The First Task (2)
The massive troll let out a deafening roar.
Troll Chieftain. A boss monster whose size looked like several regular trolls had been stitched together. Its roar carried a debuff effect that inflicted fear on anyone who heard it. Since I was far away and had quickly covered my ears, I seemed to have avoided the worst of it. But our campsite up ahead was a different story.
“Kyaaak!”
It was pure pandemonium. The three terrified girls had fallen into complete panic, flailing wildly until they tripped over each other and collapsed in a heap. In the chaos, someone must have kicked the campfire, because the flames had already spread to one of the tents. And even Ophelia stood frozen, staring blankly at the approaching troll as if her mind had gone blank.
Why the hell is this thing showing up here?
Professor Evelyn had clearly lost her mind. Releasing a Troll Chieftain on the very first task? This monster wasn’t supposed to appear in this area at all. It was a boss normally reserved for the Upper Class midterms. I had no idea what possessed her to pull out something like this in the first week. Was she already trying to kill the top incoming student?
Of course, tonight’s camping trip was still the first task, so the academy had some degree of control over the situation. The monsters that appeared wouldn’t go all-out trying to slaughter the students. But accidents could happen at any time. And the problem with Golden Academy on Hell difficulty was that those “accidents” happened disturbingly often.
Boom—!
The troll that had been stomping toward the campsite swung its enormous club with brutal force. The trees standing between the camp and the monster were instantly smashed to pieces.
“Kyaaaak!”
I caught a glimpse of one of the girls getting knocked down and pinned beneath a whole tree that had been sent flying. Right after, the two other terrified girls abandoned the campsite and fled into the darkness. Ophelia was desperately trying to free the girl trapped under the tree before the troll reached them, but the debuff seemed to be making her body sluggish and unresponsive.
Meanwhile, the troll lifted its club again and resumed its heavy, thunderous steps. It looked like it was targeting the two people still left in the campsite. There was no telling when that second swing would come crashing down on them.
Even as I sprinted forward, my mind was racing. Should I really step in here? Won’t this draw too much attention? No matter how insane this academy was, if they’d released a monster of this caliber, surely at least one professor was watching from nearby, right?
But what if there wasn’t?
The very fact that this giant troll had appeared already meant we were off the normal route. If that club came down without any interference, my teammates would be turned into a nice meat paste. After seeing something like that, I doubted I’d be able to sleep soundly again. Especially not if it was Ophelia. She was the top freshman who was supposed to die in two years. Sure, her death was already written in stone… but I didn’t want to watch it happen right in front of me.
“Over here, you oversized idiot!”
I shouted at the troll and cast Magic Missile. I only loaded a single small shot and fired it toward the creature. Since I’d cast it while running, my already shaky control was even worse, and the spell missed the huge target completely. But that was fine. I hadn’t been trying to hit it anyway—just draw its attention.
“Grrrrr……”
The troll growled and stopped moving. Then it slowly turned its body and began lumbering in my direction.
Just one hit…
Each swing of its club was stupidly powerful. But the sheer force that could shake the ground also left a noticeable delay afterward. That window would be more than enough time to escape.
I was planning to save this for later…
It was a shame, but I had no choice. The distance between us had closed considerably. The troll’s club rose high into the sky, aiming squarely at me—the only one daring to oppose it. I stopped running and unfurled all five of the magic scrolls I was carrying at once.
Magic Shield
What I chose wasn’t another Magic Missile, but the emergency defensive magic scrolls I’d been carrying. Magic scrolls were magical tools that let you cast spells you hadn’t learned yourself. They had no other functions. It wasn’t high-level magic, and considering Kael’s pathetic stats, it could only create a small shield at best.
But five stacked together? That changed everything.
I could feel the staff greedily devouring my mana, but it would create a shield sturdy enough to match. A thick layer of mana materialized in front of the staff and violently repelled the troll’s descending club.
The ground shook violently and my knees buckled, but I somehow managed to block the attack.
“Kuuu……”
The troll, having taken the recoil, rubbed its numb arm with its other hand. That was more than enough of an opening. All I had to do now was run into the campsite tent, fire off the emergency signal flare, and everyone would be safe. It was the most reliable way to guarantee everyone’s survival.
Oh no…
I froze after only a few steps. The campsite was engulfed in roaring flames. The signal flare wasn’t in my tent—it was in the girls’ tent. And right now, that tent was burning bright red.
