Thief

Looking at the dilapidated house at one corner of the camp, reduced to nothing but the frame of a single room.

Morgan immediately recalled the related events from the story he remembered.

In the story, Gandalf and Thorin Oakenshield had once had a heated argument over which route to take.

That argument had taken place inside a ruined wooden house at a temporary campsite.

And not far from the forest where that house stood, three giant Trolls lived.

It had happened because, just as they were about to turn in for the night, the Expedition Team's ponies had been stolen.

The Dwarves went looking for them, and that was how they discovered the Trolls.

The scene had made a deep impression on Morgan when he remembered it.

After Gandalf used the sunlight to kill the three Trolls, the Expedition Team discovered a huge amount of treasure in the cave the Trolls had used as a hideout.

They had also found a very precious Elven Sword, something Morgan remembered vividly.

But last night's battle had forced them to flee from midnight until early morning.

And after they had only just stopped to rest, Morgan had been busy checking his system rewards and strengthening himself.

With his emotions swinging wildly, he hadn't had time to pay attention to anything else.

After breakfast that morning, he had also hurried off to train because his strengthened body felt unbalanced and uncomfortable.

That was why he hadn't noticed that he had come to this abandoned house.

"What's wrong, Morgan?"

Seeing him, Bilbo came out after him and quickly asked.

"Do you know what Gandalf and Thorin were arguing about?"

Morgan turned to look at Bilbo and asked in return.

"Uh, they were a little far away."

"I think I heard Gandalf say something about going to some valley, and Thorin didn't seem to want to go."

"As for anything else, I don't know."

Bilbo shrugged as he replied.

"Just as I thought!"

Hearing Bilbo's words, Morgan could be almost certain that he had reached the place where the three Trolls lived.

"I see."

Morgan nodded and turned back toward the tent.

Bilbo followed him and asked again, "Morgan, Gandalf will come back, right?"

Morgan turned and smiled at him. "Don't worry. Gandalf will definitely come back. Don't forget, he's a wizard."

With that, Morgan went back into the tent.

He definitely couldn't tell the others that three Trolls lived not far from this camp. He could only keep it to himself.

After all, Morgan had no way to explain how he knew.

But now that he knew the Trolls' hideout contained a great deal of treasure and an Elven Sword, he needed to figure out how to get the most out of it.

It was only morning. If the heavy rain outside kept falling for the whole day, the group might stay here a while longer.

But if the rain stopped, Thorin Oakenshield would certainly have the group set off again.

Morgan also remembered that in the story, after the Expedition Team had looted the three Trolls' cave of its treasure and swords, they had soon run into Orcs.

In the story, though, that had apparently been the first time the Expedition Team encountered Orcs.

Things had changed.

Now the Orc scouts had already discovered the group last night.

The Expedition Team could be found by the Orcs at any moment.

Even in broad daylight!

Morgan hadn't forgotten that in the story, it was the day after tomorrow, after they had looted the Trolls' cave, that the Expedition Team encountered the Orcs.

They had met them in broad daylight, under a clear sky.

Orcs didn't like sunlight and didn't like being active during the day.

But when they encountered enemies like the Dwarves, they could set out at any time.

In short, if Morgan wanted to get his hands on some of the loot in the three Trolls' hideout, he had to move quickly.

Otherwise, whether the group set off again or the Orcs attacked, his plans would come to nothing.

"Morgan, are you going out to wash?"

Bilbo, wearing nothing but a pair of shorts, asked excitedly.

Morgan's thoughts were interrupted. He turned to look at Bilbo, then heard the Dwarves laughing and joking outside. "Of course. You go first."

After a long journey in the wild, most of it spent walking through mountains and forests, it wasn't easy to find a chance to bathe.

If they didn't come across a river or stream, then rainwater was their only option.

Apart from worrying that their clothes and the food they carried would get soaked, the Expedition Team was actually glad to encounter rainy weather, since it meant they could bathe.

Morgan was no different.

"Better take the chance to wash up first."

Seeing that the Dwarves were all bathing outside, Morgan didn't dawdle. He took off his greaves and boots, leaving himself in a loose pair of shorts, and walked out of the tent.

"Rumble..."

"Patter, patter, patter."

As Morgan watched the torrential rain pouring down outside the tent, the whole world seemed to be shrouded in a curtain of water.

Morgan thought the storm would be perfect if not for the thunder rumbling overhead.

Watching the Dwarves cavorting and shouting in the rain, Morgan worried that if one of them got struck by lightning, he might get caught in it too.

Half an hour later.

Morgan returned to the tent.

He dried his dripping hair, quickly changed, and put on his leather armor.

After thinking it over, he realized that if he wanted to get some loot from the Trolls' cave as soon as possible without making the others suspicious, he would have to go alone.

Morgan got dressed, hung his sword at his side, and slung his bow and quiver over his back. Just as he was about to leave—

Suddenly, shouts came from outside the tent.

"Oh my god, what's that monster?"

"Damn it, that monster stole our ponies!"

"Fili, quick, stop that monster!"

"Quick, call the others!"

Hearing the urgent cries outside, Morgan immediately guessed what was happening. Delighted, he hurried toward the tent's entrance.

Just then, Bilbo came rushing in from the rain in nothing but his shorts and crashed into Morgan's waist.

"What happened?"

Morgan grabbed Bilbo and asked.

"A monster came outside... A huge, huge monster!"

Bilbo spoke with frantic gestures, looking a little panicked.

"I know."

"Gandalf's not here, so be careful."

Morgan patted Bilbo on the shoulder and strode out into the rain.

More than a dozen ponies had been tied up in the woods at the edge of the camp.

Hearing the shouts outside, all the Dwarves who had been in their tents rushed out with weapons in hand.

"Morgan, what's going on?"

"I don't know either."

"Over there. Come on!"

The rain was coming down harder and harder.

Through the torrential downpour, Morgan and the Dwarves hurried to the woods where the ponies were tied up, weapons in hand.

From a distance, they could see a huge monster, at least three meters tall, in the woods. It had a pony clamped tightly in one massive hand.

In the other, it held a dead tree trunk, swinging it wildly.

In front of the towering monster, Fili and Kili were leaping about with short swords in hand, trying to distract it and stop it from advancing.

Seeing Morgan and the others arrive, they quickly shouted, "Over here!"