Chapter 282
“If the Giant King Gias really appeared, wouldn’t it be dangerous to continue the second-year Hero Academy field training?”
Mel asked in a worried tone.
The Legion Commanders of Tartarus were terrifying monsters in and of themselves, but even more threatening were the demonic armies they led.
If a Legion Commander had moved, chances were high their army had moved as well.
“You don’t have to worry about that. Even if that guy really did move, it’s extremely unlikely he brought his army.”
“Why is that?”
“Gias only moves his army during war.”
During the Era of Genesis.
Leo had taken part in countless wars against Tartarus.
Back then, war against the demons was an everyday reality.
And even after all those battles, he had only encountered the Giant King’s army a handful of times.
“If a creature that massive moves, it’s impossible not to be seen. That’s why he has to be careful. Naturally, moving his army would require even more caution.”
Leo narrowed his eyes.
“Of course, his personality could’ve changed over the past 5000 years… but the fact that he’s never once left a trace in history suggests otherwise.”
Mel nodded at Leo’s words.
“Still, we should stay alert. Mel, can you keep watch over Mount Erdean?”
At that, Mel knelt and bowed her head slightly.
“As you command, Leo.”
—
In the tavern, the dwarves of Tarkam were enjoying drinks and lively conversation.
Tarkam had many different classes of people.
From master smiths to merchants, to miners working in the mountains.
And even warriors who hunted monsters.
But being at the far edge of dwarven territory, it was rare to see other races.
So, all the dwarves turned curious eyes toward the ones entering the tavern.
Thunk!
“Ugh!”
Carr, leading the group in, smacked his head on the low doorway.
“Are—are you okay?”
“How pathetic!”
Eiran hurried to help Carr, while Driana burst out laughing at the sight.
Eiran used her magic to gently place a hand on Carr’s forehead.
Driana also pulled out an ointment from her coat.
“Apply this. The swelling will go down quickly.”
“Th-thanks.”
Carr applied the ointment Driana gave him.
Lunia and Ar muttered as they observed the low ceiling and small furniture.
“This really feels like a dwarf city.”
“It’s different from Dwernonia.”
Buildings in Dwernonia didn’t look much different from those of other races.
Driana, hearing their curiosity, laughed heartily.
“Dwernonia is visited by many other races, so a lot of the buildings there are adjusted to standard dimensions. That city is a blend of many cultures—almost like a masterpiece of art.”
“That has nothing to do with art.”
Lunia retorted, but Driana ignored her.
“But Tarkam is a city purely for dwarves. Since other races rarely come here, everything is tailored to us dwarves.”
As she spoke, Driana walked over and took a seat.
Though the table and chair were noticeably small, they seemed perfectly sized once she sat down.
The others, however, looked quite comical trying to sit.
“The spoon and fork are tiny too.”
Eiran observed curiously.
“But the beer mugs are huge.”
Carr commented, looking at the dwarves’ tankards.
Soon after, a server came by to take their order.
They picked out dishes to accompany drinks and waited.
In the meantime, the eyes of the tavern’s dwarves locked onto them.
Other races were rare in Tarkam.
And these weren’t just any outsiders—they were students from the famed Hero Academies.
Naturally, interest soared.
As whispers spread and curious eyes lingered—
“Guess it’s my time to shine.”
Carr puffed out his chest and stood up.
“I’ll go see what I can learn about the rumors.”
Confidently, Carr approached a dwarf drinking alone.
“Hello there!”
“Well now, a human. Judging by your uniform, you must be from Lumene. What brings a human Hero Candidate to a place like this?”
A dwarf who looked like a miner struck up a conversation, and Carr responded warmly.
“I’m here for field training. I heard there were sightings of a giant monster in Tarkam!”
“There were! But it’s nonsense! Where would such a huge monster come from?”
The dwarf laughed heartily, and Carr grinned.
“Still, there must be plenty of rumors, right? Tell me some stories. I’ll buy you a beer.”
“Oh-ho! You’ve got manners! Sure!”
The dwarf seemed pleased with Carr’s friendliness and happily began talking about the rumors.
Watching this, Eiran gasped.
“Carr, you’re amazing!”
“I could’ve done that too.”
Lunia replied sulkily.
Driana chimed in,
“A noble elf lady like you isn’t exactly suited for this, is she?”
“Hmph. Watch me. I’ll do just fine.”
Annoyed, Lunia stood and approached another group of dwarves.
“Excuse me. I’m a student dispatched from Seiren regarding the giant monster rumors. Would you mind sharing what you know? I’ll buy you drinks in return.”
“Get lost. I’m not so broke I need free drinks.”
Lunia returned, visibly shaken.
“W-why did I fail?”
“My guess is you came off too high-and-mighty. Probably rubbed them the wrong way.”
