Chapter 46: The Ogre Blocking the Path with the Spell "Camouflage"

Information appeared on the attribute panel.

Lyle immediately understood that his sudden shout earlier had startled the enemy into revealing themselves.

Caw! Caw!

Flocks of birds took flight from the dense forest, scattering into the distance.

Lyle's gaze remained fixed ahead. The forest was eerily silent, yet no trace of any creature could be seen.

After all this time exploring, Lyle had already figured out some basic conditions for triggering the "Player" ability.

The goblin tracking him had to be within his line of sight.

Otherwise, the attribute panel wouldn't display any information.

Though the enemy could evade his normal vision and perception, they couldn't escape the innate supernatural power of a "Player."

Level 1 spell: Camouflage?

Lyle's eyes flickered with recognition. He knew that this spell could reduce the caster's presence while blending them into the surrounding forest environment—similar to a chameleon.

Moreover, this spell was exclusive to faith-based spellcasters.

Based on his previous guesses about the enemy's profession, the options were limited:

•Forest Cleric

•Druid

While some advanced or intermediate spellcasters, such as Forest Wizards, could also use similar magic, Lyle doubted any goblin could achieve such professions.

Druid?

A class adept at tracking and capable of using faith-based magic.

Although the class tiers—beginner, intermediate, advanced—defined power levels, even within the same tier, strengths and weaknesses varied.

Take Paladins, for example. Despite being classified as a warrior class, they also possess numerous defensive skills and the ability to cast faith-based spells.

In terms of classification, Paladins are still considered warriors and do not benefit from a caster-level bonus.

The same logic applied to Druids.

But Lyle didn't discount another possibility:

The goblin could have the Forest Cleric class as its main profession, which leans more toward a supportive spellcasting role. If that were the case, it might also possess a secondary profession specializing in tracking—making it a dual-classed enemy.

These thoughts raced through Lyle's mind, and a glint of cold determination flashed in his eyes.

Since he could pinpoint the general area, the only task left was to flush the enemy out.

Although the Camouflage spell was highly effective in forest environments, it came with a major limitation: the caster couldn't engage in rapid movements.

Rustle... Rustle...

Just as Lyle prepared to charge down the forest path, a violent noise erupted between the towering trees on either side of the path's entrance.

The next moment—

Two massive ogres burst out from the forest, blocking the path entirely.

Upon seeing this, Lyle paused momentarily, then smirked coldly.

They're well-prepared.

These two ogres were clearly meant to guard the passage. Judging by their placement, the goblin group likely had a significant number of ogres at their disposal. If Lyle recklessly charged forward, the ogres could bottleneck him in this terrain.

Even if he managed to kill them, he would lose precious time to retreat. If other ogres swarmed him in the meantime, he'd be in real danger.

Boom!

With a powerful stomp, Lyle launched himself forward, his speed accelerating further. Like a predator, he dashed toward the path's entrance.

"Quick Slash!"

A low shout echoed as Lyle reached the left ogre before it could fully brace itself. His iron sword struck first!

Squelch!

Blood sprayed everywhere.

An overwhelming force surged from the blade, slicing the left ogre clean in half. At such close range, the green blood splattered across Lyle's armor and face.

He turned his head slightly to avoid the spray.

Without hesitation, Lyle closed in on the second ogre.

Another rapid slash!

This time, the blow wasn't as powerful or fast, lacking the support of his skills.

The right ogre's eyes widened in panic. Unlike its fallen comrade, this one reacted quickly enough to raise its giant wooden club in defense.

Crack!

The iron sword collided with the club, sending splinters flying in every direction. The thick wooden club was nearly two-thirds severed before the blade stopped.

The immense force of Lyle's attack forced the ogre to take a step back.

As a Sword Saint at max level, Lyle's combat prowess far exceeded the capabilities of a typical ogre, even one around level 13 or 14. Despite the natural attribute advantages of non-human races, Lyle held a clear upper hand.

How unfortunate.

Lyle gazed at the retreating ogre with a hint of pity in his eyes.

Its weapon simply wasn't good enough.

"If they had decent weapons—maybe even magic-enhanced ones—I'd have been in trouble."

The remaining ogre hesitated, its confusion evident.

How had its comrade been so easily slain?

But this kind of question was hardly worth pondering over for a creature like an ogre. All it knew was that the human before it couldn't possibly harm it. The panic in its expression faded, replaced once again by a feral, menacing grin.

It raised the club in its massive hand—but the iron sword struck first!

The ogre raised its other arm into a fist and swung it toward the human, Lyle.

A gust of wind followed the punch!

WHOOSH!

Lyle sidestepped with ease, smirking.

"If this were a human, they'd have fled by now. But you? You still have the guts to fight?" Lyle mocked as he watched the massive fist pass by him.

The punch was powerful—had it landed, it would surely have inflicted serious injury. But a missed punch was utterly meaningless.

With his left hand now free, Lyle extended it toward the ogre's chest.

THRUST!

A second iron sword materialized in Lyle's left hand, plunging straight into the ogre's heart.

"ARGHH!"

With a sharp twist of the blade, the ogre let out a blood-curdling scream.

Slash!

Lyle pulled the sword free.

Ignoring the fallen ogre writhing in pain, he moved past the two slain creatures and headed toward the dense forest ahead.

He had barely taken a few steps when the information on his status panel refreshed.

[Experience Gained: 310]

[Experience Gained: 285]

[EXP: 3215/5000]

Despite their formidable vitality, one ogre had been bisected, and the other's heart pierced—neither survived for more than a few seconds.

But then!

"ROAR!"

"AAAH!"

"GRR!"

A cacophony of feral screams erupted almost simultaneously behind him.

Lyle turned to look. Five more ogres were emerging from the forest, their massive forms charging out with wild abandon.

Clearly, these ogres had planned to wait for him to fully enter the forest before attacking. But seeing that Lyle hadn't gone deeper—and was even beginning to leave—they could no longer hold back.

However!

The narrow forest path wasn't suitable for multiple large creatures to charge through at once. The ogres ended up crowding together in the confined space, roaring in frustration.

"Too slow."

Lyle tightened his grip on his iron sword, his expression indifferent as he glanced back at the forest.

Whoosh!

Whoosh!

His dual blades lashed out, hacking indiscriminately at the undergrowth, grass, and tree branches around him.

Broken green branches flew through the air, scattering like a violent storm of leaves.

Although he didn't know exactly where the goblins were hiding, Lyle decided he would destroy everything in his line of sight!

Meanwhile, a goblin hiding just ten meters away crouched trembling behind a bush near the base of a tall tree.

Its skin had adapted to match the colors of the surrounding foliage, making it nearly invisible to the naked eye.

'I'm going to die!'

The goblin's wide, white eyes were filled with fear and panic, its entire body trembling.

He's definitely going to kill me!