Chapter 123: A new threat

Noah's POV

A rustle in the bushes made me raise my hand. The others halted beside me, their eyes sharp.

CRACK.

Another twig snapped.

THUD. THUD.

Heavy, lumbering footsteps approached, shaking the ground slightly.

Scarlett drew her daggers, her crimson eyes narrowing. "Something's coming…"

Then it emerged.

A massive forest troll tore through the foliage with a roar—

ROAAAARRHH!

Its greenish-grey skin was thick like stone, with moss growing over its shoulders. A jawbone necklace clattered around its thick neck, and in its hands was a tree trunk sharpened into a crude club.

"Formation!" I shouted. "Take it down fast—we don't want it alerting others."

I dashed forward, my sword gleaming in the dappled sunlight.

SWOOSH!

Scarlett vanished with Shadow Step, reappearing to the troll's left. She whispered, "Shadow Dance."

Her shadow split into three figures—phantom clones—each mimicking her movements as they surrounded the troll.

"Glacial Strike!" Lyra yelled, thrusting her icy lance forward. CRACK! Her Frozen Spear Art struck the troll's side, freezing flesh and halting its swing mid-motion.

"Cursed Reflection." Layla's scythe spun in a whirl of shadowed steel as she weaved around the beast. The troll raised its club—

BOOM!

It crashed into the ground, sending dirt flying. A clone of Layla made of cursed mist absorbed the blow and vanished.

"Nice," I muttered.

I leapt into the air using Flash Step, appearing above the troll's head. "Eclipse Sword Art: Shadow Strike!"

SLASH!

A diagonal cut of pure shadow carved into its back. The troll screamed, flailing violently—

RAAAAARGHHH!

"Dagger Storm!" Scarlett's daggers spun from her fingers like a whirlwind, her phantom shadows throwing theirs in sync.

SHING! SHING! SHING!

Dozens of blades pierced the troll's exposed thigh.

"Soul Drain." Layla's scythe bit into its shoulder—dark tendrils latching onto its flesh, draining energy. The troll staggered, roaring again.

"FIRE CANNON!" I thrust my palm forward. A swirling orb of crimson fire formed—

KABOOM!

It exploded against the troll's chest, sending it hurtling backward into a tree, the bark splintering under the impact.

CRASH!

The troll twitched, still trying to rise.

"Persistent," Lyra muttered.

She raised her lance. "Deep Freeze."

A wave of chilling mist engulfed the troll. Ice crept along its limbs, locking it in place.

Scarlett landed beside me. "Let's end it."

"Gale Dance!" I launched into a sweeping flurry of spinning strikes, each blow laced with wind. The shadow clones moved in rhythm beside me.

"Wind Shuriken!" Scarlett hurled spinning blades of air—

WHIRRR—THUNK! THUNK! THUNK!

They struck the troll's neck, cutting deep.

"REAPER'S SLASH!" Layla appeared behind the beast, her scythe glowing with cursed aura. SLASH!

One final sweep—and the troll's head fell with a heavy THUD.

It gurgled one last scream—GRAAARHHkk...—and collapsed in a heap.

The forest went silent.

Scarlett stepped forward, pulled open its chest, and retrieved the glowing green core. Then she placed her hand on the corpse.

"Shadow Summon."

Her shadow reached out, stretching like ink. The troll's body sank into the blackness as if swallowed by a living void.

"One more in my army," she said softly.

We didn't stop.

We ventured deeper into the forest, where the trees grew darker and thicker.

More trolls came—lumbering in pairs or small groups. The battles intensified.

Each time, we adapted. Lyra would trap one in Glacial Barrier, freezing its legs, while Layla struck with Hex of Misfortune, causing it to trip or miss. Scarlett and I cleaned up with speed and precision—her using Gust Attack and Shadow Spears, me chaining together Fire Blast and sword arts.

But then… things changed.

We encountered one troll with red-glowing veins pulsing under its skin. It moved erratically, foaming at the mouth. Its core, when it fell, was darker than the others—tainted.

"Something's wrong," Lyra said, frowning.

"These trolls… they're not normal anymore," Scarlett muttered.

One troll exploded on death, releasing black mist—BOOM!

"Get back!" I shouted, casting Radiant Bloom. Golden vines burst from the ground, blooming into light-filled flowers that cleansed the air around us.

Scarlett conjured a Shadow Dome, blocking more of the toxic mist from reaching us.

We pressed on cautiously now, killing only when necessary, collecting the darker cores with care.

After four relentless hours, we emerged from the forest—bloodied but victorious.

Back at the guild, the receptionist looked up, eyes widening at the sight of us.

"Back already?" she blinked. "You all look like you wrestled with a mountain."

"We kind of did," I said dryly, dropping a bag of cores on the desk with a THUD.

She opened it—then flinched at the sight of the corrupted ones.

Scarlett stepped forward. "Some of the trolls were mutated. These cores are darker. Something's tainting them."

Layla crossed her arms, scythe still stained. "One exploded in black mist."

"I'll notify the Guildmaster," the receptionist said, now deadly serious. "You've done more than complete your quest. You may have uncovered something dangerous."

We looked at each other.

This mission was supposed to be simple.

It wasn't.

-To be continued..