As Senji prepared to engage, something unexpected happened. Out of nowhere, an arm plunged through the Ogre's chest from behind, grabbing its core—the magic stone that powered it. The arm's owner tore the stone out and swallowed it whole.
The Ogre collapsed, its body soon absorbed by the dungeon.
Both Senji and Il stood frozen in shock.
"Wha—what!?"
Standing behind the fallen Ogre was a much larger version of the same creature, its entire body a deep, blood-red hue.
Senji immediately recognized what he was looking at.
"A Dead Ogre… a variant."
"A variant!?"
Ignoring Il's terrified scream, Senji's mind raced. He recalled the stats he had read in the grand library.
Currently, Senji's stats looked like this:
---
**Senji Nakura**
Level: 6
Class: Traitor
Attack: 201
Defense: 176
Magic: 0
Intelligence: 280
Technique: 234
---
With his current stats, he had believed he could handle a normal Ogre. According to his research, a typical Ogre's stats were:
---
Attack: 360
Defense: 230
Magic: 0
Intelligence: 50
Technique: 100
---
Although the Ogre was stronger in terms of raw power, Senji had the technique and intelligence to make up for it.
But a variant Ogre was on a completely different level:
---
Attack: 820
Defense: 930
Magic: 270
Intelligence: 340
Technique: 660
---
The difference was staggering. Even a group of platinum- or gold-ranked adventurers would struggle against a monster like this. Senji knew immediately
that he didn't stand a chance.
"Alright, we're getting out of here."
"…What?"
Without hesitation, Senji sheathed his sword and turned to run at full speed.
Seeing this, Il quickly followed suit, glancing nervously at the red Ogre behind them.
"W-We can't beat that thing!?"
"Of course not, you idiot! No one said anything about variants! We're screwed!"
"Wh-What!? But you could totally beat it if you tried harder! Just like the Cyclops earlier! Right!?"
A quick glance back revealed the horrifying truth. The Dead Ogre, with a murderous look in its eyes, had lowered its stance and was now charging at them with terrifying speed.
In that moment, Senji almost mistook it for Rinyu, the way it exuded pure bloodlust.
As it closed in on them, Senji felt his mind racing for options. He couldn't fight it. But then, an idea hit him.
"I've got a plan."
"Really!? What is it!?"
Il looked up at Senji with hope gleaming in his eyes.
"This is the plan."
With a wide grin, Senji kicked Il square in the face, sending him sprawling to the ground.
"G-Gyaah!"
Il tumbled, completely blindsided, and looked up at Senji in disbelief.
"We're going with the decoy strategy! You'll distract it while I make my escape! Bye-bye, you freeloading parasite! Maybe in your next life, you'll learn to be self-sufficient!"
As the realization dawned on him, Il's expression shifted from confusion to despair, and finally to pure rage.
But before he could even scream in protest, the red Ogre caught up with him. Il's scream was cut short as the Ogre's hand swung down, slicing through the boy's neck in a single, clean motion.
Il's head tumbled to the ground, his body following shortly after.
The Ogre, uninterested in Il's remains, continued to scan the area for more prey. The dungeon soon absorbed what was left of Il's body.
From a distance, Senji watched the scene, breathing a sigh of relief before turning and leaving the fifth floor.
(Few… That was close. Thanks, Il Candle. You really saved my skin there. Try not to get duped in your next life, okay?)
---
After climbing back up to the third floor, Senji encountered a lone girl.
She was dressed entirely in blue, from her short hair and pointed hat to her flowing robes. A blue gem embedded in a tall staff glowed faintly in her hand.
Her blue eyes, filled with anxiety, darted around as if searching for someone. When she noticed Senji, she approached with a flicker of hope that quickly turned to disappointment upon realizing he wasn't who she was looking for.
Still, she stepped closer, removing her hat politely.
"I'm Eli Evanson."
"O-Oh, Mary Sue."
"Mary, have you seen a boy around here?"
Straight to the point, huh? Senji found her directness a little off-putting. After a moment of hesitation, he put on a somber expression before answering.
"What kind of boy?"
"He's energetic, black-haired, kind of weak. A little annoying sometimes, but he's my dear childhood friend. His name is Il Candle."
(Thought so.)
Half expecting that answer, Senji kept his face grim as he bit his lip and responded.
"I saw him."
"Where—?"
"He's dead."
Eli's staff fell from her hand, clattering to the ground.