Clash with the Two-Headed Ogre
"Kuh!!"
Cutting off his trivial thoughts, Yuseong urgently channeled strength into his legs and leaped out of the club's range. -KABOOM!!!! A thunderous roar that sent shivers through his entire body echoed everywhere, giving him a rough sense of just how tremendous the power behind that club was.
If it hits dead-on, instant death...!
Why was his luck always so rotten? ....No. In a case like this, maybe he shouldn't blame luck.
Right after grabbing that vial presumed to be an elixir, the dungeon started shaking and that bastard appeared. Maybe...
This incident might not be due to his bad luck at all, but the consequence of his own greed going wild at the sight of such a rare treasure. Sure, it was his first time in a dungeon environment, but... he'd been way too complacent. Karen had warned him over and over: anything can happen in a dungeon, so stay sharp.... And now here he was, looking like a total idiot after bragging to her that she didn't need to worry.
"My god! An ogre! An ogre! That monster that even C-rank adventurers have to party up to hunt—why is it here?!"
"Run, Rikar!!"
No time for self-recrimination. The wildly rampaging ogre overheard Rikar's shocked voice from the side and instantly switched targets, swinging its club at him. Rikar desperately rolled across the ground to escape.
-BOOM!!
"Hah! R-run away! Hurry!"
Feeling the sheer power of the club that had grazed past him, Rikar dashed desperately back to their side and shouted while fleeing.
Yuseong nodded and was about to bolt when Kir—her face drained pale blue—blurted out the forgotten truth.
"Where to? The entrance we came through is sealed shut!"
".....Ah."
The entrance to this secret warehouse they'd discovered had slammed shut the moment they entered.
Damn. Come to think of it...!
He'd deliberately avoided searching for a way to open the door earlier, worried it might pop open again if he messed with it. But now, that choice had backfired into the worst possible scenario. He frantically scanned the warehouse interior where the ogre was thrashing about, but no other exits were in sight.
"W-what do we do...?"
".......Fuck."
He hadn't blundered into this secret space without a plan. If there was truly no way out, he'd replicate a ton of magic bombs like he had against the succubus and blast the entrance open—or use the communication orb Laila had gifted him to call Karen for backup. That's why the closed door hadn't panicked him at first...
No helping it.
A situation where blaming anyone was pointless. Yuseong let out a long sigh, drew his black iron sword, and faced the ogre head-on.
Maybe because the passage to the entrance was so narrow, the ogre couldn't charge right in. It was smashing the wall, forcing its bulk through bit by bit.
"I'll buy time, so Kir—you search for a way to open that door."
"Yuseong! You plan to fight it? Don't! You're amazing for a D-rank, but that's a monster multiple C-ranks need to take down!"
"It's fine. Someone I know beat an ogre one-on-one back when she was D-rank."
Of course, the protagonist of that tale, Karen, probably hadn't tangled with a two-headed freak...
"There's no other option anyway."
"....Kuh...."
Trapped in a sealed chamber with no escape—what else was there but to fight? But first...
"....Sorry."
He couldn't hold back the surging guilt and spat out an apology. He figured himself for a pretty shameless guy... but he couldn't help feeling bad toward these two—rare good souls in this world.
"That thing showing up... looks like my fault. And I was the one who said to duck in here..."
"What're you talking about?"
Before Yuseong could finish, Rikar laughed in disbelief.
"Looks like you found something valuable in the warehouse. Did it spawn the second you touched it?"
".....Yeah."
"We were looting stuff too, so that's a moot point. You just spotted it first. If we'd found it, we'd have poked it too."
"But...."
"And deciding to hide in here? That was our call. Why's it on you?"
"......"
Rikar forcing a comforting smile despite his own guilt. But his shoulders trembled faintly before that colossal terror.
...What a good guy.
It hit him anew: Rikar was one of the top three best people he'd met since arriving in this world. The kind who poked holes in his conscience, laser-focused solely on his own safety and growth until now.
"I'll fight too...!"
"No. Yuseong's right. Kir—you stay here and hunt for an exit. Your sharp eyes and instincts might spot what we missed."
Kir had been listening, dagger drawn and burning with resolve, but Rikar held her back. They had no choice but to fight, but cracking an exit would be ideal.
"Don't think win—just dodge like hell and stall."
