“So that’s how it is…”

  A slow, dangerous smile spread across his lips.

  “Momentum”

  Nova muttered, the word echoing in his mind as he finally found the key to unlocking the true potential of his spear.

  ‘How did I not think of this before?’ His thoughts churned with excitement. ‘It’s so simple now. If I let the spear move with my body, I can accumulate power through momentum, increasing the force I can deliver. But this requires perfect harmony between my movements and the spear.’

  Nova focused, his mind racing as he analyzed the concept. ‘First, the spear must become an extension of myself—an inseparable part of my body. It needs to carry my strength, my weight, my very will.’

  He closed his eyes, his breath steadying as he conjured an image of his previous battle with the ice troll. This time, he would approach it differently. With deliberate intention, he loosened his grip on the spear, allowing his body to relax, opening himself to the natural rhythm of the world around him. His muscles unwound, his posture flowing as he let go of tension. The spear felt lighter now, its weight shifting slightly forward as his grip softened.

  ‘I can feel it’, Nova thought, his body attuned to the new sensation. ‘If I build momentum with this posture, the force I can generate will easily double.’

  He took a moment to stretch, jumping lightly on the spot to familiarize himself with the newfound flow. It was a sensation both alien and exhilarating, but within moments, he felt the rhythm settle into place.

  “I'm ready.”

  With a determined nod, Nova stepped forward, his eyes narrowing as another ice troll appeared before him, its hulking form casting a shadow over the battlefield.

  With a burst of speed, Nova sprinted forward, closing the distance between him and the ice troll in the blink of an eye. But he did not thrust.

  The troll, expecting a direct assault, raised its massive right hand, claws ready to shred Nova to pieces. Yet, something stopped it. Nova had turned his back to the creature, a blatant invitation for death. The troll's bloodlust surged as it saw the opportunity, charging forward with reckless abandon.

  But Nova was already one step ahead. Pivoting sharply on his left foot, he spun, his body flowing like a well-oiled machine. His grip on the spear remained deliberately loose, allowing the weapon to move freely with his momentum. In that split second, the spear swept through the air—faster than the troll could react, carrying an immense force that transformed it into a deadly arc.

  The spear landed with devastating precision, slicing through the troll’s chest just as it was about to strike. The force of the blow was overwhelming—so much so that the spear pierced through its ribcage, leaving a mangled mess of flesh and bone in its wake

  [Spear Sweep proficiency increased]

  The troll howled in agony, its assault faltering as it instinctively reached for its chest, desperate to soothe the searing pain.

  Nova’s eyes locked onto the core. Without hesitation, he completed the first arc of his spear, then pivoted, his body flowing smoothly into a second turn. As the troll continued to wail, Nova’s spear swept again—swift and powerful—before the troll could shield its chest.

  This time, the spear cleaved through the troll’s torso with brutal force, bisecting it cleanly. The core was ripped free, and in an instant, the troll’s body collapsed into nothing but ash, disintegrating before it even hit the ground.

  [Spear Sweep proficiency increased]

  [Received 140,000 Stat EXP]

  This time, Nova felt no trace of fatigue. All he had done was execute two graceful pirouettes, and yet, the results were undeniable.

  ‘It works.’ A satisfied smile tugged at his lips as the thought surfaced. But then, another idea crept in. ‘This is just one technique I figured out on my own… I wonder what’s in the book given as a special reward’. His curiosity bloomed, an unshakable urge to explore this strange new world that tugged at him incessantly.

  ‘Enough about that’, he scolded himself. ‘I’ve got this damn portal to finish.’

  With renewed focus, Nova plunged into the next wave of ice trolls. Each one was swiftly dispatched, their bodies becoming nothing more than mangled heaps under the precision of his spear. His technique was effortless now, momentum flowing through him with a near-unbreakable rhythm. With every battle, his movements became sharper, more fluid, and his power surged forward, never slowing.

  Then, just as his momentum reached its peak, a notification flashed in his mind.

  [Skill: Momentum Streak has been learned.]

