This adventurer is overly righteous.

Humans are limited by their physical limitations and are often unable to confront powerful magical beasts head-on. Elite adventurers rely on their agility and superb martial arts skills when fighting magical beasts.

However, with the addition of magic, it's a different story.

Kroya's protection spell gave Carter the confidence to directly withstand the ogre's attack, so he could change his fighting style and try a less forgiving but more efficient way of fighting that he couldn't use normally.

Unfortunately, the ogre seemed to be completely terrified. After experiencing intense pain, its barren brain discovered that there was someone present who could withstand its full-force attack, which made it feel fear. It even abandoned the few fingers that Kroya had severed and ran away into the distance.

"Stop it!"

However, a few armed villagers were simply no match for such a colossal creature as an ogre, and could only watch it vanish completely into the night.

"He must have run back to his cave. We'll follow the trail of blood tomorrow morning."

Elite adventurers like Carter are also excellent trackers. The ogres are not intelligent enough to cover up their escape, so finding them is not difficult.

After the trolls left, everyone's attention turned to Kroya and Carter.

Carter didn't pay much attention to the long-winded words of thanks. Instead, Croya got into a friendly fight with the villagers. After some conversation, the villagers dispelled their suspicions about the two men's identities and arranged a separate room for them to stay in.

The soft, warm bedding looked quite comfortable, and the warm yellow light from the oil lamp added a cozy atmosphere. In any case, it was much better than the cowshed where we slept at the beginning.

  

In addition, the villagers were overjoyed to learn that Carter and Kroya were adventurers who had come to hunt ogres, and hoped to go and help them the next day.

"If we weren't unprepared and worried about hurting people, we could have dealt with that guy."

The village chief, a man in his thirties, waved his fist excitedly and told Croya that after consulting with Carter, Croya finally agreed to their request to come and help.

For the entire village, being nearly kidnapped by that ogre in such an arrogant manner in full view of everyone was a great disgrace.

Back in the room, Kroya, using the light of a kerosene lamp, studied the map of the surrounding area provided by the villagers with Carter.

"Ogres are afraid of sunlight. They can't see any sunlight at all, or their bodies will turn to stone." Carter held up the map, looking quite experienced. "So they all live in rocks. They dig a hole or find a hole and then cover the entrance with a large stone so that no light can get in."

"So that troll should be staying in that cave right now, right?"

Kroya asked, "If that's the case, it'll be quite difficult to find. After all, who can be sure that there's a cave behind the rock where trolls are hiding?"

"That's right." Cate nodded. "The villagers' hunting dogs are useless; they'll be afraid of the ogres' scent."

Fortunately, the troll's fingers were cut off by Kroya, and because of his large size, he left many tracks when he walked.

You rescued an innocent girl; such an act deserves praise.

[Defense slightly improved]

You served as a reliable partner in battle, and that deserves praise.

[Luck slightly improved]

Before going to bed, Kroya carefully examined the small print in the lower left corner of his vision.

.......

"These are definitely the footprints of an ogre."

As dawn broke, Kroya and Carter got up and searched in the direction the ogre had left the night before, eventually entering a forest east of the village that was not yet shrouded in mist.

That grove of trees borders the Misty Forest, serving as a transitional zone between the Misty Forest and the surrounding area. People occasionally pass through it, and you can sometimes encounter magical beasts that have emerged from the Misty Forest.

Pine needles and various fallen leaves covered the ground, rustling underfoot. Low shrubs and ferns of various colors dotted the landscape. The trees here were quite tall and thick, casting extremely wide shadows. Only a few lucky rays of sunlight could break through the leaves and shine onto the ground, which was consistent with the ogres' fear of sunlight.

There were no other traces nearby.

"This is the arrow you shot!"

In a thicket, Carter found the arrow that Kroya had shot the night before; it seemed the troll had pulled it out here.

"It's nearby, there's no mistake."

So Kroya and Carter began searching for nearby rocks that were either the size of the ogres or even larger, and they memorized the locations of those rocks.

While people often think of adventurers battling monsters when they think of adventurers, in reality, the time-consuming and tedious monster-hunting part is what takes up the majority of an adventurer's time when completing a mission.

As evening approached again, Kroya and Carter climbed a tree that resembled the pine tree Kroya had seen in his previous life. It was extremely tall, and its branches were thick enough for a person to sit on.

Kroya and Carter sat in the tree, holding their breath and waiting quietly for the sun to set completely. A moment later, dusk fell and the world was shrouded in darkness.

"Thump"

In the quiet night, a discordant voice reached their ears.

"It's coming out."

The two exchanged a glance, each taking charge of a section, and with the help of the moonlight, managed to make out things within a certain range nearby.

Finally, a strange noise came from under a huge bluestone slab to the left front of Kroya.

"It should be there."

Croya pointed it out to Carter, saying in a low voice.

"What should we do now?"

"Remember the location of that rock, and then wait for it to appear."

Carter instructed Kroya to hide with him in the tree, waiting for the other to fully reveal himself.

Carter was delighted, thinking that they were in luck. This meant they would have a full day to set up traps against the enemy.

However, this joy did not last long, because soon after, the ogres appeared.

The massive rocks, too heavy for human strength to move, were lifted, and one after another, enormous and ugly figures emerged from them, exposed in the moonlight.

It's a cannibal.

"There are a total of three trolls!"

This news was truly terrifying. The appearance of three ogres together was enough to wipe out the surrounding villages, while Carter had initially confirmed that there was only one ogre in the mission information.

Kroya and Carter almost held their breath. They carried powder that could mask their scent, so they didn't have to worry about the ogres smelling them. However, the ogres' eyesight was quite sharp at night, and they would probably spot Kroya and Carter as soon as they looked up.

In the original plan, there was no need to be afraid even if they were discovered. Carter was confident that he had the ability to kill the trolls on his own. Kroya would just make the whole process much easier. As for agreeing to the villagers' help, he just thought it would make the mission a little easier.

If they're discovered early, then it's better to fight them early. Carter is confident he can win, but it's possible they might escape again.

But now, three ogres appeared in front of them, which was far beyond Carter's ability to handle. At this moment, they carefully moved their bodies on the tree, trying to hide themselves among the leaves without making a sound.

"Roar roar roar"

The trolls' growls echoed through the trees.