I Raided the Demon’s Treasury

Chapter 49

Kang Han-cheol’s chosen method of combat was simple.

A thoroughly straightforward frontal assault, to the point of being foolish.

Despite the fact that the height difference was more than double, Kang Han-cheol faced the Ogre without a trace of fear.

“Big human… lots to eat!”

Boom!

Kang Han-cheol and the Ogre.

Their fists collided.

The air between their punches compressed, creating an explosive sound that echoed around them.

‘Truly strong.’

Kang Han-cheol’s eyes gleamed with enthusiasm.

As Se-woon had said, the Ogre’s strength exceeded even Kang Han-cheol’s.

If he hadn’t trained in martial arts to build his internal energy, he would have been pushed back from the clash just now.

– The Constellation “Old Man Riding a Crocodile” urges you to prove the strength you’ve learned from him.

In the past, Kang Han-cheol would have blindly continued to engage in a battle of sheer strength, even after realizing the difference in power.

But now, it was different. Through sparring with Se-woon, Kang Han-cheol learned to think rationally and engage in more efficient combat.

Boom!

“Grrr…huh?”

The Ogre, preparing to throw another punch, found itself suddenly lifted off the ground.

With a swift, powerful move, Kang Han-cheol leveraged the Ogre’s own momentum against it.

Overhead throw.

A move adapted from the Tai Chi technique Se-woon had taught him.

The Ogre, unable to control the force of its own punch, spun halfway through the air and crashed to the ground.

Without giving the Ogre a moment to recover or feel pain, Kang Han-cheol’s fist targeted the Ogre’s head.

Thunk!

“Grrr, this human… dangerous. Dangerous Dangerous meat.”

The Ogre barely dodged the punch, rolled on the ground, and got back on its feet.

Even though it was just a human attack, the force was so strong that the ground where it struck was deeply indented.

Such an attack could shatter the skull of even an Ogre.

In that brief moment, Kang Han-cheol caught sight of Se-woon behind the Ogre.

‘He’s finished already.’

Behind Se-woon lay the corpse of another Ogre, its arm, neck, and head riddled with countless wounds.

The area was drenched in green blood, and seeing Se-woon standing there without even a heavy breath sent shivers down Kang Han-cheol’s spine.

Of course, these shivers were not from fear.

‘One day, for sure…!’

They were from deep admiration of Se-woon’s strength.

Kang Han-cheol wanted to become strong enough to match Se-woon.

With this in mind, he refocused his attention on the Ogre.

“Dangerous human… but looks like plenty of food!”

The Ogre spread its arms wide and charged fiercely.

It resembled a curious child, but for those facing it, it was far from harmless.

The moment one was caught by those rough hands, their body would inevitably be ripped apart.

Yet, Kang Han-cheol didn’t move from his spot. He merely observed the Ogre’s movements in silence.

The Ogre was quickly closing in, and by the time its wide-spread arms began to tighten around Kang Han-cheol’s body—

Swish.

Kang Han-cheol finally moved.

He twisted his body and swayed his upper torso like a boxer, then tapped the Ogre’s closing arms away with his shoulder and spun his entire body.

This was another technique that was adapted from Tai Chi.

While Tai Chi typically involves using both arms to draw circles and deflect attacks, Kang Han-cheol was using his entire body to create circular movements, flowing with and redirecting the Ogre’s attack.

Adapting techniques so freely?

This is no trivial feat.

Without a thorough understanding of martial arts, it would be impossible.

Kang Han-cheol had successfully accomplished this.

Bam!

“Gah!”

Using the centrifugal force of his spin, he delivered a punch to the Ogre’s side.

Crack!

Despite the thick muscles protecting it like armor, the Ogre couldn’t withstand Kang Han-cheol’s punch.

The sound of breaking ribs was audible, and the Ogre exhaled sharply as if its lungs had been pierced.

If it ended here, that would be fortunate.

– The Constellation, “Old Man Riding a Crocodile” is greatly satisfied with your “strength.”

Kang Han-cheol’s fist, now poised for the next attack, glowed ominously as it dug into the Ogre’s side.

-Player Kang Han-cheol uses “Commence Battle.”

Commence Battle.