  Nova stopped dead in his tracks, a surprised frown crossing his face. He blinked, doing a double-take at the notification.

  ‘Momentum Streak?’ He felt a spark of curiosity flare inside him. He didn’t waste a moment and immediately probed for more information. Slowly, the description appeared in his mind.

  Skill: Momentum Streak

  (A stacking status that increases speed, attack fluidity, and reaction time with every successful hit. Stacks decay if movement stops.)

  "Can I chain kills with this?" Nova mused aloud, his voice tinged with curiosity. "It should be possible—after all, it’s a passive skill, but I’ll need to test it out. I’m almost done with this ice hell.”

  With that thought, he pressed on, determined to finish what he started. It wasn’t long before he encountered another ice troll, and he immediately set about experimenting with his newfound skill. What he discovered next nearly took his breath away.

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  ‘This is insane’, Nova thought, stunned by the results as he stood over the remains of the fallen troll.

  When he replayed the fight in his mind, it was clear how dramatically things had shifted once he landed that first strike. The battle had begun normally—Nova charging toward the troll, its slow response doomed from the start. But the moment Nova landed the first blow, everything changed.

  He became a blur, each strike feeding into the next. The troll’s arms were severed before it even had a chance to react. Momentum piled on with each successful hit, a relentless barrage of attacks that never ceased. By the time Nova finished, a single sweep obliterated the troll’s body, the core the only thing left unscathed as it rolled to the ground.

  "This is the kind of progress I currently need to clear a Green portal" Nova muttered to himself, a rare grin forming on his face. Then, his mind wandered. "But… what kind of monster would it take to clear a Blue one?" Said the monster himself.

  Shaking off the thought, Nova continued his march. It was becoming increasingly clear that the ice trolls were no more challenging than the goblin soldiers he had wiped out so easily in the past. He pressed forward, each troll falling before him like a weightless shadow.

  It wasn’t long before the final ice troll disintegrated into dust before his eyes.

  [Received 140,000 Stat EXP]

  [Spear Sweep proficiency increased]

  [Regeneration proficiency increased]

  [Momentum Streak proficiency increased]

  Nova's breath came in shallow pants due to keeping the momentum up for too long. But before him, the ice wasteland finally ended. In its place loomed a fortress, an unexpected sight in the desolate landscape.

  ‘What is this now?’ Nova wondered, instinctively sensing that this place held something different. He didn't injure his right arm as he felt something was different. A fortress shouldn’t house any trolls…

  ‘I’ll find out soon enough.’

  With that, he took a step forward and entered the fortress gate. Inside, a structure rose before him—a royal castle of some sort, its grandeur unmistakable despite its abandoned state. The banners hanging from the walls were tattered and faded, remnants of a once-thriving kingdom long since fallen.

  Nova scanned the area, noticing the ruins scattered around him. Only the castle remained intact, standing defiantly against the passage of time. With a shrug, he pressed forward into the building. The interior was just as ruined as the outside—furniture shattered, and walls scarred, as if a great war had raged within these halls.

  ‘I think I know where this is going... and I kinda like it.’

  A small, airy smile crept onto Nova’s face as he moved deeper into the castle. Before him stood a grand, towering door. He pushed it open and entered, the oppressive air of the room thick with history. The throne room.

  At the end of the hall, an enormous throne loomed, and seated upon it was a figure. Nova’s eyes narrowed, the dim lighting making it difficult to make out at first. He took a few steps forward to get a clearer view, and then he saw it.

  A troll, nearly 4 meters tall, smaller than the ones he had fought up until now, but still a formidable presence. His hide was moss-covered and stone-like, marred by countless battle scars. Glowing yellow eyes burned from beneath a crown of jagged, broken horns, radiating both intelligence and brutal malice. A matted mane, tangled with bones and rusted metal, draped over his massive shoulders.

  His clawed hands, each the size of a small knife, gripped the throne’s armrest. Near the throne rested a club forged from the metal scraps of fallen enemies—a symbol of his dominance over the weak.

