Seeker 103

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Chapter 103. Ogre

In a path through the mountains, treacherous and untrodden.

What appeared before us was a giant humanoid monster.

Its height would easily exceed one and a half times that of an average human.

It had an undoubtedly enormous size that one would have to look up if they were close by.

It possessed a robust and muscular body, with a reddish-bronze skin tone.

Apart from a mere loincloth, it was practically naked.

One could say its face resembled that of a demon.

Its eyes gleamed fiery red, and two sharp fangs protruded from its mouth, pointing upwards.

In its hand, it held a massive club.

It would surely swing it and launch attacks.

The humanoid form, the colossal size, and the muscular build reminded me of Goblin Lord or Mutant Ape.

However, we felt no sense of intimidation like when we're encountering those creatures for the first time.

"There it is! An Ogre!"

Baldur-san shouted from behind us.

The monster—Ogre—aware of our presence, looked up to the sky and let out a mighty roar.

Its thunderous and booming voice reverberated throughout the surroundings.

But it was all in vain.

Almost simultaneously with Ogre's roar. We unleashed our magic in unison.

"Go! [Rock Bullet]!"

"Tear through! [Wind Slash]!"

"Oh spear of purgatory, incinerate my enemies! [Flame Lance]!"

The boulder I launched, the wind blade sent by Kazane-san, and the flaming spear shot by Yuzuki. All burst upon Ogre's massive form, one after another.

Ogre's body turned into a burst of black mist and vanished instantly.

Only a magic stone remained behind.

—Alright, instant defeat.

We won without a problem.

We emerged victorious without any issues.

"""Yay!"""

We high-fived each other in celebration.

According to the data in the monster encyclopedia, Ogre's strength was comparable to the Sabertooth Tiger we encountered on the 8th floor of the forest floor.

Since only one appeared, the outcome was as expected if the data was accurate.

We were tense, but in reality, it wasn't so difficult.

Things are often easier than worrying about them.

"W-What...! You defeated the formidable Ogre in the blink of an eye! Even a skilled dwarf warrior, would they be able to defeat it so effortlessly?"

Baldur-san's eyes widened in astonishment.

But just 1 Ogre, huh?

We could have easily won even if three of them had appeared with this strength.

The mission's objective is to defeat three ogres, so this won't be enough to complete the mission.

However, the number of ogre defeats changed from 0/3 to 1/3.

It seems they're properly counting the cumulative defeats.

Afterward, we advanced toward Baldur-san's dwarf village, but we didn't encounter another ogre.

A bit disappointing.

I can't help but think that my mindset is becoming more like that of a monster slayer, but it's too late to worry about that now.

Around evening, we arrived at our destination, the dwarf village.

It was a village in a corner of the mountainous region.

The village had a 3-dimensional structure, with houses built on terraces on the mountainside.

There were around 50 houses in the village.

And several openings resembling mine entrances could be seen here and there.

The entrance to the village was a single ascending mountain path.

There was a gate along the way, and a female dwarf guard stood in front of it.

Unlike male dwarves, the female dwarves didn't have a beard.

While she had the same short and sturdy physique, she could be mistaken for a plump human girl.

The female dwarf guard used a long-handled axe and a chainmail.

Most likely, it was similar to the equipment we were wearing—magic stone-made armaments.

The female dwarf guard greeted Baldur-san, who was trying to enter the village.

"Hey there, Baldur, welcome back. Are these three with you, hired guards from the human village?"

"Yeah, Berga. All three of them are good-natured humans and skilled warriors. Each of them might give you a good match."

"Well, if that's true, they must be something. As long as they don't cause any trouble, anything is fine. Welcome, human warriors."

"Th-thank you."

We bowed slightly and followed behind Baldur-san, entering the village.

Not only me but Kazane-san and Yuzuki also seemed tense.

Everyone inside the village, not just the guards, were dwarves as far as the eye could see.

As we passed by, the passing dwarves looked at us curiously and continued walking.

As we passed through the village's gate, Baldur-san, who was walking in the lead, looked back.

"Alright, we've arrived. I'm glad I hired you guys. This is the promised reward. Please take it." 

Bardur-san hands over a small pouch filled with gold coins. 

I counted them. There are indeed 24 coins inside.

There are two patterns for receiving rewards: one is receiving them at the Adventurer's Guild, and the other is receiving them directly from the client. 

And now, accompanied by the familiar "ping" sound, a message box appears.

───────────────────────

Mission Completed: Clear D-rank mission once!

Each party member gains 3000 experience points!

Mission Completed: Reach the Dwarven Village!

Each party member gains 3000 experience points!

New Mission Acquired: Clear C-rank mission once (5000 experience points)!

Musou Daichi reaches level 26!

Kodachi Kazane reaches level 26!

Yuzuki Hotaru reaches level 26!

Current experience points:

Musou Daichi... 81466/91100 (Next level: 9634)

Kodachi Kazane... 81536/91100 (Next level: 9564)

Yuzuki Hotaru... 81579/91100 (Next level: 9521)

───────────────────────

Alright, we've achieved both missions as planned.

And finally, a level-up.

It felt like it took quite a while, but when I calmly think about it, we leveled up in just a little over a day. So it might be a considerable leveling speed after all.

"Now, it's getting late. Human warriors, it would be best for you to stay in our village tonight. I'll guide you to the inn."

Saying so, Baldur-san continues to lead the way through the village.

He's caring in a positive sense, but one could also say he's a pushy client.

I exchange a wry smile with Kazane-san and Yuzuki. We follow Baldur-san.

At this stage, I had only planned to stay overnight at the inn in this village and then return to the original town.

However, after this, we will be entangled in a certain incident within this Dwarf village.