Chapter 70
“Hamang!”
‘Dwoooang-!’
A massive water balloon—or rather, Hamang—was launched.
It struck Gigatitan’s side with force.
‘Squelch!’
Hamang, bloated from swallowing copious amounts of seawater, had grown enormous. Her weight now amounted to several hundred tons.
Though it was nowhere near the 2,500 tons of Gigatitan’s body weight, the surprise attack was enough to make the beast stagger momentarily.
‘Grrowk?’
Gigatitan’s legs awkwardly mimicked the steps of a crab. It resembled someone doing tap dance, suddenly struck in the side by an incoming gym ball, struggling not to fall over.
This momentary imbalance saved the commander of Outpost 23.
‘Boom!’
“Huff!”
The leg that was about to crush the commander shifted several meters to the side. It shattered a boulder and dug deep into the ground, scattering debris everywhere.
Yet, the commander was unharmed.
The countless shards flying toward him were blocked by someone.
“Get down!”
“……!”
A shadow moved to shield the commander, raising an oddly shaped object.
With a flash of movement, the object was swung masterfully, sparks scattering all around.
‘Clang! Clang! Clang!’
A series of bright flashes lit up the darkness. Through these flashes, the commander saw it clearly.
‘A shovel?’
Someone was swinging a shovel with both hands in a bizarre posture. Despite the strangeness, the movements were no joke.
The shovel intercepted every fragment hurtling through the air, knocking them away with precision and power. It was as if the shovel was a spear, a shield, and a hammer rolled into one.
‘It’s like a shield with a handle,’ thought the commander.
The man wielding the shovel turned toward him.
“Are you alright?”
“Ah, um, I…”
“You look fine. Let’s go.”
The man—Lloyd—rested the shovel on his shoulder and gestured with his chin. Caught off guard, the commander instinctively followed.
“W-Where are we going?”
“Where else? We’re running away.”
“Pardon?”
“Didn’t you hear me? We’re escaping.”
Lloyd spoke matter-of-factly. The commander’s face hardened.
“I cannot run away. I must defend this place.”
“You won’t be able to defend it.”
“Even so, I must.”
“You don’t need to.”
“Pardon? What do you mean…?”
“Because someone else will defend it.”
As they sprinted, Lloyd pointed to the side. The commander followed his gaze and saw it.
Through the fiery inferno caused by the ammunition depot explosion stood a silver-haired knight, Javier.
Armed with nothing but a sword, Javier faced the colossal monster head-on. Despite being dwarfed by the creature, he remained unshaken, his presence exuding unparalleled confidence.
In one fluid motion, he raised his sword and dashed forward.
‘Whoosh!’
Javier sprinted like the wind, leaping over boulders and tearing through the flames.
Ahead of him lay the eleventh leg of Gigatitan.
As he passed it, Javier’s sword became a streak of light, slicing through the leg.
‘Slash! Clang!’
Sparks flew.
A faint scratch appeared at the end of Gigatitan’s leg. Javier frowned slightly.
‘It didn’t cut?’
He had expected to sever at least half of it. This result caught him off guard.
‘I’ll try again.’
Mana from the Mana Heart surged through him, and the triple circles spun even faster. Javier’s movements grew sharper.
‘Swish! Swish!’
He moved faster than Gigatitan’s gaze could follow, darting into its blind spots.
He leaped, landing on its leg and pushing off to soar higher. There, he found the joint of the beast’s leg, where the armor appeared thinnest.
‘Now!’
His sword gleamed as it descended diagonally, targeting the joint.
But while the air split apart, the beast’s hide remained intact.
‘Boom!’
The blade, empowered with an explosive strike, was deflected. Javier, thrown back by the rebound, showed a rare moment of surprise.
From a distance, Lloyd, still running, scowled deeply as he glanced back.
‘That idiot… I told him not to fight.’
His heart pounded uncontrollably as a memory flashed in his mind.
—
“Alright, it’s done! Bangul?”
“Bangul?”
“Here, eat this.”
“Bangoo?”
“It’s a blue sunflower seed. Eat it quickly before that monster sees us.”
Lloyd handed Bangul a blue sunflower seed, shortly after crossing the sea atop her. They had safely reached the shore after braving the waves.
The first thing he did was shrink Bangul’s size. Then, he scanned their surroundings rapidly.
“What’s your plan now?”
Javier’s serious gaze demanded an answer. Lloyd, nonchalant as ever, replied, “Plan? We hide.”
“Hide?”
Javier’s brows furrowed slightly.
“By hiding, do you mean preparing for a surprise attack?”
“No.”
“Then?”
“Why would I launch a surprise attack? We hide.”
