Chapter 37: A Real Monster (1)
Chapter 37: A Real Monster (1)
-Kwoooar!
The King Ogre’s fist collided with Patrick’s twin swords.
K-boom!
Was it a rock? No.
It felt as if he had struck a massive lump of iron.
Patrick’s full-power strike managed to push the King Ogre’s fist back, but not a single scratch appeared on the creature's knuckles.
“Damn, that’s tough.”
Ogre hides were naturally sturdy—so much so that they usually didn't even show a mark unless struck by Sword Qi.
But the King Ogre’s hide was on another level. Even Patrick’s Sword Qi, which had been slicing through other Ogres like butter, couldn't pierce it.
-Uwoooar!
Meanwhile, the King Ogre was equally enraged.
A tiny, fragile creature—nothing more than a bug compared to itself—had dared to deflect its fist head-on. It could not tolerate Patrick’s defiance against the King’s hammer.
-Krahhh!
The King Ogre threw another punch, infused with even greater strength.
Boom!
Patrick dodged the strike, then ran up the Ogre’s planted arm, closing the distance to its face in an instant.
“Let’s see if your face is just as thick.”
Arriving before the King Ogre’s eyes in a flash, Patrick unleashed a flurry of slashes.
Skreeeeech!
The sound was nothing like a blade cutting flesh. It sounded like a sharp nail screeching across a thick, hardened iron plate.
“Dammit…”
Patrick’s expression darkened as his targeted strike failed. Even with the power of a 7-Star realm infused into his Sword Qi, he couldn't breach the King Ogre’s leathery hide. And then…
-Kuh-ung!
The King Ogre swung its hand blindly with its eyes squeezed shut.
It was a motion akin to swatting a fly, but if Patrick were hit, he would be turned into a pulp. With no way to dodge in mid-air, Patrick…
Whoosh.
He simply let all the tension leave his body.
Extreme Relaxation.
The moment the King Ogre’s monstrous attack connected with Patrick’s limp form…
Tap.
It was the kind of sound one might hear when swatting a light feather in the air.
The King Ogre’s attack had certainly connected. However, Patrick simply let the force flow past him, drifting far away like a leaf in the wind.
Extreme Relaxation and perfect distribution of force.
Despite taking the Ogre’s blow mid-air, Patrick suffered no impact. As he spun through the air and landed gracefully, the King Ogre stared at its own hand in disbelief.
-Grrr…
It had definitely swung with all its might. So why was this tiny, insignificant being unharmed after taking the hit?
It couldn't understand. According to the King Ogre’s common sense, this was impossible.
It wasn't just the King Ogre; the Orcs and soldiers watching the scene were also staring, unable to believe the surreal sight.
“Didn’t he just get hit?”
“How is that possible?”
“Is that even allowed?”
How could they know? This was exactly why the people of the Martial World called their techniques "Martial Studies."
Four Ounces Moves a Thousand Pounds.
A glimpse into the pinnacle of "Softness" in martial arts, where a mere four ounces of weight can control a thousand pounds of force. By applying this principle in reverse, it was possible to turn a thousand pounds of force into a mere four ounces.
‘Well, even back in the Martial World, only a few elders of the Wudang Sect could pull this off besides me.’
Patrick looked at the King Ogre with a smirk still on his face.
Then, the King Ogre’s attitude changed.
-Grrr…
Its posture lowered, and its aura became more threatening. A monster like a King Ogre, which didn't possess a shred of intellect, could never understand the profound mysteries of martial arts.
However, even if it couldn't understand, it could feel.
This thing is dangerous.
I shouldn't treat him like a normal creature.
In the King Ogre’s mind, Patrick had been promoted from prey to an enemy. From this point on, it wasn't a hunt; it was a battle.
Noticing the shift, Patrick curled his lips into a leisurely smile.
“Only now?”
-Grrr…
“The battle started a long time ago, you brat!”
Patrick’s body lunged forward again, and countless streaks of Sword Qi exploded across the King Ogre’s body.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
The King Ogre’s red hide continued to repel Patrick’s Sword Qi without being cut. But it was distinctly different from before. Sparks flew wherever the Sword Qi struck, as if metal were grinding against metal.
-Kwoooar!
The pain was unlike anything it had felt before. The King Ogre was thrown into a panic by this unpleasant sensation, the first of its kind in its life.
-Kwooo! Krahhh!
The King Ogre flailed like a human being stung by a swarm of bees.
In truth, Patrick’s attacks weren't a major threat to the King Ogre. To a human, the pain would be comparable to being scratched hard by a needle. It might leave some marks, but it could never be a fatal blow.
The problem was that this was the first time the King Ogre had ever experienced pain since the day it was born.
Born so powerful that it was destined to be the king of its race, the King Ogre had never faced a crisis. The pain it felt now went beyond unpleasant—it was terrifying. Unable to comprehend what was happening to its body, the King Ogre simply thrashed about one-sidedly.
-Kuh-ung! Ku-wooo!
The King Ogre flailed its limbs haphazardly. That chaotic frenzy alone was enough to devastate the surroundings, yet Patrick remained unscathed within that zone of destruction, not a single hair on his head harmed.
‘If I were the type to get hit by such mindless attacks, I would have died a thousand times over in my past life.’
It was a tantrum, hardly worthy of being called an attack. From Patrick’s perspective, getting hit by this wouldn't be a death from pain, but a death from embarrassment.
However, there was one problem…
Creek. Crack.
“Dammit, this body.”
It was the limit of his stamina and physical durability. Patrick was going all out for the first time since his reincarnation. As a result, his body couldn't keep up with the power he was trying to exert.
Though he had grown better than his peers, his ten-year-old physique was being pushed to its breaking point. Despite using the internal energy pouring from his two Dantians to reinforce his body and protect his meridians as much as possible, his joints were twisting and his muscles were tearing.
