Chương 56

The snowy mountain trails were brutal. The wind howled loudly, blowing thick snow right into Rudra's face.

"Are we sure bosses even live up here?" Rudra asked, pulling his brown cloak tighter.

"It's freezing. Even monsters need to stay warm, right?"

"Be quiet and listen," Elysia said, holding up a hand. Rudra stopped crunching in the snow. He listened. Over the howling wind, he heard the sharp sound of clashing metal and heavy, guttural roaring.

"Trouble," Rudra noted. He ran up a snowy ridge and peeked over the top. Down in a wide, frozen valley, a desperate battle was happening. A squad of about twenty elite knights in silver armor were totally surrounded. Their attackers were ugly, pale-blue giants holding crude wooden clubs. Snow Trolls. And right in the center of the horde was a monster that made the regular trolls look tiny. It was fifteen feet tall, covered in thick Black fur, and held a club the size of a tree trunk. [Snow Troll King - Lv. 160]"Level 160," Rudra muttered.

"That is a serious level gap." Down in the valley, the knights were losing badly. Their swords cut the trolls, but the monsters just regenerated the wounds in seconds. A knight wearing a heavy, ornate silver helmet and a glowing blue cape stepped to the front of the line. The Knight Captain.

"Fall back to the canyon!" the Captain yelled. It was a woman's voice, ringing with authority.

"I will hold the line! Save yourselves!"

"Captain, no!" a younger knight shouted. The Troll King roared. It raised its massive tree-trunk club, aiming right for the Captain. She planted her boots and raised her shield. She was fully preparing to sacrifice her life so her men could run. Rudra watched from the ridge. I need a boss kill, Rudra thought. And I am definitely not letting a good captain get flattened.

"Elysia," Rudra said, pulling his Abyssal Ironwood Staff off his back.

"Keep the small guys busy. Don't step in unless I'm about to die. I need this boss for my quest." Before she could argue, Rudra kicked off the snow. He plummeted down the slope. The Troll King was already bringing its massive club down. The Captain squeezed her eyes shut behind her helmet, bracing for the hit. Rudra realized he couldn't reach her in time just by running. He needed absolute perfection.

"Let's test the cheat code," Rudra muttered. [Super Sensitivity (Lv. 1) has been activated!] [All mana has been consumed!] The world instantly lost all its color, turning completely gray. The howling wind went totally silent. Rudra's brain exploded with information. He could see the exact path of the falling club. He knew the Troll King's exact muscle tension. He knew precisely where the club would hit in 1. 4 seconds. He didn't have time to block it. He had to move the Captain.

What is the fastest way to move someone wearing two hundred pounds of heavy armor? Rudra's hyper-charged brain calculated in a millisecond. Grabbing her waist will throw off my balance. Pushing her chest plate will just slide her backward into the club's path. I need to grab her highest center of gravity. Her head. Rudra blurred across the snow, moving faster than he ever had in his life. He slipped right under the falling shadow of the giant club. He reached out with his left hand.

Because of the weird angle and his crazy speed, his open palm bypassed her raised shield entirely. He didn't gently grab her helmet. SMACK! The sharp, echoing crack of an open-handed slap rang through the frozen valley. Rudra accidentally slapped the side of her ornate helmet so hard that it literally dented. The force picked her completely off her feet. He grabbed her helmet mid-slap and threw her safely into a deep snowdrift ten feet away. If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen.

Report the violation. CRASH! The Troll King's club smashed into the empty snow where the Captain had just been standing, cracking the frozen earth. The world suddenly rushed back into color. The sounds returned. The six seconds of [Super Sensitivity] ended. Rudra stood in the crater, gripping his staff with both hands. He looked over at the snowdrift. The Knight Captain was groaning, her legs sticking out of the snow, completely dazed.

"Oops," Rudra winced behind his mask.

"Sorry! I was trying to save you! The math was weird!" The Troll King slowly pulled its club out of the ice. It looked down at the tiny human in the brown cloak who had just stolen its prey. The monster let out a furious, spit-flying roar. Rudra twirled his staff, a wild grin spreading across his face.

"Alright, ugly. Let's fight." The Troll King charged. It swung its massive club in a low, wide sweep. Rudra dodged by a hair's breadth, slipping past the heavy wood to make sure he didn't take a single point of damage.

