The Indomitable Martial King

A group of about thirty hunters was escorting a carriage along the mountain path. They had successfully hunted trolls in the southern jungles of the Hallein Kingdom and were dreaming of gold, filled with joy.

Londen, who was leading the group, frequently looked back with a pleased expression.

“Hehehe, if we have a live troll, we should easily get a thousand gold coins for it.”

The mage, Luso, walking beside him, nodded.

“Absolutely, once we reach Kaltizan, our fortunes will change dramatically.”

While trolls were undoubtedly valuable monsters, they only reached their full worth when taken to the Alchemist Guild, where facilities to refine troll blood were available. Only by handing over the captured troll to the alchemists there would they secure solid gold.

Thus, Londen’s group was heading to the city of Kaltizan, where the southern branch of the Alchemist Guild, “Tears of Santana,” was located.

Leading the carriage, Londen’s group continued along the mountain path. As the sun began to set, darkness started to engulf the trail.

In the mountains, the sun sets quickly. Before they knew it, the sun had fallen, and the wild forest on either side cast deep shadows all around.

As visibility decreased, Londen hastened the pace.

“Come on, everyone, hurry up. We’re not far from the next campsite!”

There weren’t many places suitable for a large group to camp in the rugged Zetun Pass. Despite their efforts, the sun had set before they reached the campsite. The hunters, frowning, began lighting torches one by one.

With new light, they continued along the mountain path.

While they walked, a young hunter in the middle of the group suddenly tilted his head.

“Huh?”

A middle-aged man next to him turned and asked,

“What’s wrong, Dren?”

“I think I heard something strange.”

The young hunter’s reply made the older hunter frown and look around. But the surroundings were quiet. Only the occasional sounds of insects filled the air.

The young hunter scratched his head, embarrassed.

“Maybe it’s just my imagination?”

Then the sound came again. This time, the older hunter clearly heard it too.

Doom… doom….

A faint echo traveled through the air from beyond the darkness. The group halted their steps. The sound persisted, growing louder, enough for everyone to hear.

DOOM! DOOM! DOOM!

“What is that?”

“Is that a drum?”

A faint drumming sound tickled their ears. Echoing through the mountains, it was impossible to discern its source. Londen tensed up, his hand moving to the hilt of his sword.

“What is it?”

Suddenly, an old hunter at the very rear was pulled into the bushes!

“Gasp!”

One person was swallowed whole by the undergrowth, followed by the loud rustling of leaves. A horrific scream soon pierced the night sky.

“Aaaargh!”

Chills ran down their spines. Everyone stared at the bushes in shock.

“What is it?”

“What happened!”

The hunters quickly drew their swords and crossbows, preparing for battle. A few brave ones aimed their crossbows and pushed through the bushes.

“Ugh!”

“It’s Henden, sir…”

At the sight within the undergrowth, several hunters groaned. There lay the twisted corpse of their comrade, limbs grotesquely bent by an immense force.

Londen, who hurriedly rushed to the back, frowned at the horrific scene.

“Henden? What on earth happened all of a sudden…”

Right then.

“Eek!”

“Aaagh!”

Two men standing right behind Londen were yanked into the air. Something invisible had snatched them. The sturdy adult men were swiftly pulled upward, disappearing among the thick branches.

Witnessing the bizarre sight of their comrades ‘flying away,’ someone screamed in terror.

“Eeeek! What the hell is this!”

Thud! Thud-thud-thud!

Something rustled above them, shaking the darkened trees and causing leaves to scatter overhead. Then, a thick liquid rained down, and two lumps fell with a thud.

A hunter, covered in the liquid, touched his cheek and recoiled in horror.

“Ugh! This is blood! Blood!”

The two fallen lumps were the grisly remains of their comrades, who had been alive just moments ago. The gruesome sight threw the entire group into a state of panic.

“It’s a demon!”

“A demon has appeared!”

An experienced old hunter shouted, trying to calm the group.

“Get a grip, everyone! It must be a monster attack!”

Suddenly, a whistling sound cut through the air.

Whiiish!

Thud!

The head of the shouting old hunter exploded. A heavy stone had flown in from somewhere, striking his head precisely.

The headless body sprayed blood as it slowly collapsed to the ground. Londen glanced around frantically, shouting.

“Everyone, stay alert! We’re under attack! Gather around the carriage!”

Even amidst the terror, the hunters formed an orderly formation around the carriage. With his back against a comrade’s, Londen gritted his teeth.

“Damn it, we’ve already lost four people in an instant!”

He couldn’t fathom what kind of monster could move so stealthily. Londen shouted to Luso.

“Mage Luso! Detection magic!”

“Ah, got it!”

Luso, who had been standing dazed in shock, finally snapped to attention and began preparing his spell. He was so tense that he kept failing the incantation. His mouth kept drying up, knowing that something could come at any moment to smash his head.

“Huff, huff…”

Barely managing to complete the spell, Luso closed his eyes and chanted the incantation.

“Detect Life Object!”

The 3rd Circle detection magic, designed to find the presence of life forms, spread out broadly from Luso. Now, any living creature should be detectable with this spell. Just as Luso let out a sigh of relief, it happened.

Orrrrrrrrr!

A bizarre humming sound echoed through the darkness. It was neither a bird’s call nor a predator’s roar, but a strange noise. A thin and long, yet simultaneously low and deep, dual-toned humming. As it resonated, Luso started coughing.

“Keck! Kekk!”

“What’s wrong, Luso?”

In response to Londen’s question, Luso answered in horror.

“M-My magic has been broken!”

“What?!”

The moment the eerie humming was heard, an unknown force had interfered with Luso’s magic, nullifying the mana field. Trembling, Luso turned his head in all directions. In his fear-stricken mind, he suddenly recalled the cry of that mad old woman from Ferum Village.