  Above his head, a black name hovered ominously.

  [Troll King]

  He immediately checked his status.

  [Troll King]

  Rank: 0

  Name: Vragor

  Species: Troll

  Affiliation: None

  Level: 3

  Class: None

  Attributes:

  Strength: 189

  Vigor: 203

  Dexterity: 134

  Speed: 127

  Intelligence: 68

  Wisdom: 71

  Will: 1

  Luck: 0

  Nova stood in stunned silence, his eyes locked on the status hovering above the troll’s head. It was incomprehensible. The troll’s body stats were all above 100, with one even surpassing 200. How could this be possible?

  ‘Wait, it has a name?’ Nova's surprise only grew. This was the first time he had encountered a monster with a name.

  But what came next completely floored him.

  Vragor, the troll king, met Nova’s gaze and muttered under his breath, but the words were loud enough for everyone in the hall to hear. “Another civilization connected to the Universe…”

  Nova’s mind reeled. He had to steady himself, struggling to keep his composure. Never in his wildest dreams had he thought he’d encounter a creature in these portals who could speak.

  Once he gathered his wits, he asked the question that had been bubbling up inside him—one he had never thought to ask before, not because he was dumb, but because he had assumed it was already answered. But this situation had shaken that assumption. “What are these portals? And what do you mean? Also, how do you know my language?”

  Vragor, who had grown tired of his confinement in the throne room, seemed more than willing to entertain Nova’s questions now that he had someone to speak with. With a slow and deliberate tone, he responded, clearly amused by Nova’s curiosity.

  “So many questions” Vragor mused. “Does that mean your civilization was only recently introduced by others to the wider Universe? Well, it doesn’t matter.” The troll gathered his thoughts before continuing, his voice carrying a weight of centuries. Nova listened closely, every word hanging in the air.

  “First, I don’t know your language.”

  Nova blinked, about to speak, but Vragor continued, not allowing him the chance.

  “This space—what you call ‘a portal’—is translating the meaning of our words, the intention we want to convey, in real-time.”

  A realization struck Nova. ‘So that’s how I’m able to understand him.’ He kept his thoughts to himself, not wanting to anger the troll king or risk losing this rare opportunity for information.

  Vragor leaned back in his throne, the air growing colder as his words took on a darker tone.

  “A ‘portal’, using your term, is not what you think. It’s a cage. A cage built for the civilizations who lost their rights to exist in the universe.” He paused, allowing the weight of his words to sink in. “You see, your civilization didn’t connect to the wider Universe by chance. No. The higher civilizations required more lesser ones. They needed your kind.”

  Vragor’s gaze locked onto Nova’s, and the question that followed was sharp, filled with a terrible knowing. “Can you think of why they needed you?”

  Nova stood there, still reeling from the revelation, when Vragor’s question lingered in the air. His mind raced, desperately trying to make sense of it all. ‘Why?’

  ‘Would a higher civilization really help a lesser one out of kindness? No. That doesn’t add up. How had I not seen it before? It’s so obvious, so painfully clear. Even a child could’ve figured it out. How had everyone missed this? How had no one questioned it?’

  Frustration churned within him, his thoughts a blur as he mentally cursed at himself and humanity for their blindness. Then, from the chaos of his racing mind, one thought emerged, piercing through the confusion: ‘They need us to do something for them.’

  Taking a deep breath, Nova forced his thoughts to focus, looking Vragor in the eye. His face darkened and his voice was slow, deliberate, with a sharp edge to it. “Heh. No one’s ever that kind, not without wanting something in return. Once they get what they need, they’ll probably just discard us, like we’re nothing. How amusing. I wonder what they’ll think when I’m the one tossing their dead bodies aside. Bet they won’t see that coming.”

  Vragor’s eyes narrowed slightly, his expression unreadable, yet there was a subtle acknowledgment in his gaze. His nod was slow, deliberate, as though he had seen too much of the Universe’s cruelty to be surprised by Nova’s words.

  He opened his mouth, what he said next nearly made Nova lose control.

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