Thunderous crashes echoed from the forest edge as entire trees fell in succession. Vel recognized the pattern immediately—not random destruction, but the telltale sign of a behemoth's Trample ability. The creature was charging, clearing everything in its path.
"It's using Trample!" Vel shouted, his pulse quickening. "We need to stop its charge or it'll break right through the walls!"
Mora nodded grimly, her expression showing she already understood the threat. "Target the legs!" she called down to the guards. "Don't try to stop it head-on—you'll be crushed! Be ready to evade once you've fired!"
The sergeant processed this information instantly, her face hardening with determination. "Rangers! Draw your bows!" she commanded, her voice carrying across the entire outpost. "Aim for the front legs! Fire on my mark!"
The sound of bowstrings being pulled taut filled the air as the guards readied their weapons. Vel prepared himself, calling up his spell interface. The familiar blue glow of [Ice Lance] appeared before him, Vel quickly switch it to his [Ice Lance: Sniper] variant.
Then the behemoth burst into view.
Its massive form dwarfed even Vel's expectations—four powerful legs thick as tree trunks supported a body covered partially in bone-like armor plates. Where the armor didn't cover, its skin hung in thick, wrinkled folds. But what sent a chill down Vel's spine was the dark mist emanating from the creature's body, swirling around it like living smoke.
The sight immediately reminded him of the Alpha Wulfangs that had attacked Oakhaven—the same unnatural darkness clung to this creature, marking it as Voidtainted.
"Fire!" the sergeant commanded.
Arrows whistled through the air, most finding their mark in the behemoth's front legs. The creature bellowed in rage but didn't slow its charge.
Vel focused intensely on his spell, shaping the ice into a perfect crystalline shard. He visualized the exact point where the leg joint connected—where armor was thinnest and impact would be most effective. With a quick gesture, he released the spell.
The polished ice projectile spun through the air, leaving a faint blue trail as it flew straight and true, embedding itself deeply in the behemoth's front right leg joint.
"Impressive," Mora commented beside him, her voice cool despite the chaos.
The behemoth stumbled as Vel's ice lance struck its joint, massive bulk sliding forward with devastating momentum. For a heart-stopping moment, Vel thought it might topple completely—but the creature's powerful hindlegs found purchase against the earth. It regained balance with terrifying grace, dust and debris cascading from its armored hide.
Then it roared.
The sound split the night like thunder, reverberating off the outpost walls. The behemoth's massive head swiveled toward their platform, intelligent eyes burning with fury as they locked onto the source of its pain. Dark mist swirled thicker around its form.
"Engage! Don't let it gain ground!" the sergeant shouted, raising her sword high.
Guards rushed forward in formation, spears gleaming in the torchlight. Their boots pounded against the packed earth as they closed distance, spreading into practiced flanking positions.
"Watch out for the stomps!" Vel called down, remembering the creature's abilities from his design.
As if responding to his warning, the behemoth lifted one massive foreleg and brought it crashing down. The impact sent shockwaves through the ground, but the guards had already scattered, their timing perfect.
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GameDev Reincarnated into His Own Creation
FantasyWhen renowned game developer Giri meets his untimely end, he awakens as twelve-year-old Vel in the magical realm of Aeonalus-his own creation. Five hundred years have passed since he crafted the world, and Vel finds himself in the village of Oakhave...
