Troller #003: Sweltering Humidity
The muggy air clung to their skin. Bushes brushed against their legs, and towering trees blocked out the sun, their dense canopy sapping their strength with every step. As Ga-on followed behind Yi Cho-rin, hacking through the mountain path, he thought to himself, 'Why did it turn out like this?'
He'd been certain it would go smoothly. Everyone would hear his explanation, regain their composure, leverage their advantages, and handle the goblins adeptly. They'd repel them without a single casualty. But the reality had been the polar opposite.
Morale had plummeted even before the fight broke out, leading to desertions that shattered their forces. In the end, the group had scattered in all directions. It couldn't have started off any worse. This was the most disastrous beginning he'd ever seen.
'What was I like back then?' He recalled his first life. Before enlisting in the military, dragged into this world without warning, meeting strangers, and facing his first goblin—what had his reaction been? Putting himself in their shoes, he finally understood why they'd been so shaken by his words, trembling in terror. Why they'd sensed defeat before the battle even began and fled.
Empathy clicked into place. Ga-on focused his gaze ahead. He watched Yi Cho-rin's face, slick with sweat as she ran desperately. Fear and panic radiated from her. Only then did he grasp it fully, seeing her glance around wildly in confusion, lost in this unfamiliar place. 'I see.'
To them, this entire world was alien. Ga-on knew goblins were weak monsters, but the others didn't. And he'd been wrong to assume they wouldn't run. Logically, there was no guarantee anywhere else was safe. So even if fear gripped them, he'd thought they'd stand and fight together. But no one stays rational in a crisis like that. People make foolish choices without realizing it sometimes.
It was a painful mistake.
As Ga-on reflected alone and berated himself, Yi Cho-rin, who'd been sprinting hard, slowed to a stop. She bent over, hands on her knees, glancing back at the path they'd taken and wiping away her sweat.
"Hah... hah! I-is it okay now? Hoo... We've lost the goblins, right?"
"...Who knows."
Yi Cho-rin seemed relieved, no longer sensing any sign of the goblins—not even a rustle. But that was overly optimistic. The creatures weren't mindless. They weren't stupid enough to charge headlong after prey. They'd simply waited for her to relax and halt, just like now.
They'd probably split into two groups. One chasing them, the other tracking the direction where the longsword girl and Tire Aunt had fled. With plenty of food available, they'd prioritize capturing women for breeding.
As if to prove his prediction, a rustling came from the bushes—swish swish—and goblins emerged.
"Kekekeke!"
"Kikikig..."
Spotting Yi Cho-rin, they grinned, splitting their mouths wide to reveal yellowed teeth rotten black in spots. A repulsive sight. Their lust-filled eyes made her jump back in alarm.
"Ah, ack! H-how...!"
"Calm down."
Five in total. Exactly as he'd predicted. Ga-on shoved the trembling Yi Cho-rin to the side and stepped in front of her. She relaxed at the sight of him blocking her path, sighing in relief at having someone to rely on as she stepped back.
No—she started to retreat, then bit her lip hard. There was nowhere to go. Standing idly by would only buy a momentary safety, not lead to a good outcome.
Coming to that realization, Yi Cho-rin shuddered under the goblins' creepy stares but drew a dagger from her bosom and moved to Ga-on's side.
Ga-on gripped and regripped the metal shaft of his spear, testing his hold, then turned at the approaching presence behind him. Yi Cho-rin stared at him with shaking eyes, her dagger-gripping hand trembling finely, betraying her tension.
"I-I'll help too."
Yi Cho-rin was tougher than he'd expected. He hadn't thought she'd step up to fight directly. He'd suspected it when she'd come back for him amid the chaos, dragging him away to escape, but she had a kind heart. Women like her rarely survived long. Unnecessary compassion dragged them into trouble, leading to needless harm—and usually a bad end.
'But it's not a bad thing.' They'd be holing up in this forest for a month, so a reliable partner was ideal. At least she wouldn't stab him in the back.
Even so, Ga-on refused her offer.
"It's fine. I can handle it alone."
"B-but...!"
