17. The Inevitable (3)

I’m currently heading to a nearby university. My objective is the students trapped there.

For some reason, I felt certain there would be people worth saving there.

Well, universities are full of hot-blooded kids overflowing with energy but lacking experience-I’m sure there are plenty of idiots who tried something heroic and got themselves fucked right before succeeding.

Moreover, I had this unshakable hunch that a university with dormitories would definitely have survivors.

Thud! Thud..!

But what the hell is that thudding sound that’s been going on for a while now? It’s irritating. So fucking irritating I could die.

‘The fuck?’

I looked around to locate the source of the sound.

When weird premonitions like this happen, it usually means some ridiculously strong bastard is about to show up-so I needed to check it out immediately.

There’s no way something making this much noise would be weak.

“Hmm. That’s…”

After cautiously approaching the direction of the sound for about five minutes, I finally identified its source.

“A giant…?”

A massive humanoid, roughly four meters tall, was lumbering along.

Moreover, it was wearing crudely made leather clothing and dragging what looked like a stone axe made of rock and wood behind it.

It seemed to be chasing something. What could it be after? Survivors, maybe?

‘If so, this could be both a chance to save survivors and kill the giant…?’

I examined the giant more closely. I needed to use [Monster Appraisal].

[Name: Lesser Giant]

[Info: The most common and least intelligent type of giant. Many of its body parts are used as alchemical ingredients. It primarily feeds on humans and has an excellent sense of smell.]

[Abilities: Superhuman Strength, Trample, Human Tracking]

As [Monster Appraisal] activated, a brief summary of the creature appeared in my mind.

Its entire body is alchemical material, huh? If I kill it, I could get a ton of points and a significant amount of reagent materials.

‘Can I take it down?’

The real question is whether I can actually kill this monstrous bastard right now.

‘If I can whittle it down from range…’

It’s worth a shot. Engaging in close combat or revealing myself would be extremely dangerous, but if I can keep chipping away at its health from a distance, it might work.

Plus, whoever that giant is chasing will naturally draw its aggro, so I can use this chance to test out the new skill I acquired today.

‘Let’s see how much damage [Shikigami Exorcism] can do.’

Not wanting to lose sight of the giant, I quickly dashed into a nearby café. Then, crouching low, I leaned against the window and pulled out all the shikigami I had stuffed into my cross bag.

“Kill!”

With a brief incantation, I tore the shikigami resting on my palm in half with both hands.

-Uwaaaaah!!!!

‘It worked!’

I’m not sure how or where the damage was dealt, but the giant definitely screamed and staggered.

It’s effective. I was worried it might not work on a giant, but it’s so effective I almost feel bad for doubting it.

‘The book said it would work almost unconditionally unless the target had countermeasures… It was right!’

This is fun. As long as I can see the target, I can deal damage from a distance by tearing the shikigami.

“Kill!”

I unleashed another attack. This time, I ripped the paper shikigami’s head off.

Thud-!!!!

The giant clutched its neck and dropped to one knee. It spent a long time checking if its neck was still intact.

It must have felt like its throat was being slit.

‘This is insane…!’

Curses are techniques you just have to endure if you don’t have a way to defend against them.

After that, I unleashed about five more attacks by tearing or burning the paper shikigami.

‘Hmm.’

But after testing it multiple times, the limitations of the paper shikigami became clear. It’s not as all-powerful as I thought.

I can feel the damage being dealt, but it’s not actually inflicting significant wounds.

Moreover, the lowest-grade shikigami couldn’t even properly wound the giant’s body.

Additionally, the giant gradually grew accustomed to the attacks and stopped flinching.

It seems to dull with repeated use. This skill is probably meant for instant kills. The damage feels like it decreases with each failed attempt.

‘Still, I managed to whittle down its health…’

And unintentionally, the people being chased by the giant also managed to escape safely.

[(3/30)]

I’m not sure exactly what counts as a rescue for this damn quest, but since I helped the people being chased by the giant escape completely, it counted as saving three people.

‘I’ve saved lives… Should I just give up now?’

