The Skeleton Soldier Failed to Defend the Dungeon

”Alright, let’s go.”

I could sense the Skeletal Wolf Cub’s emotions, and it seemed to understand mine too. The Skeletal Wolf Cub that had died trapped in the snare seemed to have a strong desire to run freely.

Since I needed to keep climbing to escape anyway, I decided to move upward.

Clatter! Clatter!

Clink! Clink!

We ran up the mountain. I kept the Detection skill active the entire time. With a companion now in tow, I was even more cautious about the potential dangers lurking around the mountain.

After about thirty minutes...

Ding!

[The Skeletal Wolf Cub’s Affection has increased!

10 -> 11]

Perhaps due to running together, its Affection with me rose further.

Three hours? Four hours?

I wasn’t sure how long we had been climbing.

[Affection has increased!

13 -> 14]

By then, the Skeletal Wolf Cub’s Affection had climbed to 14.

Clatter.

Seemingly tired from running or perhaps out of energy, the Skeletal Wolf Cub sat down on the ground. I picked it up, cradling its bony frame in my arms. The Skeletal Wolf Cub tapped its teeth together like it was panting. It gave me a strange feeling, as if something heavy and frozen inside me was starting to thaw.

I stood still, taking in my surroundings.

I don’t know where we are...

It was an unfamiliar place. The temperature was noticeably cooler than at lower altitudes. I walked on, carefully observing the area.

After about ten minutes, I spotted a large structure several hundred meters away. It wasn’t a simple cabin. Built on a raised stone foundation on sloped ground, the structure’s base alone was the height of a single story. On the flat surface of the foundation stood a sturdy two-story building.

A mountain lodge... maybe?

The size suggested it might be a good hiding place, possibly even for the six hunters I had seen earlier. It would likely be vacant for a few days if it were their shelter. At the very least, I could safely hide there today.

Troll hunts weren’t short-term endeavors. Hunters often spent significant time preparing traps anchored to thick trees to ensure they could safely lure and kill their prey. There weren’t many trolls on each mountain, so after successfully hunting one today, they would probably sell the blood and rest for a few days.

Click! Click!

As I approached the lodge, the Skeletal Wolf Cub clacked its teeth, seemingly issuing a warning.

Is it dangerous?

Heeding its warning, I drew my sword. There could still be someone inside guarding the place. With my weapon ready, I advanced toward the lodge. The Skeletal Wolf Cub, unable to do much else, reluctantly followed.

No traps.

Using the Detection skill, I carefully and methodically scanned the ground and the surrounding area as I moved. Even if there were traps, they wouldn’t pose much of a threat with my current Agility and skills, but being cautious never hurt.

I found no signs of traps on the ground or hidden dangers nearby. There were no detectable presences, though I couldn’t rule out the possibility of someone lying dead or unconscious inside. The closer I got to the lodge, the stronger the scent became.

Blood...

It was a pungent, metallic smell. I recalled the Skeletal Wolf Cub’s earlier warnings.

Maybe this is why it was uneasy.

Still, the place didn’t feel dangerous. My instincts told me to go inside.

Hmm.

If this was a hunter’s hideout, useful supplies might be inside—portable traps, weapons, or even a hunting log. If I were lucky, it might reveal whether they had actually hunted a troll and how they handled it. I climbed the ladder to the raised stone foundation.

The thick door was secured with a heavy iron padlock. I paused for a moment, focusing my senses.

No sound came from inside, so I raised the commander’s sword. Standing two paces from the door, I swung diagonally with force.

Swish!

Clang!

Sparks flew as the blade sliced through the padlock, which fell to the ground in two pieces. Though thick and sturdy, it was merely the lock of a rural lodge. There was no way it could withstand the imperial guard commander’s sword. I glanced at the broken lock lying on the ground. There didn’t seem to be any alarm enchantments on it.

Magic isn’t that common here.

Two weeks ago, I had encountered some extraordinary beings: the two Azure Wizards, the necromancer who raised thousands of troops, and the ash-gray knight who tore through the air. Those encounters had skewed my sense of reality.

Focus.

I grabbed the handle of the large door and pulled it open. The heavy door groaned as it opened.

Creeeak.

I stepped inside cautiously. The lodge was dark, surrounded by thick walls with no windows. Despite the bright autumn sunlight outside, the interior was cold and shadowy. I moved deeper with my sword drawn. Still, there were no signs of life. It truly seemed empty.

Clatter! Clatter!

The Skeletal Wolf Cub followed me in, trying to growl. However, since it lacked vocal cords, it could only make clattering noises with its bones.

I glanced at it. Above its head, a small notification appeared.

[Skeletal Wolf Cub: Due to communion with its master, some of its original traits have been preserved. It retains a keen sense of smell.]

The message suggested it was trying to guide me. Even without heightened senses, picking up the scent in the air wasn’t tricky. The metallic tang of blood mingled with a sticky, unidentifiable odor. The smell was coming from the second floor.

I moved cautiously, feeling my way around through the darkness. A few steps away from the door, I encountered a table with a lantern on it.

Beside the lantern was a small container. Although the flame had gone out, the embers still glowed softly.

Whoosh!

I lit the lantern. The once-dark room dimly brightened, revealing its interior. The room was larger than I expected. Even the central table was spacious enough for five or six people to sit and chat comfortably. Mounted along the walls were the taxidermied heads of bears, wolves, and deer, each preserved solely for display.

As I looked further inside, I froze for a moment. Two massive trolls faced each other by the fireplace stacked with logs, seemingly locked in a growling posture. Yet, they were stiff, awkward, and frozen. The two trolls glared at each other with glassy artificial eyes gleaming faintly.

That one...

