Leaving the mercenary guild, Aron swiftly reviewed the details of the quest.

…

< Iron tire quest: Troll Hunt

Track down a group of trolls that have descended from the mountains and are causing havoc for travelers and villagers.

Estimated number: 4-6 trolls.

Last known location: A cave west of the main trading route.

Caution: Trolls possess high endurance and rejuvenation and are nocturnal creatures. They sleep during the day.

Reward: 200 silver coins. >

…

"Interesting!... Raum, have you ever encountered a troll?" Aron inquired with curiosity.

Raum pondered for a moment before replying, "Hmm! Maybe... Oh! I recall seeing a band of adventurers hunting down a troll."

"Tell me more about these trolls."

"I don't know much, but they're big, ugly, and dumb creatures. Trolls usually have pale or dark gray skin. They're primitive and slow."

"Slow! Hmm?... I can take down a slow, dumb creature."

Raum quickly poked his cheek when he heard him. "Don't underestimate trolls, my friend. They may be slow, but they possess crazy endurance and can fight for days if you force them. Also, they can heal the most lethal wounds in seconds."

"Hooh! I like the sound of that." Aron grinned mischievously. "The perfect punching bag."

"..." Raum was out of words. He looked at that smile and sighed. "Kaahh!... I really want to know how your brain works. No ordinary human would think like that... Wait! I forgot you're not a human. Sorry."

Engaged in light banter, Aron and Raum strolled out of the town's gate, preparing for their adventure. Aron paused in the middle of the road and whispered something to Raum before abruptly sprinting westward, vanishing into the forest.

"What!? Oh... Shit, I'm going to lose him," muttered a man from a concealed position near the guards' post, watching Aron from afar. He spoke quietly with the guards before heading in the same direction as Aron.

Ten minutes later

A group of five individuals emerged from the town's gate. Among them were three men and two women, each armed and ready. Approaching the guard, the group's leader, clad in full plate armor and carrying a massive shield, exchanged a few words before beckoning the others.

"This way," he commanded, and the group followed, heading west along the main road.

"Puff... Puff... Damn, he's fast," grumbled the stalker, who had been tailing Aron for the past five minutes, leaving marks along the way. Now he observed Aron standing motionless in the heart of the forest. Assuming the man must be exhausted from his sprint, the stalker stopped to catch his own breath.

'Why is he standing there? I'm not complaining. I'm exhausted too…'

"KAAAHHH!"

"!!!" But suddenly, a loud noise pierced the air, causing the stalker's heart to skip a beat. He held his breath and cautiously glanced toward the source. He saw a dark raven with red eyes perched on a tree branch, watching him.

"Sigh... It's nothing, just a stupid bird," the stalker sighed in relief, dismissing the disturbance. Peeking at Aron again from behind a tree, he was met with a startling sight. Nothing; the man vanished.

"Shit! I lost him... all because of that stupid bird."

"Now, it's not nice of you to insult my little friend like that."

"!!!" Suddenly, an unknown voice came from behind him. The stalker froze as his face went pale. Trembling, he bit his lips and forced himself to turn around, and what he saw made his heart stop.

An entity with flaming crimson eyes that sent a shiver down his spine and a horrifying smile that showed all the teeth of what he thought was a demon emerged from the darkest parts of hell.

"AHHHHHH!!"

Fifteen minutes later, the group arrived at the stalker's last marked location.

"The marks stopped here," the leader remarked, studying the tree's markings. He swiftly commanded, "He should be around here somewhere. Find him and locate our target."

"Yes, boss," the group responded in unison.

Within seconds, one of the women, garbed in light leather armor and equipped with twin daggers, spotted movement behind a tree.

"Found him."

The group gathered around her as she pointed at the tree and what lay behind it. There, they saw a man lying on the ground with his back against the tree. Judging from his clothes, they deduced that he was their stalker.

Carelessly approaching the stalker's location, the group's leader boiled with rage. After all, he could guess that the stalker had lost his target. However, when he turned around the tree and was face to face with the stalker, he froze.

"What the fuck!"

The stalker's body was a gruesome sight, injured and broken in a horrible way. All of his fingers were brutally bent, one leg missing, and the other twisted and fractured. He bore multiple cuts and bruises, a testament to his agonizing suffering.

"!!!" The group froze, gazing at the bloody scene. Although they had witnessed terrible things in their past, this level of brutality still managed to shock them. Recovering his composure, the leader confronted the injured man when he saw that he was still breathing.

"What happened to you? Who did this?" he demanded, his tone conveying both anger and fear.

