Chapter 15

Raphael, having drunk the elixir and escaped the crisis, gazed at the young boy who had saved him from his own peril.

The boy, with black hair and black eyes, appeared to be in his late teens. His attire was different from the armor supplied to the kingdom's army; it was a light outfit that beginners wore as adventurers. Raphael did not recognize his face.

Raphael did not remember every face of the three thousand soldiers, but as a knight who had served the country for many years and held the position of commander, it was not unusual for him to remember the faces of the kingdom's soldiers, even if only slightly. However, he did not recognize this boy at all.

(Perhaps one of the adventurers we recruited. And given the situation, he must be a mage.)

He did not know the status of the other units, but it was not strange for a few soldiers or adventurers to be separated due to the division.

Especially with the hastily gathered adventurers, they were not accustomed to the army's movements, and it was not surprising for them to get lost in such an emergency.

(But something feels off...)

Raphael felt a sense of unease as he looked at the boy.

(The cloak is too clean. No, that's not all; he doesn't look fatigued at all.)

Raphael and the soldiers present, having fought consecutive battles, had their armor stained red with blood and soot from burning the Trolls. Their faces were heavily marked with the fatigue of intense combat.

However, the boy's cloak, though dirty, was relatively clean compared to the battered soldiers, and his breathing was not even slightly labored, as if he felt no fatigue at all.

Had he not encountered any Orcs or Trolls on his way here? But the Elder Troll's minions were everywhere, and he had encountered Orcs multiple times on his way here, so it was unlikely that he alone would be spared.

If he had fled, his breathing would be more composed, but it was too composed. In a disadvantageous situation where the enemy's positions were unknown and their location was known, it was unlikely that he could penetrate the enemy's defensive lines.

Despite these concerns, the fact that he had saved Raphael from the crisis was undeniable, and the addition of an unharmed mage to their forces was a stroke of luck.

If the Elder Troll, which controlled the Orcs with magic, were defeated, the Orcs would become motionless puppets. To win this battle, the Elder Troll had to be defeated at all costs.

"Thank you for saving me! I apologize for asking so soon, but I need your help. Please defeat the surrounding Trolls."

The boy nodded in agreement.

Raphael looked at the Elder Troll. The arm that had grabbed Raphael was barely not broken, but it was deeply gouged and would break with even a slight impact.

"You fools! You have interfered and injured me! I will never forgive you!"

The Elder Troll directed intense hostility towards the boy. However, the boy showed no fear, which only fueled the Elder Troll's anger further.

"My minions! Do not let that foolish human live!"

Three Trolls charged at the boy.

"Quick, support him!"

Raphael hurriedly gave the order, but the positions of the soldiers, monsters, and the boy made it impossible for the soldiers to reach him in time, as the monsters were closer.

The boy immediately cast "Fire Arrow" to hold them off. One Troll was engulfed in flames, and another hesitated, but the last one struck the boy with its arm, sending him flying.

After rolling several times, the boy lay still.

Had he died, the one who saved his life? Raphael clenched his fists in frustration. He felt responsible for the young life lost due to his own inadequacy. Regret and anger surged within him, threatening to overwhelm him.

But then—

The boy stood up as if nothing had happened. He seemed unharmed, and his expression showed no sign of pain. Raphael felt a sense of relief.

(He looked like he was in no condition to be unharmed, but perhaps he hit a good spot?)

Fortunately, the boy was unharmed and immediately retaliated against the Trolls. During this time, the enemy's encirclement, which had become somewhat thin, was broken by a dozen soldiers who formed a protective circle around the boy. A mage cast a support spell to enhance the boy's magical power.

The boy's magical power, despite his youthful appearance, was quite strong. With the support spell, his magic became even more potent.

The Trolls, previously engulfed in flames, along with a new group of Trolls, attacked the boy and the soldiers. The soldiers skillfully defended against the Trolls' attacks, and the boy calmly cast spells, burning the Trolls away. His composed and efficient actions resembled those of an experienced mage.

