Ch.26Giant Beast Attack

Ancient ruins are disorderly scattered remnants of old dwellings or buildings throughout Grantis, said to be of the highest academic value among the many existing mysteries.

Despite their impressive name, ancient ruins are merely the weathered and collapsed remains of structures closely tied to daily life from long ago—homes, public facilities, religious buildings. While the artifacts found there and the structures themselves provide important insights into past history, realistically speaking, items that could directly impact future generations enough to be called “ancient” are rarely discovered.

However, the ancient ruins discovered in Grantis so far have been different. Though they still offer glimpses into past lifestyles, the materials found there clearly contained strong intentions to leave information “for future generations” rather than for contemporary people.

Information about Grantis’s climate, flora and fauna ecology, edible crops, suitable trees for construction, locations of coal and metal deposits… The pioneers who arrived in Grantis without any preparation were able to successfully establish their initial settlements in this strange land thanks to the data from these ancient ruins.

“So that building is one of those ancient ruins.”

“It looks strange.”

The rectangular stone building, roughly 6-7 meters tall and about twice that in length and width by visual estimation, had a very plain appearance without any windows or openings for light.

If one had to make a comparison, it resembled the tofu-shaped buildings made in early stages of block-building games when proper equipment and resources are scarce. If not for what appeared to be a metal gate, it wouldn’t even look like a facility meant for people to enter and live in. If we were to investigate now, it would be easier to enter through the collapsed wall on the left side rather than trying to open that heavy-looking metal gate.

“There’s a door but no windows… I can’t see how the ceiling is structured, but it looks like it would be pitch dark inside except for that collapsed section.”

“I’ve heard that these sealed ruins have luminous stones installed throughout that provide minimal lighting.”

“‘You’ve heard’… so you’ve never actually been inside? I thought you were interested in ancient ruins, Jessica.”

“This place was discovered long ago, exploration has already been completed, and most of the data has been published in books, so there was no reason to visit here before other places. None of the ruins I’ve visited were the sealed type.”

“Ah, I see…”

That made sense. Since the western pioneering project in Grantis is still actively ongoing, it wouldn’t be surprising if new ruins or dungeons were discovered today.

If mysterious items, valuable data, or barrier materials were hidden in such dungeons or ruins, finders would be keepers. As an adventurer, it wouldn’t be desirable to fall behind in investigating newly discovered dungeons or ruins at the frontier of the pioneering effort by surveying old ruins near the First Western City.

“So what was in that sealed ruin?”

“Very valuable data about the local flora and fauna, monsters, and mutation phenomena caused by black mana.”

“And they built a building like that, in this shape, for that purpose?”

Judging by the category of excavated artifacts, this building served as what we would call a library or archive.

While such buildings might have restricted access based on social status depending on the era or nation, they were fundamentally designed with visitors in mind. If commoners were allowed, they would be built in villages or cities; if not, in royal palaces or noble residences.

But there’s nothing around here except rocky mountains. No trace of roads, let alone other villages or residences. A sealed stone structure in an isolated location with no consideration for living conditions like lighting or ventilation. It can only be described as a design that prioritized “storing data” while ignoring the existence of staff or users.

“…Ah. So that’s the ‘intention to leave for future generations.'”

“Exactly. According to native stories, humans existed before the first-generation immigrants arrived in Grantis. But they were much slower than other races in developing ways to overcome the worsening negative effects of black mana, so they eventually went extinct.”

“So those who came weren’t their descendants but outsiders… That’s a bitter story.”

“Some believe it might have been intended specifically for outsiders who would come. But those who knew the truth are gone now.”

“So why do you think the Arcane Word is hidden in these ruins—”

“Will, Jessica. Stop.”

As we were about to reach the building, Seti, who was walking in front, drew his spear and assumed a defensive stance. His gaze was directed not at the firmly closed metal gate in front of us, but beyond the corner where the collapsed wall was located.

‘Thud… thud…’

“Something’s coming out from inside. The sound of walking on two feet, but it’s not the smell of humans or natives.”

