Rastus giant body rose from the ground.
Crack!
Crack!
Broken branches fell off his body.
Even at second glance, he was still as huge as ever.
Maybe around 50m?
Compared to the radio towers found throughout the city, Rastus appeared to be much bigger.
KeuhIm going to kill you, human!
He was surprisingly fine after what I thought was a considerable hit just now.
What kind of ability did he use?
His current strength was quite unbelievable even if it was his trump card.
A purple haze was rising like smoke around his body.
While looking at it, I recalled the mysterious dark energy I had felt from the demons in the past.
Was it related to them?
I didnt think so.
Looking back on the previous round, there was still about 20 years left before the demon army would show up.
There was no reason for the sudden change of such a large scale update.
Well, who cares.
More than that right now, it was more important to appreciate his strength and enjoy this mont to the fullest.
Graaaawr!!
The ground shook as Rastus charged at . A clumsy posture, like a bookworm fighting for the first ti.
But given his size, it wasnt sothing I could take lightly. The nearby mansion shook with each step he took.
I faced such a guy head-on. And he, who was like a living disaster, was stopped by in an instant.
Boom!
One of his huge legs was blocked by my body. A long line on the ground was dug out as every muscle in my body contracted.
Keugood.
It was very refreshing to be able to use my strength after a long ti.
H-how the hell.
I could hear Rastus shocked voice. But this was far from what I was aiming for.
The gravity that acted on the body was always anchored on the human bodys center of gravity.
And the law of kinematics was equal to all, even for this giant bastard.
Rastus center of gravity was located high above .
Which ant it was just as easy to break his balance.
*Wrestling Lower Tackle
Frankly speaking, our size difference was like that of a hamster and a human. But that hamster was now lifting the foot of the human.
Creak
His giant body slowly tilted backwards. Then, while floundering his arms in the air, he fell onto the mansion.
Boom!
Another cloud of dust rose. One side of the mansion was completely destroyed beyond recognition.
I smiled while looking at such a sight.
Passable.
, which I used to enjoy in the past, was a skill that dealt with all kinds of modern martial arts.
It incorporated the whole science of it.
With the exception of skills that used mana, there were no better martial arts than
In other words, as long as my physical strength could support it, there was no skill more powerful than this.
Keuaak! How dare you, human!!
Rastus let out a horrible shriek.
Countless tree trunks began to erupt from his body.
His appearance looked similar to when hundreds of cluster bombs were fired.
Bullet hell gas were fun too.
*Acrobatic.
I flipped between the gaps of the spear-like branches that were inserted into the ground. His attacks couldnt even leave a scratch on .
You little rat!!
Climbing along the slope of his body, at the end, I was t with a face that was the size of a house.
His eyes shook nonstop when they made contact with mine. I reached out toward his giant eyeballs.
Wh-what are you trying to do?!
Punching bags dont need eyes.
*Kyokushin Karate Horn Reach
Pak!
Both eyes were cleanly pulled out along with their optic nerves.
Although he looked like a tree through and through, strangely enough, his eyes were like those of humans.
Kueaak!!
Rastus grabbed his empty eye sockets as he scread in pain.
Because of his floundering, other parts of the mansion that were still intact began to turn into ruins.
In the anti, I opened my status window to check the remaining ti. 3 minutes and 10 seconds. Nearly half of it had already been spent in this short ti.
Theres not much ti left until I have to give it back, so Ill have to make the most of it.
I charged at Rastus.
Kick, poke, twist, throw, press, break
All sorts of modern martial arts poured out in the brief mont.
I-it hurts!! Stop! P-please stop!
Rastus scread like a child. He cried and begged to spare him.
But I didnt stop. It was a rare mont for to enjoy myself after a long ti, so why should I?
Little by little, I stripped the bark that covered his body like armor.
Then, underneath it, thick flesh that pulsated like human blood vessels ca into my view.
It looked similar to what I had seen in the garden.
The gardener called it a failure, right? Rastus seed to have turned into one of his failed creations.
It was a sha, but I think it was ti to wrap it up.
