40. Ice Troll’s Dungeon
If the her from the past, on flat ground, faced the current Irina in this forest against the same enemy, what would happen?
Back then, she had struggled immensely to defeat the soldier ants with Han’s help.
But now, things would probably be different.
‘Perhaps the current Irina would easily crush the enemy.’
She wasn’t a character in the Alpigi game.
However, many things had changed compared to before.
She hadn’t leveled up herself, but the surrounding environment had evolved.
The tactical advantage of the terrain, her swift agility, and her exceptional archery skills had all been honed to perfection.
The forest was nothing short of a battlefield for the elves.
Now, even if she was alone, she could face the once menacing enemies without a problem.
Irina raced through the square, leaping from branch to branch at a rapid pace.
Thud.
Soon, her feet landed on the ground.
Having arrived at the edge of the square in no time, she gazed across.
There it was, the boundary.
The green forest and the rough wilderness beyond, blanketed in white snow.
As Irina momentarily gazed across, a heavy footstep sounded beside her.
Before she knew it, a golem that had been guarding the vicinity approached.
A faint smile crept onto Irina’s lips as she turned to face the figure.
“I entrust this to you, my lord.”
As if in response to her words, the golem’s head nodded slowly.
***
Thunk.
It was when Irina ventured into the snow-covered depths of the forest.
She delved a bit deeper than before.
Today, the harvest seemed quite good.
She picked mushrooms suitable for consumption and construction, even some unfamiliar herbs.
Perhaps that was why Irina was feeling bolder than usual.
Before she knew it, she had entered a slightly deeper area that she had not explored before.
It was when she was surveying the trees covered in pure white snow.
[Warning! Hazardous elements detected in the surrounding environment!]
“…What, what is it?”
Hazardous elements?
It was an unexpected development.
Startled, Han reflexively scanned the surroundings.
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“I don’t see… anything?”
Hazardous elements.
All he could see were the tall trees dusted with snow and Irina herself.
Han was about to voice his confusion.
[Current character ‘Irina’ has entered a dungeon! Swift retreat is recommended!]
Dungeon?
Han’s expression subtly hardened at those words.
“…Could this place right here be the dungeon?”
[That’s correct.]
A dungeon. This place was a dungeon, they said.
He immediately widened his view, but there was no apparent entrance in sight.
The surroundings were not much different from the environment they were used to.
Here, it was simply the middle of a snow-covered forest.
But how did they suddenly find themselves inside a dungeon?
That moment.
Sizzle!!
A loud warning sound echoed in the ear of the one watching her.
[Danger! A high-level danger monster is currently in front of you!]
“…In front of me?”
[Right in front of you! A high-level danger monster is staring at you! Hurry and check it out!]
A monster right in front of them?
Despite the system’s warning, they still couldn’t spot any monster.
No matter where they looked, there was nothing that seemed like a monster at all.
In a moment of panic.
Nevertheless, Han decided to act rather than think first.
The system always speaks only the truth.
“…My Lord?”
Han moved the golem to block Irina’s path.
“Why are you suddenly doing this?”
Irina asked, looking puzzled.
But Han didn’t answer and quietly hid her behind him.
“…Could it be?”
From that expression, Irina seemed to sense something and her expression gradually sank.
“An enemy?”
A nod.
She nodded as if in agreement.
Indeed, it was Irina.
To notice with just a small gesture like that.
Han scanned the surroundings.
However, he couldn’t find any being that even remotely looked like a monster.
He began to feel that it was dangerous to stay here.
In that case, he had to make her leave this place.
Swoosh.
Han raised his hand and pointed in the direction she had come from.
“Does this mean we should retreat from here?”
That moment.
An anomaly occurred.
Krrr-!
Right in front of Irina.
The tree they had thought was frozen solid suddenly began to move!
…A tree?
No, it wasn’t.
What Na-mura had seen was, in fact, a ‘giant being’ that had disguised itself under a blanket of pure white snow.
Startled by the sudden appearance, Han, who had been watching, was taken aback, of course.
Even Iri, furrowing her brow and staring blankly with her mouth agape, showed a dazed expression as the being emerged before her eyes.
[Rumble-!!]
It was a giant.
The reason they hadn’t noticed such a massive presence wasn’t just because of the thick white fur covering its entire body.
It was also because it was so heavily blanketed in snow, much like the surrounding large trees.
It stood motionless for a long time.
It meant burying itself in snow to hide its form.
With a swish, the beast lowered its massive head to gaze down at Iri.
“Ah….”
Her complexion turned ashen.
She looked more terrified than ever before.
“That’s….”
Soon, as if whimpering, she murmured.
“…a, a Troll.”
[Roar!!]
“Ugh…!”
As if acknowledging her words as correct, the ferocious giant let out a roar.
It was a thunderous roar that made the air tremble.
The creature locked eyes with Iri.
Soon, it licked its lips with its large eyes flashing.
With a thud, it grabbed the club lying beside it, reaching several meters in length.
“…!”
Han and Iri.
