Chapter 3 – Returning (2)
So, I’ve gone back to the past.
Of course, that makes no sense.
Even though it was my own thought, it was still absolutely absurd.
But what if it was true? What if I really had returned to the past?
Then… everything starts to make sense.
The scar from the battlefield is gone.
My hands are pale and clean, like a nobleman’s son.
My level is 1.
All of my stats are sitting at 0.
If I’m not the Predator of the Allied Forces, but rather the scoundrel of a Count’s family, all the pieces fit perfectly.
“No way, that can’t be—”
ROAAAARRR—!!!
The Ice Troll’s roar shattered my thoughts.
Maybe it thought I was frozen in fear, because it smirked and approached me like a predator playing with easy prey.
I still don’t fully understand what’s going on here…
‘Questions later.’
For now, the Ice Troll in front of me comes first.
An Ice Troll is never a simple opponent.
Its regenerative ability is one thing—but the strength from that massive frame? It’s destructive.
No spoiled noble brat drowning in gambling and debauchery could ever hope to beat such a thing.
But…
Thud!
I kicked off the snowy ground and charged forward.
Maybe it didn’t expect someone it thought was terrified to suddenly rush in.
Grrah?!
The Ice Troll flinched in surprise.
The distance between us rapidly closed.
Even if I’ve gone back in time, my memories remain intact.
The countless battlefields and brushes with death—I still remember it all.
Whenever someone asked who my teacher was, I always gave the same answer:
The battlefield.
I sharpened my hand into a blade.
The troll was still caught off guard.
An Ice Troll is the apex predator of this snow-covered mountain.
It probably never imagined it could become prey itself.
I drove my hand straight into the troll’s chest—
Smack—!
—but it didn’t even pierce the hide.
‘Damn it!’
A critical mistake.
I’m not the Predator of the Allied Forces right now.
All the powers I gained through Devouring are gone.
Even my body isn’t the one I forged through years of war.
Right now, I’m stuck in the weak body of that spoiled noble brat.
With this pathetic frame, I can’t even scratch an Ice Troll’s hide—much less tear out its heart.
‘Damn it all.’
I quickly pulled my hand back and reached for my waist.
At least my past self had a thin rapier strapped to his belt—probably for show.
A typical noble’s decorative weapon.
It wasn’t practical in battle, but a blade is still a blade.
ROOAARRRR!!
The Ice Troll’s roar thundered in my ears.
It had finally recovered from its shock, and its eyes locked onto me.
My mind raced.
Instinct screamed for survival.
I couldn’t back down now. I had to see this fight through.
I stepped forward again.
Among all bipedal monsters, the ogre is the undisputed apex predator.
The Ice Troll doesn’t quite compare—but it’s still a fierce predator in its own right.
Now, that predator looked at me with hunger.
That violent killing intent.
The gaze itself overflowed with bloodlust.
I read the violence and hostility in its eyes—
‘Now!’
Whoosh!
Its massive fist grazed my side—barely.
Barely… but it did hit.
“!!”
Agonizing pain exploded through my body.
My mouth hung open in a silent scream.
Unbelievable destructive power.
…But I endure. I must endure.
I grit my teeth hard.
I force my fading mind to stay focused.
I glare with everything I’ve got.
Now it’s my turn.
Sharpening my senses, I plunged the rapier into the troll’s chest—
Shunk!
The thin blade pierced its hide.
It may have been a flashy weapon, but apparently my past self had good taste—it wasn’t too shabby.
“GRAARGH—!”
The troll howled in pain and flailed.
I focused all my attention on its movements.
If it catches me, I die.
But I didn’t retreat.
I ducked low to dodge its sweeping arm, stepped in closer, and drove the blade deeper—
Shunk!
The rapier sank further into the troll’s chest.
Still, it didn’t fall.
What could I expect from a showy little rapier?
I never thought I’d bring it down with a single strike anyway.
‘There it is!’
I could feel it—the beating of its heart at the tip of my blade.
A troll’s signature ability: regeneration.
That regeneration stems from its blood.
Destroy the heart, and it can’t circulate blood—its regeneration weakens drastically.
In short, the heart is the troll’s weak point.
ROARGH—!
The troll screamed in panic.
It flailed again, trying to stop me—but I was faster.
Squelch!!!
The heart burst as I pierced through it, and blood gushed like a fountain.
I quickly jumped back, and the troll’s arms flailed uselessly before losing strength.
Its massive frame wobbled, then crashed down—
Thud!
A small tremor shook the ground.
◆ You have defeated the Ice Troll!
◆ You gained 120 combat EXP!
◆ Level up!
◆ Level up!
◆ Level up!
Text filled my vision.
I tilted my head in confusion.
“…It died from that?”
Honestly, I was surprised.
Yes, the heart is a troll’s weak point.
