The [Forest Troll] didn't seem particularly swift but towering at ten feet, its strides covered a lot of ground rapidly. I let loose another arrow, aiming for its right eye. The troll was surprisingly intelligent enough to shield its eye with its right hand as it charged towards me. It flinched a little as the arrow dug into its right palm, protecting its eye but the arrow failed to penetrate fully.

Although I had seen it snap a massive tree branch with its bare hands a few seconds ago, I didn’t feel particularly threatened, perched safely on a branch well above its reach. That illusion of safety crumbled when the troll slammed into the tree trunk with such force that the entire tree swayed, its roots tearing from the ground. The branches at the top rocked dangerously, and I clung to the trunk, struggling to keep my balance.

Leaning against the trunk for support, I nocked an arrow and aimed at a nearby tree, its branch aligned perfectly with mine at the same height. I have marked that tree spot as a viable escape route yesterday night but now served a different purpose

Activating the [Phantom Blink Shot], I released the arrow not a moment too soon as my foothold vanished and I was hurled into the air as the tree uprooted from the troll slamming again.

*blink* I reappeared onto the new spot, facing the troll’s back. The teleportation was silent enough that it hasn’t noticed my new position yet. The troll rummaged through the fallen tree searching for me. I channeled the [Charged Shot of Phantom Whisper], but only for a second. The last charged shot has bruised my fingers bad enough that they feel too raw and painful to hold the charged arrow back for too long.

The arrow still zipped much faster than a normal arrow would and lodged deep into the wide neck of the troll, eliciting a deep guttural roar that echoed through the forest. I froze for an instant from the sheer rage I felt in the roar. When the troll turned, its wide flat face twisted into a mask of fury and lunged at the tree I was on.

The sudden change in its pace threw me off a little, but I had already marked my blink repositioning spot behind the troll’s back and I blinked to the new tree spot, a hundred feet away. The troll which had rammed into the tree by then, instantly spotted my new perched spot, turned slightly with its right shoulder facing forward and slammed again.

I held onto the nearby branches as the tree rocked back and forth. One more slam and this one felt like it would collapse as well. The troll is close enough to the trunk that I don’t have a clear sight of view through the branches beneath.

I scrambled to piece together my next move, my mind racing through possible options. The troll ignored the injuries it is taking from the reckless charges and the blood streaming from the arrows lodged in its neck and hand, with its sight set only on taking me down. I blinked again to a nearby tree, scouting my next blink spot while also processing all the information I have so far

I don’t know for sure what happens first - if the troll will exhaust itself and bleed to death or I will run out of mana and get caught. I have no intention of leaving that to chance and pray I get lucky

Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

I don’t need the fight to end quickly. It’s the Forest Troll that is injured and on a timer. The troll has proved that even if I get in a full powered shot again, it is not guaranteed to kill it instantly.

As the Troll charged towards the current tree, I faced away from the troll, ensuring that the arrow direction wouldn’t be clearly visible and launched a blink shot farther away.

*blink* I crouched on the tree branch a bit further away from the Troll and observed its reaction. The Troll had turned around, expecting me to blink towards its back again. As it searched for me, I silently leaped to a higher branch, blending into the canopy above. Just as I thought, it didn’t track me before by the teleportation effect but by following the blue glinted arrow whizzing past it as I blinked past it

When it couldn't locate me, it let out another furious roar and then pulled out the half-shattered arrow from its right hand. And then as it yanked out the next one in the nape of its neck, the [Silent Arrow] pierced into its right eye. The troll roared and snapped the arrow half protruding from its eye just as another one lodged into its left eye which had partially regenerated by then.

The fight turned into a calculated execution, as I alternated between silent arrows and blink shots. The troll finally collapsed, its legs giving away after several arrows found their mark in its knee joints.

Upgrade: Silent Arrow of Nex (E) -> Silent Arrow of Nex (D)

Upgrade: Phantom Blink Shot (E) -> Phantom Blink Shot (D)

Another arrow to the back of its head finished the job. I checked my notifications to confirm

*Monster Slayed - Forest Troll Lvl 26*

Level Up 10 -> 13

Upgrade: Strength +9, Perception: +6, Dexterity +3, Additional Stat Point +6

The fight had taken its toll, but the rewards were more than worth it. I noticed that each level up gave an additional point of Strength and Additional Stat Point compared to before. Makes each level now that much more helpful in fights.

With this victory, all my abilities had upgraded to (D) grade.Though I'm unsure of the standard progression, this felt pretty fast. It is likely that battling these higher leveled monsters is accelerating my skill growth much faster.

You have slain a monster at least 10 levels higher than you.

Upgraded Title: Fight Above Paygrade (Grade E) -> Fight Above Paygrade (Grade D)

Title Effect: All Stats +5 in battle against monsters higher level than you

The title upgraded from a buff to only Strength to All Stats which is a pretty good boost, especially to my low stats of Wisdom.

I perched comfortably on a tree branch, mentally reviewing my recent gains, when a piercing screech tore through the air, sending a sharp pain through my skull as my ears began to bleed. The powerful gales that followed swayed the trees violently, and a few that had barely stood from the previous fight crashed to the ground. I froze, not daring to breathe, as I sensed the source of this unnatural wind. A sense of dread filled me, it was like I was staring into the Horned Serpent’s dark gaping maw once more