Chapter 18
Chapter 18
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 18
Chapter Title: Named (4)
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Direct hit.
The troll clutched its face, letting out an agonized scream.
Its two eyes burned away, one ankle half-severed and dangling loosely.
Not light injuries by any means, but not enough to kill the troll either.
One hand gripped its face while the other flailed wildly at the ground.
Its frenzy kept the frontliners from approaching carelessly.
"Bro! You okay?"
Thud, thud. An Changsu had already returned to his position.
Just looking at his grimaced expression made it clear he wasn't all right.
He spat at Kim Taemin's worried words.
"Feels like I'm gonna die... but not right now."
Bloody phlegm.
The damage was far worse on the troll's side, but that didn't mean they had the upper hand.
A scab was already forming rapidly over the monster's sizzling face.
Unlike their side, where strength was steadily draining, the troll would recover all its wounds given time.
Dragging out the fight meant certain defeat.
"Buy us some time!"
The shout came from Han Sehee, who had taken position beside Park Bomi.
Park Bomi nocked a fresh arrow, and Han Sehee placed her staff atop it.
The two were teaming up for a finishing blow in one shot.
An Changsu glanced at his dented round shield before warning them.
"If shit hits the fan, don't hesitate—just bolt."
Then he charged at the troll.
Hoo, he sucked in a deep breath before bellowing it out.
"Look at me—!"
The troll wasn't one to miss that thunderous roar.
It immediately swung its fist toward the source of the sound.
Abandoning any thought of blocking, An Changsu threw himself sideways without hesitation.
Boom!
The shockwave alone made their ears ring.
Fortunately, An Changsu dodged in the nick of time.
The other frontliners weren't just standing around either.
Kim Taemin and Lee Seonwoo hit and ran, staying out of real danger.
Kim Taemin sliced at the troll's Achilles heel.
The troll counterattacked instantly, but he had already used acceleration to pull back.
Soon, the words they'd been waiting for rang out.
"It's ready!"
Han Sehee finished her chant and withdrew her staff.
The change was so subtle that it was nearly invisible without focus.
A faint blue aura flickered at the tip of Park Bomi's arrow.
Magic mimicking the power of aura.
One shot straight to the troll's head, and it was over.
But then, something unexpected happened.
The troll, having vaguely restored its vision, locked eyes on Park Bomi.
The human who had shattered its eyes.
To the monster, she was the greatest threat.
Ignoring the frontliners, the troll started moving toward her.
One hand still covering its face, just like before.
This wasn't good.
It was hard to expect that faint aura to hold up against the troll's thick hide.
Even as Park Bomi drew back her bowstring, she couldn't loose the arrow.
The frontliners' desperate interference proved futile as the distance closed relentlessly.
That's when Lee Seonwoo charged forward.
"You crazy bastard!!!"
Lee Seonwoo stood before the troll, blocking its path.
His sword tip trembled visibly as it pointed at the monster.
He wasn't in his right mind. What the hell was he thinking...?
But there was no time for long deliberations.
The troll didn't ignore the obstacle in its way.
A casual swipe, like brushing away an annoyance.
The hand covering its face came smashing down.
A trajectory impossible to dodge.
I used illusion immediately—
"Ugh."
A queasy sensation roiled in my gut from the unfamiliar resistance.
The ability rebounded due to mana resistance and its inherently low intelligence.
But the troll hesitated too, sensing the alien mana.
In that split second, someone yelled almost like a scream.
"Shoot!"
The arrow whistled through the air without delay.
A straight line pierced the target, halting it in place.
The owner of the massive palm frozen just an inch above Lee Seonwoo's head.
A hole had punched clean through the troll's forehead to the other side.
Thud!
The thing that had been a troll staggered before collapsing to the ground.
Lee Seonwoo, who had been standing dazed, plopped down on his ass.
With mana flooding my body, I closed my eyes and savored the moment quietly.
It hadn't been easy, but they'd cleared it safely.
"You fucking asshole!"
Afterward, I approached the troll's corpse while watching An Changsu grab Lee Seonwoo by the collar.
A single hole in its skull aside, the body was relatively intact.
I pulled a vial from my bag and collected some of the troll's blood.
Valuable material for recovery potions.
I wanted to fill a bucket, but alas, no such luck.
"They won't buy that amount from the alchemy guild."
Lifting my head, I saw Kim Beomsu looking down at me.
"I'm using it myself."
"Oh? You're more impressive than I thought."
More than what? I almost snapped, but it wasn't wrong, so I just nodded.
Ignoring Kim Beomsu's chatter, I focused on the translucent window visible only to me.
About 30% experience gain compared to before entering the gate.
Not a huge amount, considering we'd absorbed mob monsters, the boss, and even the core mana, but it couldn't be helped.
With seven of us, it was bound to split that way.
