Pandora of Fantasy And Reality Chapter 15

Red Ogre Battle

Five orcs.

Then warriors, hunter, and magician NPC and monk NPC formed a group and walked inside the forest that was thick with trees.

There was a path that allowed them to barely be able to walk through  the forest. It seemed to be a path that the orcs were usually using to  walk.

Ponsuke tried to grasp a tree branch on the way. It snapped and turned into red particles of light.

「It’s a strange sensation.」

An eerie bird cry could be heard from afar.

There was the sound of the trees swaying from wind.

They all were walking through such path.

Usually there would be monsters leaping out to attack them, but not a single one had come out since they entered this forest.

Alfie looked behind.

「Why are we bringing females for the mercenary NPCs today? Ponsuke, is it because you actually like it that way?」

Alfie asked a question without any tension. Ponsuke thought that she was the same like usual while replying.

「When I went to the bar to rent the mercenaries, the ones we usually  used were already rented by someone else. That’s all. This is fine isn’t  it? It’s good to have variety.」

The magician was a woman wearing a pointy hat, a robe, and holding a wooden staff. She had a wavy and long orange hair.

Her chest was big and she had soft and full looking lips with red lipstick applied on it. She looked captivating.

In contrast the monk looked like a gentle and graceful woman.

She had a long and straight blond hair. Her outfit looked comfortable and had blue and white as its base color.

Her chest was clearly big even from over her clothes and her hand was holding a silver mace.

Mariela was looking dissatisfied.

「Just say it that we’re lacking variety. But, if possible I wanted to  hire the NPCs that we usually used. We had finally gotten used to their  timing and their skill and their other quirks.」

Even though the NPCs had the same levels, there were minor differences with their job level and skill level.

Their status were also set to be different to make each NPC had their own individuality.

They had checked the NPCs’ status beforehand, but just that wasn’t enough to fully reassure them for when there was battle.

Gido who was walking at the front with a large battle axe on his back turned around. His expression looked really happy.

「It’s certainly a bit worrying but……it’ll also be the best if girls like them attack and hurl abuse at us!」

He said something that the three of them couldn’t sympathize with at all. They all had different reactions.

Ponsuke smiled wryly.

Alfie and Mariela’s eyes turned cold. It excited Gido.

It wasn’t like the two wanted to excite the orc but, they couldn’t stop themselves from looking at him coldly.

「Haa, this is bliss~」

「You guys always keep acting like this. Don’t tell me you all are also acting strange in RL?」

Gido’s eyes widened at Ponsuke’s words.

「We’re acting like this here because we can’t do it at RL! What’s  more we only do this mainly with NPC! Haa, I hope the variety of insults  and attack pattern will increase at the next large scale update.」

Even Dume was joining their conversation.

「Hmph! I’m already sending the dev some files about my demands. You guys too should put in some effort steadily.」

Ponsuke got a headache.

(These people are really……)

While he was covering his face with his right hand, Alfie tugged at Ponsuke’s mammoth vest to attract his attention.

「Ponsuke, they’re new NPC. Have you properly set so they won’t attack  their teammates――especially them? Warn them so they won’t forget to set  it right.」

Ponsuke waved his left hand to the side and opened his status screen. He checked the NPC’s setting screen.

The setting of attack toward his party was already set to “NO”.

「It’s fine. Ah, have you all remembered to change the friendly fire setting?」

Ponsuke asked the orc party that was walking in front of them. Prey lifted up his right hand.

「No problem. We have changed the setting properly.」

Actually the mercenary NPCs were made with thoroughness in detail.

At the day when Ponsuke’s party used them for the first time, the  mercenaries attacked him even though he was an ally. When he learned  later that the NPC’s action could be changed through the setting, he  felt anger to the dev for going that far with their thoroughness.

(The dev really hate orc race huh.)

He looked back at the NPCs. It seemed that it triggered them to open  their mouth to say their conversation pattern for inside the forest.

「Haa, this forest really stinks with orc smell. I want to burn it to ash.」

The magician said some dangerous words.

The monk nodded with a smile.

「You’re right. This forest should be burn to the ground in order to display the goddess’s power.」

Mariela who was also listening to the lines was creeped out.

