Ch.36Red-Eyed Mercenaries (4)

In the sunset forest, a massive monster revealed itself. With a body three times the size of a human, thick limbs, and a neck that seemed impossible to cut with a sword, it exuded an aura completely different from the common monsters scattered around.

A troll. That’s what this monster was called.

Among adventurers, it was classified as a blue-grade monster, with the prevailing assessment being that three or four blue-grade adventurers could hunt it down. So while the blue-grade adventurers gathered here could certainly hunt it if they paired up…

“That’s…”

No one dared to move rashly.

“It’s a Blood Troll. Why is it here…?”

Of course, what appeared before them wasn’t an ordinary troll.

Blood Troll.

A mutated variant of trolls, it was a wanted monster that had disappeared after killing fifteen blue-grade adventurers several months ago. Unlike ordinary trolls, it was cunning and highly intelligent.

The central guild of Cambria had classified the Blood Troll as red grade.

Black, purple, blue, green, red, white.

Among the six classifications, it ranked in the upper tier, considered a monster that required at least eight green-grade adventurers to face. Knowing this, the adventurers hesitated to move.

It was a monster beyond their level.

This was true even for Marsen, the highest-ranked green-grade adventurer present. If those gathered here had formed a subjugation party specifically to hunt the “Blood Troll,” she might have taken the lead.

“But…”

Marsen looked around.

Everyone was preparing to retreat and flee. This was natural. After all, they were adventurers and mercenaries who prioritized their own safety above all else. Marsen herself was no different.

Don’t engage in dangerous situations.

Don’t challenge situations where you might lose.

Your life is always the most important thing.

That was the unwritten rule of this city.

Some might mock it as selfish, but those living in this city were adventurers and mercenaries… not knights or heroes who risked their lives on dangerous battlefields.

“…Tch.”

Marsen clicked her tongue and took a step back.

Seeing even the strongest person here preparing to flee, the adventurers slowly distanced themselves from the troll. The Blood Troll was just glaring at them, not moving yet.

Sneer.

However, the troll’s movements soon changed.

As the adventurers began to back away, the Blood Troll raised the corners of its mouth and took a step forward. With a thud that shook the ground, the adventurers turned and started running.

“Run!”

“Where’s the Red-Eyes? They should be handling monsters like this…!”

Panic spread like a contagion.

Amid the adventurers fleeing and cursing, someone was pushed and fell to the ground.

“Hey, damn it! Which bastard—”

The adventurer’s words were cut short.

The Blood Troll was an experienced hunter and didn’t miss prey that showed weakness. With a thud, the troll charged toward the fallen adventurer.

“H-Haaaaaaaa!”

With a club resembling an uprooted tree.

Just as the club was about to swing down at the adventurer, someone rushed toward the fallen figure, grabbed them by the scruff of the neck, and threw them backward.

CRASH!

The club smashed into the ground, raising a cloud of dust.

As the dust settled, it revealed a single adventurer facing off against the Blood Troll. The fleeing adventurers watched from a distance.

What kind of madman was this? What lunatic would volunteer to be bait?

Standing there was a black-grade adventurer. A complete novice who had arrived in the city not long ago and didn’t even know the unwritten rules. The mysterious young man who had captured everyone’s attention during this subjugation stood there.

Clang!

He drew his sword from its scabbard.

As if he intended to fight the Blood Troll.

“Supervisor.”

Najin, with his sword drawn, looked at the supervisor standing on the platform. The supervisor also seemed flustered, preparing to send a distress signal and flee, but intimidated by Najin’s aura, he stopped and stared at him.

“How many points is that worth?”

“…What?”

The supervisor couldn’t answer Najin’s question.

Even the adventurers gathered here couldn’t immediately understand what Najin was saying. Points? Here?

“It looks pretty big.”

Najin pointed his sword at the troll in front of him and smirked.

“How about 30 points?”

Adding 30 points to Najin’s current score would make 65.

That would exceed the highest score in the history of the Dotchenberg Forest subjugation, 57 points, currently held by Barger, who had risen to become the vice-captain of the Red-Eyes.

…A historic high score.

Before participating in this quest, what Najin had checked wasn’t the number of participants in the subjugation, but the highest score in the history of the Dotchenberg Forest subjugation.

Though first place was already secured.

Najin wasn’t interested in a mediocre first place.

