Chapter 84: Debut (Part 7)

"Sure you want to take on the Dungeon Boss by yourself? I mean, at your level, you can definitely handle it, but I figured I’d ask anyway," Remarked Lector, as we headed up the tunnel leading to the Boss Room."Yeah, I’m sure. I’ve come this far, might as well see it through to the end," I replied, as I cracked my neck with a tilt of my head.

I drew Desecrator out of Treasury as the end of the tunnel came into sight, picking up the pace slightly before stepping into a cold, icy cavern.

A deep growl echoed out from the other end of the space, a large, hulking figure rising out as I entered the chamber, narrowing its eyes at me.

So, that’s what an Ogre looks like.

It was about ten feet tall, and while pretty muscular, it was less bulky than the Hobgoblins, though otherwise looked fairly similar.

It was holding a large, rocky club, growling as I stepped forward before snapping open its jaws and letting out a deafening, bone-chilling roar, several icicles falling off the ceiling and shattering as they hit the ground.

The Ogre then snarled before charging forward with surprising speed for its size, the cavern rumbling slightly with each step it took.

"<Command: Don’t Move>," I chanted, the Monster coming to an abrupt halt before I shot forward, taking aim and firing out a Pulse Bullet as I drew out my gun.

The Ogre let out a slight grunt as the projectile struck the middle of its torso, the skin around that spot spasming slightly before it broke free of the effect of Command as it gritted its teeth.

It snarled again before swinging its club across at my head as I closed in, which I swiftly ducked under before staying low and leaping forward, zipping in between its legs and slashing at the back of its heels as I shot past it, drawing out thin trickles of blood.

Tch, too shallow.

I spun around and fired out another Pulse Bullet, before springing across to my left as the Ogre swung its club straight down towards me, a loud crash ringing out as the large, rocky weapon slammed onto the ground, a cloud of snow rising up upon impact.

It’s got some pretty thick skin and flesh, I couldn’t cut through its heels as deeply as I wanted to...I’m going to have to get closer.

All the Monsters I’ve fought before were smaller in size, so less of the length of my blade needed to cut through to fatally wound them.

But since this one has a bigger body, I’m going to need to get a bit closer when I slash at it, otherwise the cuts are too shallow, relative to its size.

And it managed to break free of the effect of Command too...it has much higher Strength and Vitality than I do, but it’s overall less powerful than I am, so it broke free almost purely through willpower.

My second Pulse Bullet struck its left knee, and it’s looking a bit unsteady on its feet, its left leg wobbling a bit.

As I raised my gun and fired another Pulse Bullet at it, it snarled before whipping its club across, intercepting the Mana Bullet before the projectile could reach it, before suddenly driving its right foot forward, kicking a large wave of snow towards me.

I swiftly sprinted across as the Ogre leapt forward and swung its club down through the wave of snow it had kicked up, the club colliding against the ground where I’d been standing with immense force, before it dragged the club across the ground and whipped it up as I began to sprint in towards the Monster, launching another wave of snow at me.

I halted and jumped back as it sprang forward, driving its club towards me with a powerful thrust of its arm, an intense gust of wind bursting out from the force of its thrust.

"<Lethargy>!" I chanted as the Ogre lunged at me, a disoriented look appearing on its face before tensing as I zipped forward and manifested Devour with a swift chant.

I quickly scrambled across to its left, the Monster bellowing in pain as I chomped off a chunk of the flesh on its right side, blood streaming down and running down its leg before it let out a furious roar and launched itself towards me with a powerful leap.

I sprang forward as it began to close in on me through the air, slipping past it before spinning around as it landed behind me with a crash, flinging Desecrator at it with a sharp flick of my wrist.

It quickly raised its club up, managing to partially deflect my blade with its weapon, the blade pinging off the side of the club and slicing across the Monster’s left cheek before splitting its left ear in half.

The Ogre snarled before charging at me as I swiftly began to back away, raising my gun up while simultaneously chanting...

"<Return>."

I pulled the trigger of my gun as Desecrator came zipping back towards me from behind the Ogre, the Monster stiffening before tilting its head to the right while twisting its body across, my blade slicing across the left side of its neck as my Pulse Bullet struck the middle of its chest.

It let out an enraged roar before slamming its club against the ground with immense force, a cloud of snow billowing out as the ground shook and rumbled upon impact, knocking me slightly off-balance.

It immediately sprang straight towards me with a murderous snarl, before I chanted as I quickly rolled out of the way...

"<Aphrodisia>!"

I unleashed a wave of energy as I evaded the Monster, a crash echoing out as it landed on the spot where I’d been standing, before letting out a shaky, confused grunt as I backed away and got some distance.

My other Lust Skill, Aphrodisia. It bursts out a wave of energy around me that triggers a sharp spike in arousal in anyone who gets hit by it.

It doesn’t work on any targets that have no sexual desire, like asexuals and those suffering from impotence.

Evidently, this Ogre doesn’t fall under those categories.

Those hit by it struggle to focus, though it doesn’t last very long, it’s not all that much stronger than the peak of their natural arousal, so it wears off pretty quickly if they manage to calm down.

It’s probably the least effective of all my debuffs, but at the very least, it’s good enough to throw an opponent off for a few seconds.

And, to be fair, its main use isn’t meant for battle.

As the Ogre began to shake off the effect of Aphrodisia, I holstered my gun and took a deep breath, letting out a slow exhale.

This next Skill, I’ve been wanting to use for a while now, but never had the chance because it costs way too much MP.

Right now, I’ve got just enough MP to activate it, and it’s about time I take it for a test drive.

"Now, then...<Enrage>!"