DTW 20

Chapter : 20

Troll Hunter (6)

“Uh?”
“?”
“That sword of yours… it’s just one you bought there, isn’t it?”
“That’s right.”
“Then how did you manage to cut a troll’s head off like that?”
“Senior, usually, beginner hunters die if they go alone. So it’s common for them to join experienced hunters to learn, you know?”

The information about Cameron Planet was incredibly valuable on its own. For newcomers, acquiring it wasn’t easy. Rather than risking their lives foolishly, it wasn’t a bad choice to start by learning under someone.

“Normally, if you start as an apprentice like that, you barely get paid and get worked hard. Yet people still do it in droves. Any idea why?”
“To learn the skills…?”
“Exactly.”
“But why?”
“Why do you keep asking? This is all my know-how.”
“I-I see.”

Kim Chang-sik flushed red. Looking back, he realized he had been excessively shameless. Almost all of the hunting had been done by Su-hyun, yet because he thought of him as a junior, he’d asked casually and ended up being rude.

“Sorry about that. I guess I was just so curious that the question popped out.”
“No need to apologize. Honestly, there’s no reason to hide it.”
“?”
“Even if I told you, others wouldn’t be able to use it. The trolls’ necks have weak spots, and you aim your sword there. Once it’s cut, the inside of the skin is relatively soft, making it easy to slice.”
“Really?”
“Beginners would have a hard time finding it. Don’t do anything crazy; just fight using the basic methods.”

It was a blatant lie, but Kim Chang-sik couldn’t help but believe it. He looked at Su-hyun with even more respect. Su-hyun seemed like a hunter who had spent his entire life on Cameron Planet.

“All right. Let’s move.”
“Good!”

Carrying the blood bags, Kim Chang-sik shouted with vigor. He wasn’t really helping much yet, but he didn’t feel intimidated. Su-hyun had brought him along, whether as a porter or something else.

All he had to do was do his best with what he could. His experience as a soldier wasn’t wasted. Kim Chang-sik could adapt flexibly to any situation.

‘So what if I’m just a porter? As long as I do well, that’s enough!’

With that thought, he moved quickly.

They had set traps everywhere for hunting. From a distance, they were arranged roughly in a circle. The traps were meant to target trolls returning to their habitats.

“That’s three. Judging by this, the trolls in this area are done. Let’s move.”

Watching Su-hyun calmly hang a troll upside down, Kim Chang-sik couldn’t get used to it. He connected the blood bags and asked,
“So, this area is finished now?”
“Trolls aren’t stupid. Once a troll falls into a trap, the others avoid it. They have a keen sense of smell for the blood inside. They’re sharp in many ways… and three trolls in one place is already a lot. If there were more, it’d be rare, so we can move.”
“Good!”

His back was heavy, but he wasn’t tired. Kim Chang-sik was filled with excitement. What he carried on his back was essentially gold. They’d hunted three trolls and drained all their blood, so even if he split the profits with Su-hyun, it would still be a fortune!

“Being a hunter pays way better than being a mercenary, doesn’t it?”
“Trolls are unusually expensive. Their blood is in high demand… There aren’t many monsters that have hunters specializing in them.”
“Maybe I should’ve been a hunter instead of a mercenary.”
“I wouldn’t recommend it.”
“Why?”
“The mortality rate for hunters is much higher than for mercenaries.”
“……”

Unlike mercenaries, who often move in groups and avoid dangerous situations, hunters usually move quietly in small numbers to catch their prey. And Cameron Planet didn’t just have trolls—dangerous monsters of all kinds lurked everywhere. Even experienced troll hunters could die if caught off guard. That was this planet.

“I handled it cleanly and covered it up, but you can’t ignore monster senses. Staying here too long might attract other monsters.”
“…Let’s move quickly!”

The sun was beginning to set. Su-hyun planned to camp as far away as possible. He wasn’t tired, but Kim Chang-sik, carrying the load constantly, naturally was.

‘And I still have to check something.’

Magic. He needed to open the grimoire. He wanted to do it immediately, but first, they had to secure a campsite.

“Let’s camp here. I’ll set up sensors around; you go rest first.”
“This area is so open. Is this really safe?”
“Of course not.”

Su-hyun picked up a shovel.

“Let’s dig.”
“……”

With the skills of a trained person and an even more skilled one combining, an instant makeshift shelter was created. Su-hyun covered it for camouflage and went inside.