“Are you seriously thinking of hiding from that monster?”
Javier’s frown deepened.
“This isn’t our city,” Lloyd said, shrugging off his drenched cloak. “There’s a military here, right? Why should we draw our swords and risk our lives?”
“Because…”
“Is it because of some sense of justice?” Lloyd tilted his head, puzzled by the very idea.
Javier’s brow furrowed further.
“Then what about what you told the Count on the ship?”
“What did I say?”
“When the Count asked what you’d do next, didn’t you shout, ‘I’ll go myself!’?”
“Oh, I said that, didn’t I?”
“And now you refuse to take responsibility for those words?”
“I said I’d come here, not what I’d do afterward.”
– “Isn’t that right? So, what does it matter if I hide here or not? Why should I risk my life for someone else’s problem?”
“But, Lord Lloyd…”
– “Do I look like Superman to you?”
“Superman? What do you mean by that…?”
– “Or do I seem like a hero destined to save the world?”
“……”
Of course not.
Lloyd had never thought of himself that way.
He wasn’t Superman. He wasn’t some hero straight out of a movie performing miraculous deeds.
‘I’m just a guy trying to pay off my debt and live a quiet, peaceful life.’
All Lloyd wanted was to get through each day working toward that goal.
He was just an ordinary person striving to secure construction contracts, earn money, and survive.
“Fighting a monster the size of a building? That’s ridiculous.”
The creature had thrown a massive statue hundreds of meters with one strike. It had destroyed five warships with a single body slam.
Even after taking dozens of cannon shots, it didn’t flinch.
Fighting that kind of monster? Sure, he’d give it a shot—if he thought it was remotely possible.
But truthfully, he didn’t. It terrified him, and he felt helpless.
The thought of the citizens suffering because of the monster pained him, but impossible things were still impossible.
To Lloyd, the suggestion to fight that creature sounded no different than saying, ‘‘Let’s all commit a perfectly coordinated group suicide.’’
And that’s why—
– “I’ll be clear: I have no intention of fighting that thing. That’s why I gave the Count some vague response and left the ship. Now I’m going to find a safe place nearby and hide until this mess calms down.”
“Then what do you plan to do after it’s calmed down?”
– “What else? I’ll get the construction fee from the Count.”
“……”
– “Once I get paid, my business here is done. I know it sounds cowardly, but there’s nothing I can do. What else am I supposed to do? What can I even do?”
Lloyd’s voice carried resignation.
Javier’s gaze toward Lloyd grew colder.
When he spoke, his tone was icy.
– “So this is who you are, Lord Lloyd?”
“What?”
– “I’m disappointed.”
That was the end of their exchange.
Javier turned away, drawing his sword.
Watching the scene unfold, Ppodong, Bangul, and Hamang hesitated before Javier addressed them.
– “Will you fight with me?”
“Ppo-dong!”
“Bang-ul!”
“Hamang!”
The three fantastical creatures nodded in unison.
A faint smile appeared on Javier’s lips.
– “Very well. Let’s go.”
“Ppo! Bang! Ha!”
‘Whoosh!’
Javier dashed forward with the three creatures.
As his figure grew smaller in the distance, a string of messages appeared.
‘Ding-dong.’
[ Javier Asrahan feels deeply disappointed in you. ]
[ Javier Asrahan’s favorability toward you has decreased by -5. ]
[ Current Relationship with Javier Asrahan: +1 ]
[ Relationship Grade with Javier Asrahan has dropped from <Casual Interest> to <Ordinary Acquaintance>. ]
[ No RP has been deducted despite the slight deterioration of your relationship with a key figure. ]
[ Current RP: 1901 ]
“……”
It seemed that Javier was genuinely furious this time.
Lloyd bit his lip hard.
‘This is a nightmare.’
Not only did he dislike fighting the monster himself, but he hated seeing Javier do it too.
Sure, he knew Javier was strong, but this wasn’t a scenario from the novel ‘Iron-Blooded Knight.’
In the story, Javier had never faced Gigatitan.
And Javier wasn’t yet the Swordmaster he became in the novel.
While he had the Triple Circle, Javier was technically still a high-level Sword Expert, not a master.
There was a real risk he could charge in for justice and meet a sudden, meaningless death.
‘That’s unacceptable.’
Losing Javier like that? Absolutely not.
Was it because he liked Javier?
Of course not.
‘The reason is simple—he’s my most useful asset!’
Javier was the greatest treasure he could rely on.
In the future, as a Swordmaster, Javier would become the cornerstone of the estate.
Even now, Javier was invaluable—like the perfect construction equipment.
Thanks to him, quarrying was smooth, and drilling through bedrock was effortless.
