บท 318: 319. The Giant Troll Wraith!
The prolonged sound of prayers echoed through the dark cavern, over and over again.
Starting from the second chant, an ethereal echo responded, merging real voices with echoes. These echoes collided with the jagged stone walls, shattering into even more chants of praise.
By the ninth recitation, it was as if hundreds were worshiping together, and the once lightless chamber suddenly resembled a grand, resplendent cathedral.
In front of the ritual array in the corner, the witcher felt a fleeting sensation of countless people bowing in prayer around him.
The sound seemed to penetrate through solid rock, reaching directly to the holy realm.
As the echoes gradually faded, this peculiar feeling also dissipated.
At the same time...
The three ritual circles for the maiden, the pregnant woman, and the old woman began to emit a golden light from their boundary lines.
The maiden's ritual circle, like a lit fuse, gradually dimmed bit by bit.
The witcher understood immediately.
Once the lines of all three ritual circles dimmed completely, the effects of the concealment would end.
"As expected, it's not that simple…" Allen sighed, not seeing the appearance of the goddess.
It was clear.
Just the concealment ritual of Melitele was insufficient to truly connect with the goddess, and naturally, it couldn't be used to pray for a harvest blessing.
"Well, if there's no shortcut, then there's no shortcut…" Allen got up and walked towards the center of the chamber. "If necessary, I'll just save up more loot and head directly to Melitele's temple."
"Jingle~"
He retrieved a crystal vial containing rock troll blood from his reagent bag. He also took out a bottle of White Honey and drank it directly, removing the night vision effect and toxins of the Cat potion.
The faint glow from Melitele's concealment ritual was sufficient for the witcher to engage in a fierce battle.
By estimating the glow from the ritual array, he guessed he had about two hours before the effect ended.
Plenty of time.
"...Alghoul decoction... Blizzard potion…"
"...The big rock and stone trolls warned me... if a hostile group of rock trolls arrives from a Conjunction of the Spheres, I should run directly to the big rock troll's camp… let them deal with their own kin…"
"...I also set the teleportation coordinates to a spot in the Circle of Elements… so if the mountain collapses from the tremors of a Conjunction of the Spheres, I can escape…"
After a quick and thorough check to ensure nothing was missed...
"Pop~"
The cork of the crystal vial was opened.
Despite all this time, the unique blood beads of the rock troll hadn't dried out; they still rolled around inside the vial.
"Let's hope a few more rock trolls show up!" Allen muttered to himself, tipping the vial upside down.
The blood beads quickly slid down the smooth inner wall.
[Ding! Quest Complete: Summon Rock Troll I (Collected Rock Troll Blood 20/20)]
[Reward Received: 50 Experience Orbs, Bestiary Entry—Rock Troll]
[Ding, New Quest Activated: Summon Rock Troll II (Collect Rock Troll Blood 0/50). Accept?]
Allen accepted the quest without hesitation.
The next second...
[Ding! Bestiary Entry "Rock Troll" Unlocked. Conjunction of the Spheres: Rock Troll will appear in 59 seconds. Prepare yourself!]
"Tap-tap-tap~"
The source of the Conjunction of the Spheres was usually near the location where the Monster Hunt quest was completed. So, upon hearing the notification, the witcher immediately ran toward the exit of Old Stonetip Cavern, in the direction of the rock troll camp.
As he ran, he swiftly donned his Nightshade gear for stealth and silence.
When Allen reached the prepared spot...
[…Conjunction of the Spheres: Rock Troll will appear in 10 seconds. Prepare yourself!]
…5, 4, 3, 2, 1
With the end of the countdown, the dim cavern suddenly fell silent.
His vision was tinged blood-red, as if he'd just fought hundreds of foes on a battlefield.
[Warning! Warning! Warning!]
[Conjunction of the Spheres detected! Conjunction of the Spheres detected!]
"Buzz~"
The wolf medallion trembled violently, but due to the Nightshade gear, Allen couldn't hear a sound.
At this moment...
Just as the witcher awaited the arrival of the Conjunction of the Spheres' black hole, the faint golden glow from the ritual array suddenly became dazzlingly brilliant.
It was as if a layer of gold leaf had blanketed the entire dark cave.
An absolutely magnificent sight.
Then...
The blinding golden light dimmed again, as if it had completed its purpose.
