Chapter 512: Clear the Gate? (4)

Chapter 510

"....."

The Ogre King stood nearly twice the height of his kin even while seated, his enormous frame towering above the surrounding creatures like a walking fortress.

Every inch of his body was covered in thick, dark-green skin, stretched tightly over layers of densely packed muscle.

His shoulders were impossibly broad, his arms thick enough to resemble tree trunks, while his enormous hands could easily engulf a human torso.

Every movement carried tremendous weight, yet there was nothing clumsy about him. He moved with the controlled confidence of a creature completely aware of the overwhelming strength contained within his body.

Two massive tusks protruded from either side of his lower jaw, curving upward toward his cheeks.

A pair of thick horns swept backward from his skull, framing his brutal features. His eyes burned with a deep crimson glow, devoid of the wild frenzy displayed by the lesser Ogres.

Instead, they radiated intelligence.

And authority.

Heavy plates of black metal covered his chest, shoulders, and forearms, each piece scarred and battered from countless battles.

A thick belt wrapped around his waist, while enormous iron greaves protected his legs.

In his hands rested a colossal warhammer.

The weapon was almost as tall as a human, its enormous head forged from dark metal and covered in blunt spikes. With every tap the Ogre King made against the ground, the hammer produced a deep metallic ring that echoed through the chamber.

The sheer pressure radiating from him was suffocating.

The lesser Ogres roared around him, but none dared move a muscle forward.

And here stood Ray, challenging such a monstrosity.

At the same time, he looked to have zoned out for a moment, his gaze remaining fixed on the System after it had suddenly given him another quest in a single day.

The first quest had been to destroy the beasts that had ruined his peaceful meal.

Though completed, he hadn’t yet received its rewards, which meant the rewards would come as soon as he completed this second quest.

Which meant he either had to survive what was about to happen...

Or defeat the Emperor-rank beast.

But how was he supposed to defeat this monster?

Not only was it almost as tall as an Aberrant, it definitely had the strength to back it up and possibly an ability too.

He had tried scanning the beast with his "Inspect Skill," but it failed the moment he laid eyes on the King.

So he couldn’t scan what sort of ability it had.

He wanted to run away.

But as if reading his thoughts, the double doors could be heard moving, causing Ray to slightly tilt his head around.

The doors were closing at an astonishing rate.

Then—

BLAM!

The doors slammed shut with such force that it seemed like the entire chamber shuddered along with them.

’Great. Why the hell am I always in situations where escape isn’t an option?’

Turning his head back to face the Ogre King, his brows drew closer.

’And why do all the Emperor-rank beasts I face have to be towering?’

Shrugging, he shifted into a stance while locking eyes with the King sitting a few metres away from him.

At the same time, his perception flooded through the whole chamber in case the minions dared to interfere with what he was about to do.

’I wonder why they aren’t even attacking yet?’

"Well, I think they are waiting for me to make the first mo—?!"

The Ogre King’s eyes twitched for a brief second.

Then it opened its mouth.

"Askra, debro aleis....aleis."

’It-It can speak?’

Ray mused inwardly as his body trembled for a moment, his eyes darting around him for any signs of an attack.

He didn’t know if this was supposed to be a chant or a call for an attack.

"Aleis... aleis... al—make the first move. Move... move... make the first move?"

’Eng—?! It can speak the human tongue?!’

"Human...!!!"

The Ogre uttered, its voice sounding grating to the ears.

It sounded like stone striking stone.

A voice one would only hear in one’s nightmare.

As if the beast were speaking from deep beneath its belly and forcing each word out through a throat never meant to form human speech.

"....."

The moment it began speaking, the entire chamber fell into a deep silence.

The chanting Ogres quieted as though cold water had suddenly been splashed over their bodies.

"No. You aren’t human... Yo-you are a beast."

’Huh?!’

Then, the beast’s left eye switched from crimson to a deep orange.

And the moment that eye landed on Ray, he suddenly felt as though his entire soul was being scrutinized, causing him to take half a step backward.

"Why do human come into here?"

Ray frowned as he watched the orange eye change back to its previous crimson color.

Pointing his dagger forward, Ray uttered in a mocking tone,

"Human come in here to kill big towering monsters for causing a tear in human world and killing humans."

"...."

The Ogre tapped the head of his weapon once, then dropped his chin onto his second hand before his face widened into a sinister smile.

The smile was the kind that sent shivers running down one’s back upon seeing such a thing.

Though Ray’s heart pounded loudly in his ears, he didn’t show any of it outwardly.

Not a single tremor could be seen in his gait or hands as he observed the Emperor-rank beast.

"Human come here to die? Fine. Benevolent king will grant human’s request."

The beast thought for a few seconds before adding,

"Soldiers haven’t had good enough fight in age—"

"Ugh... I don’t want to fight them. They won’t amount to a warmup for me. Because I already fought three hundred of them outside before coming here. And..."

Tilting his head with a taunting smile on his face, he added,

"...I killed them all. It’s you I want, my king."

Ray said it with a mocking, curt bow.

"....."

Then, the beasts exploded into a furious shout that shook the entire chamber, as if the human had just said something outrageous.

Like he had just uttered a blasphemous word against their leader.

The screams grew so intense that the chamber floor trembled with every rise in their voices until—

The Emperor-rank beast lifted a single hand into the air.

Within a second, the beasts all slowly quieted down.

Until silence was restored once again.

"Human amuses me. But I don’t believe the words of a beastly human."

’Beastly human? Does it know about my Tribrid nature? But h—?! Oh.’

"You don’t believe me? Tsk. Well..."

Lightning bloomed across Ray’s feet, crawling upward before stopping just shy of his waist.

Space crackled beneath his second hand before an obsidian dagger materialized in his grasp as he locked eyes with the Ogre King.

[Thunder Step Activated]

"Too bad I don’t have the time to prove myself."

BOOOM!

Ray lunged forward, cutting through the air with rapid velocity as he closed the distance between himself and the Ogre King in the blink of an eye.

His daggers raced toward the beast while the creature, on the other hand, didn’t look to fret for even one second.

It was calm.

Terribly so.

As his monstrous face widened into a devilish smile that seemed to send shivers down the boy’s spine.

Then—

The chamber exploded.