#Chapter 8: Ogre Junior (1)
“Crazy.”
“Hmm.”
A new quest appeared twelve hours after entering the Final Trial.
Field bosses have emerged in the Final Trial grounds.
These are formidable enemies that novice players cannot oppose.
Avoid them and escape to Nova as swiftly as possible.
Objective: Escape to Nova via the portal.
Reward: Status Window.
“A b-boss? Seriously?”
“Hmm.”
“No wonder we haven’t encountered a single person until now.”
“The gunfire has quieted compared to earlier.”
“Seems like everyone’s already evacuated.”
Cheoldu shook his head.
Clearly, the others had intel—they’d all quickly switched to novice mode and fled through the portal before things grew riskier.
“Let’s eat first.”
“Huh? Shouldn’t we just endure and move faster?”
“That’s gambling too much on luck.”
Cheoldu’s resolve was unshakable.
“Hoping to avoid enemies while moving and facing them prepared are entirely different matters.”
Jintae countered Cheoldu’s statement.
“But the quest explicitly says novices can’t handle them.”
“Then we’ll just stop being novices.”
“Huh?”
“Prepare the food. How many coins do you have?”
“I’ve got 8 now.”
Jintae had personally killed nearly thirty goblins.
“I have 92.”
Cheoldu had given up counting his own goblin kills. In the meantime, he’d eliminated six shamans.
Regrettably, he’d only acquired three orbs so far.
x2
Permanently slightly increases strength.
Activate with 10 goblin coins.
Trial-exclusive. Non-transferable.
Permanently slightly enhances perception. - Activate with 10 goblin coins. - Trial-exclusive. Non-transferable.
Two strength orbs and one perception orb.
“Hmm. Power-up time.”
Recalling his absorption of the Orb of Magic, Cheoldu remembered the brief vulnerability it caused.
He’d intended to use the orbs in a safer location, but that luxury was gone now.
If they encountered a boss monster unprepared, they’d be doomed.
“Jintae. Keep watch.”
“R-right.”
Their resting spot was shielded by rocks on two sides, leaving only one direction to guard. Even if goblins appeared, Jintae could buy them a little time.
“Hmm.”
Cheoldu activated the Orb of Strength with 10 goblin coins.
Fwoosh.
Light coiled around his body before being absorbed.
His pupils dilated.
This wasn’t just a tingling spine—
Heat surged through every fiber of his being.
Is this what addicts feel?
The power-up rendered his past efforts trivial. The so-called “slight” improvement was too profound to downplay.
It was the difference between nothingness and existence.
Like a lifelong pedestrian suddenly owning a car.
“Whew.”
Cheoldu exhaled sharply.
He clenched his fist.
Crick-crack-pop!
He bounced in place, testing his body.
Whap-whap!
When he abruptly began shadowboxing, Jintae scrambled backward.
Pah-pah-pah-pat!
The sound was too menacing to be just a fist cutting through the air, and Jintae gulped nervously.
‘He’s insane.’
Jintae had been Cheoldu’s longtime friend.
Since childhood, Cheoldu’s athleticism had always been different from others.
Jintae had always felt pride in having such a remarkable person as his friend, but now, that feeling had changed.
It was like watching a monster.
His movements and aura were so overwhelming that it was hard to believe he was human.
Jintae felt awe, even reverence.
After moving intensely for a while, Cheoldu exhaled sharply a few times and steadied his breathing.
“I’ve adjusted.”
“Huh?”
“Keep watching.”
“Yeah, okay.”
Cheoldu activated the sensory orbs one after another.
Pssss.
A strange sensation enveloped his entire body.
It felt like a layer of skin had been peeled off, making every sensation hypersensitive.
This wasn’t limited to touch.
His hearing sharpened too, the surrounding sounds becoming crystal clear—as if he’d suddenly removed headphones.
Pah-pat!
When he opened his eyes, his vision sharpened, illuminating the surroundings.
It felt refreshing, like a hazy sky on a dusty day suddenly cleared by a downpour.
‘Enhanced senses.’
Beyond that, he felt a faint tingling sensation, though it was subtle.
Would absorbing more sensory orbs make this precarious feeling clearer?
“Hoo, last one.”
“Alright, go for it!”
Jintae glanced at Cheoldu with envy-filled eyes.
Though he coveted the stat stones, hunting a shaman seemed absurd.
Even fighting a goblin warrior one-on-one was overwhelming for him.
‘Finish this quickly.’
While stealing glances at Cheoldu, Jintae nervously scanned their surroundings.
Psssssss.
“Huuup!”
Cheoldu’s reaction was most intense when absorbing the strength orb.
“Uuuuugh.”
Drool dripped from his mouth as his body trembled violently.
His face flushed red as if it might burst from strain.
He sat there for a moment, groaning as if in agony.
“Uuuuugh!”
With a roar, Cheoldu stood and kicked the rock behind him with full force.
Kwaaang!
The rock split and tumbled backward.
Pah-pah! Bang!
He swung his fists wildly in all directions.
He seemed even stronger than before.
“D-did it really work that well?”
“Hoo.”
Cheoldu exhaled deeply, steadying his breath.
“Huuuuuh.”
He moved his boiling-hot body around and laughed strangely.
“You look like a madman.”
