Chapter 2: The Forest Troll (2)

“A shaman? Leader, it’s not too late to back out. The rain hasn’t stopped yet, has it? A shaman—it’s practically suicide. Wouldn’t it be better to spit out the deposit and take other jobs? It’ll be tough, but if we take whatever comes without being picky, it’ll take time, but we can cover the loss quickly.”  

Loyal Furdwal blocked Surabar’s path and spoke. Normally, this would be seen as insane behavior.  

However, this time, Tenok didn’t stop Furdwal; instead, he stood by his side, silently supporting his rival’s opinion.  

The two, who usually couldn’t stand each other, acting like this made me wonder if the forest troll shaman was truly a dangerous monster.  

I’ve never seen one, so it doesn’t really hit home.  

“Furdwal. That’s an order. Step aside.”  

“Leader!”  

Well, is there any monster that isn’t dangerous to humans?  

Even if they look small and weak, given the chance, they’ll lunge for a person’s throat—that’s what monsters are. Cursed creatures.  

“Leader, this time Furdwal is right. Even a regular forest troll is hard to hunt in this endless rain, but a shaman? If it’s about money, Furdwal and I will figure something out. So let’s give up this time. Please, Leader!”  

“Hoo… Paramir. Draw your sword.”  

“Yes.”  

Pushing aside the pleading duo, Surabar gave me an indifferent command.  

It’s the leader’s order, so of course I follow.  

I raised my sword high toward the sky, like a hero who slayed a dragon.  

The two looked back and forth between me and the leader with dumbstruck eyes at the incomprehensible order.  

“Furdwal. Tenok. I’m not going to die. And I’m not the star of this hunt. …  

I’m sorry for deceiving you all this time.”  

As the leader’s words ended, I moved the mana within me.  

 Patter… Amid the sound of falling rain, Furdwal and Tenok stared blankly at the faint blue light emanating from my sword.  

“Aura…”  

“Swordmaster…?”  

Aura.  

Undeniable proof of a swordmaster.  

The two, who had been staring without breathing, finally snapped back and rushed at me in shock.  

“Youngest, ah, no. Paramir? What the hell is this…”  

To the clearly flustered pair, Surabar spoke in his usual tone, low like a tiger’s growl, without highs or lows.  

“Paramir is a swordmaster. He wanted it that way, and for Jasmine’s sake, I wanted to keep it hidden… But if we abandon this subjugation mission, not only do we lose the deposit, but our rank could drop. That’s why I called just you two. I want to keep it from the others as long as possible.”  

“Good heavens.”  

“By Barhan.”  

Seeing the two seniors with their mouths agape in shock, I couldn’t hold back a laugh.  

What are they thinking?  

Recalling all the mean pranks they pulled on me?  

Maybe so.  

Thinking about paying them back in kind made my lips curl up. Heh heh, you’re all dead later.  

“Ahem, ahem… It’s no big deal.”  

Actually, it is a big deal.  

But right now, that’s not what’s important.  

It’s the forest troll hunt.  

And since I’m a very broad-minded swordmaster, I won’t nitpick over such petty past stuff.  

Still, from now on, the menial errands will be those two’s share.  

“Uh, since when? When did you become a swordmaster, Paramir…?”  

“Snap out of it, Furdwal. The hunt comes first.”  

“But Leader.”  

“Furdwal.”  

“…Yes, right. The forest troll hunt first. A shaman, was it… With a swordmaster, it’s not impossible. Yes, of course.”  

“This way. Follow me. Quietly.”  

“Understood.”  

Surabar lightly tapped the shoulder of Furdwal, who still seemed dazed and unable to accept reality, to wake him up, then led the way toward where the forest troll shaman was.  

Now, in our march, there wasn’t a trace of the fear and anxiety from moments ago.  

Naturally.  

Now Furdwal and Tenok knew that I, a swordmaster—a force that could stand against a nation—was solidly backing them up.  

“When did you become a swordmaster? Paramir.”  

Even as we silently delved deep into Garam Forest, Tenok couldn’t hold back his curiosity and approached me quietly to ask.  

Tenok’s words and actions mixed familiarity with caution.  

“Story later. I’ll explain when we get back to the city.”  

“Yeah, that’s best.”  

After that, none of the four of us spoke.  

In the silence, broken only by the rain, we advanced relentlessly toward the forest’s center for about an hour.  

Frogs crouching quietly in the water or small soaked animals brushed through the wet grass, fleeing from us.  

Occasionally, a mother bird poked her head out of the nest to see what was happening outside, spotted our menacing group, and hastily hid her head.  

The little musician croaking in the puddle vanished into the distance.  

Stop.  

Surabar, leading, raised his right hand and clenched it into a fist. It meant stop immediately and stand by. We held our breaths and obediently followed the order.  

