41 A dangerous whim

We came to a sudden stop and quickly ducked into the undergrowth, seeing what was undoubtedly a troll relatively close. The part of its large size was not a joke. Despite still being far from it, we could already see it easily, a huge dark green humanoid monster, whose body seemed to be made of pure muscle. Huge fangs grew out of its mouth, and drool escaped from between them because it couldn't close its mouth properly. Its red eyes were quite small and his huge nose was flattened against his face. All that, added to its clumsy gait, made it look pretty stupid.

[Troll: Horrible monsters with high capacities for adaptation and survival. They are terribly difficult to kill because of their tough skin and great regenerative abilities that even allow them to recover severed limbs and lost organs.

Mountain troll: A troll race that lives in the mountains. They stand out for their strength and endurance.]

Status:

Name: -

Kind: Troll | Race: Mountain troll

Level: 19 | Grade: 3

HP: 897/3860 | MP: 715/715

Stats:

Vitality: 680 | Strength: 890 | Agility: 310

Intellect: 30 | Magic power: 20

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‘Wow…’

It was certainly not an easy enemy. Seeing its status would freeze anyone's blood... me the first... It should also be clarified that if it wasn't specified that the mountain troll was a troll race that lives in the mountains, I would still think that they live in the middle of the ocean...

"Are we going to attack?" Limy asked.

"I don't think it's a good idea. It is not an enemy that we cannot defeat, yet it is not an easy one either. Its skin is very tough and it takes a lot to hurt it. The best thing is to leave it alone and not let it find us... Although there is something strange..."

“What?”

"It seems to be very hurt. Its gait is not normal. Its blood is green, so it's hard to see from afar since its skin is also green, but it has wound traces all over its body. It doesn't carry weapons either. Trolls usually carry clubs usually made using tree trunks."

'Right, its HP is below 25%. What happened to it?'

"So we're going for him?"

"Why are you so obsessed with killing everything we come across? You are not an opponent against a troll. Even if it is injured, you can never hurt it with your current strength. You should start to realize your own capabilities and stop wanting to do impossible things."

“But…”

"Besides, our objective is not to hunt trolls. We cannot lose strength fighting with it when we still have to start exploring dark caves in search of the also dangerous metallic slimes. Their strength cannot be compared, but they are also a tough foe to defeat."

“But…”

Limy looked desperate to face that damn troll. Neither Aeldrya nor I fully understood why she was so much obsessed with fights.

"Let's see, tell me why you're so interested in fighting it," Aeldrya sighed.

"I want to become strong… I am not strong."

"There are many ways to become strong. Facing enemies that you cannot defeat is the worst of all and the one with the least results."

'It's true… only an idiot would think of facing stronger enemies. How could I make her understand that she should stop thinking about this nonsense?’

[Telling her that if she continues down that path she will end up like you.]

'Won't that have the opposite effect? Wait… Damn it, Helpy!'

"But I don't want to run from any enemy. Escape would mean to put aside my duty… I would stop being useful… If I stop being useful… I am easily replaceable."

—Nonsense! I will never replace you! Besides, you are already very useful to me right now. Without you, I could not move comfortably anywhere...

Limy nodded silently, not looking very convinced by my words. She still did not want to withdraw. Her intention to confront the troll was still there. Aeldrya eventually gave up and, holding her head as if it hurt, she ended up agreeing to fight.

"Trolls fight only with brute force… I suppose as long as you don't get close it can't hurt you."

“Understood.”

I could feel the happiness of the girl in that simple word. Both Aeldrya and I sigh regretfully at the same time. We had both given in to the whim of the girl...

'I feel like a father who allows his daughter, who is barely a week old, ride a motorcycle... without a helmet... I'm the best father in the world...'

The good thing is that neither the elf nor I would just let her do what she wanted. Aeldrya drew her bow and slowly put an arrow on it.

"Before I let you do anything, I'm going to weaken it a little more and limit its recovering ability."

She pulled the string firmly and aimed at the troll. She confidently narrowed her eyes and whispered a skill before letting the arrow fly.

“Fire arrow.”

Mana permeated the arrow, which flew straight toward the troll. The shot sped through the air until it precisely hit the troll's leg, despite being walking. The gigantic monster roared in pain and at the same time, its leg caught fire.

"Fire limits their regeneration, so it's a good weapon."

She shot another fire arrow straight at its arm, which was engulfed by the flames as its leg. After attacking it, there was no longer any way to hide, so Aeldrya got up and prepared to fight head-on.

The troll put out the fire with difficulty and began to run towards us as fast as it could, but Aeldrya did not want to let it move another step.

"I'm not going to let you approach so easily. Ice arrow."

This time, what was shot was an arrow that left a blue trail behind it. Like the previous two, it reached the objective without difficulty, creating a layer of ice around the troll's body that immobilized it in place.

"Finally, we are going to blind him. Light arrow."

This last arrow was like a flare that exploded right in front of the monster's face, creating a strong glow in front of it.

"Let's take advantage of its daze."

The elf walked slowly towards the troll, prepared to confront it closer. However, Limy shot out with sword in hand and started to attack without the slightest care.