As he watched the ordinary trolls obediently carry out their orders and disperse, Sakeer couldn't help but sigh.
"Dealing with these trolls is really just a matter of brute force and simplicity."
Even though they were fully aware that their leader had fallen under his control, they still followed only War Troll Guu's commands without question.
Such "wisdom"...
Was a trait of their race.
Sakeer glanced around, taking in the environment.
"I'll be staying here for a while."
He turned toward War Troll Guu and ordered,
"Clear out a clean space for me here."
"Understood."
War Troll Guu responded, his deep, gravelly voice laced with a trance-like obedience. Despite his terrifying, fierce eyes, his nod carried no resistance—only compliance.
Unlike hypnotic magic, Charm Mind Control didn't simply daze the victim. Instead, it rewired their subconscious, making them view the spellcaster as their most trusted and closest individual.
This method of mental manipulation didn't render the target sluggish or confused.
As long as the commands didn't contradict common sense or directly order them to die, the charmed could follow instructions with complete ease.
Trolls, in particular, weren't just formidable warriors—they also possessed tremendous physical strength, making them highly efficient workers.
It took only half an hour for the War Troll Guu to clear a suitable area, leveling the ground with surprising efficiency.
Seizing the opportunity, Sakeer had War Troll Guu chop down several massive trees, and before long, a simple wooden shed stood in the center of the cleared space.
With that settled—
It was just a matter of waiting.
Sakeer had no idea exactly how many ogres existed in the eastern region of the Great Forest of Tob, but he knew one thing for certain—
It would take time for the trolls he sent out to gather them all.
Rather than waste precious hours, he used the downtime productively.
First, he focused on replenishing his supply of magic scrolls.
With his magic power now reaching 48 points, he was finally capable of crafting Fourth-Tier Magic Scrolls.
However—
Before moving on to advanced spells, he decided to stock up on Third-Tier "Archangel Flame Summoning" scrolls first.
Whenever he exhausted his mana, he switched to something more physical—
Sparring with War Troll Guu.
It would be a waste not to use such a durable, powerful opponent for training.
Naturally, he refrained from using his curse abilities during these practice sessions.
He was well aware of his own weaknesses.
So far, every battle he had won had relied heavily on his skills and magic—
To put it bluntly, he had relied on tricks.
When it came to pure combat experience, he was far behind the seasoned warriors of this world—those who had honed their skills through years of rigorous training.
But that was something he planned to change.
Time passed quickly.
In the blink of an eye, a full day had gone by.
By the following evening, the trolls he had dispatched began returning—
Bringing with them wave after wave of ogres from all across the forest.
Seeing the incoming horde, Sakeer let out a breath of relief.
"Good. I was starting to think they'd all just run away."
As the ogres poured into the clearing, the air became thick with an overwhelming stench—
A suffocating mix of sweat, blood, and decay.
The once-empty space now felt cramped, packed with towering figures.
From a bird's-eye view, the cleared area now resembled a battlefield—
A mass of hulking, chaotic ogres, roaring and shouting in their guttural language.
Yet despite their numbers, Sakeer remained calm.
Expressionless, he began counting them one by one.
With War Troll Guu and the higher-ranked trolls present, there was little risk of the gathering spiraling out of control.
This was a clear demonstration of the superiority of higher races over the lower ones.
After finishing his count, Sakeer raised an eyebrow in mild surprise.
"271 ogres?"
That couldn't possibly be all of them.
Doing a quick mental calculation, he estimated that the average experience from an ogre was around 300 points.
"If I kill them all… that's about 80,000 experience points."
His eyes gleamed with excitement.
But there was a more efficient way to maximize his gains.
His gaze sharpened as he turned to War Troll Guu.
"Have the lower-ranked ogres go out and capture large beasts or monsters from the forest."
His voice was steady, calculating.
"The stronger, the better. Bring them back here—alive."
A flicker of heat flashed in his eyes.
War Troll Guu acknowledged the command and immediately relayed it to the other trolls.
The orders spread through the ranks like ripples in water, passing layer by layer through the crowd.
Before long—
More than two hundred ogres began moving, vanishing into the depths of the forest.
Watching them leave, Sakeer's lips curled into a smirk.
His plan was simple.
The creatures at the top of the Great Forest of Tob's food chain—
The large beasts and monsters that ruled these lands—
Would be dragged here and systematically eliminated.
By focusing on them, he avoided unnecessary attention from outside forces.
If he indiscriminately hunted too many creatures across the outer regions, it would eventually raise suspicions.
But here—deep in the heart of the forest, isolated from prying eyes—
He could slaughter to his heart's content.
And with War Troll Guu gone, there would be no powerful monsters left to maintain the ecosystem's balance.
It would be chaos.
And chaos was exactly what Sakeer needed.
Day after day, the cycle continued.
Between crafting magic scrolls, sparring with War Troll Guu, and slaying the captured monsters, Sakeer had little time to rest.
The average level of the beasts and monsters brought in ranged from Level 12 to Level 17.
At first, his progress was explosive—
In just three days, he had accumulated over 10,000 experience points.
But as time went on—
The pace began to slow.
