Chapter 61: I’m counting on you

[Name: Orion][Race: Giant]

[Level: Hero]

[Age: 11 years]

[Height: 8.3 feet]

[Weight: 770 pounds]

- Strength: 405/500 (+830)

- Agility: 390/500 (+25)

- Intelligence: 400/500 (+20)

- Constitution: 380/500 (+20)

- Resistance: 10% (against all negative states)

---

Skills:

1. Advanced Trident Mastery: Base attack damage +40%, weak point hit damage +100%, chance to inflict bleeding and healing prohibition on hit, low chance to instantly kill bleeding enemies.

2. Titan's Rage: A transformation skill mastered only by top giants, doubling size and all attributes when transformed into an Ancient Titan. The effect lasts until stamina is exhausted. This skill can grow, current effect is 3x.

3. Shadowstep: Increases agility by 50%, attack speed by 20% upon use, each use has a chance to permanently increase agility by 1 point.

4. Berserk Aura: Activating the Berserk Aura sends you and nearby allies into a frenzy, increasing health, reducing pain, and negating curse effects.

5. Titan's Heart: Giants with the Titan's Heart gain an additional 2x strength.

---

The increase in stats was like a rush of dopamine for Orion, filling him with a hunger for more dark creatures. The thrill of growth and power made him crave the hunt even more. The risks were high, but the rewards were undeniable.

With such rewards in sight, Orion had lost any fear or reverence he once had for the dark creatures.

"I can become even stronger," he muttered to himself, pulling Lilith into his arms.

Succubi are inherently passionate and lascivious, and with Orion's teasing, Lilith's vagina became moist again. She spread her legs, her vaginal opening pulsing like an enticing cave, waiting for Orion to venture inside. Consequently, the sounds of bodies colliding and Lilith's moans once again filled the tent.

---

Midnight. Orion, along with his personal guard, arrived at the valley gate for his watch.

The air was thick with the scent of blood.

"Elder, what happened here?" Orion asked.

"Nothing serious, just a small group of Night Stalkers. We killed them, but some of our warriors were injured," replied Elder Rendall, his tone heavy with fatigue.

Orion frowned as he scanned the bloodline warriors behind Rendall. Many were missing limbs, clearly unable to continue fighting.

"Orion, I leave this to you," Rendall sighed. Though he didn't say anything too negative, Orion could sense the elder's low spirits. The warriors behind Rendall were his long-time companions, and seeing them injured weighed heavily on him.

Orion took a deep breath, exhaling slowly to release the tension building inside him. He turned to the four elders standing behind him.

"Same plan as always. I'll hold the gate. Slate, Samson, Halvor, and Rumbold, take your teams and patrol the valley peaks. If anything happens, sound the alarm."

"Understood!" the four elders responded in unison before leading their teams toward the mountain slopes.

The Blackstone Tribe was nestled within Moonshadow Valley, which was surrounded on three sides by mountains and cliffs. The slopes had been fortified, but some creatures, especially those adept at climbing, could still breach the defenses.

Orion remained at the gate, where a fresh supply of spears had been prepared for him. His sister, Clymene, had made sure to stockpile them after the last battle, where Orion had run out of spears during the fight.

"Snow and ice… the harshest part of winter has arrived," Lilith murmured, catching a snowflake in her hand before blowing it away.

"Once the ground freezes, it won't be as soft. Most dark creatures will start hunting in packs."

"The cold is bad enough, but with the dark creatures on the prowl, the Black Forest is about to become a nightmare."

Orion didn't respond. After facing the Voidcrawler, the Night Stalkers, and the Dark Bat Hawk, he had a clearer understanding of the dark creatures. Facing them alone was a fool's errand. Winning one battle didn't guarantee victory in the next. A few injuries here and there would eventually add up, and even a giant—or a dragon—could be worn down.

Of course, fighting as a tribe made things easier. But if the tribe was too weak, they were still in danger.

