Chapter 74

Among people, there was a kind of prejudice that ogres were lazy monsters.

They thought that since ogres were born with monstrous strength that could uproot trees and tireless stamina, they didn’t need to make an effort.

However, this was a mistaken idea.

There’s no power in this world without a price.

To maintain their size and strength, they inevitably had to eat a lot, and had to be diligent to that extent.

As soon as they woke up, they would roam the forest looking for prey, and when resting, they would search for fruits or edible trees…

Ogres were a race that had to be diligent from birth, and this was also true for Gulmag, who had gained high intelligence.

Rather, as his intelligence increased, he lived pathologically diligently.

To get even a little closer to avenging his mother!

Gulmag glared at Wendigo and let out a battle cry.

“Warriors, not born. Warriors, made through experience and effort!”

“That’s right.”

Wendigo agreed with Gulmag’s philosophy.

Warriors, no, all beings, are never destined from birth.

Aren’t all beings determined by the trajectory of their lives?

Wendigo looked down at the broken ice sword and reflected on his arrogance.

‘I’ve always tried to be wary of arrogance… but it’s not an easy task.’

Just because he had no match so far didn’t mean it would always be that way.

Wendigo threw away the broken ice sword and focused on mystery.

Gulmag, who was on guard and glaring at Wendigo, flinched at the ominous energy.

Although he didn’t have spirit eyes like shamans or magical beasts, he instinctively felt the mystery swirling around Wendigo.

Although the pressure felt on his skin without seeing it heavily pressed on Gulmag…

‘Acting rashly will lead to danger.’

Gulmag overcame the pressure and waited for Wendigo’s action.

He needed to be cautious as even one mistake could cost him his life.

However… Gulmag realized that this rational judgment itself was a mistake.

The mystery gathered in Wendigo’s body didn’t burst out cold or sprout roots, but exploded within his body.

Crack!

“Wendigo, what are you doing!?”

His bestial power devoured the wave of pouring mystery and transformed Wendigo’s body.

Muscles burst out tearing the skin, the skin regrew and swallowed the muscles, bones broke and reconnected repeatedly.

At this hideous transformation, Gulmag, uncharacteristically, faltered in confusion…

At that moment, Wendigo’s swaying skull began to emit a cold blue light from its eyes and glare at him.

Gulmag felt his heart freeze just from meeting that gaze.

‘If I stay still, I’ll lose!’

Although he had made a mistake, Gulmag didn’t back down.

Dropping his guard, Gulmag leapt out with a monstrous roar.

Charging like a catapult, Gulmag swung his club with all his might towards Wendigo’s head.

It was a blow that could potentially kill Wendigo, but Gulmag didn’t hesitate.

He had sensed it the moment he swung:

The intuition that this level of attack couldn’t kill Wendigo!

Boom!

When Gulmag’s club and Wendigo’s skull collided, a sound that seemed to shake the world echoed through the forest.

Wendigo’s head, hit directly by the club, didn’t even get a scratch. Shuddering at this amazing hardness, Gulmag battered Wendigo’s entire body.

Yet Wendigo’s eyes calmly watched Gulmag.

‘Hmm, this transformation? I can’t move while transforming.’

… In fact, “unable to move” was the correct expression.

Impulsive actions don’t usually go as planned.

Impressed by the overwhelming monstrous strength and fighting spirit Gulmag showed, Wendigo had attempted a challenge.

Of course, the basis was the shamanism shown by his shamanic teacher, Oneton.

Shamanism that uses mystery to make one’s body bigger and stronger.

‘A mistake. I used more mystery than expected.’

Indeed, using an unpracticed technique in actual combat was foolish.

The fortunate thing was that despite the mistake, the transformation itself was more useful than expected.

The transformation didn’t stop even under Gulmag’s club barrage, and there was almost no damage.

Wendigo’s right arm finished transforming and revealed its form.

An arm bigger and more muscular than before, with extremely sharp claws.

Wendigo swung his arm towards Gulmag’s rock club.

Bang!

Wendigo’s arm withstood Gulmag’s strike.

As soon as Gulmag realized he had missed his chance, he retreated and gathered his thoughts.

He realized it was virtually impossible to stop the transformation.

“□□!”

“Is that an ogre-style curse? Quite rough!”

Wendigo’s transformed body was a head taller than before, heavier, and more threatening.

Although Wendigo’s body didn’t have blood, he felt an illusion as if blood was boiling.

He wanted to test this power!

“□□□□□…”

As Gulmag muttered in an incomprehensible language, the patterns engraved on his club began to emit light and absorb the surrounding soil and rocks.

In that state, when he swung the club, stone spears shot out targeting Wendigo.

Each of these savage stone spears was reminiscent of a huge tree.

Wendigo manipulated cold to create a large, solid ice wall.

Gulmag’s stone spears, imbued with his strength, pierced through the thick wall but failed to destroy it completely.

