As soon as Lokan finished preparing in the Crossroads, he headed straight for the Mad Baron's villa. Although it was called a villa, the building was almost a mansion, a testament to the high status of the nobility.
Knock. Knock.
He knocked on the door, but there was no immediate response from inside.
'Should I come back later?'
Lokan looked up at the sky. Sunset had just dipped below the horizon. The reason he came at this inconvenient time was simple: the Mad Baron could only be seen at night.
"…Who is it?"
After waiting for a while, a response finally came from within. It wasn't the Baron himself, but a servant.
"My name is Lokan, a member of the Crossroads garrison. I heard that Baron Truell needed help."
It was a lie. He knew from his past life that Baron Truell, the Mad Baron, was seeking help, but Lokan hadn't received a commission. However, his Crossroads Garrison title lent him credibility.
"Ah, you're the garrison member. Well done. Come in here."
The servant was immediately deceived. He ushered Lokan inside and went to the second floor to call Baron Truell.
"I didn't expect the garrison to send someone directly. Yes, you will help me."
"Yes. If there is anything I can do, I will do my best to help."
Perhaps because Lokan's level was relatively low compared to the Baron's status, Baron Truell was scrutinizing him. But, as if making a decision, he opened his shining lips.
"I came here to treat my little daughter. I mean, I would do anything for that child. But now I am too weak to try anything myself. So I beg you, bring me the blood of the Troll that appears in the Cursed Cave of Life. A Troll's vitality should be able to restore her body to some extent."
[Restoration of Baron Truell's young daughter 1] [Quest]
Baron Truell has asked you for help to save his young daughter.
-Completion condition: Blood of the Cursed Cave Troll (0/10)
-Reward: 5 gold
"All right."
Lokan willingly accepted the quest. For a nobleman, the reward was quite generous, but Lokan's expression was not very cheerful as he left; he already knew the unfortunate end of this quest line.
'Well, I can't help it.'
After using the Mark Scroll to save the location in his Rune Book, Lokan headed to the Troll Dungeon, the Cursed Cave of Life. Since he had saved the location on the way, the transfer was quick.
"From now on, let's attack the 'Cave of Cursed Life', one of the public dungeons located around the Crossroads."
The moment he arrived at the dungeon entrance, Lokan started filming a video. He added commentary this time, as he was explicitly attacking the dungeon for YouTube content.
"As many of you already know, dungeons are not affected by external time. Since they are closed-type areas, the characteristic that monsters become stronger during the night or day does not apply. Also, the view inside is always the same, so if you have difficulty hunting in the evening, it is recommended to settle down in a dungeon first. The field near the tertiary city has a mix of monsters ranging from the early Level 100s to those close to Level 120."
He could have simply shown the inside of the dungeon, the monsters, and the attack patterns, but he added commentary—even though he wasn't adept at it—for a simple reason: to exercise 'influence'.
'That's the big picture.'
First, he would provide accurate, though simple and non-critical, information. After building that trust, he would mix in strategic disinformation when necessary. Since he had no intention of live-streaming, he could control the exposed information as he wished.
"The characteristic of this dungeon is that Trolls appear as monsters. As far as I know, this seems to be the first time a race called Trolls has appeared as a monster for the Golden Lion camp. But it's not just Trolls."
The moment he said this, the first monster finally appeared.
[Cave Stone Monkey] [Lv 103]
The first monster was the Cave Stone Monkey. It was a muscle monkey, quick to explain: its body and fists were as hard as stone, giving it excellent attack and defense, and it annoyed users with its agile, monkey-like movements.
"The level is manageable. However, its attack, defense, and agility are equally high, so it can be dangerous if you are not careful."
The description sounded threatening, but Lokan's response was simple. He watched the Cave Stone Monkey rush at him, then swung his axe like a thunderbolt, slamming the monkey to the ground.
"But, on the other hand, since all its stats are dull, you can press the one you are confident in, be it strength or speed. It's so easy."
Cheeky!
The stone monkey on the floor got up again like a seizure and rushed back, but the opponent was Lokan. His battle axe swung lightly, as if commanding, cutting off the monkey's arm and smashing its rib cage.
"Then why are these guys in the Troll's habitat?"
He lifted his head and saw a group of five in the distance. The monkeys showed hostility toward the intruder, but Lokan grinned as if they were cute.
"Because they are the prey of the Trolls. Even if they swarm and threaten, they are just prey to predators. Just like this, heh heh heh heh heh heh!"