‘And on top of that, his labor is free!’
All Javier needed was food, and he worked tirelessly without complaint.
Losing such an all-purpose piece of construction equipment in this situation was out of the question.
‘Seriously, I’ve invested so much in him!’
Grumbling inwardly, Lloyd chased after Javier.
He was determined to stop him somehow.
That’s how he ended up here—rescuing the commander of Outpost 23 and fleeing with him while jeering at Javier.
– “Hey! That’s enough! Let’s just run already!”
– “No.”
With a sharp landing far ahead, Javier ran alongside them in the same direction.
Without hesitation, he refused.
Lloyd’s temple throbbed as he shouted.
– “Hey!”
“Yes?”
– “Are you a lunatic? Do you have some kind of fetish for being a tragic hero?”
“What?”
– “Don’t give me that! Am I wrong? Do you seriously think you can stop that thing by doing this?”
“I don’t know. But—”
‘Shhhhk!’
Javier abruptly stopped running, turning his body.
The massive beast pursued them relentlessly, its overwhelming foot crashing down.
As if to defy the monstrous attack, Javier swung his sword.
A direct explosive strike erupted.
‘Boom!’
The powerful shockwave sent Javier skidding nearly 20 meters backward.
Barely regaining his footing, his eyes burned with fierce determination.
– “If I don’t fight, it feels like no one else will be able to stop that thing.”
A calm but firm voice, carried by mana, rang out clearly.
“…Unbelievable.”
Who else could this level of selflessness belong to but a novel’s protagonist?
This was justice-driven stubbornness taken to an extreme.
But there was no time to criticize or try to convince him further.
– “Hey! Get out of the way!”
‘Whooosh!’
Perhaps annoyed by Javier’s relentless resistance using explosive strikes, Gigatitan began to attack him in earnest.
Its primary weapon, a club-like foreleg, swung down toward Javier.
‘Boom!’
Javier quickly dodged out of the way, but the massive leg followed up with another relentless barrage.
‘Whack! Crash! Boom!’
Every time the club-like foreleg struck the ground, the earth cracked, and boulders shattered into powder.
The immense shockwaves and debris shook the surroundings with every strike.
Yet Javier avoided them each time, narrowly escaping harm.
He also led Gigatitan further away, deliberately drawing its attention. It was clear he was worried about the others getting caught up in the chaos.
‘That idiot!’
He was openly taunting the monster, pulling all its aggro.
No matter how it looked, it seemed like he was courting death.
Lloyd’s heart pounded wildly in his chest.
‘This is exactly why I told him to hide instead of fight.’
But it was too late to back out now.
He had to come up with something—anything.
Otherwise, Javier would fall. And if luck turned against him, Lloyd might be dragged down alongside him as a bonus casualty.
‘I can’t let that happen.’
Lloyd shook his head violently, trying to clear his thoughts and regain composure.
‘To overcome this, I need to analyze the situation first.’
He wiped the sweat trickling down his face and scanned his surroundings with sharp eyes, organizing his thoughts.
‘The biggest problem right now is that Javier can’t deal any meaningful damage to that thing.’
Javier’s strikes were powerful enough to slice through steel. Yet his attacks weren’t working.
The culprit was Gigatitan’s thick shell.
‘It’s like a giant mantis shrimp—or maybe a lobster with club-like forelegs.’
A crustacean.
Its hard and resilient exoskeleton was the issue.
‘If we could pierce that shell, Javier might stand a chance.’
Lloyd carefully observed Gigatitan’s rampaging body.
But the night sky was too dark, and no matter how closely he looked, he couldn’t determine which parts of its shell were thinner or more vulnerable.
‘If only it were a rock or the ground. I could use surveying to pinpoint weak spots in the terrain…’
The thought filled him with frustration.
Then, suddenly, an idea struck him like lightning.
‘Wait. Hold on a second.’
Lloyd paused mid-sigh, his mind racing as new possibilities rapidly unraveled.
Surveying.
A skill for analyzing the ground.
A skill that could detect sturdy or weak points within the terrain, up to a depth of five meters, thanks to its special options.
‘But… could that skill apply to this thing?’
A wild thought crossed his mind.
Surveying a living creature.
He had never tried it before.
He hadn’t even considered the possibility.
But what if it worked?
If it did, it’d be a jackpot.
If not, well, no harm done.
There was nothing to lose.
‘Alright, let’s give it a shot. Survey!’
Driven by cautious hope, Lloyd focused his gaze and activated the skill, locking onto Gigatitan.
‘Tzzzzzz!’
[Initiating scan.]
To his astonishment, a message appeared, and data began to overlay Gigatitan’s body, as if revealing its structure through a map-like interface.
