Sorcery Monarch

Chapter 72: Madness!

 

Listening to the roars getting closer behind him, Kris gasped for breath and pushed himself to run faster.

 

Three hulking trolls stared hungrily at Kris as they closed in on him.

 

Ever since they were driven out by the Rotten Moss Clan, they hadn’t had a full meal, nearly starving to madness.

 

As they howled deafeningly and saw Kris slowing down, the trolls grew more excited, neglecting the ground beneath their feet.

 

Whoosh!

 

The two leading trolls stepped on a pile of leaves Kris had safely passed, and with the sound of snapping branches, their massive bodies plummeted into a pit.

 

Kris, rolling clumsily on the ground, didn’t look back as he quickly took cover behind a thick tree trunk.

 

He vividly remembered a hapless soul he once knew who had escaped the range of a troll’s attacks, only to be split in half by a heavy log thrown by the creature.

 

But soon, the cheers of his companions reached his ears:

 

“Well done, Kris!”

 

“Haha, two down at once, only one left now!”

 

“Old Field’s method really works; no wonder trolls rarely attack Bay Village…”

 

“Hurry up and take down that last one…”

 

“…”

 

The chaotic chatter slowly brought Kris back from his oxygen-deprived daze.

 

Did it work?

 

Only one left?

 

Carefully turning his head, Kris saw a flurry of arrows and ranged attacks raining down on the roaring troll.

 

The seasoned adventurers clearly had no intention of engaging the troll in close combat, instead depleting its strength from a distance, letting it bleed out.

 

“Trolls are incredibly strong. Without a mid-tier warrior, never engage them head-on. Bleed them first…”

 

Kris could tell everyone was following Old Field’s strategy.

 

After all, traps were a perfect way to deal with trolls, and no adventurer in their right mind would want to fight a troll up close.

 

The troll, bristling with arrows, grew increasingly weak.

 

It swung its wooden club wildly, unable to land a hit on the pests that kept their distance, fear gripping its mind until it finally turned to flee.

 

Kris let out a long breath, knowing the troll didn’t stand a chance.

 

Whoosh!

 

Before the troll could take two steps, a large net hidden beneath the leaves sprang up, ensnaring the creature and hoisting it into the air.

 

The troll struggled violently, but with blood still pouring from its wounds, it quickly weakened and failed to tear through the thick rope of the net.

 

“Nice! Old Field’s gear works wonders. All this for less than 5 gold coins…”

 

A tall adventurer next to Alice chuckled as he shot another arrow at the now-helpless troll hanging in midair.

 

Watching the troll grow visibly weaker, Alice called out in a crisp voice:

 

“Alright, everyone, stop!”

 

“Dead trolls aren’t worth much. A live one fetches 50 gold coins.”

 

“Wrap it up in the net, tie down its arms and legs, and be careful. I don’t want any fools getting hurt now…”

 

Under Alice’s orders, the adventurers—both nervous and exhilarated—rushed to work.

 

Dozens of them tied the captured troll into a tight bundle.

 

Kris stepped forward and patiently pulled out the bloodletting arrows embedded in the weakened troll.

 

Glancing at the hollowed shafts of the arrows, Kris met the troll’s fierce and cruel eyes and couldn’t help but chuckle.

 

“You’ve had your day too!”

 

With the troll securely restrained, Kris’s part in the adventure was over. He stood to earn a reward of 15 gold coins.

 

It was his hard-earned prize!

 

Of course, that’s assuming the generous Lord Matthew would honor his promise.

 

The two trolls that had fallen into the pit traps hadn’t caused much of a ruckus under the adventurers’ watchful eyes and were quickly tied up as well.

 

The adventurers weren’t careless. Instead of loading the trolls into cages, they used makeshift carts to transport them away.

 

On the way in, everyone had been tense, wary of the trolls’ reputation and lethality.

 

But now, with their mission a success, a new thought crossed their minds: if each troll was worth 50 gold coins, they had better keep going!

 

Looking back at what had just happened, Kris realized that aside from him playing the risky decoy, the rest of the adventure was even easier than their usual training.

 

How could this not stir up excitement among the others?

 

Kris had also noticed the shift in atmosphere, but it didn’t concern him. He patted the swiftness potion in his pocket, worth 10 gold coins, and exhaled in relief.

 

Alice, however, thought further ahead. She sent scouts to keep watch for any other trolls and chose a different exit from the Gloomy Forest, avoiding the kobold mines and logging camp.

 

Interestingly, instead of encountering Bay Village soldiers or patrols, Alice and her group ran into adventurers scouting for information.

 

Some of them were gathering materials at resource points, others tracking kobolds or searching for signs of trolls.

 

Seeing Alice’s haul, they kept their distance, not wanting to cause any misunderstandings. Most hurried towards Bay Village instead.

 

It was clear they wanted to share the news and were eager to see if Lord Matthew would fulfill his promise.

 

Many of the settlers saw their return and began to speculate with interest.

 

The adventurers gathered, seemingly gearing up for something big, but when the time came, everyone was left dumbfounded.

 

As soon as Alice’s team delivered the trolls to the village, staff from the Adventurer’s Guild appeared, casually paying out the 150 gold coin bounty in full view of the other adventurers.

 

As Alice held the heavy purse, the sound of clinking gold drew everyone’s eyes.

 

Was it really that simple?

 

It was truly that simple!

 

Even Alice, who had initiated it all, was taken aback by the eager stares from the crowd.

 

Hurriedly, she began distributing the gold according to their agreement, counting out shares in front of everyone.

 

Wealth can move hearts, and gold dazzles the eyes!

 

The adventurers were buzzing with excitement. Each troll really did fetch 50 gold coins!

 

How could they not be tempted?

 

How could this not drive them mad?

 

Normally, beginner-level missions might pay 3 to 4 gold coins at most, while mid-level missions rarely exceeded 30 gold coins.

 

Yet everyone had witnessed Alice’s group capture three trolls and walk away with 150 gold coins in just one morning, without a single injury!

 

Wasn’t this like picking up free money?

 

The adventurers crowded around, trying to ingratiate themselves with Alice and her team.

 

Everyone wanted in on the action!

 

Alice, who had anticipated this reaction, exchanged a glance with Kris before speaking up in a cheerful tone:

 

“Catching trolls is simple. You can ask directly at the Adventurer’s Guild for tips. All the tools you’ll need can be bought there as well…”

 

With that, Alice made her way towards the Adventurer’s Guild.

 

Inside, the well-prepared sales staff had already stocked up on all the necessary supplies.

 

They were just waiting for customers to come rushing in!