This is the power given by the Constellation, “Old Man Riding a Crocodile,” also known as Agares. It is now Kang Han-cheol’s signature skill.

Inheriting Agares’s power, it can vibrate the earth, split the ground, and cause rocks to erupt.

But when this power is applied not to the earth but to the body of a monster…

BOOM!

“Commence Battle” becomes a cruel killing technique that tears the enemy apart from within, ultimately causing them to explode.

* * *

“Impressive.”

As Se-woon watched in awe, Kang Han-cheol had indeed managed to take down the Starving Ogre on his own.

Se-woon couldn’t help but marvel at this sight.

Kang Han-cheol had been monstrously strong before the regression, but now he seemed to transcend even that level.

Well, it made sense.

Unlike before, the current Kang Han-cheol had not only learned martial arts from Se-woon but also made a contract with Agares, the second-ranked Demon Lord.

– The ‘Starving Ogre’ has been devoured.

– Absorbing its nutrients increases Strength by 10.

Meanwhile, sharp teeth devoured the entire Ogre.

As expected of an Ogre, it boosted Se-woon’s strength stat considerably without affecting other attributes.

– The Constellation, “Hungry Prince” savors the taste of the Ogre’s tendon, chewing it thoroughly.

Se-woon dismissed the system messages and approached Kang Han-cheol.

Though the fight had been short, the exertion of all his strength and internal energy had left Kang Han-cheol lying on the ground, his hands trembling.

“Here, drink this.”

“…Thanks.”

Se-woon opened Mammon’s Treasury and handed him a potion.

Although it was one of the lowest-rank potions from the treasury, it was vastly different from ‘low-rank potions’ elsewhere in the tower.

In the context of Mammon’s treasures, ‘low-rank’ meant it was among the lesser treasures in the vault.

Gulp, gulp!

As soon as Kang Han-cheol drank the potion, his trembling hands stopped as if it had never happened.

Regaining his energy, he stood up with renewed vigor.

“Are you okay?”

“I’m fine. I promised not to be a burden when I followed you, so you don’t need to worry about me.”

“Really? That’s good to hear.”

At that moment, Jeokrang and the boar skeleton, which had momentarily left the battlefield, returned.

Se-woon didn’t know how many ‘Starving Ogres’ had been summoned in this field, but he intended to seek out and hunt every single one.

* * *

Finding the Starving Ogres wasn’t difficult.

Se-woon had many detection abilities like “Gnoll’s Snout,” “Eye of the Imperial Eagle,” and “Kobold’s Keen Ears.”

By simply following the thick smell of blood or loud noises, he could easily pinpoint the location of the Starving Ogres using the Eye of the Imperial Eagle

After defeating roughly ten Ogres, Se-woon decided to employ a new tactic.

– Opened the Treasury of Greed.

[ Geryon’s Ox ]

– The meat of the red ox raised by Geryon, who lived on the island of Erytheia.

Though it was called an ox, it wasn’t a living creature.

It was the meat of an ox.

One of the treasures piled near the entrance to Mammon’s Treasury.

– The Constellation, “Hungry Prince” protests, asking how the Raven managed to hide such meat from him.

– The Constellation, “Bowed Raven” answers that he deliberately hid it, fearing the Prince would eat it all.

– The Constellation, “Hungry Prince” protests again, saying he will forgive him if he brings it quickly.

– The Constellation, “Bowed Raven” turns away, refusing to respond.

One of Hercules’ Twelve Labors was indeed to steal the cattle of Geryon.

The meat of these oxen was so coveted that even the gods of Olympus desired it. Se-woon had been astonished to find such precious meat near the entrance of Mammon’s Treasury.

Upon closer inspection, Mammon had labeled it as a ‘heavily damaged lower-rank item.’

Even so, its rarity was extraordinary.

“Roar!”

Not long after retrieving the meat, a familiar roar echoed from a distance.

Focusing his sight, Se-woon saw a Starving Ogre charging toward him with ferocity.

“What’s going on?”

“This… it’s incredibly delicious.”

– The Constellation, ‘Hungry Prince’, shouts that he cannot allow an ogre that doesn’t even understand the concept of savoring to take Geryon’s meat from him.

