The team, consisting of four adventurers, laboriously moved along the twisting stone road leading to the mysterious ruins in the highlands.

At the head of the group was the leader, the warrior Mirek. His equipment was sturdy, though not among the best. An elaborate helmet covered half of his face but failed to stop a few black hairs from escaping into the fresh air. Reinforced armor effectively protected his chest, and a sword rested at his side, while a shield dangled on his back.

Behind him followed a woman with light red hair. Her clothes and equipment suggested she was a sorceress. However, she is probably not one of the top magic adepts, even in the immediate area. Her name is Kanra.

“Oi, Mirek. How far yet?” She asked.

“Beyond that hill, the ruins should already be visible,” Mirek replied.

“And then what? Do we report to the guild master that we found nothing but a pile of rubble on the hill?” She asked yawning.

“Fuck. Have you listened at all to what this mission is about?”

“Hmm, not very much. This grandfather is terribly boring.”

“Who am I working with... We've been sent to assess why more and more monsters are leaving the Crow Forest and attacking the nearby villages they encounter on their way. The master suspects that a dangerous predator has appeared in the forest, forcing the rest to emigrate,” Mirek explained.

“So what am I doing here then?” An elderly man in priestly robes, walking behind them, called out.

This is Anton - a grumpy old priest who constantly threatens the villagers with punishment for their sins and judgment over the wickedness of this world.

“This forest is haunted, isn't it?” Kanra asked blithely.

“What does that have to do with anything? I'm a priest, not an exorcist. I don't expel ghosts,” appalled Anton.

“Oh, save your frustration for preaching to the villagers. We need your holy protection and that's it. You are the only priest in the area,” replied Mirek.

“Yes, because the rest died in stupid expeditions like this one,” added Anton maliciously.

“Silence. I see something. It's a troll. There, under the trees,” pointed out Hunter Neitor, the last of the team.

“Hmm. Let's get closer,” decided Mirek.

Alison's room... Fifteen minutes later...

Elrianthe and Alison exchanged glances. There had already been attacks by wolves or minor monsters, but Matt's behavior indicated something more serious. He was not one to panic easily.

“Matt, what's going on? What's attacking us?” Elrianthe asked.

“I don't know. It looks like a troll, but it's extremely strong. He ran out of the forest and chased some two people straight towards us. We stopped him with Gaz and Duncan, but it didn't...” choked out Matt.

[ Puppet: Mitta Hermet was killed ]

Elrianthe's face lost all color when a new announcement told her of Mitta's death. Although he and his team were only tools for her, she felt the situation was spiraling out of control. Lowering her guard at such a critical moment could cost her too much.

“We have to go, quickly! Alison, stay here,” cried Elrianthe, running out of the room.

She headed straight for the exit of the fortress, and Matt followed her.

“I called everyone for help,” informed Matt as they ran through the main hall.

She ran through the main entrance, and a shiver ran down her spine. Against the wall, near the entrance, lay Mitta's body. His abdomen was ripped open by sharp claws, and his bones were shattered from a hard blow against the stone wall. Blood was oozing from his mouth, and bloodshot eyes stared toward the entrance. Although he had been dead for several minutes, his expectant gaze made Elrianthe feel as if she had failed his expectations by not coming to his aid in time.

*Boom*

*GRRRRUHH*

A more than three-meter tall, enraged troll with a dark brown coloration wailed, and its huge paws shook the base of the tower from which Duncan was shooting at it with his bow.

Elrianthe, looking around nervously, noticed that behind the wall Gaz was treating Taygeer's wounds. Taking advantage of the moment when the monster was busy climbing the tower, she ran up to them, eager to learn more.

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“Taygeer, are you okay? What's going on?” She asked, approaching them.

“It's just a scratch. This beast has sharp claws. I'm sorry, we didn't manage to defend Mitta,” replied Taygeer.

“Don't worry about it now. We have to do something about this monster before it gets Duncan,” stated Elrianthe.

“I don't know if we can. That beast is incredibly strong. Mitta was killed by one blow. His arms are so long that I can barely dodge his sweeps, and their strength is so great that Taygeer can't block them completely,” countered Gaz.

“Besides, he has some kind of regeneration ability, because his wounds start to heal after just a few seconds,” added Taygeer.

“Fuck. Where did that damn thing come from...” mumbled Elrianthe under her breath.

