Apotheosis

In the perspective of the ogres, it seemed to be the case that humans were not much different from grazing animals like cattle or sheep. One of the only disparities between both species would be that human meat tasted a little tenderer, albeit it was troublesome to continue consuming them. Humans took aggravatingly longer to reproduce more of their kind, and it was more taxing to cultivate them compared to unassuming cattle herds.

Because of this, the ogres would not normally slaughter humans for simple meals or for no reason at all. Rather, they were reserved for special occasions. The ogres kept the humans alive until it was appropriate to slaughter a portion of them during grand festivals and celebratory feasts.

Apart from their grand occasions and extensive banquets, the ogres had also begun killing humans for their sacrificial rites which happened every now and then. It was a complete anxiety-ridden, fearful, and traumatic experience for the human beings on the pasture, as they dreaded the days wherein they would be murdered for the ogres' pleasure. Every time they held such events, a dozen or so people had been butchered for the sake of their rites.

From time to time, there were indeed some humans who would rise to stubbornly resist against the imposing ogres. However, that kind of resistance proved to be futile on every occasion and had always resulted to absolutely nothing. It had always despairingly concluded in the same way even if their defiance stemmed from the need to live. No matter how much they had fought and no matter how desperate the humans had been, they could not change their fate—ending up in the hands of the ogres one way or another. Additionally, those who fought harder and struggled more to resist their impending doom typically died a more miserable and pathetic death, as their rebellious behaviors only angered the ogres more.

Lying on the bed, Zen's posture reflected his composure and his eyes looked calm as the tranquil waves of the sea.

In the eyes of the ogres, however, Zen merely appeared to be a sheep that could bite, not at all a threat to be concerned over.

What they were not aware of was that Zen considered them as ants despite their impressive heights and enormou

lled because of him. Not minding the eager looks the boy was sending his way, he furrowed his eyebrows and intensely focused on expelling the troublesome force of space from his body. At the very least, he needed to be able to move his body properly.

According to what Mist had told him, the continent where he was currently in was also a mainland and it was significantly larger than the entirety of the Central Region. If it was to be compared with the others, it could be considered as on par with the continent wherein the four divine kingdoms were situated in. Pondering by himself, Zen deduced that there were also some ogre masters in this continent. With a newfound determination, he reflected that before the powerful ones managed to get him, he had to recover to his strongest and most powerful state.

The head of the pack who had given the orders for some of the ogres to attack stood not far away and blinked at the immobile man with shock, clearly astounded by the stunt Zen had just pulled. The feeling of being threatened had never washed over him before and it was definitely the first time the ogre had felt daunted. Just like a human had never undergone fear or trepidation when faced with sheep, he had never felt threatened by a human before.

However, witnessing a sheep that could kill a group of humans with simply a look, any man would be petrified. As his legs were seemingly stuck on the ground refusing to move, the head of the group of ogres undoubtedly felt the same.