We stepped into the hall where the Ogre was supposed to appear, our faces reflecting our lack of enthusiasm. Given what had happened last time, I expected we’d find nothing but another letter while the boss himself remained in hiding. Having a monster refuse to even spawn for you actually stings more than you’d think.
However, when I mindlessly glanced toward the center of the hall, I realized my prediction was wrong. Our eyes widened, and we froze for a moment.
"Huh? Is that...?"
"It looks like it. What’s his deal? He ran away last time..."
"Hey, don't you think... that Ogre is practically radiating confidence?"
The cause of our astonishment was the Ogre standing right in the center of the hall—the very one we’d assumed wouldn’t show his face. This was the same Ogre who had previously vanished, leaving behind a note that practically begged for his life, yet now he was staring us down with a steady, intimidating gaze. Just as Hiiragi-san said, he seemed to be exuding self-assurance. Standing there with his arms crossed in a defiant pose, it was hard to believe this was the same creature that had fled from us before.
What on earth had happened to him?
"...It’s a bit unexpected, but if he’s motivated, we have to do this," Yuji said.
"True. But the fact that he's showing himself with such confidence means he must have a secret plan. I don't know if it's a trap or reinforcements, though."
"Yes," Hiiragi-san agreed. "It's unlikely that an Ogre who fled without fighting last time would charge in now without a strategy. Since he’s standing so tall, that posture must be an expression of his confidence that he can stay and fight us—and win."
Choosing to stand his ground instead of running meant he had a way to fight. I didn't know what his tactics would be, but since the "Runaway Ogre" had chosen combat, it was best to be on guard for traps or ambushes.
It seemed the mechanic where the battle wouldn't start until we moved within a certain range of the Ogre hadn't changed. After confirming the Ogre wasn't making a move yet, we began observing the hall to see if anything else was different. If there were traps set, there might be inconsistencies in the floor or walls, or the layout might differ from our last visit.
"There don't seem to be any changes in the hall," I noted. "Nothing new has been installed."
"Yeah, and it doesn't look like there are any ambushes set up in advance," Yuji added. "Also, there's nowhere on the ceiling for monsters to hide."
"As for traps, none seem to be active at the moment," Hiiragi-san reported. "However, we should be careful depending on what subordinates he summons. It's possible they might set traps using their racial traits..."
Despite our observations, the room looked exactly as it had before, which only made the Ogre's confident aura feel more eerie. I wondered what kind of secret plan he had prepared to justify that attitude.
We heightened our vigilance even further, preparing for combat while maintaining a stance that allowed us to move at a moment’s notice.
"First, let's secure our light sources," I said. "I'll set up glow sticks along the wall going clockwise. Yuji, you go counter-clockwise."
"Roger. Then Hiiragi-san..."
"I'll use light magic to set up light sources on the ceiling."
With that decided, we placed multiple light sources while being careful not to touch the Ogre's attack recognition range. Since we didn't know what to expect this time, brightening the surroundings to improve visibility was a mandatory step to prevent sneak attacks. If our vision was clear, we could respond quickly even if a trap was triggered.
Having finished the setup, we once again faced the Ogre, who was still standing tall with his arms crossed.
"Are you ready?"
"Yeah, I'm good."
"I'm fine as well."
"Then... let's begin."
We exhaled lightly, paused for a beat, and then approached the Ogre with slow, measured steps.
The moment we stepped into his attack recognition range, the Ogre, who had been standing motionless, finally moved.
Uncrossing his arms, he gave us a slight glare while maintaining that confident aura. Without breaking eye contact, he let out an intimidating Roar. Up to this point, while slightly different from his usual behavior, it was the standard procedure for summoning subordinates.
However, an anomaly quickly followed.
"...Hm? Only one summoning circle?"
"Yeah. And isn't that circle bigger than the ones we saw before?"
"You're right," Hiiragi-san noted. "And the color of the lines in the summoning circle seems deeper than before, doesn't it?"
Keeping our distance and increasing our vigilance, we calmly analyzed the situation. A single summoning circle appeared, unique in its size and color. As the Ogre continued to roar, the expression of confidence on his face deepened into a look of certain victory.
It seemed he had decided to limit the number of summons, calling forth one powerful subordinate to pit against us. So, his secret plan was quality over quantity.
"I wonder what's going to come out?"
"Who knows?" I replied. "But this is coming from a guy who ran away last time because he thought he couldn't win, and now he's oozing confidence. It's probably a fairly powerful monster... Don't let your guard down."
"Yes... here it comes," Hiiragi-san said.
As she spoke, something began to slowly emerge from the summoning circle. Its height was only slightly greater than the Ogre's, but its body was covered in metallic partial armor. In its right hand, it held a thick greatsword resembling a machete, and on its left arm, it carried a thick, round metal shield that covered its entire forearm.
Above all, the face of the summoned monster was clearly of the same lineage as the Ogre. It was a high-ranking species.
"...Daiki, do you know what that thing is?"
"Hold on, let me use Appraisal Analysis... Okay, I've got it. That's an Ogre Soldier. It's an Ogre specialized in close-quarters physical combat. Based on its appearance, it looks like the type to utilize its superior physical abilities to fight with weapons."
Looking at the results of the Appraisal Analysis, its stats seemed considerably higher than the Ogre that had summoned it. In terms of levels by explorer standards, there was probably a difference of about ten. Of course, that was just basic specs; depending on its skill level, it could potentially display even greater combat capability.
If anything, I should be more wary of that possibility, given that it specifically had the title of "Soldier."
