CHAPTER 47: | THE MINIATURE WORLD OF THE FIRST SEGMENT | 3
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The forest convulsed violently, the very earth groaning as the titans ripped the air with their guttural roars, mourning the brutal loss of their young leader.
"WHO'S THE BASTARD THAT KILLED MY SON?!"
The sound of a father, his spirit shattered by the loss of his beloved child, echoed in a horrifying crescendo of pure, unadulterated anger.
RRRAAAAGHHH!
The forest trembled, its silence broken only by the titans' grief.
From thousands of meters away, no creature dared to approach the epicenter of such raw sorrow and fury.
Above, griffins, their immense wings tearing through the sky, bellowed their condolences before vanishing like fleeting shadows into the distance.
Terror, the Chieftain of the Forest Titans, shrieked his rage to the heavens.
He swept his colossal club horizontally.
WHOOM!!!
Generating a whirlwind of destructive force.
CRRAACK! THOOOM!
The forest shuddered, trees snapping like twigs and catapulting towards the horizon, hurled by the sheer, concussive impact of his attack.
"DAMN YOU! I, TERROR, CHIEFTAIN OF THE FOREST TITANS, SWEAR I WILL FIND YOU AND GRIND YOUR EXISTENCE TO DUST!"
His rage was a tangible, oppressive force, thick enough to choke the air.
Veins corded across his massive body as he violently swept his club again and again.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
The ground cracking under the sheer force of his fury.
The forest writhed beneath the collective agony.
The other titans answered their chieftain's screams with echoing roars of their own pain.
RRRROOAAARRR!
As they scorched a path of destruction through the forest, they instantly trampled any demonic beast they encountered.
CRUNCH! SQUELCH!
Torn limb from limb, and shredded apart.
Even with the devastation they'd wrought upon the forest for days, their rage remained utterly unquelled.
I scanned the ravaged horizon, now a churning, muddy swamp.
SPLORCH!
A bitter chuckle escaping my lips.
I hadn't been able to hunt even a single demonic beast for days.
The titans had begun their relentless search for me, their fury echoing across the land.
So, I remained hidden, traveling precisely the opposite direction.
I couldn't hope to overpower those titans with my current strength alone.
Even with my 'demonic armaments' that boosted my power exponentially, it wouldn't be enough.
Not unless I were to ingest a 'Cataclysmic Inferno Breath' and momentarily triple my strength.
But it wasn't desirable.
My body had already begun to break down after forcefully pushing 'Golden Sanguine' to regenerate using 'Cataclysmic Inferno Breath.'
Ingesting another now would be utterly foolish.
My body was already tearing itself apart and attempting to repair itself even now, because of the immense, volatile energy of the 'Cataclysmic Inferno Breath.'
While it was a potent life-saving skill, it was far too risky.
My body and regenerative ability simply couldn't keep pace.
Then, I saw it, what seemed to be a troll, its hulking silhouette stark against the mists of the swamp.
"Just the perfect timing."
My body, now a 'demonic armament,' transformed into a blur.
CRACK!
The ground beneath me cracked and caved.
WHOOSH!
And I vanished like a silent predator, leaving nothing but a faint ripple in my wake.
I registered every detail as my eyeballs bulged from my scales while my omniscient vision scanned a full 360 degrees, leaving no blind spot.
RUSTLE... TWITCH...
The tremor of a distant bush, the whisper of tree leaves, the scurry of unseen ants, the twitching hop of terrified rabbits.
The troll's monstrous senses and acute hearing immediately registered my movements.
SNAP!
Its spear snapping toward me in a desperate, defensive gesture.
But before it could even register a glimpse of my form, I activated 'Quantum Displacement,' and my presence utterly vanished.
SPLASH!
A wet spray of blood erupted from its chest as my claws burst from its back, glistening in the dim swamp light.
SHRRRIP!
The troll staggered, its aura, that of a Lord-class demonic beast, plummeting rapidly, like a stone dropped into an abyss.
