The Cornflower Witch Chapter 97

Chapter 97: Joint Kill

“Someone found the ‘Blood Odd Flower’ on the second day. The assessment produced some decent prospects this time.”

A charming voice emanated from inside the black carriage stopped at the foot of the mountain. Unfortunately, only the black stork on the branch responded to her.

“However, that big dumb guy with two heads isn’t easy to deal with. I wonder if this child will survive. How about we make a bet?” She extended her snake-like wrist out the window, and the black stork immediately flew down, landing on her outstretched wrist.

“It’s a pity you can’t talk. It’s quite boring sitting here alone watching the show.”

“Lead the way ahead, take the carriage to where that kid Hyde is.”

The red-beaked black stork then took flight, flapping its wings and flying in front of the carriage, pressing a claw onto the mane of the black horse with its head lowered and eyes closed, waking it up.

Its blood-red eyes opened. The black horse snorted, shooed away the black stork on its head, then shook its body and resumed walking, following the black stork above.

…

In the forest, Hylial looked up at the behemoth before her. This ogre had two strange heads and stood about four meters tall, as if it could block the sky behind it, giving off a strong sense of oppression.

Race: Ogre (Variant)

Status: Healthy (Bloodthirsty)

Talent:

Goliath Strength [Excellent]: Ogres are naturally strong. Their large body and physique give them far greater strength than other creatures of the same rank.

Fate Card: [Two-Headed Ogre] (Second-Order Blood Discipline)

‘A variant individual among ogres. About one in fifty ogres has two heads. They have two hearts and share two portions of strength, making them formidable and difficult opponents of the same rank.’

Effect: [Giant Strength Physique Lv.5]. Innate talent in your bloodline grants you immense brute strength and physique, capable of toying with even elephants.

Effect: [Dual-Core Drive Lv.2]. You have two hearts and two brains, and all low-level abilities receive double enhancement. (Original level not exceeding Lv.3 abilities)

Ability Cards:

[Blood Devour Method Lv.4] (Blood Discipline): Can digest and devour flesh, scales, and bones, converting them into its own ‘Blood Discipline’ affinity power. (Due to ‘Dual-Core Drive’ upgrading from Lv.3 to Lv.4)

[Crimson Tough Skin Lv.3] (Blood Discipline): Tough, thick skin that is difficult to penetrate with spears or swords, resistant to high temperatures, and hard to harm with fire. (Due to ‘Dual-Core Drive’ upgrading from Lv.2 to Lv.3)

[Intimidation Aura Lv.4] (Blood Discipline): After killing many creatures, you gain an aura that intimidates other life forms, causing them to lose all will to fight, not daring to resist, and even shattering the hearts of weaker creatures. (Due to ‘Dual-Core Drive’ upgrading from Lv.3 to Lv.4)

As this ogre appeared before Hylial, an invisible aura spread, like a wave, shattering the insects in the mountain grass. Hylial’s heart also constricted, experiencing a slight pain.

A very formidable enemy. The girl came to this conclusion the moment she saw the opponent. If this was indeed the final third objective, the difficulty was already beyond imagination.

However, this was not the time for idle thoughts, because the ogre in front of her began to move.

It stepped forward with its left foot, swinging a thick iron bar with its right hand towards the girl in front of it. The whistling sound of air was chilling, and the strong wind it created lifted Hylial’s hood, revealing her abundant black hair.

Pushing off the ground with her heels, Hylial activated her Breathing Method, leaping forward to avoid the descending iron bar. She then escaped from the wide, lunging hand and rushed into the side forest.

Seeing that it failed to catch the girl, the ogre took big strides and followed, the sound of breaking branches constantly echoing along the way.

The mountain path was not easy to traverse, often having very steep slopes. At these times, Hylial could leap lightly, while the ogre had to struggle to push aside branches and climb the slope with difficulty.

Its speed was not as good as Hylial’s. Seeing that the girl was about to escape its sight, the ogre roared furiously, and a surging sound wave aura spread, making the girl running ahead feel as if her heart was being clutched by an iron hand.

She stumbled, almost stepping into a gap between rocks, but fortunately, she regained her footing and took a few more steps forward, disappearing from the ogre’s sight into the enclosed forest.

It would be difficult to defeat this two-headed ogre head-on; she had to find another way.

…

As they entered deeper into the forest, the danger level began to rise. Many students felt uncomfortable. Some, after finding a spring, directly retreated, not daring to go further. Others, with a bit more luck, fought desperately to defeat a ‘First-Order’ monster of the same rank, then took its head and placed it together with a spring water bottle, ready to turn it in.