I wasn’t confident I could get close enough to kill that hulking monster with its massive health pool. If that bastard picked up a car and threw it at me, that’d be the end of my life.

So it’s better to cleanly give up on what seems impossible and leave…

‘Wait… What if I tear multiple sheets at once?’

Just as I was about to pack up the shikigami and abandon the giant hunt, I suddenly wondered what would happen if I stacked multiple sheets and unleashed an attack.

The book didn’t mention anything about that.

‘Let’s try it.’

I sat back down and spread out ten shikigami sheets, then tore them in half as if splitting a torso.

“Kill!”

-Splaaaat!!!!

-Gyaaaaaah!!!!!!

“Holy shit…!!”

The giant’s thick hide was torn open. It wasn’t enough to spill its guts, but blood was definitely flowing.

Finally, a proper attack landed.

Enraged by the pain, the giant went berserk, smashing its massive club into the ground and devastating the surroundings.

Boooom..!

The café shook as if an earthquake had hit. The windows of every shop on the street shattered, and with each swing of its club, the asphalt was cratered like it had been struck by meteors.

‘Fuck…’

If I’d fought that monster up close, I’d have been screwed. Its physical abilities are on a whole other level compared to minotaurs or ogres. Just being nearby would’ve turned me into paste from the collateral damage.

And this is the dumbest type of giant. Forest giants that use spells would be even stronger. Not to mention, other giant species with high magic resistance might not even be affected by my tricks.

‘And that bastard’s already healing…!’

Its healing ability was the most terrifying part. No wonder the protagonist always said giants were dangerous.

Seeing that absurd physical strength and regeneration firsthand made me realize how hopeless it seemed.

Still, since it hasn’t detected me yet, I might be able to finish it off with [Exorcism].

‘But the problem is the MP cost…’

Originally, tearing one sheet cost 10 MP, but tearing ten at once consumed 200 MP instead of 100.

Stacking the attacks doubled the MP cost. Since one hour of meditation gives 60 MP, 200 MP is almost three hours and twenty minutes’ worth gone in one shot.

Meaning, to deal enough damage to instantly kill that bastard with [Shikigami Exorcism], I might have to burn through all the MP I’ve accumulated over three days of meditation.

‘Should I just go all out?’

I hesitated for a moment.

Then I made my decision.

’20 sheets.’

I decided to spend most of my MP to decapitate the giant in one strike.

The MP drain would be extreme, but that thing is a monster I absolutely can’t kill with conventional methods at my current level.

Moreover, even though it’s the most common type of giant, they’re not easy to encounter. In the 300+ chapters of the novel, giants only appeared three times.

Well, they might have appeared more in parts I didn’t read, but up until I dropped it, they only showed up three times.

Either way, this might be my only chance to kill a giant for a while.

“Kill!”

I grabbed 20 shikigami sheets and tore their heads off all at once.

-Splaaaat!!!!!

400 MP vanished in an instant, and the giant’s neck twisted 180 degrees, snapping halfway.

“Guh…!!!!”

Splaaaat—!!!

“Shi, shit…”

And then I vomited blood.

I don’t know the exact reason why I coughed up blood.

Maybe it’s because I overused [Shikigami Exorcism]. Since I used it in a way not described in the book, the backlash must have hit me. The cost of stacking, perhaps.

Either way, this is crucial information. Using [Exorcism] recklessly can damage the caster too.

Unfortunately, stacked exorcism isn’t something I can spam.

[Level increased by 7.]

[1,500 points acquired]

“Fuck…”

My level shot up massively, and I earned a ton of points, but I didn’t expect to take this much damage myself.

I have no idea why I coughed up blood, but at least the hunt was successful.

“Ptooey. Fuck.”

Other than the blood, there didn’t seem to be any major issues.

I wobbled slightly as I packed the remaining shikigami back into my bag.

I’d used up almost all the shikigami I’d made, and my MP was nearly depleted. But I’d gained 7 levels and 1,500 points in one go.

“High risk, high return, huh…”

I invested my stat points into Stamina and Perception. My stamina improved slightly, and my perception range widened a bit. The effects were immediate.

