The Ironhide Troll roared again.
Its wounded eye bled dark green fluid where Lyra's arrow had struck.
But instead of weakening…
The monster became angrier.
Its muscles swelled.
The veins across its arms pulsed violently.
The system window flashed.
Status Change Detected
Ironhide Troll
Entering Berserk Mode
The troll slammed both fists into the ground.
BOOOOM.
A massive shockwave exploded outward.
The earth cracked like broken glass.
Students were thrown backward instantly.
Taro skidded across the dirt.
Bran barely stayed upright behind his shield.
Lyra clung to a tree branch to avoid being knocked down.
Lysander slid several meters before regaining balance.
The troll stood taller now.
More aggressive.
More dangerous.
And its wound was already closing.
Regeneration.
"Great," Taro muttered.
"It heals too?"
The troll's wounded eye slowly sealed.
Even the arrow fell out.
The monster's skin hardened again.
Like iron plates reforming.
Lysander narrowed his eyes.
If it keeps regenerating…
We'll never kill it.
Another shockwave slammed the ground.
BOOM.
Several students screamed as they fell.
One mage dropped his staff.
Another ran deeper into the forest.
The formation was collapsing.
Exactly like the original story.
Taro looked toward Lysander again.
"Still got that plan?"
Lysander nodded.
"The neck."
Taro blinked.
"What?"
"Behind the ear."
"The armor is thinner there."
Taro grinned.
"You sure?"
"No."
"But it's our best chance."
The troll stomped toward them again.
Each step cracked the earth.
Bran rushed forward.
Shield raised.
"I'll hold it!"
The troll swung its arm.
CLANG.
The shield barely stopped the blow.
Bran's knees buckled.
"NOW!"
Taro crouched instantly.
Wind mana exploded around his legs.
"Jump!"
Lysander didn't hesitate.
He stepped onto Taro's shoulder.
Wind burst upward.
Taro launched him like a missile.
For a moment—
Lysander was airborne.
The giant troll filled his entire vision.
Its massive head turned toward him.
Red eye burning with fury.
Perfect.
His hand moved to his sword.
Lightning surged through his body.
Not Void Draw.
Not yet.
Just speed.
Just precision.
He landed on the troll's shoulder.
The monster roared instantly.
Its massive hand reached up to grab him.
Too slow.
Lysander moved.
Lightning flashed along the blade.
He ran along the monster's neck.
Searching.
Then he saw it.
The weak point.
The small gap in the armor behind the ear.
Exactly where the system predicted.
The troll's hand came crashing down.
Lysander jumped backward just in time.
The monster's own strike slammed into its shoulder.
BOOM.
Even it felt the impact.
Now.
One chance.
Maybe the only one.
Lysander inhaled slowly.
His stance lowered.
His hand rested on the sheath.
Void energy flickered faintly along the blade.
Too faint for anyone on the ground to notice.
Draw.
Slash.
Sheath.
CLICK.
The strike landed perfectly.
The blade pierced the weak point.
Then he jumped away from the monster's shoulder.
Landing beside Taro again.
For two seconds…
Nothing happened.
Then the troll froze.
A deep crack spread across the wound.
Dark blood poured from the neck.
The monster staggered backward.
The giant body trembled.
Then—
BOOOOM.
The Ironhide Troll collapsed.
The ground shook as the giant corpse hit the forest floor.
Silence followed.
No one moved.
No one spoke.
Students stared at the fallen monster in disbelief.
Taro looked at Lysander.
"…Did we just kill that thing?"
Lysander exhaled slowly.
"…Looks like it."
The system appeared again.
Major Fate Deviation Detected
Original Event Outcome:
Taro Stormfang — Deceased
Current Outcome:
Survived
Deviation Level: Major
Another message appeared.
Reward Pending
Lysander closed the window quietly.
The mission wasn't over yet.
Because now the biggest problem remained.
Everyone here had just witnessed the impossible.
A group of first-year students…
Killing a C-rank monster.
And questions would start soon.