Chapter 50: Into the Fray

Chapter 50: Into the Fray

Okay, so I might have a little problem on my hands. What I did to the Phantom Goblin doesn't sound like something a normal person would do.

But that's not such a big problem.

The problem is the looks people around me are giving me.

If I want to be able to move around other people without having them look at me like this, I will have to control myself a bit. I cannot allow slip-ups like this one.

At least not when they are around.

Sure, I can continue and let them see this side of me, but I would rather not. Reminding them once in a while what I can do would be good, especially when dealing with people like Sophie. But I would prefer them to be neutral or like me than scared.

Anyway, I get back and, unfortunately, most of them saw it.

The only ones acting as usual are Tess and unnamed corgi.

I even have to stop him from going to eat the remains.

(Food!) sounds into my mind in an almost complaining tone.

You just ate.

"Let's go," I say shortly, and I rejoin the others.

As many times before, Tess and I hunt for stronger monsters while Kim and Kevin stay near Lilly and some of Hadwin's people.

Hadwin also pushes a bit ahead.

Leon and Maya hunt for stronger monsters, and Sophie stays with her sister. The little girl uses her flamethrower when monsters get close, and Sophie often just sends weaker monsters away with her [Manipulation].

The first strong monster we find is a goblin.

[Goblin warrior - lvl 13]

I step ahead and fire up my mana.

Breathe in.

Breathe out.

Mana rushes into my legs, and I bounce a bit on my feet.

Then I dash at the same time the monster dashes at me.

He calculates my movement and swings his axe at me, so I absorb my own kinetic energy and stop nearly at the spot.

More strength.

I dash towards the monster while my mana flows through my body, wildly and close to getting out of my control, but I am not worried. I focus more, control it more, calm it down, and send it where it needs to be.

The troll stomps and I feel his mana. He is moving in the same way as the first time he used the skill, so I lower my body, send more mana to my core, and continue.

The gravity spell pushes onto me. This time, the area of effect around the troll is small, and weaker goblins scream as they are pushed even deeper into the ground, and their bones break.

My muscles burn, my body is hot, and the axe in my hand feels so heavy. Then I almost fall when he uses the skill for the third time, losing balance because the right side of my body is affected a bit more as I am missing an arm on the left side.

But I hold it.

I clench my teeth and push through all of it, and wildly oscillating mana appears around the axe.

The troll is massive, but I dodge his swing. While doing so, I jump onto his arm and sprint towards his head, using his arm to get there. He pulls back, but it's too late; I am already there, and my axe buries itself deep into the monster's left eye. I pull it out, showered in the monster's warm blood.

I jump from the monster to avoid its coming hand, and I fall down to the ground much faster than expected, affected by the Giant Troll's gravity spell.

A groan escapes my mouth, feeling the pressure it puts on my body, but I straighten up again and once again activate [Oscillation]. I bury my axe into the troll's leg multiple times. Its roar almost deafens me, but I continue while it is moving around, trying to stomp on me.

Absorbing as much kinetic energy as I can from his stomps, I use it to push against the monster's hurt leg, as he is standing on only one and trying to stomp on me. That makes him stagger a bit, and I hear a new noise.

The whistling of a heavy thing flying terrifyingly fast through the air. Elongated iron ores hit the monster's head, and he roars even louder, finally losing balance and slowly falling down, pulled by his own skill too.

He slams down with a loud noise, and earth and dust fly into the air.

I take a step towards the monster and stomp gently on the ground, releasing some absorbed kinetic energy, and it instantly sends away all the dust that flew into the air.

I take another step and use the remaining energy to propel myself, quickly passing its flailing arms and reaching its head. The axe vibrates wildly as if it's about to break, but I force through and slash downwards.

Again and again, I bury the axe into the monster's head up until it breaks.

There is a wound on its skull big enough for me to see inside of its head through the shattered bones.

So I jump onto the monster's head and wait until the last moment. The giant hand reaches for me, still holding tremendous energy that I absorb as much as I can.

When the hand makes contact with me, I gather all the energy it produces and shape it into a focused cone. I continue to refine the cone, making it narrower and more concentrated, until it's a precise, lethal point. I direct this beam of kinetic energy straight into the monster's head through the existing wound. It wreaks havoc within the troll's brain, making a mess of it.

The hand still hits me, but I do not try to fight against it and just jump up and let it throw me through the air while strengthening my body against it.

Flying through a few branches, I roll in the air and land on my feet, still sliding a bit, but I absorb the energy of my own fall and stop.

The energy escapes into the surrounding, creating a small shockwave with me in the epicenter, and I hear a notification.

[You have defeated the Giant Troll - lvl 14]

[Lvl 18 > Lvl 19]