Having an Alpha-level beast to protect the tribe would be the ultimate safeguard. That was why Clymene and Rendall were so determined to pour all their resources into evolving the Abyssal Dragon.

---

*Dong! Dong! Dong!*

Suddenly, the sound of an alarm bell echoed from the eastern mountain ridge.

"Leave a squad of bloodline warriors to guard the gate. The rest of you, follow me!" Orion commanded, reacting swiftly.

He led the giants toward the source of the alarm.

At the ridge, Slate and Samson were leading their warriors, hurling spears and javelins down the slope.

Below them, seven or eight massive dark creatures, resembling oversized spiders, were climbing up the mountain. Each one was larger than a full-grown elephant.

"Elder Orion, it's a group of Blind Spiders. There are nine of them, likely from the same nest," Slate reported.

Orion nodded, his eyes narrowing as he focused on the spiders, which were rapidly approaching the stone wall. His gaze sharpened, becoming more intense.

The bloodline warriors were throwing spears, but the results were mixed. Some spears managed to injure the spiders, while others were deflected by their long, raised legs.

"Elder Orion, these Blind Spiders don't have eyes. They rely on psychic sensing. That's why our warriors are having trouble hitting them," Slate explained.

Orion didn't respond immediately. Instead, he took a spear from Beyn, one of his guards, and hurled it with all his might.

*Zzzzz!*

The spear tore through the air, striking the lead spider with such force that its body exploded on impact.

Orion exhaled, feeling a small sense of relief. He turned to the others and said, "Your spears aren't fast enough. Increase your speed, and you'll hit them!"

---

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Orion grabbed another spear and hurled it with all his might.

Boom!

Another Blind Spider couldn't withstand Orion's strength and exploded on impact.

Screech, screech, screech...

The death of their companions sent a wave of fear through the remaining Blind Spiders. With a series of sharp screeches, they quickly retreated.

Seeing this, Orion swiftly threw three more spears. This time, however, only one Blind Spider was killed, while the other two managed to block his attack.

"Something's off. There's a stronger one hiding behind them!"

For the Blind Spiders to block his spears from a distance, there had to be a hidden leader pulling the strings. This one was no ordinary spider.

Orion frowned as he watched the retreating Blind Spiders move out of his range. If these creatures kept lurking around the giants' territory, they'd be a ticking time bomb.

Unfortunately, there wasn't much he could do. The hidden spider leader made Orion uneasy, and he didn't dare chase after them recklessly.

Clang, clang, clang...

Just then, the sound of alarm bells echoed from the valley entrance, and Orion's face darkened.

"Slate, Samson, stay here and guard against another attack from the Blind Spiders!"

"The rest of you bloodline warriors, follow me to the gate!"

At the valley entrance, a hundred or so Night Stalkers were charging through the dark snow, breaking through the fog and rushing toward the gate with reckless abandon.

Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh...

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On top of the stone wall, the giant bloodline warriors, who hadn't received Orion's command to engage, could only continue throwing javelins and firing crossbows.

But the Night Stalkers were relentless, and soon they were at the base of the wall.

By the time Orion reached the top of the stone wall, the Night Stalkers were already too close. A brutal melee was inevitable.

"You two stay here and help with the crossbows!" Orion shouted to Lilith and young Lysinthia before leading the other giant warriors out of the gate and charging into the fray.

Orion didn't hold back. He activated Titan's Rage, Shadowstep, and Berserk Aura all at once, launching himself into the Night Stalkers like a cannonball. Wherever he went, Night Stalkers fell dead in his wake.

The other bloodline warriors, empowered by Orion's Berserk Aura, fought with ferocity, showing no fear as they clashed with the Night Stalkers.

The battle quickly devolved into a bloody slaughter.

In less than an hour, the Night Stalkers outside the valley walls were completely wiped out.

However, the cost was high. Of the hundred or so giants who had charged with Orion, more than a dozen had been killed, sacrificing their lives heroically.