「Why are these girls so dangerous like this? The male NPCs had more enjoyable lines.」

Create more proper conversation lines you shitty dev.

While Ponsuke was thinking that, Prey who was walking at the front stopped and his hand reached toward his weapon.

He spoke to everyone with a careful tone.

「We arrived. Everyone, be ready for combat.」

Prey’s gaze was directed toward the trees. There was red color moving among the green and brown colors.

Walking through the trees and causing the ground to shake was a red ogre.

There was a horn in the middle of its forehead. The tip was slightly  yellow and bent to point toward the sky. Its yellow hair was unkempt and  grew so long that it was hiding its back.

Drool was dripping from its mouth. Sharp fangs jutted out from there. Its breath was like white steam.

It was wearing an outfit that was made from animal skin. It was carrying on its shoulder a club that was as long as its body.

It was moving its head while marching through the forest as though it was looking for prey.

「It look impressive.」

After Alfie said that, everyone crouched and started preparing for the fight.

Mariela shrugged.

「I know that this is a game but, preparing for a fight like this feels somewhat unfair.」

Battle preparation――it wasn’t simply holding a weapon and then rushing the enemy.

First they applied buffs――magic that increased their status and magic  that was useful for combat. They also applied debuff――magic that  decreased the enemy’s parameter and hindered them in battle from a  position that was outside the enemy’s detection.

This was standard procedure, but against boss debuff had weak effect,  and it might made them felt that they were under attack and headed  toward the players.

Ponsuke gave instruction to the magician.

「Apply all the buffs you have at everyone.」

The magician nodded with a smile, and then she used magic.

She recited several incantations. Each time light of various colors  would envelope everyone. Green, blue, red, yellow……their statuses were  getting boosted.

Prey urged everyone to be cautious.

「Pay attention to the NPCs’ HP and MP. If they are in danger help  them even if it’s just throwing item at them. The fight will become  really hard if they got killed.」

Everyone nodded and stood up, then they broke into a run with weapons in hands.

Prey raised his voice.

「Let’s go!」

「Ou!」

That seemed to be battle yell of the orc party. The four orcs took the front and headed toward the red ogre.

Ponsuke who was watching from behind thought that they looked very reliable.

「We should also go.」

Mariela nodded. She pulled out an arrow from her quiver.

「Yes.」

Alfie also pulled out her decorated new paid equipment from her waist.

「Nice timing. I want to test cutting with this on something.」

The magician also entered combat readiness. She fired flame from her staff.

Ponsuke watched the fire ball rushing toward the red ogre.

(She isn’t really going to burn the forest right?)

He was worried about that.

The orc party had entered battle before him.

The red ogre tightened its grip on its club and swung it toward the orcs around it.

Prey gave some detailed instructions.

「Deidada and me will be the tank! Dume, Gido, attack when you see opening. Don’t let it go past us!」

The orcs were reassuring to have as tanks.

But, their opponent was an ogre that was double their size.

Prey held his large shield to block the ogre’s attack, but he got blown away.

He planted his legs on the ground, but he was blown away for several  meters behind while his feet gouged two trails on the ground.

「Kuh, this guy is stronger than expected. Dume!」

「Ou!」

Dume tightened his grip on his great sword and jumped. He slashed at  the red ogre. It was an attack skill with the strength of an orc behind  it. A beautiful teamwork from the orcs.

――But.

「Nuoh!」

The ogre blocked it with its arm. The arm was cut and spilled blood but the sword was completely blocked.

Then it immediately swung its arm and sent Dume flying. Then the ogre  looked toward the magician that was attacking it from afar.

Mariela dashed to circle around the red ogre. She was firing arrow while moving.

「Look this way!」

The arrow stabbed the red ogre’s head, but it didn’t pay any attention to that at all.

「Shit! It won’t change target!」

Deidada was holding a large shield and a mace. He rushed forward but the red ogre kicked him away.

Deidada tumbled on the ground, but his HP was still remaining sufficiently.

Alfie moved forward.

「As expected from an orc. He is tough.」

Her running speed increased. Alfie radiated faint red light and  swiftly closed the distance to the red ogre. And then she slashed. The  slash sunk deeply into the red ogre’s right foot and the word [Critical]  popped out.

