I Became a Ruined Character in a Dark Fantasy

Chapter 321

The troll's scream was layered with a high-pitched sound that seemed to scrape against Ian's eardrums. The resonance within that sound wave instantly surged through his entire body.

For a split second, Ian’s brow furrowed. The Wind Blade he had just cast scattered instantly, and the magic flowing through his veins tangled, halting abruptly. Troll roars usually included a wave that induced status effects, typically fear—something Ian could resist without even blinking.

However, this was different; it wasn’t merely interference but a complete disruption of his magic flow—a state similar to magic backflow, unaffected by resistance and reliant solely on one’s magical resilience for recovery.

Rustle—

Almost simultaneously, writhing shapes emerged on either side of the spider troll. Another spider troll appeared alongside it, both moving silently, aligning in a line as they approached their prey. But Ian’s gaze wasn’t on the trolls; instead, he focused on the smaller creatures with violet eyes gleaming as they closed in.

...Kobolds?

Their upper bodies were unmistakably kobold-like, but their lower bodies moved with remarkable speed on insectoid legs encased in a black exoskeleton. Much like the trolls, they bore long, shell-covered horns—or rather, chitinous appendages extending from the backs of their heads, resembling antennae more than true horns.

"Creeeeek—"

"Scree—"

The creatures snapped their jaws, emitting their signature shrieks. Even mutated, it was strange to think of kobold offspring as part of a troll’s brood.

Is this some kind of mimicry?

On instinct, Ian extended his right arm and fired a bolt from his crossbow at the lead creature, narrowing his eyes. It was a useless question. What mattered now was the creatures charging at him with alarming speed. Though his tangled magic still hadn’t resumed its flow, it wasn’t a significant issue. Without breaking his stride, Ian raised his clenched left fist in front of his face.

Whirr.

A golden hexagon shimmered to life before him—the Platinum Barrier. The resonance that disrupted his magic couldn’t interfere with the dragon’s power embedded in the Mantra circuit. After all, even in the game, the magic backlash couldn’t cancel out high-tier or divine abilities, and the same applied to dragon magic.

And, of course, Ian wielded more than just a single piece of dragon gear.

Swoosh—

A brilliant yellow glow pulsed along the pure white blade of Ian’s Truesilver Steel Sword. A series of Mantra circuits glowed along the sword's center, reaching up to the crossguard. The magic flared brighter and enveloped the blade, extending it to one and a half times its original length, radiating light intense enough to serve as a beacon.

At this point, I might as well call it a Light Sword. I probably look like a holy knight to anyone watching.

The bright glow from Ian’s blade revealed the scene ahead in sharp detail: the spider trolls advancing slowly in the distance, and the swarm of spider kobolds rushing forward like a pack of wolves.

"Scree—"

Several of the lead kobolds leaped into the air almost simultaneously. Thanks to Ian’s heightened Concentration and Intuition, their movements felt slowed down, giving him ample time to react.

He tracked every threat around him—three kobolds jumping toward him, a few climbing trees to flank him, and even the black bolts lodged in the chest of one that was charging directly at him. He’d thought those bolts would at least keep them immobilized, but clearly, they hadn’t.

Strengthening his grip, Ian prepared to counter.

Clang—

One spider kobold collided with his Platinum Barrier, bouncing off with a metallic crash. At the same time, Ian swung his right arm in a sharp arc, slicing a brilliant yellow diagonal path through the air with his Light Sword.

Slash.

The blade cleaved through a nearby tree trunk and then effortlessly continued through a spider kobold’s torso, splitting it in half, its spindly legs sprawling apart as the creature fell.

Ian’s eyes darted to the next threat. In a fluid motion, he thrust his left arm forward, driving the edge of his shield straight into the chest of a charging kobold’s spider-like lower body. As he felt the weight press against his arm, he forcefully drove it downward.

Crunch!

The spider kobold smashed into the ground, crushed and half-mangled under his shield. Its legs twitched grotesquely in their last spasms. But Ian wasn’t watching it anymore; he pushed the shield aside, rising as he pivoted to face the next threat.

Thud! Slice!

Ian sliced apart a spider kobold descending from a tree, and in a smooth, continuous motion, he swung his blade again, cleaving another charging kobold in two. It crumbled, split by the powerful Light Sword.

This works even better than I thought.