– The wrath of the forest will descend upon you! The wrath of the forest!

Londen grabbed Luso’s shoulders and shook him, shouting.

“Hey! Luso! Snap out of it! Locate the enemy now!”

It was then, amidst the chaos. From up in the trees, a mournful voice was heard.

“My kind have done no harm to you…”

It was a clear common language. Yet, no one believed that the voice came from a human throat. It sounded like metal scraping against metal, a rough voice as if from the depths of hell.

“You have harmed him out of greed…”

The chilling voice continued. Londen mustered his courage and drew his sword, aiming it.

“What evil monster dares harm humans under Seiya’s protection?!”

Whirrrrr!

The wind blew. A dark shadow fell over Londen and his party. Simultaneously, whip-like long shadows swept over them. Dull thuds sounded in succession as four hunters were flung backward, spraying blood.

“Argh!”

“Aaaah!”

Their desperate screams echoed through the forest.

The fallen shadow slowly rose. Sinister eyes glowed with blue flames as they began to glare at the party. Through the flickering bonfire, the shadow’s form became clear.

It was a monster with rugged blue skin, long limbs, a hooked nose, and a harsh countenance. The whip-like shadows were actually the creature’s arms. With sharp claws on its elongated arms, it had instantly killed four more comrades.

One of the hunters muttered in a daze.

“A… troll?”

But it wasn’t an ordinary troll. For starters, its body was significantly bulkier than typical trolls.

While most trolls appeared emaciated and thin, this one, though slender, was distinctly muscular all over. Its hair was tightly braided into dozens of thick plaits hanging down to its waist, and its entire body was covered with intricate patterns drawn in red and blue pigments.

Most strikingly of all…

“Ivory tusks!”

At the sight of the two long tusks protruding like an elephant’s from the troll’s mouth, someone screamed. Hearing the cry, others backed away in panic.

“Ivory Tusks! That demon troll?!”

Londen muttered in fear.

Ivory Tusks.

It was a name whispered among monster hunters, almost like a superstition.

A monstrous creature with intelligence surpassing that of humans, wielding bizarre sorcery immune to magic, appearing and disappearing mysteriously to ambush hunters. It had the form of a troll but was an entirely different, ruthless monster.

They said that more than twenty branches of the alchemist guild had been destroyed because of that demon. The renowned monster hunting party, Darald Hunters, was said to have been annihilated by that single troll. Rumor had it that even a famed aura user from the north had met their end at the hands of this demon. Among monster hunters, many seriously believed that Ivory Tusks was a demon from hell, transformed into a troll.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

The legendary demon troll, Ivory Tusks, began to approach the party, producing drum sounds. Small drums hung on either side of its thighs, which it beat as it advanced, and each drumbeat resonated in the hunters’ ears, engulfing their minds with inexplicable terror.

“Umbat Kurad Ralka Ralka Rataka…”

The beat of the drum was accompanied by an eerie, unintelligible voice that kept to the rhythm. The hunters all recoiled in terror.

“Uwaaah….”

One by one, the hunters began to flee. Londen glanced between the captured troll on the carriage and the ivory tusk in front of him. He wanted to run away immediately. The grip of fear on his heart was that powerful.

However, the desire that was as strong as his fear, the glimmering gold before him, held him back.

As he hesitated, a mocking voice whispered in his ear.

“Has greed overcome fear? Truly, you are human.”

“Uwaaagh!”

With a dreadful scream, Londen’s head flew high into the night sky.

—

Three

A week after encountering Teslon, Repenhardt and his party returned to the Antares Ducal Castle.

Originally, the journey from the Setellad Mountains to the Gloten Mountains, where the Duchy of Antares was located, would take at least a month of non-stop riding on fast horses. However, by using the Daiman Terminal and activating the new spatial portal at Dungeon Chloe, the travel time was significantly reduced.

Upon returning, Repenhardt immediately checked if anything had happened during his absence.

The orcs and the Blue Bear Tribe, who had newly established a settlement on the edge of the duchy’s territory adjacent to the Gloten Mountains, were freely hunting and gathering in the mountains. Since they had only recently migrated, there had been no conflicts yet with the native mountain tribes.

Of course, clashes were inevitable in the future, so it was necessary to prepare in advance. Therefore, Repenhardt gave Stalla and Gralta flags bearing the coat of arms of the Duchy of Antares, instructing them to fight under the banner if any battles occurred.

The establishment of a new home for the elves, with another World Tree planted in the Elven Forest, proceeded smoothly. When Repenhardt planted the Azure Sky Staff, Jerunting, in the middle of the forest and awakened its essence, the rough staff sprouted and grew to the size of a gigantic oak tree.

Since there was now more than one World Tree, it became necessary to name them for distinction. The original World Tree of the Dahnhaim clan was named Nihillen, and the new World Tree was named Jerunting. A few elves from the Dahnhaim clan stayed near the new tree to tend to it.

Most of the Grand Forge warriors remained in the Duchy of Antares.

Thanks to the large quantities of grain and food acquired through the Taoban Trading Company, the Grand Forge warriors no longer needed to risk their lives hunting monsters for a while. Thus, only about thirty dwarf warriors returned to transport the food, while the rest supported the other dwarf clan originally residing in the duchy.

This dwarf clan, previously enslaved, had moved out from the underground of the ducal castle and was now establishing their own village near the mines. Though it would still take time to complete the village, the dwarves, who were skilled in construction, had already prepared the residential area.

Overall, everything was proceeding smoothly. The various races were doing their best to secure their future, and for now, Repenhardt didn’t need to intervene.

However, another issue was causing Repenhardt a headache….

It was related to humans.