Chapter 24. Plunderer Troll (4)
When the troll first glowed red, I didn't think much of it. Lilia was holding it off just fine, and I figured the redness was simply from rage. Normally, I wouldn't have let it slide, but right now, finishing this wooden shard took priority.
But that was a massive misjudgment.
Boom!!
The moment I saw Lilia's shield crumple under the deafening crash, it hit me. This was no minor issue. Far from it.
'Holy shit, is that the Witch's Elixir?!'
This was bad. Really bad.
'Damn it, I never thought this mess would tie into the Witch's Elixir.'
The Witch's Elixir first appeared in the original story, Let's Explore the Labyrinth of the Reversed World!, around the second or third episode. The protagonist's party stumbles upon it while hunting for clever items to conquer the labyrinth, introduced by a shady black market dealer.
'That scene's best comment stuck with me even more.'
It vanished for a while after that debut, only to return big-time in a side episode about bandits that felt like a simple breather. Those bandits, fighting to the bitter end, realized they were done for and chugged the Witch's Elixir as a group.
'Pushing the protagonist's party to the brink.'
Even if the protagonist's crew wasn't powerhouse-level back then, they were strong enough to shred any average Joe. And these midday bandits nearly overwhelmed them. They all died in the end, of course, but that episode cemented the elixir's reputation.
In Let's Explore the Labyrinth of the Reversed World!, it was described as a potion granting immense power in exchange for your lifespan.
So why bring this up now?
'That stuff shouldn't even be invented for another ten years at least!'
This elixir was supposed to show up about a decade from now. If it's here already...
'The original story's been altered.'
That's the only explanation. Realizing this, I felt cheated.
'No way. The only real meddling I've done is buying that house—what gives?!'
I hadn't snagged any major hidden pieces or become some city-saving bigshot. I was just a lowly alchemist! This kind of massive butterfly effect felt unfair.
I grumbled internally, but this wasn't a novel. It was stone-cold reality. So I snapped to it, chanting incantations and mixing reagents at top speed.
Boom! Crunch! Crack!
Ignoring the brutal sounds behind me, I whipped up what I needed—even a bit faster than promised—and finished the item.
I rushed toward Lilia, but her body had hit its limit. The troll closed in, and she couldn't even move.
Seeing that, I gripped the spare dagger I'd used as an assistant tool, kicked off the ground, and leaped forward.
'Block it!'
Six Black Hands intercepted the troll's strike on Lilia. While I was at it, I whispered to reassure her closed eyes.
"Lilia, you did amazing."
Kaboom!!
After my words, I threw all six Black Hands at the troll's fist. Or tried to block it, anyway.
'Fuck me!'
The troll's punch was pure, idiotic violence—insultingly so. Even with every Black Hand committed, the shock nearly shattered them, leaving me stunned.
But the shock was fleeting.
"What the hell are yooouuu?!"
The troll was hyped up. No chance for momentum now—I had to act. I locked its right fist's joints with two Black Hands, climbed along the arm in a flash, reached its face, and pried its jaws open with more.
"Guh, guhguh!!"
The troll panicked at its forced-open mouth and swung its free hand at me—but too slow.
"Eat this!"
Squelch!
I jammed the wooden shard deep into its soft throat, beyond its reach. Mission accomplished.
Then I threw two more Black Hands to block its fist.
Shatter!
My Black Hands exploded, and agony ripped through me like my guts were churning inside out. I tumbled across the ground, rolling over and over.
"Cough—"
Luckily, the Black Hands absorbed enough shock to keep me alive. Barely. Nothing felt intact—organs twisted, blood pouring from my mouth. Normally, I'd bolt without looking back. But not now. The situation was too dire.
If I ran, Lilia was dead for sure. No question. I didn't know how long the Witch's Elixir lasted, but it had enough juice to rip her apart. Hell, maybe even me in my current state.
So just ditch her? Our bond was barely days old, right?
True. But I wasn't leaving.
Part of it was the harem flags, sure. But mostly...
'Lilia tanked punches like that.'
Gratitude for enduring this monster's blows. Her skills and experience outclassed mine, but respecting her for weathering them multiple times? Yeah.
So I had to step up. No shame.
Actually, we'd basically won already.
If the troll had charged right away, I'd be toast. But it flailed, trying to dislodge the shard. That sealed its defeat.
Staring at its ridiculous thrashing, I murmured low.
"Ignite"
⟨ Ignition ⟩
With the starter word, the troll's mouth lit up. No—burst into flames.
Actually, that was underselling it.
"Grraaaahhh!!"
Bright smoke, black smoke, even purple smoke billowed from its maw. Grotesque as hell, but I just smirked.
Because that's exactly what I'd engineered.
Curious how? Simple enough.
I'd used a shard from a tree monster called a Tree. Normally just tough, slow-burning wood. But variants exist, and the rarest? The one spewing purple poison smoke: Poison Tree.
'Poison Trees are stupid expensive.'
Modern equivalent? Around three million won per chunk. Any other alchemist would've freaked at torching it like this.
'Eh, I'm alive. Worth it.'
Centered on the Poison Tree, I'd layered slime mucus from hunts, oil for easy ignition even with a spark, and paper etched with magic runes. Sound involved? Yeah, but keeping the mucus and oil separate took time.
Anyway, the weapon worked better than hoped.
Grrraaaah—aaah—aaargh!!
Its performance was so good, the troll's roars broke into gasps from pain.
I started relaxing—then.
"This is your fault yaaaah!!!"
In a final spasm, it charged me, flames and all. I couldn't react in time and took a full body slam.
"Master!"
Lilia—who'd called me Master—blocked the hit with her body.
Kaboom!!!
That frenzy ended the troll; it toppled. Lilia collapsed from the impact too.
Having felt those punches myself, I knew the pain. I rushed to her paling side, trying to pour a potion into her mouth. But it dribbled out—she was too weak.
No time to think. I gulped the potion myself and...
"Mmph!"
Kissed her lips—forcing the elixir down. She swallowed bit by bit, color returning.
Soon after, I laid her on a blanket. She stirred, eyes opening.
"I... I did my best."
"I know. Rest now."
"Y-yes..."
She nodded and drifted off. Relieved, I thought to myself as I lit incense to repel monsters.
Among adventurers not from the original story, there's a famous saying:
"Comrades untouched by the brink of death aren't true comrades."
By that logic, Lilia and I were true comrades now.
'So this makes us real party members, huh.'
I pondered our budding camaraderie amid the smoke.
'But... "Master"? What's that about?'
A nagging question rose with the fumes.