As soon as I thought as such, suddenly, under Rastus pores, sothing thin and long stuck out like tiny threads.
At first, I even thought it was his hair, but on closer look, it looked similar to the roots of a sapling.
And, without any ti for to grasp the situation, such roots imdiately dug into the ground and began to suck in the nutrients around them.
As if it had beco a desert, the fertile land and trees in the mountain began to quickly dry up.
On the other hand, Rastus body began to grow exponentially.
50m, 60m, 70m
When it finally reached about 200m in size, Rastus slowly raised his gigantic body.
Boom!
He simply raised his body, but the entire mountain shook loudly as if there was a landslide.
Just a humanhow dare you oppose mother nature.
A flat echo like a boat horn rang in my ears.
However, when I raised my head, I couldnt even see the face of the bastard who was talking. All I could see was a foot that was as high as the surrounding trees.
In just a few seconds, Rastus had beco a giant from myths.
The very sa giant spoke to in a relaxed voice.
Thanks to you, I was able to beco one with nature. So Ill allow you a comfortable death as my last rcy.
His huge palm began to slowly descend as it covered the sky.
Was this how Wukong felt when he was trapped in the palm of Buddha? Anywhere I looked, all I could see was Rastus hand.
The whole world seed to have shifted to night.
Even though it wasnt very fast, clouds of dust swirled from all sides due to the overwhelming air pressure from his palm.
A violent sound of a gust dug into my ears.
Andfacing the palm, I smiled.
Its the finale, so this much is expected.
My stance widened by the span of my shoulders and the tip of my toes bent 45 degrees.
After taking a deep breath, I lowered my body with a short exhale.
*Wushu Fajin
Boom!
A heavy wave spread out and shook the whole mountain.
And the land, which had been barely holding out, split like a spider web.
From the tip of my feet, the kinetic energy contracted and amplified every muscle in my body.
And what lies at the end of the force was a single point.
Finally, the giants palm made contact with mine.
At that mont,
Boom!
A trendous shock wave strong enough to burst a person eardrums exploded.
The dirt on the ground spread out like a ripple and the surrounding trees swayed as their pollen scattered.
Soon,
Crack!
The sound of a tree splitting was heard and the giants body began to crack like dry firewood.
Graaah!!
Rastus scread in pain. However, the crack that had started didnt stop and began to spread faster and faster.
His giant body had lacked the durability to withstand it.
Eventually, he crashed to the ground along with nurous debris.
Just in ti, a ssage window popped up in front of my eyes.
[ The effect has expired. ]
[ All skills and stats borrowed will be returned. ]
[ has been sealed for the ti being. ]
Body: 2.15
Dexterity: 1.35
Mana: 1.08
Spirit: 1.12
*2 Fragnts of Growth
As soon as I saw the ssage, I felt a deep sense of quagmire.
Like when I first started the second round, my whole body felt heavy just from standing. How did I ever survive with such a normal body?
HuuI felt terrible after my senses had returned to normal.
I was already missing the feeling from a mont ago.
Perhaps that was why I felt disappointed even though I had fun. It was like having fun with a ga only for it to be turned off after one round.
But there will co another chance. Ill just have to be satisfied with this for today.
I smacked my lips and headed in the direction where Rastus had fallen.
The bastard, who had returned to his original size, was wriggling on a pile of debris piled high like a hill.
Keuk, keuh
He was barely alive. Hell soon die even if I just left him alone.
I couldnt believe I had dealt with the Elf King like this.
If it was the first round, I would have still been rolling around the streets of Pyongyang with only a pistol
It was naturally possible because he hadnt gained the power of the World Tree at this point, but it could still be said to be a major developnt compared to the past.
ButWhat should I do with this guy now?
I checked my status window once again.
[Challenge Flower of Shadow (Chain Quest)]
Condition: Save Elizabeth.
Ti: 3 months.
Reward: 1x Random Box (dium).
The question that constantly bothered while doing this Challenge.
How the hell do I clear the condition of saving Elizabeth?
Saving ans getting soone out of danger.
