"Is… is it over?"

The pink-haired ogre girl, the future Shuna, was still dazed.

She had joined her brother and tribesmen to form a scouting party, successfully locating the bug monsters' nest.

Their initial plan was to probe the bugs' strength and estimate their numbers.

But who could've predicted the supposedly mindless bugs would feign weakness, luring the Ogre Tribe deeper?

By the time they realized, it was too late.

Surrounded by a tidal wave of bugs, they had no choice but to follow her brother's lead, fighting desperately to break through.

Yet, the bugs seemed to anticipate their every move.

Killing one wave only brought another to fill the gap.

Endless, unkillable.

Soon, casualties mounted.

Magic and stamina drained, weapons broke, and tribesmen fell one after another.

For the Ogre Tribe, famed for their martial prowess, all that remained was a desperate last stand.

But when her best friend fell protecting her, Shuna had prepared for death.

Yet, death never came.

"Bo-ne!"

Shuna would never forget.

In her darkest, most hopeless moment, a petite figure descended from the heavens, saving her and her friend.

Her appearance differed from theirs.

But the blood coursing through her was unmistakably their own.

She was an ogre!

There was no doubt!

The same horns, the same ferocious strength and relentless drive.

A peerless might Shuna had never imagined.

Boom!

The earth trembled, the deafening roar ringing in her ears. Shion, now recovered, pulled Shuna to safety.

Shuna instinctively glanced back.

She saw a towering structure of hundreds of magic circles, stacking skyward.

"Ultimate Explosion Magic: Explosion!"

Snapping out of her reverie, Shuna stared at the massive crater that seemed to pierce the earth. "Is this… really magic?"

"Explosion Magic is so strong…"

Like Shuna, Shion, Benimaru, and the surviving ogres were equally stunned.

"Look over there!"

"Is that… a human?"

As the dust settled, they spotted two figures at the crater's edge... one being the petite kin who saved them.

But what shocked the Ogre Tribe was the figure beside Ogerpon: Damien.

"Damien, they're coming."

Noticing the approaching ogres, Ogerpon stepped protectively in front of Damien, eyeing them warily.

"You're human?"

They stared at Damien in disbelief, unable to fathom how a human reached this deep in the forest.

The Jura Forest was a monster's paradise. Humans only hunted low-level monsters at its edges, never venturing this far.

"No, not human."

"His eyes... those aren't human pupils."

"And his aura… he must be a Majin-human."

The ogres quickly noticed Damien's golden eyes and immense magicules... powers no human could possess.

"My apologies, we were rude."

Benimaru, as the team's leader, stepped forward and bowed to Damien. "Was that Nuclear Strike Magic your doing?"

"If you mean Explosion Magic, yes, that was me."

"Thank you for aiding us in our time of need!"

Hearing Damien's confirmation, Benimaru bowed lower. "We are the Ogre Tribe, living in this forest. May I ask who you are?"

"I'm Damien. This is Ogerpon."

"Ogerpon? Damien?"

"They have names?"

The ogres were even more shocked to learn they'd met two named monsters.

Not just Ogerpon... Damien was a named monster too.

And, perhaps it was their imagination, but Benimaru felt Ogerpon's oppressive aura had grown exponentially stronger since earlier.

"That pressure!"

Benimaru, Shion, Shuna, and Souei... future key figures under Rimuru... felt both gratitude for Ogerpon's rescue and growing reverence.

"Could it be… the legendary Oni?"

"No mistake... only an upper-tier Oni could be this powerful!!"

The surviving ogres gazed at Ogerpon with awe and admiration.

Ogerpon was an A-rank Oni, the evolved form of the Ogre Tribe.

In the monster world, strength reigned supreme.

Ogerpon was stronger, had saved them, and was a higher form of their kin.

With all these factors combined, Benimaru and the others didn't hesitate. "Please, both of you, come to our village. Let us repay your aid in our time of crisis!"

"Uh…"

"Sure, we'll take you up on that."

Damien had no intention of refusing. He needed Ogerpon to grind monsters for experience, and a 300-strong Ogre Tribe village was perfect. "Our camp in the forest was destroyed by those bugs anyway."

"You built a camp in the forest?"

"Those damn bugs!"

"No worries, our village is large. You're welcome to settle there."

"Also, may we ask the relationship between you and Lady Ogerpon?"

This was what the ogres were most curious about.

They respected Damien immensely, as he'd unleashed that earth-shattering Nuclear Strike Magic.

He was as much their savior as Ogerpon.

But they felt a closer kinship with Ogerpon.

"She's my family."

Damien gave a simple explanation of his bond with Ogerpon.

He didn't tell the full truth, instead describing her as a child he found in the wilderness.

They'd survived together in the forest, like siblings.

"Damien is Ogerpon's most important person!"

Ogerpon timely took Damien's hand, showing her closeness.

"I see."

The ogres nodded in understanding.

Intelligent monsters meeting and living together wasn't common but not impossible.

As for Damien himself…

His Majin-human hybrid status was no secret.

Humans might shun hybrids, but in the monster world, strength trumped all... no one cared about mixed blood.

***

Bonus Chapter:

100 Power Stones = 1 BC

300 Power Stones = 2 BC

500 Power Stones = 3 BC

700 Power Stones = 4 BC

1000 Power Stones = 5 BC

***

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