Chapter 40
Chapter 40
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 40
Chapter Title: Unyielding Black Rock Trolls
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THWUUUNK!
"Grrrk…!"
The troll charging in with ferocious momentum had its forehead pierced clean through, its head snapping back.
The lifeless troll's body tumbled across the forest floor and collapsed.
Helena's pre-nocked arrow felled one beast, igniting the battle.
"Kraaarak! Zakur's down!!"
"Kraaaaa!!"
Was it because one of their own had fallen?
The trolls, eyes bloodshot with rage, barreled toward Helena in a terrifying rush. Ryu An Pallkion stepped up to block their path.
...GRRRRRIND!
His sword lodged deep in its sheath, Ryu An twisted his waist to an extreme degree—as if his back were facing forward.
SHWIIIIING!
As his coiled muscles finally unleashed, a heavy whoosh of air whipped across the trolls' front line.
SLASH!
"...Grrrk!"
THUD! THUD!
Hot blood poured from the bodies of three trolls bisected by Ryu An's quick-draw technique, soaking the ground.
"Grrrrk!! Die!!!"
"Damn humans!!"
Yet the trolls showed no hint of faltering, swinging their maces and axes at Ryu An.
Perhaps enraged by his exploits?
WHOOOOSH!
Ralph Kalia, having already drawn his weapon and caught up beside the now-unarmed Ryu An, savagely swung his halberd at the trolls targeting him.
CLANG!
Struck not by the blade but the pole?
The trolls staggered back, reeling from Ralph's blow.
"The boss said make 'em kneel, not kill 'em."
"There's still plenty left. Why leave so many alive?"
Ralph and Ryu An bickered.
Just two months prior, back at the Volcano of Fire, they'd struggled against even a single orc. Now, they were incomparably stronger.
A growth rate that seemed unnatural at first glance.
But it was inevitable.
In preparation for their spar with the Crimson Death Squad, the Latent Dragon Squad had endured the grueling trials of the Trial Gate, surviving near-death experiences time and again.
The results were on full display now.
Of course, there were differences.
The orcs at the Volcano of Fire were battle-hardened along the kingdom's border, seasoned in close combat against countless humans.
Here, they faced trolls with strong magic resistance—immature ones, not yet fully grown.
Still, achieving such feats against trolls, which were notoriously trickier than orcs, in such a short time was undeniably brilliant progress.
THOOM!
Sylvia Clonen leaped off the bickering duo's shoulders.
She hurled poison pouches straight at the approaching trolls.
BANG! BOOM!
"Hey, hey! You crazy girl, how am I supposed to fight with poison exploding right in my face like that?!"
Ralph and Ryu An recoiled in panic. Sylvia landed and sneered at them.
"Quit whining. It's not lethal. And what are you two doing with enemies right in front of you?"
"Th-that…!! Ugh, damn it!!"
Stung by Sylvia's sharp rebuke, the pair grumbled but had no retort. Both figured the trolls would drop soon enough.
Sylvia's poisons from the Clonen Shadow Clan were reliably potent.
She was every bit their equal in talent.
Having grown in the Trial Gate just like them, her toxins should fell the trolls handily—or so they thought.
But Ryu An and Ralph's expectations missed the mark spectacularly.
"Grrrrrrk…!!"
"…Huh?"
Light flickered in their eyes.
The trolls exposed to Sylvia's poison staggered but not one fell.
Nay, they brushed it off as if it were mere pollen.
In truth, it was a classic case of bad matchup.
The Volcano of Fire orcs were more aggressive and bulkier than average.
But Black Rock Trolls' physical prowess fell short of typical trolls.
Ralph and Ryu An had improved, true—but not to the point of handling trolls this easily.
Yet if that were all, Black Rock Trolls could never dominate a vast region like the Birch Forest.
Their secret lay here.
Like ordinary trolls, they resisted magic fiercely. And they boasted overwhelming resistance to non-physical attacks like poison.
Proof? Sylvia wasn't the only one struggling.
BOOOOM!
A fireball blazed hot enough to scorch the forest.
Its heat deterred even approaching it—but the trolls swatted it away like a spark and pressed on.
"Krarak! Die, human wizard!"
"Uwaaaaa!!"
Was it panic? Fury?
Dane bellowed as his detection spells and every other magic proved useless.
SHINK!
Ian Lichtenauer coiled around the troll's arm as it swung its axe at Dane's face, hurling it aside and shielding him.
"Huff, huff… Thanks, boss."
"Stay calm, Dane. This isn't your battlefield. Support me and the others."
Ian calmly soothed Dane.
His cold gaze scanned the trolls.
'Magic resistance strong enough to render a mage useless…'
And from immature trolls, no less.
"I see. Now I get why the Magic Tower had no choice but to hire us."
The Tower wasn't inept enough to lose to trolls outright. But this level of annoyance for mages?
They'd have suffered heavy losses otherwise.
"Think I've got their measure… Time to wrap this up quick."
With all traits confirmed, Ian's sword began to move in earnest.
The battle, begun at sunset, raged until midnight.
And finally.
"Gr…rk…."
THUD!
