The Paladin in the Abyss

One of the monsters was dragging a fairy-like beautiful creature by the hair, who was struggling intensely due to the pain. Meanwhile, another monster beside them would occasionally kick her and let out an unpleasant laugh in response to her crying and screaming.

A surge of intense anger rose in the heart of the little bat, as if she saw her own reflection in that child and wished she could rush out and save her immediately. But she was no longer the naive girl she once was; the experiences of the past month had taught her to stay calm and understand her role as a member of the team.

Little Issa recalled the knowledge she had learned about monsters, recognizing that the green-skinned giants were called Trolls. Apart from their characteristic foul stench, these monsters possessed a terrifying regenerative ability. Decapitation was not enough to kill them, but flame and acid were very effective—one dose was sure to make these ugly creatures wail for their mothers!

After flying around the Trolls at a distance, she confirmed that there were no other monsters lurking around and then turned her head to fly back to her companions.

Lancelot and his party were moving as quickly as possible toward the area, but due to the terrain, they had only advanced a hundred feet. Fortunately, with the Human Knight's sharp hearing, they did not lose track of their target.

"Trolls! There are five Trolls!"

A little bat whirred in front of him and then 'poof' transformed back into a Wanderer girl with two Cold Iron Shortwords on her waist and wearing a Mithril Chain Mail.

"Ah, why does it have to be those stinky things," Alamir's face showed disgust, "Did they really capture a child?"

"Mhm!" Little Issa nodded vigorously. "A beautiful little girl, let's go save her quickly!"

"Why would there be a little girl here?" Kalalin asked, puzzled, then his expression changed, "It isn't a child of the Aira, is it? Did you notice if she had wings on her back?"

"Ah? I... I didn't notice..." Little Issa answered with shame, "She was dragged by her hair face-up, I didn't see her back..."

"No matter what, let's save the child first," Lancelot said as he picked up the struggling Dwarf, "Bruto, you're too slow. How about I carry you for a while?"

"Put me down! I can walk by myself!" protested the Dwarf discontentedly.

"When we encounter the enemy, I'll throw you in first, guaranteeing you'll be the first to engage with the enemy."

"...Then what are we waiting for? Hurry it up!"

Now unencumbered by the Dwarf, the group's pace quickened considerably. Moments later, everyone could hear the child's cries and smell the Trolls' disgusting odor, which carried a long way.

"Remember, the best way to deal with Trolls is with flame," Koula said as he took out some flat bottles filled with red viscous liquid from his backpack, stuffing two into everyone's hands, "This is Fiery Gel, the substance inside will ignite upon contact with the air. Find an opportunity to smash it onto the Trolls, it will make the fight a lot simpler."

"But this place is full of marshes and puddles," warned Lancelot, "Make sure the enemy has lost its ability to move before setting it on fire."

"Hehe, got it," replied the Dwarf, suddenly pointing forward, "Quick look! There's the enemy!"

The group looked in the direction he had pointed and, indeed, saw five Trolls dragging a captive that was the size of a child forward. As they looked over, the Trolls also came to a sudden halt, as if sensing something amiss; they warily scanned their surroundings while continuously sniffing the air, as if they caught an unusual scent.

"Oh no, I forgot Trolls have an extremely keen sense of smell," Little Isha slapped her forehead in frustration, "this is bad, they must have smelled us."

"Then let's face them head-on," Lancelot smiled, "Elothysia, you focus on protecting the captured kid when the time comes, okay?"

"Alright, leave it to me!"

"Bruto, are you ready?"

"Hurry it up!"

Hearing that, Lancelot wasted no more words. He took two steps forward to get a running start, then suddenly swung his arms, and the Dwarf flew through the air like a cannonball launched from a catapult, speeding toward the enemy with a whoosh. Discover stories at My Virtual Library Empire

"Hello there!! Delivery service has arrived!!"

The Trolls instantly spotted the whooshing Dwarf, but his words caused a moment of confusion among the simple-minded creatures.

The Dwarf flew straight toward the Troll dragging the captive and, in the moment of contact, swung his weapon fiercely. The well-crafted hammer struck precisely where he aimed, causing the unprotected head of his target to burst open like an overripe watermelon.

"Haha! Did you order the hammer delivery?"

Bruto's body crashed heavily onto the beheaded Troll, flipping it over and securing a safe landing for himself. He quickly scrambled up from the ground, shaking his head to clear the dizziness from the impact, and was surprised to see that the headless Troll's body was still swinging its claws around wildly, reacting very differently from normal creatures who've had their brains smashed.

The other Trolls began to charge at him, but the Dwarf's companions had also arrived on the scene. Leading the charge was Lancelot, whose strange movement technique made him appear to almost float above the ground, whether it was over mud, pools of water, or fallen leaves, with a mere touch his whole body shot forward like an arrow released from a bow.

But Kalalin's magic was faster than his speed. A magic dagger glowing green shot past Lancelot and struck true in the chest of the lead Troll, then burst into a green flare. The Troll let out a piercing scream, as if the dagger contained some kind of power that inflicted immense pain upon it.

"Ma Youfu's Acid Arrow," Kalalin said with a proud grin, showing his teeth to his companions. This Second Circle spell, allegedly created by an Elf named Ma Youfu, could inflict continuous acid damage on the enemy and was one of the best offensive spells for spellcasters.

Lancelot's speed further increased, and in the time of three breaths, he reached the Troll hit by the spell. His Frostslash traced two cyan arcs through the air, slicing the enemy into three parts.

Without pausing, he charged directly into the midst of the enemy, instantly engaging two more Trolls.

Another Troll ran towards the captive thrown on the ground, only to find a warrior-garbed Succubus standing in its way. Although it didn't understand why a Succubus would be present in such a place, anyone blocking its path was an enemy at the moment. Besides, the opponent was merely the ugliest of all Demons, the Succubus, and this handsome and gallant Troll was not afraid of her.