“Heheh, you wouldn’t understand this feeling.”
“What feeling?”
“Like I’ve become unnatural.”
“‘Unnatural,’ my ass. You sound like a junkie.”
“Heheh.”
Jintae grumbled, but Cheoldu reveled in the euphoria.
To gain this much strength without bone-grinding training?
Moreover, his appearance hadn’t changed much—only his density increased, making the explosive power feel even more overwhelming.
“Let’s find a shaman on the way.”
“You think we can just find one?”
“Vaguely possible.”
“Huh? Really?”
“Need to test if this hunch is right.”
Cheoldu absorbed a mana orb to unleash his magic and a sensory stone to heighten his perception.
Senses weren’t limited to the five basics—they reacted to another force: mana.
‘If this sensation responds to mana…’
Could he track shamans now?
“Safety first. Let’s head that way while searching.”
No matter how enticing power-ups were, staying on a sinking ship was idiocy.
They decided to move swiftly toward the portal exit, hunting any shaman they sensed along the way.
“Hm?”
Cheoldu turned his head after walking awhile.
“Let’s go that way.”
“Sure.”
Where they cautiously advanced, a goblin shaman awaited.
“Heheh, confirmed.”
“Whoa, insane.”
Cheoldu now knew this sensation was mana.
Thick mana emanated from the shaman’s staff as it chanted skyward.
Cheoldu had followed that trail here.
“I’ll go first.”
“Yeah.”
As always: Cheoldu’s charge, then Jintae’s ambush.
“Uoooorgh!”
Cheoldu roared.
The barbarian’s pounding heart accelerated his bloodflow. The exhilarating shout filled his soul with courage.
Pah-pat!
He saw the ice arrow launched by the shaman.
His heightened senses let him pinpoint the spell’s timing—he dodged.
Pah!
Sidestepping, he closed the distance in two strides, reaching the shaman before it could cast again.
Crunch!
A single kick folded the shaman at the waist, killing it instantly.
Crack! Thud!
Cheoldu dispatched nearby goblin warriors in one blow each—now needing no weapons.
“Wh-what the hell?”
Jintae, who’d rushed in expecting action, stood baffled.
“Ah, sorry. Got carried away.”
“……”
The fight ended before he’d arrived.
Jintae stared at a goblin impaled on his finger.
Tssk-tsk.
Watching it dissolve into light, he shook his head.
Cheoldu had always been formidable, but now he was a tiger unleashed among sheep.
“Heheh, a windfall of coins.”
No orbs dropped, but Cheoldu didn’t mind. With a way to track shamans, he could hunt them deliberately now.
“……”
Cheoldu looted the coins and continued walking.
Their direction remained the central black sphere—the true portal was nearing.
Tat-tat-tat-tat!
Gunfire erupted nearby.
“Huh, soldiers?”
“Hmm. Close.”
“What do we do?”
“Avoid them.”
But then a roar froze Cheoldu’s steps.
Krooooooar!
“This… could it be?”
“Gah! Cheoldu—isn’t that a boss mob?”
No goblin could produce such a deafening roar.
The forest itself trembled.
Just hearing it made Jintae’s body shake.
“L-let’s run!”
“Jintae.”
“Huh?”
Meeting Cheoldu’s gaze, Jintae sensed primal danger.
‘This bastard’s eyes are glowing.’
Cheoldu’s sparkling eyes made his next words predictable.
“Aren’t you curious?”
“It’s a boss mob!”
“We don’t know that yet.”
Truthfully, Cheoldu didn’t care.
His whole body burned.
Competitive fury ignited.
Finally.
Finally, an opponent worthy of his full power?
Someone to fight all-out?
“Alright. Jintae.”
“Huh?”
“Stay back.”
“Wha—?”
“I’m going in.”
Pah-pat!
Before Jintae could react, Cheoldu vanished into the forest.
“You crazy bastard!”
Who charges toward a boss roar?
Jintae glared at the portal’s direction, then spat curses.
“Fucking lunatic.”
Loyalty demanded he not abandon his friend.
Better to die together than walk the afterlife alone.
Tap-tap.
Jintae sprinted after Cheoldu.
Cheoldu halted upon reaching the gunfire, assessing first.
A three-meter-tall monstrosity.
It swung a massive club, battling four soldiers.
“Aaaagh! Sergeant Kim!”
“Fuckin’ die already!”
Rat-tat-tat-tat!
“Kroooar!”
Two soldiers were familiar faces.
‘Private Lee and Sergeant Kim?’
The duo he’d first met after killing a goblin shaman.
Rat-tat-tat!
The giant blocked bullets with crossed arms and charged.
It rammed one soldier.
Crunch!
“Ghk!”
“Private Park! You fucker!”
Rat-tat-tat-tat!
One soldier lay dead against a tree, neck snapped. Private Lee crawled with a broken leg.
The remaining two fired desperately but couldn’t stop the beast.
‘Bullets aren’t piercing?’
A few rounds lodged superficially, but most failed to penetrate its hide.
Pain was possible, but killing it? Unlikely. Worse, they’d exhausted their ammo.
During the reloading pause—
Now was the time to strike.
“Move!”
Cheoldu shouted and lunged.
“Uoooorgh!”
The barbarian’s battle cry echoed as he collided with the monster.
