Arlo was sent hurtling through the cloud field by the Ogre's mighty blow, landing face down on a cloud, his body a canvas of wounds.
The Ogres, seemingly unbothered, amused themselves by tossing their hammer back and forth, dismissing Arlo as a threat.
As Arlo teetered on the edge of consciousness, a new prompt materialized:
[Protection of Life]
[Activation: Permanent]
[Weakness: When the opponent is higher level than you and deals damage, you take half the damage, and every status attribute will be doubled.
If the opponent is weaker than you and deals damage, you receive twice as much damage, and every status attribute will be halved.]
[Duration: Unlimited]
[Temporary New Attribute created:]
[Hp: 46
Skill Points: 62
Defense: 44 (Max: 100)
Strength: 56
Endurance: 38
Agility: 46
Intelligence: 70
Dexterity: 40
Luck: 14
Trust: 0]
Another prompt surfaced:
[The Hypocrisy of Life:]
[Precondition: Only Agnes's Children can use this skill. Whenever her child is in danger, she grants a random blessing to help her child.]
[Activated: Agnes granted her eternal healing. Upon injury, Agnes' blessing will constantly heal you.]
[Consumed:
Luck 5 per use
Trust 0 per use
[Agnes's Message: Agnes is testing your faith; prove it to increase her trust to the maximum.]
Arlo found himself fully restored, his strength seemingly amplified, and the blood that had been seeping from his wounds vanished.
"Agnes, I owe you my life. I may not be your true offspring, but I promise not to let you down. I am grateful for your trust."
Arlo cast his gaze skyward, a smile playing on his lips as he expressed his gratitude to Agnes.
The sight of Arlo back on his feet spurred the Ogres into action. They charged at him, and Arlo met them head-on, bellowing,
"You interrupted me mid-sentence. I'll make sure you pay for that. Once you're out of the picture, I'll finish what I was saying."
One Ogre lunged at him, closing the gap swiftly, its massive stone hammer descending from above. Arlo deftly sidestepped the direct hit, spinning to his right before raising his sword to slash at its fingers.
Suddenly, another Ogre sprang from behind and smashed the spot where Arlo had just been standing.
The Ogres appeared confused, as Arlo was no longer beneath them on the cloud.
"Hey, dimwit, over here," Arlo taunted the Ogre.
The ogre glanced down, it saw Arlo perched on the edge of the wooden hammer it had slung over its shoulder.
"ROAR!"
The Ogres roared at the sight of him, and the Ogre swung its hammer wildly, but Arlo clung to the wooden hammer, finding purchase in some of its cracks.
The Ogre abruptly raised its massive hand to snatch Arlo.
Arlo nimbly leapt onto the Ogre's face and plunged his sword into its left eye.
"AHRRRR… AHRRRR…"
The Ogre howled in agony. The other Ogre, believing Arlo was attacking its comrade, raised its hammer and swung at him.
The Ogre's blow landed on its companion's face, causing it to drop its wooden hammer. Arlo timed his jump perfectly to avoid the impact.
The force of the Ogre's hammer shattered its teeth and sent it flying back to the edge of the cloud.
Seeing its fellow Ogre down, the other Ogre rushed to its side.
Arlo, now behind the Ogres, slowly attempted to hoist the wooden hammer. As he strained to lift it, his body groaned under the effort, and his bones creaked.
"OHHH… AHHHH…," Arlo grunted as his body was torn apart and healed rapidly.
The prompts kept stacking over one another:
[The Hypocrisy of Life:]
[Activated: Agnes granted her eternal healing. Upon injury, Agnes' blessing will constantly heal you]
[The Hypocrisy of Life: Activated]
[The Hypocrisy of Life: Activated]
With all his amplified strength, Arlo struggled to lift the hammer, barely managing to get a grip on it.
The ogre mourned its unconscious companion as the other ogre suddenly sought revenge.
The Ogre roared, "Human Dead......GRRRRR…"
The ogre charged towards Arlo. Arlo began to swing the hammer in a circle, preparing to hurl it at the oncoming ogre.
"Dammit, Dammit, Dammit," Arlo shouted as his body was torn apart and healed rapidly, the pain still coursing through his muscles.
As the Ogre raised its stone hammer, Arlo let go of the wooden hammer.
"BANG!"
It struck the Ogre's head, and the Ogre shook its head to clear its vision, but everything seemed blurry.
After a few seconds, it steadied. Suddenly, before its left eye, it saw Arlo up close.
Arlo raised his sword, and everything seemed to slow down before the ogre's eyes.
Arlo plunged his sword once more into the Ogre's left eye and released the sword, using his left fist to punch through the other eye.
"AHHRRR…"
As the Ogre screamed in pain, Arlo jumped down, and the Ogre flailed its hands, running around the cloud blindly.
Suddenly, the Ogre tripped over the other Ogre and fell down. Arlo sprinted towards it and swiftly slashed both of its posterior malleoli at the back of its ankles.
The Ogre bled green blood from its eyes and ankles, lying face down, another Ogre lay on its back nearby.
Arlo climbed up and stood near the back of the neck to deliver the final blow.
Suddenly, a thought crossed his mind, so he climbed down and stowed his sword in the inventory.
Arlo extended both of his hands to his sides, looked up, and shouted, "Do you trust me now, Agnes? Did I prove my faith?"
[End of Chapter]