Chapter 678

Hyman took a sip of alcohol with a bitter expression.

“In the beginning, there was a world where giants lived. Then it was invaded, and after making extensive preparations, the First King attempted liberation. But he failed and was stripped of every opportunity. Deckers and the Giant Hunters existing in this trial also stem from that same history.”

“Then were Deckers and the Giant Hunters created by the System to hunt giants?”

“That’s right. They were created. Every element that could make them our natural enemies was deliberately crammed into them specifically to hunt us. But even under those terrible conditions, the First King was the one who drove them back.”

Hyman’s eyes remained fixed on the burning firewood.

“At first, we didn’t understand either. We thought the only reason the Giant King Competition was so difficult was because he wanted to choose someone genuine to carry on his will. But the difficulty was so absurdly high that we eventually gave up on it. But seeing you today finally made everything make sense. Ah, he was never trying to find the answer among us in the first place.”

“So that’s why I was given the Rune of the Giant even though I could already use Gigantification and possessed Giant God Body. To make me a real giant rather than a giant created by a skill.”

“That’s right. Seeing how easily you came up with Embodiment, it seems you were probably taught something along similar lines? That true power doesn’t come from things like skills, but from transcending those things and engraving them into your body.”

“Yes, my swordsmanship is like that. I’m cultivating a power that allows me to wield a sword even without having a sword. In fact, while I was absorbing the Rune of the Giant, all my other powers were restricted, but I could still use my embodied swordsmanship.”

“Wonderful. That’s what a true original is. In that sense, it seems the First King also wanted to pass that kind of power on to you. Once you encounter Overment later, things like skills probably won’t be very useful.”

“Have you encountered Overment?”

“Of course not. How could someone like me ever do that? This is...... the word of the sages. Oral tradition.”

In other words, something the First King had told them.

Su-ho nodded.

Then all the more reason to focus on original techniques rather than skills.

Because when fighting in a place where the physical body was everything, there was hardly anything more destructive than an enormous body.

“Then how do I obtain the real Giant God Body instead of the Giant God Body I have now?”

“Why do you think I’m here?”

“What?”

“I didn’t come here just to feed you some meat and alcohol and tell you old stories. I’m the examiner overseeing this trial, and I’m also the one who will give you the genuine Giant God Body following the Rune of the Giant. So defeat me. Then you’ll be able to obtain the real Giant God Body.”

“I see.......”

Su-ho grew quieter.

A brief silence settled between them, and Jack, who had been quietly eating his meat, spoke.

- What, are you suddenly going to start? Or should I shout something like ready, set, go?

“There’s no need for that, black fellow. I’m perfectly fine, but your master seems to be nervous.”

“I’m not nervous yet. And I’m not planning to suddenly jump at you and start fighting either. So, what are the rules?”

“Nothing much. You just have to fight my true form and win.”

“Your true form?”

“You already saw it. I greeted you in my real form from the very beginning out of courtesy, didn’t I?”

“......Ah?”

That gigantic appearance had actually been Hyman’s true form.

It reminded him of Omega before polymorphing.

“Do I have to fight you after growing that large too?”

“Can you even do it?”

“I can. But what would be the point? My body is weak, so the moment our flesh collides, my body will explode.”

“Who doesn’t know that? If you’re going to enlarge your body, obviously I’m talking about when you’re a skill giant. Your current Gigantification is no different from a balloon.”

A body that burst with a single poke.

It really was a balloon.

“I suppose.......”

Hyman smirked and spoke.

“Junior. But did you know? A real giant isn’t simply someone with an enormous body.”

“Then?”

“Resistance, recovery, regeneration, and everything else become the most overwhelming among all races. So there’s a very high chance your half-baked skills won’t work on me at all. To put it bluntly, even if an ant with an extremely painful bite came and bit you, it would only sting for a moment. It wouldn’t be enough to kill you, would it?”

“That only applies when it bites. What about something like poison?”

“Poison?”

“Yes, poison. Some poisons can kill beings dozens of times larger than the creature they came from with just a single drop.”

“Poison...... Poison is good. But what were you listening to when I was talking earlier? I told you we have outstanding resistance to all kinds of things. To put it bluntly, we could drink deadly poison and shower in lava and still be perfectly fine.”

“Are giants naturally like that?”

“That is the power possessed by the primordial giants. Well, if you don’t believe me, you’re welcome to test it yourself. I’ll welcome it anytime.”

At Hyman’s confident provocation, Su-ho’s brow furrowed on its own.

What should I do?

In truth, the first thing that had come to mind the moment he heard that he had to fight Hyman at his original size was deadly poison.

Because one of the most effective ways to kill a being larger than oneself was precisely deadly poison.

But apparently, the real Giant God Body possessed outstanding resistance to all kinds of things.

‘He said he’d be perfectly fine even showering in lava, so shooting fire or freezing him is out...... Then in the end, all that’s left is physical combat.’