‘Now then…’

-Squeak.

I stepped out of the café and looked around to see if anything was approaching my prey.

“Kishaa!!”

“Kishass..!!”

“Those damn bugs…!”

As I approached the giant’s corpse, I saw a few Machung bugs swarming it, feasting without permission.

Clang!!

I quickly threw a Bacchus bottle at them.

That bottle contained Silence Spider bodily fluids-a natural Machung repellent.

“Kyaaaa!!!”

“Get lost! Fucking disappear!”

-Shassassat!!

After throwing two more bottles, the Machung bugs fled in panic. Damn pests.

How dare they try to pull an Old Man and the Sea on me? I have no intention of letting my marlin be stolen.

“Phew…”

I didn’t sense any other monsters nearby. Most of them must have fled when the giant went berserk earlier.

I need to butcher the giant before they return.

“Let’s see.”

I pulled out my still-sharp sashimi knife and stabbed it into the giant’s belly where I’d wounded it earlier with 10 shikigami.

-Squelch. Splaaaat!!

Blood gushed out as its stomach split open.

The main ingredients to harvest from this thing were the gallbladder, heart, pancreas, eyeballs, testicles, toes, ears, etc.-honestly, it’d be best to take the entire corpse.

But my inventory capacity wouldn’t allow it. I had to quickly loot only the most valuable parts and leave.

Monsters would soon swarm the area, drawn by the blood.

‘Maybe…’

The protagonist or his harem members might be patrolling nearby after hearing the commotion.

So I should sell any parts I can’t carry right here.

“Ugh…!”

First, I yanked out the giant’s stinking large and small intestines and stomach, dumping them haphazardly on the street. The giant’s guts were disgustingly tough and hard to pull out.

Still, after roughly tearing them out and selling them all, the leftover filth inside spilled onto the ground.

Half-digested human arms, skulls, and other body parts poured out. The stench of rot and blood mixed together made me gag.

It was a nauseating sight.

[50 points acquired]

[50 points acquired]

[50 points acquired]

Anyway, the worthless organs only gave 50 points each. Still, I made 1,200 points just from this. I basically looted and sold everything indiscriminately.

‘2,700 points just from hunting a giant…!’

I never expected to strike it rich like this in a single day. I’m losing my mind.

My brain is flooding with dopamine, to the point where it feels like it’s melting.

‘Luck’s on my side. This is insane.’

This is truly insane luck. And [Exorcism] really is the officially broken skill of this series. Since it’s a technique you just die to if you can’t counter it, its effectiveness is incredible.

‘Of course, I could just as easily get one-shot by the same skill with no resistance.’

Anyway, if I can quickly save 27 more people and earn 3,000 points, I can definitely reach 6,666 points within the week. Since I currently have 3,360 points, it’s very doable. Then I can grab a decently skilled woman to work as my laborer.

“I’ll keep the eyes and heart separate…”

The giant’s eyes and heart were extremely valuable, so I decided not to sell them.

The eyeballs were apple-sized, and the heart was as big as a watermelon. They’re enormous.

I stored these two in my inventory as insurance for later or in case I need them for something.

‘Time to leave…’

I needed to get out of here.

Because I was starting to sense movement around me.

They must have been drawn by the smell of blood.

“Huff… Huff…”

I ran hard to escape the scene. Soon, the sounds of monsters howling and flesh being chewed echoed behind me.

Glancing back, I saw all sorts of demonic beasts gathering to fight over the giant’s corpse.

‘Go ahead, eat up.’

I never cared about the giant’s meat anyway, so it didn’t matter.

‘Should I just go home now…?’

I’m covered in blood. Maybe I should go home, wash up, and rest.

Originally, I planned to head to the university to save people and quickly complete the quest, but I stumbled upon an unexpected opportunity and earned a ton of points.

This must be a sign to stop being greedy and go home to meditate.

‘My MP is almost empty. Yeah, let’s go home.’

If I run into a strong enemy in this MP-depleted state, I could die pathetically.

I hurried back home.

It was a quick return-only three hours after leaving.