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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: FusionX
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A two-headed ogre.
The monster, which should probably be called a Twin-Headed Ogre, roared, its four eyes blazing.
The deafening sound made us instinctively cover our ears. Looking at the others, their faces were pale.
Something stronger than a Cerberus had appeared.
Had the first headmaster gone senile?
[Contractor, shouldn’t we run?]
“Do you think we can outrun it?”
The monster was at least five meters tall. Even if we ran as fast as we could, it would catch us in a few strides. It probably wouldn’t kill us since this was a test, but we could still be seriously injured.
Fortunately, it was standing still, as if to give us time to prepare.
It just stared at us blankly, which seemed a bit foolish for a monster with two heads. But it probably wasn’t as stupid as it looked.
I needed to reorganize the formation.
“Get a hold of yourselves! Gather around me!”
“B-But the monster…”
“It’s fine. It doesn’t seem to attack unless we attack first.”
That seemed to be Andras’s last shred of conscience, and I intended to exploit it. I looked at the group gathered around me.
“I’ve never seen a two-headed ogre before…”
“I didn’t even know such a variant existed…”
“C-Can we even defeat it…?”
“Mister, you said this wouldn’t be difficult…”
Everyone turned to look at me after Viola’s comment. I had said that. I shrugged and said,
“It seems the difficulty has increased because we have more people than intended. But we can still defeat it.”
“B-But even a normal o-ogre is strong… and a two-headed variant…”
“There’s no need to be afraid. Lewis, what did I tell you about fighting powerful monsters?”
Lewis looked up at the ceiling, as if recalling my words, then met my gaze and answered,
“Aim for the vital points. If you can’t, create an opportunity to do so.”
“Correct.”
Just as the mighty hydra had fallen to our strategy, this… variant ogre could also be defeated with careful planning. I turned to the mages.
“Shuri, tell me about the ogre’s characteristics.”
“Ogres are rarely seen in the empire, but they sometimes appear in the eastern forests. They have thick hides that are resistant to steel blades and possess immense strength, capable of lifting and throwing a cow with one hand.”
“Correct. Elisa, what else?”
“Um… th-they have high magic resistance… s-so even th-third-tier magic doesn’t do much damage…”
“Correct.”
That was why ogres were considered challenging monsters in Survival Academy. They were incredibly tough and had powerful physical attacks.
In the game, the standard strategy was for the tank to hold the ogre’s attention while the mages bombarded it with high-tier magic. But that wouldn’t work in reality.
First, we didn’t have a tank.
While Lewis could be considered an evasion tank, he couldn’t dodge or block all of the ogre’s attacks.
The ogre’s massive size gave it a long reach, and dodging would quickly deplete Lewis’s stamina.
Renny could probably swat the ogre like a fly, but she wasn’t here. If she were here, we would probably be facing something even stronger than a hydra.
That would have been a bloodbath.
But this was a training ground.
The first headmaster wasn’t senile, he would have set the difficulty to a manageable level.
We would have to see how it played out, but it was likely adjusted to be something we could defeat.
“Martina, do you know the standard strategy for dealing with an ogre?”
“Yes. The front line holds its attention, and the rear deals damage, slowly whittling it down.”
“Correct. But we can’t use that strategy. Do you know why?”
“…Because we don’t have a front line to block its attacks?”
“That’s one reason. But the biggest problem is this location.”
“May I ask what you mean?”
“This is an open space. There’s nothing to restrict its movements. Even a simple charge could be devastating for our party.”
A charge would be an instant game over, but preventing it wouldn’t be easy.
Furthermore…
My Crafting skill would likely be ineffective against it. An ogre’s hide was too tough, even for steel. Even the highest quality stone would crumble.
And digging a pit would take too long. We would be wiped out before I could finish.
We had to rely on teamwork to defeat the Twin-Headed Ogre.
But it shouldn’t be too difficult.
The stone floor gave us an advantage.
“Listen carefully. I’ll tell you how we’re going to fight…”
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‘An ogre… it’s even bigger up close. Can I really do this?’
Lewis adjusted his grip on his sword, his heart pounding in his chest. Twenty steps away, the ogre stood, radiating an aura of casual disdain, as if we were mere insects.
“Lewis, it’s just an illusion. It won’t kill us, so relax.”
A deep voice came from behind. The voice calmed his nerves.
A man with a rugged appearance. The man with the mithril shovel had taught him many things. He was practically his mentor, though he had never formally addressed him as such.
He had felt his improvement in the second semester, thanks to Johann’s teachings. He was now practically unmatched among his peers.
‘Aim for the joints and keep its attention…’
He adjusted his stance, holding his sword horizontally at shoulder height. Twenty steps. He gulped, watching the ogre start to move as he approached.
“!@*(&!(*$#!!!”
