Chapter 14

Chapter 14

The rewards were so incredible that, for a while, question marks filled the chat. The rewards from every omitted stage were given at once.

Su-hyeok smiled as he chose to continue. Naturally, he had no intention of stopping there.

[Continuing the trial.]

Su-hyeok’s choice caused another uproar in the chat room. The 5th stage was quite challenging and a rarely-seen trial. Even if it was a trial from a lower floor, people couldn’t help but be interested.

Su-hyeok felt satisfied. ‘It looks like things were settled okay.’ Since the trial omitted the first stages, he’d been worried that defeating the wolf warrior had backfired and caused him to miss out on the previous rewards.

Contrary to his concerns, the system wasn’t that lax.

‘This is actually better. I’ve avoided some troublesome processes.’ He’d gotten a ton of achievement points and all of the items and experience at once. Seeing that he’d received 4,000 achievement points and each stage could give a maximum of 1,000, he’d been given the rewards as if he’d scored the highest in the omitted stages.

That implied that, for anyone who defeated the wolf warrior guarding the entrance, up to the 3rd stage of the trial was meaningless.

‘The item I was rewarded...’ Just when he was about to check what he’d received, the knight who’d blocked the giant’s swing a few moments prior approached.

“Y-you...” the knight warily said.

– Isn’t that Falcon?

– Yes, it’s him.

– Why is he so wary?

– Su-hyeok started on the 4th stage, so it’s only natural for the knight to be wary.

– Ah, that’s right.

– It must be completely out of the blue from their perspective, lol.

Su-hyeok still had to properly introduce himself since he’d skipped the other stages. What would be the best way to do so?

After a brief moment of contemplation, Su-hyeok looked at the knight and simply said, “I came to hunt giants.”

* * *

The Lightning Trial was about a confrontation between giants and humans after the giants suddenly appeared and the villages struggled to survive. Players were tasked with working for the distressed villages.

“P-please... Wait here for a moment.” Falcon provided Su-hyeok with lodging—a small house with a cramped room attached to the living room. It wasn’t a very grand reception for a hero who’d just saved the village.

Well, they couldn’t be blamed. They were struggling to even survive due to the giants, after all.

Still, he was at least offered some tea. He didn’t touch it, though. Something piqued his interest more.

– Show us the item.

– Show us! Show us!

– I think it should be Magic rank at minimum.

– Magic? I think it will be Rare, at least.

He needed to look over his rewards.

“Alright.” Su-hyeok took the two items from his inventory. “Let’s all take a look.”

【 Giant’s Heart 】

# Rank: Rare

# A ring made from the heart of a giant. Increases Stamina and Stamina regeneration.

# +2 Stamina

【 Thunderous Sound 】

# Rank: Rare

# Clothes imbued with the power of thunder. You can borrow the sound of lightning once a day (User immune).

# Uses: 3

“Oh...” Su-hyeok’s eyes sparkled. Of course, the Giant’s Heart caught his eye first—he liked everything about it, from its design to its effect.

‘Ring-type items are rare. Plus, it increases Stamina.’ Stamina was the most important stat for him, and items that increased one’s stats were rare to begin with. Rings were also easier to wear than most other items.

If he were to sell it on the market, it would surely fetch a high price, but it was better for him to use it for as long as possible since it increased Stamina.

‘I was in need of defensive equipment, so this is great.’ On top of that, he’d also leveled up three times. He was quite pleased with the rewards since Selfish Sacrifice had left him short of points, which meant he had some difficulty acquiring new equipment.

– Both are Rare.

– They seem pretty good.

“It’s okay,” Su-hyeok replied.

The first thing the knight did was thank Su-hyeok. “I heard you saved the village while I was away. On behalf of everyone, thank you.”

“It was nothing.” Su-hyeok looked at the tanned knight who’d arrived with Falcon. Felius... He was the village’s representative and one of the knights who were fighting the giants.

“Excuse me, could I ask you one thing...?” Before even sitting, as if he were in a hurry, Felius went straight to the point. “I heard you’re fighting giants. Is that correct?”

“Yes, that’s correct.” To be more precise, he was there to hunt the giants, but it was the same thing, so Su-hyeok nodded.

“We plan to settle things with them,” Felius said.

‘Settle things?’ The village was too weak to say they were going to settle things with the giants. There were many giants, after all, and the villagers weren’t fully aware of their forces.

Su-hyeok could think of only one reason for Felius to say such a thing. ‘They’re probably prepared to die.’ Indeed, Felius died in the next stage. That was certain, and his determination probably stemmed from his resolve.

“During recent reconnaissance, we were able to locate the giants’ leader,” Felius explained.

The trial’s objective was simple—eliminate the giants’ leader. At least, that seemed to be the case on the surface.

“Please help us. We’re begging you.” Putting aside his pride as a knight, Felius bowed and pleaded.

Swoosh—

That plea was the trigger for the next stage.

“Alright...”

[Stage 5 – ‘Survival’, is starting.]

“Let’s do it.”

* * *

They began moving immediately, hiking up the mountain without a word. Su-hyeok remained silent through the two-hour-or-so march. In total, including Felius, there were 50 soldiers they’d been able to gather to fight the giants’ leader.

– Felius ᅲᅲ

– Felius, don’t die ᅲᅲ

– Is he going to die??

– Could you stop spoiling it?

– Is there no moderator here? Can’t you kick the spoilers?

– Here’s a hint. Why do you think the stage is called ‘Survival’? lol.

– Ah, I’m not curious. Shut up.

The chat was in chaos. The viewers who knew what would happen and the viewers who didn’t want to get spoiled were fighting, and the situation cascaded out of control as more viewers surged in.

‘Is a moderator necessary?’ Su-hyeok had nothing to do, but the chat certainly made him feel the need for a moderator. ‘I’ll look into it after the exam.’

After the two hours passed, Felius raised his hand from the front and signaled. “Stop.”

The soldiers closely behind Su-hyeok stopped and caught their breaths.

Felius whispered to Su-hyeok, “It’s that guy. He’s the giants’ leader.”

Far away, amidst the bushes, a giant loudly snored in slumber. The creature was much bigger than the giant they’d encountered before. Even while sleeping and using a tree as a headrest, it seemed to be well over five meters in height.

“I’ll go ahead.” Felius readied his shield and took a step forward. “I’ll draw its attention first. Su-hyeok, aim for its back...”

The moment Felius started to walk forward, Su-hyeok grabbed his shoulder and stopped him. “You shouldn’t go.”

Thud—

“That guy...”

– Hey, you FOOLS!

The chat feaked out as Su-hyeok spoke.

“Isn’t alone.”

– Why do you think the stage is called ‘Survival’? Hahaha.

Rustle—

Crack— Thud—

The sounds of bushes rustling and trees breaking and falling were heard from every direction as the giants woke up.

The stage’s ‘survival’ portion had truly begun.

____