The last troll spewed bloody foam and dropped to its knees.
"Whew, these damn pests. What the hell's driving them to charge like this? If it was just hunger for human flesh, they'd have backed off once they knew they were outmatched."
Ralph wiped the gore from his halberd with a cloth, voice laced with disgust.
They'd pressed on relentlessly, comrades falling all around.
As if compelled by some blind motive.
Battered and bloody, mouths foaming with saliva and blood, the captured trolls still brimmed with smug leisure.
"Kuh, kuhek… Not… long now. The day the king… returns. He will… judge you and the orcs."
The troll spat the words through gritted teeth.
That single phrase revealed much.
First, the troll king was on the verge of awakening—or already had.
Second, the troll king and Black Rock Trolls harbored deep grudges against Golden Heaven and the Magic Tower.
Grudges that burned as fiercely as ever.
"…So the troll king's awakened after all…."
The other Latent Dragon Squad members clicked their tongues.
"…This is worse than we thought."
Ian, pondering the trolls' words, spoke up.
"Huh? Boss, why? What's up?"
SLASH!
Ignoring Ryu An's question, Ian slit the throats of the captured trolls and quickened his pace.
"Everyone, prep to head back. Wait, no—not back. We pursue the Tiger Cloud Unit now."
"Wait, why the sudden change? Explain properly."
"Trolls infiltrated even this backwoods path. The main road's gotta be crawling with ambushes."
If they hated humans enough to post trolls here, the Tiger Cloud Unit's route needed no further mention.
"Sure, but… do we really need to ditch our mission to chase them? They're a higher-grade strike team than us anyway. No need for the mice to worry about the cats."
"In normal times, yeah."
Usually, no cause for concern. Tiger Cloud Unit outranked Latent Dragon Squad, and with Little Star Sophia Clonen among them?
Not a worry in the world.
But.
"Earlier… Sylvia's poison didn't faze those trolls, right?"
"……!!"
The squad's faces hardened.
Tiger Cloud Unit specialized in scouting and assassinations.
Moreover, led by Sophia, most members hailed from the Clonen Clan.
In other words.
Over half relied on poison and hidden weapons.
Black Rock Trolls resisted not just magic, but poison too.
"Wait, you mean…."
"Yeah."
Ian nodded as he strode forward.
"Tiger Cloud Unit's in danger."
Ian's prediction wasn't far off.
The Tiger Cloud Unit, split from Latent Dragon Squad to take the main road, faced a Black Rock Troll ambush too.
The difference?
Fully grown adults, not juveniles.
"Grrrrrrk!"
THUNK! THWACK!
Heavy hand axes flew in unison, embedding in trees.
"Stay clumped and you're dead! Scatter!"
At Sophia's shout, Tiger Cloud Unit members dodged into the woods, dispersing.
They specialized in scouting and sabotage. Clumped together, their power plummeted.
They thrived slipping through shadows alone.
Hence their edge in hidden weapons and poison.
BOOM! BAMBAMBAM!
Pouches burst nonstop upon scattering.
"Grrrk! Useless!"
But the trolls scoffed at Tiger Cloud Unit's poisons.
Their resistance defied imagination.
"……!!"
First encounter with poison-immune trolls sowed brief chaos in the ranks.
But only briefly.
BOOM!
Undeterred, pouches kept exploding.
Except now, they were smoke bombs, blinding the foes.
"Grrk?!"
Trolls panicked in the haze. Tiger Cloud members slipped in, plunging daggers into throats.
CRUNCH!
"Krarak…!!"
Artery severed, the troll slowly rolled its eyes back and fell.
This was Tiger Cloud Unit's strength—the true face of Sophia Clonen's squad, one of the Little Stars.
Trolls might resist poison, but Tiger Cloud were veterans of countless missions.
No greenhorns to fold over one failed tactic.
'Hmph, nothing special… Huh?'
One member confirmed the artery cut and sought a new target.
But her foot betrayed her, rooted in place.
Inevitable.
Tiger Cloud weren't pushovers.
Nor were these ordinary trolls.
CRRRUNCH!
"…Ngh!"
Agony shot from her foot, drawing an involuntary groan.
Even elite Tiger Cloud training barely held it back.
Beneath her foot, the "dead" troll gripped her ankle with a pot-lid hand, refusing release.
"Grrrk… Think… I'd die… that easily?"
As the troll crushed her ankle and yanked to rip her apart—
WHIIIRRR!
A swarm of bees buzzed from somewhere.
"Grrrk…?"
SLASH!
That was the troll's final memory.
Its mocking sneer frozen, its head soared skyward.
WHIRL!
The circular weapon that severed the neck spun back to Sophia's hand on a wire.
Chakram.
A finicky weapon, mastered by few even in the Clonen Clan. Now unleashed from Sophia's grasp.
SHINK!
Following the chakram, something sharp coiled around the injured member's waist, yanking her skyward.
THUD!
She hit the ground on her butt.
Grateful to her savior, she offered thanks.
"Ngh… Thank you, captain."
"Save it. Get your shit together."
Sophia ignored the gratitude, eyes scanning relentlessly.
"Right now, just sitting there's a liability."