Chapter 20
I let out a wry chuckle at how well the tutorial boss was handling household affairs.
"As expected, your skills are flawless, old man."
"Hmph. Stating the obvious."
The old man turned away, looking sheepish. Dorea, the alchemist. The city's oldest alchemist, bearer of the lord's seal. An alchemist's skill comes from their knowledge, and this taciturn geezer was undeniably the best in the city.
"How much?"
"Ten gold coins."
I placed ten gold coins from my pouch on the workbench.
"I could just pay you like this, but I've got one proposal."
"Proposal?"
The old man raised an eyebrow, eyeing me suspiciously—like he was sizing up if I was the type to stiff him. But after glancing at the gold I'd pulled out, he tilted his ear toward me.
"The kids I'm mentoring are set to take down a troll soon. I'll deliver the materials straight here."
"A troll?"
Trolls were quasi-boss monsters. Rare in existence, and the competition for their materials was fierce. Securing troll parts would be a huge boon for any alchemist.
"For real?"
"Yeah. Hold this gold as a deposit. Soon, a girl mentioning my name will show up. Don't tell her I sent her—just take good care of her."
The old man's eyes lit up at the troll materials prospect, his mouth curling up to his ears.
"And just so we're clear."
I hadn't forgotten this world was an adult game.
"If you lay a hand on her, you won't live to see your next birthday. No one's got your back, so keep your wits about you."
Of course, in the game, the old man never touched Elena directly. As I said it, I glanced toward the back room of the workshop. Those were the ones who'd laid hands on her—the dolls made by alchemist Dorea. My eyes met the gazes of the dolls watching us, probably to protect the old man from threats.
"Those dolls won't stop me."
"...Understood."
The old man replied in a deflated voice.
Time passed, and we were back at the guild. Elena had returned from the eastern forest.
"This is everything we scouted."
"Keep going."
I pushed my glass aside and rested my arms on the table. Elena spread out a parchment on the table. The simplified map was cluttered with hand-drawn markers. The writing was a mess, but the positions and directions were pretty accurate.
"The troll had its nest in a valley far off the road. Judging by the traces it left on the terrain, here, here, and here—like this."
She connected the marked points on the map with her finger.
"This is the troll's main path. This is the nest, this the toilet, and this the hunting ground, I think."
She explained each spot.
"The hunting ground had leftover beast bones from meals, and what I figured was the toilet had troll shit there. Mira grabbed some to sell—said it's valuable—but the smell was awful."
Elena cleared her throat after her steady explanation. She'd investigated the troll's ecology even better than I'd expected, with help from Mira, the active hunter. As her explanation continued, my ears perked up subtly.
"That's everything we found out."
"Good work."
I handed her the silver coins I'd prepared.
"Huh? You pay for this stuff too?"
"Understanding monster ecology matters. Look over there—aren't those merchants eavesdropping on your free intel?"
I nodded toward them, and the peddlers perked up their ears before turning away at my notice.
"Not much time left till subjugation day. What's the plan for the rest?"
"Plan... Training, I guess? Mira said trolls are tough, so we need proper prep or it's dangerous."
But Elena's face showed no real urgency. To her—who'd easily beaten C-rank Blade Mantis and Darko—a B-rank troll was just one step stronger.
"I can tell you're thinking something stupid."
"How do you know what I'm thinking, mister?"
Her eyes sparkled as she looked at me. Probably figuring since she breezed through C-rank, B-rank will be a cakewalk too. I'd seen that thought pattern enough in the game to be sick of it.
Too much talent breeds complacency. Hard to fix in a game character.
"Who knows. Just don't think nonsense. If training's the plan, make a proper training schedule. Trolls use Green Magic, so... hmm..."
"...?"
"Come here."
I pulled Elena to the seat beside me and whispered so only she could hear.
"Troll Green Magic specializes in binding spells, so tailor your training to that. Regeneration's strong too—don't bother with small cuts; go for big techniques that deal heavy wounds. Train your party to clear paths for you."
