I Became a 6? Gacha Character

372 - Searching for the Power Measurer 2

372 - Searching for the Power Measurer 2

TL/Editor: raei

Schedule: 5/week

Illustrations: Posted in discord

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Ogres were terrifying monsters. Weapons not imbued with aura couldn't even scratch their skin, and their immense strength could crush armored humans like clay.

When enraged, they'd uproot huge trees and swing them about, scattering bodies beyond recognition. They hurled boulders like children throwing stones, devastating entire villages in moments.

These fearsome beasts could breach city walls and gates if not stopped in time.

"Besides us, there'll be plenty of adventurers after the ogre. So stay alert even if other adventurers approach during battle, not just monsters."

"Why are ogres so popular?"

For those confident in their skills, ogres had become a sort of combat benchmark.

Ogre Slayer - a favorite tale of bards. With more ogres than other high-rank monsters, even country folk knew the word "ogre." Hunting them easily spread one's fame, making them a combat measuring stick.

Tales abounded: a knight severing an ogre's arm in one stroke, an adventurer skewering a rampaging ogre, a mage incinerating even an ogre...

It was like telling someone your grip strength versus comparing it to a gorilla's - the latter gave a better sense. Direct comparisons like "gorilla-like," "elephant-sized," or "truck-sized" resonated more than rattling off numbers.

Thus, ogres terrified average citizens and soldiers, but for those starting to wield aura, they were seen as a way to prove oneself.

"Even if ogres are plentiful, chances to hunt them are rarer than you'd think. By that level, knight orders usually handle them rather than mercenaries or adventurers."

"Are ogres really that easy to catch?"

"No. That's why many die from carelessness."

Still, ogres weren't pushovers. How many knight orders had asked me to hunt ogres due to a lack of high-rank aura-wielding knights or swordsmanship geared only for human combat?

Quite a few fools rushed in thinking ogres were just big, dumb monsters, only to be pulverized by their overwhelming reach and strength.

In game terms... they were about a 4.5? field raid boss. Too tough for a 4? party, but manageable with some 5? members, albeit with casualties. Our all-5? party should handle one fine if we didn't let our guard down.

"Well, talk is cheap when we're still wandering the plains aimlessly."

"True, it's not like ogres pop up on demand."

Of course, this was all theoretical. Whether the notoriously unlucky Se-ah could actually find an ogre remained to be seen. We might find the gate to the 52nd floor first at this rate.

Chatting about ogres, we left the guild after selecting quests, avoiding ridiculous ones like "capture an ogre alive" and focusing on ogre mana stone-related tasks.

I'd heard of a hardcore fantasy streamer who used drones to film monster ecosystems and sold the info to magic towers. That didn't suit Se-ah's or my style. Though I supposed it fit a gamer's approach perfectly.

"More goblins again. ...No orcs in sight. What should we do, Hanna?"

"If they're blocking our path, we should deal with them. If they're just passing by, it's best to avoid combat."

"Luckily, they're just passing. Let's take a quick break then."

Unable to even encounter orc javelineers yet, it seemed ogres were still a distant prospect. As we sat on the fragrant grass to let a goblin troop pass by, I pondered such thoughts.

Was Han Se-ah lucky or unlucky?

And was she skilled or not?

As a born 6?, not to mention my companions - a saint candidate and a runaway princess - we were enviable to average players. Even Grace, slightly less impressive, was still an above-average born 3?.

Yet her gameplay was bizarre. Quests kept slipping by despite seemingly correct moves, the story got tangled, forcing her to donate to Kim Seok-hyun for advice. And there was her jinx of never finding what she wanted when searching for mission objectives.

"Hmm, it's early, but wouldn't cooking give us away?"

"Definitely if we make soup. We should be fine just getting bread from Hanna's inventory."

"Should we pack sandwiches instead of soup for quick meals starting tomorrow?"

As we casually chatted despite the nearby monster horde armed with swords and knives, Grace got up at an opportune moment, brushing grass off her leather pants.

The camera subtly panning to capture her brushing off her backside confirmed she was indeed a streaming genius.

Did female streamers usually frame shots to show off their character's ass like this?

Her camera movements were as natural as a figurine master's, seriously.

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Raei Translations

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Operation: In Search of Ogres—

The exploration that began with such fanfare only reinforced Han Se-ah's reputation for bad luck.

-Is this ogre like a unicorn or girlfriend - one of those fantasy creatures?

-Childhood friend, girlfriend, ogre ?? 3 great mysteries of fantasy

-At least we saw an orc javelineer's face, let's just go to floor 55

-Not even floor 52 but 55 lol. But seriously, will they not find a named mob until the mid-boss?

-How can the world's #1 not find an ogre that even low-rank mercenaries on floor 0 have filmed? lol

"Hey! I'm not the one choosing directions, Grace is leading the search!"

[Sister's Leather Pants Hnng donated 10,000 won!]

Are you blaming Grace right now? Choose your words carefully

"...Well, I'm not blaming her."

Unlike floor 1, where low to high-rank adventurers swarmed the plains in hordes, floor 51 required at least a few high-rank adventurers mixed in each party. Naturally, the search pace was slower, and even during this sluggish exploration, no ogre appeared.

We'd traveled far enough to need tents and sleeping bags in the dreamlike safe zones of golden grass circles dotting the plains.

Han Se-ah now seemed half-resigned after all the nagging. We continued searching after the goblin troop passed, but only centaur scouts greeted us. As we prepared to return to a safe zone without any real progress again, Se-ah casually checked the mini-map.

BOOM!

In the distance, a fountain of dirt erupted skyward.

"...What's that?"

"Looks like an ogre."

"Oh, an ogre? Really?!"

The plains had no obstacles higher than knee-height grass. The dirt plume, easily tens of meters high, stood out like a flare.

And if dirt was flying that high, the culprit was obviously an ogre.

...Unless some idiot high-rank adventurer went all out against goblins, spraying mana and tearing up the ground. More likely, an ogre got excited by the systematic movements of an adventurer party and swung its arm up like it was splashing water, flinging dirt everywhere.

"Shall we check it out? Just in case."

"Check it out? You mean just look?"

"If some incompetents crawled up here, we should rescue them while we're at it."

"Hehe, Roland. You can be so kind sometimes."

I had no intention of kill-stealing, but I did plan to save any weaklings. It'd be a great chance to boost our fame by snagging a named mob and playing the hero.

Irene's beaming smile at my "kindness" pricked my conscience briefly, but the harshness of this fantasy world had long since worn down my moral compass. I easily shrugged off the guilt with a stretch.

As long as we saved their lives, that was enough, right?

"Hurry, bring more nets!"

"Plant those stakes straight, you f*cking idiots!"

"Potions! Move those potions carefully!"

As we approached the dirt geyser, we found more people than expected.

Not just an adventurer party, but what seemed to be a mercenary band complete with carriages, all bustling about. A few high-ranks distracted the ogre while others threw nets, wrapped chains, and flung alchemical potions with slings. They looked surprisingly practiced.

Seems they were after the Magic Tower's bounty for a live ogre capture. They were more professional than I expected. Maybe a mercenary band from the Empire's north, bringing loads of experience to the Tower?

"Wow, they're trying to capture the ogre alive?"

"Even four high-ranks can only distract it. As expected, an ogre's an ogre."

"Capturing it alive must make it even harder."

Seeing their surprisingly stable operation, we kept our distance, figuring intervention wasn't necessary. As we chatted, something unexpected occurred.

GRAAAARGH! AAAAGH! AAAAAH!

The convulsing ogre suddenly ignited.

No joke, it turned bright red.

...Were they giving ogres skills now too?