Chapter 319
Chapter 319: We Need to Build Tension. (3)
Belinda and Gillian, along with the knights, followed Ghislaine.
As the soldiers and elves tried to follow behind, Ghislaine waved her hand.
“Soldiers, wait back. There’s no benefit in confronting an ogre head-on. Vanessa, prepare as I instructed, and knights, form up.”
Strong monsters like ogres are better confronted with an elite few. An awkward attack could only lead to greater damage.
Of course, a typical commander would have used the soldiers as shields to protect themselves since losing soldiers is preferable to losing knights.
However, sacrificing soldiers just to drain their strength isn’t Ghislaine’s method. And she had already told Vanessa to prepare alongside the wizards.
She had even given Belinda and Gillian a hint, but left Kaor out.
“Grrr…”
The ogres didn’t move recklessly either. There were too many humans.
But ogres absolutely do not tolerate the invasion of their territory. They gripped their wooden clubs tightly and lowered their postures.
Ghislaine, bending down like them, continued speaking.
“Vanessa, start.”
“Kuoooh!”
At the same time, the ogres leaped forward. Their impressive power boasted an astonishing height in their jumps. But as the monsters ascended into the air, Ghislaine yelled.
“Close your eyes!”
The Penris knights, who were trained to react immediately to Ghislaine’s command, shut their eyes. Behind them, Vanessa’s voice rang out.
“Flash Bomb.”
Flash!
A tremendous flash burst right in front of the ogres’ eyes.
“Kaaargh!”
Following this, other wizards also cast spells similar to Vanessa’s.
Flash! Flash! Flash!
Dozens of flashes obscured the ogres’ vision. Blinded by the sudden light, the ogres failed to land properly and tumbled to the ground.
There were higher-circle spells that could directly impair vision, but there was a reason for using the flash bomb. Ogres are naturally resistant to magic.
Sure, a direct spell would have a longer-lasting effect, but there’s always a chance that some might be immune to magic. Thus, they opted to blind the ogres temporarily with a strong light.
“Graaah!”
Being nimble of movement, the ogres quickly got up after tumbling to the ground, but they still couldn’t see their surroundings properly.
The ogre at the front, driven by instinct, swung its massive club immediately.
With its large size and the enormous weight of the club, the attack’s range was equally vast. Consequently, the ogre rising right next to it got hit by the swing.
Bang!
“Kuueeek?”
The struck ogre was startled. It hurt too much. It almost fainted.
In a situation where it couldn’t see who attacked it, the ogre instinctively moved to protect itself.
With all its might, it swung its club towards the direction of the attack.
Even if it couldn’t see, that didn’t matter. It just had to swing towards where it had been hit.
This was a common trait among monsters. Stronger monsters typically had this instinct more pronounced.
Bang!
“Graaah!”
In the madness of not seeing properly, the ogres tangled amongst themselves, swinging their clubs wildly without knowing who was attacking whom.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
“Kuuaaargh!”
The ogres’ attacks could easily shatter even towering trees. No matter how tough the ogres were, they couldn’t ignore such powerful attacks. They screamed in pain with each hit.
Thinking the enemy’s attacks were formidable, the ogres swung their clubs even harder against one another.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
As their heads cracked and blood flowed, the number of those with broken arms increased. The greater the pain, the more furious they became.
“Graaah!”
The screaming ogres blinked a few times. The effects of the flash began to fade, and their vision started to return.
Though they had been blind for just a moment, the damage they had inflicted on one another was significant. Realizing they were fighting amongst themselves, the ogres roared at each other.
“Graaah!”
“Kuoooh!”
It was a comical sight, as if they were blaming one another. For a while, the ogres that had been squawking eventually stopped their bickering and turned back.
“Kuuk?”
And above their heads, a human jumped high, brandishing a greatsword.
Ghislaine, activating her stage-three core, struck her sword deep into the head of the nearest ogre.
Thwack!
“Graaah!”