He wasn’t satisfied with winning by a narrow margin over second place. What Najin aimed for was an overwhelming victory. A perfect win that would shatter the historic record, one that no one could belittle.

“I’d appreciate more if you can give it.”

Saying this, Najin leaped sideways with a sliding motion. The troll’s club struck the ground again. Once more, dust rose high. But this time, there was no need to wait for the dust to settle.

Slash!

A sword cut through the dust.

And it wasn’t just the dust that was cut. Najin’s blade had managed to shallowly slice the Blood Troll’s skin.

Blood spurted.

However, what caught the adventurers’ attention more than the spurting blood was something else. The sword Najin held as he emerged from the dust cloud. They focused on the light emanating from Najin’s extended blade.

A pure white radiance.

That light, so close to darkness, shone with its own color in the sunset-dyed forest.

2.

Cambria, the City of Opportunity.

Since coming to this city, Najin hadn’t yet fought against a strong opponent. He had sparred with Volkman, but that was just practice, not a life-or-death battle. So Najin had been hoping.

For a life-or-death battle with an opponent equal to or stronger than himself.

He knew that was the quickest way to improve his skills. There was nothing more valuable than combat experience against strong opponents.

‘Of course, I should gauge my opponent first…’

Najin glanced at the Blood Troll before him.

Indeed, it was an extremely strong opponent. Without Excalibur and his complete platinum sword energy, he couldn’t be confident of victory.

‘But.’

Even without using those.

At the very least, he didn’t think he would lose. The mercenary unit at the center of the forest would soon arrive as reinforcement, so retreating in the worst-case scenario wouldn’t be a bad option.

But that’s only if things go wrong.

Right now, Najin was aiming for victory. He narrowed his eyes. With bloodshot eyes, he read the Blood Troll’s movements. Reading the club’s trajectory, Najin kicked off the ground and started running.

“Hoo…”

Najin exhaled deeply.

As he inhaled again, he drew in the mana scattered around. The mana accumulated in Najin’s body was extremely small, but… at this moment, that amount was meaningless.

It was merely residual after all.

The mana cultivation method taught by Merlin.

That method doesn’t prioritize accumulating mana. Its purpose is to strengthen the pathways through which mana flows and to strengthen the body itself, creating a physique optimized for mana.

So, the mana accumulated in Najin’s body is just residue after strengthening his body. The amount of mana Najin can handle is revealed the moment he “breathes.”

BOOM!

After breathing, Najin accelerated in an instant.

Widened pathways and a body adapted to mana. The speed created by their synergy is not inferior even when compared to Sword Experts who have reached mastery for over a decade.

Movement beyond a seasoned Sword Expert.

Najin’s sword flashed as he accelerated in an instant. He evaded the Blood Troll’s club and slashed its skin. But the moment he swung his sword, Najin felt it. It was shallow.

‘It’s not cutting properly.’

-Of course it wouldn’t.

Merlin muttered.

-Troll skin is tough. Even if you try to burn it with magic, it’s hard to scorch that skin. It has high resistance by nature. You’ll need technique to cut it with sword energy, you know?

She said.

-Want me to tell you how?

‘No need.’

Najin declined.

Moving his eyes rapidly, he predicted the next move. Conscious of the club the troll raised and the steps it took, Najin moved.

‘I think I’ve got it.’

Najin readjusted his grip on the sword.

He had seen it recently. Volkman, the vice priest, slicing through orcs without even drawing out his sword energy. Of course, troll skin is tougher than orc skin, but…

Wasn’t his sword already imbued with sword energy?

If so, he should be able to slice through that troll’s skin. Najin readjusted his stance.

BOOM!

The moment Najin stepped forward, his aura changed.

Not a nimble hunter exploiting openings, but the aura of a priest of the sword who had honed his swordsmanship for years.

Swish.

The power of swordsmanship displayed with an enhanced body and a sword wrapped in sword energy was incomparable to before. Swordsmanship executed from a perfect stance. The flashing sword grazed the side of the club the troll was swinging.

Only the troll’s skin had resistance.

The club was just a blunt weapon made of wood.

Naturally, it couldn’t withstand the sword energy.

With a clean cutting sound, the club was split in half. The club fell with a smooth cut surface. The sudden loss of the club’s weight created an opening in the troll’s stance, and Najin didn’t miss it.

Slash…

Najin’s footsteps were erratic.

