Ch.29Revenge Match

The next morning, we set out fully prepared, tested the effects of our new magic on scrap materials obtained from the ranch, and then headed toward the ruins.

Since the ruins were relatively close, only about 3-4 hours away from Ambers Ranch, we were able to stop for lunch and a short rest about 1-2 kilometers before reaching our destination, allowing us to arrive at the ruins in full readiness.

“We’re almost at the ruins… oh my.”

“Looks like they just finished their lunch too.”

As soon as we rounded the roughly carved rocky corner, we saw a troll just getting up from where it had been sitting in the clearing in front of the ruins. Beside it were scattered bones, presumably from some wild animal, along with a few pieces of meat. The moment the troll spotted us, it picked up the club it had set down and began approaching with quick steps.

“I don’t know what it ate, but it seems like it’s still hungry.”

“According to plan, Fire Enchant goes on Seti first, then on Will. If we can’t take it down within the 10-minute effect time, Seti, focus on evasion.”

“Got it.”

While Jessica prepared the spell, Seti took off the backpack he’d been carrying. Whether it was a determination to fight to the end or to maximize his mobility—his greatest weapon in combat—I couldn’t tell, but watching the tip of his spear glow red like a heated blade after the Fire Enchant was cast, I couldn’t imagine we’d have to flee due to insufficient attack power like yesterday.

For guns, on the other hand, only the bullet tips changed to a red color, making it difficult to visually confirm whether the elemental attribute was still active. Having learned this fact through our morning performance tests, we decided to use Fire Enchant on Seti first. When the light disappeared from Seti’s weapon, the effect would soon end on my gun as well, allowing us to time the reapplication.

“OK, let’s begin. This is our revenge match from yesterday!”

“We’ll take it down within 10 minutes.”

When the troll closed to about 15 meters, Seti charged. Ideally, we would have quietly approached the ruins, hidden around a collapsed wall, lured the troll out, and ambushed it, but the current situation wasn’t bad either.

Being more than 50 meters away from the ruins meant we didn’t have to worry about the troll damaging the walls, and if by chance there were other monsters inside, we could spot them early and prepare accordingly.

“BOOM!”

“Just as expected.”

Approaching the troll, Seti didn’t strike first with his spear but waited for the troll’s attack. The troll’s first attack was, like yesterday, a full-force downward strike, and it seemed to have a habit of maintaining its striking posture until the scattered stone fragments settled. Seti, having apparently figured out this habit from yesterday’s encounter, nimbly jumped to the side to avoid both the club and the stone fragments, then rushed back in and thrust his blazing spear tip not at the troll’s body but at its club.

“GRRRRR…GYAAA!?”

“You’re slow to catch on.”

True to its nature as a club that wouldn’t easily break even when striking rock, Seti’s spear tip only penetrated about 1-2 centimeters, but the fire attribute’s effect on the wooden material was tremendous.

As flames quickly spread from where the spear tip had pierced to engulf the entire club, the troll had no choice but to drop its only weapon. Regardless of weakness attributes, it simply couldn’t wield a burning piece of wood.

“Will, Jessica! It can’t use that golf swing attack anymore, so attack with confidence!”

“So that’s why you targeted the club… smart thinking.”

Even though fire-attribute weapons were the troll’s weakness, this merely prevented its regeneration ability to allow for an even fight, not deal multiplied damage or defeat it in one hit like in RPG games.

Considering this, Seti chose to burn the troll’s weapon to reduce its attack capability rather than risking a counterattack after dodging the first blow. This strategy not only benefited Seti in close combat but also freed the two of us fighting at range from the troll’s scattered stone projectile attacks.

“With the field set up so nicely, we should live up to expectations. Let’s go, Jessica!”

“Right, Fire Bolt!”

The battle quickly turned in our favor thanks to having effective damage-dealing methods and the fortunate development of the troll losing its weapon.

Without its club, the troll tried to swing its fists at Seti or grab him, but Seti masterfully maneuvered just in and out of its reach, steadily inflicting damage. Meanwhile, Jessica and I, freed from worrying about stone projectiles, focused our attacks on the tall troll’s upper body.

However, even excluding its regeneration ability, the troll’s toughness was considerable. Each time Seti’s spear slashed at its arms and wrists while evading punches and grabs, the skin tore and wounds appeared, but unlike with Jonathan or the Black Ox, he couldn’t sever body parts with a single strike.

“The skin tears easily, but the inside seems tougher than expected.”

“Larger monsters tend to have higher physical durability. Maybe Seti is deliberately holding back on more aggressive attacks.”

“True, Seti does have that kind of sensibility.”

