Chapter 56
Chapter 56
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 56
Chapter Title: Troll Dungeon (1)
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Rokan headed straight to the mad baron's villa as soon as he finished preparing in Crossroads.
Though called a villa, it was practically a mansion. Even as a mere baron, it showed just how grand noble status truly was.
Knock knock.
He rapped on the door, but there was no response from inside.
‘Should I come back later?’
With no answer, Rokan glanced up at the sky. The sun was just dipping below the horizon.
It was that tricky evening hour when hunting in the fields grew difficult, but Rokan had come here at this time for a simple reason.
The mad baron could only be met at night.
“……Who is it?”
After a short wait, a voice came from inside. Not the mad baron himself, but likely a servant.
“I'm Rokan from the Crossroads Guard. I heard Baron Truel needed some help.”
It was a lie. He'd learned through some channel that the mad baron—Baron Truel—was looking for someone, but Rokan hadn't heard it directly or received an official request.
He was simply getting ahead using memories from his past life, and his title with the Crossroads Guard lent it credibility.
“Ah, from the Guard. Welcome. Please, come in.”
The servant fell for it. He let Rokan inside, then went up to the second floor to fetch Baron Truel.
“I didn't expect the Guard to send someone personally. So, you'll help me?”
“Yes. I'll do my utmost if it's something I can handle.”
Was it because Rokan's level was low? Baron Truel eyed him suspiciously for a moment before making up his mind, his glossy lips parting.
“The reason I came here is to treat my young daughter. For that child, I'd do anything. But right now, my body is too weak to try anything. So I'm asking you—bring me the blood of the trolls that appear in the Cursed Cave of Life. Their vitality should help me recover somewhat.”
[Recovering Baron Truel's Young Daughter 1] [Quest]
Baron Truel has asked for your help to save his young daughter.
-Completion Condition: Cursed Cave Troll Blood (0/10)
-Reward: 5 Gold
“Understood.”
Rokan accepted the quest readily. Fitting for a noble, the reward was generous, but as he stepped outside, his expression soured.
In his second life, he already knew how this quest ended.
“Well, can't be helped.”
Rokan used Mark to save the location in his Rune Book, then headed to the troll dungeon known as the Cursed Cave of Life. He'd marked the way on the trip there, so the journey was quick.
“Now, let's tackle one of the public dungeons around Crossroads: the ‘Cursed Cave of Life.’”
Upon reaching the entrance, Rokan started recording video. He'd come to conquer the dungeon for YouTube in the first place, so this time he added commentary.
Of course, it wasn't some cringey “Hey bros~” opener.
“As many of you know, dungeons aren't affected by external time. Being fully enclosed, they don't have mechanics that make monsters stronger at night or day. They always provide consistent visibility, so if evening field hunting is tough for you, securing a spot in a dungeon is a good option. The fields near third-tier cities mix low 100s-level mobs up to nearly 120.”
Just barging in, showing the interior, monsters, and patterns would suffice, but he added commentary—something he wasn't great at—for a simple reason.
It let him wield ‘influence.’
‘The big picture.’
Start by sharing solid info. From his perspective, basic stuff that wasn't crucial. Build trust, then mix in a little falsehood when he needed to.
He had no plans for 100% live streams anytime soon, so he could control what got exposed.
“The standout feature of this dungeon is the trolls as monsters. As far as I know, this is the first time trolls appear as mobs in the Golden Lion faction. But they're not the only ones. And right on cue—here's the first monster.”
[Cave Stone Monkey][Lv 103]
The first to greet Rokan inside was a Cave Stone Monkey.
Think muscular monkey—its body and fists were rock-hard, boasting high attack and defense, plus the agility typical of monkeys to harass users.
“Level's reasonable. But with balanced high attack, defense, and agility, it can be dangerous if you're careless.”
The explanation sounded menacing, but Rokan's response was simple. He watched the monkey's rushing fist to the end, then swung his axe like lightning, smashing it to the ground.
“But since all its stats are evenly mediocre, overpower it with your strength or speed advantage. See? Easy.”
