Small caliber handguns seem to be useless against Swamp Trolls, and once they are fully transformed, their hardened skin will be able to withstand even medium calibers. They are not lowly monsters that can be defeated by normal adults, let alone a bunch of teenagers.
The only reason that I and Thomas won because Jake has not fully transformed. The others are already beginning to take on the appearance of full pledged monsters, and they make quick works of everyone around them.
I ignore the screams of terrors and pains around me because it is nothing new. But for Alice and Jessica, however, it is a different story. Both have already collapsed onto the ground in fear since they cannot believe what is happening.
As for Alex, he is running around in circle, trying to avoid a Swamp Troll that is chasing him. It is a good thing that the monster can be outrun on land. Their natural habitat is the swamp.
"We… we need to get out of here. Can you stand, Thomas?" I ask, as the corpse beneath Thomas starts to decay. White streams of energy emerge from the corpse and stream around Thomas and then enter his body.
Even though I have made the kill, all the essences go to Thomas. Not that I mind since I level up through obtaining Wealth rather than absorbing essences of killed monsters. Of course, Thomas cannot really make use of those essences right now because he has not unlocked his class yet.
Helping to kill one Swamp Troll is not enough to be acknowledged by the System. I had to kill over 500 Zombies and Ghouls the first time around to become a Player. I sure hope that people do not need to kill the same amount of Swamp Trolls to be acknowledged because that is impossible.
Even for me right now.
"I think so," Thomas pulls himself up with a grunt. His injuries are quite severe, and he will need some medical attention soon. "What is that white mist?"
"Essence. Think of it like experiences in a game," I answer. "You have to absorb it by standing close to killed monsters. If not, it will linger around for a while before dispersing into the surroundings."
Thomas takes in that information while I crouch down and dig into Jake's unmoving body. He is dead, so it is time to loot his body. His possessions are not as important as the spoil that can be found inside him, however. Even so, they can fetch for some GPs.
"What are you doing?" Thomas utters before I pull out a glowing green crystal from the carcass. "What is that?"
I look at the small crystal before sending it into my inventory for safe keeping. "Life Crystal. It will save your life. Probably. Time to go. Do you have a car?"
Thomas nods while I notice cracks all over the ground. "On a second thought, I think we need to move on foot. It is safer. Come."
I help Thomas reach Alice and Jessica as quickly as I can before taking my weapon to go and help Alex, who is about to run out of breath. Swamp Troll has far more stamina than him, but it is also becoming exhausted.
"Stay still and let me take a bite out of you, fucking Alex," the Swamp Troll roars, surprising me.