Chapter 130
Chapter 130
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 130
Chapter Title: An Ogre in Vegas
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Rick Kurt.
How many people in the world didn't know his name?
Handsome looks, dazzling eloquence and showmanship, and strength on a whole other level.
A man who lacked nothing, Rick Kurt was a globally popular star and Hunter.
"Don't you all worry! I'll take care of this small fry in a flash!"
He pulled his trademark leather hat down low and drew his whip.
Rick Kurt, who happened to be in Las Vegas on vacation, didn't have his favorite weapon with him, but he always carried a whip as a backup, which he immediately threw.
'An ogre in the middle of the city… Tsk, has *she* come?'
There was no dungeon, nor had a dungeon break occurred anywhere nearby.
It had appeared inside a hotel room.
The only logical conclusion was that someone had summoned the monster, and there was only one person capable of that.
'The summoner, Kate Owen! What is she planning this time?'
The infamous criminal, Kate Owen.
Once, she was one of the honorable Hunters who had stormed dungeons alongside Rick Kurt, but now she was a villain, hiding her identity while causing all sorts of incidents.
"If you want to cause real trouble, bring a decent monster, Kate!"
*Fwoosh-!*
Rick Kurt shouted as he cracked the whip.
He unfurled the coiled whip and began to chase the fleeing ogre.
"Why is a mere ogre so agile?"
Rick Kurt gave chase, but he couldn't easily catch up.
It skillfully weaved through the crowd, creating chaos and hindering Rick Kurt's movements, and when he leaped to strike with his whip, it dodged with nimble agility.
'Is that really an ogre? It's moving so cleverly, only between people.'
As he pursued the ogre, Rick Kurt began to feel that something was off.
Ogres were inherently ferocious monsters that would charge to kill rather than flee, even when their lives were threatened, yet this one had started running after being merely grazed by a Korean man's blade.
What was even more ridiculous was that it wasn't fleeing indiscriminately; it was moving without causing any harm to the people around it.
'But if it goes a little further in that direction, it's over!'
For now, the large number of tourists prevented him from giving his all in the chase, but soon they would be outside the city.
Then he would no longer be hindered by the crowd, and that moment would be the ogre's last.
The only thing he lamented was that there would be almost no one to witness his magnificent performance.
'Still, that Pauli fellow is here, so I'll be generous.'
Rick Kurt glanced behind him.
Pauli, a newspaper reporter, was diligently chasing after him with a camera.
As an Awakened, he'd used his skills to become a reporter instead of a Hunter. Although he was a nuisance who followed Rick Kurt everywhere, he wrote many favorable articles, making him a relatively decent guy.
*Fwoosh-!*
"Hey, ogre! Haven't you had enough?"
Rick Kurt skillfully threw his five-meter-long whip, catching the ogre's arm.
Once they were out of the city streets, he had been able to catch up to the ogre in no time.
"Grrrrr...!"
The ogre stopped in its tracks and turned around.
Then, it gripped the end of the whip wrapped around its arm.
"Ready to fight now?"
Rick Kurt gripped the handle tightly and pulled.
Although ogres ranked high among monsters for their strength, they could never overcome his.
"What?"
But what was this?
The ogre he'd expected to drag along was pulling on the whip with a force equal to his own.
No, if anything, Rick Kurt was the one being slowly pulled forward.
'What is that ogre?'
He wanted to grab the whip with both hands and pull with all his might, but he could see Pauli filming him from a distance.
Worse, people were starting to gather, one by one, with their smartphones raised.
'If I'm filmed being dragged around by a mere ogre, it'll be a huge embarrassment.'
*Thump-!*
Seeing his chance, Rick Kurt released his grip, kicked off the ground, and lunged toward the ogre.
The sudden slack caused the ogre to lose its balance and stagger.
"You damn ogre! You picked the wrong place to show up!"
*BAM-!*
Rick Kurt flew through the air and delivered a kick.
The powerful shockwave stirred up a cloud of sand and dust.
But despite landing the attack, Rick Kurt's expression was anything but relieved.
'The feeling...'
Even an ogre was a creature of flesh and bone.
A kick like that should have felt like breaking bones or tearing flesh, but he felt nothing of the sort.
It was as if he had kicked a thick cement wall.
*Swoosh-.*
Just then, a large palm shot out from within the dust cloud.
"Hah!"
With incredible reflexes, Rick Kurt dodged the ogre's hand.
But he soon realized the outstretched palm was just a feint.
"Ugh! Such a careless mistake..."
He had dodged the ogre's attack, but the creature used that opening to yank on the whip and snatch it away.
To prevent this scene from being filmed, Rick Kurt stomped the ground in the direction of Pauli and the crowd.
*CRUMBLE-!*
The ground erupted, forming a massive wall that blocked their view.
"What are you..."
The ogre calmly unwound the whip.
Rick Kurt was at a loss for words, staring at the ogre that was completely unharmed by his kick.
*Thud-.*
The whip fell in front of Rick Kurt.
The ogre tossed the whip, stared at him intently for a moment, then disappeared in the opposite direction from the city.
"Shit..."
Dumbfounded, Rick Kurt didn't even think to give chase. He just stared blankly in the direction the now-vanished ogre had gone.
'It was definitely an ogre... This is bad. I have to go back immediately.'
Rick Kurt picked up the fallen whip and started walking back toward the city.
***
The dazzling lights of Las Vegas were long gone.
