A clear lake sparkled under the night sky, its surface gently rippling under the caress of a light breeze. Near the shore, a modest campfire flickered and crackled softly in the dark.
Using the cover of night, three tall, muscular lizardmen silently slipped into the water from the opposite side of the lake. Their dark green, scale-covered backs melded seamlessly with the water's reflecti...
“They should be waiting for us,” Gandalf said, standing at the mist-choked pass.
“It was part of the plan,” he added.
“That’s the problem with plans,” Eric replied, eyeing the terrain warily. “They don’t account for rainstorms and goblin hospitality.”
The narrow pass through the Misty Mountains looked the same as last time—gloomy, treacherous, and enti...
Lyle’s eyes narrowed as a horde of grotesque creatures charged at him from the mist-drenched wetlands. Without hesitation, he crushed the summoning scroll in his palm.
Fwsh!
A radiant column of white light burst into the air. In its midst, wings of golden flame unfurled as a majestic Flame Archangel descended, its blade gleaming with searing power as it dived toward the enemy li...
“Lady Galadriel.”
Eric gave a respectful nod, though he honestly had no idea why the Lady of the Wood had sought him out.
As she stepped closer, Eric could feel a gentle yet overwhelming sense of divinity radiating from her presence—as if her very gaze could wash clean the darkest corners of the soul.
Almost involuntarily, he lifted his head and met her eyes.
I...
Rustle. Rustle.
Chirp. Hiss. Creak.
Birdsong and insect calls echoed intermittently from the dense jungle.
Thick branches and leaves brushed against the black fur of the Barghest, yet left no trace. Wherever it passed, the foliage quivered, producing faint whispers of movement.
Lyle sat atop the beast’s back, one hand loosely gripping the bony chain that served as ...
Two weeks later, under the starlit sky.
A roaring bonfire blazed in the heart of the valley. Dwarves gathered around it, devouring skewers of roasted meat and vegetables from Eric's lands, the smell thick and savory in the crisp mountain air. Laughter rang out like clashing hammers, rowdy and heartfelt. In this usually somber vale, the cheer was a rare warmth—like a tavern flame on a w...
Early Morning.
Eric had barely left his room when he spotted Bilbo wandering the terrace walkways with his hands clasped behind his back, ambling without any real destination. The hobbit seemed to be enjoying the peaceful scenery, taking in the silver-leaved trees and crystal-clear fountains of the Elven valley.
"So this is where Elves live..." Bilbo murmured with awe, as if tryin...
Swish—
With a sweeping stroke, Eric's sword cleaved through yet another warg, igniting its coarse fur in flames. The beast let out a gurgled howl before collapsing, unmoving.
Riding atop his faithful warhorse, Eric chased down the scattering orcs, giving the dwarves behind him precious time to regroup.
"Shoot the horse!" bellowed the orc chieftain.
A group of orc a...
"Oi, old man!" Eric sheathed his sword with an exasperated sigh. "You really had to steal the kill when the troll was one hit from death?"
Gandalf, as unapologetic as ever, leaned on his staff and grinned.
"A wizard is never late, Eric. Nor is he early. He arrives precisely when someone's about to get flattened."
He gave the three stone-troll statues a satisfied knock with his ...
Elsewhere…
The two had walked for quite a distance when Gandalf finally cooled off enough to speak.
"We have no choice, Eric. Whether those dwarves agree or not, we must go to Rivendell. The moon-runes on that map can only be read by Elrond, the Lord of the Valley. Without him, we'll never complete this journey."
"We'll need the elves' help."
He paused, then looked...
"Urp~"
With a loud burp, Bombur slumped sideways in his chair by the long banquet table and began to snore instantly, his plump face relaxed in blissful sleep.
"Oh, dear..." Gandalf shook his head wearily. "Can someone help carry him to a bed? I told him not to eat that much."
Old Balin chuckled, patting his own very round belly. "Forgive us, Gandalf. I've never eaten food ...
Home lay behind, and the wide world ahead.
For the first time in his life, young Bilbo Baggins had stepped beyond the borders of the Shire.
That night, sleep did not find him. He lay down for a bit but soon sat up again, restless and wide-eyed.
He wasn't the only one awake.
Gandalf leaned against a boulder, puffing on his pipe, while Eric stood on a nearby ledge, sca...
"Alright, alright—put the weapons down! Bombur, Dwalin, forks and spoons are not swords and shields. And Bofur, that flute of yours might charm a bird, but I doubt it'll dent his armor…"
Gandalf moved swiftly around the room, soothing the dwarves like a teacher calming unruly children.
Thorin, however, hadn't so much as flinched.
Ever the calm center of the storm, the d...
The so-called expedition naturally referred to the Erebor Quest.
It wasn't long before Gandalf shared everything that had transpired in Bree—including his encounter with Thorin Oakenshield and growing concerns about the strategic risks tied to Erebor. He spoke freely, whether or not Eric fully understood the details.
Clearly, Gandalf saw Eric as one of his own. That was the only...
"Our meeting wasn't by chance, was it, Gandalf?"
"Of course not," the wizard replied gravely.
Gandalf's voice dropped, thoughtful and troubled. "The matter of the Lonely Mountain weighs heavily on my mind, Thorin. That dragon has sat atop its gold hoard for far too long. It's only a matter of time before his presence draws darker forces."