The sound of something exploding came from behind the tattered ice wall.

Unconsciously realizing what had happened behind it, Wendigo grabbed the roots that had sprouted from the ground and pulled them out forcefully.

“□□□!!!”

Gulmag revealed himself, breaking through the ice wall.

Gulmag’s vicious club made a terrifying sound as it aimed for Wendigo’s head.

Wendigo created a giant ice sword that could counter the club by weaving the pulled-out roots with ice.

No, it was too crude to be called a sword.

Hastily made, the blade was blunt and the weight was terrible.

< ■■■■■! >

It didn’t matter.

From the beginning, all he needed was something he could swing towards the club.

Wendigo swung the ice sword towards the club, and when they collided, the sound shook the forest.

The colliding ice sword and club repelled each other… but as if by agreement, they swung towards each other’s weapons again.

There was no rational judgment to attack each other’s weaknesses anywhere.

Only the desire to win and the pure competitive spirit to surpass the opponent were burning hot.

‘… This seems a bit foolish.’

Of course, from Skadi’s perspective watching this, it was an incomprehensible eccentricity.

Attacking weapons was understandable. Breaking the opponent’s weapon naturally restricts their actions.

However…

“Wendigo-nim! Your arm, your arm is breaking!!!”

Damaging one’s body for that purpose was absolutely not rational behavior.

Skadi was horrified by this madman-like behavior, but even as bones broke and flesh tore, the two exchanged blows with monstrous roars…

Crack!

“Grrrr!”

“■■■.”

Arms broke before weapons shattered.

When Gulmag could no longer swing his club, he threw it to the ground without hesitation.

Not to surrender, but to swing his fists. Gulmag chose the path of struggle without succumbing to pain.

Gulmag’s fists were no different from the club. When his fist struck the head, Wendigo staggered from the strong impact.

Gulmag’s fists continuously battered Wendigo’s body. The fact that his arm was broken didn’t matter at all.

For Gulmag, who had lived such a rough life, that level of pain was…

“!”

Wendigo’s fist flew, aiming for Gulmag’s blind spot while he was off guard.

The fist struck Gulmag’s jaw. The impact was one thing, but the cold penetrating through muscle and skin was unbearably intense.

“Arghhhh!!!”

But they couldn’t stop.

Once started, a brawl doesn’t end until one falls.

They swung their fists and grappled with the force to kill each other.

Both staggered and fell repeatedly, but the advantage gradually tilted towards Wendigo.

Wendigo’s fists burst with cold that penetrated to the bone, and his sharp claws tore even Gulmag’s tough hide.

Crunch!

Wendigo’s fist shattered Gulmag’s nose bone. As he staggered, splattering blood, Wendigo kicked towards Gulmag’s chest.

Ribs broke, and Gulmag retreated to catch his breath.

“Grrrk…”

He couldn’t catch his breath. Blood flowed non-stop from his mouth and nose.

His body was in no better shape. Not only his arms but also his ribs were broken, making it difficult to move.

Wendigo stared into Gulmag’s eyes.

‘His fighting spirit hasn’t broken.’

Gulmag’s eyes were still burning hot with the desire for victory.

As if proving his eyes weren’t wrong, Gulmag spat blood and charged towards Wendigo.

Faced with such an honest tackle, Wendigo raised both hands high and struck down on Gulmag’s back in one go.

“Arghhhh!!!”

“!”

But Gulmag endured the pain of his flesh bursting and grabbed Wendigo’s waist.

Gulmag pulled the grabbed waist with the force to break it. Wendigo praised this amazing fighting spirit and…

Squelch!

He thrust his claws into both of Gulmag’s arms. Like a bee’s sting, Wendigo’s claws began to freeze Gulmag’s arms from the inside.

Even for the tough Gulmag, maintaining strength in that state was impossible.

Slowly pushed back, Gulmag glared at Wendigo while his arms were held.

Death was creeping up, but there was not a trace of fear in Gulmag’s eyes.

Respecting him, Wendigo was about to use his teeth to end his life in one go…

“Wait a moment!!!”

“?”

At that moment, along with Skadi’s scream, dozens of roots sprouted from the ground and wrapped around Wendigo’s body.

It wasn’t just simple roots. The roots, imbued with complex shamanism, maintained their binding in sync with Wendigo’s movements.

Shamanism filled with the will to somehow stop Wendigo.

Since Skadi wouldn’t betray him, Wendigo looked at her puzzled.

“Skadi. Why suddenly?”

“Wendigo-nim! We didn’t come here to kill Gulmag-ssi!”

“Ah.”

“Ah.”

Wendigo and Gulmag came to their senses at Skadi’s shocked shout.

They had forgotten, caught up in a fighting spirit they had never felt before…

They were having a sparring match. Not a life-and-death struggle, but as a sign of respect.

Wendigo awkwardly pulled his claws out of Gulmag’s arms.