Under the shade of a tree, Kaelen moved forward with a longbow in hand. Her footsteps were silent, and her gaze scanned her surroundings. At this moment, she heard the faint sound of water in a distant mountain hollow, and thinking that it might be the Sweet Spring mentioned by the instructor, Kaelen quickened her pace.

Several minutes later, in front of the Sweet Spring, Komia and Kaelen embraced.

“Woo, Big Sister Kaelen, you’re here.” Komia wrapped her arms around Kaelen’s waist, happily on the verge of tears.

“These past two days, I’ve been so scared of encountering monsters I couldn’t defeat. If it weren’t for Doughby, I would have gone home yesterday.” She recounted her experiences over the past two days, intermittently, and how she relied on ‘Doughby’ to find this spring.

“I thought, surely others would come looking for the spring, and then I could team up with fellow students to return.” Her idea was indeed good, but not every student she encountered was trustworthy.

“Alright, now that I’m here, it should be fine.” Kaelen patted Komia, then looked around and noticed a white Wolfdog cautiously hiding behind a tree not far behind Komia, seemingly a bit afraid of her.

Is this Wolfdog really so timid? Kaelen wondered, then asked Komia.

“That’s just how he is, so we can’t expect him to fight,” Komia said, calling the Wolfdog over and petting its head as she introduced it to Kaelen.

“But he’s very obedient and can help us find a lot of things.”

“In that case… it would be very helpful if we meet up with Lia and Mick,” Kaelen mused.

“Oh right, I can have him help me find Lia and the others!” Komia bounced up happily.

So the two of them filled their water bottles and set off again.

…

In the afternoon, the sun began to set.

Mick followed Jero’s scattered descriptions and found the ogre’s lair, discovering a blue-skinned ogre taking a nap.

“Is it that big?” Mick clutched the sword in his hand and slowly approached, preparing to launch a sneak attack while the ogre was asleep.

However, he was merely an adventurer by background and hadn’t systematically learned assassin techniques. Before he had gotten within five meters, the ogre caught his scent and discovered him, then propped itself up.

Its massive body blocked the evening sun, and its elongated shadow enveloped Mick.

The air seemed to chill slightly. Facing the ogre, which was over a meter taller than himself, Mick quickly charged forward, then leaped, bringing his raised longsword down with all his might.

The steel longsword struck the thick wooden club, cutting a deep crack and sending wood splinters flying. The recoil also left Mick’s tiger’s mouth slightly numb.

Failing to hit, Mick adjusted his position, circled around again, and charged forward. The longsword in his hand swung in a large arc, slashing diagonally downwards from the ogre’s shoulder.

The sharp blade sliced through the thick skin, tearing open a dark red wound. The ogre roared in agony, its eyes bloodshot. It covered its wound with one hand and swung the wooden club horizontally with all its might, striking Mick, who had no time to dodge.

Even with the longsword blocking, the immense force sent Mick flying. The broken end of the wooden club hit Mick’s head, making him dizzy and almost bringing him to his knees, as warm blood trickled down his forehead.

He was injured, but not severely.

Seeing his wooden club damaged, the ogre first picked up a stone at its feet and hurled it at Mick. The hard, heavy stone hit Mick’s back like a grinding stone, making him cough up a mouthful of blood.

Soon after, the ogre strode closer. Despite the long gash on its body, the bloodlust and excitement in its eyes remained unchanged. It reached out its hand, aiming directly for Mick’s shoulder.

Its thick fingers were like grey-green stones, full of wrinkles, and its fingernails were thick with mud and bloodstains, emitting a foul odor. When it grabbed Mick’s shoulder, it felt like iron tongs, causing Mick great pain.

Gritting his teeth, he tore open the binding on his chest, then removed his leather shoulder armor, breaking free and stumbling towards the forest.

The ogre chased after him. Mick, being injured, couldn’t run fast, and their speeds were roughly equal, so they continued along the mountain slope.

This situation continued until an arrow shot from the forest hit the ogre’s eyeball, bringing it to an end.

Komia and Kaelen stood on the hillside. One interfered with the ogre by opening her mist-shrouded eyes, while the other continuously drew and fired arrows, hitting the ogre’s eyes, throat, and knees, weakening it until it slowly fell on the hillside.

The three re-converged, and through their combined efforts, they successfully killed the ‘First-Order’ ogre monster.

At this point, there were still three ‘First-Order’ ogres and one ‘Second-Order’ ogre left in the mountains.

(End of Chapter)