Chapter 30

Chapter 30
## Chapter 30: Twin Gorge (3)

On an evening when the crescent moon hung low and crooked in the sky, the inhabitants of **Eckl Village** huddled inside the residence of their leader for an emergency assembly. The village chief had just concluded his report regarding the deal struck with the wandering sellsword.

“…Consequently, the price for exterminating the beasts stands at 20,000 **luden**. I truly regret this, but to meet that sum, we must gather further contributions. Does anyone wish to speak?”

The room was thick with anxiety. As soon as one man broke the silence, a chorus of protests erupted from the gathered crowd.

“How could that fighter possibly know there were more creatures? I was at the site myself, and I only spotted a single one.”

“20,000 **luden** is an impossible demand, Chief… We struggled just to pull together 10,000, and now you’re doubling it? How are we meant to last until the crops are ready for market…?”

“Is it not possible to reason with him? He is a human being, after all—surely he possesses some sense of mercy?”

“The man is a predator. He’s simply squeezing desperate people to fill his own purse…”

The chief remained quiet, absorbing the complaints. As the voices grew louder, the furrows on his brow deepened with frustration.

Once the initial wave of anger subsided, he wiped his weary face with a calloused hand. He knew these people were sheltered, but he hadn’t realized they were this disconnected from reality.

“Have you all lost your wits?”

“…”

“If I offered any of you 20,000 **luden** right now, would a single soul here step forward to face that monster in mortal combat?”

The room fell into a heavy, suffocating silence.

The shouting vanished instantly. The villagers shifted uncomfortably, avoiding each other’s eyes. The chief let out a long, weary breath.

“Do not treat another man’s life as cheap just because it isn’t your own. Even a man who sells his sword values his breath as much as you do. If someone tried to haggle over the price of your survival, would you find it fair?”

The man who had urged for a lower price and the woman who had insulted the mercenary’s character both looked at the floor in shame. However, the middle-aged villager who had actually visited the canyon still harbored his suspicions.

“But still, the matter of there being two monsters feels wrong. My companions and I saw only one, plain as day. How does this outsider know of something that we, who live here, missed?”

“I cannot explain his knowledge. But I can tell you one thing for certain.”

“…”

“If we provoke that mercenary’s temper, he is fully capable of butchering every person in this room, taking our coin, and vanishing into the night.”

A sudden chill swept through the house.

The villagers gasped, their eyes wide with a new kind of terror. The realization caused skin to crawl and hearts to race. One man was so overcome with nerves that a loud hiccup escaped him.

The chief spoke the cold truth. This was a man who had effortlessly slaughtered the gang of mercenaries the village had feared for so long. If he truly lacked a soul, he could have inflicted far more misery than those bandits ever did.

“…Now, I believe the chance of such a thing is slim. Most **Atalan** mercenaries I have encountered hold themselves to a code of conduct. But that is no excuse for us to be disrespectful.”

“…”

“Pay attention. View this as a rare stroke of luck. When will we ever again see a warrior of such caliber pass through here without wishing us harm? Money is a resource that can be replenished over time. But an opportunity like this? Once it passes, it is gone forever.”

The villagers bowed their heads, weighing his words.

The deliberation was brief. Though the sting of the cost remained, they could find no logical way to refute the chief’s wisdom. One by one, they begrudgingly consented to pay the 20,000 **luden**.

Very few among them understood just how close they had come to total ruin.

—

A long-awaited spring drizzle finally began to descend.

The horizon was draped in a muted, leaden gray. The thirsty ground soaked up the moisture greedily, and fresh sprouts began to peek through the dirt, shimmering with wetness. Soft gusts of wind occasionally pushed the rain into a gentle slant. It was a mild, refreshing downpour—the kind of weather that usually brought smiles to a farming community.

Yet, the group traveling toward the canyon had no interest in the scenery. A heavy dread hung over their stumbling steps. The village youths acting as scouts kept casting fearful glances toward the tall barbarian, while the merchant following behind with the supplies fidgeted with his pack.

The warrior preparing for the hunt ignored their stares. He went about the grim business of inspecting his gear with a cold, professional focus.

He ran a light thumb along the edge of **Mosquito**. The steel was so keen it left a microscopic slit in his skin. He had spent the previous evening at the grindstone and coated the metal in camellia oil to ward off the dampness. It was a wise precaution given the rain.

His throwing axes required no such care. They had cracked open skulls and sliced through scales harder than iron, yet their edges remained as pristine as the day they were forged. It was a mystery how the dwarves, who possessed the skill to create such marvels, had ever fallen to the human race.

His attire was functional: a simple tunic secured by chest straps and paired with reinforced leather trousers. The village tailors had worked through the night to adjust the clothes to fit **Kadim**. He had discarded his tattered rags and opted to go without heavy armor, finding it too restrictive for the coming task. Besides, the denizens of the canyon wouldn’t be stopped by a bit of plate.

