Chapter 139
Chapter 139
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 139
Chapter Title: Insurin (5)
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Even though it was dead, the ogre’s head was still unnerving. Ruiril grumbled as she picked it up and teleported away.
“Why didn’t you ask for his head?”
“To make him angry. It’s a monster, after all.”
When dealing with monsters, it was crucial to grasp their traits accurately. Surprisingly, many superpowered individuals lacked the know-how for fighting them. Especially those with overwhelming abilities. They could just bulldoze through with brute force, so they saw no need to learn the finer points.
But Suhyun had always been the underdog, clawing his way up from the bottom. He rarely won against monsters in a straight-up fight.
“Ogres are arrogant and haughty by nature. Short-tempered and brutal. The stronger they think they are, the worse it gets. Look at that Massacre guy. He’s probably never met his match in life. On a whole other level from other ogres, so no rivals even among his own kind. For a beast like that, sky-high arrogance is only natural.”
A short while later, Ruiril returned empty-handed, scrubbing her hands in disgust. Suhyun patted her shoulder as if to commend her hard work.
“So that head...?”
“It’ll start smelling soon enough. We sprayed it with chemicals to hold off the stench for now, but it won’t last forever. When he sees it, he’ll fly into a rage.”
“......”
Scott nodded with a tense expression. Everything they did was recorded. For the benefit of future teams.
In that regard, Suhyun’s methods were invaluable beyond measure. How much intel was embedded in what they were doing right now?
But such thoughts passed quickly. Scott soon felt the outcome of their current actions crystallizing in his mind.
“Hang on, provoking him is fine and all... But isn’t that something you do with a monster you’re sure you can take down?”
“I told you, didn’t I? Don’t worry about failure before we even start.”
* * *
“Four ogres?”
“So the mage thing wasn’t a lie after all...”
“Isn’t this getting serious?”
“What do you mean?”
“I mean a human that strong showing up. Humans getting stronger isn’t good for us, right? Back in the day, humans with mysterious powers were rare as hell, and now, after just a bit of time, one of them’s a full-blown mage.”
“So what’re you gonna do about it?”
“I’m not saying do anything specific, but... We need to be on guard. Once this is over, humans will start pouring in here.”
“It’s good to distrust humans, good to stay wary, but look at the situation. We couldn’t even take down one ogre, and now the whole tribe’s evacuating. You wanna play defense in a spot like this? Don’t just see that human as some mage. He’s no pushover. If the deal wasn’t on our terms, he’d never have accepted.”
“But Nephel has a point. He’s that strong already, and if we hand over the elixir? Who knows how much stronger he’ll get. We’ve gotta stop it somehow, right?”
“I’m against it. Mess with him wrong, and he’s more dangerous than any ogre. We can’t win against humans head-on. There are too many of them and too few of us. They’ve got all kinds of weapons; we’ve just got guns at best. Kill one, and ten more swarm in. Remember, the fighting stopped not because we were strong, but because of their interests and rules.”
“I agree with Selina. Armed struggle against humans is way too inefficient. We give what we can give, take what we can take. Look at the elves.”
“And you call yourself a dark elf?!”
“What about you, Nephel? Have you taken down even one ogre?”
“You, you little...!”
“Enough. The deal’s done anyway. Whatever we decide about future humans, what’s already set in stone? No more talk about it. Can’t change it now.”
The tribe leaders debated fiercely. Those clinging to old ways were the hardliners. Attack and drive out any who approach—that was their stance. Opposing them were the moderates, who pointed to other subraces as examples: keep a safe distance and cooperate.
In the hardliners’ eyes, Suhyun looked like a monster they couldn’t touch if he got any stronger. And handing him the elixir on top...?
“I see some unhappy faces.”
“Others too?”
“They don’t show it, but plenty of dark elves hate humans.”
“Guys who’ve never even fought them are always like that.”
Selina sighed and shook her head.
“They’re not idiots. With that ogre out there, they won’t act rashly. Don’t worry about it.”
“And after?”
“Once it’s dealt with? Cross that bridge when we get there. Your role’s huge, Janarobel.”
“Honestly, I don’t wanna give that human the elixir either...”
“Same here. But a promise is a promise. Especially with someone who could kill us anytime.”
Suhyun didn’t know it, but the dark elf who’d scouted the ogre’s position firsthand was a chief leading her own tribe. Janarobel, who’d walked out of the chiefs’ meeting with Selina, shuddered as Suhyun’s face came to mind.
“I’m old. Leading Insurin from here on out? That’ll be you young dark elves.”
“I don’t get why you’re hanging around a guy like that, sis.”
“You’ve still got a ways to go in that department.”
“Huh?”
“Nothing, dear. Speaking of, have you talked to Shaina?”
“No. That guy kept getting in the way...”
“You’ll have time once this is done, so don’t fret. I was hoping Shaina would help you out.”
“Guess I’ll have to convince her again!”
“Hmm... Doubt it, though...”
“Huh? What’d she say?”
“Nothing, dear.”
Selina thought of the bond between Shaina and Suhyun. No matter how she looked at it, Janarobel’s protests wouldn’t snap that connection.