Yet Sakeer remained undaunted.
Because he knew—
Every drop of blood spilled here…
Would bring him one step closer to true power.
Lower Fire Month – September 23
Half a month had passed.
Outside the wooden shed, a small, bloated figure lay motionless on the ground.
"Whew..."
The Little Barghest sprawled on its belly, its stomach visibly round from overeating. It barely managed to move, let alone stand.
During this time, Sakeer had established a strict routine.
When he wasn't crafting magic scrolls or replenishing the Orb of Death with his spare mana, he was engaged in constant combat training with War Troll Guu, honing his abilities and strengthening his command over his forces.
But the busiest of them all was the Little Barghest.
The sheer volume of powerful beast and monster corpses was a feast beyond anything it had ever imagined—especially when compared to the bland, monotonous goblin meat it had been eating before.
It was the difference between heaven and earth.
In just half a month, the "little" Barghest was no longer so little.
With ample nutrition from its new diet, it had grown to nearly one meter tall.
Its once-mangy fur was now sleek and jet black, gleaming under the light. Most strikingly, the two horns atop its head had fully formed, emanating a faint yet unmistakable aura of danger.
However, despite the seemingly endless supply of corpses, consumption remained just as high.
The Little Barghest could only eat so much—
The real consumers were the ogres.
With over two hundred of them constantly feeding, even the massive piles of beast corpses were devoured at an alarming rate.
And in the process—
More than twenty ogres had been lost.
Bang!
A massive three-meter-long tiger carcass, its body covered in striking black spots and fearsome markings, thudded onto the ground before the Little Barghest.
Sakeer barely spared it a glance.
"Don't waste it."
His voice was indifferent, his tone carrying an air of casual command.
"Woo~"
The Little Barghest let out a pitiful whine, its bloated stomach preventing it from moving.
Sakeer ignored its dramatics.
Instead, his gaze shifted to the floating status panel before him.
[Experience Points: 74,122 / 30,000]
In just half a month, his experience had surged by more than 70,000 points.
The powerful monsters and beasts inhabiting the eastern region of the Great Forest of Tob had been nearly wiped out.
Yet, his focus was on something else entirely.
"The 'Totem Possession' skill is far from simple."
Over the past weeks, Sakeer had experimented extensively with his new ability, using the endless supply of monster corpses to test its limitations.
His findings were intriguing.
As long as a totem wasn't permanently fixed, the "Totem Possession" process could be interrupted at any time.
However, he remained uncertain whether a fixed totem could be canceled or replaced, as he had yet to lock one in permanently.
From his observations:
The attribute increase from a totem wasn't fixed—it varied depending on the beast or monster used.
The maximum enhancement for any single attribute was +50 points.
While not particularly high, it was reasonable for a mid-tier class.
What truly interested him, though, was "specialty acquisition."
Taking the high-level tiger he had just thrown to the Little Barghest as an example—
This beast was born with two unique abilities:
Night Vision
Enhanced Speed in Forested Terrain
If he used it as a totem, instead of activating "Totem Empowerment," he could choose "Specialty Acquisition"—
Allowing him to permanently inherit one of its innate abilities.
Though neither of these particular traits was useful to him, he couldn't help but wonder—
What if he used this ability on even stronger monsters?
The implications were endless.
After all—
"Battle Demon" Zero struggled to hunt higher-tier beasts due to his lack of strength.
But Sakeer could.
Meanwhile… Beyond the Great Forest of Tob
While Sakeer was busy leveling up, a major event rocked both the Baharuth Empire and the Re-Estize Kingdom.
In the Imperial Capital's Fighting Arena, the undefeated Martial Lord, Go Gin—a symbol of the empire's strength—had suddenly vanished.
The impact was immediate and devastating.
The Imperial Capital was thrown into chaos.
The entire Baharuth Empire was shaken.
Even the battlefields between the two warring nations felt the effects, as the imperial army morale plummeted.
It is said that the Blood Emperor personally sent people to save the conflict, and even one of the "Four Knights" of the Empire showed up.
In the end, despite the high tensions, an all-out war was narrowly avoided thanks to the intervention of the powerful merchant, Osk.
Ultimately—
Go Gin left the Baharuth Empire.
But his whereabouts were now unknown.
In response, the empire issued a manhunt warrant.
Curiously, however, it wasn't Go Gin they were truly after.
Their real target—
Was an alchemist from the Re-Estize Kingdom.
A rising legend.
A black-haired genius alchemist—whose name was now spreading like wildfire.
Meanwhile, in the Royal Capital of Re-Estize, another storm was brewing.
Leinas, a woman branded a traitor by the empire and placed under a bounty, had engaged in a fierce battle with Gazef Stronoff.
Their clash ended in a draw.
Word of the battle reached King Ramposa III, who personally intervened—
Summoning both warriors to the palace.
In an unexpected turn of events—
He bestowed upon Gazef one of the five national treasures, a powerful magic item.
At the same time, he granted Leinas the prestigious title of "Knight."
News of this quickly reached the Baharuth Empire.
And with it—
The battlefield tensions between the two nations soared once more.
End of Chapter