Author's Note: quick question guys. What font /size is preferred for you guys to read? Also if you happen to hate the MC ,you're not the only one :/ one of the proofreaders is with you. I promise you'll hate him less by the end of the volume probably—maybe, this is why I wanted to write the entire volume first instead of a chapter at a time but oh well

anywho thanks to GameFreakAaron and Shenfara for proofreading this chapter

As always reviews,ratings,Recommendations,Corrections,Questions and comments are greatly appreciated

Volume 2 Chapter 3:Ogre

It took them an entire month, compared to the usual year it would have taken to get to the dungeon's 10th level. To most average adventurers there was no merit going deeper than level 10. After all, most adventurers depended on this dungeon to survive day to day. So the items they'd get from creatures in the early levels were more than enough to live decently as a commoner. An entire gold coin could provide a month of bare necessities for an entire family of four. But there were always people who wanted more. In order to either prove themselves or get more money, fame, power and women; they would venture ever deeper into the dungeon. The lower one went, the rarer the items and creatures became. In an entire day of hunting in level 20 you'd earn a month's worth of hunting in level 10.

Elden led his classmates without a single loss or injury. Of course every day he'd return tired. Wherever it seemed like they were struggling, Elden would sweep in and take care of the problem. He knew he was spoiling them but they were normal students a few months ago. He couldn't leave them alone to it.

Up until that point they had only encountered Goblins. kobolds, rats,wolves. . .etc. They continued at a steady pace until Level 20 where they encountered their first boss of sorts. An ogre, according to the knights . The class had more or less kept their composure as they set up their formation. There were 30 of them against a single ogre. Even if it was their first boss, they couldn't lose unless they broke formation and ran.

Usually at about this point, Elden would swoop in and end the fight. However he was currently unconscious. Like a mother who never let her children out of sight. Elden handled everything and wouldn't let the classmates get their hands dirty and so they hatched a plan.

A few levels ago they had encountered creatures known as mushroom men. They looked like mushrooms the size of a child, and had a poison that made one faint if their spores were smelled or ingested. Thanks to the manual, the party avoided being affected by said spores. Withal if you took the head of a mushroom man and boiled it you could make a sinister concoction that was odorless and colorless, it could also be easily put into and concealed in food. It was sold illegally and used like a sedative howbeit some criminals would use it for nefarious purposes.

And like rebellious children who wished to escape their parents grasp, the classmates agreed on using this date/rape drug. Some of the classmates didn't feel right about the prank but felt it necessary.

He had begun to get bags under his eyes and constantly yawned. His snoring became louder and sometimes sounded like the revving of an engine. They all took part of the plan for different reasons but the consensus had been reached.

Elden needed a nap

The plan was successful. While they camped for the night inside the dungeon they slipped in the sedative into his food.

Why do I feel so tired?

He felt fatigued, but to him who had spent days without sleep for the sake of training, it was something he could easily tolerate. He felt a lethargy he had never once experienced. Even after training for hours his eyelids had never felt heavier. The more he resisted the harder it was to stay awake.

I'll just rest my eyes for a bit

“Zzz.”

Ganesh and Michael were put in charge of carrying Elden's sleeping self while the class continued to advance, and that was when they finally encountered this Ogre boss.

Paul led the classmates with his simple tactics.

“Guys! Surround him.”

Ganesh and Michael put down Elden's body which was surprisingly heavy. They, together with the girls, stood a bit a ways from the boys fighting the ogre. As Paul had put it:'Let us guys handle the boss.'

It was impossible to measure the level of the enemy but it was assumed that monsters pertained to the dungeon level. For example the rats in the first floor were all level 1 while the goblins on level 8 were on average level 8.

Thus the (assumed) level 20 Ogre was pitted against 16 boys whose levels didn't correlate with the level of the dungeon they were currently on. The highest leveled boy was Paul at a sad level 6. Elden had taken most of the xp since he was the one who killed all enemies while they explored the dungeon. In gaming terms—Elden— would be a kill stealer.¹ Most of the xp had gone to Elden for giving the end blow to the monsters. As there was no other way to keep track of levels —other than the status stone which was huge and held by the king—the teens were unaware that one only received xp when they gave the killing blow. No one else had informed them.

The Ogre micrified them standing over 7ft tall with a disproportionate large head. Its skin seemed discolored while it had hues of green. Armed with a large stone club the boss felt no fear when it went up against the class.

Level 20 was unnaturally stuffy and lined with stone walls.. The area where the ogre was at was a room slightly larger than a small atrium.

This time Paul was wary and hesitated in going first.

“Attack!”, he yelled

Most of the guys looked at Paul with faces that said 'huh why don't you go first?' However two people went forward, Keaton and Kaleb. They whose anger had dug deeper into their hearts after Elden had kept them in rein needed something to vent their anger on.

Keaton and Kaleb came in from the the left and right, respectively. A simple yet effective flanking tactic against a lumbering target. By coming from two different directions, one of them was bound to lay down a strike on the opponent.

What they didn’t account for was the Ogre’s swinging speed. They had entered the ogre’s personal space and were within his range. The ogre swiped his club to the left impacting Keaton first and then Kaleb. The both of them were sent away, crashing into a nearby stone wall.

They —the rest of the boys—who had stubbornly believed that Elden was overprotective couldn’t run away at this point. The boys each went forward. A few managed to lands strikes on the ogre but it’s skin and muscles made it resilient to light cuts. Their cuts were too shallow to cause any major damage.

