Chapter 25: Knight Roland
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 25: Knight Roland
The dungeons in the game were all a pain in the ass. It was as if they were steeped in the developer's deep-seated desire to mess with the players.
This place was no different. For the players who had found a shortcut to avoid the endless flood of goblins, what awaited them was an exquisitely designed, unavoidable trap and a mid-boss troll.
A troll…!
Its three-meter-tall frame and the muscles covering its entire body seemed to scream, this is the body of a true monster. And it wasn't just for show.
Monstrous strength that seemed two or three times that of a grown man, tireless stamina, and a regenerative ability that healed wounds in an instant. This powerful monster was something that even ten professional hunters working together often failed to catch.
‘Then again, it gives a massive amount of experience points.’
It might be easier to understand if I said it was more than killing hundreds of goblins.
“Fwoooosh…”
The fortunate thing was that the troll was asleep. Its bed was a raised platform of earth on the wall opposite the passage we had just come from. The moderately high platform looked something like a stage.
“Crazy, a troll…!”
“This is like running from a fox only to meet a tiger…!” [An idiom for 'out of the frying pan and into the fire.']
I glanced at Roland, whose expression had turned serious, and prodded him.
“Sir Roland. Isn't this your chance to become a Troll Slayer?”
A knight who had nothing but his body needed a distinctive reputation to secure a vassal contract. To that end, they usually aimed to win jousting tournaments held by nobles, but those weren't held often enough to satisfy the knights.
So, knights found other ways to prove their skills. Monster hunting was one of them.
In particular, if a knight managed to slay a powerful monster like a troll single-handedly, the title of Troll Slayer would be added after their name when they were announced. For a knight, that was an unspeakable honor.
That was precisely why my father, Maxim Tobalts, had been able to receive a manor as a vassal of Baron Rasino.
Maxim Tobalts was a Troll Slayer.
“It’s impossible alone,” Roland answered immediately.
Had he decided that the title of Troll Slayer was worthless compared to the relic that might be sleeping in these ancient ruins?
I, who had secretly thought this was a chance to see the full extent of the skills he might be hiding, couldn't help but feel disappointed.
“Then what should we do…”
“Is there any need to fight it? Take a look over there.”
Hendricks pointed behind the troll. On the wall, hidden by its massive body, was another hole. Its shape was a precise trapezoid, just like the passage we had come through.
Another passage.
“Sneak around it? That won't be easy.”
“Isn't it better to fight only after we get caught?”
“What do you think, Sir?”
Roland spoke without taking his eyes off the troll and the passage.
“We shouldn't be so naive as to think it will stay asleep until we reach the passage. We must move under the assumption that the troll will wake up. That way, we can react immediately if it actually does.”
After some discussion, we decided that I would take the lead, followed by Roland and two mercenaries. If the troll woke up, the two mercenaries and I would draw its attention while Roland delivered the finishing blow. Hendricks, who had fallen to the rear, would provide support fire.
“Hoo. Let’s go, then.”
As the one in the lead who would be attacked first if the troll woke, I tensed my body and took a step.
Each and every step had to be taken with care so as not to make a sound. Thanks to that, a distance that would have taken ten minutes to run took more than twice as long, but the troll didn't wake up by the time we reached the raised platform.
“Fwoooosh.”
I pressed myself flat against the wall of the platform. I could hear the troll's snores from above my head. I signaled for my companions, who were also pressing against the wall, to be quieter, then looked for a way up.
There was a stone staircase at the corner of the platform. It must have been used by the troll, as the steps were so high we had to climb them as if scaling a cliff. We had finally made it onto the wide, flat ground.
Clack, clatter, clack, clatter-clatter-clatter.
“…!”
I heard the sound of a rolling stone from behind me. I quickly ducked my head and looked back.
One of the mercenaries following behind me had frozen solid, his face pale. The stone he had accidentally kicked was rolling away, making quite a racket.