The Lonely Mountain wasn't just a l...
Snow.
Ordinarily, you'd only find it high in the Misty Mountains or far up north on the frozen tundras. Anywhere else, you'd have to wait for winter to catch a glimpse of it.
Eric had never paid snow much attention. Pretty to look at, sure—but not particularly useful.
Ice, on the other hand? Ice was valuable.
Especially the dense, never-melting kind that could be r...
"Haaaah—"
A yawn escaped Eric's lips as he stretched his arms over his head, the joints in his shoulders cracking audibly beneath the weight of a damp, bloodstained linen cloak. He dusted off a few stubborn gobbet stains, still dark from the last battle.
Below his boots, the orc he'd just killed spasmed once, then stilled. The blue glow along Eric's sword gradually faded as it s...
It was him.
It had to be him.
That human!
"Damn it! Fooled again!"
The orcish captain roared in fury, brandishing his chipped cleaver as he bellowed in Eric's direction. "We—"
Behind him, a horde of wargs and orcs stood at the ready, teeth bared, weapons drawn, just waiting for the order to charge back in and turn the lone human into decorative chunks.
"Eric! Hold up!"
On the eastern edge of the Misty Mountains, near the broad valleys of the River Anduin, Eric had just finished carving his way through a battalion of orcs and a pack of snarling wargs. All that remained was a single bruised and battered orc lieutenant, struggling to stay conscious.
Gandalf rushed over, catching his breath as he looked down at the sole survivor.
[Totem Activation]
[Specialization Selection]
Lyle’s pulse quickened. This was the moment he’d been waiting for.
He had always been curious about the hidden potential of the Totemic Possession skill. It wasn’t just about boosting stats—the real meat lay in the special abilities that followed.
As the glowing totem etched itself fully into his forearm, his stat...
"You think you can run now?" Lyle narrowed his eyes at the fleeing blur of fur that was the Wise King of the Forest, Hamsuke.
"Too late."
He launched forward to give chase.
WHIP!
A sudden lash of that monstrous tail snapped back at him like a whip. Lyle's instincts kicked in. With a sharp exhale, he tossed aside the hilt of his now-useless iron sword and summoned his...
Two figures collided midair with a thunderous impact.
Lyle descended like a living meteor, his form gleaming with momentum and magic. His passive buffs Aura of Courage and Weapon Specialization amplified the force of his strike, nearly tripling its destructive power.
BOOM!
The blast echoed through the forest, a shockwave radiating out from the point of impact. The trees nea...
Ryraryus writhed at Lyle’s feet, his sinuous body coiling and twisting in agony, sweat pouring off his scales as though his skin were trying to escape from his bones. His mouth gaped silently, the pain too much for words. It felt as if a thousand ants were devouring his heart, or worse—like some unseen hand had clenched it tight and refused to let go.
For a species like Ryraryus’, ...
Lyle swung his massive magic greatsword with one hand in a powerful downward arc.
A shimmering wave of mana burst from the blade, tearing through the air. It met a blazing fireball mid-flight—and cleaved it clean in two.
BOOM!
The split fireball exploded high above the battlefield, flames scattering like startled birds. But the mana slash kept going, slicing straight towa...
Rustle... rustle.
Swish... swish...
Deep within the Tob Forest, gnarled trees twisted into grotesque shapes, draped in thick vines that creaked in the wind. Dappled light filtered through the dense canopy above, falling onto a forest floor blanketed in moss and crumbling leaves.
A massive troll pushed through the underbrush like a living battering ram, its bulk shoving asid...
Forest Rift – Clearing
Once a foul wasteland littered with bones and swarming flies, the open clearing in the heart of the Forest Rift had undergone a radical transformation in the past two weeks.
After all, why not use a couple hundred trolls as free labor?
"RRAAAGH!!"
A thunderous bellow shattered the silence.
The troll known as Guu, a mountain of muscle w...
Watching the obedient trolls shuffle off into the forest, following Guu’s orders like loyal little goblins, Lyle couldn’t help but sigh.
“Honestly,” he muttered, arms folded, “the best way to deal with trolls really is the good old-fashioned brainwash-and-boss-around strategy. Simple, crude… effective.”
Even though the lesser trolls clearly knew their leader was unde...
The air was thick with grunts and guttural roars from the surrounding trolls.
Among them stood their chieftain, Guu, a grotesque mountain of muscle and sinew, his yellow eyes glowing with malice beneath a craggy brow. His attention briefly flicked to Lyle, then swiftly settled on the far more eye-catching presence of the Flame Archangel floating beside him.
Compared to the human, ...
Lyle tamped down his excitement as his eyes fell to the bottom of his status window the skills section. This was the part he cared about the most.
After all, the skill Dark Wave from his “Cursed Knight” class had already elevated his burst damage to a level that let him punch above his weight.
And now, with “Cursed Knight” maxed out at level 5, his attacks had even begun t...
From within the dense woodland, this location would've been near impossible to find—at least not in any reasonable amount of time. The directions that Hobgoblin Agu had given Lyle were vague at best.
He had only mumbled something about a "gap in the forest" and "sorta like a hill."
Not exactly helpful.
But from the sky? That was another story. Up above, Lyle could clearl...