"Hmph, it's finally done. We've set up camp, so let's eat!" Woon announced, stretching.
"Sure, sure. By the way, Woon, your friend there seems to be a noble from some reputable household!" Jol observed, gesturing towards Eric.
"I don't really know. That bastard is hiding secrets from me too! He usually doesn't act like that!" Woon muttered, a hint of frustration in his voice.
"What do you mean?" Jol inquired.
"He's some kind of irritating person, but surprisingly reliable. It's my first time seeing him act so... polite. He's born to be a playboy, hahaha!" Woon chuckled.
"Yeah, he definitely has the looks for it too!" Jol agreed.
"Yeah, I feel you. I too know that I'm not like him." Woon sighed dramatically.
"But can you tell your friend over there not to hit on my little sister again? I might actually kill him tonight!" Jol's voice dropped, irritation clear in his tone.
"Hahaha, chill, dude! I'll tell him that!" Woon laughed, trying to defuse the tension.
"Hey, Eric!" Woon called out.
"Yo?" Eric replied, turning towards them.
"Sir, over here!" Jol's younger sister chirped, beckoning Eric.
"See ya later, lady!" Eric called back, a wide grin on his face, before returning to Woon and Jol.
"So, what's up?" Eric asked Woon, oblivious to Jol's warning.
"Eric, Jol seems to have something he needs to tell you!" Woon said, suppressing a smirk.
"Oh, yeah, what is it?" Eric asked, looking at Jol expectantly.
"Hey, your name is Eric, right?" Jol began, his voice low and dangerous. "I'm about to bash your face in if you get close to my sister again!"
"Wha—what?" Eric stammered, his confident demeanor faltering instantly.
"Yeah, you heard me right. I'll kill you if you go near her again!" Jol finished, his gaze unwavering.
'Hahahaha! Oh, this is rich. Serves you right, hahaha!' Woon thought, barely containing his laughter.
"Just sit here, Eric!" Woon commanded, his voice firm.
"..." Eric remained standing, a deer in headlights.
"Sit!" Jol repeated, a hint of impatience in his tone.
"Yes, sir!" Eric quickly complied, dropping onto the ground.
"Hahahaha! Why are you so tense, Eric? Hahaha!" Woon burst out, unable to hold it in any longer.
"You bastard! Why are you laughing?" Eric grumbled, still visibly shaken.
"It's nothing," Woon replied, wiping a tear from his eye.
"..."
"..."
"Pffft... Hahahahahaha! You're about to piss yourself, hahahaha! Our friend here, Jol, isn't really that scary, you know!" Woon finally explained, gasping for breath between laughs.
"Although he's got a huge build, he's not scary if you actually talk to him!"
"Really?.." Eric ventured, still looking uncertainly at Jol.
"Yeah, try to look at him in the eyes!" Woon encouraged.
"Okay." Eric slowly met Jol's gaze.
"Hahahahaha!" Woon howled, watching Eric's reaction.
"Why are you shaking, hahahaha!"
After the long discussion and Woon's amusement, they headed to their respective tents to rest for the night. As they slept, a deep tremor in the ground could be felt, like something immensely large was lumbering nearby.
'Hey, Eric!' Woon whispered, tapping his friend's arm.
'Oh?' Eric mumbled, half-asleep.
'What was that shake in the ground?' Woon pressed, eyes wide.
'Shake?' Eric questioned, then felt the ground tremble more distinctly.
'Oh, shit! It's the Giant of the Night!' Eric's mind screamed. 'Keep your mouth shut!' His body trembled involuntarily.
'Giant of the Night?' Woon thought to himself, a chill running down his spine.
'What is it?' Woon mentally probed.
'I'll shut up for now!' Woon decided, sensing Eric's terror.
As the trembling continued, it intensified, feeling as if the colossal presence was drawing nearer with every heavy step. Each shake sent shivers through their entire bodies.
Suddenly, the trembling ceased. A moment later, a massive shadow fell over their tent, plunging them into deeper darkness.
'What was that? The moment it stopped, it suddenly got darker!' Woon thought, his heart pounding.
A low, guttural growl vibrated through the ground.
'What was that?' Woon's breath hitched.
Another deeper growl echoed.
'It's like a growl of a beast!' Woon realized, a cold sweat breaking out. A distinct sniffing sound followed.
'Fuck, did it just sniff our tent?' Woon's mind raced.
'Just how big is it?'
After what felt like an eternity, the giant began to move again, its heavy footsteps growing fainter as it lumbered away. As the giant receded into the distance, Woon found himself gasping for air.
"Huuuuhaaaaa huuuuhhaaaaa!" Woon panted, trying to steady his breathing.
"Hey, Woon, wake up!" Eric said, shaking him.
"Haaaaaa... What was that monster just now!" Woon asked, still reeling from the experience.
