tell the Golden Ogre is shifting its weight onto its pivot foot.
Now, if it kicks me, I wonder how far I'll be sent flying.
Looking at the log-thick leg swinging toward my stomach, I think about such things.