My eyes no longer feel heavy, my body is still sore, and my mana is fully restored again. I don't remember the last time I woke up feeling this tired. Fighting until my mana was depleted, exhausting my mind, and refusing to stop is taking a toll on my body.

I stretch while the fish cooks. My mind is already awake, and my body is catching up. The most immediate problem is how I'll fight with so many ogre corpses piled near both entrances.

Thinking while eating has always been a habit of mine—I feel like food gives me the energy to come up with great ideas. Should I try sneaking in and fleeing when things get complicated? I'm faster, more agile, and I have skills that allow for a quick escape.

Should I focus on killing more with spheres? There are too many questions in my mind. These last days I've been using my new sword skill as my main form of attack—maybe I should switch tactics for today… "Just today. The corpses should disappear by tomorrow." Two days is usually enough, though in dungeons that can vary. I don't know how it works here.

I loosen up my body as I walk toward the first entrance. When I arrive, I'm met with the sight of heaps of corpses. My face twists in annoyance just thinking about how to avoid all those bodies if I fight outside the fortress. The only good thing is that I'm not the only one with this problem—the ogres are in an even worse spot.

I don't want to waste time waiting outside. I pull my swords from my dimensional ring, and Death's Edge begins to flow through them. In the end, I decided to stick with the same combination of skills I've been using—they've worked so far.

When I arrive, I'm surprised—there's not a single ogre waiting nearby. I start walking around, but I don't sense anything with my Domain. I'm heading toward the center, where that structure resembling a small castle is located.

My eyes spot them before my Domain does—they're all there, those damn ogres, gathered outside the castle. They're standing guard. The ogre mage is up on a tower, watching me. I'm exposed, walking toward them. I'd be lying if I said I wasn't excited or at least a bit afraid—both emotions stir in my heart and make it race.

I keep walking a few more meters until they're within range of my Domain. At forty meters away, I stop. I stare at them, searching for any sign of aggression or madness.

"Why are they just standing there? Aren't they going to attack? If they don't move, they're all going to die." After speaking with the ogre swordsman, I learned that they can talk—or so I thought. None of them respond. Maybe it was only the village leader who could speak?

"Useless mage, are you going to stay and fight today? Or will you run away the moment things get tough again?" My taunts have no effect on that particular ogre—he just keeps watching me from where he stands. I sigh in defeat. I don't know if they can't talk or if someone's controlling them not to.

When I create four v4 spheres at once—all infused with the pseudo-law and law—I finally see a reaction. Not in their movements, but in their Imra. I still can't fully understand it, but it feels different.

"Are they scared?" My provocations still don't work. I really should stop talking to myself…

I begin to walk forward slowly and carefully, trying to gauge their safe distance. At thirty meters, I finally see movement in the front line. I take a step back, and in a blink, my spheres fly straight into the front row. They just stand there, doing absolutely nothing—and die.

No reaction? How have they become so stupid? Swords begin to form at my side and shoot straight at the ogres in front. I'm taking advantage of these unmoving targets to perfect my sword construction.

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After killing thirty, I feel a faint disturbance. Suddenly, they all charge from their positions, rushing at me like a freight train. They fall one by one to my ice swords and death-charged slashes.

I use every opening to land fatal blows on any ogre within range of my blade. I never stop swinging—it also helps me block their claws when there's no time to dodge every swipe.

They keep following as I backpedal, slowly nearing one of the fortress gates. In some places I detour to avoid blocking my retreat with piles of corpses.

Small wounds begin to show. My thigh takes a deep claw strike, and there are minor scratches on my arm. Without worry, I activate Vital Synthesis and keep slaughtering ogres systematically.

I aim for critical hits before backing away—I don't want any survivors. It would be impossible to finish them off later in the fortress if I run out of stamina and mana. I must remember their recovery abilities. If I give them a day, they'll come back like new.

Sometimes I risk using Charged Steps to dash back and finish off a few, then immediately retreat and heal any damage. It was a good idea to cut off my own arm before—I learned just how much I can heal right now.

My mana won't last the twenty minutes I had planned. With so many ogres at once, I've had to resort to using v1 and v2 spheres now and then. It's draining my mana like ants gnawing away. But without those spheres, I couldn't hold off so many at once.

After nearly seventeen minutes, I'm forced to flee with my mana almost gone. I charge Electrified Steps and rush toward the fortress gate as fast as I can. A second charge forms in my legs right after the first is spent.

As I approach the gate, they stop chasing me. The ogres start turning back, apparently returning to their original positions. That gives me a small window to run and save my steps for emergencies.

Entering the forest, I detect presences hiding behind some trees. I can't make them out clearly, but I can guess they're ogres—judging by their outlines and height. I keep walking, pretending not to notice. I need to understand their plan.

I don't want to go back to my favorite tree, so I take a detour. The four ogres follow closely behind. They're far enough to see me but not close enough to attack.

I get bored of walking—they've been trailing me for nearly 500 meters at the same distance. Only one thing comes to mind: they want to find out where I'm resting so they can attack.

I construct two v4 spheres and use one Electrified Step charge. I appear in front of the first ogre, and a sphere blasts into its face. Another step closes the distance to the next, and I hurl my second sphere.

I save the little mana I have left to heal, because I'm going to take on the last two with just my swords and my strongest skill. Both ogres turn and run the moment they see the others die. "What a headache." I chase after them, hoping to kill at least one.

Once I get close enough, my sword slashes a clean horizontal line. The ogre drops to the ground with a deep wound in its back, screaming and trying to get up. My two blades stab through its left leg. As I pull them free, I shift my footing fluidly and make two cuts on the right leg.

That ends its mobility. Then my right sword draws a deadly arc across the ogre's head and ends its life.

The other monster is already out of my Domain and sight. It's hard to see in this forest full of thick, tall trees. "That one got away." A little disappointed, I head back toward my favorite tree.

I circle around until I find the largest tree in the forest. Following a trail of pebbles, I reach my tree-house about a hundred meters in. I gather some leaves to cover the entrance of my little home.

My Domain can detect movement. My brain might be the weak point. I'll just jump to my feet if I feel malice in their Imra—better to avoid unwanted visitors.

I sit on my leaf-made chair. It's not the most comfortable thing in the world, but it softens the hard bark of the trunk. "When I get back, I need to make sure I store some soft cushions in my dimensional bracelet. It'd be nice to have something small to sleep on too."

My mind starts to wander, fantasizing about a soft bed, a mattress that hugs you to sleep, a blanket that keeps you warm at night, and a pillow that doesn't make your neck hurt.

In the middle of all that fantasy, I fall asleep. I need to recover all the energy I can for the second round.

I wake up with a jolt, without making a sound. Large monsters have entered my Domain. Judging by their body mass, they must be ogres. Are they looking for me?

They haven't found me yet since they're still circling the tree trunks. Some leave my Domain while others enter.

I check the time—seven hours of solid sleep. With my fuel tank full, I prepare to leave my hideout. I try not to make a sound as I move to a new position, careful not to be seen. I don't want them to discover my favorite tree.

"You brought this on yourselves." The first ogre drops to the ground with a dull thud, cut down by my blade. "Time to dance."

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