Unlike Jessica and me, who try to turn the tide with powerful magic or full-barrel shots, Seti possesses exceptional speed and the high-powered charge attacks that come with it. Yet he doesn’t rely on those finishing blows, instead steadily landing effective hits and overwhelming opponents with skill.

It takes extraordinary mental fortitude to fight that way. Especially in situations where the opponent’s attack power is overwhelmingly high and a single hit could be fatal, most would avoid prolonged battles and attempt a big attack when an opportunity presents itself. But Seti would rather miss a 90% chance than risk the 10% probability of failure that could worsen the battle situation. He only goes for killing blows when he’s 100% certain.

However, with such a large difference in size between opponents, that 100% chance for a finishing blow rarely comes.

Due to the height difference of about 5 meters between them and the troll, Seti couldn’t target vital points like the heart or neck. Unless the troll extended its arms first, even attacking its upper body was difficult. As a result, Seti mainly targeted the legs and the outstretched arms, while we concentrated our attacks on the upper body to avoid friendly fire incidents.

Seti skillfully kept the troll’s attention by narrowly evading its attacks while unfailingly stabbing at its feet and thighs whenever it tried to step forward in pursuit. Thanks to these tactical movements, even when Seti momentarily moved out of the troll’s direct line of sight, it never thought to force its way through our formation to approach us.

“Seti! Seven minutes have passed!”

“Time has gone by that quickly…”

Jessica glanced at her pocket watch and informed Seti of the remaining time, but Seti’s movements remained unchanged.

The battle situation was favorable to us, and the troll’s body, which had seemed rock-solid, was now severely wounded. I thought we could win even if we went beyond the 10-minute mark, but in situations where we could attack so aggressively, unexpected chances for a “critical hit” sometimes present themselves.

“GRUAAAAAAA-!!”

While accumulating damage to the upper body was good, I thought attacking the face might obstruct its view of Seti and create more attack opportunities. Jessica seemed to have the same idea.

As Jessica’s Fire Bolt flew toward its face, the troll covered it with its left arm, barely avoiding facial burns. But lowering its arm afterward and glaring at us was a mistake. Some of the bullets I had just fired after reloading my revolver were heading straight for the troll’s eyes.

With its vision completely destroyed by the fire-attribute damage that couldn’t regenerate, Seti seized the opportunity and immediately darted behind the troll, slicing through both of its heels.

“GYAAA-!!”

*THUD*

“Got it…!”

The troll, its Achilles tendons severed, staggered and fell to the ground.

Blinded, the troll couldn’t assess the situation and twisted its upper body, trying to prop itself up with both arms—but this posture was exactly the 100% chance Seti had been waiting for during the past seven minutes.

The troll’s upper body, which had been high above until just now, was now within reach of Seti’s spear.

“YAAAAAAH!!”

Gripping his spear firmly with both hands, Seti charged like a black lightning bolt, driving his weapon up under the troll’s chin.

The fiery spear tip penetrated deeply, piercing through the roof of its mouth and reaching the brain, seemingly cooking it from the inside. The troll couldn’t even let out a final scream as its body trembled briefly before its limbs went limp.

After confirming that the troll had definitely stopped breathing and that no new monsters were emerging from the ruins, we high-fived each other and praised our collective effort.

“Excellent work, Seti.”

“It’s thanks to Will hitting the troll’s eyes.”

“Which I could only do because of Jessica’s Fire Bolt. So in the end, it was a victory of teamwork?”

The troll’s massive body, even in death, still exuded an intimidating presence, and I couldn’t help but worry it might come back to life and crush us in its grasp.

Only after Jessica, with Seti’s help, extracted a magic stone larger than my fist did that anxiety transform into joy of victory.

“This size is incredible!”

“The stronger the monster, the more valuable the magic stone, and with a size this large, we could get at least 500 gold for it. We might even consider buying a pack horse to travel with from now on.”

“That’s good news. After running from the troll yesterday, I was thinking how nice it would be to at least have our backpacks carried by a horse.”

Thanks to returning to a younger body when crossing to this world, the weight of my travel backpack usually wasn’t much of a burden, but when running for my life, even that slight weight felt like it was dragging me down. Looking back, I probably should have abandoned the backpack and saved my life first, but I didn’t have the presence of mind to think that way at the time.

“So now we begin our full-scale exploration of the ruins… but first, we should scout to see if there are any other monsters inside.”

“It’s not a very large building, so the check itself shouldn’t take long.”

I’m already feeling excited about whether the Arcane Word might be hidden in this stone structure called the Ancient Archives, but first we need to calmly verify the safety of the interior.

After retrieving Seti’s backpack, we began to approach the ruins quietly and slowly.