Honestly, she'd just get in the way. In her tensed-up state, she couldn't react to a sudden ambush. And with that skirt and those shoes hampering her mobility, it was a miracle if she didn't get caught meddling.
Sensing his gaze, perhaps? Yi Cho-rin glanced at her outfit, bit her lip, and did something unexpected. She kicked off her shoes, gripped her dagger in reverse, bent down, and tore the side slit of her skirt.
Riiip—the fabric split longways, exposing her stocking-clad thighs. The goblins cackled at the sight of her bare legs, but she ignored them completely, facing Ga-on squarely.
"This okay now? I won't get in the way. If I get caught... just run."
"......"
He'd underestimated Yi Cho-rin a bit. Physically, she was still weak, but her spirit was far sturdier and more resilient than most. Of course, will alone couldn't overcome every wall, but she was better than those who gave up prematurely and stagnated.
A faint smile tugged at Ga-on's lips, which had been set rigidly since his regression. He considered himself lucky. From seizing the immense opportunity of regression twice, and even after his fatal blunder at the start, meeting someone like this. A blessing in disguise?
The group had scattered, leaving only her, but one trustworthy ally was fortune enough. Ga-on extended his palm to block her path and took a step forward.
"You're misunderstanding. You really don't need to help."
Taat—
"Ack! Wait!"
Spear tip pointed down, he charged straight at the goblin pack. Yi Cho-rin's urgent cry came from behind, but by then, Ga-on was already upon the first one.
"Kyaek!?"
It squealed in shock, assuming he wouldn't attack first against their numbers. A streak of light pierced the gap—a spear thrusting straight, unwavering, along the shortest path. It tore tender flesh, shattered bone, and jutted out the back.
"Kkeghek..."
Throat impaled, it stuck out its tongue with a death rattle, eyes rolling back. As Ga-on withdrew the spear, the body flopped limply to the ground.
One down, four to go. No time to rest—shwaaak—
Ga-on spun toward a goblin lunging with a rusty dagger from the side, using the momentum to reverse his grip and swing the spear like a baseball bat.
Whoosh—the shaft cracked against its skull with a meaty thunk. The cranium caved in. Instant death, no need to check.
Without lingering, he readjusted his grip and advanced on the next. Realizing he was no pushover, the goblins rushed him together. Two from the flanks, one circling for an opening. They figured their odds were good against a single weapon—but they were dead wrong.
Ga-on specialized in spears, but he wasn't clueless with other arms. And hand-to-hand was basic for any martial artist.
Clang—he parried a dagger swing from the right with his spear. The left one cackled and closed in, thinking him exposed. But its slash was too predictable. Ga-on simply leaned back to dodge, then seized its dagger arm.
A goblin weighed about as much as an elementary school kid. He hoisted it effortlessly and hurled it at the one preparing to charge from the side.
"Kyaaak!"
They tangled with screams, rolling on the ground in a convenient sandwich stack. Perfect for a double kill.
Splurch! He stabbed down, piercing both hearts, then looked up. One left.
"Huuuup!"
Terrified as its comrades died, the last one bolted in panic. Ga-on eyed its green skin flickering through the bushes, drew back his arm fully, and hurled.
Shwaaaaak—!
The spear sliced the air viciously. Hearing it, the goblin turned—and its eyes bulged as the tip punched through an eyeball, mangling its brain and ending it.
Thud—
Only after the final one fell did he stop. Before the forest silence could settle, Yi Cho-rin's voice rang out.
"Wh-what in the world?"
Her face was incredulous. No wonder—a plain-looking guy had just butchered five monsters in the blink of an eye with a spear. A natural reaction.
Ga-on ignored her, retrieving his spear and delivering mercy kills to the corpses before finally meeting her gaze.
"Miss Yi Cho-rin."
"Y-yes?"
"It's getting late. We need to find shelter before sunset."
"R-right."
Everything was a whirlwind of confusion, but she agreed with Ga-on. Humans needed sleep, and she had zero confidence bedding down in the middle of the forest.
"Then let's hurry. Their comrades might smell the blood."
"O-okay!"
Ga-on wiped the spear blade on the goblins' rags, picked a direction, and set off—rummaging through memories of his past life for a suitable hideout.