* * *
“Bunch of loudmouths.”
“What’re you doing?”
“Eavesdropping. Dark elves are kinda sloppy with this stuff.”
Kim Dong-wook tweaked the receiver for the bugs planted in the meeting hall and whispered to Suhyun.
“If there’s trouble, leave my name out of it.”
“Relax. Won’t get caught.”
Just as the dark elves didn’t trust Suhyun, he didn’t trust them either. Only fools trusted those who could turn hostile and attack at any moment.
‘Figures the whiners would show up.’
Couldn’t lump all dark elves together. Opinions varied wildly within. Their image as fierce human-fighters was strong, but some wanted amicable relations.
-Kuaaaaaang!
An earth-shaking roar laced with fury. Massacre had clearly found the corpse.
“He’s moving.”
“Let him. He’ll rampage first, then head out. Track his position and issue evac orders that way.”
No one knew where the Twin Head Ogre was headed, so faces were pale with fear, but Suhyun stayed cool.
‘Can’t engage yet... Two females with him. Good. Northwest.’
“Moving northwest!”
“Issue evac and scatter the prep.”
The ogre knew dark elf villages dotted the area. With the female dead, the culprit was obvious. The enraged beast charged to vent its wrath.
Boom, kwarung-kwarung-kwang!
“Ugh... Brutal.”
One operator watching night-vision drone feed swallowed hard. The ogre, usually content to gorge and lounge, was now demolishing a village like it meant to uproot it entirely. Smashing whatever it saw with fists, hurling debris.
Unlike him, the other two females stayed relatively calm. They foraged for food as they roamed.
‘Only the males rage like that when a female dies.’
The dark elves had scattered food during their escape but hadn’t tampered with it. Most poisons were useless against ogres anyway. Tampering risked diverting the ogre elsewhere, worsening the damage.
So the ogres ate with utter confidence. Whatever they swallowed, they could digest.
“Five.”
True strength came from knowing fear. Suhyun muttered watching the ogre devour the bait. No instant kill, but...
“Enough to chip away at its defenses.”
Suhyun parked his motorcycle on the hill, calmly pulled the trigger. The poisoned bait-eater collapsed without proper defense.
And the Twin Head Ogre saw it all. Right before his eyes.
“He’s coming your way!!! Get out!!!
“I know. No need to yell.”
Suhyun, operating solo, chilled everyone to the bone. The Twin Head Ogre instinctively locked onto his position and charged. No escaping on open ground like this.
But Suhyun just took steady aim.
“Six.”
All other obstacles cleared. Suhyun mounted up and signaled.
“Commencing Massacre hunt now. Everyone to assigned positions.”
* * *
“He’ll come for me first. Don’t step up and draw attention for nothing. Power armor or not, if he grabs you, you’re ripped apart in five seconds.”
Suhyun, in his power armor, addressed the other pilots. Physical combat demanded it. The cockpit felt good after so long.
Suhyun splashed ogre blood he’d saved onto his power armor. To stoke the beast’s rage.
“Come on!”
A massive bulk appeared in the distance. Two heads, both seething with maximum fury.
-Attack!
The superpowered operatives struck fiercely. Blue Bear Teams 1 and 2 coordinated their barrage. The dark sky flashed and rippled.
Thwack!
But the assault fizzled instantly. The ogre swung its fist, and the superpower at its tip vanished like erased by an eraser.
‘Ahh... So that’s it?’
Suhyun fired boosters and closed in. The ogre’s eyes blazed as its hated foe approached—ripe for killing. Fist slammed into the power armor.
-!
Impossible maneuver. The power armor had clearly lifted into the air, yet it landed and sidestepped instantly. The ogre, mid-rage, whipped its heads around in confusion.
‘Focus. One slip and I’m done.’
Suhyun’s top focus now was time manipulation. Full control was tough, but he’d discovered something while practicing.
Acceleration didn’t apply just to himself.
Visualizing himself in the power armor extended it to the suit. Feeling blood trickle from bitten lip, Suhyun dodged the ogre’s strike again.
A fight this razor-edge hadn’t happened in ages.
‘Opening!’
The ogre’s side was exposed. Suhyun’s power armor was set for close quarters. Telekinesis-coated blade plunged into the flank.
“!”
But the blade snapped. Suhyun cursed, accelerating time. The ogre vertically smashed where Suhyun had been a split-second prior. Air quaked from the blow.
‘Not just the fist tip, huh? Damn...’
Small mercy it wasn’t projectile-based. He’d suspected as much from dark elf accounts.
‘So it nullifies on contact.’
Click-clack, blade reloaded. Ogre hide and muscle exceeded current human tech limits.
Superpower attacks rained from behind. Ogre didn’t even swing this time. They vanished without a scratch.
“?”
It healed fast, but in slowed time, Suhyun saw clearly: a magic bullet grazing the knee left a wound.
That one wasn’t nullified.
‘Not always-on!’
The power armor’s under-mounted autocannon roared. Ogre crossed arms like a shield. Suhyun smirked. Playing right into his hands.