Without hesitation, the Ogre prepares to throw a punch at me. But at the last second, Ragnor saves me by shoving me aside. The Ogre's fist slams into the ground, creating a small crater. Still on the ground and in shock, I thank Ragnor. However, Ragnor couldn't care less about my thanks; his focus is entirely on the Ogre.
The Ogre looks at him and says, "You bastard... you have no idea how much effort I put into that swing. Why did you dodge?"
Ragnor thinks to himself: This is surprising. Usually, Ogres are stupid creatures that can't speak. He must be a Royal Ogre. On top of that, he's radiating a powerful mana.
Ren speaks to the Ogre in an arrogant, bored tone: "Could you please just get lost? I'm currently eating, and it's disrespectful to interrupt an Emperor during a meal. Come back later when I'm finished."
The Royal Ogre turns toward Ren and laughs. "You're truly arrogant," the Ogre says. "Do you even know who I am? I am a Royal Ogre, one of the most powerful beings in this world."
Ren snorts. "Pff, you? The most powerful being in the world? My ass. You're more like the most pitiful being in the world."
The Ogre furrows his brows and materializes a sword made of earth. Ragnor warns, "Ren, don't underestimate him. This isn't some normal, brainless Ogre. He's a Royal Ogre who can speak."
Ren shoots back, "So just because he knows how to talk, that makes him intelligent? You can talk too, but you're still a moron."
Ragnor grows angry, clenching his fists as he mutters, "I'm going to kill this bastard... I'm going to massacre him." Despite his rage, Ragnor takes a deep breath, trying to calm himself down.
Annoyed by their bickering, the Ogre interrupts: "I'll remind you that I'm right here! Why are you ignoring me and arguing as if I don't even exist?"
Ren sighs. "Ah, sorry. I forgot you existed."
The Ogre loses his mind and attacks Ren without thinking. Ren easily dodges every single strike because, despite the Ogre's power, his attacks are extremely slow. The Ogre stops, panting heavily and sweating, even though he hasn't managed to touch Ren once.
Ragnor takes advantage of this moment of weakness. He transfers all of his mana into his fist before delivering a massive punch to the Ogre's cheek. The Ogre is sent flying through the air before hitting the ground brutally. Lying in the dirt, the Ogre coughs up a large amount of blood.
Ren remarks, "Wow, that was a powerful hit. I thought Elves only used magic or bows to fight."
Ragnor replies coldly, "Not all Elves are the same."
(Yuta's thoughts): I'm really a burden on this mission. If Ragnor hadn't saved me, I'd be dead. Determined not to be a liability anymore, I stand up and ask, "Can I deliver the finishing blow?"
Ren says, "Okay. I'll allow you to have your little moment of glory." Ragnor simply nods.
I activate my Invisibility ability.
2:00 minutes remaining
1:50 minutes remaining
I have to hurry; I only have two minutes. The Ogre, still on the ground, is surprised to see me vanish. "Why can't I see him? I can still smell his scent..."
I pick up a sharp stone, but Ren calls out, "A simple stone isn't going to do any damage." Suddenly, he infuses a bit of mana into the stone. Following that, while still invisible, I rush toward the Ogre and stab him straight in the heart. Without understanding what happened, the Ogre falls to the ground, dead.
I look at the stone covered in blood and start to feel guilty. I just killed a living being. I begin to tremble with remorse. Ragnor notices and says, "Technically, it was self-defense. And besides, you'd better get used to it; this won't be your last kill."
To lighten the mood, Ren adds, "Don't worry, slave. Just imagine this world is a video game and you just killed a boss. You should be proud of yourself."
After hearing those words, my guilt begins to fade. "Yes, you're both right," I say. "It was just self-defense."
With that, we left the mountain and resumed our journey.
During the Walk:
Ren breaks the silence: "I hate this quiet. We've been walking for an hour and no one has said a word."
I reply, "I'm not talking because I have no idea what to talk about."
Ragnor adds, "I can't be bothered to talk to an arrogant bastard."
Ren gets angry and scowls. "I am not arrogant. I am objectively perfect, and everything I say is the pure truth."
After that small spat, silence returns.
Thirty minutes later, Ren speaks up again: "Hey, we've known each other for five days now. We should get more familiar with each other by using nicknames."
Ragnor stops and turns to Ren. "Fine. Your nickname is Arrogant Bastard."
Ren makes a face and fires back, "Fine, then your nickname is Mr. Grumpy."
Ragnor replies, "I'm only grumpy when you're insulting me. Other than that, I'm calm and zen."
Before the argument escalates, I interrupt and ask, "What about me? What's my nickname?"
Ren says, "Your nickname is Slave."
Ragnor adds, "Your nickname is Victim."
After that, we all start laughing at our own nicknames.
After three hours of walking, we finally arrive at the edge of the Black Forest. It's terrifying even just looking at the entrance. The trees are deep black and twisted, as if they are watching us. Inside the forest, there is no light and no sound—only a freezing wind.
Author's Note:
In my world, there are two races of Ogres. Normal Ogres cannot speak and possess no mana, but they have immense physical strength. Their only weaknesses are that they are slow and lack endurance. Royal Ogres can speak, and their physical strength is quintupled (5×) thanks to mana. They have the same weaknesses as normal Ogres, but they actually have even less endurance than the normal ones.And Ren can see him even when he's invisible because he has every ability in the world, including the ability to see invisible people. Ragnor noticed that Yuta felt guilty because Yuta was no longer invisible; the two minutes had passed.