**Twin Gorge**.

**Kadim** was intimately familiar with the location. It was a renowned landmark within the game, and he had traversed it during his original journey.

Local folklore was full of tales about the place. Some spoke of siblings who broke a wizard’s geas; others told of a divine curse or a murderous family feud. The myths varied, but they all shared a common theme: two cursed twins reborn for eternity to stand watch over the gorge’s thresholds.

However, the quest line had stripped away the fantasy. There was no curse. The location was simply a natural focal point for monsters. They didn’t appear in pairs because of reincarnation, but because the environment was a perfect nesting ground for mates to raise their young.

Reality was often far more clinical than the legends. Of course, the gorge hadn’t become famous among players for its lore, but for the incredible experience it yielded…

The creatures of **Twin Gorge** provided massive amounts of experience. Just as the stories suggested, they would reappear at both ends of the pass at regular intervals. By setting up camp and hunting them systematically, a player could level up much faster than by wandering the wilds. It was a legendary “grind spot.”

**Kadim** couldn’t exploit the world like a game anymore, not in his first life and certainly not now. But he had secured a substantial 20,000 **luden** bounty. He wasn’t desperate for funds, but more gold was always an advantage. He would eventually need it to pay **Duncan**’s future salary.

Slaying monsters was a task as natural to him as hunting demons. It was also an ideal moment to gauge the limits of his maturing physique. He carried a flask of water just in case, but he was determined to win this fight without relying on demon blood.

“The entrance is just ahead, sir. We will wait for you here.”

The guides halted a significant distance from the opening, their faces drained of color. Only **Duncan**, carrying the heavy gear, remained by **Kadim**’s side.

The muddy path wound toward massive rock formations. Dense woodland flanked one side, while jagged stone rose on the other. Two immense cliffs stood like the shoulders of a titan draped in fine mist. Between them lay a narrow slit, looking as if a giant’s axe had cleaved the earth.

And there, standing guard in the rain, was the beast.

“Stay back, **Duncan**. Wait until the struggle has ended before you approach.”

“P-Please be careful, my lord!”

**Kadim** left the servant behind and moved forward alone.

Up close, the sheer scale of the creature was daunting. It stood as tall as a mature tree, a mountain of bulging muscle. Its skin was an ashen gray, resembling weathered stone. Tiny, mean eyes sat atop a hooked, predatory nose, projecting a sense of pure malice that went far beyond mere ugliness.

The gatekeeper of **Twin Gorge**: a **troll**.

— *Grur… gruk…?*

As the warrior drew near, the beast tilted its head in confusion—exactly as it had in the game. For a moment, it felt like a haunting sense of déjà vu.

Wait.

Something was slightly off.

The physical appearance matched his memory, but there was a subtle, unsettling difference. A faint, oily vapor seemed to cling to its skin…

…Demonic influence?

No, that couldn’t be right.

True demonic corruption would have twisted the creature’s anatomy into something unrecognizable. This beast looked perfectly standard.

Furthermore, this energy was far more diluted than genuine demonic power. If a demon’s aura was a thick, suffocating fog, this was merely a wisp of candle smoke—weak and tainted with something else…

…

He couldn’t quite identify the shift. But in the end, it didn’t change his mission.

— *Grurrruk! Grurrruk!!*

First, he had to bring the **troll** down.

Whatever had changed would likely be revealed once he started cutting.

*Thud! Thud! Thud! Thud!*

The **troll** lunged forward, each step making the ground tremble. It swung a massive, uprooted tree trunk like a club. **Kadim** stood his ground, waiting for the gap to close.

**Trolls** were known for their hide-like leather and legendary healing factors. They weren’t as armored as a **hydra**, nor was their regeneration fast enough to instantly mend a destroyed heart. If you took off the head or crushed the vitals, they stayed down.

**Kadim** set his sights on the skull. He waited for the exact moment when the beast’s clumsy momentum would prevent it from dodging.

— *Groooaaar!!*

At ten paces, the monster reared back for a crushing blow. Simultaneously, a streak of spinning metal whistled from **Kadim**’s hand.

*Shraaaack!*

His aim was true, but the **troll**’s instinctive reflex brought its arm up. Instead of splitting the face, the axe buried itself deep into the forearm. The blade mangled the limb.

*Crunch-crack!*

— *Guok! Groooaaar!!*

Flesh began to knit around the embedded weapon immediately. **Kadim** didn’t blink. Combat was never perfect. He simply adjusted his strategy.

He lunged low, sliding beneath the **troll**’s chaotic thrashing. He held **Mosquito** in his right hand and scooped up a handful of thick mud with his left. The monster, distracted by its arm, didn’t see him move.

He reached the beast’s rear and delivered a blindingly fast horizontal strike.