After signaling him to stay calm, I peeked my head out again. The troll's face was the size of a man's torso, and the yellowed fangs jutting from its lips were quite menacing.
“Fwoooosh.”
The beast was still lost in dreamland.
“Phew.”
I let out a sigh of relief and climbed onto the platform. Seen from the front, the troll looked much larger, and the platform it used as a bed seemed wide enough for a battle.
Just like… a purpose-built stage.
‘This way.’
Once Hendricks, the last in line, was up, I pointed to the corner of the platform and started walking. It would be a long way around, but it was better than waking the troll.
Was it because the platform was so wide? We were already halfway to our destination, but all we could hear was the troll's deep breathing. It was the same even as we were about to pass it completely.
The new passage was not far off. A sense of relief almost made me breathe louder without realizing it.
I didn't let my guard down. As I said before, every dungeon in the game was filled with the developer's shitty intentions. This place was no exception.
As if to prove that fact,
SWOOOOOSH
A sound like the very earth being crushed echoed out. Having prepared for this, I didn't even look and just threw myself flat on the ground. A massive club grazed past my head by a hair's breadth.
It was a surprise attack I wouldn't have been able to dodge if I hadn't known it was coming. What's more, Roland, who was right behind me, was shielded by my body and would have seen the club even later.
Roland's face was a mask of shock. Anyone could see it was an unexpected situation. But he was agile. He lowered his posture as if performing an acrobatic feat and leaned his upper body back.
The club missed him by a whisker. The fierce wind that followed sent his hair flying in all directions.
THWACK—
Instead of Roland, the mercenary directly behind him was struck by the club. He flew several meters and slammed into the wall before collapsing. He didn't move or even groan.
He was killed instantly.
Of the five mercenaries we started with, only two remained. The troll, now awake, grinned at us.
“Kirik-kirik-kirik.”
“Rascal! Dammit! It was a trap!”
Hendricks was right. A troll pretending to be asleep. It was a famous gimmick designed to make you think you could clear the dungeon without taking any damage, but in reality, it was set up to kill one party member right from the start.
“Hendricks! Let's run!”
One of the surviving mercenaries pointed at the passage. It wasn't that far away.
“You think that cunning bastard will let us escape?”
Roland, who had already moved a good distance away, scoffed at the mercenary. As if it understood his words, the troll stood in front of the passage. Then it tapped the ground with its club and grinned at us.
“Dammit…!”
“Looks like we have no choice but to fight.”
Roland narrowed his eyes and looked at me. The suspicion in them had deepened.
It made sense. I had dodged the troll's surprise attack far too easily, an attack that he, who was right behind me, had barely avoided. He must have been suspicious already, and now he was probably certain.
But even this was within my calculations. This wasn't the right time to interrogate me, not with the troll here. And the time to take off my ruffian's mask was fast approaching anyway.
“We stick to the plan.”
I and the mercenary named Jimmy stepped forward. Our role was to draw the troll's attention to create an opening for Roland to land a fatal blow.
Jimmy muttered.
“Damn it all. I had a bad feeling about this job from the start.”
“Don't forget, we only live if we kill it.”
“Who said otherwise?” Jimmy retorted sullenly.
I remembered how he had tried to flee just moments ago. He wasn't a trustworthy mercenary. Then again, most mercenaries were cut from the same cloth.
“Alright, I'm going.”
Readjusting my grip on my sword, I charged toward the troll's left. Perhaps his experience wasn't for nothing, as Jimmy darted to the opposite side. As I got within range of the troll's attack, I shouted.
“Hendricks!”
Hendricks answered with an arrow.
SWISH—
The arrow cut through the air, aimed fiercely at the troll's face. The beast raised its club. The arrow embedded itself in the wood. It wasn't a failure. It gave me the opening I needed to close in.
Its log-like leg was right in front of me. I was about to swing my sword without hesitation.
Whoosh.
The troll reacted faster than I expected. The leg I was targeting lifted into the air and closed the distance in an instant. The calloused sole of its foot was a weapon in itself. I hurriedly threw myself to the side.
