Snow Troll Slayer and the Manticore's Fall
The linked quest party entered the instance dungeon through a hole in the wall. The backdrop this time was a vast white snowy mountain.
"Whoa, it's cold."
"Everyone, keep your body temperature up."
Suddenly hit by the freezing weather, the group hurriedly pulled blankets from their bags and draped them over themselves. Following Seojun's lead, they slowly made their way forward until a forest of trees buried under enormous piles of snow came into view.
"Hold."
At his command, Jo Jaehun and Kim Hoon immediately assumed defensive stances, Lee Guho prepared his spells, and Gisohee nocked an arrow.
Moments later, two Snow Trolls—dwellers of frigid lands—emerged from the forest. Trolls were mid-to-high-grade monsters boasting immense strength and regenerative powers, treated like walking treasures due to the high value of their blood. Snow Trolls, covered in white fur and native to cold regions, were smaller and weaker than regular trolls, but they retained the signature troll ferocity.
"I'll take one! You four handle the other! Never tank hits directly—dodge or deflect them!"
Namgung Seojun issued orders and charged first, hurling daggers focused on one troll.
"Grrr???"
One troll's attention locked onto him, and in that moment, Lee Guho's magic struck the other.
Boom!
The two trolls' aggro split naturally. Seojun closed in on the one fixated on him and swung his sword.
Thud!
He stabbed the Snow Troll's body, but it barely penetrated. Instead, the troll roared and swung the tree trunk it wielded.
"Sylph!"
Namgung Seojun retreated hastily and summoned Sylph. Reading his intent, the summoned spirit immediately buffed him.
Thud! Thud!
Now faster, Seojun dodged the Snow Troll's tree swings while inching closer. The party had smoothly separated the two foes.
"Kraaah!!"
The troll hit by Lee Guho's magic charged at the main group: Jo Jaehun, Kim Hoon, Gisohee, and Lee Guho. Jo Jaehun gripped his large shield with both hands and shouted.
"Deflect it! Be careful!"
Reading the Snow Troll's attack path, Jo Jaehun deflected it slightly.
Wham!!!
Even with the partial deflection, a massive shock rippled through his arms. He deflected the next attack too—a testament to countless battles, level-ups, and skill mastery. While Jo Jaehun tanked, Lee Guho adjusted his positioning, with Kim Hoon shielding him. Then the spell finished casting.
"Firebolt!"
Lee Guho's quick cast unleashed powerful magic that hammered the Snow Troll repeatedly.
"Kraaak!"
The troll wanted to rush Lee Guho amid the pain, but Jo Jaehun blocked its path.
"Gotta get past me first!"
Enduring the cracking pain in his arm bones, Jo Jaehun held the line as Gisohee's prepared arrows rained down.
Whoosh. Whoosh. Whoosh.
Her arrows targeted the troll's eyes precisely. Weak damage or not, the troll had to block them. Meanwhile, Lee Guho chanted another spell for continuous attacks.
Namgung Seojun's solo fight was proving more stable than expected.
Thump! Thump! Whack!
The enraged Snow Troll smashed down relentlessly with its tree, but Seojun evaded every blow perfectly using Domain Insight and Prediction, counterattacking whenever possible.
Stab!
"Kraaak!"
Relying on his Super Sense, Seojun kept probing until he found the Snow Troll's weak spots.
Thump! Whack!
He dodged attacks while...
Stab! Stab!
...successfully striking vulnerabilities. Soon, the troll's body was dyed red with blood. Its regeneration kept wounds shallow, but the cumulative stabs caused heavy bleeding. Confirming the troll tiring, Seojun created distance and charged.
"Hah!"
The Snow Troll swung its tree at the oncoming Namgung Seojun, but he deftly dodged and closed in, leaping from point-blank range to slash hard.
Slash!
The powerful stroke severed the Snow Troll's head clean off—a picturesque display of swordsmanship felling a mighty troll in an instant.
With the achievement in hand, he'd felled one Snow Troll.
"Be careful! Careful!!"
Gisohee anxiously shouted at Jo Jaehun and Kim Hoon roughly handling the troll corpses.
"Their blood's worth more than gold. Handle them gently."
Following her instructions, the two hung the dead Snow Trolls from trees. Namgung Seojun attached blood pouches to catch the dripping blood.
"Whoa, we actually took down trolls we've only heard about."
Lee Guho, resting to recover mana, watched in awe. By the time Gisohee had collected nearly all the blood, they packed up.
"Six pouches' worth from two trolls. Not bad for smaller Snow Trolls."
"We need their heads too—they fetch a high price."
"The fur on the ones we killed is all damaged, but the leader's has some good patches. Let's harvest those."
Gisohee and Kim Hoon diligently sorted the loot. Meanwhile, Namgung Seojun checked his gains.
Achievement: Troll Slayer (Strength +1, Agility +1)
'Lucky break.'
It was an achievement earned by soloing a troll. Meeting a smaller, relatively weaker Snow Troll—one he could handle alone with his current power—was fortunate indeed.
Gisohee and Kim Hoon finished cleaning the battlefield.
"Seojun-ssi, battlefield's cleared."
"Good work. Let's move."