"Got it."
He wanted more talk, more apologies, but time was up. Letting the ogre keep pounding the wall risked the whole ceiling crashing down.
Yuseong and Rikar shared a quick glance, then slipped right between the ogre's legs as it wedged its body into the crumbling narrow passage.
"Grur?"
""Hup!!!""
Grazing the ogre's massive foot, Yuseong swung his black iron sword with everything he had at its shin.
-KACHING!!
What the hell kind of skin...?
It felt like hacking at metal, not flesh. His full-force slash barely nicked the surface. Relative to the ogre's bulk, it was a mosquito bite.
"GRAAAAA!!"
But enough to grab its attention. The ogre halted its wall-smashing and pursued him, club raised.
-THUD! THUD!!
Fucking terrifying for real.
Each step sent massive vibrations rumbling through his body. Legs threatening to buckle, he poured on the speed, dodging the club's wild swings.
-WHOOSH!!
He ducked at the last possible second—a club nearly his size whistling through empty air. No time to exhale in relief before a massive foot stomped down to pulverize him whole.
"GRRR!!"
Lightning-fast, Rikar bolted to the opposite leg, slammed his claws deep, and hung on with his full 2-meter beastkin weight. Even at 7-8 meters tall, it staggered a bit.
"GUWAAAA!!"
Shaking off the pest, Rikar tumbled free. Seizing the opening, Yuseong yanked out the disposable magic tools he'd stocked in his subspace.
Damn—if I push a little harder, I could replicate these!
Complex mana flows still eluded replication, so he hurled the originals at the ogre's legs.
-SPLASH!!
"Grur?"
The green bead shattered, spewing sticky sap that glued to its foot. A binding bomb that could immobilize even orcs... but.
"GRAAAA! GRUR!!"
-SNAP! SNAP!!
Thrashing wildly, it tore free in seconds. Fine—he hadn't counted on cheap crap binding an ogre anyway.
"Rikar! Eyes shut!"
Shouting to Rikar flung clear of the flailing beast, he lobbed the second tool high toward its face. He squeezed his eyes shut as blinding light erupted, illuminating the dark passage.
Sticky bomb, then flashbang. Any two-eyed creature would reel.
"GRAAAA!!"
As hoped, both heads clamped shut, raging blindly and smashing everything in reach. Items he'd missed earlier got pulverized, turning the warehouse into chaos.
"Good. That bought us...?"
Thinking they'd gained breathing room with its sight stolen—just then, one squinted-shut head cracked open its mouth and muttered something.
"Kakuta! Ra! Kuta!"
A string of incomprehensible words. But unlike its mindless roars before, this carried an eerie resonance. And with it—
-SPLASH!!
"What the actual fuck!!"
Mana coalesced from thin air, triggering a miracle straight out of his Laila party days. More precisely, a fireball erupted midair and slammed toward him. Holy shit!!
"UWAAAA!!"
Thanks to replicating that key and sensing the elixir's mana flows, his mana perception had sharpened. He'd have eaten it direct otherwise!!
"Rikar! Since when do ogres cast spells?!"
"What the fuck is that thing!"
First time hearing Rikar curse! That said it all—this was wrong. The two heads had seemed off from normal ogres, but magic?!
-BOOM! KABOOM!!
"Fucking magical ogre!!"
Blinded, it bombed everywhere—club flailing up close, spells blasting afar. Any plans to widen the gap, hide, or snipe vitals evaporated.
"How's it chanting and rampaging?!"
Even crazier: it wasn't chantless magic, yet moved freely while casting. From partying with Laila, he knew casters were sitting ducks mid-chant. The trick was obvious: those two heads. One chanted steadily, eyes shut!
Not just extra head—separate minds?
Dungeon beasts sometimes gained weird traits, but how did this abomination spawn?
-ZAP! ZAP!!
"Kuh...!!"
His dungeon ordeals had honed his mana sense enough to catch spell precursors. He'd dodged the opener and follow-ups... barely.
-KABOOM!!
"Guhk!"
"Rikar!!"
Unlike him, Rikar couldn't read the signs. Dodging the ogre's physical frenzy in tight quarters wore him down, and one spell clipped him. Acrid burning fur stench filled the air amid choking smoke as Rikar crumpled.
"GRAAAAA!!!"
