The Thrill of the Twin-Headed Ogre Battle
The mere mention of a Twin-Headed Ogre battle made his body react first. As a born warrior of a battle-loving race, the protagonist was the type who couldn't get enough of a fight—someone who got swept up in the frenzy without even needing his own willpower.
This time was no different. Like he was high on some drug, he fluttered in like a butterfly... but didn't fly; instead, he charged in bluntly and dropped right in front of the ogres.
"Kruk?"
The scouts must have been cautious in their reconnaissance, advancing with the wind at their backs, so the ogres hadn't noticed their presence. But Auron didn't see the need for such subtlety and landed squarely in front of them. And just like that, they recognized him as a clear enemy.
"Kuaaa!"
And then the frenzy began. True to ogre nature, they showed unconditional hostility toward outsiders, swinging their massive clubs.
Whoosh.
An immense force could be felt. Even knights avoided direct strength contests with ogres, opting instead to dodge nimbly and target vital points for a divide-and-conquer approach. But Auron snatched the clubs from all three ogres with one hand each.
"Krrruk?!"
A momentary bewilderment washed over them. Ogres who had conquered mountains with their raw power couldn't quite grasp that they'd been overpowered and disarmed.
He swung the crude but heavy, sturdy club at the first ogre's head.
Crack!
Puhahaha!
The head burst open like a split watermelon, and he crushed its chest at the same time. For the second ogre, he simply grabbed its limbs and twisted them off.
"Kheungheungheung!"
"Ugh! This is the first time I've ever felt sorry for an ogre."
The knights shuddered as they watched the horrifying scene.
At that moment, a faint energy leaked from the ogre's body and seeped into his own, bringing a surge of exhilaration.
"Experience is filling up."
The leveling system—where experience piled up and levels rose—wasn't visible to the eye but could be felt through sensation. He'd thought maybe the gods' shop sold status windows that objectively displayed one's condition, but unless karma was overflowing or the item was cheap, there was no need to bother.
Then Amon's urgent voice rang out.
"My lord! Please control your strength!"
"Oh, right."
Lost in the heat of battle, he'd gone wild as usual, and the two ogre corpses were already pulverized beyond recognition. For the last one, the third ogre, he lightly patted its head with the club.
Crack!
With God's Herculean Strength activated, controlling his power wasn't easy. Still, the third ogre's head cracked relatively cleanly and rolled across the ground.
Thud!
"Woooah!"
The soldiers erupted in cheers. He glanced at the stunned merchants. Amon, having seen him rampage in a bloodlust many times before, seemed to have the clearest head among them.
At the same time, the gods' voices echoed.
Mahadev, God of Destruction and Regeneration: "Kuhahaha! How about it, huh? The power of the warrior I chose!"
Unknown God: "Heh heh, he's strong, sure, but he hasn't killed more than three ogres yet. We need to watch a bit longer."
Doesn't this serialization save? Do they have to taste it themselves to tell shit from bean paste? Well, he'd realize soon enough. That without him, there was no warrior to stop Odin.
"Amon, can we get good value from that last ogre?"
"Hahaha! That's high-grade! We can even ask for a premium!"
"Good! Onward march!"
The new recruits weren't ready to take the front lines yet. The basic plan for this subjugation was for him and the knights to handle the extermination, while the soldiers blocked any monster or beast escapes.
The halted advance resumed.
The baron, owner of Akaron territory and client for this ogre subjugation, watched the scene unfold without a hint of tension, alongside Aria.
Occasional ogres appeared on the way to their lair, but whenever Auron Baron stepped in and smashed their heads, that was the end of it. At first, he pulverized them so badly no hides could be salvaged, but now he'd gotten the knack and lightly(?) shattered their skulls. Thanks to that, they secured a steady supply of high-grade ogre corpses.
And finally, they arrived at the ogre village.
The baron and Aria watched the subjugation from a slightly elevated spot in the rear, eyes brimming with anticipation.
"Auron Baron doesn't seem to have marriage on his mind yet."
"Pardon? I heard he's already in his mid-twenties."
"He probably thinks it wouldn't match his baron's status."
"What do you mean? The Auron Baron I saw wasn't like that. You always said not to judge people by appearances, Father."
"Hahaha, or maybe he sees that getting involved with us would mean bloodshed for our family."
"I think it's the latter."
"Do you like Auron, the lord?"
