Ogre vs Hero (3)

Using my previous knowledge playing this game, I remembered the layout of this environment. Every nook and cranny of this place served as a purpose. Since the game developers became too busy fixing the terrains, they left some parts of the land as cliffs.

There was actually one ridge further on this road.

These mountain ranges were not part of the forest. The players did not have the luxury to explore this place, since it had nothing but the scenery. I remembered some couples tried to have picnics in this place, but there were far more romantic places in the game than this damned site.

If one looked down on the said escarpment, the stream would welcome one's eyes. A linn made this river, with another waterfall found at the end of that gushing freshwater. However, nobody knows what was at the end of that line, not even me, a veteran player of this game.

But I knew once something fell upon that ridge, there was no turning back.

Despite my trusty sword clipped in my hands, I did not want to clash blades against the ogre. One swing of that mad titan would destroy Clarent. If that happens, I would need to find a blacksmith or a dwarf to fix the durability of my weapon. Since sharpening one's sword was also a thing in this game-world, having this weapon mended to its original state should feel logical to do.

Well, at least that's what the developers thought of back then. And I was just a player who was playing their game but now trapped inside this world.

I continued running towards the trees and trampled every plant obstructing my way. I had no choice but to do this and maintain my distance from the ogre.

"Speaking of the devil…" I whispered, as I stole a glimpse from my behind.

There it was, the brazen-looking monster chasing me at the ends of this planet, hoping to strangle me with those muscular arms. That monster wielded the make-shift branch as if it was the weapon of doom that claimed the lives of thousands of creatures. But even that jest might turn out to be true.

"I need to shake that monster off if I want to live!"

That was the only thought that kept me alive and kicking until now. As I raced through the willow trees, the ogre slammed all those plants like it was nothing but paper! Every step that bastard took, a deafening growl filled the air.

I finally made my move and invited the monster to follow me. Although I might look like a suicidal man, I had nothing else to do but toss this monster into that cliff. To plan on battling the monster mano-a-mano when I was still a puny human meant defeat in my dictionary. And the only way to stop that was a natural cause of death, with the help of gravity and mother nature!

I couldn't help but continue forward, bringing with me my shaking heart, vibrating like a crazed cell phone inside someone's pocket.

I went towards the right and slid the logs over, creating a diversion of some sort to slow things down. Upon glancing behind, the ogre pushed the wooden chunk aside and pursued me like a truck. That uprooted bark was not enough to slug the ugly monster.

After running for some time, I took a sharp turn and used the vines to my advantage. I became the Tarzan of this world, travelling through the plants like a monkey! But the ogre knew my shenanigans and did something crazy.

The ogre pulled every vine closer to him and yanked the heck out of the jungle. I could only hope that it was my imagination, but everything around me absorbed me closer, like a black hole! My hands desperately clipped themselves at the bark and tried their best to hold on to the tree. However, all my efforts turned all for nought as the strength of that monster was stronger than Godzilla himself.

'If the level 30 ogre could do this, what more if I stumbled upon a horde of them with higher levels?' The thought sent shivers down my spine as I carried on with my escape plan.

Since it had turned to this, I unlatched myself from the bark and headed back to the shaking ground. I ran as fast as my little legs could, but the ogre caught up to my back.

The ogre swung his blade and aimed for my body with a slanting slash. Thanks to my petite figure, I evaded the ogre's assault and slid to the side. My surroundings turned into slow motion, showing me the ogre's arm flying before me. As the unhurried flow of time finally ended, the sword that the ogre used crashed against the ground, creating a crater behind my feet. It missed me by a centimetre as I rolled my body to safety.

This path was not on my to-do list, but it was enough to keep my organs still intact with me. If I did not do that, I would have probably been lying on the ground right now.

I rerouted from where I had come from and forced myself to bypass the monster. It was a risky move, but I had to do it. Considering the terrain the creature and I were battling right now, this path led me straight back to the village.

I did not want that to happen. If there was one thing I needed to do, placing the entire town in danger was not in my vocabulary.

I heaved out a sigh and rushed straight to the monster, hoping to pass through its maddened body. The ogre extended both of his arms and growled at me. That roar was enough to intimidate the last ounce of confidence stored inside my heart.

I resisted those frightening thoughts and pushed forward, hoping to exceed my abilities as the adventurer from the village. But, alas, my effort had gone out of the drain as the world around me turned grim and cloudy.

My hands refused to heed my call, despite squirming it from all directions. The ground also left my feet with the entire world before I became smaller at every second. Even the sky-scraping trees became ants to my view, huddling with each other as if their dominoes lined and waiting to fall.

And that was when I realised the ogre got me. My entire lower body became numb. I could feel myself losing the energy that I had from before.

I played around death, and now I finally took its toll.

Despite the throbbing pain climbing up from my body, my hand refused to let go of the sword. And even if I tried, it was as if my hand had a soul of its own…

Or was it my hand that refused to release the blade?

Just as I was about to give up, the Clarent sword glowed with a brilliant light. A warm sensation flowed from my skin, but there was no fire beside me. I thought at first that the luminance came from the heavens above, calling out for my soul.

But I had thought wrong.

A notification popped in front of me. Words wrote themselves on the screen, but my eyes dropped like flies. Drowsiness that came from fatigue finally hit me as my body craved a brief break to rest. However, there was no time for me to do that, not with this ogre gripping my body using his hand.

"What's… happening?!"

"...."

'Is this the end of the line for me?'

'Heh… I did not even become a hero…'

'Well… if you put it that way… helping that family survive and distracting the ogre was a heroic... deed… am I right?'

'If I could live one last time, I hope I become a hero that the world would need…'

"...."

I accepted my death and let the world take me for the second time. My vision became blurred, knowing that my time had come. All the strength I preserved left my body. Even my wish left me for good as I succumbed to my inevitable doom.

"GET YOUR HANDS AWAY FROM ARTHUR!" A voice that came from a kid echoed through my ears.

My eyes, which I thought I closed, opened, and witnessed the figure below. A boy hurled pebbles at the towering giant, hoping to distract its focus and free me from its latch.

The ogre gave the boy what he wanted and threw me at the plant life. I was fortunate enough to land on the cushion of a million trees. Although the platform felt nothing like a pillow, it was enough to keep me alive.

"Afenos… what are you… doing here?" I tried yelling, but my voice wore down.

I fought back my consciousness and tried picking myself back up from the ground. The little kid stood tall from miles away, continuing to draw the monster further from me.