Reincarnated into my favorite videogame

Nari had heard tales of adventurers facing their deaths head-on, with bravery in their hearts and resolve in their eyes. She wasn't sure she could count herself among them. As the massive ogre's club descended towards her head, all she could think was, "Well, that's one way to die."

Her mind raced. There was no time to cast a spell, no time to dodge. Her heart thundered in her chest as the shadows of the giant club loomed larger, ready to crush her like a twig. Just as her life seemed poised to end, a series of swift, slicing sounds filled the air. For a split second, Nari was too shocked to comprehend what had happened.

Blood began to drip from the ogre's massive body, first in slow, deliberate drops, then faster, spraying out in a violent burst. Before she knew it, the creature's limbs fell apart as if they had been cleanly cut, and in a grotesque, almost surreal spectacle, the pieces of the ogre crashed to the ground with a heavy, wet thud, until all that remained was its twitching, dismembered corpse.

Covered in splatters of blood and gore, Nari blinked, stunned. Her heart still pounded, and she slowly realized she was still alive. She looked around wildly to see what—no, who—had saved her.

Then she saw him.

Leo stood a short distance away, a sword casually sheathed at his side, his calm demeanor completely at odds with the carnage he had just wrought. He walked toward her with his usual indifferent expression, but his sharp green eyes scanned her for injury.

"Are you alright?" he asked, his voice as calm as ever, like he hadn't just cut down a giant beast with barely any effort.

Nari's pulse was still racing, but she managed to reply, "Well, it's better than being dead."

To her surprise, Leo smiled, just a faint, fleeting smile, but it was there. He nodded toward her. "Clean yourself up. They're moving out soon. No one's going to wait for you when they're ready to attack."

Nari watched as he walked away with that same cool stride, the blood of the ogre staining the grass around him. She quickly cast a cleansing spell, a light shimmer passing over her clothes and skin as it removed every trace of the ogre's blood. She wrinkled her nose at the memory of the stench before hurrying back to the group, who were already gathering to discuss the next move.

Thankfully, Sarah was there to fill her in. "We're going to go after just one ogre first," she explained in a hushed tone. "You'll be our backup, since you're the sorcerer. If all hell breaks loose and we can't take it down, we retreat." She paused and glanced around. "By the way, have you seen Leo?"

Nari shook her head. "I thought he was here."

Sarah frowned. "No, he left a while ago—" Her words were cut off by Henry, one of the other party members, calling out, "Sarah, you might want to come see this."

Nari and Sarah exchanged glances and quickly made their way over to Henry, who was standing by the edge of the clearing. When they looked past him, they were met with a gruesome sight. Six of the seven ogres they had been tracking lay in pieces, their blood still fresh and splattered across the clearing.

The rest of the group stood in stunned silence, trying to piece together what had happened. "That was the same technique Leo used…" Nari thought, recalling how he had sliced the ogre that almost killed her into pieces. "Is that his favorite move or something?"

While the group debated whether to attack the last remaining ogre, Leo reappeared, seemingly out of nowhere. His sudden presence startled Nari, who had been deep in thought. He leaned close to her, his breath warm on her ear as he whispered, "What are they doing?"

Nari jumped, her heart pounding again, and instinctively moved a little farther away from him, her cheeks flushing. He had gotten way too close for comfort. "They're, uh… they're deciding whether to attack the last ogre," she mumbled. She hesitated for a moment before blurting out, "It was you that killed the others, wasn't it?"

Leo didn't answer right away. He just looked at her, his expression unreadable. "What do you think?" he finally said, his voice soft and low.

Before Nari could respond, Sarah called out to her, "Nari—" She stopped mid-sentence when she noticed Leo standing beside her. "Where have you been?" she asked, narrowing her eyes at him.

"Around," Leo replied flatly, offering no further explanation.

Just as Sarah was about to say more, a rustling sound caught their attention. The last ogre had started moving toward them, its heavy footsteps shaking the ground beneath their feet. The bushes they were hiding in trembled, and the group quickly unsheathed their weapons, preparing for battle. Nari stood at the ready, though her stomach churned with nerves.

"Alright, we go with the plan," Sarah said in a low, urgent voice. "Nari, you're our backup. If we can't kill it, we retreat. Got it?"

Nari nodded. She felt the weight of her responsibility settle on her shoulders, but she knew she could handle it. She had to.

"ATTACK!" Sarah's command cut through the air, and the group charged forward, weapons drawn.

Everyone except Leo. He leaned back against a tree, his arms crossed, watching with a lazy expression.

"Aren't you going to help them?" Nari asked, bewildered.

Leo shrugged, looking completely relaxed. "I won't have to. You will."

Nari stared at him, incredulous. He was taking a nap, leaving everything up to her?

"I wish I could kill him," she thought furiously. "But… he did save my life. I guess I owe him." With that, she took a deep breath and ran to join the others. As she sprinted toward the fight, she couldn't help but think, "Seriously?"

The last ogre was even more powerful than the others had been. It swung its massive arms, sending several of her teammates flying through the air. Nari grimaced as she watched them crash into trees and roll across the ground, groaning in pain. Sarah, too, was struggling. The ogre had grabbed her by the head and was about to bite her in half.

"No!" Nari screamed, panic flooding her chest. Without thinking, she raised her hands and summoned a fireball, larger and more powerful than anything she had ever conjured before. It shot through the air like a comet and slammed into the ogre, incinerating it in an instant. The creature didn't even have time to scream as its body was reduced to ash.

For a moment, there was nothing but silence. The rest of the group stared in shock, their eyes wide and their mouths open. Nari herself was frozen in place, her hands still outstretched, her heart racing. Did I really do that? she thought, stunned by her own power.

All eyes turned to her, and Nari could feel their gazes boring into her. She lowered her hands, still trembling from the surge of magic she had just unleashed.

"I didn't do it," she said, hiding her hands. But deep down, she wasn't sure if she believed herself.