Wasnt it enough to kill Rastus, the source of her problem?
In most RPG gas I had played, the word save worked in the sa sense as defeating the villain.
Butwas that not enough this ti?
Just like a while ago. Not only did she not thank , but she even stopped .
So the problem can only be solved if Rastus dies, but Rastus cant die?
It was contradictory.
I felt a headache because I never thought I would have to think very hard about this Challenge.
Should I just kill everyone and loot the cash?
The mont I felt annoyed, Elizabeth, who sat like she was out of her mind, caught my eyes.
I looked at her briefly and soon realized the answer to this problem. I see
This wasnt my problem in the first place.
As I dragged the dying Rastus, I began to approach Elizabeth.
* * * * * * * * * *
Elizabeth stared at the ground with a blank look.
Scenes she saw a mont ago constantly replayed in her head.
Her uncle who had suddenly turned into a giant monster, and the little boy who had played with him like a toy.
It was hard to believe even when she saw it with her own eyes.
As she raised her head, she could see the collapsed mansion and what was left of the surroundings.
In response to such an unrealistic scenery, she could only blink her eyes.
MaybeIm still dreaming?
However, the cold air from the ground that touched her butt told her that all of this was definitely reality.
She shook her head.
It doesnt matter if its a dream or not
For her, dreams were realities thatll happen.
Soon, she could see the boy walking toward her.
And behind the boy was her uncle being dragged like a piece of trash.
?!
Her uncles appearance was grueso. Sharp branches were embedded all over his body, and his broken legs were fluttering like a carpet as it was dragged across the ground.
The boy threw her uncle over.
U-uncle
Keuh
Judging by his feeble breathing, it seed that he was on his last breath.
H-how did this
Even though he was soone who had just tried to kill her, she began to worry about his condition when she saw his terrible figure.
She wanted to approach him, so she unknowingly lifted herself up.
Soon, the boy spoke.
Noona, what should we do?
H-huh? Wh-what do you an?
She answered while avoiding the boys gaze. And her voice cracked because she was tense.
We still cant kill him?
The boys words dug into her chest like a dagger.
In fact, she knew well that everything would only end with her uncles death. And that he was already too far gone to turn back.
Nevertheless, however, her heart ached when she saw the boy tried to kill her uncle. So she stopped the boy without realizing it.
As a result, she almost died, and the boy, on the other hand, threw himself to protect her.
Therefore, it was natural for her to hate her uncle.
Im really the worst.
If she had been in the boys shoes, maybe she would have already been fed up.
***
[ Translator Yasi ]
[ Proofreader Karane ]
She couldnt lift her head because she felt remorseful.
Well, the decision is up to you, noona. I wont force you at all.
Mmm
And even in this situation, she hated herself for not being able to answer.
As she remained silent for a while, the boy opened his mouth again.
Noona.
She slowly looked up at the voice calling her. The boy was still smiling as brightly as when she first t him.
Then, he threw sothing in front of her. It was a glossy, pitch black pistol.
Are you giving this to ?
As she looked at it with curiosity, the boy smiled brightly.
Life is ant to be enjoyed. And whether to enjoy it or not, noona needs to decide.
The boy said and went sowhere without looking back. The words left by the boy kept replaying in her head.
Ihave to decide?
Maybe the boys words were right.
She already knew. Her uncle would continue to go down the wrong path in the future.
The first ti uncle brought in a child to be used as an experint, if I had stopped him then
If she had been a little more courageous back then
Maybe everyone would be living happily and well now.
Was this the only outco?
Even though she could see the future through her dreams, she thought she didnt have the power to change it anyway. The more she struggled the more pain it caused instead.
So at so point, she had given up on making her own decisions.
Just like how a shadow cannot resist being drawn to the sun, she had accepted the fact that fate was absolute.
Even when children died because of the experintsEven when her body was modified with the knowledge that her uncle had obtained
She had turned a blind eye to it all, hoping that soone would change her fate.
Maybe that boy saw through
The mysterious child who had suddenly appeared in her room.
