Troll Extermination (2)

A dozen shattered timbers lay behind Shay, spread foliage blocking the view of the hidden danger still unknown to him.

However, his focus narrowed toward the three Mountain Trolls, rushing thoughts waving in his mind.

Bzzzt.

Painful shock struck his consciousness, forcing him to crouch in a breath's moment. A log pierced through the leaves behind him, wild wind gales brushing his hair as it passed above him.

The chilly breeze of the mountain's peak layered over his body, popping up goosebumps on his skin as he watched the wood sending one of the trio down the cliff. It penetrated the monster's thick hide, similar to skillful fishermen spearing fish in a river.

Instead of locking his eyes on the enduring giants, he shifted his gaze toward what sent the swift attack.

[Defeat Bargadth the Pit Walker, king of the Trolls. Reward: ?????]

[Slaying this boss leads to a certain consequence.]

'What the—' His inner questions dissipated as vibrations traveled through the ground.

An enormous pressured mass of soil bulleted at his afterimage, rolling like a bowling ball as it hit the lasting two monsters, ricocheting from one to another.

Roars of agony filled the atmosphere, diminishing into thin air.

Before, the system interface obscured his clear vision, outlining the enemy. But now, every obstruction vanished, revealing Bargadth him self.

The towering beast, living in its circular mashed dirt territory, towered above the ring of humongous trees. Its skin mended with each of the evolutions' color, creating distortions at its surface.

The other features similarly matched all the trolls, combining their jagged teeth, which almost locked its mouth. However, its eyes resembled one of a demon, glowing red and sending rays of dread.

On top of that, all the giants appeared fat, yet this foe revealed his abs and mounting biceps behind tattered brown leather.

Its aura, pressing Shay down and fastening his heartbeat, directed death threats against the intruder.

"GAAAARGH," the abomination sent a battle roar, casting a wave of its mana.

While stunning soul chains tied him down, he looked at his shivering hands. The Fallen Hero's Resolve stopped functioning against negative psychological effects.

[Bargadth's strength engulfs the user's prowess. Mental passive skills unavailable. Stats decreased by five, except intelligence.]

[Strength: 38 (13%) -> 33 (0%)]

[Endurance: 33 (3%) -> 28 (0%)]

[Agility: 38 (78%) -> 33 (0%)]

[Dexterity: 38 (74%) -> 33 (0%)]

'You… are fucking kidding me.' Shay thought, his mind crumbling as his confidence leisurely drifted away.

He stared at the disaster before his gaze, shifting its pose by leaning forward, stomping the earth with tons of force. Such an attack was so immense, fissures and spikes followed a path toward his feeble soul.

Suddenly, something set his extinguishing ember of hope in a blaze, so hot it intertwined with his magical energy. His desire to power up and push against death awoken his forgotten aptitude.

[Active Skills divided into Magic/Physical]

[First Magic Skill learned: Flaming Body]

[Description: Envelops the user with fire, burning foes in the near vicinity and enhancing melee attacks. Mana Cost: 1/5min]

[Achievement 'Mage's Resolution' unlocked. +3 points for each stat.]

[Description: Learn the first magic spell without research.]

Confidence dwelling inside him ruptured, reinforcing his fighting spirit and freeing himself from the shackles.

Extensive power surged from his legs, flowing into his ankles and feet. He charged toward the ruler of Trolls while passing through the attack, bouncing between the rising spikes and spreading shots of debris.

Although Bargadth swooshed his weighty hand, he slid between its limbs as the monstrosity hit the earth with its palm wide opened, leaving it confused for a second.

A micro-earthquake vibrated throughout the surface, the power spread more evenly, creating a crevice spiderweb below his own feet.

Since Shay was not a gargantuan, he avoided the aftermath of his enemy's swing by launching himself high upward, burning a blackened trail on the monstrous back.

"You should just die!!!" He screamed, throwing a punch with fire surrounding his fist as he stroke its nape.

Boom!

The exerting power's impact resulted in an expanding black and orange cloud, releasing an ear-piercing sound amid the explosion.

For him, it felt like a powerful strike capable of sending the head to the dream lands, yet Bargadth didn't move an inch from its previous position.

He refrained from waiting for it to recover. While flying down, his legs glowed with most of his strength, grazing the burned line with one of his fiery limbs.

The wound became graver, the burning scent of meat enveloped the monster.

Upon landing, he leaped back and pivoted by 180 degree, watching the burning Troll bonfire.

[Bargadth the Pit Walker defeated. Bestiary Reward: Menacing Roar - Combat Skill]

[Description: Frighten mentally weaker opponents with a battle cry, reducing their overall strength.]

[Quest completed. Reward: +15 strength, +10 endurance. Note: You will need it.]

[Consequence: Lower Demon's Slave watches you.]

Shay ignored the prompts, sliding them to the side as his eyes examined the charred corpse. The nape part he hit shattered, while the other half of his skull remained unscathed.

After going through his mind's reawakening, he expected a long-lasting fight. He just avoided the ground shattering attack and used a jump opportunity, nothing else.

"For such a big guy, your defense sucked." He said, letting out a relieving sigh while he took tried to take a seat on his somehow unburnt backpack, which he completely forgot about.

His results looked underwhelming, despite his mind being in disarray because of the special spell at first. It seemed like an easy victory afterward.

His gaze shifted, noticing one concerning phrase: 'Lower Deamon's Slave is watching me? Huh?!'

He read through the message once more if his thoughts weren't making stuff up, staring at it dumbstruck. Next, he frantically scanned his surroundings, brushing his view through every corner possible.

Although nothing seemed to be around, his caution skyrocketed, switching his gaze and turning while reading the other system prompts.

[Strength: 41 (10%) -> 56 (1%)]

[Endurance: 36 (1%) -> 46 (0%)]

Such a tremendous improvement would help him climb the leaderboard ranks by a minimum of 30 positions, counting he had to kill the Trolls found at the same peak.

"Well, I shall get it done before the Slave checks me out personally."

With his power, he dominated the few titans while focusing on managing his strength. He created several craters and cut down multiple trees before getting the hang of it.

The way of killing them was drastic, luring them to the edge of the same precipice, fractured from the previous fight, and threw a kick to launch them so far, they didn't get a chance to graze the cliff's side.

[Bestiary milestone reached. Reward: Boulder Skin]

[Description: Having the toughest skin of all Troll forms provides the user with excellent defense against most forms of melee attacks. It also gives slight protection against magical strikes.]

[All evolutions of Trolls and their milestones completed.]

[Achievement 'The Troll Exterminator' unlocked. Reward: +5 points for each stat]

He got +4 stat points by eliminating his first Mountain evolution, further becoming even more inhumane and reaching a certain breakthrough. His strength alone allowed crushing smaller hills.

The sun changed its yellow blinding color into soothing orange beams, passing by the few tree crowns that survived Shay's and Bargadth's rampage.

Shay stretched his arms, aiming against the glowing ball, covering his eyes, relieving the last fragments of stress and exhaustion.

"Finally, I can head to my place." He said, looting all the dead bodies for the fangs and heading back east.