Feeling the splatter of ichor seeping through his hood and cloak, Ian allowed himself a moment of quiet admiration. This superhuman fluidity in his movements was thanks to his innate traits and high stats, especially his Strength and Agility. Still, the razor edge of his sword, amplified by the activated Platinum Claw, contributed more than a little.

Even for hatchlings, these creatures’ exoskeletons shouldn’t have been so easily sliced through. The Fangs of the Heaven Defier embedded within his black sword could shred opponents as though tearing them apart with serrated teeth, while the Platinum Claw made clean, effortless cuts through nearly anything.

There’s a hefty energy cost, but...

It wasn’t draining his magic, so it hardly counted as a drawback.

Suddenly, Ian snapped his head around, just after slicing through the third spider kobold.

"Graaaah!"

A furious roar rolled over him—a spider troll’s bellow. This wasn’t the one he’d initially encountered, but rather the second that had appeared. Instinctively, Ian raised his Platinum Barrier to shield himself, but his magic flow, which had nearly stabilized, tangled again.

Rustle—

At the same time, the spider kobolds swarmed past him, ignoring him entirely. Ian glanced back, realizing they had shifted their focus to the campsite. His gaze followed the horde as they rapidly closed in on the camp.

Seven? Eight?... Better wrap this up quickly and rejoin them.

As always, Ian reached a quick conclusion and focused ahead. The troll that had just finished roaring was still standing in place. With its spider-and-scorpion-like lower body, it was far larger than an ordinary troll. However, what caught Ian's attention wasn’t its size but its gaping maw, which was now stretching open abnormally wide, skin tearing at the corners.

"Grkkk—"

Just as I thought, damn it.

Ian immediately threw himself to the side as he heard a sickening, gurgling sound. Almost simultaneously, a thick, black sludge began spewing from the creature’s mouth.

Thump thump thump!

Ian rolled on the ground and dashed forward, dodging the thick sludge that the troll expelled with incredible pressure. The viscous substance sluggishly chased after him.

Hiss—

A nearby tree trunk that got splashed with the sludge smoldered, giving off a cloud of toxic, acrid smoke. Poison, no doubt about it.

Spitting poison from its mouth... that’s gotta be some kind of spider trait.

Ian slowed down, circling as he watched the troll adjust its body, turning slowly as its gaping maw continued to open wide. His gaze shifted to the long, twisted horn behind its head—no, on closer inspection, it wasn’t a horn but a tail connected to its lower body, scorpion-like and rooted at the back of its head.

The kobolds had the same thing going on.

As he considered this, Ian sprinted toward the creature, noting that its poison-spewing had tapered off. At least it couldn’t spit that amount of poison continuously. Around its mouth, the flesh had turned black, exposing patches of bone—the troll seemed to harm itself with its poison. Despite that, it showed no signs of pain, merely glaring at Ian with its right fist raised to prepare for a strike.

But by then, Ian was already leaping toward it, his glowing blade drawing a bright yellow arc in the air.

Slash!

The glowing blade carved cleanly through the troll’s torso, slicing from its left underarm to its right shoulder. The impact felt as if he were cutting through soft tofu. Ian twisted and rammed his shoulder into the troll’s midsection, causing its massive body to lurch back. The creature’s severed head and shoulder fell backward, only held together by the tail fused to its skull.

Ian was just about to bring his sword down when he twisted his head. The troll’s severed right arm, originally poised to strike, now swung toward him like a club while its lower body convulsed and twisted uncontrollably to the side.

Even after the head’s gone, its legs are still moving?

Without pausing, Ian instinctively raised the Platinum Barrier. The thick severed arm crashed against its surface.

Clang!

The impact spread across the shield, sending Ian hurtling sideways. Even he couldn’t maintain his stance in midair. Unfortunately, he was now headed straight for another spider troll. Unlike the first one, this troll had been cautiously observing from a distance, inching closer as it waited for the right moment to strike or retreat if needed—a cunning behavior not typical of trolls.

As Ian fell in a wide arc toward it, he caught sight of the approaching creature. Its mouth stretched wide, preparing to strike, but Ian’s focus wasn’t on its head.

These bastards... could it be?

Ian's gaze locked onto the creature’s lower body, standing firmly on eight jet-black jointed legs with an oily gleam. Embedded in its center were clusters of obsidian-like eyes gleaming ominously.

... So that’s the main body, huh?