He burned and destroyed everything, just like the beast from her dream. It was enough to be called cruel.
Perhaps the boy who had appeared before her wasnt an angel but the devil.
But
He had done her a favor. He had given his own life.
As a result, even her fate, which likely never would have changed, had changed.
The powders that her uncle was going to make her spread over the city had now disappeared without a trace. She was no longer a tool to be used by her uncle.
Why did I
The boy was able to do it, so why did she give up without even trying?
She felt so grateful and pathetic that she couldnt stop crying. For a long ti, she cried.
Then, when tears no longer flowed down, she grabbed the pistol with a determined look.
Thiswas a problem that I should have solved from the beginning.
The boy had shown her that fact.
If the boy had killed her uncle instead, she might have had to live in the shadows for the rest of her life.
In fact, even now she wasnt confident. But
If I cant change the sun, then Ill at least decide what kind of shadow Ill be.
She stood up and slowly approached her uncle.
* * * * * * * * * *
HmmWhat will the result be?
I thought while looking at the burnt garden that had already turned black.
To be honest, I still didnt know what to do to save soone.
Well, if it wasnt for this Challenge, it wasnt a problem that I had to think about, and in the first place, I wasnt interested in such a thing.
But as a veteran gar, I could say one thing for certain.
You shouldnt play gas in other peoples stead.
Like getting carried in a MOBA, youre bound to revert to your true ranking.
So whether you were good at gas or not, it was only aningful when you played it yourself.
In that sense, it may have been impossible for to save her from the beginning.
This Challenge was in fact for Elizabeth, not .
Ill have to filter out this kind of task from now on.
It would only be who would suffer a loss if sothing goes wrong, and I might not even get a reward at the end.
As soon as I thought that, a faint shot ca from afar.
Bang!
I guess she finally made her choice.
And as a result
[ Completed Challenge Flower of Shadow. ]
[ Gained 1x Random Box (dium). ]
Jackpot.
My gamble had paid off.
I didnt know what kind of problem she had, or why she had made such a decision, but
In any case, I got the reward, so it didnt matter.
I had never read the dialogues in gas and had always spam-clicked past it when I played MMORPGs.
Ding!
At that mont, a pleasant notification ca.
[ Level has risen. ]
[ Level has risen. ]
[ Youve reached level 19. ]
[ Gained a Fragnt of Growth. ]
.
.
.
[ Level 15 Skill Selection forfeited due to the previous Special Selection. ]
[ Gained achievent title Giant Hunter. ]
Tendency: Feat
Description: I cant believe you won against a giant by yourself. I cant help but admire it.
.
.
.
Ooh.
I defeated Rastus and rose five levels at once.
As expected of a villain who would have beco an S-Rank in the future, the experience he gave didnt disappoint.
But one more level and I would have been level 20. That part felt a little disappointing.
The ssages didnt end there.
[ Youve eliminated an existence that ets the standard of evil. ]
[ Youve saved those who were in despair.]
[ Warriors Journey grade has increased. ]
[ A new effect has been added. ]
It was already my second ti seeing this ssage today.
The skill had just leveled up, so it was unbelievable that it would level up again so soon
Was the opponent that strong? Or was it supposed to be an easy skill to level up?
I didnt know the answer and could only open my status window to check the new effect.
Classification: General
Grade: D (Grade E -> D)
Description: A Warrior grows through trials.
Grade Effect:
Grade F: Favorability increases easily.
Grade E: Awaken at the mont of crisis.
Grade D: You beco stronger when you are with your colleagues. * New *
Mark, destiny, and then.friendship.
It seed like the typical warrior clichs found in RPGs were appearing one after another.
Anyway
I couldnt see whether it was a good or bad skill even after I had read the description.
The effect seed to be intended for combat, but from the skill description, it was even more abstract than the last one.
Well, the grade was higher than the last one, so the effect should be better.
As soon as I was organizing my thoughts, I noticed Elizabeth walking towards .
Co to think of itHow should I deal with this woman now?
Although her fate had changed due to this incident, there was no guarantee that she wouldnt grow into a villain.