"Just as I said, it's the Giant of the Night. It's known as a troll, and with its immense height, it's aptly titled the Giant of the Night!" Eric explained, his voice hushed.
"Troll?" Woon repeated, disbelief in his tone.
"Yeah, just go back to sleep. We'll wake up early!" Eric advised, lying back down.
"Okay..." Woon muttered, still processing the encounter.
Woon eventually managed to fall back asleep after Eric's calming words. In his deep sleep, a haunting figure of a woman appeared before him.
"Who are you?" Woon asked, his voice echoing in the dreamscape.
"Where am I?"
"Show yourself!"
"That's what I should be asking you, Gyeom Ryu-woon. Who are you?" the woman's voice resonated with an overwhelming presence.
"What?" Woon stared, stunned.
Suddenly, Woon jolted awake, sweating profusely from the overwhelming presence of the unknown woman who had appeared in his dream.
"Haaaaa haaaaa. Just what was that?" Woon gasped, sitting up.
"Hey, Woon, are you okay?" Eric asked, already awake and observing him.
"Yeah... yeah, I'm good!" Woon replied, trying to sound normal.
"You're sweating so much. Are you sure?" Eric pressed, his brow furrowed.
"Yeah, yeah. Go wait outside. I'll change!" Woon insisted, eager to be alone.
After changing, Woon and Eric quickly disassembled their tent and folded it.
"This tent is really magical. It can be folded into this small bundle!" Woon marveled, holding it up.
"Yo, Woon, let's go now and say your goodbyes to Jol and his party. We'll head back!" Eric called out.
"Okay, okay!" Woon replied, grabbing his pack.
"Hey, Jol, thanks for last night. It was good. Let's see each other again!" Woon said, waving to Jol.
"Yeah, yeah!" Jol waved back.
Woon and Eric then began walking in the opposite direction from Jol and his party. As they walked, Woon brought up the terrifying tremors from the night before.
"Eric, what exactly was that troll you were talking about?" Woon asked, the memory still fresh.
"Ah, those... they're walking disasters. So big that their height is at least 20 feet, with superhuman strength that can crush an entire house with a single blow!" Eric explained, a hint of pride in his voice.
"And on top of that, they have super regeneration, which is stupidly annoying to face. But still, nothing compared to me!" Eric finished with a triumphant laugh.
"Hahahaha!" Woon chuckled, shaking his head.
"Yeah, yeah, yeah, sure it is!" 'I'm getting used to his bull crap as time goes by!' Woon thought, rolling his eyes.
Woon and Eric managed to find a town to rest in after walking for half a day through the dense forest.
"Damn, dude, this town is good! Impressive too!" Woon exclaimed, looking around at the bustling streets.
"Yeah, yeah, I've been here once when I was taking a tour around!" Eric replied nonchalantly.
"Once?" Woon repeated, incredulous.
"Yeah!"
"So you've been here, and you didn't even tell me? We were lost in that god-damned forest and encountered countless monsters!" Woon said.
"Then you've been here once!"
"Sorry, dude! I just forgot that Gano town is right next to the forest. Seriously, dude, chill!" Eric said, raising his hands in a gesture of peace.
"Okay, I've calmed down. Let's head to an inn to rest. I'm tired. I'm not like you, a monster in human skin!" Woon grumbled.
"Sure, sure. Just admit that you're weak and couldn't keep up with me!" Eric teased, poking him.
"Yes, yes!" 'This guy is a total monster! Every creature that appeared was already shot in the head before I even noticed it!' Woon thought, defeated.
'He's a complete monster! He even ran all over the forest chasing that cheetah-like monster, but it couldn't even keep up with his speed!'
After a short walk, they reached the inn, went inside, and booked a room for the night.
"The bed here is incredibly comfortable!" Woon sighed contentedly, collapsing onto it.
"Yeah, yeah, it's pretty decent!" Eric commented casually.
'Decent? This bed is the best I've ever felt!' Woon thought. "What are you, a noble or something, to say that? You're broke as hell!"
"And you keep telling me to put it on your tab!"
"Because I'm well-known here. They know me, so I can do that!" Eric boasted, crossing his arms.
"You're so famous, huh? What are you, a prince or something?" Woon scoffed, rolling his eyes.
"To tell you the truth, I'm actually a prince!" Eric stated, a twinkle in his eye.
"Yeah, yeah, yeah, in your dream. Just go and sleep and shut up. I'm tired!" Woon mumbled, pulling the blanket over his head.
"Hahahaha! In the end, you didn't even believe me!" Eric laughed.
"Yes, yes, yes!" 'Prince my ass! Your behavior is definitely not fitting for a prince!' Woon thought, his eyes squeezed shut.
"Sleep now, so shut up!"