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The ones groaning in pain were all trolls, with blue skin, gaunt bodies, and fierce, protruding jaws. Ten trolls were confined in a large steel cage, bound by thick iron chains.

One alchemist, inspecting the trolls’ condition while pacing between the steel cages, suddenly spoke up.

“Number 3’s condition isn’t looking too good.”

“Increase its food intake a bit. We need to keep it alive for at least another month.”

One of the alchemists approached the troll referred to as Number 3, carrying a bucket.

The mouths of all the trolls in the cage were forcibly held open by devices, with pipes connected down their throats. The alchemist tilted the bucket into the funnel attached to the end of the pipe.

“Here, it’s feeding time.”

The bucket contained all sorts of food waste from the guild. One of the alchemists chuckled.

“Trolls’ vitality is truly remarkable. They don’t get sick from eating scraps, so we can get rid of leftover food.”

“We’re disposing of waste and making money. It’s efficient, indeed.”

The rotten slop gurgled down the troll’s throat. Number 3 troll writhed in pain, feeling nauseated.

“Ahhh……”

But it couldn’t remove the pipe connected to its esophagus with its own strength. In humiliation and misery, Number 3 troll’s eyes widened in anger.

“Ah, we need to feed the others too.”

The alchemists carried the buckets and poured them into the pipes connected to the other trolls one by one. Low moans filled the dark basement.

“Uuuuuu……”

One female troll, unable to hold back, shed tears, but the alchemists simply passed her by. Silent cries of agony filled the basement.

Amidst the unheard screams and wails, the alchemists conversed.

“They want 500 more bottles delivered by the end of this month.”

“Then it’s about time to catch another one.”

Each steel cage containing the trolls had a lever attached to it. One of the alchemists selected one and pulled the lever.

Clang! Clang! Clang!

With a clattering sound, the pipe embedded in the troll’s esophagus was pulled out. Just as the freed troll was about to let out a cry of anguish.

Thunk!

The floor of the cage opened, dropping the chained troll below. The floor was already filled with dozens of blades, intricately crossing each other and swinging at terrifying speed. It was a so-called ‘troll disassembly facility’ created with magic circles.

“Arghhhh!”

The troll screamed as it fell into the storm of blades. The scream was soon drowned out by the deafening sound of metal. The blades shredded the troll’s entire body into pieces.

The alchemists pushed the lever back, watching the pieces of the troll, which had been ‘sliced to pieces,’ fly in all directions.

“Well handled.”

“Indeed.”

Now, that shattered troll would head towards the refining facility, where every drop of its blood would be extracted. Designed to extract as much troll blood as possible, this facility could harvest enough materials to produce 500 bottles of healing potions from a single troll.

Moments later, troll blood began to drip into the large flask installed in one corner of the stone chamber.

Drip, drip, drip…

It was a truly horrific sight, but the alchemists showed no sign of concern.

For them, killing trolls had been a routine for years. To them, these trolls were merely ‘components’ for manufacturing healing potions.

Healing potions were a popular item among many adventurers and travelers, and everyone knew they were made from troll blood.

However, few people knew the exact process of how these healing potions were made.

People didn’t care about the production process as long as the result was useful to them. Even if the process was as gruesome and filled with suffering as this, they were simply glad that healing potions had become much cheaper than before.

One alchemist, looking back and forth between the bound troll male and female, smacked his lips.

“Ah, if only we could breed these things.”

“Yeah. Has the headquarters still not developed a method?”

If they could breed such valuable ‘livestock’ as trolls, it would be very useful for a stable supply of healing potions. Thus, alchemists had been striving to breed trolls for a long time. They had repeatedly tried to put a male and female together in a room after paralyzing them with powerful magic or poison.

But for some reason, every time the female conceived, she miscarried.

“They definitely breed in the wild, so there must be a way.”

“Yeah. It seems like something is missing, but we don’t know what it is.”

Despite seeing the trolls as less than human, these alchemists made such cruel statements without batting an eye. They seemed to feel no pangs of conscience.

In fact, the alchemists were aware that the scene was too brutal. Otherwise, why would they keep this facility under the strictest secrecy? Slaughterhouses for cows and horses were openly displayed.

Saying that there’s no difference between slaughtering animals and grinding up trolls wouldn’t work.

The alchemists who managed the trolls could not possibly be unaware that trolls were not ordinary beasts. Over time, they naturally realized that trolls, in fact, possessed intelligence and emotions similar to humans.

However, acknowledging this would be akin to killing the goose that laid the golden eggs. So, they ignored it despite knowing better. Even when they sensed something was amiss, they consciously denied reality.

Familiarity was frightening.

Self-brainwashing eventually became the truth.

To them now, trolls were merely monsters resembling humans, much like monkeys. Though these alchemists were not inherently evil, they carried out their duties with ease.

“By the way, do you think the rumors are true?”

One alchemist, taking a moment to rest in his chair, asked his colleague.

“Oh, are you talking about Londen’s party?”

Recalling the rumors about the monster hunters who had captured and then lost a troll in the southern jungle, the alchemist clicked his tongue.

“I heard even the branch manager was greatly disappointed. He was thrilled at the prospect of getting a live troll.”

“Isn’t that the least of our concerns? I’m talking about the Ivory Tusk. Do you think it’s real?”

“The Ivory Tusk…”

The expressions of the alchemists grew serious.

The legendary troll, Ivory Tusk.

Though it was known as a superstition to the world, to alchemists dealing with trolls, the Ivory Tusk was not merely a myth.

Over the past ten years, numerous alchemist guilds had lost branches and had trolls stolen due to the Ivory Tusk’s attacks. Even the Tears of Santana could not escape its wrath. According to their knowledge, three branches had been reduced to ruins by the Ivory Tusk in the past four years alone.