In the middle of a desolate desert, deep where no human foot had ever tread, a massive body collapsed onto the ground.
'Ugh... that hurts...'
The figure that appeared there was Do-jae, in the form of an ogre.
'I can't tell if it didn't break, or if it broke and healed instantly...'
Do-jae rubbed both wrists, marveling at how intact his arms were.
When he had blocked Rick Kurt's kick head-on, he thought he wouldn't be able to use his arms anymore, but this body possessed a superior regenerative ability incomparable to a human's.
It was so effective that Do-jae couldn't even tell if his arms had been broken or not.
'Ruiden...! You could have at least given me time to prepare! What am I supposed to do when you suddenly turn me into this?!'
Do-jae vented his anger at Ruiden.
Though all that came out of his mouth was a rough cry.
"Kuaaargh!"
*Flap-flap-!*
*Scuttle-scuttle-.*
Wild animals fled at the sound of Do-jae's roar.
A barren wasteland where only the moonlight shone down.
With no answer from Ruiden, Do-jae was utterly pathetic.
'He said one day, right? Subspace won't open, my skills are blocked... and where did all my clothes and my phone go?'
Currently, Do-jae was, for all intents and purposes, naked.
He'd never paid any attention to what monsters wore—whether it was rags, clothes, or nothing at all.
But now that he had become a monster himself, he found himself concerned with what he was wearing.
'Young-jin will probably wait for me just fine, so I don't need to worry about him. I'll spend the night here, and when the sun rises, I'll have to find a place to hide...'
Do-jae plopped down on the bare ground.
They say desert nights are very cold, but since his base stats were maintained, his cold resistance kept him from feeling the chill.
Or perhaps it was thanks to the thick, sturdy body of an ogre.
***
After spending a full 24 hours as an ogre, Do-jae arrived back in Ruiden's space.
"Ruiden...!"
"So, how did it feel to become another species?"
Do-jae had spent the night in the middle of the desert, and when the sun rose, he'd passed the day hidden among a cluster of rocks.
It hadn't been uncomfortable, but there was nothing more tedious and boring than hiding alone in a remote place.
The only thing he could do was think.
Do-jae spent the entire time contemplating and finding answers, over and over.
Surprisingly, the time wasn't so bad and was very helpful for organizing his thoughts.
Ever since becoming the Adversary, he had experienced so many unknown things that he often found himself wavering, but one thought remained constant.
Do-jae lived for the people precious to him.
At first, it was only Do-young, but now, he had many more precious people by his side.
In the end, the path Do-jae walked would lead to the result of protecting them.
It was a somewhat hopeful thought, like that of a shonen manga protagonist, and his goal wasn't entirely clear, but it still managed to lighten the load on his mind.
"Forget how it felt. Thanks to you, a huge fight almost broke out."
"Hahaha. But it was fascinating, wasn't it?"
If asked if it was fascinating, he would have to say yes.
The body of an ogre, over three meters tall with arms as thick as barrels, made the world look different.
He could see farther and jump farther.
And humans were smaller and more fragile than he'd thought.
While fleeing from Rick Kurt, he had brushed against a single non-Awakened human. To Do-jae, it felt like less than a breeze passing by, but the person was sent flying.
The fascination lasted only a moment; what remained was a deep sense of bitterness.
"Anyway, I completed the trial. What skill are you going to give me?"
"So impatient. The authority I shall grant you is the Skeleton of the Golem."
"Skeleton of the Golem?"
"Yes, Skeleton of the Golem."
Ruiden placed his hand on Do-jae's chest.
Right next to the Heart of the Golem.
A white light emanated from Ruiden's hand, scattering like ripples and enveloping Do-jae's body.
[You have acquired a new skill.]
[Passive Skill 'Skeleton of the Golem' has been added.]
Do-jae opened the new skill's information window to check it.
[Skill]
Skill Name: Skeleton of the Golem
Level: Max
Classification: Passive
Description: Allows synchronization with a golem. The summoned golem can be moved as if it were your own body. The Skeleton of the Golem is affected by the user's stats and skill level, and the mana cost increases with mass.
Effect: None
Mana Cost: 1000 + α
When humans fight large monsters, there is a clear disadvantage that comes from the difference in size.
No matter how sturdy their bodies or how strong they were, there was a clear limit to what a physical-type Hunter could do against a massive monster.
That was why many Hunters carried enormous weapons that were twice their own size.
Lower-ranked Hunters, especially those without notable skills, found it extremely difficult to face large monsters.
In other words, based on the skill's description, it meant he could make his golem, which had so far been only human-sized, much larger and still move it like his own body.
"Does that mean... I should make it as big as an ogre?"
"Correct."
"Then what if it has body parts a human doesn't? Like wings, for example."
"You'll find out when you try it yourself, won't you?"
With those words, Ruiden waved his hand.
Do-jae was back among the cluster of rocks where he had been.
"I'm back to normal..."
Fortunately, his appearance and clothes were back to how they usually were. Do-jae headed back to the hotel.
He was worried that Young-jin might have been concerned about his sudden disappearance.
But when he arrived at the hotel, the front desk clerk said something strange.
"Ah, you're here. We sincerely apologize for the unfortunate incident last night. We will move you to a new room of the same class."
"Excuse me? Right now?"
Do-jae found it odd.
Why were they changing his room only now?
Shouldn't Young-jin have already changed it?
Do-jae called Young-jin.
*Beep, beep, beep-.*
- The person you are trying to reach is unavailable. Connecting to voicemail...