Chapter 23
Chapter 23
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 23
Chapter Title: Troll Hunter (9)
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They had either dug traps in advance or were lying in wait beforehand. The methods varied, but it all boiled down to the same thing: luring trolls into a battlefield prepared by the hunters. The initiative was firmly in the hunters' hands.
In contrast, chasing a troll moving in the distance was the opposite. There was no way to prepare any traps. And whenever they chased a troll, it usually noticed them before long. Its massive size made it easy to underestimate, but trolls were surprisingly agile monsters with impressive stamina. Charging after one at full speed made it impossible not to get spotted.
That was why Kim Chang-sik asked Suhyun. Whether they were going to chase it. If they weren't already set up and had to charge in directly, the situation was entirely different.
But Suhyun answered without hesitation: they were chasing it.
If this had been their first hunt, Kim Chang-sik might have asked if he was okay, if he had some plan. But not anymore. He had already adapted to Suhyun's unconventional ways.
*He acts like that, so he must have something in mind!*
If Suhyun was coming on this strong, it was definitely because he had a method up his sleeve. In that case, all Kim Chang-sik had to do as the porter was shut up and follow behind Suhyun. That was his thinking as he closely tailed Suhyun.
The dense jungle was gradually thinning out. The occasional swamps had vanished entirely, and Suhyun realized they had crossed the Calcutta Jungle Zone and reached the border of another region.
*Gotta catch that one and head back.*
Their leave was generous, but they couldn't spend months out here. Besides, Kim Chang-sik was already hitting his physical limits. At this rate, he'd make a mistake sooner or later.
Kim Chang-sik wasn't weak by any means. He was a trained soldier. The reason he was this exhausted was the Calcutta Jungle Zone's environment. Hot, humid, with monsters that could pop up anytime. Unless you had Suhyun-level nerves of steel, it was bound to wear you down.
"Chasing prey? It's moving fast. You okay on stamina?"
"Huff, huff... W-water, of course!"
"...Want to take a break?"
"I'm fine!"
Suhyun had brought Kim Chang-sik along as a handyman, but that didn't mean he was carrying all the gear. For stamina management, they balanced the loads during travel. The fact that there was still such a gap came down to technique and superpowers.
"If you're struggling already..."
"I said I'm fine! Where's the troll?!"
"Keep your voice down. It stopped over there. Looks like it's eating something..."
"Huh? Isn't that a golden opportunity?"
Kim Chang-sik was still green, but he could figure out that monsters let their guard down a bit when eating.
"It's a good chance, but it's stopped in a tricky spot. If we approach from here, it'll spot us first."
There were hardly any obstacles around, and the wind was blowing unfavorably. If it were just Suhyun, he'd use telekinesis for three-dimensional maneuvering and ambush it. But Kim Chang-sik was with him. Sneaking up without being noticed would be tough.
*Doesn't matter.*
Suhyun straightened from his crouched stance and strode forward openly. He'd already confirmed no other monsters nearby. A single troll was no problem—he could grab it head-on with telekinesis and crush its windpipe.
"Me?"
"Stay there and keep quiet."
Kim Chang-sik nodded and held his breath. Suhyun looked pleased. Kim Chang-sik showed real potential as a soldier. He had a talent for following orders to the letter. Obeying a younger man's commands without question was a gift in itself.
*Gruk?*
The troll was tearing into some unidentified meat when it twitched, catching the scent approaching from afar. Someone walking right up to it was impossible to ignore.
"Come on. Let's go."
Trolls were aggressive monsters. Some monsters fled at the sight of humans, causing headaches now and then, but not trolls. Unless the odds were hopelessly against them, trolls would redden their eyes and charge at any human they saw.
That was why Suhyun approached without hiding. If he was confident he could take it, cover and stealth were pointless against a troll.
*Grrr...*
"I said come on?"
Suhyun kept walking as he spoke. The plan was to shatter its stance with telekinesis the moment it charged and slit its throat. But the troll didn't move. It hesitated...
Then turned tail and ran.
*Gruk gruk!*
"?!?!?!?!"
Suhyun froze in shock. It was rare for someone of his caliber to be this stunned. But the scene before him fully deserved it.
"No... What...?"
"What the hell?!"
Kim Chang-sik's voice came through the comms. He couldn't make sense of the situation either.
"Did I eat something bad? No..."
One of the most aggressive monsters out there—top five, easy—had turned and bolted without even a single clash. Suhyun couldn't wrap his head around it. Monster aggression wasn't like humans'. Even the toughest-looking ones would clash first and assess later.
