Chapter 049: The Wrath of the Troll!

The next morning, as soon as Morning Breeze logged in, Eternal Song pulled him into the party—clearly, preparations were complete on their end. Morning Breeze immediately concealed all his equipment information; he might need to use the Magic Ring later, and it was best not to tempt anyone with evil intentions.

The Magic Ring, true to its name, possessed an almost supernatural allure, capable of stirring greed in anyone’s heart. Few people now realized that the Shapeshifter was merely an alternate account for a warrior, and even fewer knew that Morning Breeze’s warrior possessed the Magic Ring.

Using the spatial transfer banner to teleport to the Troll Highlands, Morning Breeze soon saw Eternal Song and the others. Very few players had reached level 25 at this point, and assembling a team for the Wrath of the Trolls dungeon was rare. At a glance, only a handful of teams had gathered for this challenge.

All four party members were professional players. Eternal Song was a Frost Mage; Shadow’s Wake, a Subtlety Rogue; Leaper, a Survival Hunter; and Sunset Afterglow, a Discipline Priest. All but Sunset Afterglow, who hailed from the Falling Sun guild, were pros from Dustfall Team. Recently, Morning Breeze had crammed information about various guilds and thus knew a bit about Falling Sun—it was a predominantly female guild. The player with the game ID Sunset Afterglow wasn’t exactly a beauty, but her skill was formidable; in the last tournament, she’d managed to escape a focused onslaught from three opponents, earning instant fame.

“It begins!” As the tank, Morning Breeze stepped into the dungeon first. Before him stretched a rocky plateau, and in the distance stood a fortress hewn from stone. To reach it, they would first have to clear a patrol of minor enemies. Right ahead were three troll warriors, one troll shaman, and one troll hunter. In Heroic mode, these were all level 30 elite monsters. On Normal difficulty, there would only be three troll warriors at level 26.

“Shadow’s Wake, you take the troll hunter—do your best to prevent him from attacking. Leaper, focus on interrupting the troll shaman’s healing.” Morning Breeze temporarily took command; dealing with this group of five trolls at the start was no easy feat. If their coordination faltered, a wipe was likely right here.

“No problem!” Shadow’s Wake replied, feeling the task was trivial and immediately slipped into stealth. Leaper was also confident—it would be ideal to freeze the troll shaman with an ice trap, though the odds of freezing a target five levels higher were slim. Still, there was no harm in trying.

Charge!

Morning Breeze surged forward, activated Bloodlust, then unleashed Thunderclap to draw aggro. After supporting Eternal Song, he hurled a Heroic Throw and then leapt back with a Heroic Leap. Bloodlust triggered a free Whirlwind; without hesitating, Morning Breeze swapped his shield for a one-handed sword and unleashed a flurry of attacks.

Parry!
Parry!

Once his burst was over, Morning Breeze deftly switched back to his shield to parry the troll warriors’ axe strikes. Sunset Afterglow had expected that with Morning Breeze racking up so much threat, he’d be taking heavy hits. Yet after his barrage, he’d only received two regular attacks—he’d parried all the trolls’ Mortal Strikes. Due to his positioning, the other troll warrior couldn’t even get close.

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With a sweeping strike, Morning Breeze landed three heavy blows in a row, this time achieving a perfect execution that dealt extra damage—a very respectable output.

Shield Slam!

Devastate!

With healing at his back, Morning Breeze made no effort to parry or dodge; he simply pressed the attack, focusing on maximum output. As long as his health declined at a manageable rate, the rest was up to the healer. He glanced over to the rogue—Shadow’s Wake was darting around the troll hunter, moving so quickly that each time the troll hunter tried to turn and attack, Shadow’s Wake was already behind him, striking again.

Such masterful footwork! Close-quarters evasion was essential for any top-tier rogue. As a professional player, Shadow’s Wake had this down to an art. In Morning Breeze’s eyes, his movement and reactions were even sharper than most elite rogues—he was a notable figure.

Punch!

Compared to Shadow’s Wake, Leaper the hunter seemed less impressive. Against elite monsters, he struggled to time his interrupts, often forcing Morning Breeze to step in and use Punch to cover. Clearly, this survival hunter’s marksmanship needed work—he was probably from the second string, not the main team.

While Morning Breeze observed his teammates, they were also watching him—especially Shadow’s Wake. Seeing Morning Breeze tanking three monsters while dishing out massive damage, observing others, and still finding time to cover interrupts, he was deeply impressed by the finesse of Morning Breeze’s play. It was obvious that, for Morning Breeze, these minor enemies posed no threat.

Checking the damage chart, Morning Breeze alone accounted for 68% of the output—the others simply couldn’t keep up. Yet Shadow’s Wake knew he wasn’t a professional player. Why would such a master not join a pro team?