To save face, they had disguised its existence as a superstition, but the alchemist guilds directly involved were well aware that the monster troll certainly existed.

One of the alchemists shivered as he spoke.

“Ugh, it couldn’t possibly appear here, could it?”

“No way…”

Kaltizan City was one of the largest cities in the Hallein Kingdom. No matter how elusive that troll was, could it really appear in the heart of human civilization?

“But hasn’t it always attacked nearby branches whenever it showed up?”

“I heard even Branch Manager Diphl is quite worried. Apparently, they’ve invited a special guest this time.”

“A special guest? Is there someone in Kaltizan City capable of dealing with the Ivory Tusk?”

The alchemist who heard this looked skeptical. Among the rumors of the Ivory Tusk, there was one about it annihilating an entire renowned knight order. Could any knight, no matter how strong, truly contend with that monstrous troll?

“Well, you see, there’s a rumor that the new aura user, Sir Kapir, has arrived in the city.”

* * *

**Santara’s Song Southern Branch Mansion, 3rd Floor.**

Three men were enjoying a feast at a lavishly set table adorned with numerous dishes. Under the opulent interior, attendants politely served the meal. Across from them, a middle-aged man in a black robe continuously poured wine, smiling as he did.

“Haha, it is an honor for my family to meet the renowned Sir Kapir.”

“Honor for the family, you say. Branch Manager Diphl is overly flattering this unremarkable old warrior.”

The burly man in his fifties accepted the drink with a hearty laugh.

Kapir von Sahan.

He was one of the seven Aura Users in the Hallein Kingdom, one of the most powerful nations on the continent. A member of the Sahan Viscount family, famed for their swordsmanship, Kapir had honed his skills through monster hunting and knightly training since his youth. A year ago, he finally awakened his aura, joining the ranks of Hallein Kingdom’s strongest. Though he became an aura user relatively late in life.

Diphl turned to the two elderly men sitting beside him and continued with the introductions.

“Not only that, but to have Mage Marund and Priest Blay of the Blade visit as well, this will indeed be a memorable occasion for a lifetime, won’t it?”

The men in their fifties dining with Kapir were Marund, a 7th Circle mage affiliated with the Sahan Viscount family, and Blay, a priest of the main god Seiya and a close friend of Kapir.

They had shared various adventures with Kapir since their youth and maintained their friendship even as they aged and settled down. The reason for their visit to the city of Kaltizan was to enjoy some leisure time, now that their lives had stabilized with their disciples growing up. They came for a bit of relaxation and to see the sea.

It wasn’t an official visit; they intended to quietly tour around and return home. However, Diphl somehow learned of their presence and extended an invitation, eager to host them. Since they were being offered free lodging and meals, there was no reason to refuse, so all three were staying at the mansion without much thought.

“Then please rest comfortably. If there is anything you find inconvenient, just inform the attendants. I, Diphl, will do my utmost.”

“Haha, we are already being treated too well as it is. There’s no inconvenience at all.”

“I’m glad to hear that.”

As Kapir shook his head, Diphl smiled in return and bowed. On Diphl’s face, there was a smile of genuine meaning, not just a superficial one.

‘Good, if that’s the case, even if the Ivory Tusk attacks this place, there won’t be any problem!’

Diphl knew well how powerful that legendary troll, Ivory Tusk, was. To properly deal with such a monstrous troll, at least an Aura User or an 8th Circle Grand Mage was necessary.

However, no matter how much money an alchemist made, hiring someone of that caliber was not an easy task.

Proud Aura Users only appeared in times of national crises and would never take on requests like mercenaries or adventurers. Likewise, 8th Circle Mages, who were on par with Aura Users in strength, either occupied positions as court magicians of a kingdom or established their own mage towers and lived grandly.

They couldn’t be moved by money, and even if it were possible, asking them to deal with a mere ‘troll’ would certainly be met with outrage. No one would believe that a troll, a mere monster, possessed martial skills equivalent to an Aura User.

Therefore, Diphl chose ‘invitation’ as his method.

When he heard the rumor that Kapir’s party had come to the city of Kaltizan, Diphl was convinced that the heavens were helping him. He immediately ran to them, expressing his desire to host the renowned Aura User at the southern branch, and treated them with utmost hospitality.

If Ivory Tusk appeared, Kapir, mindful of his knightly honor, wouldn’t stand idly by. And if it didn’t appear…

‘Even then, there’s no loss.’

In that case, he would simply have made a good impression on Aura User Kapir and established a valuable connection. It was a win-win situation.

“Then please continue eating. I have some matters to attend to…”

As Diphl left the room, Kapir’s party focused on their meal. Slicing the meat and bringing it to his mouth, Kapir smiled broadly.

“Well, that Diphl fellow sure knows how to judge people.”

They had no inkling of Diphl’s true intentions. The existence of Ivory Tusk was a top-secret known only among alchemists. No matter how experienced Kapir’s party was, they couldn’t imagine that they had been invited with such a purpose in mind.

“Hehe, awakening my Aura really makes the world feel different, doesn’t it? Marund, you’ll understand how I feel once you reach the 8th Circle.”

Kapir said, pretending to be arrogant and raising his chin. Of course, he wasn’t really boasting but joking with an old friend.

With a sulking face, Marund jabbed Kapir’s side with a fork.

“You think you’re so great, don’t you? How am I supposed to live being stuck at the 7th Circle?”

Shaking his head in exasperation, Blay spoke sternly to the two of them.

“Oh, come on, how old are you now? Just shut up and eat your food.”