A black hole edged with gold appeared silently, and a translucent golden sphere formed within the dimly lit chamber.
According to logic...
A summoning quest wasn't the same as a Monster Hunt quest; it didn't require killing, only blood collection. Thus, the summoned monsters shouldn't be hostile like drowners, swamp fiends, or cyclops.
But since this was the first time, it was uncertain whether the rock trolls arriving through the Conjunction would be neutral or hostile. Therefore, Allen had not set any damaging traps, such as Yrden.
But his hand stayed close to the alghoul decoction and Blizzard potion in his reagent bag.
"Roar-roar-roar~"
An angry yet somewhat frightened roar emanated from the golden sphere.
In the next moment...
Six tall, hunched, burly figures appeared at the center of Old Stonetip Cavern.
Upon a closer look, the witcher took his hand off the reagent bag.
"They really are rock trolls!" Allen breathed a sigh of relief. He was about to remove his Nightshade gear and lead these potential allies to the big rock troll when he noticed something unusual.
The "rock" behind these "rock trolls" looked different in color.
Some parts… seemed to resemble verdigris and iron.
Of the nearly twenty rock trolls at the troll camp, none looked like this.
Even the big rock troll, though much larger than the others, had the usual gray-white stones on his back, arms, and hands.
"Could these be some kind of 'metal trolls'?"
The witcher was uncertain if there were natural hostilities or affinities among different troll types and hesitated for a moment.
"Never mind, they're all trolls. Let's take them to the rock troll camp and see."
With a plan in mind, Allen quickly removed his Nightshade gear and stood up.
But in that instant...
The situation changed again.
"Thud-thud-thud~"
The metal trolls, unaffected by the Conjunction of the Spheres' disorienting effect, froze for about two seconds upon arrival in the cavern, then scattered and fled. It was as if some monster were chasing them.
The golden sphere of the Conjunction of the Spheres remained, causing the witcher to hesitate.
"What's going on? Could there be more trolls still coming…"
Before he finished speaking...
"Scrraa~"
A chilling hiss echoed from within the golden sphere.
Then...
A strange green light flashed, and the witcher instinctively closed his eyes.
When he reopened them...
"Roar~"
A terrified scream erupted from the metal trolls.
The golden sphere vanished, leaving a giant creature emitting an eerie green glow.
"A Cyclops Wraith?"
The witcher froze, astonished.
No!
It wasn't a Cyclops Wraith!
Allen shook his head.
Though it had a massive form that reached the cavern ceiling, emanating green light, looking very much like a ghostly creature.
Its two crimson eyes glared with intense hatred and hostility toward all living things.
Looking closer...
It had two feet, two distinct beady eyes, and green lumps covering its back.
If it were a different color, it would look just like a rock.
The monster's four-toed massive claw was gripping a metal troll struggling desperately.
"Roar~"
The metal troll cried out in terror.
This sound frightened the other stone trolls; some turned back to try to help, while others quickened their escape.
At that moment…
"Hiss~"
The monster lifted the metal troll, opened its huge mouth, and let out a long hiss.
The Witcher felt a sudden dizziness, as if his very soul was being forcibly pulled from his body by that eerie sound. Through his blurred vision, he saw that the metal troll, which had been struggling fiercely, went limp in an instant.
Its four clawed toes fell weakly, swaying with inertia.
A large monster was killed just like that!
At this, the already terrified metal trolls completely lost control.
Even those who had initially tried to come back and help panicked, tumbling over each other to flee, with three or four of them even running into a dead-end cave.
"What is that creature?"
The Witcher put on his "Night-Mode" gear again and analyzed the monster, which seemed to be digesting the metal troll's soul.
[Name: Troll Wraith]
[Level: LV69]
[Attributes: Strength ?, Agility 48, Constitution ?, Perception ?, Mystery ?]
Damn!
Its level was almost twenty above his own, with several unknown attributes.
Still, it was doable!
Allen thought.
The Troll Wraith's level and attributes were far higher than his, but its name suggested it was similar to the Cyclops Wraith from the Ellander region. Though Allen hadn't had a chance to assess the Cyclops Wraith's stats back then, the battle summary showed it was level 74—five levels higher than this creature.
And Allen's strength had improved since then.
All things considered, he had the upper hand.