While the boys had a bout with the ogre, Paul began to prepare his strongest attack—lightning strike— which had proved useless against Hnev but it was the only attack at his disposal.

Meanwhile Paul prepared his attack. John, Jakob and Zachary went forward in a three pronged attack. Aiming for the front and sides of the Ogre. Like before the ogre swung his club to the side, aiming to swipe away the three of them in one swing.

The three friends had watched the encounter between Keaton and Kalbe and were wary of the same moves. Zach and Jakob easily sidestepped out of the way of the club and John, who had taken the front, crouched down dodging the club and continuing forward.

He jumped and pulled back his sword to the side ready to stab it in the ogre’s eyes. In mid-air he released his sword and aimed the point into the ogre's eyes. The ogre though saw through John’s ply and simply moved his head avoiding the fatal stab and chomped down on John’s shoulder.

John screamed as his armor had failed failed to protect against the ogre’s eye teeth.²Nevertheless even a small injury was fatal as this world had yet to produce any antibiotics and ogres tended not to care about dental hygiene.

“Let go of him!” yelled Jakob as he came closer bringing up his sword. The ogre —while still holding john up by the mouth—swung its club barely missing Jakob who jumped out of the way.

Meanwhile Zachary stood away unable to think of a solution to the ogre. He turned to look at Elden who was sleeping next to the girls. A few of the injured guys had made it too the girls to be given healing magic. Riley seemed to be acting as a vanguard as she held a sword and watched the battle with the ogre.

Damn it he’s still asleep. Why did I go along with that stupid plan. Oh that’s right we still have the knights. That’s right we convinced them to return with all the item drops because the luggage had gotten heavier.

He looked around at the environment.

Hnng, no deaths yet but at this rate.

“You mother….” John struggled to say something while still trapped by the ogre’s mouth.

“MOTHERFUCKER!” he raised his left arm and pressed his thumb into the ogre’s eye.

“AHHH!” the ogre screamed,letting go of John as he fell to the floor. Enraged,the ogre, while holding one arm over his eye lifted his right foot. The ogre released extreme killing intent as he intended to squash John under his foot.

Elden’s eyes opened quickly and he disappeared. Michael and Ganesh were astonished as they heard a crash.

Elden leaned against the ogre’s broad chest. His sheathed sword thundercrack was holding up the ogre’s foot. He patted the wall he felt in front of him. Drool still clung to his chin as his head tilted upwards. He was now somewhat awake. The ogre roared onto Elden’s face riddling him with foul breath and saliva.

“I’m gonna go out on a limb here and say this probably isn’t a dream huh?” Elden asked the ogre.

Paul smiled as his preparations were complete. He ignored the fact that John and Elden might get hurt by his attack and released his lightning strike.

Thundercrack, John and Elden disappeared and reappeared next to the girls —who were busy chanting their healing spells on the other boys— while Paul’s lighting strike tore into the ogre causing significant damage for the first time.

“John!” Riley ran up to john who had been put on the floor by Elden.

“Hey Riley, I’m kinda hurt so heal me up will ya?”

“Oh, uh uhm I forgot the chant for the healing spell.”

“.........”

“Useless as ever huh Riley.”

“Sha.. shut up I can still kick your ass at swordfighting!”

“Well unless your sword heals me with every hit, no thank you.”

While Riley and John continued their discussion Elden yawned

Man I’m tired.

His droopy face soon closed it’s eyelids while he stood.

“Oi! Elden you’re not going to sleep are you!?” asked John noticing that Elden was starting to sleep while standing up.

Elden snorted “Huh?” he shook his head “No I was just...I’m sure Paul’s attack killed it.”

“ROOOOOOO ARRRRR!!!”

All of Paul’s energy had gone into that one attack but it had failed to end the fight in one critical strike. Even more a low-leveled human such as Paul to cause such major damage was already a large achievement.

Even with a large gash across its shoulder, the ogre, stepped forward with an even larger killing intent emanating from him.

“Or not...I guess.”

The Ogre grabbed Paul and threw him at the nearest stone wall. The stone wall caved in swallowing Paul.

Its fury filled eyes then turned to the golden haired boy. It began to run towards him ,halfway to his objective it stopped and its right arm was gone,falling to the stone floor with a thud.

“Thanks to Paul it was easier to cut it off huh.”

Turning it’s head—the ogre—looked behind himself, blood squirting out from its missing limb.

The golden haired stood behind him yawning.

Δ

“It’s mine.”

Paul stood in front of the chest,protecting it like a madman. His arm resting on the pommel of his sword.

“I thought we agreed on sharing all the spoils of war?” asked Elden

“I got thrown into a stone wall. A stone FUCKING wall!” yelled Paul

The wall Paul’s body crushed revealed a hidden room of sorts with a chest filled with silver and other small trinkets and oddities.

“Hey man shrek’s body isn’t worth anything. If anything the only reward we got for having our asses kicked, is this chest.” argued Zachary.

“Let him have it.” said Elden

“Elden come on—” John stopped when he looked at Elden’s stare

“None of you have the right to refuse after your ‘little’ prank. anyways since it’s his he’ll have to carry the chest all by himself.”

Elden walked away

“eh?” Paul stood there dumbfounded as everyone else also dispersed.

[1]Kill stealers is a gaming term for Someone in a multiplayer video game who waits for someone to weaken their enemy and kills them last second so instead of the person who did all the work getting credit the the person who stole gets it.

[2]Eye teeth are the fangs of the upper jaw