Delivering the Troll Corpses
The next morning, I headed straight back into the Chuncheon Break Zone without hesitation. Yesterday's matters were already settled. Now was the time to focus solely on my growth as a hunter.
"Arin." "Elly."
The space rippled gently, and the two spirits materialized. Their presence was quiet, their mana stable.
"Find me some trolls. Preferably ones that are separated from the pack."
"Got it. Just wait a moment. I'll be right back."
I nodded. "I'll check the left side. Arin, you take the right."
After a brief exchange of directions, the two spirits melted into the forest. I remained where I stood and steadied my breathing. As I activated the Harmony Heart Method, the scattered mana gradually aligned and gathered toward my center. The forest noises faded into the distance, as though peeled away layer by layer. The surroundings stayed the same, but my senses sharpened.
Before long, familiar presences returned.
"Two trolls on the right. They're huddled together, rolling around. Can't tell if they're fighting or... doing something else."
Arin's tone carried a clear note of disbelief, though she didn't spell it out.
"On the left, there's a path leading down to the valley. A lone troll was eating an orc. Looked pretty relaxed."
Elly's report followed.
"So, which way first?"
The lone one would be easier. That said, the pair wasn't exactly a problem either. I had no intention of heading back today anyway. I decided to start with the isolated troll down by the valley.
The troll sat beside a boulder, clutching the orc's corpse and completely absorbed in its meal. Its back was turned, its movements sluggish. It showed no sign of vigilance.
I measured the distance and drew up my mana. Coating my sword in a thin layer of mana to shape it, I charged forward without hesitation. The troll's back rushed toward me in an instant. I leapt, bringing the blade down from above. The sword sliced cleanly through its neck.
"They say even dogs don't bother a creature while it's eating... Still feels a little bad."
Only a clean cut remained where the blade had passed. The troll's body collapsed forward limply.
Arin arrived right after and peered at the wound. "W-wait. I'll stop the bleeding. Can't let all that blood go to waste."
A brief flame wrapped around the troll's neck. The fire didn't spread; it only seared the severed surface precisely.
"Elly. Collect the blood."
I pulled a large bottle from my spatial pouch and handed it to her. Elly nodded and extended her hand. The droplets on the ground trembled faintly before gathering one by one and flowing into the bottle. She carefully avoided anything that had soaked into the soil, collecting only what remained on the surface.
Once the bottle was half full, Elly lowered her hand. "This should be enough."
I took the bottle and returned it to the spatial pouch, then stored the troll's corpse as well.
Raising my gaze, I looked toward the opposite side. As we moved across the forest, the terrain gradually opened up. The gaps between trees widened, and scattered boulders came into view. Soon, two trolls appeared at the edge of my vision, moving side by side. They maintained a steady distance from each other, glancing around as they walked, repeating the motions of searching for prey. Though they moved as if watching each other's backs, they weren't glued together.
I slowed my pace and glanced at the spirits. "Each of you take one."
Arin and Elly nodded simultaneously. I compressed mana into my palm, feeling a brief vibration as it took the form of a mana bullet. After a steadying breath, I launched it straight at the nearest troll's vital point.
A heavy impact drove deep into its body. The troll dropped to its knees and pitched forward, followed a moment later by a strangled cry. Without breaking my momentum, I closed the distance. Just as I swung my sword toward its neck, the troll reflexively swung its club. I barely dodged the arc, but the blade's tip grazed its arm, severing the forearm cleanly. The limb tumbled across the ground and came to a stop.
Enraged by the pain, the troll thrashed wildly, swinging its remaining limbs without restraint as it lunged. Its movements were crude, however, and the openings were obvious. I stepped back half a beat, reassessed its entire motion, and spotted its destabilized lower body. The moment its legs wavered, I slipped inside and drove my sword—now wreathed in a mana blade—in a swift, powerful strike. The leg came off, and the unbalanced troll crashed to the ground. I finished it without delay, severing its neck.
The moment I dealt with the troll, I turned to check on Arin and Elly's fight. Arin's flame bullet struck the troll's face dead-on, triggering a small explosion that clouded the view. The creature instinctively raised its arms to shield itself. Elly didn't miss the opening. Water gathered and formed a spear, then a compressed stream pierced straight through its abdomen. The troll attempted a counterattack, but Elly maintained her distance, circling and deflecting its strikes. The larger its swings grew, the more sluggish its movements became, and the gaps widened accordingly.
I didn't waste the chance and joined in immediately. Dodging the club, I closed in and drove my blade precisely into its heart. The sensation of its strength draining away traveled up the sword. That was the end of its resistance.
Arin approached and examined the wounds. "The injuries are pretty messy. It lost quite a bit of blood. I'll cauterize it before more leaks out."
A short flame spread quietly along the wounds, sealing the torn flesh cleanly.
"Elly."
I handed her another bottle from the spatial pouch. She nodded, accepted it, and extended her hand. The scattered droplets trembled once more before slowly merging and flowing into the bottle.
Once everything was tidied up, Arin shot me a sidelong glance. "Even so... aiming there so precisely when you're both guys feels a bit off, doesn't it?"
She paused, then added more bluntly, "Honestly, it was kind of perverted."