Clearing these minor foes was no challenge for Morning Breeze. Once done, he led the way forward and stopped before a narrow path on the plateau. The dungeon was set on a yellow-earth highland, dotted with chasms and ravines, with narrow trails connecting the plateaus—two meters wide and about twenty long. A single misstep would send one plunging to their death.

On the far side stood a wooden barricade bristling with sharp spikes—charging warriors would risk having even their shields pierced. Behind the barricade were three troll hunters and three troll spear throwers. This was the real test. On Normal difficulty, this obstacle didn’t exist—players could simply walk through after clearing the previous mobs. But here in Heroic, the sudden appearance of this challenge was a true trial.

If a warrior tried to cross under fire, even with Shield Wall up, they might survive until the barricade, but to destroy it, they would need to drop their shield, exposing themselves. Alternatively, if one used Heroic Leap to cross, how could they face six monsters alone?

Most groups wiped at this very spot in Heroic Wrath of the Trolls.

“How do we get across?” With the barricade in the way, Shadow’s Wake couldn’t stealth through. The spear throwers packed a punch—one toss could pierce a shield, while the hunters could snipe or use special throws. Forcing a way through was daunting—such was the challenge of a Heroic dungeon. The Withered Treant instance, the game's first dungeon, was manageable even in Heroic, but at level 25–30, the difficulty spiked.

“Shadow’s Wake, did you learn Shadowstep?” Morning Breeze could get across, but tanking six monsters solo was tough—he needed the rogue’s help. Shadowstep let a rogue instantly teleport behind an enemy for a sneak attack.

“I did!” Shadowstep was a skill book Shadow’s Wake had just acquired yesterday, perfect timing for this dungeon.

“You stealth over first. Once I’m across, shift behind the boss and do your best to control the mobs, buy time, and help break the barricade. If you can hold two elites, it’ll lighten my load.” Morning Breeze was no specialized tank—he just had quick reflexes and previous experience tanking.

“Just the two of us? How will you get across?” Shadow’s Wake was a bit uneasy; level 30 elites were no joke, and their control skills would likely be resisted. Without healing, tanking six was daunting.

“My cloak has a flight effect—I can fly across. The only question is whether you’ll be all right.” Morning Breeze could tank the mobs, but the rogue couldn’t. Against one, a rogue could manage, but two or three would be a problem.

“Let’s do it!” With Morning Breeze unfazed, how could Shadow’s Wake, a pro player, show fear?

The others wanted to say something, but Morning Breeze dashed to the edge, leapt into the air, activated his flight skill, and circled around to the other plateau. To avoid enemy attacks, he detoured for a rear assault, creating an opening for Shadow’s Wake. Given the five-level difference, Shadow’s Wake’s stealth would be easily detected unless Morning Breeze drew their attention.

Seeing his cloak’s flight skill, the others were envious—a skill like that would offer endless possibilities in the arena. Once across, Morning Breeze entered stealth, slowly creeping toward the troll spear throwers. When the others saw he could move while stealthed, they were dumbfounded—he’d clearly enhanced his racial skill.

“This guy is incredible!” Sunset Afterglow was stunned by Morning Breeze’s gear—even pro players couldn’t boast such powerful equipment: two Brotherhood blades, a unique golden cloak, dual specializations, and now even an enhanced racial talent. Such a powerhouse was unquestionably a top player in the early game.

How could someone like this not be a pro? In the pro league, he’d be an all-star. All four professionals present felt outclassed, yet Morning Breeze wasn’t one of them.

Charge!

As Morning Breeze drew close to the troll spear throwers and hunters, he didn’t hesitate—he charged straight in, launching a barrage of attacks. Alone against six elite monsters, each five levels above and without a healer, he didn’t waste a second considering tactics—he just dove in.

Thunderclap!

With a stomp, Morning Breeze’s Thunderclap slowed the spear throwers’ and hunters’ attack and movement speeds, then he raised his shield and bashed his way in, staying close to prevent the hunters and spear throwers from focusing him at range.

Miss!

Shadow’s Wake activated Shadowstep, aiming to stun a spear thrower from behind, but failed—the five-level gap made his control skills unreliable. Unable to control the elites, all the pressure now fell on Morning Breeze—this was trouble.

Though the spear throwers and hunters were ranged mobs, their melee prowess was formidable, especially the spear throwers—dodging their sweeping attacks was tough. The hunters, meanwhile, released black-haired boars and tried to keep their distance for ranged attacks, staying outside Morning Breeze’s melee range.

Three spear throwers attacking in melee, three hunters dealing ranged damage! Shadow’s Wake realized Morning Breeze was in danger, but seeing him still attacking ferociously, utterly unphased by the focused assault, it was as if he simply didn’t fear their combined might.