The First Party Hunt
The morning at the mountain stronghold always began with cabbage. Rodin let out a deep sigh as he turned over each dew-covered leaf one by one. He felt a spark of joy seeing that the heads had grown plumper than yesterday, yet a quiet heaviness lingered in his chest. Today was the day he would have to abandon this peaceful field.
“Rodin! What are you doing over there? It’s already time to leave!”
Veronica’s clear, commanding voice rang out from the stronghold’s front yard. Instead of her usual extravagant dress, she wore practical leather riding gear. A thick bundle of documents and ledgers was tucked under her arm, and her eyes burned with the fierce focus of a CEO sizing up her domain.
“I’m going, I’m going…” Rodin muttered, slinging his old pickaxe over one shoulder as he trudged forward. Any trace of the legendary Mercenary King who had once shaken the continent was gone. All that remained was a dusty, squinting farmer who looked thoroughly annoyed by the bright morning sun.
“Everyone, pay attention! This is our stronghold’s very first official ‘external commission’ operation,” Veronica declared, gathering the party members. Behind her, the supply cart and provisions had already been packed with flawless precision. “If this subjugation succeeds, we’ll cover an entire month of food expenses and still have enough left to buy that top-grade fermented compost Rodin keeps singing about. And if anyone messes up, you can forget about dinner.”
“Compost…” A faint spark of life returned to Rodin’s eyes. When compost was involved, the story changed completely.
Beside him, Saintess Ivona already looked battle-ready. The only thing she clutched tightly to her chest, however, wasn’t a holy scripture but a massive three-tiered lunchbox.
“Oh Lord! Is the rumor true that plump, well-marbled ‘mountain boars’ appear in that valley? If so, this humble lamb shall gladly become the hammer of God!” Ivona’s mouth watered at the mere thought of tearing into a boar’s hind leg.
In contrast, Lize the Master of the Magic Tower examined the mana at the tip of her staff with a cool smile. “Saintess, please maintain some dignity. Magical beasts are nothing more than sacred research materials. As long as I can obtain a sample of a troll’s regenerative mana core, I will be satisfied.”
“Now, now, no fighting. Lady Lize will provide magical support, Saintess Ivona will maintain blessings and healing, and Sir Rodin…” Veronica fixed her gaze on him. “Just do exactly as you’re told. Try not to cause any accidents. Understood?”
“As if I would. Let’s get going. The sooner we finish, the less my cabbages will wilt.”
With Rodin’s indifferent reply, the most absurdly overpowered party in history stepped through the stronghold’s main gate.
“Hmm. The air here feels awfully stuffy.” Rodin wrinkled his nose. Blood Mist Valley. A place where ominous demonic energy pulsed exactly as its name suggested. Any ordinary mercenary would have wet themselves and fled at the entrance, but to Rodin it was simply less appealing than a humid cabbage field during monsoon season.
“Everyone stop. I’ll take command from here,” Veronica said, raising her hand as she studied the terrain. She didn’t consult a map. Instead, she read the tremors of the ley lines through her feet and the flow of the wind. It was knowledge gained from her imperial education in statecraft, paired with her innate strategist’s intuition.
“Sir Rodin, move behind the central boulder. When the creatures emerge, draw their attention.”
“Central boulder? You mean that big rock over there?” The stone Rodin pointed at was the size of a house. To him, it was simply an oversized pebble that got in the way during fieldwork.
“Lady Lize, take the hilltop. From there you’ll have a full view of the entire valley. It’s a mana amplification point, so focus your firepower.”
“Oh? That’s quite an excellent position. Did you serve as an imperial military advisor? The mana will gather explosively from there.” Lize leaped into the air with an impressed nod. Violet magical power supported her feet as she gracefully ascended the slope.
“Saintess, stay behind Rodin and maintain defensive barriers. I expect a pack of trolls rather than boars. Stay alert.”
“Trolls?! But troll meat is tough and gamey! Oh Lord, why do you test this poor lamb so!” Ivona looked genuinely devastated, yet she still pulled a crucifix from her robes.
“Focus, everyone! Movement detected in the forest at three o’clock. Rodin, now!”
The moment Veronica’s command rang out, massive shadows poured from the treeline.
