Chapter 182: The World of the Arrogant Giants (8)
A prolonged battle is impossible.
Taesan had exhausted all his attack nullifications, and his remaining health was only half. While he could recover his health with potions, there was no way to replenish his spent mana and skills.
The biggest problem was that the duration of his Apostle Transformation was nearly over.
He had to finish the monster within the remaining duration of his Apostle Transformation.
Thud, thud, thud!
Thorns rushed at Taesan’s back. He focused his mind.
With intense fatigue and exhaustion, his aura twisted once more.
The thorns embedded themselves in his back but couldn’t penetrate the concentrated aura, bouncing off instead.
Taesan twisted the sword embedded in the monster’s core.
Crunch.
Black liquid gushed out, tearing the monster’s body even further.
[You dealt 4,042 damage to the monster???.]
Using a small flame, Taesan spread fire to the monster’s wound. The monster writhed in apparent pain.
Simultaneously, more thorns flew at him.
[You have activated Random Blink.]
Crunch.
He moved in the opposite direction of the thorn’s attack, thrusting his sword again and pulling it out.
He plunged his sword once more, slicing through and spreading the flames. The monster’s core began to burn.
Rumble!
The monster’s body shook violently.
The room shook as if it were about to collapse, and more thorns began to rain down.
Taesan focused his aura on defense against the onslaught.
At the same time, the overwhelming fatigue and exhaustion made his body sway for a moment.
“I can’t go on like this.”
Taesan barely regained his composure. The twisted aura coordination was taxing even on his mental strength. If he used it any longer, he might really collapse.
He focused on minimal defense while cutting down the monster.
Large wounds began to appear on the monster’s core.
Roar!
The monster roared in pain. Thorns swirled like a storm, rushing at Taesan.
Boom!
Taesan struck down his shield.
[You have used Aegis’s Shield. You are immune to all damage for 1 second but cannot move.]
Crunch!
The storm of thorns brushed past Taesan.
He took no damage and moved again after 1 second, slicing through the monster’s flesh.
Black slime spread out like a swamp, soaking Taesan’s ankles. As the slime touched his body, a terrible mental wave seeped into his mind.
“That won’t work.”
Taesan shook it off lightly.
Mental attacks were useless at this point.
He drove his sword in again.
Rumble.
The monster’s body shook violently. The impact caused the tendrils to momentarily pause.
Seeing an opportunity, Taesan drew his twin swords and plunged them deep into the monster’s core. The black slime gushed out, making a sloshing sound.
The monster was dying.
And just as before, the space above the monster opened, and dark power poured down onto it.
Taesan watched this calmly.
As the monster began to regenerate again, the space quivered violently.
The massive aura sustaining the monster started to shake unstably. It was as if a container filled beyond its capacity was cracking.
‘As I thought.’
The regenerative power the monster received was directly from the gods.
There were limits to how much they could interfere with a realm that wasn’t their own. The gods had been walking a fine line on this boundary.
And by resurrecting the monster again, they had crossed that line.
This allowed one particular entity to appear.
Crunch.
The moment the gods crossed the line, an entity that had been waiting for an opportunity emerged. A hand ripped through the space.
As the space split open, a being with starlit eyes appeared.
“You’re late.”
Taesan murmured, lowering his sword.
The God of Magic had descended.
“Uraaah!”
A giant roared and swung his axe at the monster. The monster did not evade the attack.
Clang!
“Ugh!”
It was the giant who was flung back instead of the monster.
The giant gritted his teeth.
“What the…?”
They were being overwhelmed by the monsters.
Barely able to take down B-rank monsters, they stood no chance against A-rank ones. While they managed to hold their formation against these much stronger enemies, it was reaching its limit.
The giants began to fall one by one. Out of the hundred giants, half had already died.
In contrast, they had only taken down five monsters.
The fact that they had defeated five A-rank monsters was an impressive feat, but it didn’t change the dire situation.
“The grand warriors…”
Their condition was even worse. Their clothes were in tatters, and their hair was a mess.
The gelatinous monster they had been suppressing rose violently. It spread its slime, crashing down on the giants like a wave.
The grand warriors hurriedly gathered and raised their hands.
A massive magical barrier formed.
Boom!
The slime pounded against the barrier. With a cracking sound, the barrier began to fracture.
Despite the grand warriors pouring all their power into reinforcing the barrier, the cracks continued to spread.
“Is this the end?”
The Giant King smiled bitterly.
The gamble had failed.
Just as he was about to accept defeat calmly,
Boom!
The monster’s aura, which had been pounding his barrier, began to fade.
The Giant King’s eyes lit up.
He released the power he had been using to maintain the barrier. The pervasive aura disappeared, leaving only a faint residue.
“Huh?”
“This power…”
The Giant King wasn’t the only one who noticed. Both the giants and monsters paused their attacks, looking towards the castle.
