I Am The Anti-Mage

Chapter 78: Warlord: Val'gard

Ji-woo had fought countless Trolls and still remained at the top, standing among the swarm of corpses after an hour of full-scale fighting.

Ji-woo started to lose his breathing rhythm. His physique also piled up the fatigue. There were only a few Trolls left. Perhaps, he could end the battle soon.

The Trolls wore grim expressions. Strangely, they were no longer ganging up on Ji-woo and just stood still, gritting their teeth.

Ji-woo tilted his head, followed by a massage on his neck and shoulders.

“Have enough? That’s weird. Aren’t you all the best race compared to humans? Where was that arrogance from earlier?

“What a disappointment.”

The Trolls still didn’t take any action despite got mocked by Ji-woo. It was a sign that something was going to happen. He moved his legs, ready to jump and finish them off, but halted it abruptly when the sound of footsteps with tremendous Mana caught his attention.

“The fun is just about to begin. O, human.”

Suddenly, There was a Troll came walked into the battlefield wearing a magnificent set of armor. The Troll was more menacing than the first two Trolls that Ji-woo fought in the beginning.

The arrival of that Troll caused the other Trolls to scatter, surrounding the battlefield in a broader range.

“Savage Monger?”

Kikikik–

The Troll laughed. “Oh, that was the name when I began my journey to the top. Well, my two generals died at your hands, and that name must have come from them. Only the two of them dared to say that name among my troops.”

Ji-woo showed a grave expression. The Troll was strong, much powerful than those two Trolls.

“I’m the commander of my army. The Master of the Savage Monger! The Warlord of Trolls, Val’gard!”

Val’gard roared, and his eyes flashed a blue light that overshadowed the dark blue color. His eyes were different from humans. Underneath the helmet, his eyes stand out in a deep blue, contrasting with the orange color of his skin. He spread out his hands that were holding the two Axes of the Savage Monger. He caused the wind pressure to push everything near him.

Ji-woo was unfazed by the pressure. But, he could felt the chill atmosphere between him and Val’gard.

Val’gard walked toward Ji-woo at a slow pace, showing his confidence to fight. His appearance was totally on a whole different level. The armor set had the same composition as the others, but the material was solid steel, not fur leather. The blue and gold armor color matched his skin tone perfectly. Each hand wielded a one-sided ax, and on his back were three spears similar to the earlier Troll’s spear.

Ji-woo clicked his tongue and dashed at his fastest speed ever. He could not afford to underestimate the creature capable of making him feel worried.

Val’gard was caught off guard and blocked the powerful blow with his two Axes.

Bang!

Kaboom!

The collision caused an explosion.

“Man. It’s tough.” Ji-woo smiled awkwardly.

Kikikik–

“Interesting.”

Val’gard pulled his left hand that wielded Savage Monger Axe swiftly and then swung it back at Ji-woo.

Ji-woo jumped back as fast as he could. But, his chest was not safe from the cleave. It bled even though it was shallow.

“Human. You need to show me what you got. Just moving fast won’t keep you safe.”

Haha–

“Well. Will the other Trolls join us later on?”

Val’gard tilted his head. “Why? Afraid it would happen? Don’t worry, the Warlord of Trolls doesn’t need such a thing.”

Boom!

Val’gard closed the gap and appeared in front of Ji-woo. He swung his right Savage Monger Axe down.

That was a close call. Fortunately, Ji-woo responded with a swift movement to the left, dodging the blow that slid to the ground. However, that was not the end. Val’gard eventually kicked him in the chest.

Ji-woo was blown away and bounced several times on the ground. He stopped his spinning body by gripping the ground.

Val’gard rested his left Savage Monger Axe on his left shoulder and spoke to Ji-woo.

“Human. You know what. Since I’ve been here, not even once has my presence been required to clean up the intruders.

“My troops will always do the job, and I think it will be a good experience for them until it got boring and made me realize the truth.

“This is a special place created by the Warlock. It’s for the lord’s purposes. The restrictions that you humans have was don’t work here for us. So, no matter how many people you guys come here, their strength will be below ours.”

Bang!

Val’gard was blown away after getting hit on the left side of his face. The sudden attack made him drop the Axes of Savage Monger to the ground.

