Chapter 98: An Unexpected Gain
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 98: An Unexpected Gain
There was a smell of something rotting, but it wasn't overly offensive. What was slightly more bothersome was the soggy ground. It felt like walking through a rice paddy, which was a bit unpleasant.
Rather than a land of green, the overall scenery was somewhat drab. I could see rotting, twisted trees and the corpses of beasts and humans swarming with insects. It was exactly as I'd heard about the East in taverns.
Although unsettling elements were hidden here and there, the atmosphere itself wasn't bad. The constant scent of danger stimulated my senses. Black Spear, Gark, and Hark seemed to share my thoughts, as they looked quite pleased. I especially noticed Black Spear's expression, as if he'd returned to his homeland.
“We’re finally here.”
“That we are, Blood Dagger. This is just the entrance to the swamp. There aren’t many dangerous beasts, but watch your step. I wouldn’t recommend traveling alone here.”
I had heard this story in the West as well. The ground could suddenly give way, sucking you into the swamp, so it was best to travel in groups. I’d also heard it was recommended to travel with a magician or an archer just in case, and it seemed the same applied to monsters.
“It’s an old story, but I heard that a Minotaur, once renowned for his bravery in the East, sank without a trace while returning from a swamp lizard hunt.”
I figured it would be truly dangerous to wander around here in a Minotaur’s body. Add the weight of a monster’s weapon, and sinking would be inevitable. I nodded, but Mev was already floating nonchalantly into the air.
It was certainly not an easy environment to live in.
Humans built their cities away from the swamps, but monsters lived as one with nature. Unless they found a suitable place, life seemed quite inconvenient.
“Let’s go.”
I nodded at his words. Now that we were back in the swamp, our destination was, of course, Storm Shadow’s settlement. He might not be as boisterous as the Ogre we met before, but I was sure he would welcome us all the same.
I didn’t know how far it was from the entrance of the swamp, but Black Spear began to walk at a slow pace, and we were following him.
“Shhh.”
I began to sense a presence somewhere. In an instant, the clan members fell silent. The Black Spear Clan and my own clansmen did the same. But there was another problem.
“Kkik! Ah… s-sorry.”
Failing to read the mood in the sudden situation, Little Finger had let out a loud noise. It was only natural that Black Spear and I instantly glared at him. Little Finger, realizing his mistake, bowed his head. To reveal our position by shouting—it was an unthinkable mistake for a chieftain leading a clan.
Thanks to him, our location was completely exposed to the enemy. I naturally assumed they would flee.
“It’s a goblin.”
“Shh.”
But it was the complete opposite of what I expected. Interestingly, they were getting closer. The problem was likely that what they heard was a ‘goblin.’ In the West, humans would scatter the moment they heard a goblin’s cry, wary of the Green Goblin Clan.
But this was the East. Here, where some enslave monsters, a goblin would be considered good prey. I figured they were out here hunting Green Skins who had fallen behind or failed the exam. A slow smile spread across my face.
From my perspective, I had found some useful prey the moment I entered the swamp. I nodded at Black Spear, and he nodded back as if to say, ‘do as you please.’
He’d given me full authority. Soon, the humans’ movements grew faster, and at my signal, all the other Green Skins hid themselves in the bushes.
The humans arrived.
“Huh?”
They looked stupid, staring at each other with puzzled faces the moment they saw me.
“A… demon?”
The Greatsword Too Large to be a Sword was strapped to my back. Likewise, the Voice of Curse hung at my waist, and the Ancient Flame was attached to my left hip. That was my entire armament at present.
“I’ve never seen a demon around here…”
“How much is a demon worth?”
“How should I know? I don’t think a demon has ever been traded in our city.”
There were seven of them in total. This was a new kind of reaction. Usually, when I encountered humans in the West, they would either run or immediately prepare for battle and charge. I didn’t know if they were confident in their skills or just clueless, but their reaction was definitely strange.
“Never seen this one around here… He’s not with Storm Shadow, is he?”
“That Troll doesn’t come this far out. Alright, prepare for battle. The objective is obviously to capture him alive. I thought it was a goblin, but we’ve hooked a big one unexpectedly.”
The warriors drew their swords, and the magician began to chant.
I bared my teeth and smiled at the group as they finished their preparations.
“You’re from Somorah.”
“……?”
“What… How did you…”
No more words were necessary. I threw a dagger straight at them. The target was, of course, the magician. After throwing the dagger, I poured as much magic as I could into the Greatsword Too Large to be a Sword on my back.
Sensing the considerable power behind the dagger, a voice immediately shouted out. It seemed they were a party that prioritized safety, as they had been casting an unexpected defensive spell.
