The war trolls were Rank One monsters—but even among their rank, they were the kind that could singlehandedly wipe out an entire party of adventurers at the same level. This was a well-documented fact. The Adventurer's Guild explicitly warned against encountering war trolls without proper preparation. If one entered a dungeon or a region infested with them, it was advisable to bring at least three full parties, all with ample experience and a solid battle strategy. Unless, of course, you happened to be a battle prodigy. Or a suicidal fool. Sylvia now understood exactly why these creatures were so feared. The trolls rushed up the mountain path, their massive bodies moving with terrifying speed. They roared with rage and twisted excitement, their thunderous footsteps shaking the very ground beneath them. And they were closing in. She felt the world around her darken. A deep dread settled in her chest. Could they even survive this? She wished she had the power to see their odds, to know the outcome before it happened. But one look at Damon's cold expression, the way his eyes locked onto the approaching trolls, and she knew— He had come to the same conclusion. This was the end of their group. Two war trolls. Against a party of students. Not even a full party of seven—just six of them. And none of them had reached First-Class yet. Matlock's wings fluttered frantically as he hovered just above the ground, speeding along the winding mountain path. He kept up with the others, but his frantic glances behind them told her all she needed to know—they weren't fast enough. They had been lucky not to run into any of the horrors lurking within the Duhu Mountains. It was as if the forest spirits themselves were waiting, watching from the trees, urging them not to stray from the path—not to step into their domain— Because the war trolls would be their problem. From behind, Damon felt it. The chilling murderous intent radiating from the trolls. It made his blood run cold. The air around them felt heavy, almost suffocating. At that moment, he was reminded of something— The sheer helplessness he had felt when he was being chased by the Evil Forest Wendigo. He gritted his teeth. His Remorseless skill screamed in his mind, whispering an undeniable truth— If he fought these trolls head-on, he would die. It wasn't long before they reached a winding pass. Matlock soared up onto a nearby rock, reaching down to help Sylvia. Leona jumped up on her own, Xander and Evangeline right behind her. Damon didn't need any help. He scaled the rock and pressed forward— Then froze. A sound— The whistling of wind. A massive shadow loomed over them. His instincts screamed— "GET DOWN!" Damon lunged, pushing the others to the ground just as a massive boulder shot past them. It slammed into the trees, crashing into the forest below with an earth-shattering impact. Damon pushed himself up, yanking Leona—who was the closest—back to her feet. Then he ran. But it was pointless. The trolls had already caught up. One of them—a hulking beast of muscle and filth—raised its massive axe. Damon could feel it. He spun around, raising his fingers — BANG! BANG! The air rang with the deafening roar of magic bullets, smoke trailing in their wake as they slammed into the troll's thick hide. It barely flinched. Leona snarled, raising her sword and slamming it into the ground— [Thunder!] Arcs of lightning surged forward, crackling across the earth— But it barely phased them. The trolls' bodies resisted it effortlessly, smoke rising from their singed flesh as if it was nothing more than an irritation. Then— The second troll ignored the attacks completely. With dark glee, it dashed past them, straight for— Sylvia. She loosed arrow after arrow, but the massive beast didn't slow down. Damon gritted his teeth. The shadows around him surged, wrapping around his body like armor. He rushed forward, dagger in hand, and— SLASH! He sliced into the troll's kneecap— Dark blood pooled, but— It healed instantly. The wound closed before his eyes. The troll turned, eyes burning with pure hatred. It raised its massive hand to swat him like an insect— Damon moved, firing his omnidirectional gear, yanking himself to the side— But not fast enough. The troll's thumb barely grazed him— And it sent him flying. He felt his Shadow Armor absorb some of the impact— But his organs felt like they had shattered. The wind was knocked from his lungs as he was slammed into a tree. Pain exploded through his body. Blood pooled from his forehead, dripping into his eyes as he lifted his head— And took in the scene before him. Their odds were low. No. They were worse than low. That wasn't even a proper hit. And yet— He was already on the verge of death. And that was after using Shadow Armor. He gritted his teeth. There was nowhere to run. Fighting trolls in the open was suicide… His gaze flicked to Sylvia, who was slowly backing away as the troll advanced toward her. Damon clenched his jaw, the taste of blood thick in his mouth. His side throbbed, but he forced himself to stand. "Evangeline—light!" His shout was all the signal she needed. A brilliant flash exploded in the air, flooding the area with blinding radiance. The others wasted no time, moving toward Damon. This was one of their party's escape tactics—blind the enemy and make a run for it. Except this time, they had no idea where to run. Which direction was safe? None. The path was blocked by trolls, and the forest… might be worse. As they bolted, one of the trolls lashed out, its massive foot slamming into Xander's back. Damon's expression paled as Xander was launched through the air, blood spraying from his mouth. He dreaded looking at his friend, certain that he was already dead. "Cough… cough…" To his shock, Xander merely coughed and staggered to his feet, glaring at the troll with fury. "Where do we go?" he demanded. Damon didn't have time to process the absurdity of Xander surviving that hit. He bit his lip, seized Matlock's arm, and pushed the young fairy toward the trees. "Into the forest! Now! Hurry!" Evangeline hesitated. She stared at the dark woods ahead. On the surface, it looked like an ordinary forest… but she could feel it. Something vile lurked within, unseen and watching. Her lips trembled. "We—" "Go! Now!" Damon snapped. The trolls were already closing in. As the group rushed into the forest, their footing gave way—they tumbled down a steep slope, rolling through dead leaves and brambles. When they finally hit the ground, the air felt… different. Dark. The illusion of a normal forest shattered in an instant. Unseen eyes bore into them from every direction. High above, atop the slope, the war trolls snarled in frustration. The smaller one grunted. "Tusk… we follow goddess race into dark forest?" The larger troll—Tusk—shook his head. "No… they take shortcut. Appear on other side. We go there. Follow path. Wait." A simple plan, but a deadly one. Damon knew their only chance was to cut through the forest. If they followed the mountain's winding path, the trolls would catch them for sure. But if they took the shortcut through the woods… They'd save time. Or die before they ever made it out. If they didn't appear on the other side by nightfall, the trolls wouldn't even need to kill them. The horrors of the forest would take care of that. And if they did make it out… The trolls would be waiting.