"Damn! To be pressed by mere humans! My minions, attack that hateful human!"

The Elder Troll, filled with frustration, directed its minions to attack the boy. The Trolls' attacks became more intense, and the boy and his surroundings were caught in a fierce battle. However, the Elder Troll's focus on the boy allowed the other soldiers to receive less attacks.

"Now! Focus your attacks on the Trolls!"

The encirclement weakened, and Raphael's forces pushed back. The tide of battle, which had been against them, now turned in their favor. The formation of the boy's group created a pincer attack, and the Trolls, despite their strength, were no match for attacks from two directions and were quickly defeated.

"Mana Explosion"

The explosion caused by the boy's spell defeated many Trolls, tipping the balance of the battle. The situation had reversed since the boy's appearance.

"Alright, let's defeat the Elder Troll before reinforcements arrive. Half of you hold off the remaining Trolls! The rest, follow me to defeat the Elder Troll!"

Following Raphael's command, the soldiers split into two groups: one to defeat the Elder Troll and the other to deal with the Trolls. They repeatedly attacked the Elder Troll with magic and ranged attacks, using hit-and-run tactics.

The Elder Troll's face, now devoid of any composure, was filled with frustration.

"Why! Why am I being pushed around by mere humans!"

The Elder Troll was cornered, its frustration evident in its words.

The kingdom's army, which had been surrounded and on the verge of defeat, turned the tide thanks to the boy's appearance. The Elder Troll's lack of composure and poor strategy led to its downfall. While the boy was indeed a threat, it was a mistake to thin out the encirclement to focus on him. This led to the collapse of the encirclement, allowing the boy to be reached, and the Trolls, outnumbered, were quickly defeated, leading to the current situation.

If the Elder Troll had recalled the Orcs, the kingdom's army would not have been able to turn the tide.

Raphael severed the Elder Troll's arms with his sword and struck its trunk. As he retreated, he saw the boy breaking through the Trolls and casting another spell at the Elder Troll. A blue explosion enveloped the Elder Troll, and its trunk, weakened by repeated attacks, began to crack. Unable to support its own weight, the Elder Troll collapsed.

"Aaaahh!! M-Mousdeus-sama!!"

The Elder Troll's final cry echoed through the area, calling for its master.

The surrounding noise momentarily stopped at the ancient tree's final cry.

A moment later, a chorus of victory cries erupted. The remaining Trolls, realizing their master was defeated, began to flee in confusion.

"Do not let the Trolls escape! Crush them all!"

Following Raphael's command, the pursuit began. The battle, which had been at a disadvantage, was now a victory. With the Elder Troll defeated, the Orcs would become motionless puppets, and the damage to their allies would be minimized. The battle, which had been a disaster, had turned into a miraculous comeback.

Raphael noticed that some of the plants were withering.

"What is this...?"

"The minions that cannot survive without the Elder Troll are withering."

The voice belonged to the boy.

"You are..."

Why do you know this?—Before Raphael could ask, the boy interrupted.

"I am Chaos. I have to go now. I'm sorry."

The boy, having completed his task, quietly disappeared.

---

The day before the final day of the closed beta test. The final day ends on Monday morning, so for me, who has school, today is the last day I can play the closed beta test.

In commemoration of the last day, I decided to defeat the boss, Elder Troll, in the northern part of Castor Kingdom, and went to the Trolls' Forest. However, it turned out to be more troublesome than I imagined. I finally reached the Trolls' Forest on Saturday night and tried to reach the boss, but there were too many enemies, and I couldn't advance.

I planned to try again on Sunday, but I had been playing too much and was scolded by my mother. My mother, who usually doesn't get angry about such things, sometimes takes out her frustration on me when she argues with my father. This time, it was probably because of something with my father.

Since my mother, who stands at the top of the family hierarchy, is in a bad mood, it's a matter of life and death in terms of meals, so it's dangerous to go against her. Reluctantly, I helped with housework in the morning to improve my mother's mood and was finally allowed to play for two hours in the afternoon.

