Their wounds did not bleed; when steel split their flesh, a hiss of freezing air escaped, and the injury sealed itself with crystalline frost, harder than the stone it replaced, regenerating with a crackling sound that echoed like breaking ice. To strike them was to invite despair, for every wound made them sharper, colder, less like creatures and more like living blizzards given form, their roars a chilling wind that sapped heat from the bones.

And wherever their heavy steps carried them, the land recoiled—trees blackened with frost, their leaves crumbling to dust; rivers stilled into ice, cracking under their weight; and the warmth of life itself drained into the endless hunger of their cursed bloodline, leaving barren wastelands in their wake.

Their savagery was unmatched, devoid of any moral ground—it was absurd to expect trolls to possess one. They killed and devoured humans as if they were mere sustenance, ripping limbs with casual brutality, their feasts a grotesque display of dominance. Edmond's mother had been one of the unfortunate victims, her fate seared into his memory—he had watched her become food for the Frostmaw Trolls, her screams cut short, a scene forever ingrained in his mind, fueling his vendetta like an unquenchable flame.

Edmond flew for hours, his goggles scanning the desolate terrain, the ruined cities and overgrown fields a testament to Astrid's fall. Finally, he stumbled upon a stray Frostmaw Troll, the giant solitary in a clearing, its massive form hunched over a fire.

The troll was alone, feasting on a caught human, roasting the body on a crude stake over crackling flames, the scent of charred flesh mingling with the cold night air. The sight ignited Edmond's hatred, resentment boiling like acid in his veins, his grip tightening on his blaster.

Scanning the surroundings with his thermal vision, Edmond detected no other trolls, the area clear save for the beast before him. He deployed his proximity-sensing bots, small drones spraying out in a 500-meter radius around him and the troll, their sensors whirring softly as they formed an invisible net.

After killing many trolls, Edmond had learned two key traits: they rarely moved in groups, preferring solo hunts, and they weren't the smartest—just brutes with overwhelming power to crush foes easily. Together, they were nearly impossible to defeat, a lesson etched in blood. But separately? They were vulnerable, though not easy prey.

Edmond prepared himself, pointing his mana blaster at the unsuspecting troll. With insane accuracy honed from countless drills, he fired the shot toward the troll's heart, aiming to destroy it cleanly and end the fight swiftly. But as always, it was easier said than done.

At the last moment, the troll reacted instinctively, ice shards forming at the impact point in a flash of blue energy. The mana bullet was deflected with a sharp crack, wasting Edmond's chance, the projectile ricocheting into the night.

"Don't you think it's a little rude shooting at someone that's eating?" the Frostmaw Troll asked, turning to face Edmond, its voice a deep, rumbling growl that vibrated through the ground.

"What?" Edmond blurted out in surprise, his eyes widening. Trolls were stupid—that was common knowledge. To hear one speak coherently felt like his world was overturned, his mind reeling.

"What's with that look on your face? Oh. You're surprised I can talk. This man had the exact same look when I spoke as well," the troll said, rising to its full height, its glacial skin cracking faintly as it moved. It chewed casually on the plucked, roasted arm of the human it had cooked, the bone crunching between its icicle teeth.

"You know, I was hoping you'd be smart enough to not engage me and be on your way. But it seems killing me was your intention all along. He was right. Someone is actively killing us. I guess I finally found the rat," the troll muttered, continuing its feast on the limb with grotesque nonchalance, juices dripping from its maw.

"Who are you? Are you a variant?" Edmond asked, his voice steady but his eyes scanning for escape routes, his thermal goggles flickering as he assessed the terrain—ruined trees, scattered rocks, open fields that offered little cover.

"Variant? You all got it wrong. Those brainless trolls you've been fighting, acting alone, were the defects of our land. The ones we didn't need but couldn't kill ourselves to prevent internal conflict. So we simply sent them here ahead of us so you guys could do us a favor and finish them off in our stead. And to that, you've all been doing a good job. Consider me grateful," the troll finished, devouring the last bit of the arm with a satisfied crunch, its pale eyes locking onto Edmond with predatory amusement.

"As a sign of my gratitude, I will offer you a swift and painless death!" the troll declared, its voice booming as it lunged forward. Its massive weight pressed against the earth, creating a small crater with a thunderous impact, its arm swinging toward Edmond like a frozen battering ram.

Maneuvering smartly, Edmond dodged the blow, his flight boots humming as he created distance, the wind from the swing ruffling his suit. He needed to understand this intellectual troll before committing—evasion was key until he grasped its capabilities.

"Impressive!" the troll yelled, praising Edmond's maneuver with a guttural laugh. It charged again, stretching its massive hand to grab him, but Edmond evaded smoothly, firing two mana bullets from unpredictable angles to test its defenses. The troll didn't flinch; ice shards formed on its chest in an instant, deflecting the bullets with sharp cracks, the projectiles veering off harmlessly.

Seeing this, Edmond decided to call it quits and retreat. With his bullets ineffective and time tight, he pivoted mid-air, flying backward at top speed, his boots propelling him through the night.

"Ah. Let me tell you. You're not the only race smart enough to create an inescapable net that evades enemy surveillance. If I must say, that's the greatest quality of us trolls. We're good at creating hard-to-spot inescapable nets. We might look alone, with no support. But you see, that's how we catch people like you in our net," the troll yelled at the retreating Edmond, its laughter booming like cracking ice.

Edmond frowned, the words unsettling him, a chill running down his spine unrelated to the night air.

Boom!

Edmond was sent crashing backward, a large ball of ice projectiles smashing into him with explosive force. The speed was blinding; he couldn't react in time, the impact jarring his bones despite his suit's protection.

Edmond crashed to the ground, pain jolting through his body like lightning, dirt and frost scattering around him.

"This is what aids your escape, right? I wonder how good you are without it," the initial troll asked, appearing beside him, holding Edmond's booster boots in its massive hand, the mana core flickering weakly.

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.