Troll-tactics advice. I'd been strict in front of her party yesterday, but Elena was a genius monster who knew ten things from one. Wasting time on basics was pointless—talent abuse.
"Got it?"
"Y-yeah? Yes!"
Elena clenched her fist tight.
"What about the kids' conditions?"
"Hans and Duke still aren't used to their bodies. We ran into orcs by chance, and it was tough."
The difference between male and female bodies wasn't just swapping genders.
"Old habits from their male days lingering. Point it out yourself and make 'em fix it."
"Got it."
"Nothing else? Then pack up and go."
"Yes... um..."
Elena opened her mouth like she had more to say, then hesitated.
"Mister."
"What."
"Is the troll really that strong?"
I paused mid-sip and looked at Elena. Trolls were strong. B-ranks were treated like tactical weapons. Like tanks back on Earth. A-rank adventurers were rare; knights started at A-rank but weren't that numerous. That's why they didn't send them out during the Red Moon for materials.
"You're probably the only adventurer who can say that about a B-rank monster."
"Hehe. Ow!"
I flicked her forehead.
"No complacency. Slack off, and your party'll be birthing monster pups. Remember trolls have that much power."
"Okay..."
Elena hugged the parchment to her chest and stood.
"I'll head out then."
"Yeah, good luck."
She bowed and left the guild. I downed my drink. Then Jeina came by with a grin, swapping my empty glass for a fresh one.
"Eck, got everything you ordered."
"How much?"
Jeina held up her fingers.
"Twelve low-grade healing potions, four low-grade antidotes. And two flasks of oil."
"Not bad."
"They cut prices when I said it was for trolls."
Healing potions for wounds, antidotes against Green Magic. Oil to seal troll regeneration.
"Well done."
"Hehe, I'm pretty good at haggling."
I flicked her a silver tip. She snatched it mid-air and tucked it playfully into her cleavage with a mischievous smile.
"Come again. And I'll slip the word to Elena subtly."
"Sure."
"Seriously, Eck. You're so devoted to her. Makes me jealous watching."
Jeina headed back to the counter with a wry, humming tune.
Already gunning for B-rank, huh.
Elena's growth was shockingly fast, I had to admit. Just a month. The fragile newbie adventurer—weak as her rusted sword when we met—was long gone; now she looked downright dependable.
Me? Still A-rank adventurer. Eck's peak as the tutorial boss. The strongest a commoner could reach. Eck had given up growing here. Hit the talent wall, assumed no way up without becoming a noble's dog.
What Eck lacked was mana. He needed more mana.
Need a way to boost mana.
There was a way. On Red Moon nights, special events fired in the forest.
First, snag that magic sword.
The mana-eating magic sword. Temporary, but killing monsters ramped mana infinitely. Perfect synergy for Eck's weak sustained mana.
"Black Wolf Eck."
Someone sat before me. A silver short-haired woman. I drained my glass.
"Fancy lady in a dive like this. What's up?"
"Wanted to see your face before the Red Moon rises."
Barie, the knight. Lijet's knight. She sat across from me in her knightly garb, staring.
"They call you the Black Wolf, right?"
Barie said my moniker.
"Heard the rumors. You throw colleagues to monsters. Perverted freak who enjoys watching them get toyed with, huh?"
"Who said that?"
Barie sighed.
"Truth is, I don't care about lowly scum's plight. Whether you're a playboy wrecking girls or a pervert getting off on colleagues birthing monsters—it doesn't matter."
"Someone hears that, they'll think it's true."
"Isn't it?"
"Wrong."
Barie pulled something out, like facts didn't matter.
"Eck, cancel your contract with the lady."
She recited the game line perfectly, word for word.
Thud.
A heavy pouch hit the table.
"That should cover the penalty."
The contents shifted, opening the pouch mouth. It brimmed with gleaming gold coins.