It was a Cry of Madness mixed with Force. A terrifying horror swept through the area, and the stone monkeys, who looked ready to attack, rolled their eyes in confusion. Some seemed to have seizures as if facing a Troll, while others simply gave up their resistance and flipped over.
However, those watching the video wouldn't understand the effect. They would think it was just a work of fiction, leading them to a lot of trial and error later. This was not a problem for Lokan.
'The picture is coming out.'
This was enough for the visual content. Lokan omitted any further comments and swung his Battle Axe at them as if dancing. He didn't even need to show off his combination skills; he was strong enough to crush them without it. Keeping his combination skills hidden was a good way to maintain his advantage against players who might later advance to the Crossroads.
"Next is the Giant Bat. It's a giant bat, but there's no such thing as an ultrasonic attack. Headbutting and biting are the main attacks, so flying is difficult, but you can think of this as practice for flying monsters since we are in a cave."
"Next up is the Hydro. It has the same shape as a rock, so it's a monster that disguises itself and attacks. How to distinguish it…"
"Next…"
Instead of showing his true power, he focused on properly covering the dungeon terrain, the monsters that appeared, and the strategy. He didn't waste time, as he knew the strategy would be widespread in a day or two anyway. However, seeing Lokan deal with them easily might make viewers treat the monsters lightly, leading to severe injuries.
"Now, this is the realm of the Trolls. The number of Trolls appearing in this dungeon is about ten. They are all drunk on their own strength and take individual actions, so it is not difficult to attract and hunt them one by one."
After digging deeper for a while, the Trolls' realm appeared. Although their numbers were small, the area they occupied was wider than any previous monster's territory, making them easier to deal with.
"A common misconception about Trolls is their regenerative ability, but they don't regenerate as powerfully as you might think. Unlike the high-level Trolls that will appear later, the Cursed Cave Trolls that appear now only have fast health regeneration. If you leave them alone, they will recover quickly, but if you are careful and keep attacking, it's not that difficult. Then we will start the battle."
Lokan immediately used Charge to rush the Troll. The continued dash and shoulder charge—a head-butt like a cannonball—broke the Troll's back, causing it to spew secretions.
"Hey!"
Lokan drew his Battle Axe and struck its neck. Normally, he would cut its lower body to limit its mobility, but there were too many eyes watching for such a standard play. Instead, he forced a difficult head-to-head match, using his pure strength and attack power.
Kwok!
The axe blade, swung with the force to cut the throat in one breath, only sliced the Troll's chest. The Troll, who hurriedly leaned back, was damaged but pushed Lokan back with its own strength. Lokan bounced back but rolled his body and avoided any damage.
"Leaf attack, Force!"
When his body bounced back and struck a blow, it exploded with power comparable to a combination skill.
Kuh hun!
The arm of the Troll, which had been swinging its club with all its might, was broken and twisted. Its sheer strength was overcome by Lokan's attack power, which was bursting with various effects. Lokan didn't miss the opportunity and swung his Battle Axe again. He tore the rapidly healing wounds on its chest wider, exposing its bones and heart.
"As much as he is confident in his abilities, he is also reckless, so you can just kill him in one shot like this. It's simple."
Scratch!
With those words, Lokan cut off the Troll's head. No matter how much a creature can regenerate, no monster can heal a severed head or a burst heart.
"Huh, that's good."
Having finished handling one creature so easily, Lokan inwardly breathed a sigh of relief. The Trolls, though they looked unimpressive, had powerful combination skills. The rapid play was necessary because of their infamous 'Rapid Regeneration' skill. As players would eventually learn, Trolls could regenerate wounds strong enough to reattach a severed arm, making them highly frustrating if engaged carelessly. That's why Lokan didn't want to reveal this key mechanic.
'It's not fun if it's easy, is it?'
In addition to that, their attack combination skill, 'Smash-up', would ensure that users would suffer greatly as they first encountered them.
After finishing the shoot, Lokan immediately pulled out his Slaughter Knife. He activated his skill and began to collect blood and tendons.
[The Cursed Cave Troll was successfully slaughtered.]
[The amount of by-products obtained is reduced due to the low proficiency of the butchery skill.]
[Slaughter increased by 0.1%.]
The Troll's blood and tendons were quite expensive, making this another secret source of income. Moreover, since only the blood of the Troll could be obtained through normal hunting, the tendons would be monopolized by him for a while. By selling the Troll byproducts in his shop, he could earn a decent amount of money.
By thinning their numbers one by one, he was able to kill all the Trolls without difficulty.
"I must have been hiding here…"
Lokan began to search the Troll's habitat, looking for any traces of something unusual.