188 Ambush!
No matter how far he traveled, Leo couldn’t escape the nagging thoughts about the Angel Statue. Every shadow seemed to smile at him, while each gust of wind sent shivers down his spine.
“...”
As he walked, the silence surrounding him was so deafening that it almost felt suffocating. The absence of any sound made him want to hum just to break the deafening stillness.
[ ??? ?????? ?????????????? ?????????????????? ??????... ]
A system message appeared, and like a second sun suddenly rising, the previously dark and foreboding forest brightened up.
Although the dangers that lurked within still remained, the forest didn’t seem as daunting as it had a moment ago.
However, Leo’s frown deepened. He wasn’t a fan of the unknown, and the question marks that appeared on the screen only served to irritate him. He had no clue if the unknown creature was associated with the Angel Statue or some kind of monster that roamed outside the ruined city, in the forest.
“As long as it doesn’t attack me,” Leo muttered under his breath.
No matter how much he disliked being in a situation he couldn’t control, Leo couldn’t help but feel relieved that the being had left him alone.
.....
The fact that even the System recognized the creature’s presence and informed Leo of its movements was an indication of its power.
Leo racked his brain, trying to recall any monsters that could be living nearby and would warrant the System’s notification. But nothing came to mind.
Crack...
The sudden sound of a breaking branch shattered the silence, and Leo jumped in alarm. His reflexes kicked in, and he quickly summoned his Shadow.
In a flash, the Dark Skeleton emerged from Leo’s shadow and positioned itself in front of him like a shield.
Rustle...
The bushes on the other side of the road rustled, catching Leo’s attention, and making him turn his head just in time to see a massive club hurtling towards him.
“Shadow Protection!”
Leo shouted, using his Mana to create a barrier to protect himself from the attack. The dark shield shattered on impact with the wooden weapon, but it absorbed enough of the force to protect him from harm.
Growl?
The monster before Leo was a Forest Troll, with pale grey skin and an imposing stature. It growled in confusion, wondering why its attack hadn’t been successful.
The Forest Troll is a formidable enemy, usually around Lv. 40, and known for dropping a variety of useful items, including Troll Teeth that could be used to create powerful Items.
Trolls are also known for their long, muscular limbs and superior strength, often attacking in groups rather than alone.
Rustle... Rustle...
The rustling sound from the nearby bushes signaled the arrival of two more Trolls, each with bald heads and grotesque, disfigured faces. Their green eyes locked onto Leo, and they barred their yellow teeth.
“...”
Leo summoned a Shadow Blast into his palm, crafting it purely out of Mana. He opted not to use his Shadow Energy just yet, saving it for when he might need it more.
Growl...
A low growl signaled the start of the battle as one of the Forest Trolls charged towards Leo, not bothering to raise its hands to defend itself.
To Leo, it was like an easy target. He was used to launching his Shadow Blasts accurately from great distances and at creatures that moved at almost lightning speed. This lumbering monster was no match for his precision.
Crash...
Leo’s Shadow Blast hit the Forest Troll with great force, causing it to cry out in pain and fall to the ground. The troll wasn’t dead, but it was temporarily blinded and inflicted with a fear Status effect.
Leo was about to finish it off, but the creature’s companions arrived just in time, preventing him from delivering the final blow.
Growl... Thud...
The sound of growling filled the air as the other two Trolls rushed to their fallen comrade’s aid. They swung their massive clubs at Leo, one strike aimed at him and the other at his Shadow Skeleton.
Leo’s Shadow Skeleton expertly blocked one of the strikes, while Leo himself skillfully dodged the other, narrowly avoiding being hit by the powerful weapon.
Leo was impressed that his Shadow Skeleton was able to block a Forest Troll’s attack, but he could see the skeleton’s arms bending under the immense pressure.
Crackle...
Thinking quickly, Leo summoned a bolt of lightning and directed it towards the Troll currently engaged with his Shadow Skeleton. The lightning bolt struck the Troll, impaling it and causing it to fall to the ground, but not die.