His heart and lungs were screaming incessantly, sending warnings to stop immediately. But…
“Not yet.”
If he stopped his blades and his feet now, that would be the moment of his defeat. Knowing that, how could he stop?
Of course, Patrick knew he couldn't keep up this reckless assault forever. But he wasn't doing this without a plan.
‘I’ll let you off today. Just get the hell out of here!’
This monster had likely never met anyone who could push and torment it like this. Judging by its clear state of panic, there was no doubt. No matter how ferocious a wild beast is, it will flee when faced with an unknown terror.
Patrick had pivoted his strategy from killing the King Ogre to driving it away. He would repel it here and deal with it another time.
If those who knew Jincheon, the Radiant Dragon Hero of his past life, saw this, they would have been shocked: “Is he insane? He’s actually compromising?”
But for Patrick, there was no other way. To protect the territory and the Orcs, this was the only viable solution. Therefore…
“I won’t stop until you retreat!”
The terrifying Sword Qi emanating from the blades in Patrick’s hands surged even more intensely. A myriad of slash trajectories were drawn in the air. The assault, which looked almost majestic to the onlookers, was overwhelming the King Ogre.
“My god…”
“Heaven help us…”
Humans, Orcs, and even the other Ogres watched the scene with their mouths agape. A storm of slashes that poured down incessantly without a single second of rest. And the King Ogre, writhing in pain within that storm.
Where else could one witness such a sight?
“Is that… the Young Lord’s true strength?”
“Just what star realm is he in? Could it be the 7-Star?”
“That’s impossible. The Young Lord is only… ten… ten years old…”
The soldier who was speaking had to trail off. Right. Patrick was ten years old. Because he was so monstrously strong and had such a devilishly foul temper, they often forgot, but he was just a ten-year-old child.
But… let’s be honest. Where in the world was there a ten-year-old like that?
“He’s a real monster.”
Words that would be incredibly rude to say about the young master of the territory escaped Oliver’s mouth. But no one pointed out the rudeness. Even Sanson was nodding slightly, agreeing with Oliver’s words.
He was driving back a King Ogre, a creature classified as a living calamity. And he was just a ten-year-old boy.
Who would believe it? The soldiers trembled with emotion, as if a scene from a legend was manifesting before their very eyes.
-Kwoooar! Uwooo!
The King Ogre’s roars began to be tinged with deep pain. And for good reason…
From the outside, it looked like it was simply being beaten one-sidedly. Of course, Patrick was clearly overextending himself, swinging his swords through the agonizing pain of his body tearing apart, but the King Ogre had neither the experience nor the wisdom to perceive that.
It just hurt. It stung, it burned, and it was hot. Yet, no matter how much it flailed its limbs, it couldn't hit the tiny enemy inflicting this pain.
Did it have to keep fighting? Why? Why fight an opponent it couldn't win against?
The fighting spirit of the King Ogre, which had never experienced a proper battle, was actually lower than that of an ordinary Ogre.
It didn't want this anymore. It hurt too much. The moment it realized that continuing the fight would only bring more pain, the King Ogre’s anger and fighting spirit vanished. All that remained was fear of the unknown and a desperate desire to escape the current agony.
And that desperation…
-Kuh-wooooar!
Finally forced the King Ogre to retreat. It took one step back, then two, and suddenly, the King Ogre turned around and began to run.
Thump! Thump! Thump! Thump!
The moment he saw that, a great roar erupted from Turanta’s mouth.
“The great warrior Patrick has defeated the King Ogre! Shout for victory!”
“Wooooooo!”
“Waaaaaaa!”
The Orc warriors each slammed their weapons into the ground, thrust their fists into the air, and roared.
To an Orc, a roar while holding one’s weapon is a boast of one’s own victory. Then what did it mean to raise bare fists?
It was a tribute to the victory of a great being they couldn't help but respect and admire. Now, the Orcs of the Red Rock Tribe were recognizing Patrick as a great warrior and paying him tribute.
“So noisy… Dammit, this is embarrassing.”
Patrick himself was dissatisfied. He had wondered how strong a King Ogre would be, and it turned out to be more of a monster than he expected. Its body was impossibly hard, and its strength and speed were beyond common sense. He had only managed to make it retreat by attacking its mental weakness.
Repelling a calamity-class monster single-handedly was a magnificent achievement. But for Patrick, who remembered his past self, it was merely regrettable. If he had even a fraction of the power he possessed as the Radiant Dragon Hero, he would have cleaved that oversized oaf in two instantly.
“Nothing for it. If I catch you again… Huh? Wait?”
Patrick’s eyes widened in the middle of his disappointment. As the King Ogre retreated, it stumbled slightly, regained its balance, and began running sideways.
It still seemed to be fleeing, but the problem was the direction it was heading. That way was…
“Huh…? Wait!”
“It’s coming! It’s coming this way!”
“Aaaaah!”
In the direction the King Ogre was fleeing, the soldiers who had been firing fire arrows were gathered.
“Not there, you bastard!”
Patrick’s body turned into a streak of light once more as he sprinted.
“Everyone, get out of the way!”
Sanson urgently commanded his subordinates. Stand against the King Ogre? Not even Sanson could entertain such a thought. He would honorably throw his life away if it meant saving his men. But no matter what he did, it would be nothing more than the resistance of an insignificant bug to the King Ogre.
In the end, all Sanson could do was order his men to flee. However…
Thump! Thump! Thump! Thump!
The King Ogre was running far faster than the soldiers could flee.
‘We can’t make it.’
In that moment, Sanson fell into despair. They couldn't dodge, and they couldn't block. There was nothing left to do.
Just as Sanson was thinking that…