Chapter Thirty-Six: The Composure of the Young Servant

“Huff, huff…” Eight ogres moved forward, strange sounds escaping their mouths. Under the direction of a burly, towering ogre whose spiked club pointed ahead, the group suddenly broke into a sprint, charging straight toward them.

Yet before the ogres could get close, voices rang out with magical incantations from the mouths of students and teachers alike. Arrows of bone shot forth from the void, aimed directly at the ogres. Those whose abilities surpassed those of apprentice mages cast even more powerful spells, conjuring bone spears.

Both bone spears and bone arrows belonged to the necromancy school of magic, but bone spears required at least a novice wizard to master, and their might far exceeded that of bone arrows. Arrows and spears of bone sliced through the air, flying toward the eight ogres.

The ogres, despite their charge, managed to dodge some of the attacks, but their kind was not known for speed. Under the barrage of bone arrows and spears, they were struck repeatedly.

Yet, their bodies were incredibly tough. Bone arrows did little more than cause them pain, making them howl and slowing their advance, but not piercing their hides. Only the bone spears, when they struck, left bloody holes in their flesh, spilling green blood.

Wounded as they ran, none of the eight ogres lost their fighting power entirely. They managed to break through the outer defensive ring and began attacking those within.

Han Shuo stood calmly within the circular defense, his face serene as he coldly watched the ogres approach, carefully gauging their combat strength.

“Let the dark creatures begin their assault!” As the ogres drew near, Vani’s delicate face grew solemn, and she shouted with authority.

At her command, everyone began directing the summoned dark creatures at the ogres. The summoned ghouls, skeleton warriors, zombies, and abominations waited in place, and as soon as the ogres got close, they struck.

But ogres were tall and strong, their flesh boasting formidable defenses. Only the iron clubs wielded by the abominations inflicted real harm. The attacks of other dark creatures proved almost futile. Particularly, the ghouls and skeleton warriors often fell apart under the ogres’ spiked clubs, bones scattering or flesh reduced to a mangled mess. The zombies, with their tougher hides, could withstand a few blows, but after several strikes, they too became wobbly and lost their ability to attack.

“These damned ogres really are troublesome!” Gene watched as the dark creatures fell one by one, while the ogres, though bleeding from magical wounds, remained standing. He could not help but feel anxious.

“We must hold out! Don’t let them break through! If we have to face an ogre up close, there’s only one outcome—death!” Vani shouted, worry etched across her beautiful features.

Reciting her incantation, she conjured bone spears from thin air, targeting an ogre and stabbing fiercely. At last, a bone spear pierced through an ogre’s eye socket, shattering its skull. The ogre staggered, then collapsed lifelessly.

After Vani killed one, the remaining seven ogres seemed to go berserk. Two wielding spears, inspired by the attack, let out guttural cries and hurled their weapons. The spears traced arcs through the air, whistling fiercely as they struck two abominations.

The abominations were the backbone of the outer defense. Now, impaled by the ogres’ spears, their movements slowed even further. Entangled by two ogres, they were unable to make much difference.

At this point, only two abominations and six zombie warriors remained in the defensive ring. Compared to the abominations, the zombies were inferior in every way. With the abominations pinned, pressure mounted, and within moments, two zombie warriors had fallen.

“What do we do? What do we do? Will these damned ogres eat us?”

“Heavens, why is their skin so tough? Bone arrows are useless against them!”

“We’re doomed, it’s all over! If only we’d left yesterday… sob…”

A chorus of panicked complaints and fearful sobs erupted from the students, their voices tinged with despair. Even their spellcasting faltered under the weight of fear.

“Gene, let’s use Corpse Explosion together, quickly!” Seeing everyone so demoralized, Vani’s delicate face darkened and she called out loudly.

“O soul of extinction, by my will, I command you—offer your body to me and explode fiercely! Corpse Explosion!” Vani and Gene chanted in unison. When the spell was cast, Vani pointed at the ogre she had slain with the bone spear, while Gene pointed at a fallen zombie warrior.

Two violent explosions erupted from within the bodies of the ogre and the zombie warrior. Four battered ogres nearby, along with two zombie warriors, were caught in the blast, sent flying.

With several loud thuds, the four ogres and two zombies lay motionless, evidently destroyed.

Han Shuo’s eyes sparkled, fixed on Vani, deeply impressed by the power of Corpse Explosion. He had witnessed it clearly; after Vani cast the spell, the ogre’s body gleamed briefly before releasing a terrifying shockwave. Of the four ogres killed by the blast, three were slain by Vani’s magic.

Han Shuo had heard of Corpse Explosion, knowing only advanced mages could perform it. Depending on the caster’s power and the strength of the corpse, the effect varied. Vani’s spell was clearly stronger than Gene’s, likely due to her magical strength and the ogre’s formidable body.

However, the spell seemed to consume a great deal of mental energy. Both Vani and Gene were pale, panting heavily after casting it.

Now, out of eight ogres, one had been killed by Vani’s bone spear, and four more blasted to death by Corpse Explosion. The two abominations, though impaled by ogre spears, still held firm, stubbornly tangling with two ogres.

Only the largest and mightiest ogre remained unscathed. Brandishing his spiked club, he charged forward in a frenzy, growling as he uttered, “I… will… kill you…” in crude common speech.

“We just used Corpse Explosion, our mental energy is nearly exhausted. We can't cast another advanced spell right now—everyone, run!” Gene’s face paled as he shouted urgently.

Vani glanced at everyone, her voice anxious. “Hurry, everyone, get out of here—don’t let that ogre catch you!”

With Vani and Gene’s warning, panic overtook everyone. Ignoring supplies and belongings, they scrambled to flee from the ogre, who strode forward, club raised, huffing and puffing.

Despite not being especially fast, the ogre was quicker than the panicked students. Some tripped over scattered bones from fallen skeleton warriors, further slowing their escape.

Vani, devoted to her students, kept urging them onward, placing herself at the rear. The towering ogre, having witnessed Vani’s deadly spell, now saw her lagging behind and, without hesitation, rushed after her, club raised high, swinging down with deadly force.

“Vani, look out!”

“Careful, Vani, behind you!”

Lisa, Gene, and the others cried out in terror as they saw the ogre’s club descending toward Vani.

Hearing their warnings, Vani turned and saw the spiked club hurtling straight for her. Its sharp spikes gleamed coldly, and the fierce whistling revealed the immense power behind the blow.

Her beautiful face drained of color, her legs weakened, and she watched helplessly as the club loomed ever larger in her vision. A wave of despair washed over her.

A metallic clang resounded, sparks flying.

Vani’s eyes widened in confusion as she looked ahead. Somehow, two spiked clubs had appeared before her, clashing together. Where the clubs collided, the sharp spikes had been flattened, and sparks sputtered from the metal.

Tracing the club that had blocked the ogre’s strike, Vani saw Han Shuo at her left. He gripped a massive spiked club, wildly disproportionate to his body, veins bulging on his forehead and arms, his face fierce and resolute as he stared down the ogre.

PS: Let me recommend two scandalous novels. The first is “Magical Machinery” (ID: 1046221), about magical beasts in a wizarding world—quite impressive. The second is “Dangerous Students” (ID: 1043570). Apparently, the original title had a comma that was removed for censorship; I suspect it was originally “Danger. Students.”