Thud! Thud!
While Kael had gone to relieve himself, Ophelia suddenly felt the ground tremble. She was alone by the campfire and immediately grabbed her bow and arrow.
“What is that?! What’s happening?”
The frightened voices of her teammates came from inside the tents.
Ophelia tried to stay calm as she searched for the source of the deafening noise.
“Th-there……!”
The moment Bridget spotted the massive silhouette and collapsed with a thud, Ophelia saw it too. But she couldn’t pull the bowstring. It was her first time facing a monster this enormous. Its absurdly huge size froze her body before her mind could react.
She had never seen a troll in person, but she had read about them many times in books. Thanks to the illustrations, she could tell this was a troll. But… had they always been this big?
The information she had studied about trolls simply floated uselessly through her mind. Books and real life were completely different.
“Everyone, cover your ears!”
A desperate shout came from the other side. It was Kael’s voice. She reflexively tried to move, but her hands were still holding her bow and arrow.
KUOOOH—!
Unfortunately, it was too late. A scream that felt like it would tear her eardrums apart had already pierced her mind. At the same time, her vision was flooded with pitch-black terror.
“Kyaaak—!”
The once-quiet campsite turned into a living hell in an instant. Her teammates’ bloodcurdling screams only made the chaos in her head worse. Her bow and arrows had fallen to the ground, and somehow a tent had caught fire, the flames growing fiercer by the second.
Even though Ophelia had trained so rigorously since childhood, she couldn’t do anything in this first-time crisis. For the first time in her life, she was feeling the terror of having her life threatened.
Boom—!
A deafening explosion rang out nearby, followed by the sound of trees snapping like twigs.
“Kyaaaak!”
Another scream that sounded like someone was suffocating followed right after. Ophelia barely held onto her fading consciousness and looked toward the sound. It was Bridget. A flying tree had pinned her leg, and she was groaning in pain.
“Save me…… please save me……”
Bridget was out of her mind, repeating the same words over and over. Ophelia wanted to save her. But there was no strength in her legs. They were shaking like leaves in the wind. No—her entire body was trembling.
Still, she had to save her. She crawled forward.
“I don’t want to die! Save me……”
She tried to lift the tree crushing Bridget, but her trembling arms refused to cooperate. Bridget was flailing and clutching at Ophelia’s clothes, making it even harder.
“Stay calm.”
The words were as much for herself as they were for Bridget.
“Huk……!”
Even then, the troll was still coming toward them. When Bridget saw it, she let out a choked gasp and fainted.
“Over here, you oversized idiot!”
Then the voice rang out again from behind. Ophelia reflexively turned toward it. Her vision was blurry, so she couldn’t see clearly, but she could tell someone was running. It was Kael. The weakest member of their group. The classmate she was supposed to protect. And that very person was running straight at the giant troll while firing a streak of light at it.
Thud. Thud.
She felt the troll’s footsteps veer slightly away from her position. Kael had drawn its attention. To save them.
Ophelia couldn’t just sit still either. She summoned every ounce of strength she had and dragged Bridget out from under the tree. Then she turned her head again.
Kael was standing defiantly in front of the massive troll. Charging at a monster that size without hesitation—it was too reckless. The enormous club aimed at him had already risen high into the sky.
No. Run away!
She wanted to scream it, but no sound came out. Imagining the horrific scene that was about to unfold, Ophelia closed her eyes.
CRACK—!
A tremendous noise rang out. But it was different from the sound the troll had made when it slammed its club into the ground earlier.
What happened?
Ophelia hurriedly opened her eyes again. For some reason, the troll was staggering backward. And astonishingly, Kael was still standing in front of it, down on one knee but holding his ground.
He’s alive.
Before she could fully process what she was seeing, Kael moved again. He staggered to his feet and began running toward her.
“Ophelia!”
Kael looked straight at her and shouted.
“What are you just standing there staring for?!”
Even though her mind was still foggy, Kael’s voice came through crystal clear. Along with it, her vision grew a little sharper. He was right.
What on earth have I been doing?
She had been nothing but a burden to him. She couldn’t let that continue. Gritting her teeth, she stood up, picked up the bow and arrows that had fallen nearby, and gripped them tightly. Blue mana flickered around her clenched fist.