Despite having a sword lodged in its head, the ogre didn’t immediately die. As expected from the beasts of the Forest of Monsters, it was incredibly sturdy.
Boom!
Upon the sword being embedded, the ogre swung its club. Ghislaine quickly retreated, shouting.
“Strike!”
The knights bolted forward. They had also trained for monster engagement. Ghislaine, an exceptional hunter, had consistently trained the knights on how to deal with monsters whenever there was an opportunity.
The knights quickly grouped, placing a shield-bearer at the front, rushing toward the ogres.
“Graaah!”
These ogres were already injured from their brawls. However, the attack aimed at the knight at the front was still fierce.
“Shield.”
Zing—!
As the wizards cried out, a magic shield was placed upon the knights at the front. The shield-bearing knights charged towards the ogres’ attacks.
Bang!
“Uwaah!”
The knight with the shield was sent flying back effortlessly by a single strike. What a tremendous force!
Though they couldn’t withstand it, just managing to block the attack was enough. It provided a brief window of opportunity.
“Fireball.”
Pah!
Dozens of fireballs flew toward the ogres’ faces.
Puff! Puff! Puff!
The ogres, struck by this, paused for just a moment, but the wizards weren’t surprised. After all, this attack was also meant to temporarily blind them again.
Whump! Whump! Whump!
Dozens of swords embedded into the disoriented ogres. No matter how tough the ogres were, they couldn’t easily fend off the attacks launched by the knights, who erupted with mana.
The knights, feeling an attitude of “if they fail, they’ll die,” put all their effort into stabbing and slashing.
“Graaah!”
Ogres’ screams echoed from all directions. The knights did not miss their brief chance.
“Quickly, stick to them!”
“Cut the tendons!”
“Prevent them from swinging their weapons!”
The knights clung to the ogres’ arms and legs. They desperately stabbed their swords into the ogres’ bodies as much as they could.
The ogres, with broken arms or shattered ribs, couldn’t even respond properly. The relatively intact ogres had to be handled by Ghislaine, Belinda, Gillian, and the other strong ones.
Fwooosh!
The daggers extending from Belinda’s body pierced the ogres’ eyes, ears, and mouths—vulnerable spots. Gillian kept chopping at the neck of the ogre that the knights clung to with her axe.
Watching their fight, it was hard to tell who was the ogre at this point—it was an excessively violent method.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
“Graaah!”
The ogres couldn’t hold on. Since the very beginning, they’d been wounded while attacking each other, so their combat power had significantly diminished.
In that state, the knights clung onto them, making it even harder for the ogres to shake them off.
Amidst this chaos, Kaor, the so-called “Ogre Slayer,” stood by, dazed, merely watching.
Ghislaine struck the head of an ogre that hadn’t fully recovered yet one more time.
Boom!
Like it was the signal, ogres began to fall one by one.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Dozens of ogres collapsed without much resistance. It was a disappointing death, which hardly matched their title of “King of the Forest.”
The fallen ogres were so heavily attacked that they resembled rags.
The soldiers stared in disbelief at the extraordinary victory. The coordinated attack had flowed seamlessly, as if it had been prepared in advance.
Noticing this, Kaor stumbled over to Ghislaine and questioned.
“W-what? Did you know there would be this many to come again?”
Thinking back, Ghislaine hadn’t rushed to command when the ogres appeared, unlike before. She had just stood there, dazedly watching.
Belinda and Gillian were much calmer than usual, too.
Ghislaine, planting her greatsword into the ground, stated.
“Yeah, I knew ogres would appear. I informed the wizards ahead of time and prepared them for how to fight.”
“Why didn’t you tell me?”
“To bring back some tension. Everyone was too relaxed.”
At those words, Kaor and the soldiers remained silent. Frankly, they had come too easily from the onset and had indeed relaxed too much.
Ghislaine glanced around at everyone and asked.
“Did everyone enjoy the show?”
“……”
The soldiers hung their heads in shame. Once again, they hadn’t accomplished anything. They had merely laughed and played, looking down upon the Forest of Monsters.