And worst of all, the ogre rubbed its eyes—vision recovering—blinking slowly as lids rose.
"...Fuck!!"
Ogre regaining sight, Rikar out cold from agony—old plan scrapped. Ditch stalling; charge in sword-first.
At least buy Rikar recovery time!!
Burning alive supposedly worst pain—didn't matter if true; Rikar's twisted face screamed he wasn't snapping back soon.
-PUK!!
"Kuh...!!"
Aiming for the eye-rub gap, he leaped max height—but barely reached thigh. Jump-boosted full swing yielded a dull thud and a dribble of blood.
"GRA!!"
-WHOOSH!!
"Kuh?!"
No time to despair its toughness—the ogre shook the gash and kicked. He dove between legs to dodge, but shadow loomed overhead.
"Huk...!!"
Glancing up, he panicked and rolled. That psycho's ass was about to flatten him!!!
-KABOOOOOM!!!
Barely averted ass-pression death. The ogre's hefty rear pulverized the sturdy dungeon stone, cracks spiderwebbing from his bag outward, terrain collapsing.
"Krat...?!"
Dodged the butt, but crumbling floor threw his balance.
"Guha! Ka!"
-SPLASH!!!
"......!!"
Staggering, fireball incoming.
Crunch!!!
Do something. That resolve spurred him. Instead of futile sword block, he raised his free hand. Image: clear, odorless liquid.
Replicate!!
Desperation-fueled power didn't fail. -SPLASH!!
Replication surged from his palm as transparent water, shielding the fireball.
-BOOM!!
Hot blaze met water jet—dense steam billowed. But the massive output left him dizzy, staggering.
-WHOOOOSH!!
"Ah."
That's why. Couldn't evade the follow-up club.
-PUK!!
"....!!$%!"
No scream escaped. Instinct backflipped to soften, but organ-rattling shockwave hit anyway.
-KABOOM!!!
Body sailed limp as a cut puppet, smashing into debris pile.
"....Cough!!"
Vomit reflex hit; dark blood and mystery chunks spewed from his mouth.
"Guhk....Khek...."
"GRAAAAK!!!"
Ogre bellowed victory cry. Body creaked everywhere, blood and nausea refluxing nonstop.
Fuck.....
-THUD! THUD!
Sprawled helpless, heavy footsteps neared. Fingers ogre-sized rifled rubble, yanking his mangled form free.
"Grrrurk...!!"
"....What... the... cough!... fuck... ugly... bastard...!"
Defying the two heads looming as it hoisted him, he hawked bloody phlegm right into its faces.
Fuck... hopeless.
How the hell did his so-called master solo one? Clinging to Karen's tale as last hope, he willed his body's mana to stir—but the damn stuff ignored him even as he died.
Move, you fuck....!
-CRACK!!!
Mana inert. Ogre gaped wide to chomp him whole. Yellow fangs gleamed; putrid breath assaulted.
In that do-or-die instant, he inwardly cursed mana to hell and shifted focus.
Fine. Stay dead forever.
Instead, replication—drained heavy from the water burst, but some lingered. Enough for one shot.
"Grrrurk...!!"
"....Ha. No choice, huh."
Brainstormed escapes, discarded all. Time to face it: no options left.
More precisely: one final gambit.
The absolute last resort he'd sworn to avoid until now.
"Hey, you."
"Gruk?!"
Eyeing the ogre head to toe with cynical sneer:
"You tasty?"
".....Grur?"
No clue if it understood, but he hadn't asked expecting an answer. Wonder which was tastier—him or the ogre? One thing sure: quantity favored the brute.
"Prefer flavor... or volume?"
"GRAAAA!!"
Ignoring his mutter, ogre lunged to swallow him. Staring at its palate, he whispered:
.....Replicate.
The trump card unused even against the necromancer or succubus. The nightmare ace he'd die before touching.
Nearly two months on, the image still seared in his mind. He activated replication.
-SHRRRIIIP!!!
Unlike disobedient mana, replication never failed—swiftly shaping a vivid form. Blood-red longsword in hand.
One of the six archfiends. The King of All Sins, forged by embodying gluttony itself: the vilest demonblade.
Gluttony Sword, Gula.
"Devour this."
-GRRR!!
The crimson blade that consumed all bit into him and ogre alike.