Chapter 11: The Ogre Mage
In one er of Storm High Cliffs, within Ogre Valley, over a dozen ogres were gathered around a charred boar, tearing into it with gluttonous enthusiasm, leaving a mess in their wake.
"Mi’s all mine!"
"You idiot, you think you fight me for it?"
The rgest and fattest ogre clubbed a nearby paniohe head, snatg the b from its grasp, and greedily devoured it, lig his fingers with satisfa.
His name was Langpu, leader of the ogre tribe.
Langpu had been notig he was getting smarter, and his underlings frequently said as much, though they used simpler words, usually saying, "He sure knows how to find food."
But clever Langpu uood their meaning and took great pride in it.
In ogre terms, "knows how to find food" was the highest praise, whether it was with brute force or clever thinking.
Between bouts of gluttony, Langpu would often pore over books he’d taken from "little snacks" he’d entered, learning all sorts of useful things:
For instance, from 《The Adventures of Sheen》, he learo pce a chest or sprinkle gold along a path, dig a deep pit ahead, cover it with brush, and soon enough, he'd have more "littles." This was known as a "trap," and Langpu liked the sophisticated sound of it.
But what fasated him most was the cept of "spells" in 《Idiot's Guide to Fireball Spells》, which described how he could cast a fireball as big as a boar’s head, easily roasting a mammoth to perfe.
Langpu used this method to secure plenty of food, gathering nearby scattered ogres into a tribe of over twenty. Those who refused were turned into roasted meat and ended up ihers’ bellies.
It was a groundbreaking achievement in ogre history—at least from Langpu’s perspective—so he he tribe "The New Era," a term he learned from his books.
Unfortunately, none of the res uood the name; one had even suggested calling it "Big Meat Tribe," for which Langpu smacked him soundly over the head.
Langpu ofte frustrated with his underlings’ ck of potential.
Whenever he tried tahem into formation for an ambush, as outlined in 《prehensive Military Drills》, the ogres would simply shout, "Meat! Meat!" and charge with their clubs.
He wao teach them on to extort more food from humans, but they only mao remember "eat," "meat," and "food."
"Sigh…"
"Too few smart ones in this tribe."
Langpu would often think and sigh as he ate.
The res, however, had no such s and were already sn loudly, sound asleep after their meal.
Retly, he’d been grooming an ogre named "Big Head." True to his name, he had a rge head—almost double the size of others'. Langpu believed that a rger head might mean more brains.
"Boss, there’s food over there!"
One of Langpu's "scouts" shouted from a hilltop with excitement.
"Big Head, what kind of thing?"
Langpu spat out a bone and climbed up the slope. After all, ogres were never full.
"It’s a big lizard, loads of meat!"
Big Head gestured wildly with his club.
A fire lizard?
Or maybe a wyvern?
Several images fshed through Langpu’s mind, none of which were creatures to be trifled with.
"Describe what it looks like."
"Let’s see…same color as fresh meat, red, fs, two wings, oail…"
The more Langpu listehe more somethi off. He scrambled up the hill himself and saw the "big lizard" on the opposite side.
His face turned pale, and he gave Big Head a hard whack, making the already rge head swell even more.
"You fool!"
"That’s a damn dragon! A real dragon!"
Langpu’s anger fred, and he chased the dumbfounded ogre, beating him as Big Head yelped in pain.
Big Head protested, "Boss, why are you hitting me? What did I say wrong?"
"It’s just a big lizard!"
To be fair, pared to most of his kind, he was smart enough t as a lizard rather than just yelling, "Meat!" This was already impressive.
"You’re still talking!"
"I'll give you something to talk about!"
"Stop hitting me, Boss! That…uh…dragon is ing over here."
Big Head clutched his swollen head, shouting.
Langpu lowered his club and looked up, annoyed.
Above him, the red dragon was desding, wings spread, casting a shadow over him.
Langpu gathered his thoughts with his clever mind, hesitating before he spoke:
"Uh…mighty, noble, and glorious Red Dragon, Big Head is an uncivilized fool. I will discipline him well and hope you won’t lower yourself to his level."
sidering the dragon’s ature, Langpu carefully phrased his words, drawing from 《The iquette Handbook》.
The fluage almost made Cassius stumble mid-air.
The red dragon did not respond, merely looking down at this uedly eloquent ogre, his slit pupils showing a hint of surprise.
[Based on your strength, you are able to observe the following information.]
【Ogre Mage】
Name: Langpu
Type: Large Giant, ral Evil
Race: Ogre
AC: 12 (Beast Hide Armor)
Attributes:
Strength – 18
Dexterity – 8
stitution – 16
Intelligence – 17
Wisdom – 8
Charisma – 12
Skills: Ara +3, Hunting +4, Traps +3, Reading +6, Military +2, Leadership +4, Herbology +2, Persuasion +2, Deception +2
Senses: Passive Perception 14 feet
Languages: on, Draic, Giant
As: Sm, Bite, Pound
bat Equipment:
【Ring of Insightful Study】: Created by a grand mage for a dimwitted udent, it locks Intellige 17.
【Are Ring】: Ara +1, Reading +4
【Albert’s Mithril Bracelet】: Allows daily immunity to oh-level spell.
Css Level: 5th-Level Wizard
Caster Level: 5
Spells:
1st Level - None
2nd Level - None
3rd Level - Fireball
Challeing: 6 (2,100 XP)
"This is a rare ogre mage—he’s genuinely intelligent. Never uimate him, or he’ll teach you the sequences of sing a wizard with a fireball."
"Ara, military, leadership, herbology…a well-roualent who knows magic; this guy’s quite the find…”
Cassius couldn’t help but marvel.
With an intelligence of 17, in any human city, he would be a bona fide schor, and in an orc tribe, he might be called a "seer."
But here, in a tribe of ogres who knew oing and sleeping, he was merely the overworked leader finding food for his subordinates.
That headband granting intelligence ractically legendary gear for early levels.
If Cassius were on a mage path, he’d find a way to snatch it, but he’d already choseh of a sorcerer and wasn’t pnning on multig anytime soon.
For now, it might be better to recruit a wizard under his and.
The multiverse was vast, with endless possibilities.
If an ogre could bee a wizard, what else was impossible?
Silence hung in the air.
The red dragon and the ogre stood there, locked in a standoff, eye to eye.
Langpu looked at the dragon, who seemed to be deep in thought, clutg his club tightly, sweat beading on his brow as he mentally prepared to cast his spell.