Kiiik!
The sprawled monkey convulsed and lunged again, but its opponent was Rokan.
With a casual twirl like conducting, the battle axe severed its arm and crushed its skull.
“So why are these guys in the trolls' habitat?”
He looked up ahead at groups of five, snarling hostilely. He smirked as if they were cute.
“Simple—they're troll food. Even in packs, they're just prey to predators. Like this—KRAAAGH!”
It was a roar infused with Force.
Chilling terror swept the area. The monkeys, poised to charge, rolled their eyes back. Some convulsed like they'd seen a troll; others gave up and flipped over.
Viewers wouldn't get it, though. No special effects, so they'd think it was just War Cry. They'd flounder through trial and error, but that suited Rokan fine.
‘The picture's coming together.’
This was solid footage. Rokan skipped further talk, charging in and whirling his battle axe like a dance.
No need to flaunt his combo skills. These were pushovers even without them.
Even if they copied it, it wouldn't work the same, but with potential rivals eyeing him in Crossroads later, better to hide his hand.
“Next: Giant Bat. Huge bat, but no sonic attacks. Body slams and bites are main moves. Flight's annoying, but since it's a cave, treat it as flying mob practice.”
“Next: Hide Rock. Blends perfectly with stone for ambushes. How to spot it...”
“Next...”
Instead, he covered the dungeon layout, mobs, and strategies thoroughly. No big loss—even without him, it'd be cleared in a day or two.
But mimicking his easy clears could backfire badly.
“Alright, now we're in troll territory. About a dozen trolls in this dungeon, all cocky loners, so pulling them one by one isn't hard.”
After pushing deep, the trolls' domain appeared. Not many, but it spanned wider than any prior mobs—could even make them easier.
“A common troll misconception is their regen, but it's not as insane as you think. High-level ones later? Maybe. These Cursed Cave Trolls just regen life fast. Leave 'em be, and they heal quick, but steady damage while watching keeps it manageable. Let's fight.”
Rokan Dash-rushed in. Followed by Dash and Shoulder Charge! The troll took a cannonball body slam out of nowhere, waist bending in a V as it spewed fluids.
“Hraa!”
Rokan drew his battle axe and uppercut its neck.
Normally, he'd sweep the legs to strip mobility and raw power, but with eyes watching, he went for a frontal slugfest using strength and attack.
Kruk!
The axe blade, aimed to decapitate, merely slashed its chest. The troll leaned back hastily, taking the hit there and shoving Rokan away with brute force.
Rokan flew back but rolled as planned, unscathed.
“Rip Attack, Force!”
He rebounded like a spring, the strike exploding with combo-level power.
Keurgh!
The troll's swinging club arm buckled and twisted. It couldn't withstand Rokan's raw, effect-boosted attack power.
Rokan didn't miss, swinging again.
He tore the chest wound wider as it tried to knit, exposing bone and heart.
“Confident in their power, they're reckless—finish 'em quick like this. Simple, right?”
Slash!
With that, Rokan beheaded the troll. Even they couldn't regen without a head or heart.
“Phew, that went well.”
He'd made it look casual, but inwardly, Rokan sighed in relief.
They had a nasty combo skill: ‘Rapid Regen.’
Powerful enough to reattach limbs, as rumored. If it triggered on a careless foe, it'd be a disaster.
That's why he kept it hidden.
‘Too easy's no fun, right?’
They also had the attack combo ‘Smash Frenzy,’ so users would struggle more.
Wrapping filming, Rokan pulled out his butchery knife and activated the skill to harvest blood and tendons.
[Successfully butchered Cursed Cave Troll.]
[Low Butchery skill proficiency reduces byproducts obtained.]
[Butchery increased by 0.1%.]
Troll blood and tendons fetched good prices—another secret.
Normal hunters got only blood, so he'd monopolize tendons awhile.
Selling byproducts alone would net a fortune.
Reducing their numbers one by one, he cleared all the trolls easily.
“Now, where could it be hiding...”
Rokan began scouring the habitat for traces.