A few others had sustained minor injuries. Orion's mood was heavy. This winter was unlike any other. The scale of the dark beast tides was overwhelming, and the Blackstone Tribe's losses were unprecedented.

"Elder Rumbold, take the tribe and clean up the battlefield. I'll stand guard with a few bloodline warriors."

"Understood, Elder Orion!"

Soon, the bodies of the fallen giants were carried away for cremation and burial, while the Night Stalkers were dissected, yielding a decent haul of dark source crystals.

Once the battlefield was cleared, Orion led his team back to the stone wall, but the stench of blood lingered in the air for a long time.

Orion remained on edge. He feared that the scent of blood would attract larger dark creatures, which would spell disaster for the Blackstone Tribe.

Thankfully, no dark creatures appeared by the time Clymene arrived to take over the watch.

"Orion, go rest. I'll take it from here."

After two dark creature attacks in one night, Orion had managed to fend them off.

Clymene hugged Orion, feeling that her younger brother, Orion Stoneheart, had truly grown up. He was now the pillar of the giant tribe.

"Here, take these. I'm counting on you!"

Clymene handed Orion two bags of dark source crystals. One bag contained the crystals collected during Elder Rendall's watch, and the other was from Orion's own kills that night.

"Take these back and use the time to strengthen yourself while you rest."

Orion accepted the dark source crystals without hesitation. After reminding Clymene about the Blind Spiders spotted in the eastern mountains, he led the exhausted giants back to their tents.

Inside the tent, only Orion remained. Lilith and Lysinthia had voluntarily stepped outside to stand guard for him.

Now was the critical moment for Orion to strengthen himself.

During the dark beast tides, every giant was on edge, either fighting or preparing for the next battle.

Even Orion felt the pressure, driving him to constantly push his limits.

As a survivor from another world, he had initially relied on completing beginner quests to grow stronger. But at this stage, the only way to improve was through his own efforts. The rewards from beginner quests were too meager now, far less effective than other methods of strengthening himself.

Inside the tent, Orion began consuming the dark source crystals. The intense burning pain that came with ingesting large amounts of these crystals was excruciating, but Orion endured it with sheer willpower.

During Elder Rendall's watch, they had collected seventy-three dark source crystals, though they were relatively small in size.

With each crystal Orion consumed, his stats on the data panel increased by 10 to 20 points.

By the time he had consumed the tenth crystal, his strength stat had already maxed out at 500/500.

But Orion didn't stop. He continued consuming the crystals.

When he reached the fifteenth crystal, all his stats had hit their maximum values.

His attributes had finally stopped increasing.

---

[Name: Orion]

[Race: Giant]

[Level: Hero]

[Age: 11 years]

[Height: 8.3 feet]

[Weight: 770 pounds]

- Strength: 500/500 (+1020)

- Agility: 500/500 (+25)

- Intelligence: 500/500 (+20)

- Constitution: 500/500 (+20)

- Resistance: 10% (against all negative states)

---

Skills:

1. Advanced Trident Mastery: Base attack damage +40%, weak point hit damage +100%, chance to inflict bleeding and healing prohibition on hit, low chance to instantly kill bleeding enemies.

2. Advanced Throwing (Spear Specialization): When using a trident or spear for ranged attacks, attack power increases by 100%, accuracy by 50%, and penetration by 20%.

3. Titan's Rage: A transformation skill mastered only by top giants, doubling size and all attributes when transformed into an Ancient Titan. The effect lasts until stamina is exhausted. This skill can grow, current effect is 5x.

4. Shadowstep: Increases agility by 50%, attack speed by 20% upon use. Each use has a chance to permanently increase agility by 1 point.

5. Berserk Aura: Activating the Berserk Aura sends you and nearby allies into a frenzy, increasing health, reducing pain, and negating curse effects.

6. Titan's Heart: Giants with the Titan's Heart gain an additional 2x strength.