CHAPTER 37: CHAPTER 37: ADD SOME SPIRITUAL POWER

Duke watched as the old soldier died in front of him, his blood splattering onto Duke’s face.

He didn’t have time to mourn, as he felt a gust of wind from behind, carrying a stench.

Without looking back, Duke pushed off with his foot, leaping a dozen meters away.

The next moment, a dull sound came from behind him.

Turning back, he saw the two-headed ogre closing in rapidly, trying to stomp Duke to death, but missed.

Duke felt a sense of lingering fear; if not for his quick reflexes, he’d have been crushed into pulp.

After missing its stomp, the two-headed ogre was visibly angry and grabbed the remaining old soldier nearby.

Before the soldier could react, the ogre tore him in half, blood raining down.

The two-headed ogre seemed unsatisfied, mumbling to itself in defiance and vowing to squash the bothersome pest ahead.

Seeing the two-headed ogre about to charge, Duke breathed in deeply, "Skill Tree, add points!"

He allocated his last three free attribute points: two into Strength and one into Spirit.

[Constitution: 9.9]

[Strength: 11.9]

[Agility: 9.9]

[Spirit: 9.1]

[Free Attribute Points: 0]

Duke felt an immense surge of power, a vast strength coursing through his body.

This newfound strength gave Duke the illusion that nothing could stop him, that he could shatter anything with a punch.

But he knew this was just an illusion caused by the sudden power surge; overconfidence would be his downfall.

He added a point to Spirit in preparation for using the Brass Ring.

Previously, activating the Brass Ring left him exhausted and nearly unable to fight.

With extra Spirit, he should use the Brass Ring’s magic spells more effortlessly.

The two-headed ogre had no idea of the changes occurring on Duke’s side in such a short time.

It picked up a nearby club and charged towards him, its footsteps causing tremors.

Soon, the club was overhead, both ogre heads grinning as if already savoring the sight of mangled flesh.

Duke held his Longsword firmly, blocking the club strike.

However, cracks appeared on his Longsword, threatening to break soon.

The Longsword was just an ordinary iron blade, and after enduring such intense combat, it would soon reach its limit.

"Damn it!" Duke cursed, wishing for better equipment for the first time.

The ogre, seeing its attack blocked, grew even angrier and raised its club for another strike.

But its hand found nothing—Duke had vanished.

Duke ditched the Longsword, moved to the ogre’s side, and punched with powerful Fighting Spirit.

The two-headed ogre, five meters tall, was hard to hit in a vital spot, or the punch would’ve hit its head.

Duke’s punch pierced the ogre’s tough skin, creating a bleeding hole.

The punch, fueled by all his strength and Fighting Spirit, was devastating.

The ogre cried out in pain, swinging to fling Duke away, but he had already retreated.

Critical damage dealt, the ogre sensed danger, forming a Thunderball between its hands, then launching it.

"Amücke Yirensa!"

Seeing the ogre’s hands move, Duke chanted the ring’s spell, covering himself in a layer of pale gold light.

The Thunderball hit Duke’s chest.

Duke felt the numbing effect Vivian mentioned—this Thunderball was fast, even hard for a Knight Level to dodge.

Vivian’s quick reaction was impressive, but she didn’t expect it to track targets.

Duke’s chest tingled, a bit of pain, but no injury.

The pale gold light dimmed, almost invisible.

Unsure how much longer the light would last, Duke seized the chance to leap up, aiming a punch at the ogre’s head.

His Fighting Spirit was low; this punch used up the last of it.

Surprised Duke could still move, the ogre hesitated a moment.

Quickly reacting, it formed another Thunderball, hitting Duke and sending him flying.

Duke was fast, but the Thunderball was faster, hitting before his punch landed.

The strike depleted Duke’s pale gold light, and another Thunderball was forming.

Knowing another hit meant death, he activated the Brass Ring again, blacking out and collapsing, nose bleeding.

The activation was clearly beyond his limits—his Spiritual Power failed.

He barely succeeded, the pale gold light reappearing to block the Thunderball.

The ogre howled in frustration, angry Duke wasn’t dead, ready to stomp him out.

Suddenly, a small figure appeared silently behind the ogre, wielding a Giant Axe glowing white.

The ogre sensed something, swinging its club backward, but a flash of white light cut through.

The small figure was knocked back, but the ogre’s heads flew off, its five-meter body teetering before crashing down with a dull thud.

Duke, struggling to stand, felt stabbing pain in his head, his willpower keeping him conscious.

He knew he couldn’t fall yet; other enemies were approaching.

If he fell now, he’d be cut to pieces and devoured by these humanoid creatures.

Driven by sheer willpower, Duke ran to the unconscious Vivian, checking her breath, then hoisted her up and fled.

Cavemen and goblins chased from behind—normally Duke wouldn’t fear them.

But Duke, now a spent force, was vulnerable; even a weak caveman could kill him.

He kept running, his legs numb, driven only by instinct, reaching a cliff’s edge overlooking swift waters below.