“It’s a bit cramped, but it should be fine.”
“Of course. You know I’m a precious young master, right?”
“I’ll stay outside. I’ll call you when it’s time. Go ahead and sleep first.”
“Should I stay up? You’ve worked hard today.”
“Senior, you’ve worked hard carrying that stuff too. Don’t overthink it—just sleep.”

At Su-hyun’s words, Kim Chang-sik’s chest tightened. Sometimes it was scary, but seeing this, Su-hyun was clearly a person with a big heart.

“Thanks.”
“Yes, yes.”

‘Go to sleep already.’

Once he was sure Kim Chang-sik had fallen asleep, Su-hyun closed his eyes and activated the grimoire. Among countless magic spells, he found the healing section, and a list appeared:

[Healing]
Troll Blood: 0/10
Troll Heart: 0/1
Whitegrass: 0/1

‘Huh?’

He was definitely carrying the blood bags and the troll heart. Yet the numbers hadn’t changed at all. Su-hyun thought he might have misread and checked again.

‘Do I have to gather everything first? No, even so, the numbers shouldn’t stay the same…’

He thought the grimoire would react and absorb the ingredients when collected, but it remained silent.

‘No way…’

A chilling thought crossed his mind, but he shook his head. No, that can’t be it.

‘I have to… consume them? No, that’s impossible. Really impossible!’

In his past life, Su-hyun had eaten monster meat out of necessity, but it was never a pleasant experience. While some monsters were gourmet-worthy, most of the ones he’d met were not.

‘Damn it…’

Even the troll blood was one thing, but now he had to eat the heart too. He had never heard anyone say troll meat was delicious. If it were, troll hunters wouldn’t carry extra food.

Su-hyun compromised. He decided to try drinking the troll blood first. Troll blood alone was a strong tonic. He would see the grimoire’s reaction before eating the heart.

Gulp, gulp—

Opening the blood bag’s stopper, Su-hyun began drinking. The texture was like a thick juice. Not tasty, but not nauseating either.

‘I should’ve brought some seasoning!’

He hadn’t expected to eat monster meat this hunt, so he hadn’t brought any. After drinking a generous cup, he wiped his mouth and checked the grimoire.

[Healing]
Troll Blood: 2/10
Troll Heart: 0/1
Whitegrass: 0/1

‘Damn it!’

Now he couldn’t deny it—he had to eat, not just gather, to learn magic.

‘Ravenfeld… that grand mage made this system so messed up?!’

Any sense of gratitude disappeared. He had assumed collecting ingredients would let the grimoire handle the rest. But the world wasn’t that easy.

Cursing repeatedly, Su-hyun drank all the blood. Thirty minutes later, it was gone.

“Ugh. Damn. My stomach’s disgustingly full,”

[Healing]
Troll Blood: 10/10
Troll Heart: 0/1
Whitegrass: 0/1

Having filled the necessary amount, his body was quite energized.

‘That’s proper nourishment.’

Now only one remained: the troll heart. While some hunters drank troll blood as a tonic, no one had ever eaten the heart.

‘I trust you, Choi Ji-eun.’

In his past life, when he had brought a troll to analyze, it hadn’t indicated poison in its body. It hadn’t said the heart was edible either, but Su-hyun carefully tore it with psychokinesis and grilled it with the portable device’s heat. He took a deep breath and brought the roasted heart to his mouth.

“??”

Expecting the worst, he was surprised—the heart actually tasted decent!

It was lean and mild. Su-hyun chewed with a confused expression. He knew troll flesh was supposed to taste awful. That was a fact he had heard.

• Boss, if troll blood is so good for the body, wouldn’t troll meat be too?
• Idiot. Then it would sell for a lot. If it doesn’t, there’s a reason.
• Maybe no one tried it yet?
• Then try it yourself. I’m not responsible for the aftermath.
• Huff!
• Well?
• Tastes like old tires.
• Spit it out, fool.

“I should’ve let them try the heart too…”

Thinking of the subordinates he had lost, Su-hyun finished the heart. Even if they met again, they wouldn’t recognize him, but he was just glad they were alive. Wherever they were, alive was better than dead.

[Healing]
Troll Blood: 10/10
Troll Heart: 1/1
Whitegrass: 0/1

‘Done.’

Though the process had been confusing, he had fulfilled the conditions from the troll. He also learned that the ingredients had to be eaten, not just collected. Not a pleasant realization.

‘Not all ingredients can possibly taste as surprisingly good as the troll heart.’

Now only Whitegrass remained. Unlike trolls, it wouldn’t be easy to find. While he was skilled at fighting monsters, Su-hyun knew little about the locations of rare herbs.