“So there was a monster that made its home in the building…”

Jessica and I also prepared for battle and focused on the corner of the building that Seti was watching. If possible, I’d like to quickly approach the left wall and wait to ambush whatever was coming, but if we approached carelessly and encountered it at close range just before turning the corner, that would be disastrous. Right now, avoiding the risk of a worst-case scenario was more important than the advantage of an ambush.

‘GRRRRR…’

“What the…!”

What came around the corner far exceeded my expectations—a giant about three times my height with dry, rough, rock-like gray skin. Its large mouth had tusks protruding outward like a wild boar, and its hair… well, like a homeless person in the late stages of baldness? I thought it would have looked cleaner if it were simply bald.

Its overall hideous appearance and overwhelming size intimidated anyone who saw it. Especially for me, who had been thinking of this ruin as a “sealed two-story building” due to the size of the metal gate and its purpose as a data repository, I was momentarily confused by the fact that a giant about 5 meters tall had walked out from inside. After barely collecting myself, I asked Jessica and Seti an important question.

“…Is this fellow perhaps one of the native tribes?”

“It’s a monster.”

“There are no natives like this.”

Jessica and Seti declared without a moment’s hesitation. Apparently, a friendly encounter was out of the question.

As if to prove this fact, the giant raised what appeared to be a large club or log in its right hand and brought it down with full force toward Seti as a greeting.

“GRUAAAAA-!!”

‘CRASH!’

“Seti!”

“I’m fine, it didn’t hit me.”

The force of the strike was tremendous, but for Seti, who had the best physical reflexes among the three of us, it was an attack he could easily avoid. Seeing the stone floor shatter and debris fly in all directions, I couldn’t help but click my tongue.

“Shouldn’t wood break when it hits stone…?”

‘Bang! Bang!’

“Stone Bullet!”

Jessica’s spell and my white magic bullets flew toward the giant’s face. Seti, with his close-range weapon, brought his spear down on the giant’s left foot as it stepped forward.

“GYAAA~!”

The giant let out another roar and swung its club horizontally. Attacking a target that wasn’t even as high as its waist, the trajectory was almost like a golf swing. If that club were to complete its arc…

“Danger, jump sideways!”

‘CRASH!’

“Whoa!”

“Eek!”

As the club struck the ground and swept across, the already broken stone fragments were sent flying toward Jessica and me.

Thanks to being able to predict it a moment earlier, Seti, Jessica, and I successfully avoided the flying stones. But when I looked back at the giant to regain my posture and resume attacking, I noticed something was seriously wrong.

“…What is that? An immortal?”

Before our second attack, two white magic bullets and a Stone Bullet had definitely hit the giant’s face. The white bullets had struck below the left eye and in the middle of the forehead, while the Stone Bullet had smashed the lower jaw.

Though not a clean headshot, the giant’s disregard for attacks that could have been fatal couldn’t be explained by merely having dull pain receptors. As evidence, the lower jaw that had been shattered by the Stone Bullet was regenerating as if watching a bread-baking video on fast-forward.

The wound on the foot where Seti had stabbed and the bullet wounds had almost disappeared without a trace.

“A giant race with overwhelming regenerative abilities… It’s a troll! I’ve never seen one in person before, but there’s no doubt!”

“Then what’s its weakness?”

“W-well…”

“GAAAAA-!!”

“Look out!”

The giant picked up a large piece of the shattered stone with its left hand and threw it toward where Jessica and I were standing.

Despite using its non-dominant hand, the throw was quite accurate. Even with Seti taking the vanguard position, this didn’t seem like a situation where we could leisurely exchange information. Jessica’s face, having barely avoided the stone, showed clear signs of distress.

“According to materials I’ve read before, troll regeneration doesn’t activate when wounds are inflicted with fire-attribute attacks. But…”

“…Ignite won’t be enough. What about that attribute enchantment spell you mentioned at the gun shop?”

“I didn’t register it in my grimoire. My gun has an integrated structure that can’t use enchantment spells, so I had no use for it.”

“…OK, then let’s retreat.”

All the information needed to assess the situation had been gathered. It took less than three seconds to make the decision.