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In one corner of Storm High Cliffs, within Ogre Valley, over a dozen ogres were gathered around a charred boar, tearing into it with gluttonous enthusiasm, leaving a mess in their wake.

“Mine, it’s all mine!”

“You idiot, you think you can fight me for it?”

The largest and fattest ogre clubbed a nearby companion over the head, snatching the boar leg from its grasp, and greedily devoured it, licking his fingers with satisfaction.

His name was Langpu, leader of the ogre tribe.

Langpu had been noticing he was getting smarter, and his underlings frequently said as much, though they used simpler words, usually saying, “He sure knows how to find food.”

But clever Langpu understood their meaning and took great pride in it.

In ogre terms, “knows how to find food” was the highest praise, whether it was with brute force or clever thinking.

Between bouts of gluttony, Langpu would often pore over books he’d taken from “little snacks” he’d encountered, learning all sorts of useful things:

For instance, from 《The Adventures of Sheen》, he learned to place a chest or sprinkle gold along a path, dig a deep pit ahead, cover it with brush, and soon enough, he’d have more “littles.” This was known as a “trap,” and Langpu liked the sophisticated sound of it.

But what fascinated him most was the concept of “spells” in 《Idiot’s Guide to Fireball Spells》, which described how he could cast a fireball as big as a boar’s head, easily roasting a mammoth to perfection.

Langpu used this method to secure plenty of food, gathering nearby scattered ogres into a tribe of over twenty. Those who refused were turned into roasted meat and ended up in the others’ bellies.

It was a groundbreaking achievement in ogre history—at least from Langpu’s perspective—so he named the tribe “The New Era,” a term he learned from his books.

Unfortunately, none of the other ogres understood the name; one had even suggested calling it “Big Meat Tribe,” for which Langpu smacked him soundly over the head.

Langpu often felt frustrated with his underlings’ lack of potential.

Whenever he tried to organize them into formation for an ambush, as outlined in 《Comprehensive Military Drills》, the ogres would simply shout, “Meat! Meat!” and charge with their clubs.

He wanted to teach them Common to extort more food from humans, but they only managed to remember “eat,” “meat,” and “food.”

“Sigh…”

“Too few smart ones in this tribe.”

Langpu would often think and sigh as he ate.

The other ogres, however, had no such concerns and were already snoring loudly, sound asleep after their meal.

Recently, he’d been grooming an ogre named “Big Head.” True to his name, he had a large head—almost double the size of others’. Langpu believed that a larger head might mean more brains.

“Boss, there’s food over there!”

One of Langpu’s “scouts” shouted from a hilltop with excitement.

“Big Head, what kind of thing?”

Langpu spat out a bone and climbed up the slope. After all, ogres were never full.

“It’s a big lizard, loads of meat!”

Big Head gestured wildly with his club.

A fire lizard?

Or maybe a wyvern?

Several images flashed through Langpu’s mind, none of which were creatures to be trifled with.

“Describe what it looks like.”

“Let’s see…same color as fresh meat, red, four legs, two wings, one tail…”

The more Langpu listened, the more something felt off. He scrambled up the hill himself and saw the “big lizard” on the opposite side.

His face turned pale, and he gave Big Head a hard whack, making the already large head swell even more.

“You fool!”

“That’s a damn dragon! A real dragon!”

Langpu’s anger flared, and he chased the dumbfounded ogre, beating him as Big Head yelped in pain.

Big Head protested, “Boss, why are you hitting me? What did I say wrong?”

“It’s just a big lizard!”

To be fair, compared to most of his kind, he was smart enough to recognize it as a lizard rather than just yelling, “Meat!” This was already impressive.

“You’re still talking!”

“I’ll give you something to talk about!”

“Stop hitting me, Boss! That…uh…dragon is coming over here.”

Big Head clutched his swollen head, shouting.

Langpu lowered his club and looked up, annoyed.

Above him, the red dragon was descending, wings spread, casting a shadow over him.

Langpu gathered his thoughts with his clever mind, hesitating before he spoke:

“Uh…mighty, noble, and glorious Red Dragon, Big Head is an uncivilized fool. I will discipline him well and hope you won’t lower yourself to his level.”

Considering the dragon’s noble stature, Langpu carefully phrased his words, drawing from 《The Noble Etiquette Handbook》.

The flowery language almost made Cassius stumble mid-air.

The red dragon did not respond, merely looking down at this unexpectedly eloquent ogre, his slit pupils showing a hint of surprise.

[Based on your strength, you are able to observe the following information.]

【Ogre Mage】

Name: Langpu

Type: Large Giant, Neutral Evil

Race: Ogre

AC: 12 (Beast Hide Armor)

Attributes:

Strength – 18

Dexterity – 8

Constitution – 16

Intelligence – 17

Wisdom – 8

Charisma – 12

Skills: Arcana +3, Hunting +4, Traps +3, Reading +6, Military +2, Leadership +4, Herbology +2, Persuasion +2, Deception +2

Senses: Passive Perception 14 feet

Languages: Common, Draconic, Giant

Actions: Slam, Bite, Pound

Combat Equipment:

【Ring of Insightful Study】: Created by a grand mage for a dimwitted noble student, it locks Intelligence at 17.

【Arcane Ring】: Arcana +1, Reading +4

【Albert’s Mithril Bracelet】: Allows daily immunity to one 4th-level spell.

Class Level: 5th-Level Wizard

Caster Level: 5

Spells:

1st Level - None

2nd Level - None

3rd Level - Fireball

Challenge Rating: 6 (2,100 XP)

“This is a rare ogre mage—he’s genuinely intelligent. Never underestimate him, or he’ll teach you the consequences of scorning a wizard with a fireball.”

“Arcana, military, leadership, herbology…a well-rounded talent who knows magic; this guy’s quite the find…”

Cassius couldn’t help but marvel.

With an intelligence of 17, in any human city, he would be a bona fide scholar, and in an orc tribe, he might be called a “seer.”

But here, in a tribe of ogres who knew only eating and sleeping, he was merely the overworked leader finding food for his subordinates.

That headband granting intelligence was practically legendary gear for early levels.

If Cassius were on a mage path, he’d find a way to snatch it, but he’d already chosen the path of a sorcerer and wasn’t planning on multiclassing anytime soon.

For now, it might be better to recruit a wizard under his command.

The multiverse was vast, with endless possibilities.

If an ogre could become a wizard, what else was impossible?

Silence hung in the air.

The red dragon and the ogre stood there, locked in a standoff, eye to eye.

Langpu looked at the dragon, who seemed to be deep in thought, clutching his club tightly, sweat beading on his brow as he mentally prepared to cast his spell.