– The Constellation, ‘Bowed Raven’, asserts that it seems to be under a misconception, as that meat belongs to him.

The Ogres have keen senses of smell.

On top of that, they are perpetually in a state of extreme hunger, as suggested by their name.

The rich aroma from the meat spread widely across the area where the third chapter of the tutorial was taking place.

“Roar!”

“Meat, it’s meat!”

Not just the initial Ogre, but soon about ten more Ogres came rushing from all directions, drawn by the scent.

Se-woon prepared himself for the approaching chaos, ready to take on the swarm of Ogres attracted by the meat’s aroma.

“Kang Han-cheol, you okay with this?”

“Of course.”

Another person might have retreated from the overwhelming presence of the Ogres, but Kang Han-cheol stood firm, his fists clenched with eagerness.

‘Definitely a good decision to bring him along.’

Ten Ogres.

This was a daunting number, even for Se-woon, to handle alone.

But with Kang Han-cheol by his side, it was different.

Even if they couldn’t defeat all the Ogres together, the fact that Kang Han-cheol could distract and hold off a few would enable Se-woon to take down the others quickly.

– Player Kang Han-cheol uses “Commence Battle.”

BOOM!

– According to the mysteries of the Black Tower, the power of “Ground Wave” is enhanced.

RUMBLE!

Kang Han-cheol’s strength combined with Se-woon’s magic. The synergy of both forces tore through the terrain violently.

Even an Ogre struggled to move freely on such a chaotic battlefield.

Seizing the opportunity, Kang Han-cheol and Se-woon charged at the Ogres.

Slice-!

“Roar!”

They had become so familiar with Ogre hunting that it was almost second nature.

Together, they moved like a well-oiled machine, dishing out damage and disrupting the Ogres’ movements.

Charging head-on, they used basic striking techniques, and if those failed, they extended their arms to grab the enemy by any means necessary.

Knowing the best strategies, Se-woon and Kang Han-cheol increased their speed in taking down the Ogres.

Crash!

In no time, an Ogre fell to the ground.

Not a single Ogre reached the fragrant and flavorsome meat of Geryon’s ox.

As soon as they struggled through the rough terrain, they were met with Kang Han-cheol’s powerful punches and Se-woon’s precise dagger strikes, causing them to collapse, spewing blood.

– The Quest Monster, ‘Starving Ogre,’ has been defeated.

– Your level has increased.

– Individual merit points have increased by 10,000 points.

– Additional 20,000 merit points are awarded for solo defeat of the Quest Monster.

– Acquired ‘Ogre’s Tendon.’

…

The same messages Se-woon had seen before appeared one after another.

Using the Power of Gluttony immediately, he managed to silence the noisy messages from Beelzebub demanding the protection of the ox meat.

– The ability ‘Wolf’s Threat’ of the ‘Red Wolf Armor’ causes nearby Starving Ogres to fall into fear!

– The ability ‘Aura of Dominance’ of the ‘Gray Wolf Cloak’ strengthens charisma and worsens the enemy’s fear!

“D-Dangerous… human!”

With Se-woon’s equipment shining brightly, the battle became much easier.

Just the sight of his armor and cloak caused the Ogres to hesitate and retreat in fear.

Kang Han-cheol and Se-woon took full advantage of the moment, combining their powers to dismantle the Ogres efficiently.

The number of Ogres drawn to the meat gradually started to decrease.

‘There were more than I thought.’

Se-woon had expected at least five, maybe ten at the most, but they had already hunted over twenty Ogres.

Either more had been summoned than he initially thought, or additional ones were summoned as their numbers dwindled.

Regardless, it seemed to be over now.

Swish—

“…Is it over?”

“Good job.”

With the last Ogre defeated, the battle came to an end.

Having continuously faced Ogres, Kang Han-cheol was in rough shape.

As usual, Se-woon was about to toss him a potion for a quick recovery when—

– The majority of ‘Starving Ogres’ in the field have been defeated.

– The hidden condition has been met, summoning the leader of the Starving Ogres, ‘Krak Katlak.’

“…What?”

Even Se-woon was surprised by the sudden appearance of a Hidden Piece he had never encountered before.