The red ogre fell on its knee.

Then Prey and other orcs stood up. They had finished their preparation and raised their voices.

「Let’s go guys!」

Everyone held weapon in their hands. They began launching their  attack skill at the red ogre simultaneously. It generated a combo.

The damage was added all at once. The red ogre’s HP was being shaved down rapidly.

The combo ended. Ponsuke also leaped forward while the red ogre was trying to stand.

「Here’s some more, take it!」

He hit the red ogre’s cheek with his buckler, making it losing its  balance. He took that opportunity and used his one-handed sword in his  right hand to attack its horn.

The word critical popped out. With that the red ogre’s HP was finally reduced by a quarter.

Gido raised his battle axe overhead to continue after Ponsuke, but the red ogre vigorously stood up and roared toward the sky.

The shockwave blew away everyone.

「Nuoh!」

Ponsuke also got easily blown away. Then his back hit a large tree.

When he tried to get back on his feet, he saw everyone’s position and  realized the bad situation they were put in. The red ogre raised its  club to swing down at the fallen Gido.

「It’s targeting us individually. Someone!」

Then the monk used magic from the rear.

The swinging down club smashed through the faintly shining shield that was protecting Gido.

However the shield reduced the swing’s momentum and Gido’s HP was still in the safe zone.

「Ouch……I really feel that one.」

Gido recovered his HP using his own item. Meanwhile Prey rushed  forward with a low stance, and then he held up his large shield with  both his hands.

The red ogre tried to kick him away like before, but that kick bounced back.

Prey yelled.

「Yosh! I’m gradually getting the hang of it.」

The skill activation timing could differ depending on the enemy. But,  Prey was starting to grasp the timing which helped him accomplishing  his role as a tank.

Ponsuke gripped his one-handed sword tightly. He ran and jumped at the red ogre’s back.

「We’re going to beat you up you bastard!」

The one-handed sword swung down and bit into the red ogre’s back.

*

One hour had passed since the battle started.

Everyone’s fatigue was reaching the peak.

「Just one quarter left! Everyone, give it your all!」

Prey raised his voice for encouragement, but Ponsuke only looked at the four orcs coldly.

When the four orcs stood in front of the red ogre, a fire ball hit Deidada.

「Ofuuh!」

When he looked back, he saw the magician standing there with a smile.

He had lost count how many times this had happened.

Mariela yelled at the four orcs in frustration.

「You guys, stop screwing around! Put the friendly fire setting into No already! You all are stupid! Stupid idiots!」

Dume blocked the red ogre’s kick with his great sword while receiving Mariela’s insult. His body trembled.

「Kuh! From the front is the red ogre’s furious attack. From behind is merciless insult……I feel truly alive at this moment!」

Alfie also yelled.

「What do ya mean alive! Can’t you guys just fight seriously!?」

Alfie complained even while her way of speaking was growing rougher. Prey stood up while responding to her.

His equipments were in tatter and dirtied. Even so his expression was a serious one without any hint of giving up in it.

He would look very reliable if that was all, and yet all that went to waste when Prey opened his mouth.

「We are always serious! We are seriously facing ourselves……and so we always act in accordance of our belief!」

What he was facing was his fetish.

He should be facing something else than that.

Gido used his battle axe as a cane to support himself on his feet.  The red ogre’s kick and a fireball rushed to him at that timing.

The simultaneous attacks from front and back blew him away in a very  strange manner. He healed himself with his own item while laughing.

「Attacks coming from both the front and the back while my allies are  also hurling insults at me……aa, it feels like my head will go crazy from  all the excitements.」

The orcs were excited from being attacked by all sides while facing a powerful enemy.

Ponsuke wanted this battle to be over quickly.

「Tsk, our only choice is to end this battle all at once with combo. Alfie, Mariela!」

Ponsuke broke into a run. The two followed him and prepared to  activate their skill. Their plan was to perform a combo that shaved a  large chunk of the enemy’s HP.

But――.

「Don’t go over there!」

Dume’s warning was just an extension of his usual perversion. That  was what Ponsuke thought and so he didn’t realize it. He was too  impatient and didn’t check the surrounding terrain carefully.