Shadow Pierce, which pierced through everything, came to mind.

But it required a shadow large enough to cover the target, and in that sense, Hyman was simply too enormous.

In the end, all that remained was pure hand-to-hand combat.

Seeing Su-ho’s complicated expression, Hyman grinned.

“For reference, I’m good at fighting.”

“I’m fairly good at fighting too.”

“A swordsman? I don’t mind if you use a sword, you know?”

“There isn’t a sword I can wield when I’m that large.”

“I see.”

He smiled as he answered.

It was the expression of someone who had already known that.

Su-ho let out a deep sigh and spoke.

“Jack.”

- Yeah.

“If we convert all the shadow energy we currently have into mana, roughly how much would that give us?”

Realizing Su-ho’s intention, Jack immediately began calculating.

- If we combine the mana you already possess, the spiritual energy I have, and the Blood Demons inside the Blood Jade, then stack every buff that can amplify your mana on top of that, you could maintain that form for roughly ten minutes.

“Ten minutes...... Ten minutes, huh.......”

- And that’s being generous. Assuming you don’t use any skills and only engage in hand-to-hand combat, there’s a high chance it’ll be less than that.

He had to give up on Gigantification through the Rune.

His body’s durability could not support it.

That meant his only option was skill-based Gigantification, but enlarging his body until it matched Hyman’s size consumed an enormous amount of mana.

‘Even if I squeeze out everything I have, it won’t even last ten minutes.’

He glanced at Hyman.

Hyman was humming as he tore into the meat.

Then, suddenly, their eyes met.

“Ten minutes won’t be enough.”

“Yes, I think so too. But I still have to try.”

“Well, do you think you can settle it within that time if you put everything you have into it?”

“I won’t know until I try.”

“Oho, junior. That’s quite an arrogant thing to say.”

Hyman chuckled.

Then, after taking a sip of alcohol, he spoke.

“Challenge me whenever you want. I’ll accept your challenge again and again until you win this trial.”

“I have unlimited attempts?”

“Of course I have to give you that much. Otherwise, what would be the point of the First King creating a trial like this?”

A long time had passed since the First King created this trial.

During all that time, not a single giant had managed to pass it.

Then, finally, someone who had defeated Deckers appeared.

There was no way Hyman, who had been appointed as the examiner, would ever simply let such a being go.

Especially now, after finally understanding the First King’s true intentions after all this time.

He spoke as he ate from the skewer.

“Tell me when you’re ready. I’ll wait for everything—your challenges, your recovery, all of it.”

“Understood. Then since we’re already talking about it, let’s start right now.”

“Shall we?”

Chomp-

He took a huge bite from the skewer he had been eating.

Then he stood up, lightly dusted off the dirt on his clothes, and jumped.

At that moment.

Thump-

With a heavy push off the ground, his figure shot far into the distance.

There was only one reason he had suddenly put so much distance between them.

It was so that Su-ho would not be injured by his sudden enlargement.

Flash- Ruuuuumble!

A brilliant light burst from his body after he had created some distance, and then his body grew gigantic at an incredible speed.

It happened in an instant.

Like the flash of a camera going off, it happened in the blink of an eye.

Darkness descended over Apophis.

It was Hyman’s shadow.

Jack looked up at Hyman and spoke.

- If possible, I’d like you to finish it in one attempt. Even if we’re only borrowing the energy for a moment without consuming the shadows themselves, the recovery process is still rather troublesome.

“I’ll try. But listen.”

Su-ho gave Jack some kind of order.

Jack nodded, then grinned.

- Not bad?

“Right? Then I’m counting on you.”

[ Consecration has been activated. ]

[ Foxfire has been activated. ]

Two stat-buff skills.

After activating them.

[ Gigantification has been activated. ]

He activated Gigantification.

He focused his mind.

Then Su-ho’s body began growing gigantic at a furious rate.

Whoooooosh!

His enormous body.

It was probably the largest he had ever become since first using the Gigantification skill.

Perhaps because of that, as his body grew to a size he had never attempted before, a slight dizziness came over him.

But in the end, he succeeded.

When he finally managed to bring his eyes level with Hyman’s, Hyman, who had been waiting for him, grinned.

“So you can do it after all.”

“Of course.”

“Shall we begin, then?”

As though they were about to compete in a sporting match, the two respectfully assumed fighting stances.

“You said ten minutes, right?”

Along with those words.

“From where I’m standing, I think it’ll end before that.”

Hyman was the first to move.

Whoooooom!!

His fist tore through the air with an incredible sound.

KABOOOOOM!!

Su-ho’s forearm blocked his fist, creating an enormous blast of wind pressure.

“Oho.”

Seeing that Su-ho’s body had not burst like a balloon, Hyman grinned.

For the first time in a long while, Hyman felt his blood begin to stir.