Something enormous had descended directly here.
The Giant King laughed.
“Isn’t it a bit late? Oh, God of Magic.”
[This feels good.]
The God of Magic laughed as he touched the ground.
[It’s been a while since I’ve been on my home soil. Because of that wretched thing, I haven’t been able to come here. It’s delightful.]
“As expected, it was the gods’ interference.”
The God of Magic was a giant. He was from Bahulia, the world of the arrogant giants.
But he had never shown himself here.
Considering he had assigned the task to Taesan, it was clear that the God of Magic had an attachment to his homeland.
There must have been some interference, and Taesan believed it was the gods.
[You’re right. Those annoying beings kept blocking my return. They must have really wanted to kill the giants.]
The God of Magic waved his hand joyfully.
[But that’s over now.]
The space above the monster closed.
[Just as I hoped, Kang Taesan. You did exactly what I wanted. By continually defeating the monster, you forced the gods to cross the line. Thanks to you, I could descend.]
The God of Magic laughed heartily.
[I thank you, Kang Taesan. It’s rare for a god to thank a human, so consider it an honor.]
Gurgle.
Although the gods’ rift had closed, the monster had already regenerated. It sent thousands of thorns flying at Taesan and the God of Magic.
[I’ll leave this to you.]
The God of Magic didn’t even glance at the monster’s attack.
The thorns approaching the God of Magic turned to ash and vanished.
[I have my own work to do.]
“Even so, it’s a bit difficult right now.”
The Apostle Transformation had been undone, and both his health and mental strength were exhausted. Facing the monster now was nearly impossible. Hearing Taesan’s words, the God of Magic waved his hand.
[Don’t worry.]
The mana controlled by the God of Magic enveloped Taesan.
[You have been restored to your optimal state.]
[You have learned the intermediate magic [Frozen World].]
[You will instinctively know how to use it.]
As soon as Zerband finished speaking, Taesan knew everything about the magic, including its effects and power.
[It’s a high-tier intermediate magic, so I hope you like it.]
“…Thank you.”
Taesan nodded with a groan.
[Then I’ll go do my part.]
Zerband laughed and left.
Taesan turned his gaze to the writhing monster.
Previously, it had been a dangerous foe, one worth risking his life to fight, but it was no longer a threat.
Rumble!
The tendrils moved, sending thousands of thorns flying again.
[You have activated Frozen World.]
Crunch!
The space froze.
A chilling cold engulfed the monster. The collapsing room stopped falling apart as it froze.
For a moment, a massive stillness filled the space.
The monster, struck directly by the magic, was in a pathetic state. All its tendrils were frozen, unable to move.
The monster tried to twist its frozen tendrils to shoot thorns at Taesan, but the overpowering cold restrained it.
With a smirk, Taesan approached the monster.
While he dealt with the monster, the God of Magic moved towards the Giant King. The giants stared blankly at Zerband.
[Are you the current king? Nice to meet you.]
The Giant King, staring blankly at Zerband, finally spoke.
“You are much smaller than what I read in the books.”
Zerband was similar in size to Taesan. It was hard to believe he was a giant.
[That’s right. I was a small, weak being who was always under everyone’s protection.]
Zerband chuckled and raised his hand.
[I received much from you all. So, I should give something back.]
A massive power emanated from his hand, touching the giants. As his power reached them, the giants felt an overwhelming surge of strength.
“Ooh, ooooh…”
Their minds began to fill with countless pieces of knowledge. It was the magic they had forgotten over the long years.
Swoosh.
Simultaneously, the sky split open, and monsters poured down like bamboo shoots after rain.
Each one was as powerful as the gelatinous monster the grand warriors had faced.
[They just don’t give up. But it’s too late.]
Zerband chuckled.
The Giant King looked quietly at his fist.
The mental attack he had struggled to block was long gone.
“It’s been so long since I felt my full power.”
He stood up and waved his hand at the approaching S-rank monsters.
The sky opened, and starlight rained down.
Each beam of starlight had the power to crush the ground and twist space. The S-rank monsters were instantly buried in light. Some survived the starlight and tried to attack, but they were crushed by the lingering light.
Dozens of S-rank monsters.
Monsters that even Kang Taesan and Lee Taeyeon struggled to handle in their previous lives were dealt with in a single blow.
The Giant King laughed and clenched his fist.
“Disappear.”
Boom!
The Giant King’s power spread across the world.
The rifts in each territory were crushed and vanished.
Within a few minutes, all the rifts in Bahulia were gone.
Boom!
Simultaneously, a massive wave emanated from the inner part of the castle.
[It seems that’s over as well.]
A moment later, Taesan, covered in black slime, appeared.
Taesan spoke calmly.
“The quest is complete, God of Magic.”
[Well done.]
The God of Magic smiled.