Growl...
Meanwhile, Leo summoned his companion Fenrir to deal with the other Troll. As Fenrir charged towards its target, the third Troll, the one that had initially lunged at Leo, hesitated upon seeing the Mana gathering in Leo’s hands.
Creak...
Sensing an opportunity, Leo extended his bone blades from his elbows, using his ‘Weak Bone Control’ to amplify and enlarge them. The blades were now almost a meter in length, and Leo realized that if he relaxed his hands, the tips of the blades would touch the ground.
Growl...
This time it was Leo, who growled at the troll, taunting it to attack. He started circulating Shadow Energy towards his hands, feeling a spell, in the shape of a grey sphere, forming on his palm.
However, since it wasn’t the Mana, the Troll could only see the visual appearance and bolted towards Leo swinging his club, aiming to crush the human before it.
Boom...
Unfortunately for the monster, in the next second a projectile hit its chest, creating a deafening explosion that momentarily seemed to extract all the light from the surroundings and making it explode.
Half of the troll’s chest was just gone like that, sending him crashing into the ground dozens feet away.
Growl...
However, trolls were some of the most resilient creatures in the game.
Even with half of its chest gone, the tendons connecting to each other and the tissue reconstructing itself, the troll slowly stood up. Its health, which had been close to death, rapidly began to regenerate until it was fully restored.
“...”
Leo had expected this, but it still irked him. He somehow had to damage these monsters consecutively and the only way to do it was with melee attacks, because his spells had cooldowns.
Leo quickly charged towards the troll, hoping to land a few quick and consecutive hits to damage it before it could heal itself again.
The troll, seeing the human charging at it, roared and swung its club at Leo with all its might. But Leo was quick to dodge the attack and slide under the troll’s legs, before jumping up and slashing at its back with his bone blades.
The troll roared in pain as the blades cut through its flesh, but it quickly turned around and swung its arm at Leo, hitting him and sending him flying a few feet away.
Leo quickly got up, feeling the pain from the troll’s attack, but he knew he couldn’t afford to stop now. He charged towards the troll again, dodging its attacks and slashing at its legs and arms, trying to damage it as much as possible.
Despite Leo’s best efforts, the troll’s health bar barely moved. Its high regeneration made it almost immune to Leo’s attacks, and as a non-melee damage dealer, Leo struggled to make a dent in the creature’s health bar.
Leo tried cutting the troll’s joints, tendons, and arteries, but it kept regenerating. Fenrir was also showing signs of exhaustion, and the fight seemed to be going nowhere.
Crackle...
Leo’s hands ignited with white flames, which slowly spread onto his bone blades, creating an eerie glow that illuminated the surrounding forest. Even the troll fighting him paused for a moment to gaze at the blades in wonder. After all, fire was one of the greatest enemies of trolls.
Although trolls had impressive regenerative abilities, they couldn’t withstand flames without consequences.
Swish...
With a swift movement, Leo lowered his body and dashed towards the troll. He placed his foot on the ground and catapulted himself to the side as soon as the troll’s hand muscles twitched, avoiding the incoming attack with ease.
As he moved, Leo swung his blades towards the troll’s legs, aiming to immobilize it. The white flames left trails behind the blades, scorching the troll’s skin and leaving it vulnerable to Leo’s attacks.
The troll roared in pain and fury, trying to strike Leo with its massive club. But Leo was too quick, dodging and weaving between the troll’s attacks with impressive agility.
Crash...
The White Flames spread slowly across the troll’s skin, causing it to cry out in agony. It thrashed and flailed, desperately trying to extinguish the flames, but to no avail.
In a moment of desperation, the troll abandoned the fight, dropping its club and clawing at its skin in an attempt to rid itself of the fire.
Seizing the opportunity, Leo lunged forward and used his bone blades to slice its throat, ending its suffering.
“Two left...”
Leo muttered to himself, his purple eyes glinting with determination as he turned to face the two trolls still fighting against his shadow and Fenrir.
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