The troll on the left was familiar—an unforgettable sight. Though its insides had been hollowed out and replaced with embalming fluid-soaked stuffing, its hulking arms and menacing appearance remained unchanged. It was the same troll that had torn apart the six hunters and me.

The one on the right was smaller. Judging based on their build and typical troll anatomy, I deduced the left one was likely female and the right one male. Trolls usually formed lifelong bonds with their mates, choosing a single partner to trust and protect for life. Even if their mate died, they would never take another partner. If their partner was killed, they would devote their lives to vengeance.

It wasn’t hard to piece together the events. The male troll was likely captured and stuffed first. Seeking vengeance for its slain mate, the female troll retaliated by ripping her enemies apart. Unfortunately, both Rubia and I were caught in the crossfire of vengeance. Yet, in this timeline, her quest for revenge ended in failure.

Whoosh!

One lantern wasn’t enough to fully light the room, so I lit the fireplace. A faint breeze stirred, scattering some ash as the room brightened further.

On the wall was a crude scrawl: Troll Family.

Family?

I examined the female troll that had once crushed me. She had been crudely stitched together with wire, her frame marked by wounds as if pierced while suspended midair. Both trolls seemed to have been preserved for a long time. A question lingered in my mind.

Then why does it still smell like blood?

Clatter! Clatter!

The Skeletal Wolf Cub wagged its bony tail near the staircase as if urging me to go upstairs. Though much was left to investigate on the first floor, I set it aside momentarily and ascended the stairs.

The faint light from the lantern illuminated the scene on the second floor. The source of the smell was a large container filled with embalming fluid. Inside it was a small troll.

A baby?

I looked around further. The second floor was slightly smaller than the first, but it had a terrace leading outside.

I opened the door to the terrace. It seemed to be where the bleeding process had taken place. Uncollected blood marked the ground with green bloodstains.

I connected the dots by recalling the events I had seen earlier that day. The amount of blood a single troll cub could produce matched the size of the hunters’ containers.

The crude inscription downstairs, which had said ”Troll Family”, lingered in my mind. Perhaps a slight headache crept in due to the embalming fluid’s scent. Leaving the terrace door open, I let the dry autumn breeze blow inside. The lodge felt a little brighter and a little fresher.

Hmmmm...

When I opened the door, I hadn’t noticed it. A faint green glow emanated from the baby troll inside the container.

Was it killed recently?

The green light meant the troll had been dead for less than 48 hours. The hunters’ whistling earlier was likely their way of celebrating their successful kill. They had drained the blood before it coagulated, leaving the less valuable body in the embalming fluid and abandoning it at the lodge.

Squelch.

I pulled the wet baby troll out of the container and placed it on the ground. The innards, eyes, and brain hadn’t been removed yet. There were no knife marks. I didn’t waste sympathy on it. Instead, I extended my hand, and a familiar message appeared.

[Would you like to absorb it? Yes/No]

I nodded. The faint light flowed into my body and sank into my legs. That was it. The light faded quickly.

[You have absorbed Mountain Adaptation Lv. 1!

— You feel at ease in mountainous terrains.

— Combat effectiveness increases by 1.5% in mountainous terrain.

— Movement speed increases by 3% in mountainous terrain.

The absorbed ability will take effect after digestion.

Time to digestion completion: 23:59:59.]

I glanced down at the now-dark baby troll. Even as a baby, it was robust enough to tear apart an adult man in seconds. Yet, unlike when I absorbed the imperial guards, neither my Strength nor Agility increased. The faint green light disappeared after granting only the Mountain Adaptation ability. This was likely because my current abilities far surpassed the baby troll’s.

Can’t raise it, huh?

I stared at the corpse, but it showed no signs of movement.

”Rise.”

There was no response. I focused further, trying to replicate the feeling from raising the Skeletal Wolf Cub. Still, nothing happened. Instead, a small message appeared in the air.

[Insufficient control points.

Required control points: 35

Current control points: 0/10]

I was far from having enough control points. If this troll cub required 35, then the female troll that killed me would need at least 100. I recalled the image of Gith-Za-Rai, commanding her army of thousands, including troll skeletons.

Just how many control points did she have?

Her authority felt more overwhelming than ever. I looked around the second floor. Beside a bed, I found a small book placed conspicuously. Something about the way it had been placed felt off to me.

The book was titled If You Want to Kill a Troll.

The bright autumn sunlight streaming through the open door illuminated the author’s name beneath the title

Kevin Ashton.

Him again?

Strangely, Kevin Ashton’s works seemed to keep appearing before me as if they had been deliberately placed. Perhaps I was drawn to this lodge because of him.

Wasn’t he a wizard?

Why would a wizard write about trolls? And how did this book end up here?

I felt compelled to open it. The first page began with a peculiar line.

Trolls do not learn the concept of love. They are born already knowing it.

If you wish to hunt a troll, you must first understand this fact clearly.

If you kill the weaker of a pair, the other becomes much easier to slay. Trolls do not know how to let their vengeance grow cold.

The book detailed methods for killing trolls in painstaking detail. Yet, between the lines, it constantly condemned and criticized the reader. I found the contradiction amusing but read to the end, expecting some kind of reward.

Just as I was about to close the book, anticipating a message about increased wisdom, one handwritten sentence caught my eye.

With@# $% do&§

I couldn’t fully decipher its meaning.

Some of the letters were legible, but only partially. There was only one language I knew that could appear like this.

The Eastern Language?

The writing was distorted. The letters themselves were elegant, but staring at them gave me a disorienting, twisted feeling.

[Assimilation Rate is decreasing.]

Dizziness struck. I reached out, bracing myself against the table.

[83.94%]

My proficiency in the Eastern Language was only at Lv. 1. Even so, the unreadable letters conveyed their meaning.