"An Ogre Soldier... I didn't expect a high-ranking species to show up instead of just a group of subordinates," Yuji muttered.
He spoke with a hint of amazement, but taking my advice to heart, he turned a sharp gaze toward the Ogre Soldier and heightened his alertness. Naturally, Hiiragi-san and I did the same.
While we watched with caution, the Ogre and the Ogre Soldier were making noises like low groans, appearing as if they were talking to each other. The Ogre Soldier looked somewhat annoyed, while the Ogre responded with a humble, subservient attitude.
"Are they... having an argument?"
"It looks like it," Yuji said. "This is... how should I put it? It's like a junior employee who messed up at work and went crying to his senior, and now the senior has been dragged out to clean up the mess. The senior is annoyed about having to fix the junior's mistake but came out because the boss told him to, and the junior has no choice but to keep bowing and apologizing because it's his fault..."
"Wait, Hirose-kun, don't use such weird analogies. Now I can't see them as anything else," Hiiragi-san complained.
She wore an expression as if she didn't know what to say, while Yuji and I felt a strange, inexplicable surge of guilt, as if we had done something wrong.
Certainly, from that Ogre's perspective, were we just incredibly annoying, out-of-place customers who couldn't read the room? High-tier elites repeatedly visiting a facility designed for beginners, wrecking the place, and snatching away the rewards. Even after he tried to negotiate a settlement by handing over the goods, we showed up again, so he had to swallow his pride, call in a superior, and resort to force.
"I don't know, it's just... don't you feel a bit bad for them?" I asked.
"Yeah, I guess. But dealing with explorers who enter here is their job... probably. Yeah, we haven't done anything wrong... I think."
"Yes, we aren't at fault," Hiiragi-san concluded firmly. "We're just trying to fight the Ogre according to the rules of this place. Since the system doesn't force those who clear it to use a bypass route, it's within the expected range for people to run it multiple times."
While Yuji and I looked like we felt awkward, Hiiragi-san remained unfazed. She was right, of course, but I still had a lingering feeling of unease.
Then, as if their conversation had reached a conclusion, the Ogre Soldier pointed his machete-like greatsword at us and fixed us with a sharp glare. It seemed the battle was finally starting.
Before the fight began, the Ogre took a step back, assuming a stance dedicated to supporting the Ogre Soldier. Given our previous battles, his chances of winning would indeed be higher if he provided support at key moments rather than trying to fight alongside his subordinate. Even for monsters of the same race, if their basic specs were vastly different, coordinating effectively would be difficult.
In response, we also quickly decided on our strategy.
"Daiki, I'll take the lead against the Ogre Soldier. You handle the support while keeping the Ogre in the back in check."
"Got it. Then we'll ask Hiiragi-san to monitor the whole area."
"Checking for traps and watching for ambushes, right? Leave it to me."
With our plan set, we saw the Ogre Soldier begin to move slowly. The battle had begun. Whether the Ogre Soldier had heard about our strength or not, he didn't rush in recklessly, instead closing the distance cautiously. The Ogre waiting in the back gripped his club, his sharp eyes suggesting he was ready to jump in the moment he saw an opening.
Since Yuji was also moving while carefully gauging his opponent's intent, the initial exchange was strangely quiet. Both sides cautiously closed the gap, and when the distance had shrunk to about half of where they had initially faced off, the Ogre Soldier finally made a big move. He raised his greatsword high in his right hand, looking as if he were about to slash down at Yuji.
"Gah!"
However, the Ogre Soldier’s actual move wasn't the expected slash. While roaring to intimidate Yuji, he violently thrust the round shield in his left hand forward. A shield bash, in other words. He used the slashing motion as a feint, used the roar at close range to momentarily freeze his opponent, and then intended to capitalize on that opening to knock them down using his shield and weight... It was quite a seasoned combat move.
But he had picked the wrong opponent.
"Hmph!"
Yuji avoided the thrusting round shield with a fluid motion that showed no signs of being affected by the roar. As he dodged the shield bash, he slipped into the Ogre Soldier's blind spot on his left side. The Ogre Soldier's eyes widened in surprise; he could do nothing but follow Yuji's movement with his gaze. The thrust shield had been evaded, and the greatsword he had raised as a feint was out of position to react in time. It was checkmate.
Incidentally, the Ogre watching this sequence from behind wore an expression that was a mix of shock and despair. I suppose that's what happens when you witness your secret plan—the high-ranking "senior" you relied on—get shattered so effortlessly.
"There!"
With a light shout, Yuji slid the blade of his kodachi into the gap in the armor around the Ogre Soldier's neck... and easily lopped off the creature's head.
Yeah. He was certainly better at fighting than the Ogre, and his combat ability was higher, but he still wasn't an opponent we would consider a "formidable enemy."
"Nicely done. How was it, fighting an Ogre Soldier?" I asked.
"I was surprised a monster would use a feint, but as you saw, it wasn't a problem. More importantly, the battle isn't over yet. Let's talk after it's finished, okay? You'll get hurt if you drop your guard."
"I know. But as for talking after the battle... it looks like the opponent has lost his will to fight."
"...So it seems," Yuji admitted.
While maintaining our vigilance, we turned an indescribable gaze toward the boss. There stood the Ogre, completely drained of his fighting spirit, standing as if he had been burned out to white ash.
He had brought in his strong "senior" with such confidence, only for it to end the same way as always... Yeah, don't let it get you down.
The reinforcements he'd pinned his hopes on were defeated in a single exchange... Yeah, what a shame.