Power Leveling (4)
“Ahem.”
At her mutter, Kim Gil-su covered his mouth to stifle the laughter bubbling up.
Yeong-sik, finding it hard to argue, lightly furrowed his brows and spoke up.
“Ugh, anyway, we'll unleash the first wave of attacks with these mines and A-ra's magic. Of course, it won't kill them all in one go. But given the terrain, if we hammer them from above, not many will make it up.”
“Haa. How are we herding the trolls? The decoy could get caught in the AoE too. It's too dangerous... too dan—”
A-ra was about to say it was too dangerous when a thought flashed through her mind, drawing a short gasp from her lips.
Yeong-sik grinned and pulled the fully charged drone from his inventory.
“The monster will herd them.”
Vrrr...
The drone's propellers whirred to life, lifting it into the air.
“Ha.”
A hollow laugh escaped A-ra's lips.
* * *
Near the Ruberin territory lay the trolls' habitat.
The trolls wandered the forest in pairs or singles, hunting for orcs—their staple food. Truth be told, orc meat was tough and overly muscled, not exactly a troll's favorite. They preferred human or deer flesh.
But humans rarely appeared due to the ogres that occasionally rampaged through, wrecking the ecosystem. And deer were often snatched up first by the far more numerous orcs, leaving little for the trolls.
Grrr...
A troll standing three meters tall, with thick green skin and fangs protruding past its cheekbones, sniffed the air while clutching a club as thick as a grown man's thigh. It tracked an orc's scent.
Trolls had lower intelligence than orcs, who could at least speak a crude tongue. But trolls compensated with long arms and combat instincts sharper than any wild beast's. One troll could overwhelm fifteen orcs with ease—truly, the orcs' natural predator.
Grrr...
The patrolling troll scowled, frustrated at the scarcity of orcs. As the weakest monsters around, orcs bred like rabbits and rarely dwindled in numbers. Trolls had never struggled to find prey before, but today was different. Irritated, it swung its club wildly.
Crack!
The tree it struck splintered pathetically.
That was when it happened.
Vrrr...
Grrr?
A strange, unfamiliar hum mingled with the tantalizing aroma of meat, tickling the troll's nose. Deer meat—its absolute favorite.
The troll whipped its head toward the scent. High above, about twenty meters up, a floating object wafted the smell.
Grrr!
GRRRRR!
As it stared at the unidentified flying thing, four more trolls burst from the underbrush, charging toward it. Spotting rivals, urgency twisted the first troll's face.
Deer meat was an irresistible temptation. Its eyes reddened with bloodlust.
GRRRR!
Glancing skyward one last time, the troll kicked off the ground, chasing the deer scent alongside the others.
* * *
“Perfect.”
Yeong-sik smirked at the drone cam feed in his right eye. Ten trolls, blinded by the deer meat bait, pursued relentlessly.
“Get ready. The troll pack's heading this way.”
Kim Gil-su and A-ra nodded tensely.
She closed her eyes slowly, beginning her cast. The spell was Ice Rain, acquired during their abandoned mine dungeon run. Useless inside due to its limitations, she'd shelved it—until now.
Ice Rain boasted solid damage among ice AoEs, plus a slow debuff. But as a channeling spell, it locked her in place, restricting it to a fixed area.
Vrrr...
GRRRR!
Kraaa!
A minute after Yeong-sik's warning, the ten trolls appeared, roaring as they chased the drone.
Yeong-sik's expression hardened slightly at their overwhelming presence. No wonder it took three level-40 summoners to take one down—their aura was ferocious.
'But.'
His eyes sharpened.
He had his newly unlocked security level weapons and the terrain advantage. In a siege, the defenders always held the edge—terrain was no small thing.
Click. Click. Click.
As the trolls entered range, five mines buried in the ground popped up.
Ignoring them, the trolls charged toward the drone—and Yeong-sik.
The mines, now amid the pack, began to vibrate.
BOOM!
Kraaa!
GRRR!
The massive explosions engulfed the trolls. Those caught in the blasts writhed, howling in agony.
“Ice Rain!”
A-ra's assault followed the blasts. Ice shards poured like rain into the canyon where the trolls clustered.
GRRR!
Yet even combined, the attacks didn't fell them. With absurd regeneration, the trolls healed while clawing up the canyon walls. The slow from Ice Rain hampered their speed, but they remained a dire threat.
“Uncle Gil-su!”
“Got it!”
Kim Gil-su charged forward at Yeong-sik's call, thrusting his shield at the climbing trolls.
White light poured from Radiant Shield, unleashing a shockwave.
Thud!
Kraaa!
One troll plummeted from the wall.
Yeong-sik eyed the disoriented trolls, prepping a ranged strike.
Clank.
A grotesque black barrel emerged from his back, unleashing a storm of bullets.
No amount of regeneration could withstand endless ice shards, gunfire, initial burns from the mines, and the cramped canyon forcing them to tangle. Even with superior instincts, the trolls couldn't stay composed.
Kraaa!
As the barrage continued, trolls began collapsing one by one.
Yeong-sik targeted those scaling the walls.
Hiss.
Gatling Gun ammunition depleted. Recharge requires 1 hour.
The announcement rang in Yeong-sik's ear. Already familiar with the weapon's limits, he calmly retracted the steaming Gatling Gun into his back.
'Five left.'
His sharp gaze counted the survivors.
The five remaining trolls staggered up the cliff in desperation. Battered but alive, their states were far from normal.
Yeong-sik drew his Blade and spoke.
“Let's finish them, Uncle Gil-su.”
“Right!”
Kim Gil-su nodded, raising his shield.
“Haa, haa... Sorry. I'm out of mana—can't support you.”
A-ra panted heavily, having poured everything into the channel. Yeong-sik nodded.
“It's fine. Mopping up near-death trolls won't be hard.”
With that, he charged ahead.
Clank.
His right arm bent, revealing twin shotgun barrels. He pressed them to a troll's head as it struggled up the wall.
Boom!
Grulk!
The close-range blast shattered its skull. The body tumbled down.
Kraaa!
While Yeong-sik dispatched one, another crested the wall, hurling its club before swinging both fists like a hammer.
“Counter!”
Kim Gil-su, watching, lunged with his shield. A bluish glow from Radiant Shield deflected the blow.
“Ngh!”
The immense impact buckled Kim Gil-su's knee, forcing him down. Wounded or not, the troll's strength was monstrous.
“Hah!”
Before it could strike again, Yeong-sik closed in. Boost jets flared from his feet, launching him airborne.
He spun midair, driving his arm precisely at the troll's head.
Squelch!
Kreeee...
The Blade pierced its brow dead-on. The troll gurgled and collapsed.
Meanwhile, three more trolls topped the wall, lunging at Yeong-sik.
“Wind Stealth.”
With a murmur, his body vanished briefly—a skill from the Wind Cloak.
Less than a second, but enough with Boost to slip their sight.
Clank.
Behind them, Yeong-sik aimed his shotgun.
Boom!
Kraaa!
One troll's head exploded.
'Two left.'
His eyes locked on the survivors.
Kim Gil-su, rising like a spring, thrust his Radiant Shield forward.
“Charge!”
He slammed into one, sending it tumbling back down.
Yeong-sik smirked at the last troll.
“Energy Blast.”
A low mutter, and blue energy gathered in his left palm.