Plus, Suhyun was approaching bare-handed, no power armor, no gun. He hadn't dreamed the troll would run.
"The troll just ran away?"
"First time I've seen it. Let's chase!"
Only when Kim Chang-sik caught up did Suhyun snap out of it. A troll fleeing from a human was as shocking as an orc ballerina. As they pursued, they discussed the bizarre turn of events.
Kim Chang-sik didn't have Suhyun's experience, so he was surprised but not floored.
"Trolls run away too? It didn't even take a hit."
"I'm pretty shocked myself right now."
"Maybe it got scared of your glare?"
"That wouldn't make it a monster. No, what the hell..."
Suhyun hadn't even drawn his gun, never imagining it'd flee. Seeing the troll pulling away, he felt an urge to catch it and interrogate what was going on.
"Th-that thing... is seriously fast...?"
A healthy troll at full sprint was more impressive than expected. The thundering footsteps made it look like a living tank barreling away.
*Damn. Taking down a troll with a pistol is a real stretch.*
He could probably manage with heavy telekinesis, but Kim Chang-sik was right there. No way to fool him into thinking a pistol did that, even if he was gullible.
But the troll's pace was too fast to match while babysitting Kim Chang-sik. It was moving way quicker than when hunting. Like a cornered human unleashing hidden strength, the troll was fleeing for its life.
*Just let it go?*
Suhyun considered it. Burning stamina chasing one troll at full tilt wasn't smart. On Cameron Planet, you always had to keep other monsters in mind. Pouring everything into one was idiotic.
"It's plains out here?!"
"No way. Today is really..."
Suhyun muttered, wondering if the guy was dreaming. A troll fleeing its home turf in the Calcutta Jungle Zone all the way to the Ames Plains? He couldn't imagine the level of terror.
The troll smashed through trees to clear a path, then bolted across the plains. Suhyun halted at the plain's edge. Kim Chang-sik panted up and asked.
"Give up?"
"Let's wait here. If it's a troll, it'll come back. They're strict about their territory."
"Wow. I never knew trolls could run that fast. With that bulk."
"News to me today too."
Trolls that ran were usually half-dead. One this healthy fleeing was a truly rare sight.
Suhyun figured it'd run a bit then stop. Hiding a massive monster like a troll on open plains was tough. No need to chase; they could track it visually.
Clop clop, clop clop—
"?
Suhyun thought he heard faint hoofbeats in the distance. At first, he dismissed it as imagination, but it wasn't. Far off, someone was galloping toward them on horseback.
Dazzling long platinum hair tied back in a single ponytail, green eyes gleaming with resolve. Her delicate features were breathtakingly beautiful.
Her outfit was classic elf garb, but her weapons weren't. One hand gripped a curved saber, the other a lever-action shotgun. She looked straight out of a movie.
"Wha-wha-what's that...? An elf, right?"
"Elf, confirmed."
"What do we do?"
"What can we do? Can we jump into that fight from here?"
As if answering Kim Chang-sik's question, the elf spurred her horse at full gallop toward the troll. It had fled from Suhyun, but not from her. The troll roared ferociously at the elf.
"If it fights like that, why'd it run from us?"
Irritated at losing their prey after the chase, Kim Chang-sik grumbled. Then he smacked his fist into his palm.
"Wait, can that elf take a troll solo? Isn't that overkill?"
"Unlike humans, the异種 here charge monsters because they know they can win."
The troll lunged at the elf. She didn't flinch, urging her horse on. She veered left, exposing her right flank as bait, and the troll bit—leaping in with a bellow.
Then came the deafening blast.
*Kaaaaang!*
Nearly half the troll's sturdy head was blown away. The power defied belief. No shotgun could do that. Suhyun realized she was a superpower user.
*Enhancement?*
He'd seen it a few times. The superpower to reinforce objects was reliable and potent.
The elf fed a shotgun slug right into the charging troll's head and didn't stop. She leaped from the saddle, spun inverted in midair, and swung the saber in her other hand at its neck.
A silver flash streaked through the air.
Thud!
The troll, staggering from the head wound, couldn't even resist before dropping dead. It was picture-perfect combat. Kim Chang-sik's face went slack watching it, mouth agape like drool might spill any second.
"Th-that was incredible."
"Activate the translator. Looks like she spotted us."
"?!"
Kim Chang-sik jolted to attention at Suhyun's words. He'd seen异種 on TV or in the city—ones adapted to civilization—but never wild ones living out here. Feeling the tension, he coughed and straightened up.