Prey

Even machines needed maintenance after running for too long. Trolls of flesh and blood certainly couldn't keep celebrating forever. Their mental and physical strength nearly spent, the trolls gradually went to rest. The warriors returned to their longhouses, while the civilians simply collapsed onto the ground and slept.

Shane moved from his observation point to the highest hill overlooking both ends of the valley.

On the horizon, the pale light of dawn replaced the stars. By then, Shane had grasped the valley's terrain and the layout of its buildings. The Eye of Truth constructed a topographical map in his mind. The attack would begin with the warriors' longhouses.

Arcane energy gathered in his hands, shaped by magic into fiery energy and condensed into a single point.

"Eye of Truth, assist with targeting. Adjust trajectory and correct the error to within one meter."

"Correcting... Correction complete."

Pyroblast—a fireball even larger than a washbasin, orange-red and trailing black flames—launched from a meter in front of Shane. The instant it formed, the air filled with the smell of scorching.

"In flight... Impact in three seconds. Three, two, one, impact."

The fireball struck the longhouse. The thatched roof was not enough to detonate it, and it pierced through into the interior. The longhouse suddenly swelled as if someone had blown air into it, flames bursting from every crack and corner. In the explosion, the roof and several trolls were hurled into the sky.

"Boom~~~~" Only after the second Pyroblast was complete did the sound reach him.

In that brief time, while the trolls were still dreaming, Shane unleashed a second wave, then a third, destroying three warriors' longhouses. From his position, Shane watched the trolls who escaped the buildings flail and roll across the ground, twisting and struggling.

No matter how they wailed or how much pain they were in, Shane did not think the trolls deserved sympathy.

"Recommendation: Rest after casting five Pyroblasts, then prepare for the second stage of battle."

The fourth Pyroblast blew apart the beast pens. Startled by the firelight, the beasts leaped about wildly through the valley. The fifth Pyroblast blasted apart their blood pool. Dark red blood became a rain of blood, giving everyone the chance to bathe in it. The civilian trolls finally realized they were under attack. The warriors who usually led them had been burned into charred corpses, and chaos spread like a plague.

"So many trolls, scurrying around like ants." Shane looked down over Troll Valley. Everything was going better than expected.

"All five shots hit. The explosions were highly effective," said the Eye of Truth.

Shane's trajectory had exposed him. When he fired the fourth shot, three troll priests remotely locked onto the hill where he stood. Shane remained there, provocatively meeting their gazes across the air.

If you want revenge, come and get it. That was what Shane's eyes conveyed. To attack him, the trolls would have to detour around the valley entrance and travel more than six kilometers on foot. Four of those kilometers ran through the forest, where Shane could ambush them along the way. If they chose to guard the camp instead, he would launch a frontal assault.

However, Shane had overestimated the trolls. From the hill, he saw the three troll priests confer briefly. Two priests led two berserkers and several surviving warriors out of the valley, while one priest remained behind to suppress the chaos.

Shane also made himself scarce, drinking a blue potion as he retreated into the forest. Pyroblast truly deserved the Eye of Truth's evaluation as the most destructive spell. Three shots had taken out most of the troll warriors, while five shots had consumed more than half his mana.

He found the puppet Taigo in the forest, mounted it, and rode toward the ambush point. It was not far from the hill, behind a massive boulder along the only route from the valley.

Not long after Shane arrived, the Eye of Truth detected the approaching trolls. Two priests, ten warriors, and two berserkers. Heavy, disorderly footsteps drew closer. The trolls were clearly burning with rage.

"Eye of Truth, count down to my optimal ambush timing."

Hidden behind the boulder, the trolls could not see Shane, nor could Shane see them.

"Understood. The trolls are approaching within fifty meters. Beginning countdown... Five, four, three, two, one."

"Levitation, jump!"

The puppet Taigo bent its joints, which creaked from the excessive force. It leaped from the ambush point with all its strength. Under the effects of Levitation, it easily soared over the trolls' heads.

Levitation was canceled. Boom! The body weighing over ten tons came down on one berserker's back. How could flesh and blood contend with steel? The target sank deep into the mud, its broad back crushed into pulp beneath iron feet.

"Spinal fracture. Berserker 1 has lost combat capability."

"Frost Ring." Shane cast the spell.

They had practiced this routine many times. The puppet Taigo's intelligent core knew how to reap lives with maximum efficiency. Its chainsaw and engineering hammer swept out together, sending limbs flying in every direction. The dead did not even have time to scream.

"Seven troll warriors dead. Spell attacks are imminent."

"Triple Multicast: Arcane Barrier."

