Chapter 2 Salamander

 "Klaus!" A troll with dark hair and a hammer approached, touching Klaus' shoulder with his own. The troll's eyes sparkled with surprise when he saw Klaus.

 "We know about you, you are a lucky boy."

 "Thank the God of Earth for his blessings," Klaus said.

 The troll standing in front of Klaus was none other than their clan leader, Abe, who was organizing the hunt. Abe was the tallest troll in the tribe and by far the strongest in terms of fighting ability. When Klaus was young, Abe taught him how to throw a spear. He was not only a brave patriarch but also a serious teacher. Klaus's goal was to become a troll like Abe, but now his goal was to outdo Abe.

 Soon after, the other trolls arrived, and Klaus saw his brother Rand and his best friend Lyme. While the other trolls held weapons in their hands, Lyme was empty-handed.

 "Why don't you have a weapon?" Klaus asked Lyme curiously.

 "I'm a wizard. My weapons are magic gems and wands," Lyme shrugged. "But I don't have either of those."

 "You're a wizard?" Klaus was shocked.

 "He's right," Rand put a hand on Lyme's shoulder. "The gods of the earth chose him."

 Only a few trolls could become wizards, and wizards were second only to the patriarchs of the tribe. Each adult troll undergoes a psychic test, and only those who pass the test are eligible to become sorcerers.

 Because sorcerers possess the ability to heal, they accompany the group whenever they venture out. The average sorcerer carries no weapons, and only high-level sorcerers possess magic gems and wands. While the gems are typically hidden in the caves of evil dragons, the wands must be crafted by the wizards themselves, but the materials needed to fashion the wands come from the Greenlight Forest, where elves reside. Those elves are not willing to easily hand over the materials to the trolls, a race they despise.

 Therefore, it is not uncommon for wizards to be unarmed, but this does not hinder them from casting spells.

 "Hey! Boys!" Patriarch Abe shouted to them, "It's time for us to depart!"

 Then all the trolls lined up behind Abe, and as the stone door to the valley slowly opened, a golden light was cast. Abe raised his hammer high in the air and let out a loud roar. The other trolls also lifted their weapons and growled.

 Abe led the group out of the valley, followed by Klaus. It was his first hunting trip. He had no idea what kind of beasts awaited him. He was filled with excitement, but did not forget to remain vigilant.

 The Troll Hunt's destination was the Endless Forest, a forest of towering, seemingly never-ending trees with leaves spanning nearly four feet across. The trees stood close together, resulting in dense foliage that blocked out the sunlight.

 This dark, damp forest was home to many beasts, and trolls often ventured into the forest to hunt.

 As the trolls approach the outskirts of the Endless Forest, Abe raises his hand to signal silence. The trolls slow their pace and silently follow Abe into the dark forest. The sunlight fades, and darkness descends upon them.

 Suddenly, Abe halts. Klaus sees him point ahead in a slanted direction with his raised forefinger, and he knows that this means he has sighted the prey.

 Trolls possess very sensitive senses of smell and hearing. Even in the darkness of the forest, they can detect the location of their quarry.

 At Abe's command, the hunting party is divided into three separate groups to encircle the prey. Since Klaus is a newcomer, he can only wait in place as backup.

 Presently, the hiss of the wraiths comes from ahead. Klaus knows that the other trolls must be engaging the wraiths. The banging of weapons becomes increasingly intense, and Klaus even hears a scream from one of the trolls.

 He is the only one left on the spot, and unwilling to miss the fight, he rushes immediately in the direction of the sound.

 As he nears a swamp, he sees his brother battling a salamander.

 Just as Klaus is staring at the salamander, the panel's parsing function suddenly activates and appears in his sight.

 [Race: Salamander]

 [Level: 3]

 [Magic Element: Fire]

 [Battle Value: 50]

 [Weakness: Eyes, Tailbone]

 Klaus watched as Rand struggled with the Salamander. Rand swung his axe and slashed at the Salamander's ruddy back. The axe clashed against the hard scales on the Salamander's back, making a sharp metallic sound. However, this caused no damage to the Salamander.

 The Salamander whipped its tail and slammed it into Rand with such force that he was instantly thrown off his feet and struck against the trunk of a large tree. But he rose immediately and prepared to make a second attack on the Salamander.

 Klaus noted that the Salamander was about 13 feet tall, twice Rand's height. Close combat would not have been much of an advantage for Rand. Klaus wanted to help Rand, but he couldn't take any risks. He had to find the right opportunity.

 The Salamander shot a jet of fire from its mouth at Rand, but he was lucky that Rand ducked in time to avoid being burned. The flames struck the tree's thick trunk, sending up a plume of black smoke.

 The Salamander's magic flames are primarily generated by the magic nuclei in its body, which take a certain amount of time to gather energy each time. Klaus knew full well that he had to solve the problem in the interval between the Salamander's second fire-sprays.

 For he saw that Rand was slowing down, and when he swung his axe twice at the Salamander, it fell short.

 Just then, the Salamander turned its back on Klaus, and with its tail, it swept Rand's body upwards. Rand struggled desperately, and the axe he was holding accidentally fell to the ground.

 This is it.

 Klaus aimed, and, spear in hand, he hurled it fiercely at the tail joint of the Salamander.

 When the spear pierced the Salamander's tailbone, the Salamander uttered a shriek of pain. Its tail fell to the ground, and Rand took the opportunity to pick up the axe from the ground and slash at the Salamander's eyes.

 The Salamander thudded to the ground, and they had won.