Ogre Variant

Isn't he a little too reckless?, I thought worriedly as I watched my white-haired knight thread the barely-illuminated marble halls of the Guardian's Lair. He turned left when he found a fork in the road, not even checking for traps or what could have been lurking beyond the path he took. Though he maintained his concealment spell to erase his presence, having this much peace of mind is abnormal.

Hmmm~? He stopped and stuck close to the shadows, and for a brief moment, it was like he really DID disappear, even to me. I quickly found him though, searching, focusing, and recalling his mana signature off the top of my head.

The coat I had given him was imbued with dark attribute mana, the surface looking like some kind of shadow draped over him, improving his stealth capabilities. It also provided a small boost in defense — a feature that I added — though not as much as what a regular barrier would have normally provided. Still, it should serve him well in case of surprise attacks… though I doubt he actually knows about the many functions of the coat itself.

A moment after he hid, ear-deafening footsteps boomed across the hall. I focused more on my invisibility spell, making sure that I was ready in case something came up. Then, the monster appeared, holding a club about the same size as I. The beast towered about 15 meters, had a muscular body, and possessed only one eye. Black lines lined it's chest, one end traveling up itxs thick neck and covering it's lower jaw, the other endconverged in the middle of it's chest where a glowing ball of crystalized mana was imbedded in it's skin halfway through it's flesh. Red mana swirled inside of it, along with a black miasma that drifted even deeper within.

My knight silently drew his sword, placing it in front of him, itching for a fight. Sometimes, I worry for him. Without further delay, he dashed forward in blinding speed, immediately closing the distance between him and the Ogre Variant. He swung his sword in a wide arc at the Ogre's leg in an attempt to ambush the beast. Unfortunately, the Ogre Variant's skin was too tough, he was only able to cut through a couple inches at best.

So it has 「Hardening」. The spell, 「Hardening」, is a taxing spell for beginners, most often shunned as a spell for simple-minded people with the role of enhancing defense only. Despite it's reputation, 「Hardening」 is still a powerful ability to have, being a tier two spell. This spell gave it's user the ability to harden skin, though some artificers used it to enhance an item's durability. Because of the nature of the spell, using it for offense was a difficult, but not impossible task. While it gave the user a considerable boost in defense, it also reduced flexibility, and in some cases of extended use, locked the user in state similar to paralysis. There has also been a theory that the aforementioned spell is connected to the petrification ability, though no concrete evidence has been presented to back up this theory.

My knight quickly backed away, dodging the Ogre's club and using his speed to get behind it. The Ogre, surprised, tried to look for him, but he kept moving to it's blind spot. Soon enough, the Ogre had enough. It gripped it's mana core and siphoned the swirling red substance out of it and into it's own body, igniting the black lines draped across it's chest, shoulders, and neck.

The black lines let out a dark-red tint as the fire attribute mana mixes with the beast's own mana. The lines glowed even brighter, eventually reaching it's neck and jaws. Fire attribute mana concentrated in it's mouth.

Shi—huh? As I got ready to cover my knight from the deadly attack about to come, he suddenly appeared from a nearby pillar, having apparently climbed it while the Ogre was busy charging up it's attack. His eyes was opened wide, glaring at the alerting amount of red mana concentrated in the beast's mouth.

Then, I noticed something odd. The usually thick layer of mana that formed his concealment spell was gone, except for one place—his legs. An abnormal amount of mana concentrated inside of it. Judging by the glow that the mana circuits on his legs gave off, it was clear that he was using power beyond what his body was capable of.

That idiot…!! Just as the mana was about to explode along with his leg, he released it, pushing off the pillar he was on and causing it to collapse.

*BOOM*

He leapt forward, condensing mana into his blade.

"…?!" The Ogre tried to retaliate and release the fire mana built up in it's mouth, but my knight was much faster. He sliced the beast's throat, undefended with the constant stream of red mana coursing inside of it.

The humongous beast faltered, the devastation spell it constructed going haywire and causing a premature explosion.

*BOOM*

The Ogre's head exploded.

Chunks of the beast's flesh was sent flying across the marble halls, staining the pure-white surface with grotesque piles of blood, flesh, and brain matter. Because most of the explosion was absorbed by it's casters own head and the spell itself being incomplete, only the top section of the beast is damaged.

*THUD*

The headless monster fell unceremoniously on the floor, causing a booming echo. As if the explosion wasn't loud enough.

It was then that a cold chill ran down my spine. W-where is he—

*clack*

The sound of rubble being moved made me turn around, noticing a familiar patch of white hair, and the shattered remains of a broken barrier dissipating in the wind. He confirmed his condition and poured some of the healing potion I had given him beforehand on his wounds. After he did that, he let out a sigh.

I do the same. Thank the spirits, he's fine.

After a few quick breaths, he began treading the fallen rubble, approaching the monster's corpse. What is he doing now...?

He climbed the Ogre's huge frame and stopped on the monster's chest, right where the mana core was located. He reached out his hand and touched the core. The core itself was still vibrant with mana despite the Ogre's death.

Mana cores are, essentially, batteries that mana-dependent creatures develop to store more mana than they are normally capable of. It takes an enormous amount of time to form one, most usually obtained through evolution. It differed from the mana cores that me and my knight had in that we always had it, but lacked the ability to use it. In my case though, I was in the realm where I could access the power and insight that reaching one's core would provide with ease and practiced familiarity. Combined with my vast experience of killing and dissecting mana beasts...I have to say, I'm pretty damn strong.

The fact that the beast had one, albeit impure and only in it's early stages, is an astounding feat. Not to mention it's unique quality of holding more than one kind of elemental mana, granting the beast it's 'Variant' title.

My knight closed his eyes, a sign that he was in deep concentration. In this state of heightened sensitivity, he performed a feat that once again exceeded my expectations.