Two-Headed Ogre

Spring had arrived, flowers were blooming, the ice and snow were melting, and all things were coming back to life.

In Moonlight Forest, Duke crouched beside a stream and splashed his face with the icy water.

The water came from the distant snow-capped mountains, all of it melted snow that chilled him to the bone.

Vivian and the other three were behind him. After eating some simple dry rations, the group continued deeper into Moonlight Forest.

Other than Vivian, Duke and the other three were all High-Level Knight Apprentices with considerable strength.

They had come to carry out a reconnaissance patrol, intending to learn what was happening in the depths of Moonlight Forest.

Duke had learned from Vivian that Maple Hill County's upper ranks merely suspected that powerful magical beasts had appeared within Moonlight Forest, causing the string of incidents from some time ago.

But the exact situation remained unknown. The mountains had been sealed by heavy snow in recent days, making investigation impossible. Now that spring had arrived, they had to go in and find out.

The sooner they understood what was inside, the sooner they could make preparations and avoid being caught too off guard.

Vivian had personally led the team this time, which showed just how seriously she took the matter.

Based on their current speculation, the worst-case scenario was that a Super-Tier Magical Beast had appeared within Moonlight Forest.

Super-Tiered Magical Beasts were legendary beasts comparable to Great Knights. Ordinary knights simply could not handle them.

If that was truly the case, Count Hardy would have no choice but to seek aid from the Vira Kingdom's royal family.

The appearance of a Super-Tier Magical Beast had already exceeded his capabilities. This was no longer merely a matter concerning Maple Hill County's territory.

Duke and the others chose an especially remote route. It was difficult to traverse and impossible to travel on horseback.

Its advantage, however, was that it bypassed many areas frequented by wild beasts and magical beasts, leading directly into the depths of Moonlight Forest.

With the strength of their group, moving through this primeval forest, where almost no one had ever set foot, was still relatively easy.

Over the previous winter, with the aid of Giant Whale Elixir, Duke had cultivated the Whale Breathing Method to the sixth level.

But the Giant Whale Elixir had run out, and his cultivation speed had returned to what it had been before.

He had even shamelessly asked Vivian about the Giant Whale Elixir, only to receive an eye roll from her.

Vivian did not have much stock left either, only enough for her own cultivation. How could she possibly have extra to give Duke?

After Duke improved the Whale Breathing Method, his Constitution, Strength, and Agility attributes had all reached 9.9 points.

This seemed to be another watershed. Once he crossed it, there would most likely be another qualitative transformation.

Duke still had three Free Attribute Points, which he had yet to use.

The later they were used, the more cost-effective they became. Unless absolutely necessary, he could not use them casually.

Vivian still wore her full-body armor and carried that exaggerated giant axe on her back. Yet as she moved through the primeval forest, she was swift and nimble, her body incredibly light. It was impossible to tell that she was bearing five or six hundred pounds.

This was already their third day inside Moonlight Forest. They had crossed several mountain peaks and passed through vast stretches of primeval woodland.

Two days later, they finally found something.

Duke and the others lowered their bodies and hid within the dense brush, watching the area ahead.

Ahead lay a flat valley, surrounded by mountains on three sides, with a steep cliff to the north.

Beyond the cliff was another stretch of flat land. Beneath it flowed a raging river, and even from afar they could hear the roar of the rushing water.

Many crude tree shelters had been erected in the valley ahead, while numerous creatures of varying shapes moved about.

"Goblins, Cave Dwellers, Gnolls, Boarmen..." Baker, a veteran soldier, recognized the species of those humanoid creatures at a glance.

These humanoid creatures were all social species. They had once been widely distributed throughout the Vira Kingdom and could be found in many places.

Later, as humans gradually grew stronger and occupied vast territories, the living space of these humanoid creatures steadily shrank. They often lived in these remote, uninhabited mountains and forests.

It was Duke's first time seeing so many kinds of humanoid creatures, and he found the sight rather remarkable.

"Strange. These humanoid creatures usually operate in tribes. How can they gather together and still live peacefully?" Baker found it odd.

Whether Goblins or Cave Dwellers, they were barbaric, primitive tribal races. They were not only hostile toward humans, but hostile toward one another as well.

Under normal circumstances, these races could never coexist peacefully. They would surely fight to the death over living space.

Yet these races were now living together, leaving Baker and the others utterly confused.

"Look over there." Vivian pointed at an enormous wooden house in the distance and spoke softly.

The group immediately looked more carefully and discovered that the wooden house was indeed far too large. The doorway alone was seven or eight meters tall.

Such a huge door meant that the creature living inside had to be extremely massive.

Everyone realized that the reason these humanoid creatures could live together peacefully was because a stronger existence had taken them under its command.

Duke thought of the Cave Dweller tribe and Fishman tribe they had encountered before. They had likely left their homes for the same reason, forced to seek new places to live elsewhere.

"What kind of creature could it be..." Baker racked his brain, trying to recall what sort of creature possessed enough intimidation to make several humanoid tribes willingly serve it.

Before he could figure it out, the answer appeared before them.

An Ogre five meters tall, with blue-green skin covering its entire body, walked out from inside.

This Ogre had two heads.

The instant Duke saw this, he felt as though the surrounding air had frozen solid. Even Vivian and the others seemed to stop breathing.

Vivian said nothing. Instead, she signaled with her eyes for them not to move or draw the Two-Headed Ogre's attention.

Ogres were already exceptionally powerful humanoid creatures and often gathered creatures such as Gnolls and Cave Dwellers as subordinates.

An ordinary adult Ogre possessed strength comparable to an Official Knight. They were extremely powerful and could easily defeat a Cave Dweller King of the same Knight Level.

A Two-Headed Ogre was even more terrifying. It was not a Super-Tier Magical Beast, but it was not far from one.

In addition to its immense physical strength, a Two-Headed Ogre possessed spellcasting abilities, making it one of the very rare humanoid creatures capable of casting spells.

Vivian was already considered a very powerful human knight, but even she had almost no chance of winning against this Two-Headed Ogre.

The heavy full-body armor she wore was like a sheet of thin paper before a Two-Headed Ogre capable of casting spells.

Even without relying on spellcasting, the strength contained within the Two-Headed Ogre's five-meter-tall giant body was not something an ordinary Knight Level fighter could withstand.

It was precisely because everyone understood this so well that they were so tense.

Fortunately, the Two-Headed Ogre did not seem to notice the group hiding in the brush. It simply headed north on its own.

Wherever it passed, the nearby Cave Dwellers, Gnolls, and others all knelt to show their respect.

As it walked, its two heads muttered incomprehensible words, sounding as though they were arguing.

In a moment of displeasure, it crushed a kneeling Cave Dweller beside it to death with one foot. The surrounding humanoid creatures trembled even more violently at the sight.