I flicked the blood from my sword and replied calmly. "Applying that kind of standard to monsters is what's strange. If you can end it quickly and cleanly, that's the best approach."
Elly, who had been watching quietly, let out a soft laugh. "Still... from the troll's perspective, it must have been a little pitiful."
Instead of answering, I stored the troll's corpse and the glass bottle in the spatial pouch, then scanned the surroundings to check if other monsters had been drawn by the sounds of battle.
Just then, a low, dull rumble echoed from deeper in the forest. A delayed vibration followed, as though something heavy had struck the ground, and thick shadows swayed between the trees.
Iron Bears.
Taking them head-on while they charged would be too risky—their momentum was overwhelming. After a quick assessment, I changed direction, leapt high, and took refuge in the trees.
"Arin, Elly—each of you handle one."
The moment I finished speaking, one of the Iron Bears slammed straight into the trunk I stood on. The tree shook violently from the impact. Using the recoil, I launched myself downward, sword pointed straight at the ground and cloaked in mana. The instant the mana blade took shape, I landed squarely on the creature's back. Still stunned from ramming the tree, it couldn't react in time. I drove the blade deep into its neck, severing its windpipe.
Upon landing, I gathered mana into my palm again. This time, instead of compressing it into a single bullet, I split it into several smaller ones that I could fire in rapid succession. I unleashed a barrage at the approaching bear. The first struck the inside of its foreleg joint, the next two pierced beneath its shoulder and ribs. The cumulative impact buckled its knees, and it crashed face-first into the ground from its own momentum. I closed in without pause and finished it with a deep thrust to the head.
After dispatching two in quick succession, the remaining bear hesitated, then turned to flee. I immediately focused more mana, compressing it into a sharp point, and hurled it like a projectile. The mana bullet embedded itself in the bear's rear and detonated from within. With one leg blown off, the creature let out a pained scream, but before the sound ended, I was already upon it, driving my sword into its heart.
After finishing the three, I glanced across to see Arin and Elly each pressing their own opponents. Arin's flames burned into the Iron Bear's thick hide while Elly's water spear rotated deep within its belly. I circled behind Arin's target first and severed its neck in one stroke. Then I rushed toward Elly's side, but it was already dead from her attack.
"Whew... You two can handle C-rank monsters without breaking a sweat now."
"Yeah. Once we regained our intermediate-rank power, C-ranks are just warm-ups."
"Right. In an environment with more water, I think I could take on several at once."
I smiled and nodded. "It's reassuring to see you both getting stronger."
"Of course. You can rely on us from now on."
Arin grinned and added, "You took out three of them in no time yourself, though."
"Yeah... I was a little nervous at first, but once I started, it went much smoother than I expected."
Elly nodded, picking up from my words. "It seems like you can start trusting your own skills now. You handled a B-rank troll easily earlier. Three C-ranks shouldn't be a burden."
"Exactly," Arin continued naturally. "You should keep training with the swordsmanship and cultivation method I taught you, and get a clearer grasp of your own abilities."
"I suppose so." I spoke honestly. "I still don't have much combat experience, so I can't quite gauge how many I can take on at once."
"You'll figure that out naturally," Elly said with a gentle smile. "First is training, second is training. That's the answer."
"Heh." Arin burst out laughing. "You've been slacking on training lately. Don't forget your original resolve."
"All right, all right." I waved a hand. "Enough nagging... Should we wrap up and head back, or push a little deeper?"
Elly seemed to consider it for a moment before shaking her head. "Let's head back today. I've used quite a bit of spirit power and I'm tired. I think I'll need to return to the spirit realm soon."
"Me too," Arin agreed immediately. "This is far enough for today."
"All right." I nodded, reaching a decision. "Then let's just collect the mana stones and go back."
"Yeah, we'll help."
I took out the mana stone scanner and swept the area. As the reactions appeared one after another, I extracted only the mana stones from the Iron Bears' chests. I left the corpses untouched—the spatial pouch was already full of troll bodies.
Once everything was sorted, we retraced our steps at a quick pace. There were a few minor skirmishes on the way out, but no monsters strong enough to slow us down. The closer we got to the entrance, the fewer monsters we encountered, and the path widened, allowing us to move faster.
Eventually, we exited the Break Zone. We climbed into the parked car and drove straight home. On the way back, Arin and Elly said they were tired and returned to the spirit realm first. The moment their presence vanished, the car fell silent. I should have been used to it by now, but each time it happened, an inexplicable loneliness followed.
After arriving home, washing up, and calmly reviewing the day, I concluded that I hadn't made any reckless choices and my decisions had been sound. Once my thoughts settled, the tension in my body eased, and I drifted off to sleep.
The next morning, I climbed the mountain behind my house during the quietest hours. I steadied my breathing, circulated the cultivation method, and practiced sword swings—slashes, cuts, follow-up strikes, and thrusts—over and over. Mixing in footwork, I could feel the sensations from yesterday's battles gradually organizing themselves and settling into my body.
After finishing my training, I returned home, washed again, and changed clothes. Then I got in the car and drove to meet Lee Tae-shik, the president of Seongwon Industries, to hand over the troll corpses I had commissioned him to purchase.