Sliding, or dance-like footsteps. It was the swordsmanship of Vice Priest Volkman. An advanced technique that only vice priests who had completely mastered the four basic stances could learn.

With that swordsmanship, Volkman had cut down an orc in a single strike.

Recalling Volkman’s movements, Najin straightened his bent knee. He swung his sword as if springing up. The flow accumulated through his footsteps, the accumulated power, was released through a single swing.

SLASH!

This time, he felt the sensation of cutting. Blood spurted as the troll’s skin was torn apart. A fatal blow that would have made an ordinary troll shriek and cower. But the Blood Troll was different from ordinary trolls.

GROOOOOOAR!

The troll roared and swung its fist.

In a split second, Najin twisted his body in mid-air and blocked the fist with his sword, but he couldn’t completely negate the impact. Najin was sent flying and crashed into a tree.

But Najin immediately got back up.

As if this was nothing. Coughing and spitting out congealed blood, Najin wiped the blood from his mouth with the back of his hand. Far from grimacing in pain, a smile formed on his lips.

Because he had figured it out.

How to cut through that thick skin.

3.

The adventurers who had been trying to flee stopped in their tracks and watched Najin engage in single combat with the Blood Troll.

Initially, they had thought of using Najin as bait to escape, but now they just silently observed his battle. An unbelievable sight was unfolding before their eyes.

A red-grade danger monster, the Blood Troll.

A young man facing it alone.

Najin and the troll were evenly matched. It was unbelievable. Was he a red-grade expert despite only wearing a black-grade badge? The adventurers’ gazes wavered.

“…Shouldn’t we help him?”

Someone said, trying to move forward, but at that moment, Najin’s cold eyes turned back, stopping the adventurer in his tracks.

Don’t interfere.

This is my prey.

Such a chilling gaze that seemed to shout. Taking or interfering with another’s prey was taboo. That too was an unwritten rule among adventurers. In the end, the adventurers silently watched Najin’s hunt.

GROOOOOOAR!

The troll roared and swung a tree it had uprooted. By the time the tree hit the ground and raised dust, Najin was already gone from that spot. Sliding in from the side, Najin leaped onto the tree the troll was holding.

Najin ran up the slanted tree.

Climbing onto the troll’s nape, Najin held his sword with one hand. With the other hand, he thrust a dagger deep into the troll’s eye socket.

————!

The troll’s scream.

The eye, unprotected by skin, was easily pierced by the sharp dagger. Hanging onto the troll’s nape using the dagger embedded in its eye socket, Najin swung the sword held in his other hand.

Slash, slash, SLASH!

Incomplete sword energy flashed repeatedly.

The repeatedly swung blade slashed the Blood Troll’s thick neck multiple times. The thick neck skin became tattered, and blood spurted in all directions.

Even as the troll violently shook its body, Najin didn’t fall off, and even when the troll tried to grab him, it couldn’t catch him. Eventually, the troll screamed and repeatedly slammed its body against trees. Only then did Najin jump off, kicking off the troll’s shoulder.

Grrrr, grrrrr…

The Blood Troll, foaming at the mouth, glared at Najin.

One eye had a dagger embedded in it, and its neck skin was tattered with blood flowing down. It looked like one or two more sword swings would completely sever it.

The adventurers watching felt a chill.

Sometimes he moved like a seasoned swordsman who had wielded a sword for years… and other times he showed a chilling appearance like a hunting dog biting the nape of its prey.

Overwhelming.

Faced with the young man’s overwhelming presence, the adventurers sensed it.

This adventurer, still at black grade, was by no means a novice. Not a novice. Like those who had reached the pinnacle of this adventurer city, he was a rising star who would instantly reach those heights.

A new star rising in this city.

And it wasn’t just the adventurers watching this star. One of Cambria’s five pinnacles, who had just arrived after receiving the distress signal, was also observing.

“Huh.”

Roseline Askarlo let out a laugh.

“He’s crazy, that one.”

A smile spread across Roseline’s lips as she muttered. It was the smile of someone who had found a kindred spirit. Roseline continued to watch Najin’s movements with a smile.

Najin took his stance.

To prepare for the final blow.

The most powerful strike he had ever seen. As Najin took his stance to imitate that strike, Roseline’s eyes widened. She recognized that stance.

She had intended to watch a bit longer, but now she couldn’t.

The young man probably didn’t know.

That was a technique he shouldn’t be able to use, nor should it be used on such a monster.