“Yeah, yeah, I got it. I’ll just go shake some dirt off.” Rodin shrugged as if the task were bothersome and began walking slowly toward the forest. His back looked as relaxed as an old man heading up the hill behind his house to gather herbs, yet with every step the ground cracked beneath his feet.
“Kuuoooooh!”
Dozens of trolls filled the valley with their roars. It was enough force to annihilate an entire regular army battalion. But the people present here existed on a completely different plane from anything “regular.”
“My, my. A mere troll getting to witness my magic firsthand should consider it an honor. Blue Meteor!”
The sky tore open with dark clouds as blue flames rained down.
⟨ Blue Meteor ⟩
Each orb carried the destructive power to level a fortress. Explosions rocked the entire valley as trolls screamed and perished. Lize’s magic was the pinnacle of efficiency. Not a single drop of mana was wasted, striking only vital points with surgical precision. She allowed herself a satisfied smirk.
“Oh Lord, wrap this lamb in an iron wall of… I mean, a barrier of divine protection so that he may not be harmed!” Ivona hummed a hymn as she enveloped Rodin in a golden aura. The divine power was so overwhelming that blinding light poured from his entire body.
“Hey, did you just say ‘iron wall’? And Ivona, the light’s too bright. It’s stinging my eyes,” Rodin grumbled, squinting.
The surrounding trolls recoiled in terror from the overwhelming holy pressure radiating off him. To their eyes, Rodin no longer looked human. He appeared as a god of destruction come to end the world.
“Stop complaining and swing already! Three more coming from the left!” At Lize’s shout, the trolls that had survived the flames charged Rodin.
“How dare these things interfere with my lady’s calculations? Burn to ash!”
Ivona swung her crucifix, unleashing a holy explosion that sent the approaching trolls flying. Her distinctly physical divine power completely ignored their regenerative abilities.
“Wow, that mage has quite the temper. Good thing she didn’t set the cabbage field on fire,” Rodin muttered, still only worried about his vegetables amid the flames and sacred light. He adjusted his grip on the pickaxe resting on his shoulder.
“What did you just say? Are you even paying attention?” Lize snapped while radiating mana. Rodin simply nodded.
“No, I said your magic is pretty. Happy now?”
“Kuaaaaang!”
The ground shook violently as a ‘Troll King’ twice the size of normal trolls made its appearance. A single swing of its club turned nearby boulders into dust. Yet to Rodin, the Troll King was simply a large pest that ruined fields.
“You. You spat on my shoe earlier, didn’t you? Veronica bought these for me on market day after thinking hard about it.”
Rodin’s eyes grew chillingly cold. He gripped the pickaxe low and lightly kicked off the ground. With a thunderous boom, his form vanished. There wasn’t even a sound of displaced air. Before the Troll King could react, Rodin had already closed the distance.
“Heave.” Rodin swung the pickaxe upward in a smooth arc, exactly like pulling out a deeply rooted weed. The pickaxe sank deep into the Troll King’s chest. Though it looked like ordinary rusted metal, it was coated in Rodin’s pitch-black aura. A strike containing the pinnacle of a sword master’s power.
“Gruuugh?! Guoooooh!” The Troll King thrashed in agony, but Rodin’s hand didn’t budge an inch.
“Sir Rodin! Stop daydreaming and finish it quickly! Damaged hide lowers the price!” Veronica’s sharp voice called from afar.
“Yeah, yeah. Ivona, hit me with a stronger buff. I’ll uproot it in one go.”
“Yes! Oh Lord! Grant this man the strength of ten bulls!”
⟨ Great Strength ⟩
Ivona’s reinforcement magic layered over Rodin’s muscles. He gripped the pickaxe handle tightly and twisted his waist.
“Heave. This is the proper technique for pulling weeds.”
As Rodin exerted force, the massive Troll King’s body lifted completely into the air. Like a weed torn out by the roots, it spun through the sky before slamming into the ground. The tremendous impact cratered the earth. The Troll King died instantly without uttering another sound.
“Unbelievable… uprooting a Troll King with pure human strength. What exactly are you?” Lize, who had descended from the hill, stared at Rodin with wide-eyed astonishment. The feat she had just witnessed was the absolute peak of physical power, something even magic could barely replicate.
“I told you. I’m a retired farmer,” Rodin replied indifferently, simply brushing the dirt off his pants.