It couldn't regenerate its wounds, my hand held the laceration open, beginning to emit searing heat that cauterized its flesh from within.
SSSSZZZ!
The troll shrieked in agony.
SKREEEE!
Thrashing wildly and hurling its spear in desperate hope.
My right hand clamped onto its chin.
CRUNCH!
Then tore its jaw clean off.
SPLRTCH!
Gore exploded across the murky horizon, painting the swamp in crimson.
A twisted smile spread across my lips.
Now, it couldn't call for help.
My maw split open, revealing a terrifying array of jagged, pearly-white teeth.
"Time to dig in."
CHOMP! SLURP! SCHLURCH!
Blood rained from its body as it convulsed violently against me, my maw shredding its flesh with sickening efficiency.
Its eyes were bloodshot, as tears of blood welled, flowing like a grotesque fountain down its cheeks.
Its struggles finally ceased after a grueling hour.
A troll's vitality was greater than I expected, it even regenerated its jaw within that timeframe before I tore it apart again.
A hologram greeted me, as usual, and I skimmed my gains.
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[You have slain.]
• S: 1 | T: 4 | Level 14 | Swamp Troll [4★]
[You have gained.]
[2,300,000 - EXP.]
[You have gained a level.] x1
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[You have devoured.]
• S: 1 | T: 4 | Level 14 | Swamp Troll [4★]
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[Skills Devoured.]
• Swamp Troll Bone Structure [Tier 6]
• Swamp Troll Unrelenting Regeneration [Tier 4]
• Swamp Troll Demonic Strength [Tier 6]
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[Grotesque Physique would like to devour these skills.]
• Swamp Troll Bone Structure [Tier 6]
• Swamp Troll Unrelenting Regeneration [Tier 4]
• Swamp Troll Demonic Strength [Tier 6]
[Yes] / [No]
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Swamp Troll Bone Structure [Passive | ▪︎]
Its skeletal structure is incredibly dense and robust, composed of bones that are almost stone-like in their composition. This provides exceptional internal durability, granting high resistance to bone-shattering impacts, crushing forces, and internal organ damage.
Swamp Troll Unrelenting Regeneration [Passive | ▪︎]
The Swamp Troll boasts an extraordinary regenerative capacity, allowing it to rapidly heal grievous wounds, including deep lacerations, torn flesh, and even reattach or regrow severed limbs over time. This constant healing makes it incredibly difficult to put down through sustained damage, as it repairs itself mid-fight.
Swamp Troll Demonic Strength [Passive | ▪︎]
The troll possesses immense raw physical strength, allowing it to wield massive weapons with ease, tear through dense obstacles, and overpower foes in close quarters with overwhelming force.
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I grinned, pondering for a moment before shaking my head.
"Fusing right now would be a hassle..."
My smile widened into a predatory crescent.
The rustling of leaves intensified.
RUSTLE! SNAP!
As another troll, trembling with primal fear, bolted away from me.
"Yes, that's right! Go report to your clan! Bring me to them, fool! So I can devour your clan!"
Wiping the drool from my mouth, my form distorted.
ZSHHH!
Blurring into a streak of afterimages that rippled across the swamp.
Just like a haunted shadow that everyone fears.
A blur of shadow that foretells the unknown.
A hungry ghost, ready to possess any living being.
His ragged breathing was noticeable.
HUFF... HUFF...
Choked with the memory of his fellow tribesman's dying in horror.
The death of Cit, his partner, who died pitifully in the maw of that draconian terror.
His eyes were bloodshot as he sprinted through the forest, tears streaming down his face as he frantically wiped them away.
"DAMN IT ALL! Why, Cit?! Why did you have to die a death unfit for a Swamp Troll warrior?! Just... why?!"
His voice echoed, choked with curses for the fate of his close friend, his partner.
CRICK!
He clenched his spear so hard it splintered, darting through the trees with desperate intensity.
With a final raw shout, he screamed in pure, unadulterated anger.
"DAMNIT ALL!!!"