Damon had not just been standing there vacantly while the war trolls approached. His body had been still, but his mind had been racing, his eyes locked onto his system panel as he hurriedly distributed all the attribute points he had accumulated since this hellish nightmare began.
[HP: 253/385] 235
[Mana: 6804/9084]
[Strength: 134]
[Agility: 57]
[Speed: 185]
[Endurance: 65]
[Class: —]
[Shadow: 40]
[Shadow Hunger Levels: 60%]
[Shadow Level: 7]
[Condition: Shadow is Hungry]
[Attributes: Umbra]
[Skills:]
[5x] [Remorseless] [Shadow Perception] [Water Celebration] [Sacrifice] [Shadow Control] [Parkour] [Shadow Armor] [Beholder's Gaze] [Dead Eye] [Spirit Affinity] [Ashborn] [On Of Dread]
[Mastery:]
[Etiquette Lv3] [Swordsmanship Lv1] [Survival Lv3] [Persuasion Lv2] [Deception Lv2] [Bartering Lv2] [Theft Lv3] [Archery Lv2] [Trap Lv2] [Alchemy Lv1] [Dagger Arts Lv2] [Cooking Lv2] [Basic Magic Lv1] [Mana Control Lv1] [Magic Bullet Lv1] [Pain Resistance Lv1]
[Locked]
His newest skill—On of Dread—was the result of burning the devil monkeys with Ashborn. The cursed flas functioned just like his shadows; anything they consud was counted as being devoured. That ant their strength, their experiences, their very essence had beco his.
[On of Dread]
[Description]
These vile mountains were old and ancient, leaking a small gap to the taverse. When Mugu ca upon these mountains, he was paralyzed by the fear of the vile spirits that hid within the trees. Those who tread too close find themselves ensnared by the sa terror, their bodies frozen as unseen horrors creep ever closer.
[Effect]
Unleashes an aura of overwhelming dread, paralyzing enemies weaker than the user and instilling hesitation in those who fear him.
[Type]
Active
[Cooldown]
3 seconds
That was how Damon had managed to force the war troll into hesitation before it even swung its axe.
And the mont it did, Beholder's Gaze activated—
Ti slowed.
For exactly three seconds, his perception expanded. Every shift of the troll's muscles, the way the air vibrated from the sheer force of its swing—he saw it all.
In that instant, he moved.
Dodging the descending axe by re inches, he surged forward, using the weapon itself as his path. His feet slamd onto the massive steel surface, sprinting up the length of the war axe like a phantom—
And then—
With all the force he could muster, he launched himself.
His boots crashed into Tusk's face in a devastating dropkick.
For a mont, there was silence.
Then—
ROOOOOAAARRRR!!!
The war troll bellowed, staggering back not from pain, but from sheer humiliation.
A human—a weak human—had not only dodged his attack… but had touched his face.
Tusk's rage erupted. His muscles swelled, his veins bulging beneath his thick hide. The ground beneath him cracked as he slamd his foot down, stabilizing himself.
He raised his glowing red eyes toward Damon.
"You… will regret that."
The war troll's massive hand reached out, thick fingers closing in on Damon, who was shrouded in an armor of writhing shadows. His form blended seamlessly with the night around them, an extension of the darkness itself.
Just as the troll's grasp was about to close around him, Damon fired a thin wire from his palm, anchoring it to the ground and yanking himself downward—dodging the attack by re inches.
The motion triggered Beholder's Gaze again.
Ti slowed.
Damon capitalized on the window, closing the distance with unnatural fluidity. He rolled under the troll's legs, his daggers flashing as he sliced into the Achilles tendons. A spray of blood painted the air as his blades dug deep.
The war troll's left leg buckled.
With a snarl, it swung its massive axe backward, unleashing a powerful astral wind. Damon barely ducked in ti, the force whipping past him, shredding the trees behind him like paper.
The 5x skill amplified his speed fivefold, but even so, every move was a near miss.
Seeing an opportunity, he lunged for the second tendon, aiming to sever it completely—
But his daggers weren't enough.
The cut was too shallow. His weapons simply weren't fit for slaying monsters this massive.
"Aargh!"
The troll lashed out with its massive arm, swatting him like a fly. The impact sent Damon hurtling backward, his Shadow Armor absorbing the brunt of the blow. He crashed into the dirt, skidding along the ground, gasping for air.
Shadows rose from the earth and the trees, knitting his armor back together.
His body trembled as he tried to breathe, but his lungs refused to cooperate. Coughing, choking—
Then—
A huge shadow fell from above.
The war troll had leapt into the air.
Move. NOW.
Damon forced his body to roll, barely escaping as the massive troll crashed down, sending a shockwave through the earth. Dust exploded outward, raining over him. So of it slipped through the gaps in his helm.
His eyes narrowed.
'A flaw… I don't need vision holes. I can see just fine through the shadows.'
Remorseless revealed the weakness in his logic. He commanded Shadow Armor to morph, sealing the gaps, making the armor sleeker, smoother.
Then he adjusted. His gauntlets ford sharp claws, the fists now studded with spikes.
His daggers… were too short. Useless against an enemy of this size.
But Shadow Armor could only form armor. It couldn't create separate weapons.
His gaze flicked to his shadow-forged gauntlets. What if… the weapon was part of the armor?
The thought took root in his mind.
The war troll swung its axe in a wide arc, impossibly fast for its size.
Damon dove into the treeline, his expression twisting in pain from the lingering exhaustion of Ashborn.
He had no ti to recover.
He had to adapt.
As the troll prepared for another swing, Damon willed his shadows to extend over his fists.
They shifted. Grew. Twisted.
A new form took shape.
The shadows morphed into a wide blade, seamlessly fusing into his gauntlets.
The war troll's axe roared through the air, a whirlwind of destruction.
At the last mont, Damon slid underneath the swing, the air howling around him.
Then—
His shadow blade cleaved through the troll's massive foot.
A deep gash was left in its wake, red blood spilling onto the ground.
Damon flipped onto his knees, imdiately dodging as the troll's axe followed, slamming into the earth with a thunderous crash.
A crater ford where he had just stood.
The sheer killing intent rolling off the war troll was suffocating.
Damon exhaled, staring at the shadow blade now fused to his gauntlet.
His eyes turned cold beneath his armor.
'My daggers aren't enough. And this thing can regenerate from any wound.'
His fingers tightened.
'It can outlast in a battle of attrition. If I use Ashborn, I might pass out before it burns to death. I need ti to recover.'
His gaze flicked toward the troll's eyes.
A decision crystallized in his mind.
"Fine… I'll take those first."
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