"... They're rumored to be Blue Ogres."

Arie turns to me.

"Maybe they'll put up a good fight for ya. Huh?"

I nod slowly while thinking about what these new monsters could really be like. The Director didn't feel it necessary to mention them, confident that we'd clear it without a problem on our way to Solara, so I'll just have to wait and see.

Before I can even look up to respond, Arie continues.

"Oh right- how was the dungeon break out here in the mountains? Seems like you cleared it pretty quickly, I never asked you how it went."

Catching me a bit off guard with this question, I look up to the sky before answering.

"The Dunegon break I cleared was so quick because... well-"

I stop myself from continuing for a moment.

There's no reason to lie to my team here, but it may be for their own good.

I've faced a floor boss on the 20th floor of a perfectly stable labyrinth and had to use every dirty trick in my book to beat it. I believe in my team, but there are some things I just know are impossible right now.

It's best that they don't get involved with my future dealings involving that Arch Demon.

I gulp.

"It- was nothing really, I didn't even get any drops. The strongest monster in there was as about as powerful as the Salamander Boss we faced yesterday. Someone must have marked that thing wrong, I'm... not sure what all the fuss was about."

There's a pause from my teammates for a moment. Abby finally cuts through the silence.

"Well, I don't care if you don't want to spill the details. As long as the break is cleared that's all that really matters. We'll just have to keep moving forward."

I give her a firm nod, then turn away and grip the reins of my camel tighter.

She lets out a sigh, poking Arie in the back.

"Blue Orges? I read about a potential monster type like this in the Association advanced quest text a few months back. They were described to use strong energy shielding and possess strength and defense buffs."

Maria responds.

"So what? They're just super strong Ogres? What's the big deal about these things?"

Abby shrugs, then smirks.

"I believe on occasion they drop very rare crafting items. There aren't any of these Dungeons in the Vice region, the only mention of it I've seen in the files has been extraction missions to this exact mountain range every time there is a surge."

I turn my head back to her, now interested.

"Really? Just here? And what kind of crafting items? Like element stones? Or-"

Abby clicks her tongue.

"Ahh, it was a while ago when I read all of these details. Plus, they send extraction teams out to a lot of dungeons, it may not be that special.... I don't believe they wield any elemental magic. We'll just have to fight them and see what they actually drop. This is the extent of my knowledge."

On that note, we continue to venture off into the desert switching the topic of conversation to what's for dinner instead of the life-threatening battles ahead.

The further we travel forward, the more spread out the mountains all begin to be. The tight rocky mountain range is now a wide-open desert plain with mountains becoming much further apart and valleys that dip much deeper than before.

The earthy sand beneath our feet gets denser with stones and green shrubbery. The occasional small desert tree pops up and the hint of water nearby seems more and more real.

Although we're stocked up on more than enough water for our travels, its always nice to have a more lively ecosystem around.

We head further north for over 6 hours at a very steady pace.

Intermittently, I activate my enemy detection and inspect skills to see if anyone is tracking us from the town we left in shambles.

After a few hours, a few parties of level 250-300 hunters are sent out but they don't make it very far into the mountains before turning back. It seems they're just making sure we're gone rather than trying to catch us.

I'm sure they know what happened with the missing 4 guards up on the hill by now. The one guard in the village that saw my face while disgusted as Issac may have even conjured up some wacky story by now too.

If anything, it may seem like they were double-crossed...

Whatever works. I'm just glad we've left.

Out of habit, I continue to check our surroundings in a few-kilometer radius every 20 minutes or so, just in case any stragglers or oddities pop up.

As the sun begins to set, an oddly high level pops up about 3km ahead of us on the mountain trail.

I use Appraisal and Inspect.

_______________________________

[Lv. 440]

Active Items:

Blue Ogre's Armor Set [+1400 Defense]

Blue Ogre's Club [+1250 Strength]

Active Skills:

Body Hardening

Extreme Strength

_______________________________

The orange rays of sunlight are beginning to disappear over the horizon behind the rising and falling mountains off in the distance.

No one has said a word for at least an hour now... We've all gotten used to the footsteps of our rides and are just now enjoying the cool air that's started to fill the valley.

But... there's a Boss Level monster up ahead. Our moment of peace needs to be interrupted.

I let out a sigh and speak up in a low tone.

"Sorry to ruin the mood, but we have company up ahead."

Everyone begins to perk up, and I turn to Arie.

"You were right, looks like we made it to the Blue Ogre Dungeon by nightfall."

The Archer sits up straight, taking his bow out of the item box around his waist and looks forward with a focused stare moving his eyes left and right before responding.

"How far out? I can't see a thing."

I point straight ahead.

"At this rate, 20 to 30 minutes until we face the first one. It's level 440. An Ogre outside the Dungeon is higher than some of the bosses we've faced so far this trip."

My blank stare forward twists into the sliver of an excited grin.

"Their mana output is off the charts."

Maria chimes in.

"Oh yeah? Just 20 minutes? Is it really that strong? What's it look like?"

I chuckle.

"I don't know everything. We'll just have to go face it and find out. I don't sense any others in the area, or even a portal nearby, so this may just be a lone stray. It's a good start though."

Abby takes out her map and looks it up and down in the remaining sunlight.

"Yep, checks out. Considering our pace, we should be nearby the portal within an hour or so."

We continue forward, now more on guard.

Everything around us is silent.

As we get closer I continue steering us in the right direction. The mana this beast we're approaching only gets stronger in my mind's eye with every minute that passes.

It feels dense and cool. Certain high level creatures give off emotions with their mana auras. This one seems to be in a very calm state.

We twist and turn through open plains and narrow valleys until we're less than 500 meters away...

Still, there's no sound. All of my skills show that it's just standing in one place. The monster isn't moving at all.

Before we know it, the final turn is made and we see it right in front of our eyes.

A 5-meter-tall beast with pale blue skin. Its overgrown teeth stick out of its mouth like white tusks.

Leaning against its massive wooden mana-imbued club, the monster stands facing a massive red rock wall swinging its body back and forth slowly biding its time.

The curved rock wall stretches out to make a circular flat area about 100 meters wide. There are small piles of rock scattered about, and partial areas of rock wall that dip lower than others letting in more of the final rays of the sun.

There's a slight shimmer of silver armor on the beast's arms and legs reflecting light from its armor. This gives my teammates a clear visual of the Ogre.

Activating my All-Seeing Eye from a distance... its power is incredible. There's mana shielding activated around its whole body already. Thin, dense, and bright white, a strong shield of energy swirls around every millimeter of this beast. There isn't a single weak point.

I'm certain it hasn't sensed our presence, but for some reason, it's already prepared for battle.

I speak up in a hushed tone while putting a hand in the air to stop my teammates from saying a word or moving forward.

"It hasn't noticed us yet, let's take it out before it does."

We tie up the camels on a small nearby tree with thick twisting branches.

The sun is almost completely set now. It's cool and dark in the desert, but a tiny golden-orange hint of sun lights up our battlefield threatening to flicker out any minute now.

The four of us split up, planning to surround the monster.

Maria takes the right side while both Abby and Arie take the left.

I take out my sword, activate stealth, and run straight ahead.