"My turn," Rudra grunted. He pushed the club away and stepped forward. He swung his staff hard, aiming right for the Troll King's kneecap. Thwack. The hit was solid, but the Troll King just laughed. A faint green light glowed over the monster's knee, and the bruise instantly healed.

"Oh, you have to be kidding me," Rudra complained, dodging another heavy club swing.

"I hate fighting undying monsters." Elysia dashed into the valley. She didn't help Rudra with the boss. She drew her longsword and started slicing through the regular Snow Trolls, keeping them away from the dazed knights.

"Rudra! Trolls heal fast!" Elysia yelled over the noise.

"You have to interrupt its regeneration!"

"Working on it!" Rudra called back. He ducked under a wild punch. The Troll King was huge, but it was clumsy. Rudra stepped right into its guard. SLAP. The slap threw the monster off balance just long enough for Rudra to aim right at the center of its thick, furry chest. Thwack. He quickly pulled the staff back an inch and hit the exact same spot again. Thwack. The [Blunt Force] passive kicked in. The deep, rattling impact bypassed the monster's thick skin. A tiny swirl icon appeared over the Troll King's head.

The giant monster stumbled backward, completely stunned for one second. The green healing light instantly flickered and died.

"Got you," Rudra cheered. He didn't waste the opening. He jumped into the air, gripping his staff with both hands, and brought it down with everything he had.

"[Crushing Strike]!" The heavy ironwood smashed directly into the Troll King's skull. The blunt force was massive. The monster's eyes rolled back, but not before spitting a glob of green blood onto his boots. It let out a weak groan, collapsed onto the bloody snow, and burst into a mountain of grey ash. Rudra landed on his feet, panting heavily. His stamina was completely drained. A flood of golden messages popped up in his vision. [You have defeated the Snow Troll King (Lv. 160).] [Experience has been acquired.] [Level Up!] [Level Up!] [Level Up!] [The Path of the Staff Saint (Phase 1): 1 / 10 Bosses Defeated.] Rudra smiled. The first step of his Legendary quest was done. [You have acquired the Title 'Curse of the Troll King'.] [Curse of the Troll King] [You carry the stubborn, undying will of the Troll King. - Maximum Health increases by 1. 5 times. - Health Regeneration increases by 50%. - Any Troll you meet will feel hostile towards you]"Wow," Rudra muttered, feeling a massive surge of vitality flow into his chest. He was basically a walking tank now. He looked down at the ash pile. Sitting right in the middle was a heavy, dark black trench coat. The leather felt strangely warm, and it pulsed with a faint, stubborn energy. [Item Acquired: Troll King's Black Coat] [Troll King's Black Coat] [Rating: Unique] [Durability: 450/450 Defense: 380 - Maximum Health +1, 500. - Durability will be recovered by 5 per minute. - Damage taken from slashing weapons is reduced by 15%. - Passive Skill [Blood Memory] is generated.. - Active Skill [Troll's Spite] is generated. A heavy, dark black trench coat crafted from the raw, mutated hide of the Troll King. The leather feels strangely warm to the touch and slowly stitches itself back together when cut. Because it carries the stubborn, undying will of the monster, only the one who bears his dying curse can wear it without being crushed by its heavy aura Condition of Use: Title: 'Curse of the Troll King'.] [Blood Memory]: [Passive] [The coat remembers the stubbornness of the Troll King. - For every 10% of Maximum Health the wearer loses, the coat's physical defense increases by 5%.] [Troll's Spite] [Active] [- Hardens the leather to absorb heavy impacts. - Reduces all incoming damage by 50% for 10 seconds. - Resource Consumption: 10% of Current Health. - Cooldown: 1 hour.]"Finally," Rudra cheered, immediately equipping the new coat. It replaced his ragged brown travel cloak. The dark black leather looked incredibly sleek and tough, perfectly matching his leather mask and staff. He turned around. Elysia had finished off the last of the regular trolls. The surviving elite knights were rushing over to the snowdrift to help their Captain. Rudra walked over, resting his staff on his shoulder.

He felt a little guilty about the dent he left in her fancy helmet.

"Hey," Rudra said, waving awkwardly.

"Is your Captain okay?"