Aria nodded slightly. That rough demeanor was like thorns hiding his beautiful looks. Remove them, and deep thoughts would reveal themselves. And he had the power to develop his territory and family. How could she not like such a man?
"Hahaha! Is that so? Then this father will figure something out. His visit to our territory must be fate."
As Akaron Baron spoke to Aria...
"Kuaaaaa!"
"Kuh!"
"Krrk!"
The knights guarding the baron clutched their ears. The baron and Aria did the same. When a monster utterly different from regular ogres let out its roar, instinct made everyone tremble in fear.
"T-Twin-Headed Ogre!"
Arjen, the knight captain of the territory and a vice-baron, saw the massive bulk of the Twin-Headed Ogre and chattered his teeth in terror.
They'd sent forces for subjugation before—two thousand soldiers and knights—but lost thirty percent and barely retreated. That was just a month ago. The fear was still fresh.
"Gasp! Is that a Twin-Headed Ogre over there?!"
"...!"
The Twin-Headed Ogre was twice the size of a normal ogre with ten times the strength. Even the Mercenary King avoided them, but somehow, it felt like no match for Auron Baron.
"Ah! Auron Baron's charging into the enemy lines alone!"
"Huh? He's insane! Doesn't he value his life?!"
Screams erupted here and there. The territory knights were bone-deep terrified of the Twin-Headed Ogre. Plus, deep in the mountains, if Auron Baron died, the return trip wouldn't be smooth.
BOOM!
Auron landed stupidly right in front of the Twin-Headed Ogre and punched away the club hurtling down at immense speed.
Crack!
"That madman!"
"No way!"
And then an astonishing sight followed. He drove his fist into the Twin-Headed Ogre's chest—said to be harder than steel—and ripped out its heart.
"Kuaaaak!"
"T-The Twin-Headed Ogre's dying like some stray mutt..."
"Did the Twin-Headed Ogre eat something bad? Dying so pathetically?"
As such questions flew, Auron, club in hand, began smashing any ogre in sight. He was somewhat controlling his strength, but glancing blows still exploded bodies.
KABOOM!
And the finishing blow. One swing of his fist turned dozens of ogres into bloody pulp, screaming to their deaths.
"......"
Everyone gaped, speechless. Amid it all, Akaron Baron's eyes gleamed sharply.
"What a tantalizing talent."
He was in the midst of battle frenzy. At the merchants' request, he focused on lightly(?) tapping ogre heads to knock them out or kill instantly. Unconscious ones were handled by knights, and the caved-in skulls were valuable.
Mahadev, God of Destruction and Regeneration GAZES upon you.
Venus, Goddess of Love GAZES upon you.
Demeter, Goddess of Abundance GAZES upon you.
Jupiter, God of the Sky GAZES upon you.
Talos, God of GiantsGAZES upon you.
"Oh ho!"
Finally, the gods' official appearance? After seeing this spectacle, they had to at least send karma instead of virtual gifts, right?
Sure enough.
Mahadev, God of Destruction and Regeneration sponsors you with 5,000 Karma.
Venus, Goddess of Love sponsors you with 2,000 Karma.
Demeter, Goddess of Abundance sponsors you with 1,000 Karma.
Jupiter, God of the Sky sponsors you with 4,000 Karma.
Talos, God of Giants sponsors you with 5,000 Karma.
Talos, God of Giants shows favor.
The perk of 'Steel Skin'unlocks.
Synergy perk 'Steel Strike'activates.
Talos: "Oh ho, what a warrior! With that level, he'd have the giant gods at his feet!"
Unknown God: "Kukuku, what did I tell you, Talos? That guy's the real deal!"
Unknown Goddess: "Whoa, if a human's that strong, isn't he about to reach demigod realm soon?"
The excited gods showered him with karma. He didn't know the exact value of thousands of karma yet, but more was always better!
He wanted to jump for joy, but no. He'd struck such a cool pose; acting lame now would ruin his image.
Anyway, he'd gotten the synergy perk Steel Strike, so time to test it.
KUAAAAANG!
"......"
With a deafening whoosh, his fist obliterated an ogre's entire body. Flesh scattered, turning into green blood mist.
No ogres remained around him, and with the Twin-Headed Ogre dead, the survivors trembled in fear.
"Hey, ogres are valuable, so handle them carefully without damaging the hides."
"Yes, my lord!"
The knights' voices sounded especially resounding today—or was that just his imagination?