“Jimmy!”
“Damn it!”
Jimmy, charging from the opposite side, aimed for the opening created as the troll supported its massive frame on one leg.
“Kuhung—!”
The troll staggered back. A shallow wound appeared on its slightly bent right leg. Just as Jimmy's expression brightened at his successful attack, I scrambled backward and shouted.
“Jimmy! Dodge!”
The troll was swinging its club low, as if sweeping the floor, aiming for both of us at once.
“Son of a bitch!”
Jimmy, who only noticed the troll's counterattack after my warning, belatedly threw himself backward. He was in such a hurry that he tumbled head over heels. At the same time, an arrow was fired at the troll's torso.
SHWIIICK—
“KUHUNG!!!”
The troll roared as it pulled the arrow from its chest and threw it aside. The wound was severe from being forcibly removed, but the blood seemed to boil for a moment before the skin turned back into smooth, muscular flesh. The wound on its leg from Jimmy's attack had also vanished as if it had never been there.
Regeneration. This was what made trolls so difficult to fight. Still, they weren't without weaknesses.
“We have to use fire! Make a wound and set it on fire!”
“Shit, easier said than done! Sir Knight! How long are you going to just watch!?”
“If I rush in recklessly and put it on guard, it will only make things harder!”
“We'll all be dead by then!”
Jimmy and I had no choice but to charge the troll again. The enraged troll swung its club at me. Instead of retreating, I dove into its reach. It immediately kicked out.
I wasn't going to fall for the same trick twice. I rolled diagonally to dodge, then used the momentum to spring up and slash at its leg, which was now right in front of me. A deep gash, deep enough to expose bone, appeared near the Achilles tendon on its inner leg.
“Kuaaak!”
The troll swung its other hand. Its palm was wide open, clearly intending to squash me flat. I dodged between its legs and came out behind its rear, not forgetting to leave a gash on its other leg on my way. Blood gushed out.
“KUHUHUHUNG!!!”
The troll twisted its body to look down at me, letting out a roar that was somewhere between a scream and a shriek. It was so ferocious it made my knees weak.
And yet, I smirked.
It was because I could see Roland charging in from under the troll's armpit. Only when the troll had carelessly exposed its back did he charge, raising his sword high to strike at the troll's vitals.
Apparently, trolls were male.
“KUAAAAAK!!”
The troll's scream made the cavern tremble as if an earthquake had struck. But its suffering was just beginning. As the troll's attention shifted to Roland, I immediately changed direction and dove into its reach.
This time, I held a torch instead of a sword and jumped. The ragged loincloth covering the troll's lower body was greasy with grime, and perhaps because of that, it caught fire the moment the torch grazed it.
“…!”
This time, the troll couldn't even scream. It dropped its club and was busy trying to pat out the flames on its lower body with both hands. To make matters worse, an arrow shot by Hendricks embedded itself in its face. It must have been a coincidence that it landed squarely in its eye.
“Kuaaa!”
“It's working! We can actually kill it!!”
But our joy was short-lived. The troll no longer fell for our baiting tactics. It ignored my and Jimmy's attacks, letting its regeneration handle them, while its one remaining eye never left Roland.
It had figured out who the biggest threat was. If that were all, it would have been fine. A lull fell over the fight.
BOOM. BOOM. BOOM.
The troll suddenly started slamming its club on the ground. The ground shook as if from an earthquake. No, the entire cavern was shaking.
“Fuck, what's it doing now?”
“It must be frustrated! It's just getting more wounded without any gains! Keep it up! Its regeneration can't be infinite!”
I thought differently. The troll's actions suddenly reminded me of a scene. I quickly looked up and shouted.
“Above! Watch out above!”
As I spoke, a rain of stones began to pour from the ceiling. Most were small, no bigger than a fist, but some were as large as a human head, and a few sharp-pointed ones were mixed in.
No way, it can even use a game skill?