Driana’s remark left Lunia flustered.
“How was I high-and-mighty?! Elves are usually nice when I talk to them like this!”
“That’s because you’re a student of Seiren. But here? Dwarves and elves don’t get along. That Seiren name means nothing in this place.”
“Ugh!”
As Lunia slumped her shoulders, Ar chuckled smugly and crossed her arms.
“As expected, the highborn elf can’t handle this! Watch and learn!”
Lunia scowled at Ar’s gloating expression.
Ar strode confidently up to a trio of dwarven mercenaries.
“Hi there, handsome gents! I have a quick question—”
“WHAT! Gents?!”
“We’re women, you stupid cat!”
“You damn furball!”
“Eeep?!”
The drunken dwarves exploded in anger, sending Ar scrambling to apologize as she returned in tears.
“They were obviously women! Idiot.”
“Truly pathetic!”
“Don’t call me iiiidiot!”
Ar shouted, her face red as Lunia and Driana jeered.
“U-um… I’ll try next!”
“Eiran? Wow. I didn’t expect you to be so eager.”
Lunia looked surprised as Eiran replied with a nervous voice,
“I… actually wanted to try this kind of thing!”
With sparkling eyes, she approached an elderly dwarf and began chatting.
“I’m worried.”
Lunia muttered.
But Eiran soon returned, having had a joyful chat.
“Eiran! You did it? So? What’d you find out?”
“Yes! I heard so many new stories about Master Dweno!”
Looking like a child who’d lost track of the goal, Eiran beamed, and Lunia sighed deeply.
“You. Driana, was it? You try.”
“Why should I waste energy when despair man is doing just fine?”
Driana shrugged.
It was a perfectly reasonable response.
Just then, Leo returned to the tavern and took a seat.
“Having fun?”
“We’re not playing! We’re gathering information!”
Lunia snapped at him.
Meanwhile, Carr walked over with a big grin.
“I’m back! Oh, Leo, you’re here?”
“Judging by your face, I take it you got results?”
“Hmph. Of course.”
“Wow! Amazing, Carr! The rest of us all failed!”
Eiran clapped, impressed.
Carr’s face twitched slightly.
“I mean… it’s just asking questions. How can you fail at that…”
“Alright, alright! So what did you hear?”
“Yeah! Tell us!”
Lunia and Ar quickly changed the subject.
Watching the two, Carr cleared his throat.
“Well, turns out the one who saw the monster wasn’t just the guard on duty that night.”
“What?”
“Apparently, a bunch of townsfolk saw it too. Most of them were drunk at the time though.”
Eiran shrank back slightly in fear.
“If there were that many eyewitnesses, maybe it really was a monster? Like the Giant King from Tartarus?”
“No, probably not.”
Lunia shook her head.
“No matter how huge the Giant King is, if he’s called a ‘king,’ he must be massive. If such a monster used teleportation, it would leave mana waves. But this one supposedly disappeared in an instant.”
Lunia crossed her arms.
“Maybe they all saw a hallucination?”
Driana nodded.
“Makes sense.”
“What happened to those drunk people who saw it?”
“They sobered up but then chalked it up to a trick of the eye.”
“What about the guards who saw it from the walls?”
In response to Leo’s question, Carr crossed his arms.
“They’re all hospitalized with mental breakdowns.”
“Mental breakdowns? That’s a typical symptom of seeing a high-ranking demon.”
“Do you know which hospital?”
“Not right now, but I’ll find out by tomorrow morning.”
“Thanks.”
Leo nodded.
‘The important thing is whether the Giant King really came to Mount Erdean. If the sightings caused mental breakdowns, there might still be traces of his dark mana. If he really moved… then there must’ve been a reason. For him to move personally…’
Leo narrowed his eyes.
‘It must be something that could upset the balance.’
—
Thoom—! Thoom—!
In the dead of night, the earth shook.
A colossal monster, tall enough to reach the sky, was on the move.
Thoom—!
The Giant King, Gias, stopped and looked up at the sky.
What hovered above was not a pure white moon.
It was a crimson moon, ominous and foreboding.
The monster opened its mouth as it stared at it.
GUWOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOH—!
A terrifying roar echoed in all directions.
A twisted smile formed on Gias’s face.
After 5000 years, that crimson moon stirred deep ecstasy within him.
It had been ages since he’d indulged in this lawless freedom.
Back when that red moon hung in the night sky—it was their era.
An era where they didn’t need to hide.
When the world belonged to them.
Now that era had returned, but Gias wasn’t satisfied.
This false freedom in a fake world… wasn’t true freedom.
“How I’ve missed it! Our time!”
Thinking of those who had stolen their era, Gias bellowed.
“This time, I will have my revenge.”
His mouth twisted into a grotesque grin.
“Wait for me, Divine Blacksmith.”