While Arterion was having his ordeal with the bald soldier, in another part deep into the forest, sounds of grunting men and loud roaring of some sort of monster can be heard. Together with sounds of different skills and magical explosions, it won't take long for one to conclude that a fight was happening.

"You and you, hit it's right flank while I charge through the middle, now! Lomf, buff me again!", Lorence shouted. His breathing was already ragged. They were already fighting this Stone-Skin troll for almost two hours! Every movement he made was followed by long durations of panting as he was quickly running out of stamina.

"Uwaaaarghh!", the five meter troll roared as he swung his wooden club downwards to the charging Lorence!

The mage named Lomf, who was running low on mana, pointed his wooden staff to Lorence as he casted his spell as fast as he could.

"-[Metal Skin]-!"

Shoom!

Dozens of greyish magical symbols came out of his staff which formed into a small circular magical formation. Lorence was suddenly surrounded by a grey glow as his skin turned into the color of metal! This was the low-level defensive buff type magic [Metal Skin]. The skill turns one's ally as sturdy as a metal beam. Together with the defensive buff, the skill also has a chance to stun the attacker with the recoil of their attack.

And that's exactly what happened! Lorence raised his sword to block the troll's club and just then the troll was stunned because of the recoil. Seeing the opportunity, Lorence activated his skill as he roared and jumped with all his might!

"-[Direct Slash]-!"

"DIEEE!", he shouted as his sword glistened with pale white light! This was his sword's magical enchantment [Sharp Edge]. The magical enchantment increases the sharpness and damage dealt by a weapon by at least 5%!

Seeing Lorence swing his sword towards it's neck, the troll raised it's right arm to block the attack. But it was too slow! Trolls weren't known for their speed to begin with, and facing Lorence's all-out attack, there was nothing more it could do. It's right arm was directly decapitated from it's body as Lorence's sword continued to slash towards it's neck without slowing it's momentum.

The troll watched as it's neck was lacerated and burst forth a fountain of stinking blood. But Lorence wasn't done as he pushed his sword with such strength that the troll's head was directly lopped off it's hulking body. The large mass of the troll toppled towards the ground with a loud crash, while it's head landed a few meters away from it's body with a thump.

"FUCK YEAHHH!" Lorence raised his sword and screamed at the top of his lungs.

The men cheered after their leader, but their cheers weren't as enthusiastic. Although they won, of their original twenty-man party, only eight soldiers are standing after taking on the troll. They were guard escorts, not adventurers. They were equipped to fight robbers and thieves, not brutish five-meter tall trolls in a forest. Their equipment were inadequate as well, as they were optimized to be light for long distance travel. This resulted in a lot of them easily dying, while the remaining ones were quite injured.

Lorence not noticing the low spirits of his men nor would care if he did, commanded, "All of you rest for a while. After that harvest this fucker's skin and eyes. They'll fetch quite a price in the market!"

Stone-Skin troll's hide were a crucial component in making light leather armour. It's skin was famous for being tough that's why it got it's name. If it weren't for his skills and magically enchanted sword, he wouldn't be able to pierce it's skin easily. The troll's eyes can also be turned into an ingredient for potion-making.

Lorence was smug. He felt like he was the hot shit in town. He couldn't wait to spit in front of everyone who doubted him. The harvest from this troll alone can be compared to almost a third of what he got off that caravan! Now he knew why a lot of people aspire to become adventurers. In only a few hours he gained this much, adventuring was quite a profitable occupation.

But more than that, he could finally put one merit in front of his father. He longed for the day that he'll finally prove himself to be worthy of being independent and explore the world! He was already old enough to have a child for goodness sake. Yet he was still being treated like a little boy. He clenched his fist while being unable to hold his giggling. He looked quite creepy.

After a long rest, the remaining soldiers harvested the corpse of the troll as ordered. They then packed their stuff after burying their fallen comrades and made their way back to the camp. By the time they arrived, a lot of the soldiers tasked with gathering were already idling about within the camp. Their baskets were filled with all sorts of materials, making one believe that everyone did their part well. But as Arterion surmised, only four of the slaves made it back alive. The others, their fate was unknown.

Lorence ordered all of his men to line up and enter his tent one by one as he would personally appraise the items they gathered. Being sent out in "missions" by his father, which was just another term for him visiting trading hubs in various parts of the land, he was knowledgeable with the most common trading goods in the market.