“I don't know, but those two didn't manage to escape from him,” Gaz noted, pointing to the body of the elderly priest lying on the road and the sorceress under the tower. “The rest of their team is probably dead, too.”

*Bang*

The troll had already climbed almost to the very top of the tower, and his paws slammed into the walls, causing the tower to start shaking and slide sideways.

“Don't tell me that-” began Elrianthe.

*Boom*

The rumble of the collapsing tower reverberated through the neighborhood. The ground trembled and the air was filled with dust and the debris of fallen bricks. A cloud over the rubble momentarily obscured their view, but Elrianthe was well aware of what had happened.

[ Puppet: Duncan Zienn had been killed ]

“Fuck!” She shouted.

“We have to attack now! As long as it's covered with rubble. This is our chance!” Matt called out.

“Let's go!” Elrianthe decided, pulling a spear from her stash.

The troll was already crawling out of the debris when the group ran up to him. Although almost the entire tower had collapsed on him, his injuries were minimal, and his wounds had already begun to regenerate. Nearby lay the corpse of Duncan, who unfortunately did not prove to be so durable.

“Son of a bitch... You'll pay for this!” Shouted Matt, throwing himself at the beast with his sword raised.

Matt reached the monster and, taking a strong swing, aimed at its left shoulder. However, the troll managed to recover in time; despite feeling slightly wiry, he managed to shield himself from the attack. The sword stuck in his paw, and with his free hand, he decided to retaliate with a gesture - his claws, razor-sharp, drove into Matt's stomach.

Blood shot out of his mouth, and the shocked, pain-filled expression on his face stayed with him until he died. The troll tossed his body onto the pile of rubble behind him.

[ Puppet: Matt Naln was killed ]

Elrianthe stood as if she were stunned, overwhelmed by shock and disbelief. She couldn't believe that everyone was starting to die one by one. Her confidence vanished and her fears began to grow, interfering with her stern assessment of the situation. Even before, facing death, she had never felt as powerless as she did now.

“Is this... the end?” She mumbled under her breath.

“Boss. Boss!” Taygeer called out, trying to bring Elrianthe back to reality.

“Ha?”

“You need to run inside. We'll stop him!” He called out.

*GGRRUUUUUUUH*

The troll wailed, noticing the three opponents, but unexpectedly began jumping and waving his arms, as if in a joyful dance.

“Wait...”

< Research >

[ Lonely Mountain Troll ]

[ Level: 15 ]

[ HP:? ]

[ Status: The sight of women excites it. ]

'The what?'

The beast sprang from its seat and rushed like a wild thing toward Elrianthe. Previously it had only been enraged at the people attacking it, but now it had found a new target.

“Run!” Cried Gaz, standing in the way of the speeding monster.

Elrianthe finally turned around and ran toward the entrance. Her heart was beating like crazy, her muscles tensed up like a bow ready to shoot, and only one thought circulated in her head - to survive. She even forgot about her skills. She found herself again at the point where survival was her only goal.

*Bang*

*Bang*

“Ahh!”

The speeding beast rammed Gaz, knocking him aside. Taygeer, standing right behind it, used his skills to block the attack, which was coming at him in time from the troll's side.

*Punch*

Taygeer blocked the blow with his axe, but the energy he took was too powerful. Breaking through his defenses, the troll managed to seriously injure him with its claws. This, however, did not matter. The beast had only one goal - to catch the woman.

'What is this? What am I doing? I can't concentrate. I can't control myself,' thought Elrianthe, as she closed the front door of the fortress behind her.

Her hands were trembling and her knees were like cotton wool. Her rapid and irregular breaths were not helping her calm down. Something came back to Elrianthe that she hadn't felt in a long time. Something that had been deafened by a barrage of successes and happy coincidences. That element was fear.

*Slam*

The beast crashed inside along with the door and frame, shattering them into tiny pieces. Because of its size, it could barely fit through the cramped corridors, but it wasn't about to give up its pursuit of the woman.

Elrianthe burst off and began running deeper into the keep. Running into the main hall, she ran into Alison, who was not yet aware of the approaching danger. She only heard some noise and came to check what had happened.

“Alison! Run to the room! Quick!” Shouted Elrianthe.

The troll made his way into the room, bumping up against the wall. With two women now in front of him, he couldn't help but express his excitement.

*GGRRUUUUUUUUUUUUHH!*