troll.
It is said that the monsters, also known as ‘cannibals’, were born from the corruption of a being that was once the guardian deity of the forest.
The story of a guardian deity of the forest who was betrayed by humans, became one with a rock to take revenge on humans, and then transformed into a monster that eats humans was famous in fairy tales and comedies.
And the fact that oral tradition is created means that even children are aware of the violence and threats that trolls can pose.
The content of the representative troll tale is as follows.
– ‘Although its entire body is covered with solid rock, its agility and intelligence are like the innate deception of a wolf.’
– ‘A slaughterer who has the power to regenerate like a fire that never runs out of firewood, and possesses the power to shake mountains and kills everything.’
– ‘It must be a rock demon that eats people.’
This is a total nightmare.
This is a tale of a monster that would keep children up at night, regardless of their social status.
In this way, the power of the trolls that the tales tell was actually terrifying in itself.
The knights will have to move to defeat the trolls, and even if they do, there may be sacrifices involved.
Thus, trolls became the nightmare of warriors.
However, the effects of the troll’s heart and blood had such enormous ‘value’ that it made one forget even such nightmares.
If you drink blood, you can cure most diseases and even all wounds.
Consuming heart has been shown to have numerous health benefits, including increasing lifespan.
Well, if you eat it without refining it, you’ll die.
In any case, if a troll appeared in the forest or mountains near the estate, it was like a treasure that had to be caught by any means necessary.
Even if there are sacrifices involved, if the hunt is successful, there is no greater jackpot than this.
So, countless mercenaries and explorers have tried to find the trolls, but unfortunately, trolls have now become rare creatures.
Due to indiscriminate capturing and hunting, it was difficult to see them in normal forests or mountains, and they could only be encountered if you went to areas called “Magyeong” (魔境).
so.
“-Who said today that we’ll be able to see real trolls fight in the swordsmanship exam? What a stupid question. If you think about it a little, there’s no way a ‘real troll’ would be in the royal capital.”
Those who ask whether the ‘man-made products’ on the academic exam are real trolls must be quite light-headed.
It was a cold remark from the girl who resembled a beautiful deep purple violet, Carin Guinevere, and the boy who was still being held by the girl like an attachment doll and getting his hair trimmed blushed and responded to the girl’s words.
“Ka, Karin Youngae, please step away from me….”
“Isn’t that funny? How can you save a monster like a troll? The only thing you can save is a [Rock Troll] made with alchemy.”
“… Hmm.”
Her fascinating collection is perplexing.
I think my fresh young body will react.
Derek, a natural introvert, bent down and tried to somehow get away from her.
slap.
“Where do you keep going?”
“… … .”
Although it was meaningless.
“Honestly, it’s funny to even call them trolls. They’re just rocks with troll blood on them. Oh, and that blood was copied too?”
“But, isn’t he still a threat?”
“Well, that’s true for ordinary people.”
The artificial life forms called artificial cannibals or rock trolls were actually golems that could not even be called living beings.
As it became increasingly difficult to find trolls, this was one of the products created through the efforts of alchemists to replicate the heart and blood of a troll.
However, the cloned product could only barely mimic 20% of the performance of the troll’s blood, which disappointed many, but still, where can you get 20% performance?
Thanks to this, many products were developed, one of which was [Rock Troll].
… I just made it by soaking the blood of a troll cloned into a rock.
So there were still many people who didn’t know the origin of rock trolls.
However, its fighting power is not even half that of the original, so it is often used for training or to evaluate someone’s skills.
This was the case with the swordsmanship department exam.
“I’ve seen it once. Sometimes, the family would buy it and have it fight with new knights. It was so insignificant. It was so weak for a monster called a forest demon or a cannibal.”
“… It can’t be helped since it’s just a replica.”
Derek had given up on shaking off her touch and had accepted his fate of having his hair trimmed.
Even though he answered her questions faithfully, there was a strange aura about him.
“Huh? Was there something strange about what I said? Why are you reacting like that all of a sudden?”
“Oh, no, I just needed to think about something.”
“Hmm, how can you afford to think of anything else when you’re with a wonderful woman like me… How disappointing.”
“!?”
“joy!”
“Uh, uh…, Ka, Karin Youngae…?”
“joy-!”
“… … .”
… How on earth do women feel in times like this?
Derek couldn’t help but feel troubled, like he was facing the world’s greatest challenge.
‘Rather than that, I really need to know what to do…’
Even as he tried to appease the delicate girl, Derek’s mind was in tangled confusion.
We have entered the ‘chapter’ of the Academy Exam.
Originally, the previous chapter was supposed to happen, but strangely, the chapter didn’t happen.
‘Illegal wizards should be committing terrorism, but there are no such incidents.’
I was preparing to report an illegal wizard disguised as an academy faculty member to the Knights Templar, but he suddenly disappeared.
Although it was disconcerting, I was relieved that no terrorist attacks occurred.
‘What happens to the Odwal Corruption Route?’
Derek began to feel a sense of crisis as even the main story wasn’t happening.
It felt like all the information I knew was in disarray and useless.
So Derek couldn’t say for sure what would happen in this chapter either, which made him even more worried.
‘I’m more anxious about the exam chapter because it’s something I can’t do… .’
Because I can’t even begin to predict how the butterfly effect would occur.
The ‘Exam Period Chapter’ is too uncertain.
Even leaving aside the fact that information is not communicated, this is like a ‘forced event’.
Also, Derek has no authority or justification to stop the test.
All he has is the status of a mere cadet.
‘I’m helpless.’
What good is information, it can’t do anything on its own.
“…Why are you making that face?”
“yes?”
“I’m asking why you suddenly look so sad.”
“Oh, no, that’s….”
“I’m not angry. I’m just asking because I see Derek holding back.”
“… … .”
“Come here.”
“I, I…”
“Come on, are you going to reject the courage that a woman showed first?”
“… … .”
… prison.
Derek unconsciously fell into the girl’s arms as she scolded him, seeing right through him.
I’m so happy to be held in the arms of a girl who is clearly younger than me, and yet I feel comforted by her.
It’s embarrassing.
…still.
‘I feel better.’
Certainly, even if the mental age is high, the physical age cannot be ignored.
An age ruled by hormones.
Derek was comforted by this, and Karin stroked the boy’s gray hair affectionately.
I hope that this wounded boy’s eyes will soften even a little.
… … Well, unlike their noble hearts.
“Here he goes again.”
“You envious little bastard.”
“… I want to be in love too.”
To others, it may only look like pickling.
It was summer.
* * *
Kuung!
“Oh, is that the rock troll?”
As an instructor at the swordsmanship department, Lee Han was able to meet the trolls that the students would fight in advance.
[Ouch… Ah… Ah… Ouch…!]
“…It just looks like a doll with a speaker.”
The original troll was approximately 6 meters tall, and was nothing more than a large excavator turned into a robot.
On that subject, his whole body is covered with rocks, and he is so ferocious that he is like a beast that can never be tamed.
But this guy.
Phew!
“Slow, small, and weak.”
A 3 meter tall troll, or rather a rock-shaped monster, moves.
It might be extremely threatening to some, but Lee Han wasn’t particularly impressed.
“This guy is not a troll.”
Lee Han concluded.
This is not a troll.
It’s nothing more than a cheap imitation that merely copies the form of a troll.
So.
“It’s not fun.”
Kwajik!
Lee Han’s palm struck the rock monster without hesitation.
It was no different from a slap, but the ripple effect that slap created was enormous.
Phew!
Volcano.
The rock monster collapsed with its back part bursting.
“Hmm, I’ll be using this a lot.”
Footprint.
His blow, which had a destructive power incomparable to that of the blow Levi Fault had struck the day before, tore the monster apart.
A technique based on Baltar’s internal weighting method.
However, because it is such a convenient method, it is actually quite cumbersome.
I feel like I’m just becoming dependent on it.
‘I guess I’ll have to research other technologies next.’
Convenient methods are good, but why would you use shortcuts to become stronger?
Jerit.
“… Still, the mat is nice.”
A tingling sensation in the fingertips during reflection.
It didn’t hurt much, but my hand was a little numb.
This fake is weak and has many weak points, so there are many places to attack, but its defensive power is also quite impressive.
also.
Slowly… Slowly…
“Is there some regenerative power?”
I was wondering why I could use the name troll.
The broken body is struggling to stick together.
I guess it’s not all flaws.
He was sure of it the moment he stamped firmly on her head and took her breath away.
… … This is not an ‘opponent’ that can be defeated at the cadet level.
‘I’ll easily beat the regressor and those three, and the assistant guy will be close, but the rest are a no-no.’
This is not only the case with the Teddy Bear series, but also with the Doryunnim series.
I don’t know if I can train for another year or so, but will I be able to fight at my current level?
It’s a sure defeat.
reason?
‘It has no destructive power.’
I know better because I taught it myself.
Those weaklings have a long way to go before they can deal with this rock troll.
So, Lee Han learned that this test was not structured so that one had to defeat a monster to pass.
‘You said the examiners were the elders of the military, right? In the case of those gentlemen, they will look at combat ability, but they will also look at how cleverly the warrior responds.’
Not a bad way to do it.
I feel like they want to push themselves to their limits to figure out their strengths and weaknesses, and through that, to confirm their potential.
It was an appropriate judgment method, and it means that it is not an entirely unreasonable test, as it shows things like ‘excellence’ and ‘a fighting spirit’ even if you did not learn any particular speculation methods.
however.
“… Now I know why the senior bears only last until the second year.”
The bears’ senior.
So, even though the civilian cadets from the previous year were weak, they would have surpassed the benchmark that Lee Han had in mind.
So, I guess I went up to the second grade.
But perhaps they felt it as soon as they reached second grade.
That the abilities they possess are those of excellent soldiers or strategists, not those of knights.
It is probably because they sense these limitations that there are so many dropouts.
Indeed.
“-That’s stupid. If they are that excellent, they should be accepted even if it means opening up the upper-level speculation method. Why would they throw away talented people because of something so special?”
“… … .”
“Isn’t that right, buddy?”
“… Entry by outsiders is prohibited?”
“Haha, don’t worry. I snuck in.”
“… … That’s quite shameless.”
Even with the sudden appearance of an outsider, Lee Han was like that.
I had already sensed the unfamiliar, or rather, irritating presence, but I deliberately did not touch it.
It wasn’t that I had any intention of murder or hostility.
However, the attitude of suddenly approaching me and trying to read my mind is really annoying.
Have you learned how to read minds?
“I’m more good at reading other people’s minds than reading minds. It’s not my intention. It’s just a clumsy talent that I’ve picked up by chance.”
“… Isn’t that a poisoning technique?”
“Haha, you may call it that, but the real mind poisoning technique is what our older brother has, so we call it mind poisoning technique. This ability doesn’t even qualify as mind poisoning technique.”
“I don’t want to experience that.”
“Haha, you’ll think differently when you meet him. Contrary to the rumors spreading in the capital, my brother is quite the gentleman.”
“Arthur. What do I want with that gentleman?”
“Huh? Did I tell you who my brother is?”
“If you don’t know, you’re just being stupid.”
“?”
“… … .”
He’s a strange guy.
He is good at reading other people’s minds to the point of being a psychopomp, but he actually has no sense of humor.
Did he think that if he had the [imprint] of a ‘winged lion’ drawn on his forearm, no one would know where he was from?
After all, an imprint is an imprint.
“You should at least hide your hair and eye shape.”
“Oh, did you notice it?”
The jet-black hair that is characteristic of the Northerners is just hair, but the eyes that resemble a lion are like a beast, and are said to have inherited the heart of a lion, and are a symbol that only a certain family can have.
And those with lion’s eyes, in general.
“Hmm, I was planning on hiding my identity, what a pity.”
“It doesn’t seem like there’s any intention to hide it.”
“Haha, I originally planned to hide it, but as I watched quietly, my blood boiled and I didn’t even have the luxury of hiding it.”
“… … .”
“I’m not a person without circumstances, but… This is something of a family trait, so there’s nothing I can do about it…!”
Shh.
“-Are you not willing to fight with me until you die?”
A crazy [berserker] who loves killing.
A knight who inherited Lionel’s bloodline requested a slaughter-like confession from Lee Han.
“… … You crazy bastard.”
Why did I get caught by someone like the Demonic Cult, or rather [North Sea Demonic Cult]?
‘Why are these guys the only ones who approach me so friendly?’
Lee Han didn’t understand at all.