This gate didn't seem like one that would drop artifacts anyway, so the clear was done.
All that remained was heading back the way we came and exiting the gate, but everyone was too exhausted to move right away.
We decided to rest a bit before heading out.
While watching the party sprawl out on the ground, I finally approached Lee Seonwoo, who was left alone.
Not just An Changsu, but Park Bomi and Han Sehee had chewed him out too, so the timing hadn't been right earlier.
Lee Seonwoo stared with hollow, soulless eyes.
At least clearing the troll's hand from him had helped, so they let it slide at that.
Otherwise, it might've been a beating instead of words.
"Lee Seonwoo?"
"Uh... Han Yujin? Mr. Han?"
"Speak casually. Or not, whatever. I'll drop the formalities too."
His boyish face made it easy—no big deal.
He was supposed to be 20 in his backstory anyway.
Lee Seonwoo looked like he thought I was there to scold him too, his face paling a bit, but no.
I just wanted to ask why he was going so far.
"Weren't you scared?"
"...Pardon?"
"Just curious. Back with the monkeys, and just now—you fight like you're throwing your life away. Why?"
I figured he was either too dumb to grasp the danger or completely fearless.
One or the other.
But neither was true.
Even an idiot could see the risk in that build.
And Lee Seonwoo had definitely been shaking in front of the troll.
He'd charged into a death trap, scared out of his mind.
As if caught out, Lee Seonwoo flinched and spoke softly.
"...Because that's the only way I'm useful."
"What do you mean?"
"I can't even match Changsu hyung or Taemin hyung. To be of any use here instead of dead weight, I have to risk my life at least..."
"Whoa."
The reason was so pathetically stupid I couldn't hide my admiration.
"What good are you if you die?"
He just worked his mouth silently, unable to answer—like he knew it was messed up himself.
Couldn't exactly lay into him more, so I just sighed.
"Don't do it unless you have to."
Leaving Lee Seonwoo with his grim expression, I headed back to my spot.
Rest time ended soon enough, and the folks lying around started getting up one by one.
We collected the troll's corpse, now turned to mana stone, and retraced our steps.
The party left the clearing and entered the dense thicket.
Tension visibly drained from everyone.
"Taemin, soju as soon as we get out?"
"No, bro... shouldn't you hit the hospital first?"
"Waste money on that? A nap'll fix it."
Utter nonsense, but Kim Taemin didn't bother arguing.
He knew persuasion was pointless and had given up in advance.
Listening in sparked a question, so I turned to the mage duo.
"No separate healing magic, by chance?"
Healing was so vital there was a dedicated healer role.
If magic mimicked abilities, healing spells should exist too.
"There is, but it's basically nonexistent."
Han Sehee's vague answer.
Magic mimics abilities, but more precisely, inferior versions of them.
Healing amps the target's natural regen temporarily.
Mana drains continuously while active.
Someone developed a healing spell, but its effect was nerfed while mana cost doubled.
Too inefficient, so it got shelved.
Guess that's why no healing magic in the game.
I nodded thoughtfully alone when the party suddenly halted.
Park Bomi signaled, quietly pointing to one side.
A young girl leaning her forehead against a tree.
Her hair stuck up like twigs.
Leaves clung between strands, and she wore clothes made of bark.
Obviously not human at a glance.
Park Bomi whispered softly.
"Dryad, right?"
"Not exactly like the ones I know... but the features match pretty close."
Han Sehee sounded uncertain, but no other monsters came to mind.
Same for me.
Definitely different from the dryads I knew.
But had there been a monster like that?
A faint unease stirred, but I couldn't speak up rashly without certainty.
"Ambush it."
Park Bomi slowly nocked an arrow.
Dryads were weaker than trolls.
And just one, not a group.
No need for overthinking.
Thwip!
The unhesitating shot pierced the girl squarely.
Kim Taemin dashed toward the target pinned limply to the tree.
Acceleration.
Blazing speed, followed by a follow-up strike.
Slash! He drew his sword diagonally across the girl's neck, and her head thudded to the ground without resistance.
No blood from the stump.
Not human after all.
Kim Taemin sheathed his sword,
and the 'corpse' turned around.
"Wha—"
He tried to pull back instantly, but it was impossible.
Tree roots sprouted from the corpse's outstretched arm, twisting wildly to clamp around Kim Taemin's throat.
Similarly, roots coiled around the corpse's head, soon forming an identical one to the fallen head below.
Cold, emotionless eyes.
The girl-shaped figure tilted her head slightly at the human gripped in her grasp.
Ah.
Only then did I realize.
Not a dryad.
Like how fixed characters persist amid random spawns and deletions,
among common monsters, unchanging named ones always existed.
Kim Taemin dangled helplessly in the air, throat crushed,
Crack!
His neck snapped.
Forest Spirit 'Libea'
Named