Chapter 15: Inferno

Chapter 15: Inferno

The troll then tried to attack but with a quick thrust, I jabbed the blade into the troll’s second eye, blinding it completely.

The troll let out a deafening roar, its massive hand swinging wildly in a blind fury to crush its unseen attacker.

One was headed towards me while I was still mid air and for a split second, I considered standing my ground and parrying the blow like a badass anime protagonist.

But...

I quickly realized I’d be flattened like a pancake, if I received even a single blow so I activated [Wrap] at the last moment, disappearing just as the troll’s hand slammed into the ground with a thunderous crash.

Ding!

[You have learned the skill Danger Sense]

[Skill: Danger Sense]

Type: Passive

Description: This skill sharpens your instincts, allowing you to feel the presence of imminent threats before they even reach you. It enhances your reflexes to superhuman levels, making your body react in a fraction of a second. When danger approaches, your muscles tense, your mind clears, and your reaction time is drastically accelerated. It’s as if the world slows down just enough for you to evade, dodge, or counterattack with precision. Even without consciously thinking, your body moves on its own, helping you survive deadly situations.

I reappeared next to my goblins, crouching to steady myself.



My arm throbbed painfully, the second jab having taken more out of me than I’d expected.

Crap.

My hands hurt.

But the new skill I had learned made the pain worth it.

Zzok hurried toward me, his face pale but determined. "Chief, troll skin is too tough to pierce with just weapons. But if we set it on fire, we can kill it!"

I glanced at the rampaging troll, its hulking figure stumbling blindly, and then back at Zzok.

Fire?

I repeated the word, unsure, but the idea was starting to click.

Narg heard Zzok’s suggestion and stepped forward, puffing his chest out slightly

. He was the only one with fire magic, after all.

But before he could say anything, I cut him off.

"No offense, Narg, but your flame isn’t strong enough."

He froze, his face twitching as if he wanted to argue.

But then he sighed, nodding in reluctant agreement.

He knew as well as I did that his fireball wasn’t strong enough to deal with a troll.

The trolled roared still in pain from his bleeding eyes.

I noticed the eye I had used Gravefang on was bleeding profusely compared to the other one which I had used a Thonk dagger on.

Weird.

This made me realize Venomous Slash one of the special effects of the blade had kicked in.

I sighed regrettably.

Seriously I don’t want to lose Gravefang.

The troll losing his eyes wouldn’t kill the beast so we needed something else.

And then like the pearl she was.

Flogga suggested:

"What if we use this?"

Everyone turned toward her.

In her hand, she held a small vial.

Inside, a swirling purple liquid shimmered like liquid starlight.

My eyes widened, utterly captivated by the way it seemed to glow and twist in the light.

"What is this?" I asked, leaning closer, my curiosity getting the better of me.

A magic booster?

I wondered, my excitement bubbling up.

Could this vial hold some game-changing elixir?

Flogga quickly shattered my fantasy with her raspy voice.

"It’s fuel. Makes fire stronger," she said, waving the vial slightly.

"Oh..."

Disappointment hit me like a rock.



I’d gotten my hopes up, thinking this was some rare magical potion because of its glowing purple color.

But no, it was just... fuel.

Then again, fuel wasn’t bad.

Actually, it was a solid option.

"If we pour this on the troll," Flogga continued, her grin stretching wide enough to reveal her crooked teeth, "Narg can set it on fire. Boom. Roasted troll meat."

She punctuated her words with a gleeful chuckle, the kind of laugh that sent chills down your spine if you weren’t on her side.

And I couldn’t help but smile at her enthusiasm.

I loved it.

You know, I’m starting to like this old hag.

But she’s still ugly.

I grabbed the vial from Flogga’s outstretched hand, its surface cool and smooth, and bolted toward the troll.

The hulking beast stumbled aimlessly, blinded and writhing in pain, its guttural grunts echoing through the forest.

Activating [Wrap], I vanished from the ground and reappeared high above the troll’s head.

For a split second, I hovered there, gravity pulling me down, and I hurled the vial with all my strength.

The vial spun in the air, glinting in the dim light before shattering against the troll’s face.

CRACK!

Glass shards scattered as the thick, purple liquid spilled down its body, coating its skin and soaking into the folds of its rough, gray flesh.

The troll paused, confused, sniffing the sharp, acrid scent of the liquid.

I turned mid-air, my gaze locking onto Narg, and shouted with all I could muster:

"Do it now!"

Narg’s expression shifted instantly, his usual hesitance replaced by grim determination.

He raised his hands, the air around him shimmering with heat, and summoned a glowing orb of fire.

The flames danced and grew in his palms, casting an orange hue on his face.

And with a loud grunt, Narg hurled the fireball. It spiraled through the air, a trail of sparks in its wake, and hit the troll square in the face.

BULLSEYE!

The moment the fire connected, the fuel ignited with an explosive WHOOSH.

Flames erupted across the troll’s body, spreading rapidly like wildfire.

The troll let out a bone-chilling scream, thrashing wildly as the fire consumed it.

The flames crackled and roared, their light reflecting off the wide-eyed faces of my goblin clan as they watched in awe.

Victory was within reach.

Still airborne, I turned toward Narg and shot him a thumbs-up.

"Nice aim!"

Narg froze, his wide goblin eyes blinking rapidly before his lips curled into a shaky grin.

It was the kind of grin that screamed, "Did... did he just compliment me?"

I chuckled at the sight.

Poor guy had probably never heard a single kind word in his life.

Meanwhile, the troll was finally succumbing to the fire.

Its massive body wavered as flames licked hungrily at its skin.



With a heavy and pained groan, it collapsed to its knees, smoke rising in thick plumes.

I let out a breath I hadn’t realized I was holding and allowed my muscles to relax.

We’d done it—my clan had taken down a troll.

First victory under my lead.

I thought with a grin.

But what I should have been doing was paying attention to my surroundings.

WHOOSH

Something cut through the air behind me.

My body tensed instinctively.

I spun just in time to see a massive shadow barreling toward me—a whole tree trunk uprooted and swung like a giant’s baseball bat.

I caught a glimpse of my new attacker which was another troll.

And its hulking form was almost identical to the first.