If I fight against the demon army, sothing very annoying may happen if the witch was on their side.
HmmShould I just kill her and reduce the number of variables?
Thinking back, it was a sha that we never got to fight properly in the past before she suddenly disappeared.
I didnt know how much fun it would be to kill her this ti.
Considering the tis the witch had bothered in the first round, and then the trouble I went through with todays Challenge, I think it would be better to kill her.
While having such thoughts, Elizabeth, who had appeared in front of at so point, bowed to .
In many ways, thank you.
In the anti, I thought about how I should kill her.
I wanted to do sothing suitable when I recalled all the trouble I had gone through
But nothing good ca to mind.
You saved my lifeand you also gave a reason to live. If you hadnt enlightened , I might still have given up everything.
Hmrather than a gun, I think it would be better to use a knife.
I reached behind my back and pulled out a military knife from my inventory. I didnt know who had managed this knife before, but the blade was very well taken care of.
You are my precious savior who taught the aning of life.
I approached Elizabeth step by step.
She was still looking at , but fortunately, she didnt notice anything strange.
Our distance was getting closer and closer.
About 1m apart. Enough to even see the small facial movents.
She looked in the eyes and spoke.
Sothe life that you saved, you can take it if you want.
She said with a big smile.
And then, I stared at her face for a while.
For so reason, my excitent suddenly cooled. I didnt feel like it would be much fun to kill this woman anymore.
I secretly put my knife back into my inventory and reached out my hand.
Dont say sothing weird and just return my gun.
H-huh?
She gave a puzzled look. I snatched the gun from her and turned around.
Looking up at the sky, the sun was slowly setting. There wont be any pork cutlets left if I dont head back quickly.
W-wait!
I heard a voice from behind , but I just ignored it.
Nevertheless, she persistently said what she wanted to say.
Y-you said it a while ago, didnt you? Its up to whether I want to enjoy my life or notS-so Ive decided. Im going to pay you back for your grace.
F-for a child as great as you, there still must be sothing else you need. Maybe you dont need anything from B-but Ill try every day to be a person who can be of help to you.
Ignoring her, I wondered what nonsense she was talking about, but her expression showed that she was very serious.
I had always known that the witch wasnt normalbut it seed there had been a problem since she was young.
It was such a ridiculous proposal that I laughed in vain. What kind of thought process did one have to have to say sothing like that?
Noona, do you even know ?
NoI dont.
Then, what do you think Im going to do?
Whatever it is. I dont care.
What if I beco a villain worse than your uncle?
Im sure that wont happen, butIf it does, Ill help you from the side. My decision to be of help to you is my own choice.
SoJust let be your shadow.
I looked her in the eyes. It wasnt an expression that had existed a while ago.
Naturally, there was still a childish side to her, but nonetheless, maybe because she had killed a person since then, but she felt more useful now.
Hmm, never mind. I couldnt risk not knowing when she would betray .
At that mont, in front of my eyes a new ssage appeared.
[ The effect has activated. ]
[ Elizabeths favorability has increased. ]
[ Favorability has reached a certain level. ]
[ Youve t the requirent to recruit Elizabeth as a companion. ]
[ Companions cannot betray you once theyve joined your party. ]
I was wondering what was wrong with her. Was it the effect of ? Then everything would make sense.
Recruiting teammates
I thought while slowly observing her again.
Either way, it was too much to deal with the demons alone.
So I thought I would try to collect heroes who could beco promising stars in the future whenever I had the chance
And to be honest, in terms of talent, there was none like the witch.
Also, there was that.
[Companions cannot betray you once theyve joined your party.]
Her biggest flaw will have disappeared if this was the case.
And there would be nothing more reliable than if the insidious witch, whose thoughts were impossible to read, beca an absolute ally.
D-did I say sothing weird? ThatWh-what I ant by shadowIts a figurative expression I just thought of
Elizabeths face turned red as she rambled to herself.
When I saw it, I had a thought.
This will be a stepping stone towards the final content.
And so, today I had gained a witch who could grow into an SS-Rank in the future as a companion.
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