Ji-woo managed to land a punch after smoothly crossing the block that Val’gard put up when he appeared.

“Is that why you used that cheap trick? Even though all of you here are already several levels above us, humans?”

Val’gard got up and wiped the green blood from his mouth.

Kikikik–

“Where’s the fun in killing them head-on without letting them feel despair when we kill them one by one in the shadows?”

Ji-woo jumped. He tried to take one of the Axes of Savage Monger.

Val’gard saw that and took out one of the spears from his back. He tossed it quickly and excellently drew Ji-woo to back off from the Axes of Savage Monger. It even managed to injure Ji-woo’s chest, making it a straight line down from the shoulder to the stomach.

The front part of Ji-woo’s hunter gear suit got slightly ruined. However, that was not without any gain. When Val’gard ran toward the two weapons, he took the spear that got stuck on the ground.

The front of Ji-woo’s hunting gear suit slightly shattered. However, the injury was not without advantage. As Val’gard dashed toward the two weapons, he picked up the spear that just stuck in the ground. He should be able to overpowered Val’gard with the spear.

The Axes against the spear.

Val’gard jumped up and tried to close the distance. But, Ji-woo kept him away with a few spear thrusts. He, who found it easy before, found it more difficult now.

Did the spear make much of a difference?

Logically, the Axe was a type of close-range weapon, closer than the spear, which was precisely capable of reaching some distances.

Val’gard gritted his teeth and tried to rush at Ji-woo again. As a result, it still didn’t work. The spear’s thrusts were more troublesome than Ji-woo’s agile movements when fighting. His blue golden armor got slightly worn out as every successful thrust of the spear would cause his armor to crack.

Val’gard stepped back and then jumped high into the air. He quickly descended and slammed the Axes of Savage Monger to the ground, some distance in front of Ji-woo.

Kaboom!

The ground shook, and it disturbed Ji-woo’s footing slightly. Suddenly, Val’gard appeared in front of him swung two Axes from above. He was taken aback and didn’t have time to launch a spear thrust at close range between them.

Ji-woo then used the spear to block the two Axes. Unfortunately, the spear wasn’t enough to do the job, and one of the Axes manages to slash at Ji-woo’s side in the same spot where the spear injured him earlier.

The slash made a deep wound, and blood gushed out of it. However, Ji-woo was injured not without a counterattack. He pierced Val’gard’s left shoulder with the spearhead of the broken weapon.

Both Ji-woo and Val’gard retreated at the same time. Ji-woo held his right chest while Val’gard didn’t care about the spear stuck in his left shoulder. He didn’t even drop the Axes of Savage Monger like before.

“What are you!?”

The fact that Val’gard still couldn’t kill Ji-woo started to irritate him. He had been slowly exerting his full strength since the spear thrust strikes. Yet, the double slash he did earlier only made a small cut. It couldn’t even inflict a fatal wound on an ordinary human!

Ji-woo didn’t want to waste his breath. He needed to regulate his strength and stamina. Even though the wound wasn’t critical, it still hurt him. His body had several injuries that couldn’t get ignored anymore.

‘Darn it!’

Ji-woo clenched his fists and focused his remaining strength. It was now or never.

Boom!

He disappeared and jumped in front of Val’gard.

Val’gard swiftly swung the Axes of Savage Monger from the left and right, aimed at Ji-woo’s neck. However, in that small expanse, Ji-woo surprisingly blocked the two Axes with his hands.

Val’gard frowned at the reckless move.

Unexpectedly, the slashes got stopped, and a loud sound got heard.

Ji-woo’s defense paid off, and he kicked Val’gard while holding one of the Axes of Savage Monger.

Val’gard flung and bounced several times on the ground. The punch should emphasize the surprise that Ji-woo managed to block his Axes slashes.

The Axes of Savage Monger was the powerful weapon that created the story of Val’gard to become the Warlord of Trolls. The sharpness was extraordinary, and the weight was perfect, making the slash unstoppable.

Val’gard coughed and got up with one Axe of the Savage Monger. He was furious that his weapon got stolen and used by Ji-woo.

“Ungrateful b*st*rd!”