First Come, First Served [Seeking Recommendation Tickets]

"Hoo."

"Finally dead."

Watching the massive troll collapse in the distance with a thunderous crash, Morgan let out a long sigh of relief.

Come to think of it, some members of the Expedition Team might feel that it was easy for Morgan to kill these trolls, as if he only had to lift a finger.

In reality, that was indeed the case.

Aside from having to move nimbly, keep his eyes sharp, and pull his bowstring until his arms grew sore.

Physically, an archer is indeed more relaxed than those in melee combat.

However, the true exhaustion of an archer actually lies in their mental state.

Because the arrows carried in an archer's quiver and pouch are limited.

This requires the archer to maintain high concentration with every draw of the bow to ensure as many kills as possible.

After a battle, the mental toll on an archer is naturally self-evident.

Warriors expend physical strength, while archers expend mental energy; in truth, neither has it easier than the other.

Because combat is, by its very nature, an extremely dangerous endeavor.

This is merely the illusion of ease that laymen perceive when looking at an archer.

Like Morgan, who appeared to have quite easily shot down giant trolls that an entire Company could not handle.

The actual difficulty and the mental fatigue involved were things only Morgan himself understood best.

Of course, the dwarf Kili, being an archer himself, might have some inkling of it.

"Hey, Gandalf, where did you go?"

"I thought you had gone missing."

Withdrawing his gaze from the troll's massive corpse, Morgan turned to look at Gandalf not far away, smiling as he strode over.

"Just went for a stroll to clear my head. You know how it is—the stubbornness of dwarves is sometimes, truly, unbearable."

Hearing Morgan bring it up, Gandalf shrugged and said with a hint of helplessness.

Morgan, of course, knew exactly what Gandalf was referring to.

It was none other than the earlier dispute between Gandalf and Thorin Oakenshield.

Over the course of this month-long journey, Thorin Oakenshield and the group of dwarves had already demonstrated their stubbornness many times over.

"Relax, the stubbornness of dwarves is known to the whole world."

Morgan walked up and smiled, offering comfort.

Gandalf shook his head without a word, then turned to look at the massive troll corpses in the distance, frowning as he asked, "How did you run into these monsters?"

"I'm not entirely sure myself."

"When I appeared, Kili and Fili were already circling one of the beasts."

"But it was likely because the monster stole our horses."

Morgan shook his head, also looking toward the corpses in the distance.

"Do you know what kind of monsters these are?"

Morgan turned to look at Gandalf, asking a question he already knew the answer to.

"Monsters of this size and evil nature can only be trolls, and specifically, Stone Troll among the troll kind."

As soon as Gandalf finished speaking, Morgan caught the detail and quickly asked another question: "You mean there are other types of trolls?"

Gandalf did not speak, but instead looked up at the sky.

The rain had completely stopped by now, and the sky had brightened significantly.

Knowing it would not rain any further, Gandalf pulled out his pipe, skillfully packed it with tobacco, and lit it.

"Puff."

Gandalf took a satisfying drag, exhaled a cloud of smoke, and then spoke slowly.

"Of course, there is more than one kind of troll."

"As far as I know, there are several types, including Mountain Troll, Stone Troll, and Cave Troll."

"The kind we are looking at now is a Stone Troll, which can only emerge at dusk and night; they turn to stone the moment they see sunlight."

Just as Gandalf finished his sentence, a voice suddenly cut in.

"They turn to stone when they see sunlight?"

"Doesn't that mean they should only come out at night? Then how did these three appear here?"

Thorin Oakenshield walked over with the group of dwarves, and upon hearing Gandalf's words, he immediately asked in confusion.

"That is exactly what I am wondering as well."

Gandalf nodded, continuing to puff on his pipe as he spoke.

The Company had long since witnessed the extent of Gandalf's erudition.

If there was something Gandalf did not understand, the others certainly would not either.

"Could it be that while these trolls fear sunlight and often emerge at night, it doesn't necessarily mean they are afraid of the daytime itself?"

"Perhaps they don't appear during sunny days simply because they dislike the daylight."

"Because during the day, the sun and its rays could appear at any moment."

"But on a rainy day, they don't have to worry about that."

After a moment of contemplation, Morgan suddenly spoke up.

"Hmm, that makes sense."

"The only possibility for them appearing here is what Morgan just suggested."

Gandalf exhaled a cloud of smoke and affirmed with a nod.

"The presence of these Stone Troll here suggests their cave must be nearby."

"I've heard that many of these monsters enjoy collecting things; perhaps we should go and take a look at their lair."

After satisfying his craving for a smoke, Gandalf put away his pipe, looked up at the group, and said.

"How thoughtful, he didn't even need me to ask."

Hearing Gandalf's words, Morgan couldn't help but want to give him a thumbs-up in his heart.

"Those monsters like to collect things?"

"We definitely have to go and see."

"Maybe these monsters are like dragons and enjoy hoarding treasure."

"How do you know dragons like to hoard treasure?"

"I heard it somewhere."

"Although I don't know for sure, someone definitely does. Gandalf, don't you agree?"

"What?"

"I said dragons like to hoard treasure. You must have seen a dragon's hoard before, right?"

"Cough, cough. Cough, cough. Maybe, perhaps, possibly."

Watching the group, who were accustomed to bickering, begin to scatter in search of the Stone Troll cave.

Morgan stood in the forest, looking left and right.

He then quickened his pace in the direction from which the three trolls had come.

The massive, messy footprints clearly pointed the way for Morgan.

Seeing a few dwarves behind him choosing the same direction, Morgan moved quickly, rapidly putting distance between himself and them.

The members of the Company seemed to have been struck by a thought from a stray comment made by a dwarf during their earlier bickering: "Maybe these monsters are like dragons and enjoy hoarding treasure."

Consequently, seeing the direction Morgan was heading, the few dwarves following behind very consciously chose to diverge from his path.

Morgan turned his head, saw the little schemes of the dwarves, and grinned.

This was for the best.

Although he wasn't certain he could find the trolls' hidden cave before all the dwarves, even if it wasn't him, Morgan was determined to obtain the high-quality Elven Sword within the troll cave.

Because he had the qualifications to do so.

Morgan followed the giant footprints of the trolls, moving forward rapidly.

When he could no longer see any other dwarves behind him, Morgan simply broke into a run.

With his Agility enhanced to LV2, his current speed was far greater than before.

Fortunately, he had chosen the right direction.

Standing before a deep, dim, and spacious cave entrance, Morgan let out a long sigh of relief.

He had finally managed to get there first.

Next, it was time for the harvest.

Morgan's lips curled upward as he drew his Cross Longsword from his waist and stepped inside.

Thanks to book friend "Ku Jingtian" for the tip, thank you very much~~~