Without slowing down, Ian rolled across the ground and sprang forward, dodging a tree trunk that came close enough to brush past him before he continued his charge.

Splat—

A splash of the spider troll’s poison splattered onto the trunk, eating through it with a harsh hiss.

Ian pivoted sharply, running straight toward the creature. It twisted its head and body, using its legs to face him. Gritting his teeth, Ian braced both legs and raised the Platinum Barrier at an angle.

Thud-thud-thud—

A dense poison stream hit the barrier with such force that it could have pushed him back if he hadn't positioned it correctly. Ian was able to maintain his run, although at a slightly slower pace, as the barrier absorbed the impact.

Hiss—

The poison splattered from the shield, some of it grazing the edge of his cloak. Ian simply grimaced. His resistance to poison and disease was the highest among his status resistances. Unless this poison was as potent as something conjured by a creature of the void, he wouldn’t die from it. Though, unfortunately, it didn’t protect him from the stench.

Fuck.

As the pressure against his shield eased, Ian swung his left arm in a sharp motion and leaped. By now, the troll loomed directly before him, its gaping blackened mouth stretched wide, and one fist raised to strike.

Of course, Ian moved faster than the creature could.

Slash!

With a powerful swing, his blade carved diagonally through the troll’s waist. He bent his raised right arm, channeling strength into his shoulder as he crashed into the troll. With a dull impact, the creature’s upper body reeled backward, just as it had before.

This time, Ian’s move was different. Gritting his teeth, he drove his left arm down with all his strength at the moment of impact.

The bright yellow edge of the Platinum Barrier, unscathed by poison, wedged firmly into the severed wound of the troll’s torso, which had already begun oozing fluid. Ian’s steely gray eyes locked onto the lower half of the creature, still standing solidly despite the damage.

More specifically, his gaze focused on the bulging clusters of jet-black, glistening eyes embedded in that lower body.

So this was the core, after all.

At the same time, Ian spread the fingers of his left hand, revealing the essence bead at the center of his palm, secured by a chain linked to his fingers and glowing with gray magic.

Crack—boom!

A powerful, invisible force radiated from his palm, drawing everything nearby inward before detonating in a massive blast. Enhanced by the Gray Witch’s gemstone, the Vacuum Explosion tore through the troll’s waist, blowing it apart like a drum, while its lower half caved in, crushed by the impact.

The force of the blast knocked Ian back, and as he tumbled, he watched the troll’s lower body collapse silently. Quickly regaining his footing, he turned to face his surroundings.

"Remember this! The true body of these things is—"

His voice faltered as his eyes caught sight of an orange light flickering in the distance. It wasn’t just his Platinum Barrier and Light Sword illuminating the area—something else was casting a bright glow.

Silent, orange flames were engulfing the campsite, setting the ground and even the tree trunks ablaze. These weren’t ordinary flames, but holy fire, glowing with divine energy.

Ian’s pupils, dilated like an owl’s, quickly took in the scene beyond the flames. Two horses stood silhouetted against the glowing firelight, and in front of them, Miguel was bringing down an ax with force.

Behind him, a spider kobold lunged, only to be intercepted by Nila rushing in for the strike. To their side, Lucia extended her left hand forward, her stance resolute. Brilliant orange flames engulfed a spider kobold charging at her, and a bluish-white flame flickered like ghostly fire at the top of her raised flail—pale, almost spectral compared to the other flames around it.

An apostle is still an apostle, young or not.

Just as one corner of Ian’s mouth twitched in a smirk, he sensed something closer. His focus shifted back from the distant view, zooming out from the scenes and focusing on his immediate surroundings. The towering figure rising in front of him came into sharp focus: the headless spider troll.

The troll’s massive body hung limp but was lifting upward. Its lower half, the true body, was still active. With its rear legs raised, it was pulling the upper body away from itself.

Finally, Ian noticed the tail embedded in the troll’s back, lifting it aloft. As the troll’s body detached, he saw that its lower half had dissolved into a sticky sludge dripping with viscous fluid.

Thud—

The troll’s body thudded to the ground, revealing the upper section of the true creature. A gaping maw opened where its back should have been, likely used to trap prey, slowly digesting them while manipulating the troll like a puppet.

What would you even call that? Host spider...?

But the name didn’t matter. Ian braced himself, kicking off the ground. It was time to send this revolting creature to join its fallen kin.