*Sliiiice!*

The skin near the heel was less thick. The blade bit deep, severing the tendon and releasing a spray of dark blood. Before the healing factor could kick in, he slammed the handful of mud directly into the open wound.

— *Groooaaaargh!!*

The grit and filth of the mud acted as a barrier, preventing the flesh from fusing back together. With its support gone, the **troll** buckled to one knee. It tried to swing its improvised club, but it was too sluggish. **Kadim** had already moved to the other leg.

*Sliiiice!*

Another precise cut, followed by a second dose of mud. Its balance completely destroyed, the massive creature toppled into the dirt. **Kadim** stepped aside to avoid being crushed, then went back on the offensive.

— *Guok! Guok! Groooaaar!!*

The **troll** made a desperate, wild grab with its good arm. **Kadim** used the beast’s own force against it, planting his blade firmly so the creature’s wrist impaled itself upon the steel, then ripping the sword sideways. Muscles were torn to shreds.

*Crunch-crack!*

— *Groooaaaargh!!*

The monster collapsed, wailing in agony. None of its limbs were functional. Every time its body tried to heal, the mud-tainted blood simply oozed out in a useless slurry.

The warrior saw his opening. He reclaimed his axe from the creature’s arm and stepped in for the final blow.

*Crack-boom!*

Blood erupted from the massive neck. The muscle was so dense it required more than a single strike. Like a woodcutter working on a stubborn oak, he hacked into the throat with rhythmic brutality.

*Crack! Crack! Splurch!*

At last, the heavy head fell away, rolling into the mire. A final, gurgling breath escaped the severed windpipe.

— *Gaaah…*

The twitching of the body stopped. The frantic spasms of regeneration went cold. The lukewarm rain continued to fall on the steaming carcass.

“…”

He had won without using a drop of demon blood—it had almost been too easy.

**Kadim** wiped the gore from his face and began a clinical examination of the remains.

Physically, there was nothing to distinguish this from any other **troll** he had fought. The rain had actually worked in his favor; wet mud was far more effective than dry dirt at stopping a **troll**’s healing. A lucky break.

…But what was that strange energy?

As the life left the beast, the aura began to vanish rapidly. He cut into the belly and began searching the internal organs.

He pulled at the slippery, wet viscera. He inspected the heart, the lungs, and the digestive tract. He even checked for signs of corruption in the lower bowels—nothing seemed out of the ordinary. There was no evidence the creature had been feeding on demonic matter.

However, just as he was about to give up, his eyes caught a glimpse of something: dark, shadowy residues dissolving into the pools of blood on the ground.

“…!”

“M-Master? What are you doing… Ugh! Blergh! Urk—bleeech!”

**Duncan** had finally caught up, only to immediately start vomiting at the sight of the gutted monster. **Kadim** didn’t have the patience to soothe him. He stood up and began running.

He had to get to the other side of the gorge for the second beast.

—

The rain tapped against the wide leaves of the canopy. The village scouts huddled under the trees, passing the time with nervous chatter.

“Do you really think that fighter can take it on by himself?”

“Who knows… If he fails, at least we don’t have to pay the 20,000 **luden**, right?”

“The gold isn’t the point—if he dies, we’re trapped in this village forever.”

Most of the young men were skeptical of the mercenary’s chances.

Beating up a few human bandits was one thing, but a **troll** was a nightmare of a different scale. Usually, it took a small militia or a skilled sorcerer to deal with such a threat.

“There’s no way one man kills a **troll**…”

“I wouldn’t be so sure. Did you see the way he threw that axe?”

“An axe works on a man, but a monster is different…”

The debate continued among the youths, none of whom had ever hunted anything larger than a forest pig. Suddenly, one of them pointed toward the horizon.

“Wait. What is that?”

“What?”

“Is that… smoke?”

A dark smudge was rising against the leaden sky. The group squinted in unison, trying to make it out.

“That’s coming from the direction of the **No-Return Forest**. Maybe a lightning strike started a fire?”

“Should we go see if it’s spreading?”

“Don’t bother. In this kind of rain? It’ll go out on its own.”

The logic seemed sound. The sky was gloomy and the drizzle was consistent. Any ordinary fire would be smothered in minutes.

But this was no ordinary fire.

The smoke grew thicker and darker. A pungent, biting scent filled the air. Suddenly, bright orange streaks of flame tore through the treetops. Instead of dying down, the fire seemed to feed on the rain, growing more violent with every passing second.

“W-What? The fire is getting bigger!”

“Why isn’t the rain stopping it?!”

“Heavens! If that reach the village, we’re all dead…”

A hellish crimson glow began to reflect in their terrified eyes.

An unholy fire was tearing through the demon-infested woods.

Would you like me to continue paraphrasing the next chapter of the novel while maintaining these specific conditions and proper names?