CH 3

06/06/2022PC

——Let’s subjugate every last ogre in this town.

The main reason for it is to increase my Level. If I escape outside at Level 5 I’d probably be eaten by some stray monster. Anyway, to escape from this town I’ll have to fight with at least a few other ogres. So it’s better to press my advantage while the ogres’ guards are still lowered.

First, I’ll take care of the ogres in the dining hall.

Most of the ogres in this town have gathered in the dining hall. Of course, it’s to eat me. That’s why I chose today, the “election1” day, to break out of the town. With a lot of them gathered in one place, I can take them all out at once while they aren’t expecting it.

Having said that, it will be difficult to fight all those ogres head on. Even with the knowledge and techniques from my previous life, my Level is still too low for that. It would be meaningless to use Advanced-Grade magic when it would fail to activate due to a lack of mana2. Moreover, the ogres’ “Muscle Operation” can be used for defence as well as offence. If an ogre uses the muscles in its neck for defence, then it would become very difficult to inflict a fatal injury using the knife. If possible, I would want to take them down one by one….

I’ve prepared a plan for doing that….

First I took various knives from the kitchen, and then I doused the walls and floor with cooking oil.

“Well then, let the counterattack begin.”

Placing my hands on the floor, I chanted the Ignite3 magic. In that instant——

Guooooo!!! The kitchen was completely engulfed in flames.

The entire field of vision was covered by flames and smoke instantly. The pots and plates fell and raised shrill keels, the entire castle shook violently, roars and screams began to rise from somewhere. I quietly concealed myself under the smoke cover in that ruckus.

“….Wind Manipulation“

I activated an elementary wind attribute magic. Manipulating a gentle breeze, I sent the flames and smoke into the dining hall. Soon, I could hear the ogres’ flustered voices.

“Wha? Whaaat?”, “Fire from the kitchen!!”, “Fire!!”, “Oii! Someone get water or sand!”, “If it’s alcohol, we have lots!”, “Protect the storage vault!”, “Open the windows! Let the smoke out!”, “Put those bloody humans to work!”

The ogres in chaos began to split up and act separately. It looked like they couldn’t see each other well in the smoke. Nor could they see me hidden under cover. The fire and smoke have completely hidden my presence from them.

“….Wind Manipulation“

By moving my finger, I directed the smoke towards the face of an ogre who was at the end of the table. This magic was indeed an Elementary-Grade magic, but it was of the Wind attribute, which was my forte. I could easily manipulate the smoke and send it forcefully into the ogre’s nose and mouth.

“Geho! Goho! Shit! What the hell is happening!?”

The ogre doubled over coughing violently. After inhaling too much smoke, he became light headed and began to stagger.

He’s full of openings….

The ogre has little experience in being hunted, he still hasn’t noticed that this place is already a battlefield, that is why he is this defenceless. There is no way I’ll let such an opportunity escape.

“Body Strengthening, Material Strengthening”

While activating the strengthening magic, I jumped onto the back of the ogre who was bent double and swung my knife.

“Aaa….?”

Did he notice me? He began to turn his head as I severed it, it rotated once with that momentum and fell on the floor.

That makes two….

Thanks to my increase in strength, I was able to kill this one more easily. At Level 1 I wouldn’t have been able to sever his backbone completely like this. I also have a little more mana left over than before.

As expected, the benefit of Level Up is huge.

Like before, a pale bluish white light bloomed from the ogre’s Level Crest and was absorbed into mine. The Level crest had transformed from Level 5 and now showed Level 7. It was still at a point where I would be anxious to challenge an ogre head on, but it would be more than enough to do one in by surprise.

Now then, it’s about how much I can increase my Level before breaking out of this town.

I couldn’t help but smile in excitement after waiting so long. The reason I allowed myself to be ordered around by these ogres for 18 years was all for this day. To hunt and exterminate every ogre and leave this town in the best possible shape. This town was now nothing but a good hunting ground.

“Wha??”

When I hid myself behind the smoke cover again, an ogre carrying barrels came back.

“Oi! Oi!! He…He’s dead!?”

The ogre became flustered as he stooped and found his comrade’s body.

“What the…? What the hell is happening here? Why was he killed? What the hell is….in here?”

He seemed to be terrified. Of course he was, these ogres have never stood in the shoes of the hunted. But unfortunately, this is a eat or be eaten world. If they remain weak, they will not always be the ones who eat. Justice, kindness, beauty….these things are irrelevant. The strong will eat the weak. If you don’t eat, you will be eaten. If that is how it is…

I will be the one who eats…

I licked my lips in anticipation and crept up behind the ogres. The ogres still haven’t noticed me. I silently swung my knife.

——It’s Level Up time.

T/N Notes: