Monsters are supernaturally born creatures hostile to humanity. Upon seeing humans, they relentlessly charge in to kill, and no matter how many times you slay them, they keep reappearing like cockroaches.
In reality, they’re beings that can neither be understood nor explained, but in gaming terms, they’re incredibly simple to describe.
Regenerating monsters.
If such a creature were to be perfectly replicated in real life, it would be nothing short of a headache.
“Don’t worry! All the third-year seniors with you are veterans!”
The instructors and professors from the Knight Department roamed among the cadets, spouting words of encouragement, but there wasn’t a single cadet like Jeongbak-a who found comfort in those words.
At this moment, only two types of cadets stood relaxed. Those who were overly confident in their own abilities, or those whose partnered third-year senior was exceptionally skilled.
Kail belonged to both categories.
“Fancy meeting you here again, Kail.”
“That’s right.”
Kail’s partner was Ruby Alderica. The leader of the Swordsmen Club and an Expert-level master.
Kail found it strange that the professors had paired him with Ruby. While they didn’t know he was a Master, the instructors were well aware that he was at least at the Expert level.
It was only natural since he beat the self-proclaimed Expert Hundred every day without fail.
But pairing two Experts together? This hinted at some ulterior motive.
‘What’s going on?’
Though he couldn’t understand it, Kail wasn’t particularly worried. After all, Masters and Experts were strong enough to protect their lives no matter whom they faced.
Ruby, unaware that Kail was a Master but confident that he was at least an Expert, swiftly opened the mission report.
“…Hmm, we’re supposed to go here?”
“Why? Where is it?”
“The Troll Mountains.”
“Trolls?”
The most fantastical of monsters.
Commonly known as Knight Slayers.
* * *
Trolls are massive monsters. Their strength is so immense they can uproot trees, and their skin is thick enough to resist blades.
This posed little problem for knights skilled in Aura. Knights proficient in Aura could effortlessly cut through a troll’s tough hide.
The reason trolls earned the nickname “Knight Slayer” lies in their special ability: super regeneration. Even if their limbs are severed, they heal almost instantly.
This supernatural ability to erase wounds as soon as they’re inflicted rendered knights useless.
‘Bringing a sorcerer would be faster…’
Setting their wounds on fire, freezing them, or cursing them to reverse regeneration—any of these tactics by a sorcerer could easily subdue a troll. Yet, it was a monster knights couldn’t handle alone.
Ruby voiced her confusion about sending just two knights.
“What’s this?”
She approached an instructor, suspecting something was amiss, but the instructor shook their head, explaining that the destinations were carefully chosen based on the cadets’ abilities.
Though the response was laughable, Ruby turned to Kail first.
“Do you have any special powers or something?”
“Nope.”
“Then why the hell are they doing this? I’m going back to ask again.”
Ruby, unbecoming of a noble lady, spat out a string of curses before storming off to find a professor. She returned with a look of defeat.
“…They said we should be able to handle it. What nonsense is that?”
Had it been any other professor, she might’ve yelled at them to stop spouting rubbish. But apparently, it was Gawein who had made the statement.
The Academy’s sole Aura Master and role model for all knight cadets.
Even Ruby couldn’t argue with Gawein’s words, so she obediently boarded the carriage heading to the Troll Mountains.
“Ughh… Is this really happening? For real? Seriously?”
As Ruby whined like a soldier forced into training at the end of his service, Kail pondered why Gawein had sent him here.
Though trolls were known as thorn slayers, that reputation only applied to Expert-level knights. The story changes when facing a Master.
A blade of light capable of cutting through anything could even sever a troll’s regenerative power. Wounds inflicted by an Aura Blade did not heal.
‘Is this a test to use my Aura Blade?’
However, the principal and the duke had instructed him to conceal his status as a Master. Considering that, perhaps they wanted him to deal with the trolls without using the Aura Blade.
Or maybe neither was true. Just because the destination was the Troll Mountains didn’t mean they had to hunt trolls. Perhaps a new monster had taken residence instead…
“Kail?”
“—Ah, yes, Senior Ruby.”
“What are you thinking about? Worried?”
“No, not really.”
“Haha, don’t worry, buddy! Big sis will protect you. You just guard my back, alright?”
With that, Ruby wrapped Kail in a headlock. Though he could’ve easily escaped either by force or technique, Kail let himself be pulled along.
Her chest pressed firmly against his head, and Kail enjoyed the sensation until the carriage came to an abrupt stop, causing him to lurch forward.
“What’s going on?”
[We’ve arrived.]
When the elemental spirit driving the carriage announced their arrival, Ruby flung the door open and stepped outside.
The Troll Mountains. A special zone near the Academy’s territory.
Why was there a monster-infested mountain near the Academy? There were two reasons. First, this game’s protagonist is a player character attending the Academy. The closer to the Academy, the more dangerous the monsters.
Second, troll blood was a highly valuable magical ingredient. To the professors in the magic department, it was drool-worthy material, so the Academy intentionally maintained the mountain.
Both gamelike and realistic reasons combined to ensure the Troll Mountains remained active.
“Kail, check the mission briefing.”
“Yes.”
“What does it say? Sending us to the Troll Mountains probably means we’re supposed to collect troll blood.”
“Close enough.”
As Ruby spoke, Kail quietly closed the mission briefing.
The contents read:
[Kill the experimental subject at the summit of the Troll Mountains.]
─Aura Blade usage recommended.
─Burn the mission briefing.
‘Clean-up duty, huh.’
Kail managed a bitter smile, having roughly figured out why he’d been sent here.
* * *
Most sorcerers were oddballs with an experimental streak. They showed great interest in the trolls near the Academy, including hybrids between different monster species.
What happens if you crossbreed a troll with a goblin? An orc with a troll? An ogre with a troll?
The trolls’ super regeneration was a highly coveted trait. If they could mix that characteristic with other species, the sorcerers believed they could create the ultimate monster.
Never mind what they’d do with such a monster—first, they succeeded in creating it.
An ogre’s brute strength, a troll’s regeneration, a cyclops’ magic resistance, and various traits from other monsters were combined to create a chimera.
‘Its name was Hecatoncheir… wasn’t it?’
Named after the giants of Greek mythology, this chimera lived up to its title, becoming an absurdly powerful monster.
Sending just one Master and one Expert seemed laughable.
‘These guys… do they even realize what they’ve created?’
Kail vividly remembered the grandeur of the Hecatoncheir even after over a decade of playing the game. Scenes where painstakingly leveled-up player characters and companions were swept away like leaves with a mere flick of its hand.
He lost count of how many times he’d tried to defeat it. It was a monster that could only be hunted after dying countless times.
During that process, ten Masters were mobilized—a number impossible to gather even now from the entire Academy or Empire.
‘Guess they’re telling us to die…’
Of course, if the Hecatoncheir had always been such a monster, it would’ve wiped everything out the moment the game began.
That it hadn’t happened was due to one thing: when players were in their first year, the Hecatoncheir hadn’t fully grown yet.
‘I wonder if we can take it down now?’
If not, they could always run. With that thought, Kail began climbing the Troll Mountains, with Ruby trailing behind him.
On the mountain ridge, Kail charged straight at a troll blocking his path. With a light swing of his sword, he sliced through the troll’s neck and struck again before it could regenerate, completely severing its head.
Super regeneration or not, there was no way it could survive decapitation. As Kail prepared to move on, leaving the fallen troll behind, Ruby tilted her head curiously.
“…What, Kail? You—.”
“Oh, Senior. Well, you see…”
“Where are you going?”
“…Huh?”
“No, wait… Haven’t we collected enough blood already? Are you saying we need more?”
Hearing Ruby’s words, Kail belatedly realized he had introduced her to a different mission.
Since he couldn’t abandon her now, he properly explained the real mission.
“…What?”
“So, it’s not regular troll blood—they want us to bring back the blood of the chimera troll at the summit.”
“What kind of mission is that? Are you some kind of Master?”
“…Right.”
Sweating nervously under Ruby’s piercing remark, Kail started to feel the pressure.