He didn't really care about the loss of life. To him, soldiers and slaves were just walking pieces of coin. It didn't matter how many he lost as long as he can compensate them with his profits. He could always buy and hire some more if he ever run out, so what's the point of lamenting their deaths? Nothing was more important than his objectives right now. Not even the lives of mere commoners and slaves.

As the soldiers entered his tent one after the other, Lorence's smile grew brighter and brighter. He was almost gaining as much profit as the entire caravan! 'I really did it now! I really did it now!' he thought. He was so happy that he could almost jump around with glee, like a little kid being given a new toy. After waiting for a while and seeing no one enter, he stood up with a slight frown as he hoped for there to be more. Just then..

A bald, long bearded soldier entered his tent. His breathing was ragged, making him look like he rushed all the way to Lorence's tent. Wiping off his sweat, he quickly reached into his pocket, and placed a hand-sized purple glowing mushroom on Lorence's table.

Lorence's eyes widened so much that it could almost fall from their sockets. 'Crystal Jelly Mushroom!', he screamed internally as he worked hard to control his trembling. So big! He had never seen a Crystal Jelly Mushroom as big as this one before! The last time he saw one, it was only the size of a pinky finger. And that alone sold at a price of 2000 gold coins! That was two magical crystals' worth of profit! This alone is worth a hundred times more than the whole caravan!

The Crystal Jelly Mushroom is so valuable because it can help with the sucess rate of completing a batch of low-level potions! The mushroom's appearance was that of a purple crystal the shape of a mushroom, but if one touches it, it is actually as soft as jelly hence it's name. A lot of alchemists fight over a pinch worth of this mushroom, spending hundreds of gold coins for it. What would their reaction be if they saw a hand-sized one? They'd spend their life's savings on it!

Trying hard not to show the shaking of his voice, he asked, "W-wh... *ehem.. Where did you get this?"

The bald soldier who was unaware of the true value of this mushroom replied, "I just found it layin' around the forest, it was glowin' so I thought I'd bring it back, mi'lord."

Lorence actually didn't care about the soldier's answer. He just wanted to talk casually so he could control himself from jumping up and down like a lunatic. In the calmest voice he could muster, he said, "I'll put in a good word for you to father. I'll make sure you become a castle guard right away."

The bald soldier's eyes lit up as he let out a long hearty laugh. He was promoted to a permanent post! And it was a castle guard to boot! It was equivalent to being one of the elites with a handsome pay without risking one's life. Furthermore, he didn't even have to work to find thsi mushroom. Although he couldn't kill the bastard who threw soil in his eyes, he completely forgot about it. Thinking about his future, the soldier couldn't stop thanking Lorence.

Lorence smiled, but inwardly he was looking at this soldier like a bug. 'Fucking idiot.' he sneered. If the soldier ever knew what this mushroom was and kept it to himself, he could even retire right now. He could already buy a piece of land and start his own village. And if he worked hard enough, he might be recognized as one of the noble land owners of the Free Kingdoms. Seeing the soldier so happy and content with just licking his father's boots, he had a strong urge to vomit.

'Commoners really have no sense of ambition.' Lorence concluded.

The bald soldier exited Lorence's tent with a huge smile on his face. Lorence tossed and turned at his bed that night as he couldn't find himself to sleep. He wished now more than ever that he was a Grand Mage that can take flight back to his home and brag about his achievements right now! He just couldn't wait to go back. He decided that they would head out when the first light of dawn arrives.

The soldiers in the camp brought out their personal ales as they drank and celebrated into the night. A lot of them got promises of being promoted, and that alone is cause for celebration. The soldiers present here were all on contract with guarding the escort. Meaning after they reached their destination, they would have to find someone that would hire them again. Having a permanent job as a commoner meant having a steady source of income. That was already a huge blessing to them.

Sounds of the laughter of men rang in the night. The campfires blazed brightly in their dim surroundings. The atmosphere in the camp was merry and joyful, like one would get inside a lively tavern. Not a single worry was evident on the faces of these men as they danced around with interlocked arms accompanied by rough singing. The moon up above shone beautifully on the clear night skies, basking in all it's graceful majesty. The forest nearby looked ever so silent and eerie, as if it held many secrets and housed many evils. With the cool breeze of the spring wind, the night turned into midnight, and celebration eventually died down.

Amidst the snoring of exhausted men in the camp, they didn't notice that far away into the forest, a figure with it's left eye glowing crimson red was quietly watching them..