With great effort, the stalker slowly raised his head upon hearing a voice nearby. Upon recognizing the group, his eyes widened with terror, and he opened his mouth to utter a warning, but no sound emerged—his tongue had been severed.

Seeing blood seep from the stalker's mouth, the leader quickly understood the situation. However, his train of thought was abruptly stopped when he noticed that the man's tongue was now draped around his neck like a macabre necklace.

"T-This is beyond cruel. A D-Devil! This is the work of a Devil."

The whole group experienced a new degree of fear at that moment. No sane person could have this level of cruelty unless he's the devil himself.

The leader observed the stalker's condition, and a sudden realization struck him. He urgently turned to his companions.

"It's a tra~" he began, but before he could finish, a shadow suddenly burst from a bush behind them, wielding a greataxe.

The leader raised his shield to absorb the blow, but to his astonishment, the strike surpassed the strength of his defense, hurtling him through the air and obliterating trees in his path. The figure did not relent, delivering a powerful punch to another man's stomach, causing him to slam into a nearby tree.

Swiftly selecting a new target, a mage, the figure charged forward. However, the mage, momentarily startled, conjured a wall of stone from the ground, separating them. Upon impact, the wall shattered effortlessly under the greataxe's might, sending debris flying in all directions. Amidst the chaos, a small, sharp rock made a cut on the rogue's left arm, a minor and easy-to-miss injury.

Aron, surprising the entire group with his ambush, paused abruptly for an unknown reason when he witnessed the mage employing her magic. A wide grin formed on his face as he took a step forward. He couldn't see the mage girl because of all that dust cloud, but he could sense her.

But suddenly, from the corner of his eye, a flash of red light caught Aron's attention amidst the haze, followed by an arrow hurtling toward his head at high speed. Aron had little time to react. He used the greataxe blade as a shield but also didn't have time to strengthen his position, especially his feet, and without solid footing, he lost balance.

'Ughh! Damn!'

The arrow was faster and stronger than he anticipated, causing Aron to roll across the ground, eventually finding himself in an open field amid the dense forest.

"Stop!" A voice echoed from behind Aron. He turned to see a fully armored man emerging from the wreckage of shattered trees.

"You bastard! How dare you attack us? And what have you done to my stalker?" The man shouted angrily, pointing accusingly at the injured stalker.

The group quickly regained their composure and began to encircle Aron from all sides. Aron glanced around, analyzing and scanning them one by one. He could see two women: one mage with a gray robe and a staff, and a two-dagger rogue.

Three men: the angry plate man with a big shield and a steel mace, the archer with a longbow, and the last one, a fighter with a greatsword, whom Aron punched in the stomach.

Aron gazed at their faces and saw a glimpse of fear in their eyes as they monitored his every move. Realizing the source of their fear and adding to the group's shock, Aron suddenly burst into uncontrollable laughter.

"HAHAHAHA~"

"..." Silence fell over the group momentarily as they processed Aron's unexpected reaction. Initially, they believed he was underestimating them, but his laughter and relaxed posture put them on high alert.

"What have I done?" His laughter died out, and the air around him began to shift. His eyes turned crimson as an oppressive weight bore down on the group, rendering them rooted to the ground.

"A man who dares to pursue me with evil intentions no longer needs legs," a deep, demonic voice resonated, sending shivers down everyone's spines.

BOOM!

"A man who dares to raise his hands against me will no longer have hands."

BOOM!

"A man who dares to insult me and my family will have his tongue cease to exist."

BOOM!

With each sentence, the pressure intensified, immobilizing the entire group. They found themselves practically kissing the ground, utterly defenseless.

Aron gazed at their leader. The latter instantly felt an overwhelming dread consume him. Every fiber of his being urged him to flee, but how could he escape when he couldn't even move?

"Your 'stalker' committed all three offenses. Thus, punishment is necessary. But fear not, my friend, for I have a far more fitting punishment just for you."

The immense pressure disappeared instantly. The two girls, the mage and the rogue, almost threw up. They had never experienced such pressure before, and the men were not in better condition either.

Raising his hands to shoulder height, Aron stared intently at the group before speaking in his deep, demonic voice.

"Now, entertain me."

"AAAHHHH!" The leader unleashed a battle cry, charging at Aron with his shield and mace.

The rest of the group followed suit: the fighter followed his leader's charge with his greatsword; the rogue disappeared behind the trees, looking for an opening for an ambush; the mage started channeling her spells; along with the archer who also channeled mana into his arrows. He held his bow ready to fire at any moment, shouting curses as they surged forward. Aron sported a wicked smile.

"HAHAHA~... That's it! Fight! Show me your strength and the will to live, or you will fall into...Despair."