Furdwal and Tenok scanned all directions, perking up their wet ears to focus on sounds.  

They were looking straight ahead like me and Surabar, but it seemed they hadn’t detected the presence of ‘that thing’ hidden in the darkness.  

Impressive.  

As expected of the leader.  

He hasn’t become a swordmaster, but his sharp senses are on par with one.  

No, in some ways, he perceives the surroundings more keenly than I do.  

It’s enough to spark jealousy.  

If I were a beastman, I’d be much stronger than now—that regret, along with pity for the leader, arose.  

If the leader were human instead of a beastman, he wouldn’t have started this life-risking mercenary work, and we wouldn’t have this bond.  

Maximilian foisting me onto the leader and Jasmine was fate at work, in the most ironic yet miraculous way of matchmaking.  

Life is a series of such ironies. They layer up to form a person’s shape.  

“It’s the forest troll. Paramir, I’m counting on you.”  

“Leave it to me.”  

With sword in right hand and scabbard in left, I slowly approached the forest troll visible through the thick shadows, large leaves, and branches.  

I’m not worried about being detected. It already knows we’re here.  

The forest troll shaman knew we were approaching from afar, unseen.  

And I knew it had noticed our approach.  

We both recognized we were getting closer.  

The life-or-death fight between it and me had already begun before the ding of the bell on the ring.  

“Bigger than I thought.”  

The forest troll boasted the largest size among monsters I’d seen so far.  

Buried about half its body in the swamp created by the rain, its exposed height was just a bit taller than me or Surabar.  

But if it stood up, it would look like a building moving.  

How do I know? I just do.  

As a swordmaster, I can sense, instinctively, the unseen parts hidden in objects and surrounding landscapes.  

Asking how is like asking a fish how it breathes underwater.  

I do it naturally, but explaining it in words is futile.  

This is one reason a swordmaster can stand against a nation with vast military forces.  

Transcending the limits of human senses.  

Being reborn beyond the species’ boundaries.  

Not that I strived or swung my sword desperately for enlightenment to reach this level.  

I just possessed a game character.  

I spoke to the thing hiding its ugly face under darkness, shadows, falling rain, and giant leaves. Tauntingly.  

“How long are you going to crouch there? I’d prefer to take your head without fighting, though.”  

“…Come closer. Strong human.”  

“!”  

It speaks human language…?  

I was startled by the forest troll shaman’s words, with over half its massive body hidden in the swamp.  

This was my first time seeing a forest troll, but I knew well what kind of monsters they were from hearsay.  

But I swear on my level, no one ever said forest trolls could converse in human language.  

“It would be wise to heed my words. Unless you wish to witness the death of your cherished comrades.”  

“What? You bastard, who are you threatening right now…”  

“It’s not a threat. Look behind you. Your comrades have all fallen into deep sleep under my spell.”  

Startled by the forest troll’s words, I turned around.  

It was as it said.  

Not only Furdwal and Tenok, but even the trusted Surabar lay face-down in a rainwater puddle, collapsed.  

When did it happen?  

In a situation where they couldn’t breathe while unconscious… I immediately wrapped aura and slashed at its neck.  

“…I warned you…”  

I cut the neck, but its voice echoed from all directions.  

Forest troll shaman.  

I must have underestimated it.  

A shaman, wielding bizarre tricks better than a top graduate from the Violet Magic Tower.  

I closed my eyes, then opened them to look where the leader had been.  

Surabar, who had been face-planted in the puddle moments ago, was nowhere to be seen.  

Of course, there’s no way Surabar would lose consciousness to such crude spells or tricks.  

Having never experienced such bizarre spells in my year of slave and mercenary life, I sharpened the aura on my sword and scanned all around.  

I don’t know what tricks this monster has, but its depth is far from shallow.  

Underestimating it could backfire on me.  

“Human. I ask you to retract your aura. I am a priest serving the goddess Nyx. I do not wish to fight you, strong one.”  

“A monster… wants to talk? That’s not even funny.”  

“I’m serious.”  

It was absurd, but for now, I couldn’t do anything.  

I decided to converse as it wished.  

Until I find a way to break this situation.  

What kind of spell is this… I can’t even get a sense. Deceiving a swordmaster’s senses? What magic… Is it even magic? This is maddening.  

I could wildly swing my aura-wrapped sword toward where the voice comes from.  

But what if the voice is a trap?  

What if it’s luring voices from where the leader, Furdwal, and Tenok are, to make us fight each other?  

My senses right now weren’t reliable enough for such a gamble.  

The tide had already turned in its favor.  

Conversely, proposing dialogue in this standoff means it has no way to close the distance and rip my head off either.  

Damn it.  

It’s a checkmate.  

No choice. For now, I’ll play along with the conversation it wants.  

If I can just figure out how this spell works and how to break it, that moment will be when its head falls.