Bags heavier with loot felt like a joy to the party. Satisfied with the achievement, Namgung Seojun rose, and they pressed on through the instance dungeon's frozen snowy forest.
As the forest ended, an ice house appeared before them. But Seojun sensed a strong ominous vibe from it.
"Combat ready!"
He shouted sharply, and the group dropped their bags, snapping into formation.
"......"
Yet the surroundings remained silent. Nothing changed but the howling cold wind.
Still, he warned them while staying vigilant.
"No letting your guard down. Maintain combat readiness!"
As they held position, a massive monster plummeted from the sky onto the ice house.
Boom!
The explosive force would've meant instant death inside! The fallen beast had a lion's body with wings, a human-like face—but its mouth stretched ear-to-ear.
"Manticore?"
Gisohee's words prompted the manticore to screech in a grating, metal-scraping voice.
"Kekeke! Die, all of you!!!"
Speaking human tongue, the manticore whipped its tail, scattering venomous stingers like shotgun pellets.
Thwip! Thwip! Thwip!
Jo Jaehun and Kim Hoon barely blocked with shields, keeping Lee Guho safe behind them. But!
Whoosh. Thud! Ping. Ping. Whoosh. Gasp!
To prevent Lee Guho's casting, it alternated charges and tail strikes, keeping Jo Jaehun, Kim Hoon, and Lee Guho off-balance. Jo Jaehun especially felt his arm bones shattering under the onslaught but grimly held his shield.
Whoosh. Whoosh.
"Nice harassment!"
Thankfully, Gisohee's arrows from afar provided breathing room. In the interim, Namgung Seojun used Super Sense to pinpoint the manticore's weakness.
'Under the belly?'
Testing it in a brief opening, he hurled a dagger.
Thud!
"Aaargh!"
It struck true below the belly. The thick hide held, but the manticore reacted sensitively.
"You bastard!"
Ignoring Seojun before, it now lashed its tail at him. He dodged the stingers, circling behind to harass it.
'Oh?'
With Seojun splitting its focus, Lee Guho got an opening.
"Hit the belly!"
At the order, Lee Guho fired his fastest cast: Magic Missile.
"Magic Missile!"
The manticore blocked two of three with its tail, but one pierced the belly.
"Aaargh!"
A tearing scream echoed. Seojun boldly slid under it like a baseball player, jamming his black iron sword into the belly before pulling out.
"Aaaargh!!"
The manticore screamed louder, spewing breath at Seojun.
"Sylph!"
Summoning Sylph for a speed buff, he barely evaded. Meanwhile, Gisohee's arrows flew, and Lee Guho's second spell completed.
Whoosh. Whoosh.
"Firebolt!"
Her arrows did minor damage, but the fireball precisely hit Seojun's sword embedded in the belly.
"Gahk!!"
The massive blow halted the manticore momentarily. Seojun bellowed.
"Attack!"
Jo Jaehun and Kim Hoon joined in, hammering the pained belly. Gisohee kept shooting, Seojun throwing daggers, Lee Guho spamming spells. Bombarded relentlessly, the manticore finally collapsed with a thud.
"It's dead?"
As Lee Guho said, it lay fallen, but the party hesitated to approach. Soon after, the corpse dissolved to powder and blew away, leaving Seojun's black iron sword, a chest, and a large gem presumed to be the dungeon heart.
You cleared the Nameless God's second dungeon.
Rewards: 200 Fame and 2,000 Merit Points distributed to quest-accepting party members.
Common reward: Low-Grade Talent Selection Ticket.
Linked Quest (??? Grade)
📍 Content: You passed the second dungeon (God's Trial). Clear the dungeon bearing the final traces of the god.
📍 Period: None
📍 Dungeon Location: 24th Floor
🎁 Success Reward: 500 Fame, 5,000 Merit Points, ???
📍 Failure Penalty: None
The notifications confirmed the dungeon clear and quest update.
"We won!"
Lee Guho cheered first, the others joining in triumph.
"Ah... ah... agh..."
Jo Jaehun groaned while downing recovery potions.
"Whoa... must hurt like hell."
Three potions in, and he still wasn't fully healed—his bones were shattered badly. Yet Gisohee inwardly admired how he'd endured through sheer willpower.
Lee Guho waited by the treasure chest for Jo Jaehun to recover, while Namgung Seojun scanned the area.
'Wandering might yield more, and Super Sense agrees.'
But with bags already overflowing, he gave up exploring further. Everyone gathered at the chest, and Seojun joined them.
"You okay now?"
Jo Jaehun waved his hand, grimacing.
"Still kinda numb... hate this feeling."
Gisohee, who'd nursed him, confirmed.
"You're fully recovered, though."
Party status: all clear. Time to open the treasure chest.
"Hyungnim? Mind if I open it?"
Namgung Seojun glanced at the others; Jo Jaehun and Kim Hoon nodded, unable to argue.
"Opening it!"
Lee Guho opened the chest, radiant light spilling out to reveal a book.
Mid-to-High-Grade Random Talent Book
◈ Grants a random mid-grade or high-grade talent upon use.
"Whoa! A talent book!"
"Mid-to-high grade too! Mid or high talent incoming!"
As expected, a satisfying reward. The Nameless God's linked quest was tough, but the payoffs were solid.