While the old man was still in the building and the other villagers were comforting each other, Damian decided to grab the broadsword of the troll leader.
"Heavy...but it was a sharp edge," Damian said, caressing the blade.
[Damian, I would recommend placing the strengthening and flame rune on the blade]
"Yes, I was thinking the same thing," Damian replied as he cut himself on the blade and began writing a strengthening rune and a flame rune on the blade.
[Strengthen Rune attached to weapon]
[Changing properties: Increasing Sharpness by 10%][Duration 1 Hour]
[Flame Rune attached to weapon]
[Changing properties: Increasing Flame damage by 10%][Duration 1 Hour]
(Interesting, it acts differently depending on what it's drawn on)
"Master, why are we going to that village of trolls?" Ymir asked
"Oh, simple, but I will explain it after we leave. People here may become aggressive if I say it," Damian whispered to Ymir.
As he said, the old man walked back out of the house this time holding a rolled-up scroll in his hands.
"Here you are, young adventurer. This is a map of the kingdom. I have already marked on the map where the troll camp is, but are you sure about this?" the only man asked as he handed over the scroll.
"Don't worry, we will be fine. You people take care of yourselves," Damian said as he grabbed the map and began walking away.
As they made their way out of the village, the woman from earlier stopped them.
"Wait, please...take this for saving me and my children,' the woman said out of breath as she held out her hand showing a book.
"It's a magic book my husband had when he used to be an adventurer. Neither I nor my kids can use magic, so please take it," the woman said
"I see...well, thank you, I will put it to good use," Damian said as he accepted the book.
Now leaving the village, Damian and Ymir made their way to the troll village.
"Now, will you explain to me why you want to go to the troll camp?" Ymir asked
"In this world, monsters have more potential than humans. Once they are named, they can go through an evolution into a stronger race. All I need to do is get them under my control. With that, I will have a workforce and army for my future kingdom," Damian explained.
"I see why you didn't say it in front of those people, they would have been furious if they heard you working with the beings that almost killed them all. But how do you plan to get them under your control?" Ymir asked
"I have a plan, I just have to hope my assumption is right," Damian replied
Continuing towards the Troll Village, Damian tried to make small talk with Ymir once more to break her shell, but he only received short responses once again.
"You don't trust me, do you?" Damian asked, surprising Ymir
"..."
"Don't worry, I already know the hell you have been through," Damian sighed.
"...Then why do you keep asking if you already know?" Ymir asked
"I wanted you to trust me. I'm not here to hurt you, nor am I here to make your life a living hell. We are both in this new world together. Better to work together than for me to have to order you around," Damian explained.
Surprised by Damian's explanation, Ymir could not help but believe he was earnest with his words. But part of her still could not fully trust those words.
With that, the two continued their walk in silence. While Ymir contemplated Damian's words, he was busy learning more about runes and comparing them to the magic in the book he had.
(So just like in the anime, magic costs mana, and the more mana used, the output. But most skills require proficiency and large mana. That's similar to my runes, but it seems like my runes use less mana than most skills at the same level, and I can change the properties of items with my runes. That will come in handy much later...Wait, Val, if I engrave my rune into this blade, will the effect become permanent?)
[There is a chance, but the blade has to be able to handle constant amounts of mana, and you need to know how to channel mana into a blade and not your runes.] Val replied
(Channel mana through a blade...Well, I guess that can wait for now until I find a good weapon first)
"Careful, master, it seems we are getting close. I can see smoke up ahead," Ymir said, tugging Damian out of his thoughts.
Regaining his focus, Damian and Ymir slowly made their way up to the camp. Cautiously approaching the camp, they saw that it was a cluster of poorly constructed tents, with one large one at the center. In front of the largest camp was a group of female trolls wearing tattered leather clothing. Like the males, they had well-built bodies, but their skin was light blue instead of grey, and their faces were much less gruesome than those of the men.
Scanning around, Damian saw that there were only five males in the village: three guards and two young boys. The rest were females.
"Seems like most of the men were part of that raid or may be part of a different raid. Either way, this is our best chance," Damian said to Ymir.
"Okay, then what is your plan?" Ymir asked
"Most, if not all, specialties like this have a hierarchy of strength. If I can prove stronger than everyone else here, they are likely to follow me."
"But you are human. Will they still follow you then?" Ymir asked
"That's the gamble," Damian said with a grin.
"You love taking risks, don't you, master?' Ymir asked
"Of course, I'm a gambler at heart. No fun if there is no risk," Damian replied