“Shield!”
A faint, translucent barrier appeared in front of them, but when I used my unique ability to swap the positions of the dagger and the greatsword I was channeling magic into, a tremendous roar echoed out.
CRACK!
It was the sound of magic clashing with a magic-infused weapon.
The dagger, which should have been deflected harmlessly, was replaced by the magic-infused greatsword, which tore through the shield and embedded itself squarely in the magician’s chest.
“Aaaaargh!”
“Sh-shit, what is this?”
“Fuck… It’s a Named Monster.”
Quite a flashy debut. But I didn’t give them the leisure to figure me out. I threw another dagger at them, and they scattered as expected.
Having seen what happened before, they were reluctant to block the dagger.
It was a simple move, but their formation crumbled in an instant. It was the perfect situation to pick off the separated members one by one. I drew the Voice of Curse and the Ancient Flame at the same time.
As I charged toward the priest, who had the lowest physical ability, the warriors realized their mistake and rushed back toward me. Seeing this, I unleashed a blast of fire from the Ancient Flame in all directions.
It seemed no one here had the courage to break through the intense heat and flames. The priest’s face was pale. A priest on a slave hunt—I couldn’t help but be taken aback.
I swung my sword. In an instant, his arms and legs were severed.
Tssssss!
The priest’s pained screams filled the air as his flesh sizzled and cooked, but of course, I paid it no mind. By forcibly cauterizing the wounds with fire, I had stopped the bleeding, ensuring he wouldn’t die so easily. Just then, one warrior broke through the flames. His whole body was engulfed in fire as he approached, but unfortunately for him, the priest was already out of commission.
“Fucking demon bastard!”
A sword swung toward me. I pulled back and then swung the Voice of Curse. Of course, the short blade of the Voice of Curse couldn’t reach him, but this distance was well within my domain.
The warrior looked puzzled as I swung my sword at empty air.
“Fool.”
He was a slow learner. I swapped the Voice of Curse with the Greatsword Too Large to be a Sword and sent his shoulder flying. I could have taken his head, but he seemed decent enough, so I decided to keep him alive and take him with us.
The fountain of blood and his piercing scream were quite satisfying. The explanation was long, but it took only a moment for three of them to be incapacitated. At this point, I expected the usual pattern, and sure enough, they were scattering in all directions.
“Run!”
“I’ve never seen a monster like that… Shit…”
I glanced back and saw my clan members finally emerging. No, before that, Black Spear’s black spear shot out from the bushes.
SWIIIIISH!
The black spear tore through the air with a bizarre sound, bending in a strange trajectory as it flew. A full two men were skewered on Black Spear’s weapon. The spear, which seemed like it would never stop, finally halted its charge after crashing into a rotten tree and embedding itself in the ground.
The remaining ones met a similar fate. My attention was on the spear, so I didn’t see it clearly, but seeing a man being carried through the air with his limbs completely severed, I knew Gark had charged out.
Mev took care of the last one. The arrow she fired with her spirits cleanly pierced the human’s armor. They were all incapacitated in the blink of an eye.
“Hmm… Not bad.”
They didn’t seem to be low-level opponents, so pulling off such an overwhelming victory felt good, as it showed that our training had paid off. The only one dead was the magician who had been impaled by the greatsword at the start. The rest were somehow alive. Many were unconscious, but the warrior with the severed shoulder was glaring at me intently, which made me happy to see he was still feisty.
“Shit… what the hell is this…”
I could understand their confusion, having followed a goblin’s cry only to find a demon who appeared to be a Named Monster, but that was their problem. It was none of my concern.
“Not a bad gift…”
Black Spear nodded in satisfaction. With our rather nice gifts in tow, we arrived at Storm Shadow’s settlement. As expected, the atmosphere was a little different from the Ogre’s. If the Ogre’s settlement was full of life, Storm Shadow’s was truly somber. The main gate of the settlement was open, as if they already knew we were coming, but no one came out to greet us.
Like in Black Spear’s clan, human skulls were impaled here and there, and I saw decorations that suited the Trolls. Most were bone-related, but that alone was enough to make us feel we had arrived somewhere completely different.
It was a bit bewildering that even after we entered the settlement, no one came out to greet us.
I looked at Black Spear with a questioning gaze, and he spoke as if this was familiar.
“This is how this place is.”
“I see…”
Finally, we stood before the largest tent in the settlement. The tent flap opened, and Storm Shadow revealed himself.
“It’s been a while, Black Spear… and… Blood Dagger…”
His voice was slightly gloomy. It was him, exactly as I remembered. The somber Troll with rather impressive tusks, Storm Shadow.