Had the lord not prepared in advance, they would have been ambushed by those many ogres, resulting in countless deaths.
In a low voice, Ghislaine continued.
“The monsters we aim to face at our target location will be far more dangerous and challenging than these. Although we handled this one easily thanks to the preparation, I can’t guarantee we’ll win next time, even if we prepare. Everyone, do not let your guard down.”
At her words, the soldiers took a deep breath and straightened their backs. Slowly, strength began to flow into their bodies.
The lord was right. If they hadn’t anticipated the ogres’ appearance and failed to prepare, it would have been a huge disaster.
If those many ogres had suddenly ambushed them, it would’ve led to a horrific situation.
“But… how did the lord know?”
“Did he learn by coincidence the last time he came here?”
“Really, our lord doesn’t seem to miss a thing.”
With this repeated occurrence, they began to feel a sense of awe toward Ghislaine—almost akin to a form of belief.
It’s not just mystical knowledge. What about her combat skills? She seemed capable of defeating any foe that came her way and that naturally fostered trust.
However, they didn’t think to rely solely on Ghislaine and take it easy. The soldiers steeled themselves.
“One mistake could lead to death.”
“Our lord can’t save us all.”
“Stay sharp and alert.”
Thanks to the suddenly appearing ogres, the people finally felt tension again. Not only the soldiers but also the wizards and elves alike.
In particular, the elves’ tension escalated even more. Those sensitive to the flow of nature felt that something was off in the Forest of Monsters more clearly than anyone else.
“It’s strange… It’s a forest, but it doesn’t feel like one.”
“All the monsters are absurdly large. No matter how powerful an area is, this can’t be normal.”
“Does such a place exist in this world?”
Usually, in a forest that is calm and overflowing with energy, elves should feel extremely comfortable and secure.
This was due to the very energy inherent within the forest, regardless of the presence of monsters.
However, this place exuded an exceptionally alien and ominous aura, starkly different from ordinary forests. The further they went inside, the stronger this alien energy became.
As if it were not a part of this world.
Due to this, the elves—those who pursue harmony and balance—felt incredibly uncomfortable and disoriented.
Ascon continued to frown, muttering.
“I can sense a foul energy… This is a messed up place…”
Nobody paid him any mind. Ascon frequently used such language even in the territory. No, it wasn’t just frequent; it was his everyday norm.
But Lumina was different. Ghislaine listened attentively to her words.
“Lord, are you really considering going deeper?”
“Why? Is there a problem?”
“Well… there’s something strange about it.”
“What is it?”
“The energy flowing through this forest is strange. It feels extremely ominous… unsettling…”
At those words, Ghislaine chuckled. The Forest of Monsters has always been notorious as a cursed place. People die as soon as they step inside, so it’s hardly surprising it has a bad reputation.
“This place is indeed a bit strange. Many of the monsters are peculiar, too. But it also has rare resources that are hard to obtain. We need to go in for them.”
“That’s not it. What I mean is… this place, this place…”
“This place?”
“It’s different. The lives here are not normal. Something… something feels unnatural. So, what I’m saying is…”
Lumina seemed to struggle to explain herself properly.
After awakening her ability to empathize, she could hear the sounds of nature somewhat. Among the elves in the Penris territory, Lumina could hear nature’s sounds best.
“They’re whispering to me.”
At her words, Ghislaine tilted her head. She could hear nothing at all.
“What? Who? What’s whispering?”
“The forest.”
“The forest? It’s talking?”
“Yes, it keeps talking to me.”
Since entering this place, Lumina had been hearing strange whispers.
At first, she couldn’t properly hear them. The laughter and chatter of people as they worked were too loud, and the energy of the forest was weak.
Every time people cut down trees or destroyed parts of the forest, that energy would weaken. The places trampled upon by people could only lose the essence of nature.
But as she ventured deeper, that energy grew stronger, and the whispers became clearer and clearer.
This forest was constantly whispering to her.
To become one with her.