"Roar~"
"Roar~"
"Roar~"
Panicked roars echoed through the cave.
Whether it had finished digesting the metal troll's soul or was disturbed by the scattering prey, the Troll Wraith reopened its crimson eyes, bared its pitch-black maw, and pursued the nearest metal troll.
Seeing this, Allen, who had just assessed his strength and was ready to hunt, couldn't stand still anymore.
Damn it!
He had summoned only six metal trolls in total, and in the blink of an eye, he'd already lost one.
These trolls were supposed to be creatures he prepared for the Wolf School—he couldn't let this monster devour them all!
"Buzz~"
Balmur, in its scabbard, trembled with agitation.
Without hesitation, Allen drew the sword. Cloaked in "Night-Mode," he merged into the surroundings, stealthily but swiftly approaching the Troll Wraith.
At the same time…
A alghoul potion and a blizzard potion went down quickly.
The whites of his eyes glowed a ghostly blue, veins bulged on his temples, making him look like a spirit of vengeance.
By now…
The towering form of the Troll Wraith was less than twenty meters away.
In the Witcher's vision, almost everything was filled with an eerie green light.
"Roar, roar, roar~"
The metal trolls screamed in terror. It seemed the Troll Wraith had caught another troll. But Allen didn't care about that right now.
[Monster Hunt]
Time seemed to slow down, and all emotions were suppressed to their lowest.
Due to the close distance…
Allen's vision was filled with a hazy green field. He was less than ten meters away from the Troll Wraith.
At just the right moment…
Allen's mouth opened slightly.
Golden energy in his blood swirled, mixing with the four-colored magic power rushing upward.
"Yir..."
The air began to resonate; the primal roar broke through the "Night-Mode" silence, causing the stone walls of the cave to tremble.
Dust and pebbles cascaded from the walls, clouding the air.
Allen's figure, no longer hidden, seemed compelled by the roar—no longer allowed to skulk around.
In the dusty fog, the overwhelming aura caused the Troll Wraith to pause.
The metal trolls' screams fell silent, as though Allen's roar had directly suppressed them, or as if they were encountering an even greater threat than the Troll Wraith, leaving them speechless and motionless, willingly surrendering.
"...ulr..."
Another ancient, savage roar sounded.
The oppressive aura vanished abruptly.
Yet, the vast cave fell silent.
Even the Troll Wraith, trembling and about to turn, seemed frozen, as if encased in ice.
At this point…
Allen had closed to within three meters of the Troll Wraith. His view was completely obscured except for the figure of the Troll Wraith.
"Huff~"
Hot breath surged from his nose, seemingly igniting the air.
The intense sensation of power filled every corner of his being, energizing every cell.
The sword quivered with anticipation.
Though there were still nearly three meters between him and the monster, Allen inexplicably felt that this was the best distance for his strike.
So…
Balmur stopped trembling and was raised high.
"Hiss~"
He took a deep breath.
The longsword swung through the air.
Then…
It fell.
In that split-second…
"Boom~"
A powerful blast rang out, channeling all his energy into his hands.
Without him realizing it, the golden energy particles mixed with magic poured from his body.
With the sound of the explosion, they concentrated along Balmur's ancient sword blade, edge, and tip, forming a blazing white arc. And the moment this arc appeared, it seemed to lengthen…
No! It wasn't lengthening—it was shooting forward!
In a flash, it pierced through the ghastly green form of the Troll Wraith.
"Poof~"
Like a soap bubble bursting.
The light blade cut smoothly through the spirit.
The Troll Wraith was split in two.
"Boom!"
The blade struck the ground, igniting an explosion like countless bombs. Amid the thunderous roar, dust and stones filled the air. But beneath the deafening noise…
The Witcher heard a faint notification.
"Ding! [Monster Hunt] progress 100%..."
And…
"Ding."
[Troll Wraith Defeated!]
[Reward Settlement: …]
.....
📢20 advanced chapters on p@treaon📢
For advance chapters: p@treon.com/Uchiha_Itachi007 (replace @ with a)
320. Legendary Unit: Metal Troll Joins.
321. The King of the Wolf Pack Resides at the Summit.
322. To Kill Him, You Need a Silver Sword.
323. The Wolf School Grandmaster Set.
324. The Wild Hunt, Any News?
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