Both understood.
The significance of the creature lifting that club.
Creak-!
A loud warning sound rang out.
[Warning! It’s dangerous to proceed like this! Quickly evacuate the person ‘Iri’ from this dungeon!!]
Swoosh-!!
A fierce sound cutting through the wind accompanied the swift approaching of a dark shadow.
It was the giant club of the Troll.
Crash!!
At that moment, the Golem charged.
Han’s Golem and the Troll’s club collided head-on.
The ground beneath the Golem sunk in as it collapsed.
It was an immense impact.
[Roar!!]
Giant Troll. And an Earth Golem.
The two engaged in a power struggle, each holding a club between them.
Although the Golem was sizable, the Giant Troll towered over it by several meters.
It was a monstrous creature, fittingly described as a walking building.
Thud!
A glint of metal was visible at the joint of the Golem’s arm blocking the Troll.
This is dangerous.
The difference in size was extreme.
It was clear that even his Golem wouldn’t last long.
The Golem turned its head.
The common lump that served as its eye sockets.
“…!”
Their gazes met.
The Golem pushed her away abruptly.
“Run, Irina!”
“My lord!”
Did she understand his intentions?
Thwack!
Swiftly leaping back, Irina distanced herself in a single bound.
Retreating slowly, she closed her eyes tightly.
Quickly turning around, she sprinted away from the spot.
“Phew.”
Han finally breathed a sigh of relief.
Thank goodness.
She understood his thoughts and fled.
[Rumble….]
However, the situation was not completely resolved.
The Troll, still glaring down at the Golem, continued to drool.
Han grinned up at the creature.
“Golem, it’s a shame, but I’ll have to summon you again.”
But that was enough.
He had saved Irina.
“Nevertheless, while she’s fleeing, I should buy time and fight as much as I can alone.”
Han adjusted the Golem’s stance.
Shifting from a defensive mode to a combat stance.
[–!]
With the change in posture, the Golem clenched its fist and charged forward aggressively.
***
“…Hah. Hah.”
Running for quite a while, Irina looked back several times. It was evident that fear had gripped her considerably. Yes, it was only natural. The fear that such a colossal and ferocious being might once again chase after her. Watching that figure was equally worrisome. “Surely it won’t come after me, right?” [The dungeon in question is still a long way from manifesting the Dungeon Break phenomenon. Therefore, the troll should not be able to venture outside.] “That’s somewhat fortunate.” At least it meant the troll couldn’t chase after Irina. If such a thing had really happened, there would have been no end to the disaster. “But now, it might be wise to refrain from visiting that side.” To the west. Could there be a hidden dungeon there? She had no idea. “Now I remember the dungeon’s location.” Dungeons could emerge anywhere. Moreover, both their form and internal environment were entirely unpredictable. The ant nest they had encountered in the past was not the only form dungeons could take. It was a common structure of the normal type of dungeon. Sometimes, a dungeon could blend so perfectly with its surroundings that there was no sense of dissonance with the environment. It was not always the case, but generally, the more seamless the integration, the more dangerous it was, often leading to a series of inexplicable phenomena. The bizarre phenomenon of two spaces overlapping in one place was due to that. She was lucky. Irina managed to leave unscathed without any incidents. “But seriously, this is unbelievable. I never thought such a high-level dungeon would be here.” The troll was a high-risk monster that even seasoned hunter parties avoided. Ice trolls, the ones with the white fur they had encountered, were considered particularly dangerous monsters. Of course, you could tell just by looking at their physique. She had to take solace in surviving. But there was a lesson to be learned. Irina would now be more cautious and vigilant than before. “Irina, are you hurt anywhere?” Han carefully examined Irina’s condition. “…I’m sorry, Sir.” Irina bowed deeply, as if ashamed. Even her usually perked-up ears drooped weakly today. “Because of me, your precious warrior…” The reason was understandable, though. It must have been due to Han’s golem facing the Ice Troll to buy time in Irina’s place. His golem never returned.
Of course, Iriana would know the reason for that.
But it was okay.
Was it even worth mentioning?
Thumbs up!
He vigorously raised his thumb towards her, who seemed devoid of energy.
“This much is no problem at all.”
After all, there was no significant impact.
The cost of summoning a golem was merely 1,500pt.
It was just a matter of thinking of it as spending a little less on points for the day.
If saving her life could be achieved at this cost, it was a bargain.
But Han knew well that this voice would not reach Iriana.
There was only one way to truly prove that he was unaffected.
Ping.
A message appeared before his eyes.
[Summon Earth Golem?]
[1,500pt will be consumed.]
“Of course.”
Thud!
Simultaneously with his response,
Something substantial fell from the air with a thud.
[–!!]
Soon, what appeared after the dust settled was a non-living, stone-made being, a golem.
Raising both arms vigorously as if shouting a silent war cry,
Iriana couldn’t help but let out a laugh.
“Lord.”
“See? No problem at all.”
His words may not have reached her.
However, Han was certain that his thoughts had undoubtedly reached her at that moment.