When I logged in, I resumed from the forest where I had fled the previous day. The forest seemed noisy. I opened the map and headed towards the boss.

The previous day, there was a group of Orcs ahead that I couldn't get past, but should I try to bypass them?

As I looked at the map, something seemed off. The group of Orcs was missing. It seemed the Orcs' positions had changed from the previous day.

Taking advantage of this, I headed towards the boss. As I moved, I noticed other players in the forest fighting the Orcs. Thanks to them, there were fewer Orcs attacking me, and I could advance smoothly, unlike the previous day. The boss was still alive, as the trees had not yet withered.

When I got close to the boss's location, I saw that many players were already in battle with the boss. I hadn't expected so many players to be there.

Just as I was about to give up, one of the players in the group shouted.

"Save the leader!"

I saw that one player was being held by the boss and was about to be crushed. The "leader" must be the party leader. Should I help? I hesitated but decided to help since they asked for it. I cast "Mana Explosion." The casting time was tight, but the boss needed more than normal damage.

The explosion hit the Elder Troll's arm, freeing the hostage. I had intended to make the boss explode, but with the hostage, it was difficult to aim. I didn't want to accidentally hit the players with the wide area of effect.

"Thank you for saving me! I apologize for asking so soon, but I need your help. Please defeat the surrounding Trolls."

The warrior who had been the hostage called out. It seemed I had made the right decision.

Indeed, the Trolls were surrounding the player group, making it difficult to approach the boss. It was better to help.

As I nodded, the Elder Troll, angered, sent Trolls towards me. The boss's AI was surprisingly human-like. The game was well-made.

I countered the Trolls with "Fire Arrow." Trolls are weak to fire, so the damage was 1.5 times higher. However, one attack was too late, and I was hit and sent flying. The pain in my side felt more ticklish than painful, but the impact made me dizzy.

Checking my status, my HP was already down to 30%. One hit for 70% damage? How weak am I? I used a mid-level potion to quickly recover.

I retaliated against the Trolls, and players came to my aid, protecting me from their attacks. What nice people. They must have noticed how weak I was and immediately protected me. They even cast a buff on me.

"Intelligence Boost"

This spell increases intelligence by a certain percentage. The effect depends on the skill level. At level 1, it increases by 10%, and at level 5, it increases by 50%. The effect lasts for one hour. They cast it at level 3, so it increased by 30%.

With such support, I had no choice but to try my best. I started slaughtering the enemies one by one. My magic became more powerful, and I dealt significant damage to the Trolls.

Before I knew it, we were pressing the attack. Watching the other players, especially the leader, I was impressed by their refined hit-and-run tactics. They skillfully dodged attacks and dealt damage to the boss, something I couldn't do.

Compared to them, how did I fare? I was considering trying a different class in the open beta, but could I have mastered the Mage class like them? I wanted to reach that level—so I decided to focus on the Mage class in the open beta.

The leader was cutting off the Elder Troll's arms. The surrounding Trolls were gone. I joined the attack on the boss, casting my most powerful spell.

"Mana Explosion" brought down the Elder Troll.

...Oops, I finished it off. Well, the leader, who dealt the most damage, was probably the MVP of this boss battle. Still, with nearly a hundred players, it seemed like a guild event to defeat the boss.

The other players were overjoyed and continued to defeat the remaining Trolls. With the boss defeated, I didn't need to help anymore.

"What is this...?"

The leader voiced his confusion. Some trees were rapidly withering. He seemed unaware of the wiki.

"The minions that cannot survive without the Elder Troll are withering."

That's the setting. The boss here doesn't need to be confirmed to be deep in the forest. It's a considerate design since it's difficult to enter.

"You are..."

He seemed like a good person, and I wanted to be friends, but I didn't have much time to talk. My playtime was almost up, and I had to go shopping for dinner.

"I am Chaos. I have to go (shopping). I'm sorry (for the trouble)."

I apologized and logged out.

I checked the time after logging out. It was just in time. I should go shopping before my mother gets angry.