Chapter 665

[ You have defeated a Giant Hunter. ]

The Giant Hunter died.

Killed by an army of summons rather than giants, the Giant Hunter’s massive body unique to its kind tilted to one side before collapsing to the ground, crumbling into black fragments, and disappearing.

“Insane.......”

“They killed that thing?”

“What incredible power......!”

The giants marveled.

Some of them even seemed to feel awe.

That was when it happened.

“Huh? But isn’t that guy the fake?”

“The fake?”

“If it’s the fake, you mean that fake?”

Someone uttered the word fake.

Starting with that, the word fake spread among the admiring giants like a contagious disease.

However, Su-ho paid it no mind and spoke while meeting the eyes of the giants staring at him.

“That’s right. I’m that fake.”

“......!”

There was no reason to conceal it or hide it.

Whatever the circumstances, once he inherited a giant’s bloodline, from that point on, fake or whatever else, he was simply a giant.

That was what he thought, so he confronted it head-on.

After all, even if he tried to hide it, there was no one who would keep it hidden for him.

Su-ho continued his direct approach.

“But so what?”

An oppressive presence poured out.

He released his aura, freely giving off the distinctive energy Su-ho himself possessed.

When the giants felt Su-ho’s aura, every single one of them reacted in their own way, all of them flinching without exception.

“I don’t know how you found out, but I am indeed the fake you’re all talking about. But that fake killed a Giant Hunter that dozens of real giants like you couldn’t defeat even when gathered together. Don’t you feel anything?”

“.......”

The gathering fell silent.

Su-ho looked around at them, then lightly extended his hand and swept it through the air.

[ Recovery is activated. ]

What he used was Recovery.

When Recovery activated, warm light began healing the injured giants as though gently caressing them.

“The wounds......!”

The giants were surprised once again.

There were giants among them who knew how to use recovery magic.

However, for some reason, the wounds inflicted by the Giant Hunter had not been healing, leaving them at a loss, yet Su-ho’s Recovery skill worked as if it were nothing.

They could not help being even more astonished when the healing proceeded at an incredible speed.

After completing the healing in an instant, Su-ho spoke again.

“I don’t know where or how you heard it, but is my origin really that important? What ultimately matters is that I was acknowledged as qualified and am here.”

“But!”

“But what?”

“.......”

Someone gathered the courage to raise his voice.

But at Su-ho’s question, he fell silent again.

He had been overwhelmed by Su-ho’s presence, but more than that, when he actually tried to refute him, he could not summon the courage to say what he had intended to say.

“There will only be one person who becomes king here anyway. So how about using your heads a little? I don’t know whether I’ll become king or not, but if I do happen to become king, do you honestly think I’ll kindly embrace the people who called me a fake and whatever else?”

“.......”

A light threat.

In truth, it was not really a threat, but the natural order of things.

Whether he purged the opposition or embraced them, that choice would belong to the new king either way.

“I’ll give you a chance. Those who want to side with me, stand with me. Then I’ll take responsibility and keep you alive. But if you don’t want to follow me because of my origin or for any other reason, you’re free to leave. I won’t bother holding on to anyone who says they don’t want to. Even if we meet again later, I won’t kill you. As long as you don’t attack me first. But.......”

Su-ho spoke while looking at the traces left behind by the vanished Giant Hunter.

“I won’t save you again like this either. So think carefully. There will only be one person who becomes king anyway.”

“.......”

“.......”

“.......”

The giants murmured among themselves.

Since all of them were seeing one another for the first time, they exchanged looks with one another.

At that moment, someone stepped forward and spoke.

“I look forward to serving under you.”

“You’re going to side with me?”

“Yes. I’ll place my bet on you.”

“What’s your name?”

“Ruin.”

“I’m An Su-ho. Good to meet you.”

“Yes, Commander.”

“Commander?”

“You are not king yet, so I cannot call you King, but you are still the person I have chosen to follow, so I am calling you Commander.”

“I like that.”

Ruin moved behind Su-ho and stood there.

Ruin was an intelligent giant.

He had not sided with Su-ho simply because he had been overwhelmed by Su-ho’s presence. He had chosen Su-ho after observing his abilities and character.

‘His strength is overwhelmingly powerful, but the way he speaks is neither coercive nor rough. He’s speaking as though he’s cold and calculating, but in truth, he has shown mercy several times already.’

That was why, since he had decided anyway, he was the first to take Su-ho’s side.

That way, he could leave a deep impression on Su-ho.

And that strategy worked perfectly.

- That fellow named Ruin is clever.

When Jack praised Ruin, Su-ho agreed inwardly.

Afterward, starting with Ruin, the other giants also began moving in groups to stand behind Su-ho.

Not all of them did.

But as time passed, their number grew, and in the end, the few who remained refused until the very end.

“Even so, I do not wish to serve someone without legitimacy as king.”

“The present is important, but the past is important as well.”

“We will seek another path.”

The giants left.

Su-ho did not go out of his way to stop them.

