novelraw Chapter 132: The Ogre That Moved Like Wind
Chapter 132: The Ogre That Moved Like Wind
The captain walked up to him, gaze steady.
"You saved us," he said plainly.
Arthur shook his head lightly. "I slowed it. That’s all."
"That was enough."
Silence settled again.
But this time it wasn’t confusion.
It was understanding.
This wasn’t normal ogres anymore.
This was a variant that could launch massive stones over a long distance with insane precision.
Arthur turned his gaze deeper into the dungeon where the stone had come from.
His chest was still tight.
The distortion was stronger now.
Whatever had attacked them was still watching them.
And it knew they were here.
Arthur flexed his fingers once, steadying himself.
"It’s not random," he said quietly. "It’s targeting us."
Some of the explorers were still on one knee, coughing hard, a few even spitting blood as they tried to breathe properly.
Dust filled their lungs.
The shockwave had not been gentle, even after Arthur reduced most of the force.
"Report!" the captain shouted, his voice rough.
"I’m good.."
"Just bruised.."
"Shield cracked!"
The healer moved through them quickly, checking the worst cases first. Her hands trembled slightly, but she forced herself to stay calm.
The captain’s eyes kept shifting.
Not to the crater, or to the broken ground.
But to Arthur.
If the aftershock did this... how is he standing?
He had seen the stone. He had seen the speed. He had seen Arthur take it head on.
It didn’t make sense.
As he let out a breath he didn’t realize he was holding.
The healer, who had somehow remained steady during the blast, she had just finished with Arthur who she felt took the brunt of the attack and concentrated on him. Now she raised her staff and activated a group healing skill. A soft wave of light spread across the squad. Bruises faded. Internal damage eased. The coughing slowed.
Within moments, the explorers were back on their feet.
Arthur didn’t waste time.
He turned his gaze toward the tunnel ahead.
It exploded on contact.
That was clear now.
The stone itself wasn’t the real threat. It was the stored force inside it. The moment it met resistance, it detonated.
And the trajectory.
It had been aimed.
His mind worked quickly.
Long range. Explosive trigger. Probably ogre based. But definitely not normal.
The mutation had changed something. Created something smarter.
He stepped even closer to the captain.
"It’s not random," Arthur said quietly. "It’s a skill. Most likely an ogre variant. Long range type."
The captain nodded. "I thought the same."
"Also, it explodes on contact," Arthur added. "So we don’t let it get close."
The captain’s eyes sharpened.
As he turned to the squad. "Tight formation. Tankers up front. Shields layered. We move together."
The explorers obeyed instantly.
The earlier ease was gone.
Fear had returned, but this time it wasn’t panic. It was awareness.
They had seen what one stone could do.
They didn’t want to imagine if it kept up with larger numbers.
But they still advanced carefully.
Then they saw it.
Another stone.
Flying straight toward them.
"Brace!" someone shouted.
Before it could get close, Arthur stepped forward and raised his hand.
He didn’t hesitate, it seemed like a test but he acted regardless.
His manifest Intent activated instantly.
Fire layered over it, sharp and compressed, forming a spear shaped flame that shot forward with frightening speed.
It pierced the incoming stone midair.
BOOM.
The explosion happened far from the squad this time.
The shockwave rolled toward them but the tankers absorbed it easily. Shields dug into the ground and held.
Before the dust even cleared from the first blast, another stone followed.
Arthur didn’t hesitate again.
Another fire spear.
BOOM!.
Again.
And again.
Each explosion happened at a safe distance.
The squad watched in stunned silence.
He had adjusted after one encounter.
Understood the mechanic of the skill and countered it cleanly.
Ryn let out a low whistle. "You figured that out from one hit?"
Arthur didn’t look at him. "You figured that out from one hit?"
Arthur didn’t look at him. "It’s simple."
"It’s not."
"Contact triggers it. So don’t let it make contact near us."
He said it like it was common sense. The simplicity of his explanation almost annoyed them.
One of the casters muttered, "You say that like it’s easy."
Arthur replied, "It is. Just aim earlier."
There was no arrogance in his voice. Just clarity.
The captain cut in. "Enough talking. Keep disrupting. Move!"
They advanced faster now, intercepting stones before they reached them using Arthur’s fire spears and a few ranged skills.
The closer they got, the more frequent the launches became.
It wasn’t blind fire. It kept adjusting to their movement.
"There!" one of the scouts soon pointed.
Through the thinning dust and broken rock ahead, they finally saw an ogre monster.
At first, it looked like a normal ogre silhouette.
But as they got closer, they realized it wasn’t.
It was lean.
Too lean.
Its body wasn’t bulky like the usual ogres. Its muscles were tight and thick beneath rough, darkened skin that looked almost hardened by stone. Veins pulsed faintly along its arms.
Its shoulders were broad, but its waist narrower than expected for its kind.
But the stones still kept coming from deeper behind the lean ogre.
Arthur noticed it first.
"It’s not this one," he said sharply.
"What?" Ryn asked.
"The stones. They’re not from him."
Another stone came flying from behind the lean ogre’s position, arcing over its shoulder.
But Arthur destroyed it midair again.
The explosion lit the dungeon for a brief second.
Through the light, the rest of the explorers saw more.
Behind the lean ogre, further down the cavern, shadows moved around elevated rock formations. Piles of stone. Structures.
And something else.
Large wooden frames reinforced with bone and metal.
Catapult shapes.
"So there’s more than one," the captain muttered
Before they could process further, the lean ogre crouched.
Arthur felt it before it moved.
"Prepare for close combat!" he warned.
The ogre made its move