The red ogre threw away its club and grappled Ponsuke who was running toward it. And then both of them fell over.

There was a cliff nearby the location of the battle.

「No way……Ponsuke!」

Alfie yelled in panic, but she couldn’t get close to Ponsuke and red ogre who fell down the cliff.

Mariela looked around.

「We won’t be able to go down unless we go around!」

It seemed that the system forbid them from jumping down the cliff on  their own initiative. They would be able to go down unless they took the  roundabout path.

Mariela fired her arrow from above the cliff, but it was too far and the arrow didn’t inflict too much damage.

Prey immediately gave instruction.

「Make the NPC support Ponsuke-kun from here! We’ll circle around to  go down as fast as we can. Ponsuke-kun, don’t die until then!」

Prey yelled from above the cliff. Ponsuke listened to it while looking at his HP that had gone down to red zone.

(Seriously? You’re asking for something totally impossible.)

The boss red ogre was getting back on its feet.

It had tossed away its weapon, but it was still a boss monster.

Fighting it one-on-one was out of the question.

Ponsuke took the healing item that he bought with real money from his  item box. Using it increased his HP back, but his equipments were in a  tattered state.

His one-handed sword, his buckler, and even his favorite mammoth vest were almost running out of endurance.

He had properly give them maintenance before departing here, but it  seemed getting grappled and falling down the cliff invoked a mechanism  that reduced his equipments’ endurance greatly.

The red ogre saw Ponsuke and breathed out stinky breath from its mouth.

Its eyes were bloodshot. Blood veins were bulging and pulsing all over its body, making it looking strangely alive.

「It will catch up to me even if I run away. Aa~, will I be the only one who get death penalty and failed the quest?」

He smiled self-depreciatingly. Then several fireballs rained down on the red ogre from above the cliff.

When he looked up, he saw the magician and the monk backing him up with their magic.

It seemed the others had given them MP potion before they ran down. The two NPCs were firing magic without pause.

(If I can make them be more efficient with their casting……hah, guess that’ll be asking for too much.)

He smiled slightly seeing the NPCs who his comrades left behind for  him. He tightened his grip on his weapon. He lowered his stance and took  a deep breath before gazing at the red ogre that was heading his way  even while magic hit and exploded over it.

(Aa, somehow……I can feel even the blast and heat on my skin.)

Slowly, and quietly, Ponsuke felt how the surrounding scenery was becoming even more vivid in his senses.

He looked at the fist that the red ogre cocked back. He rushed  forward through that opening into its bosom and hit the red ogre’s belly  with Shield Bash as though to go through it.

He put his strength into his body. Strength was welling up.

「Fly!」

The red ogre opened its mouth. Its huge body was sent flying with air and spittle being forced out from there.

The blood of the wounded red ogre splashed on Ponsuke’s cheek.

He wiped it with the fingertip of his left hand. There was smell of iron from it.

「……It’s the same like that time. It feels like I can do this.」

That time when they suddenly got into a fight against an area boss.

Ponsuke was feeling the same sensation like that time. It was like  his own body was adapting to the orc’s body and he was feeling that it  was something natural.

The sensation of the weapon in his grip, he got the feeling that its weight was different than usual.

Ponsuke regulated his heavy breathing and took out an item.

「The timing to use your trump card is important.」

It was the status boosting item that he bought with real money. He  crushed it in his grip and felt something flowing into his body.

His blood veins bulged up, and then he glared at the red ogre with bloodshot eyes.

The enemy seemed to perceive it as an intimidation. The red ogre clenched its teeth and glared down at Ponsuke.

It was as though its expression said, How dare a lowly orc threaten me. Ponsuke sensed such feeling coming from it.

They both broke into a run. And then the red ogre cocked its fist.

Ponsuke swung his weapon to attack.

The red ogre’s fist hit Ponsuke’s face and blew him away, while  Ponsuke’s one-handed sword left behind a deep gash on the red ogre’s  abdomen.

The red ogre held its stomach.

Ponsuke also stood up while feeling the pain on his cheek. He glared at the red ogre.

「That hurts you bastard!」

His feet stomped on gravels as he broke into a run. It was as though the surrounding shook each time Ponsuke’s large body moved.