He knew well that those who would not change their minds would not change them no matter what he did.

“Now, then.......”

Su-ho turned his head and counted the number of giants who had sided with him.

Twenty-one.

They were his people, gained from his first encounter.

Su-ho asked each of them for their names.

Remembering names was not particularly difficult.

After they finished introducing themselves, he called Ruin.

“Ruin. From now on, you’re my lieutenant.”

“Yes, understood.”

Lieutenant.

It was a group that had only just been formed, [N O V E L I G H T] but the thought that he had received special recognition even among them naturally brought a smile to his face.

“Let’s go.”

The minimap was still active.

Su-ho planned to continue searching for Giant Hunters.

Now that he had become a leader, he believed he needed to continue showing them something in order to create a sense of solidarity among them.

After following the minimap for some time.

Su-ho once again encountered a Giant Hunter and giants fighting the Giant Hunter.

“Go.”

“Yes! Let’s go!”

“No, not you!”

“What?”

At the word go, the quick-witted Ruin shouted for a charge, and the other giants also tried to rush in without hesitation.

Seeing that, Su-ho hurriedly stopped them.

“Why are you going? If you go, all you’ll do is die like dogs.”

“Then who is going?”

“They are.”

At that moment, the shadow army and vampires poured out in droves over the heads of Su-ho and the giants and began attacking the Giant Hunter.

Su-ho gestured toward them with his chin and spoke.

“Stay still whenever possible. Even if all of you go, you won’t be any help anyway.”

“But.......”

“Ahem! He told you to stay still!”

Ruin quickly scolded them.

As expected, he was quick-witted.

It was the same afterward.

Whenever they saw a Giant Hunter, they killed it, and whenever they saw a lone giant, they recruited him.

Of course, not all of them joined.

Some poured out hateful remarks and left the moment they recognized Su-ho.

But most of them joined.

Although all of them knew that Su-ho was a fake, when they saw other giants siding with him, they began to recognize Su-ho not as a fake, but as a candidate for the next king.

When their forces quickly surpassed one hundred, Jack laughed and whispered.

- You’re quite popular, aren’t you?

“My popularity has always been strong. Even in the human realm, do you know how many people I took under my wing?”

- Honestly, I thought you’d threaten them. Saying you’d kill everyone who refused to follow you.

“Tsk, tsk. If I were that kind of person, do you think Umbra would have placed his bet on me?”

- Fair enough. Anyway, you’re doing very well.

“You have to look at the forest, not the trees, in everything.”

It was around the time the number of Giant Hunters they had hunted approached double digits.

A new sight suddenly appeared on the minimap.

It showed dozens of yellow dots gathered together, and apparently, other giants had also begun moving in groups like Su-ho.

It was a natural phenomenon.

Judging by the strength of the Giant Hunters, surviving alone was practically close to impossible.

‘From what I’ve seen, the Giant Hunters are searching for giants too.’

If so, no matter how much individuals secretly hid and endured, there would be a limit.

A short while later, following the minimap, they encountered another group of giants gathered together.

“You’re...... the fake?”

Ha ha.

It was no longer particularly surprising.

Those were the first words spoken by the closest one the moment Su-ho encountered the other group of giants.

Su-ho spoke.

“That’s right. I’m the fake you know.”

“What are you? Who are you to order other giants around like servants?”

“Watch your mouth, you bastard! The Commander does not order us around like servants!”

Ruin answered in Su-ho’s place at the unknown giant’s harsh words.

“Then what is he?”

“We have decided to serve him as the next king. So you would do well to watch your mouth.”

At Ruin’s shout, the other giants also gathered around.

“What did you say?”

“Ha! Have you truly gone mad? Even if you were going to make a choice, how could you possibly think of serving a fake bastard as a candidate for the next king?”

“You people know nothing of nobility!”

“Do you have no pride in your bloodline?”

Their voices gradually grew louder.

At that moment, a middle-aged giant reminiscent of a Viking stepped forward through the giants hurling insults.

‘That fellow must be the leader here.’

Su-ho asked.

“Are you the leader?”

“For now, I am. I am Uven. What is your name?”

“I’m An Su-ho. Judging by the situation, it seems you gathered together because of the Giant Hunters. Have you encountered any hunters?”

“We have. And we have already defeated two Giant Hunters.”

He raised two thick fingers.

Pride could be seen in the raised fingers.

“Is that all? Our Commander has already defeated more than ten Giant Hunters!”

Ruin answered in his place.

At those words, Uven furrowed his brow.

“You defeated more than ten?”

“That’s right!”

“You expect us to believe that?”

“Whether you believe it is up to you. If you want, I can show you myself.”

This time, Su-ho answered in his place.

At that moment, darkness descended around everyone.

“Kiaaaaaaaa!!”

A roar loud enough to tear their eardrums apart.

At the same time.

Rumble-rumble-rumble!!

Enormous things came crashing down from the sky in droves.

They were none other than Giant Hunters.