The hexes did not fly toward Shane. Instead, they struck the puppet Taigo's side. Green bubbles appeared across the armor plating, instantly melting it away and exposing the gleaming white skeleton beneath.

"Hit by hex. Function: super acid, extreme corrosion."

Two more shots in the same spot, and the puppet Taigo would be forced to collapse.

At that moment, the other berserker rushed over and wrapped its arms around Taigo's waist, trying to pin it in place. The puppet Taigo was three or four meters taller than the berserker, so it could only grab its waist.

"Use the chainsaw to cut the back of its head." Shane gave the command aloud while casting with his hands. A fourth-tier Monster Summoning spell crashed toward the two troll priests, forcing them to interrupt their casting and leave the attack range.

The puppet Taigo raised its chainsaw and brought it down. With a tearing screech, blood splashed across the armor. In less than half a second, only a thin layer of skin still connected the berserker's head to its body.

"Brain stem destroyed. Cervical vertebrae destroyed. Berserker 2 dead."

The battering ram swung out and knocked away the corpse. Shane controlled the puppet Taigo to turn toward the two troll priests and said, "Fortyfold Multicast: Frostfire Arcane Missiles."

The battle was over.

The Eye of Truth scanned three surviving warriors fleeing for their lives. "User, absorb the pure energy as soon as possible, then head to the valley to prevent the troll spellcasters from escaping."

"Absorb," Shane ordered.

"Understood. Absorption and conversion initiated. Memory remnants detected. Contents are similar. Automatically deleting."

Two more trolls who had stolen the divinity of the Dulles Dragonhawk. Who knew how many troll priests were still gnawing on it? From the feedback of the Eye of Truth, Shane guessed that one day, not even the dragonhawk's soul would remain. As he thought this, warm energy flowed into him, nurturing his mind like milk. The turbulence quickly subsided, and his capacity gradually expanded. Unlike the previous expansion, this one felt full and substantial.

"After absorption, the user may increase Multicast by two uses or memorize two additional fourth-circle spells. Multicast may be used six times without affecting health. Casting more than twelve times will cause permanent damage."

"Am I about to advance?"

"The two troll priests hunted this time were of a higher rank than the last. The pure energy they carried was four times greater. This device judges that hunting the final priest will allow the user to meet the advancement requirements."

Shane rode the puppet to the valley entrance. Each civilian troll carried at most one bundle, while some fled empty-handed out of the valley. Were they fleeing or relocating? Either way, they were not worth his attention.

"Leave them alone. Move forward."

The puppet Taigo's single eye flashed, and it advanced straight ahead. Its iron feet churned through flesh and blood without pause, carving a bloody path. The civilian trolls had no courage to fight back and automatically split into two streams to flee around it.

The troll priest had not fled. When Shane arrived beneath the altar, he saw it plunge a dagger into its own throat. Its tusks were stained red with its own blood. Shane caught the look in its eyes—filled with fanaticism and the intent to take him down with it.

"Never underestimate any spellcaster." That was the first lesson in a mage's practical combat class, and Shane remembered it deeply. Three layers of Arcane Barrier enveloped him as he calmly watched to see what trump card the troll had.

"Spatial interference detected. Analyzing... A biological projection is descending."

"The trolls' trump card is their god?" Shane controlled the puppet Taigo to keep its distance from the altar.

A small hole appeared in the air, expanding continuously as though space itself had been torn apart. Its scarlet interior emitted an endless stench. An animal's body squeezed out from within. It was a bear. Its semi-transparent phantom body was covered in blood-red flesh, resembling skinless muscle and making one nauseous.

"Mortal, you dare kill my priests? Prepare to accept punishment! Roar~~~~~"

A ball of green light shot from the bear's mouth toward Shane.

"Curse attack detected. Function: wounds cannot heal. The opponent cannot greatly interfere with material space. Threat level low. Three casts can neutralize it completely."

The green light did not fly quickly. Shane raised a hand and cast Dispel Curse to neutralize it. "Can you see the maggots on your back?"

The bear god's back had arched while casting, revealing a pineapple-like blood blister. Maggots writhed in the pus.

"Looks like before long, you'll become the trolls' prey too."

"What are you saying?... Wait, there isn't enough time."

The phantom bear slowly faded away as though water had been poured over it. Shane stepped onto the altar and searched the troll priest's corpse. A staff in its hand caught his attention, with a crystal ball embedded at its tip. He had learned of it before: an energy-storage crystal made from arcane crystal. Its magical glow indicated that it was a relatively rare item, so he stored it in his magic pocket. After searching further, he found nothing else.

Shane said, "Eye of Truth, begin absorbing the energy."

"Understood."