[Fire Element]

The Zutona Trolls marched quickly.

Or rather, the stamina and recovery of every intelligent race in this world far surpassed that of humans on Earth.

A human army on Earth had once managed to march hundreds of miles day and night. Trolls, whose physiques and endurance far exceeded those of humans, had reached the outskirts of Fire Plume Ridge by evening.

Night fell.

The area around Fire Plume Ridge had one advantage, which was also a disadvantage: it was too hot and dry for the faint mists of Un'Goro Crater to reach it.

Tonatiuh had the trolls stop at the outskirts of Fire Plume Ridge and make camp.

The Fire Plume Mountains stretched for hundreds of kilometers, occupying a vast swath of the most important central region of Un'Goro Crater. They were rich in mineral deposits, yet terrifying fire elementals roamed there. Aside from the mysterious Titan ruins and insect tunnels, this was the place in Un'Goro Crater that living creatures avoided most.

Even Devilsaur refused to come here. It was simply too hot.

"Your Majesty."

"The camp has been arranged. We hunted three Devilsaurs, and with the dried mushrooms we brought, we have enough food for our brothers and sisters for three days."

Dezla, the leader of the Zutona voodoo archers—whom Tonatiuh called "my ranger general"—stood respectfully beside the leader who towered over her and reported in a soft voice.

"Well done, Dezla."

"But it isn't enough. Hunt as many dinosaurs as possible, preferably to make jerky. We are going into Fire Plume Ridge. We have brought enough water; food is what we lack."

"Spend all of tomorrow hunting nearby. We need provisions for at least six days."

Tonatiuh spoke gently.

"As you command, Your Majesty!"

Dezla answered respectfully.

Tonatiuh waved a hand.

Dezla withdrew.

At the tall Zutona leader's side, only one equally tall figure remained: Kezra, leader of the Loa divine warriors, Tonatiuh's personal guard, and commander of the troll knight order.

Tonatiuh gazed out at Fire Plume Ridge.

Night had already fallen, and Elune's silver radiance shone upon Un'Goro Crater, yet Fire Plume Ridge remained a blazing red beneath the silvery moonlight.

At a glance,

the vast mountain range and its towering peaks seemed composed almost entirely of dark red stone. Not a blade of grass grew there, and there was no sign of any living creature. In stark contrast to the boundless vitality of the surrounding primeval forest, it was utterly silent.

No.

It was not truly silent here.

There were many of them here.

They occupied Fire Plume Ridge. They merely hated creatures unlike themselves, and hated trees, flowers, and grass even more.

They were one of Azeroth's original four substances, one of the four most essential components of the material world. They had once served as minions of the Old Gods and had been sealed by the Titans.

They were called fire elementals.

The fire elementals on this mountain range were unusually active. With just one distant glance, Tonatiuh spotted several tall, flame-covered creatures strolling leisurely about several kilometers away.

"Kezra."

Tonatiuh spoke quietly to the guard beside him.

"You have fought these monsters before. What do you think of them?"

Tonatiuh had accepted this main quest over a month ago, and the trolls had been here for more than a year. Fire Plume Ridge was only around one to two hundred kilometers from Zutona. Whether for their own safety or for resources, they could not possibly ignore this mountain range.

The trolls had already made a cursory exploration of the range. Teams led by the troll siblings Kezra and Dezla had entered this place before and had even fought the fire elementals here.

"They are difficult to deal with... Your Majesty. Although they have almost no fighting technique and only know how to charge headlong." Kezra recalled the battle as he spoke softly.

"They fight only on instinct. But their entire bodies are made of flame, and ordinary attacks cannot affect them at all. Without the protection of the Loa, we would have had no way but death."

Tonatiuh nodded.

"Eleven of us encountered two such monsters, and three trolls were injured." Kezra spoke frankly. "The flames on their bodies are the hardest part to deal with... We could only use the power granted by the Loa. Dezla used voodoo magic, and after a very difficult battle, we finally managed to extinguish them."

If there were a mage skilled in frost magic, dealing with them should be easy, Tonatiuh thought as he nodded.

Suddenly,

"Your Majesty!"

Kezra's voice turned grave. One of his three fingers pointed into the distance. "Those monsters... seem to be coming toward us!"

Tonatiuh focused his gaze.

What did he mean, "seem to be"?

They had clearly spotted enemies here and were charging over in a frenzy. They were incredibly fast, at least not much slower than Bolt on Earth.

Their detection range was a little too far.

In the game, they had needed to get within a dozen yards before coming to attack the player. He had not expected that in reality, they would spot an enemy from several thousand meters away and rush at them so fiercely.

"Be careful."

Tonatiuh gave a warning.

Kezra turned to call the other trolls behind him, but Tonatiuh stopped him. "Wait. Only two are coming, and I have never fought them before. Kezra, stay where you are!"

Had it been witch doctor Zangar or voodoo archer Dezla, they would certainly have tried to dissuade Tonatiuh, terrified that anything might happen to him. Tonatiuh now bore the hopes of all Zutona upon his shoulders. He was their absolute spiritual leader, and if anything happened to him, the fledgling Zutona might collapse on the spot.

Kezra would not.

This troll believed wholeheartedly that His Majesty was omnipotent. Whatever Tonatiuh said was law. He even took a step back and watched respectfully as his chieftain dealt with the two charging fire elementals.

Tonatiuh looked over.

A notification surged across his retina:

[Ding! Enemy detected!]

[Living Flame: Level 10 elemental creature, fire elemental, high danger level]

[Living Flame: Level 9 elemental creature, fire elemental, high danger level]

The system had rated them Level 9 and Level 10. Tonatiuh immediately felt that this would be troublesome. Even his current warrior class level was only rated Level 10 by the system.

This was the equivalent of fighting two monsters of the same level alone.

He wanted to call the other trolls over to help, but after putting on such a show just now, he could only grit his teeth and try.

In the span of those whirling thoughts,

the two monsters, four to five meters tall, roughly humanoid, and wreathed from head to toe in roaring flames, had already rushed before him. Roaring, they brought down their massive flaming fists.