But a simple rapier piercing the heart shouldn’t be enough.
You’d normally need to shred the thing with a bastardsword full of aura to kill it.
This was an Ice Troll, after all.
A mutant troll, a subspecies with maximized regeneration.
The emperor once rounded them all up and turned them into potions.
Against something like that, this fancy rapier might as well be a toothpick.
Even stabbing it dozens of times wouldn’t be enough.
“…Was it a weakened specimen?”
That must be it.
Looking closely now, it was quite scrawny.
It must’ve been starving for at least a month.
Since a troll’s regeneration is fueled by blood, its healing power drops depending on its nutrition.
Unlike most monsters, starvation is fatal to Ice Trolls.
“No wonder.”
That earlier hit? I could handle it.
If I had run into a healthy one, I would’ve been in serious trouble.
I probably would’ve died.
I was just incredibly lucky.
“Come to think of it, my past self also ran into this Ice Troll.”
And survived.
Well—technically, I escaped.
If even the old, weak me could outrun it, it really wasn’t in great shape.
Still, an Ice Troll is an Ice Troll.
Now that the tension eased, the pain in my side flared up again.
“Feels like I’ve cracked a few ribs—urgh!”
I touched the spot and felt a sickening jolt.
It felt like the bones were crushed.
And this was from a mere graze.
If I still had my old Predator body, this wouldn’t even register as an injury.
But in this body—the scoundrel’s body—I was pathetically weak.
At this rate, even moving or breathing would be difficult.
◆ Tutorial Quest [What the Hell Is Going On?!] cleared!
◆ Inventory unlocked as a reward!
◆ Quest EXP +200!
◆ Level up!
◆ Level up!
◆ You didn’t run from the Ice Troll—you fought and won!
◆ Incredible! Truly astonishing!!
◆ Bonus reward: +1 to all stats!
Notifications flooded my vision.
Looks like the [Player Info] screen I saw earlier had changed.
But that could wait.
Right now, I needed to stabilize my body.
“…I really need treatment right now.”
This snowy mountain was the last place I could get medical help.
That left me with only one option.
“I never got to Devour an Ice Troll before.”
Devour.
Though Ice Trolls lived near my hometown, I’d never absorbed one’s powers.
Partly because I didn’t awaken Devour until later.
And by the time I had, the emperor had already driven the Ice Trolls to extinction.
“Their regeneration ability…”
I carefully extracted the heart from the fallen troll.
Fitting for its bulk, the heart was nearly the size of my head.
It was still warm—freshly killed.
“…Here goes nothing.”
I took a deep breath and brought the heart to my lips.
Crunch.
The tough heart muscle tore as I bit in. Thump!
My own heart pounded violently.
It felt like someone was choking me—the world turned crimson.
My consciousness frayed and flickered red.
…This is the backlash of Devour.
My Devour ability came with certain restrictions and side effects.
The first restriction:
I couldn’t gain powers from a heart that had lost all life.
In other words, I had to consume a living heart directly to gain its abilities.
Eating a dead heart just wouldn’t work.
That was only a restriction—not exactly a flaw.
The real problem was the side effect.
Using Devour triggers a surge of madness.
For a brief moment, I lose my reason—becoming indistinguishable from a monster.
Not even the miracles of the Saintess could cure this.
That’s why I had always been hesitant to use Devour.
Later, with Ian’s help, I managed to keep it under control—but it was never limitless.
Even after returning to the past, that hasn’t changed.
I’m younger, yes—but I’m still me.
I knew what was coming.
But I had no choice.
With no other way to heal my broken ribs, this was the only path.
And more importantly, to pass up the Ice Troll’s regeneration ability now would be sheer idiocy.
Fsssshh—!
A blood-red fog seeped into my mind like poison.
Soon, I’d lose all reason.
Become a monster in all but form.
Fortunately, no one was around.
Just then—
“There are footprints here!”
A loud voice rang out suddenly.
I turned my head—armored soldiers were charging toward me through the snow.
“Here! We found Sir Adrian!”
At those words, the area burst into commotion.
From behind the soldiers, someone dashed forward.
Moonlight shimmered through long, silver hair.
Her hair fluttered gracefully in the wind, falling past her shoulders.
Her skin was pale and flawless like untouched snow.
Ruby-like eyes, delicate shadows, a breathtaking beauty.
Soft lashes curled upward.
Lips red like ripe apples.
This gentle, flower-like beauty—
“Brother!”
—was my younger sister, Seraphia.
“You’re safe!”
Her face mixed with relief and joy.
But I felt neither.
I wasn’t happy at all.
Seraphia.
The Monarch of Winter.
The Allied Forces’ greatest traitor.
The witch who took Ian’s left arm.
Thump!
My heart pounded violently.
The madness of Devour surged to the surface.