He just noticed that a river was flowing nearby.

The red ogre tried to grapple Ponsuke, but Ponsuke hit the red ogre’s chin with Shield Bash.

「ORAA!」

He stabbed the red ogre’s stomach that became wide open when its head snapped up.

The red ogre kicked away Ponsuke when he pulled back his sword.  Ponsuke flew and bounced on the river surface as though he was a  skipping stone before sinking into the water.

(It’s deeper than I thought.)

He was thinking such thing calmly, but his weapon’s endurance was nearing the limit.

(The next will be the last huh.)

While he was sinking inside the water, he saw his own vest destroyed with scraps of it floating in the water.

He used item inside the water to recover his HP, then he swam and got out of the river.

When his face broke out of the water, he saw the red ogre’s hand approaching him.

「What-!」

That large hand grabbed Ponsuke, lifted him up, and threw his away  violently. It seemed the red ogre had entered a berserk state because of  the damage it accumulated. The damage from its attack on Ponsuke was  quite great.

(I would be dead if I didn’t use item underwater.)

His body crashed on the cliff. The red ogre then howled as though to proclaim its superiority.

Ponsuke stood up and breathed roughly to endure his pain while roaring at the red ogre.

He didn’t understand why he roared.

But, Ponsuke’s body moved on its own as though that was something that he ought to do.

His muscles bulged up with ripping sound. And then both sides broke  into a run to hit their opponent with one last attack. The next one  might be the end of this fight.

But, the red ogre clearly had longer reach.

The red ogre would be the one to land its attack first.

While the thick and long arm of the red ogre approached until it was right before Ponsuke’s eyes, Ponsuke’s lips twisted.

Not from pain, but from the feeling of surety that he had won.

「It’s over……take this!」

He slapped away the large fist from below using his buckler. At the  same time the buckler broke, but Ponsuke paid it no mind and felt his  skill activating.

The cracked sword in his right hand swiftly stabbed into the red ogre’s heart with surprising smoothness.

His skill――Counter was activated.

The skill was activated so beautifully it was almost unbelievable. The word Critical popped out in the air.

The red ogre’s eyes widened as it looked at Ponsuke’s face.

「I give it back to you twofold. It looks like your full strength attack……was pretty powerful.」

The red ogre leaned forward as though it was falling on Ponsuke, but  then its body immediately turned into red particles and vanished.

The light particles scattered to the surrounding. It was a grander sight then when some random monster died.

Ponsuke stayed still on his spot and looked up to the sky.

「Fuu……fuu……it’s over.」

The one-handed sword in his hand crumbled and fell on the ground, then it broke into pieces and vanished.

And then he heard the sound of something being dropped on the gravels.

When he turned his gaze over there, he saw the red ogre’s horn  falling through the red light particles that were still drifting at the  surrounding.

「Right. The key item……I got to pick it up.」

The monk NPC that was looking down from on top the cliff casted healing magic on Ponsuke.

Ponsuke looked over there and smiled.

「Come to think of it, they are there. I forgot about them.」

Suddenly it looked like the NPCs were smiling at Ponsuke. And then they opened their mouth and said something.

But their voice didn’t carry until his location.

The sound of the river that was flowing nearby drowned their voice.

But based on their mouth’s movement, Ponsuke somehow managed to  understand about half of what they were saying. He didn’t get the other  half of what they were saying.

(What? “Congratulations”? ……That’s a plain conversation pattern.)

Ponsuke picked up the horn that was a key item, and then when his HP had recovered fully, he sat on a nearby rock and sighed.

「……Somehow I feel really tired.」

The sensation that he experienced just now was dying down. And then  Ponsuke waved his hand when the figures of his comrades who had gone  through the roundabout way entered his sight.

*

The two NPCs who were watching Ponsuke from above the cliff.

The monk was closing her eyes while making a praying gesture.

「Congratulations to you orc warrior.」

The magician lifted up the brim of her pointy hat and smiled as her eyes stared at Ponsuke.

「You have gotten closer to this side. The day you become the true chosen warrior is near.」

The two then spoke at the same time.

.

.

.

「The promised day is near. May the blessing accompany the goddess’s warrior.」

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