An earth-shattering roar.
Lewis ignored the deafening sound and circulated mana through his body. He wasn’t proficient enough in Aura manipulation to use it from the start, but he trusted his leader.
‘A swift victory.’
That was the plan.
“!@*)(#)(!!”
A massive arm, as thick as a pillar, swung down at him. It threatened to crush him like a ripe tomato. Lewis rolled to the side and aimed for the ogre’s knee.
His sword, coated in blue Aura, grazed the ogre’s hide and slid off. His Aura wasn’t strong enough to inflict significant damage. It would be a different story if he could repeatedly strike the same spot…
“Lewis! Get back!”
He pushed off the ground with all his might, his body flying back. A loud explosion and a flash of red light filled the air. The mages had unleashed their spells.
“!@*(&$!!”
A scream? A roar of rage?
The mages immediately started preparing their next spells at the sound.
A second-tier spell to obliterate the ogre’s head.
“Miss Elisa, can you cast it again?”
“I-I’ll try!”
“I’ll share my mana!”
Shuri channeled mana into Elisa. The mana she had expended on the second-tier spell slowly returned. But it was only about half.
Second-tier magic.
Flame Lance.
Fifteen seconds to gather enough mana.
A short time.
But a long time in this situation.
“Crafting.”
A small pit.
I couldn’t create a deep pit due to the nature of the dungeon floor, but I could at least make the ogre stumble. I created a small depression where the ogre was about to step.
“!@*ㅕ)!#$!??”
The ogre stumbled but didn’t fall. Lewis’s blue blade flashed towards its knee. Instead of assisting Lewis, Johann called out to Martina,
“Martina! Coat the ogre with oil!”
“Got it!”
Flammable oil, conjured with magic, sprayed onto the ogre’s body. While the oil itself didn’t do any damage, it would slow the ogre down.
“How long until the spell is ready?!”
“Five seconds!”
‘Five seconds.’
Not a long time.
But enough time for the ogre to swing its arm. Johann rolled out of the way.
“Lewis!”
“My sword is slipping because of the oil!”
“Then fall back!”
The oil wasn’t doing him any favors either. Johann and Lewis retreated.
“Flame… Lance!”
A massive spear of fire, large enough to impale the ogre, struck its belly. The ogre was engulfed in flames.
“!()@*&()$#&!)!”
‘It’s mimicking a living creature, so it should be effective.’
It wasn’t as vulnerable to fire as a troll, but it couldn’t be completely immune.
Johann looked at the flaming Twin-Headed Ogre. True to its reputation for having thick skin, it glared at him with hatred, even as it burned.
“Persistent.”
So it wasn’t going to die from fire alone.
We needed to attack again.
“Mages, retreat and cast defensive magic.”
The mages scrambled back. The flaming ogre was still disoriented. Johann turned to Viola, who was standing in front of the mages.
“Viola, drench it with explosive reagents. Now!”
“Okay!”
Viola threw her explosive reagents. They weren’t powerful enough to reach the ogre’s head, but they landed near its feet, close enough for the flames to ignite them.
“!@*#&!#$*(!”
While weaker than second-tier magic, explosions were still explosions. The ogre, already struggling to maintain its balance, lost its footing and fell.
“It’s down!”
Shuri’s voice echoed through the roar of the explosion.
Johann charged forward, shovel in hand.
The distance was about ten meters. We had to press our advantage while it was down.
“Lewis, aim for the left head!”
“Yes!”
A silver flash, and Lewis’s blade sank into the ogre’s left head.
One. Two. Three.
Johann relentlessly attacked the ogre’s head with his shovel, ignoring the searing heat. His skin sizzled and stuck to the shovel.
He couldn’t use Aura to protect himself, so it was unavoidable. The others looked at him with concern, but Lewis understood his intentions.
Never hesitate when an opportunity presents itself.
Lewis channeled all his Aura into his blade, which was embedded in the ogre’s left head.
The left head, engulfed in flames, finally went limp.
Only the right head remained.
Perhaps because they shared one body, the Twin-Headed Ogre struggled to maintain its balance. We needed one final blow.
Johann pulled out his shovel and stepped back, giving the order to Viola.
“Explosive reagent. Right head.”
“Got it!”
A vial, trailing rainbow-colored smoke, flew through the air and struck the ogre’s right head.
A deafening explosion engulfed the right head.
And then, the Twin-Headed Ogre, its flames dying down, crumbled into ashes and vanished.
“We won.”
“Johann!”
The others rushed towards him. Johann, lying on the ground, looked up at the approaching Milia and Karina.
“I’m burning. Karina, healing, please.”
“Don’t ever do anything that reckless again!”
Her voice trembled.
Johann chuckled and closed his eyes.
“I’ll rest for a bit.”
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