Am I Born to Chop People?

With the help of G'hnir's Voodoo Mask, Zul'ra overcame his fear of the darkness within his soul. After purging the gloom and distracting thoughts from his heart, he suddenly discovered that his body seemed to have undergone another growth spurt.

From the moment he first transmigrated, Zul'ra had fought his hunchback, transforming from a 1.6-meter stooped figure into a straight-backed two-meter-tall man. Over the two years he had spent among the Zandalari Trolls, his height had surged to 2.7 meters, which was a normal height for a troll.

With his mind cleared of gloom and his mental power skyrocketing, his body and mind achieved a new harmony, leading to further development. His stature rose from 2.7 meters to 3 meters—a height that even the physically formidable Nightmare Troll could only reach in rare cases.

Beyond his height, thick eyebrows had sprouted above Zul'ra's eyes. Combined with the wild sideburns framing his face and his upturned chin, he appeared to human eyes as a heroic man with a wasp-like waist and ape-like back. Of course, his skin was a pale blue, he possessed two tusks, and his height would make most races feel inferior. Naturally, in the eyes of other trolls, he was still considered ugly.

According to the standard aesthetic of female trolls, male tusks were best when curved upward, standing straight like a fence. Facial features were preferred to include a long chin and long, pointed ears, alongside a robust and powerful physique. Of course, among races other than the Zandalari Trolls, a curved, powerful back and legs were also considered attractive traits.

Aside from his sufficiently strong body, Zul'ra failed in all other categories. However, he felt no disappointment regarding these shortcomings, as the appearance of female trolls did not align with his own aesthetic either.

Setting aside the aesthetics of trolls, Zul'ra utilized his surging mental power and his newly acquired spiritual vision to visit various workshops throughout Zandalari. He peered into their war crafts and formulas, secretly recording them all.

While carefully stealing knowledge, Zul'ra continued his studies in Zandalari. Along with his skyrocketing mental power, his internal magic rose accordingly. Building upon his foundation in shadow, he began to sense the light within the natural world.

Countless rays of light exist in nature, both visible and invisible, from stellar radiance to ultraviolet rays and beyond. Compared to the shadow, which represents the immoral impulses and aggression within the human heart, light represents the warmth and humanity within.

Light and shadow permeate the natural world, omnipresent, interdependent, entangled, and flowing. Light emerges from darkness, while darkness remains as a shadow within the light. Once the light reaches its zenith and vanishes, everything returns to darkness, and new light is once again conceived within that darkness.

This interdependent, flowing, and entangled relationship between light and shadow reminded Zul'ra of the traditional Chinese philosophy of Yin and Yang—the relativity, mutual transformation, and unity of the two sides of all things. As long as one adapts to these changes, one can be invincible.

His ancestors had left behind a vast philosophical treasure, but Zul'ra could not yet utilize it. Although he could sense the existence of light, the natural rays he perceived did not seem to be something he could manipulate with his mind like shadow.

In terms of magical application, priests and druids were the most adept at light. Priests use the Light, which represents humanity, to call upon their inner nature to heal the wounded, while druids use the power of nature to manipulate the light of the sun, moon, and stars to defeat enemies. Zul'ra, however, knew neither of these magics.

Although Zandalari possessed druidic traditions, the spells for manipulating the light of the sun, moon, and stars were missing, as even the Yaungol did not possess them. The druidic knowledge of the Yaungol only touched upon the movement of celestial bodies to master calendars for farming. Only the Night Elves possessed such magic.

In the absence of relevant magic, Zul'ra chose to study it using the most primitive methods, just as he had done with shadow. However, unlike shadow, which had an affinity for the human mind, light was different.

Regardless of a person's psychological state, those natural rays of light shine upon all people and creatures. Based on this characteristic, Zul'ra observed his body's reaction to the sun and moon, combining this with some of his knowledge from Earth.

When sunlight hits a person, blood circulation accelerates, bacteria and mites on the skin are killed, and the mind feels languid. If exposed to too much sunlight, the skin suffers damage, and the mind becomes irritable and dazed.

Compared to sunlight, moonlight gives the body a sense of peace, causing one to drift into sleep involuntarily. When the moonlight is at its strongest, if one is exposed to a large amount, they may become uncontrollably excited. Zul'ra was unsure if this was due to the gravitational pull of the Earth-Moon system, as there were, after all, two moons in Azeroth.

Zul'ra's research into light was not as smooth as his research into shadow, as shadow knowledge had the aid of Voodoo, while his knowledge of light was limited to modern scientific insights—and this world itself was inherently unscientific.

Although he had not discovered anything concrete, Zul'ra followed his most direct sensations, allowing his body to receive ample exposure to the sun, moon, and starlight while adjusting his daily routine. The vitality within his body began to strengthen at an accelerated rate, much like a demon absorbing the essence of the sun and moon.

In a playful, experimental mood, Zul'ra also practiced some breathing techniques he had imagined, attempting to absorb some form of "spiritual energy." He did not absorb any spiritual energy, but he unexpectedly discovered that he could mobilize the vitality within his body through his breathing.

Ever since his mental state had improved and he had sensed an invisible vitality within him, Zul'ra had tried to control this power. However, other than becoming active to varying degrees when exposed to the sun and moon, this energy remained quiet within him at all other times.

While experimenting with breathing techniques, Zul'ra discovered that this previously sluggish vitality would swell and surge with his breath, traveling up his spine to the back of his head, and then flowing rhythmically from his crown throughout his entire body.

Under this mode of mobilizing his invisible vitality, Zul'ra felt his body become more sensitive. He could feel the flow of air through his pores, the peristalsis of his internal organs, and every tiny bit of power in his body seemed to be laid bare in his mind.

What did it mean to perceive the power of one's entire body? It meant precise control. Zul'ra began to experiment with the flow of vitality in his body, and soon he grasped the "Dark Force" he had previously longed for.

The so-called Dark Force was actually an exaggerated term; it was simply the precise control of power to enhance explosive force. With the help of his internal vitality, Zul'ra could punch through a tree stump as thick as an adult human's waist with a short-range strike. If he applied this ability to his weapons, he would no longer need to swing them to build momentum in a fight, saving time and securing the first strike. It was just that...

"Why does everything keep developing toward melee combat!" Zul'ra muttered, scratching his chin as he organized his abilities. He was clearly a Witch Doctor, a noble mage-type, so why did his abilities always lean toward the physical? It was a bit unprofessional. Although he didn't reject the thrill of melee combat, it was dangerous. Was a mage destined to hack people to death?