Chapter 287: Choosing the Weapon

Solomon had turned into a giant, and obviously, his clothes had been completely shredded and ripped apart during the biological expansion. He desperately needed something to cover himself.

The temple slave pointed toward the side of the hall, where a massive wooden crate sat near a pillar. "There will be suitable garments in there."

Solomon took a slow, careful step forward. He had no idea how physically powerful he was in this new giant form, and he did not want to accidentally crush the marble floorboards. He reached the crate and quickly pulled out a sheet of woven fabric. He wrapped the cloth around his lower half first, tying a secure knot at his waist. He then grabbed another piece of fabric, draped it over his broad shoulders, and used the rope he had brought with him to tie it securely around his torso.

Solomon let out a sigh of relief and turned around.

His silver eyes immediately fell back onto the glowing gemstone. The colossal crown and the massive divine gemstone now sat perfectly within his reach.

’I could easily eat that entire crown in my current size,’ Solomon thought to himself, staring at the glowing gem. ’Although, I have no idea what will happen once the temporary giant power wears off and I shrink back down. The crown is in its original size. It might just rip my stomach open when I revert.’

He wondered if he should just take the crown and run. In his current state, even the silent maid and the temple slave would not be able to stop him, even if the slave transformed back into his gargantuan form to fight.

However, if this was truly a trial dungeon, he strictly needed to complete the assigned trial to officially clear the dungeon, which explicitly included killing the sandworm. Furthermore, Solomon did not want to resort to something as low as stealing, especially when the inhabitants had treated him so warmly and offered him hospitality without a shred of hostility.

He refused to repay their kindness by robbing their temple.

Solomon turned his attention back to the temple slave and the maid. "Where is the weapon you mentioned you were going to provide me?"

The temple slave immediately shifted forms, expanding rapidly until he stood as a colossal giant once again. Even in his transformed state, Solomon was still dwarfed by the slave, who stood almost three times taller than him.

"Follow me," the giant temple slave instructed, his voice booming across the hall.

Solomon followed the giant out of the temple. The silent maid walked right alongside them. Despite the giants taking massive, earth-shaking strides that covered incredible distances with every step, the small maid somehow managed to walk perfectly on par with them, keeping pace without breaking a sweat.

"Would you like me to carry you?" Solomon offered, looking down at the girl.

She simply continued walking forward, completely ignoring the offer.

Solomon sighed. ’Ignored again.’

He glanced around the city as they walked. The perspective shift was jarring. Although the architecture had seemed impossibly vast and sprawling when he was human-sized, now that he stood as a giant, everything looked perfectly normal.

It felt exactly as if he was simply strolling through an ordinary, human-scaled town.

There were surprisingly few actual buildings in this supposed city. There was the grand temple, two adjacent administrative structures, the wide cobblestone streets, and a cluster of smaller buildings that resembled barracks or storehouses. The temple remained the largest architectural centerpiece by far.

A while later, they reached a massive cavern carved directly into the surrounding sandstone mountains. The entrance was perfectly scaled to accommodate the giants.

"There will be multiple weapons stored inside," the temple slave explained, pausing at the threshold. "You may choose whichever one you prefer, but you can only select one item." 𝘧𝓇ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝘣𝓃ℴ

The three of them stepped inside the cavern. The interior resembled a grand armory chamber. Dozens of stone statues stood in various dynamic combat poses and martial stances, and every single statue held a different kind of weapon.

Some held weapons Solomon had never even seen before, while others held familiar broadswords and battle axes. A few statues held massive iron shields, while others wore intricate pieces of heavy armor.

"Can I choose a piece of armor, or does that also count as the ’one’ item?" Solomon asked, inspecting a massive breastplate.

"It counts as your one item," the temple slave confirmed.

Solomon stood in the very center of the armory, completely surrounded by the armed statues. There were dozens of options, but the only weapon he had achieved true, transcendent mastery with was the greatsword. He only knew the basic, foundational mechanics for the other weapon types.

He had fought the Winter Snow Serpent using a sword, and while the icy beast was certainly massive, it was nothing compared to the terrifying, earth-shattering bulk of the colossal sandworm.

’There is a difference between the two bosses,’ Solomon reasoned, crossing his arms. ’The snow serpent relied on hard crystalline scales and aerial mobility. The sandworm might have thick armor, but those jagged, teeth-like spikes covering its entire body are incredibly dangerous. Fighting the sandworm with a sword requires me to engage in extreme close-quarters combat, which puts me at a severe disadvantage against those grinding thorns. I need a weapon that allows me to maintain a safe distance while still inflicting lethal damage.’

However, he lacked mastery with any ranged or polearm weapons. Relying on basic skills against an S grade boss might not be the smartest tactical decision

’Then again, this is the perfect chance to gain some real, practical combat experience with a different weapon class,’ Solomon decided, a confident smirk touching his lips.

He walked directly up to the central statue and firmly grabbed the weapon resting in its stone hands. He pulled it free, flipped the shaft effortlessly between his fingers, and tapped the heavy base against the cavern floor.

He had chosen a spear.

However, it was not an ordinary, single-point spear. It featured a complex, multi-tipped head with viciously sharp, serrated edges. The unique shape was clearly designed specifically to penetrate deep through thick armor and tear flesh upon extraction.

"I choose this weapon," Solomon announced, resting the heavy spear against his shoulder.

"That is a weapon wielded by the king of Giants, Titan." The temple slave nodded approvingly. "Now you must fight the monster roaming outside the city walls. Once you have defeated it, you will receive your reward."

Solomon did not particularly care about the mysterious reward, as officially clearing the dungeon and preventing a monster break remained his primary goal, but he was certainly curious to see what the temple had to offer.

They walked back toward the colossal city gates as they slowly groaned open.

"I will be back soon," Solomon promised, stepping out into the vast, open desert.

The temple slave and the silent maid climbed the perimeter walls, taking up positions on the battlements to watch the upcoming battle.

The moment Solomon stepped onto the dunes, a familiar rumbling echoed from deep beneath the desert sands.

"I wish you luck, Child of Silver. You certainly are the one who will free us from this trial," the temple slave muttered.