Ch.81Giant (4)

That night, after the ‘incident’ was resolved. When I fell asleep and arrived in that familiar space within my dreams, I encountered an unwelcome visitor I had absolutely no desire to meet.

‘….It’s here.’

[….]

I hadn’t summoned it for any particular reason, yet there it was—a monster that had entered this space based on the factor obtained from killing the black mage.

Ignoring ‘it’—whose mere presence in my field of vision caused migraines and spiritual pain—I focused my eyes directly on the two fruits that had appeared before me.

One was a fruit with a dark green color so deep it resembled alligator skin.

Clearly belonging to the black mage, this was, unsurprisingly, not a fruit containing normal factors.

The ‘Seed of Black Magic,’ which grants black magic aptitude in exchange for surrendering part of one’s self to ‘Gluttony.’

The ‘Devil’s Gift,’ which imbues one’s body with the mysteries of the demon realm—or more precisely, ‘Gluttony’—enhancing demonic tendencies, as in my case.

And ‘Wicked Craftsmanship,’ which enables the creation of magical equipment using the bodies of intelligent beings, including humans.

Since each was nothing more than a useless power that grated on my nerves, I cut them down with the ‘sword’ in my mind without a moment’s hesitation.

—Slash!

With the sound of flesh being severed echoing all around, the ‘fruit’ was cut in half. Beyond mere physical severance, it was spiritually bisected and could no longer maintain its form.

This… unidentifiable thing, which my power had arbitrarily processed into the shape of a fruit, reverted to its original formless state and began to decompose further.

Into a ‘residue’ composed of a substance called ‘spiritual particles.’

These ‘spiritual particles’—material yet not material—are the basic units that constitute spiritual entities like souls. If I had to explain, terms like ‘molecule’ or ‘atom’ might be more readily understood than ‘soul.’

At any rate, only after being broken down to a level where demonic power couldn’t exert even the slightest influence did these residues gradually seep into me, reinforcing and strengthening my spiritual presence.

‘….0.47%. Quite high.’

After confirming the increase from absorbing the residue, I finally turned my attention to the true prize of this hunt—the giant’s enormous fruit—and reached out my hand….

As always, three possible factors appeared before me.

[This is the monstrous strength possessed by descendants of the ancient divine race.

A overwhelming power that can shatter boulder-sized rocks with a swing of the arm and transform the body itself into a weapon.

If you obtain this monstrous strength, you will gain power and muscles beyond human reach.]

The first was a factor called ‘Giant’s Monstrous Strength,’ belonging to the same category as ‘Ogre’s Monstrous Strength’ or ‘Troll’s Monstrous Strength’—a type of ‘constitution.’

Among the ‘Monstrous Strength’ series, this was the most superior and stable factor in terms of performance.

While ‘Ogre’s Monstrous Strength’ was somewhat defensive and ‘Troll’s Monstrous Strength’ was offensive, ‘Giant’s Monstrous Strength’ was the complete package that combined both aspects.

Even in my current state, I was confident I could overwhelm mid-level magical beasts with my physical prowess, including raw strength. If I obtained this factor as well, I might reach a level where I could compete with high-level beings in terms of pure strength.

[This is the massive physique possessed by descendants of the ancient divine race.

A majestic stature comparable to a mountain.

If you obtain this massive physique, you will gain power that truly transcends humanity.]

The second factor was ‘Giant’s Massive Physique,’ another constitution-type factor.

If chosen, my entire body would transform to something similar to a half-giant.

A towering frame exceeding 3 meters, powerful strength, high physical durability and environmental adaptability, plus a body that would rise to nearly mid-level by nature.

While none of the options could be considered lacking—all were excellent choices—what particularly impressed us was that 3-meter massive physique.

A large body with low rank is practically begging to be targeted, but when combined with physical capabilities at the upper end of mid-level, the story changes significantly.

A large frame naturally results in overwhelming strength and extended reach, so unlike in many fictional works, I wouldn’t end up as just a big mob character to be easily dispatched… right?

[This is the price of equivalent exchange.

The loss of reason, taken on as payment.

Be warned, do not choose this.]

And finally, the identity of the last factor was… the completely useless ‘Loss of Reason’ from the giant.

This was likely the decisive reason why the giant I killed had been mindlessly following orders without any rationality.

According to the explanation that flowed into my mind, the fundamental cause of this defective factor was the cultist black mage.

Somehow, he had captured a giant that should have been living in the icy sea, made it lose its reason, and controlled it through black magic.

Of course, this didn’t transform the factor into anything useful, so I cleanly abandoned this defective factor and chose the most reasonable option among the remaining two.

That is, ‘Giant’s Monstrous Strength.’

‘….Phew.’

Well aware that sudden physical changes were perfect for inviting accusations of being a cultist, I chose ‘Giant’s Monstrous Strength’ instead of ‘Giant’s Massive Physique,’ which would cause visible external changes.

As the power symbolizing this factor cautiously approached and merged with me, I tried to ignore the demonic figure still visible to my eyes….

And that’s when it happened.

‘….Huh?’

As ‘Giant’s Monstrous Strength’ was injected into my inner being, the pre-existing ‘Ogre’s Monstrous Strength’ and ‘Troll’s Monstrous Strength’ reacted violently.

They began to approach each other and merge….

‘What…?’

While I was confused by this unprecedented situation of factors merging with each other, the three monstrous strengths derived from giant-type creatures continued their fusion regardless of my reaction.

And the ultimate answer reached at the end of all this was….

[This is a degraded monstrous strength compared to the original.

A powerful giant strength derived from the ancient divine race, the titan gods, though weakened.

With this power, though degraded and diminished, you will still possess the formidable legacy of the ancient divine race.]

‘Oh….’

It was a power named ‘Degraded Titan’s Monstrous Strength,’ seemingly a fusion of the three ‘Monstrous Strength’ type factors.

If each of the original monstrous strength factors added 20 points of strength, this combined version would provide about 75 points of strength enhancement.

Moreover, it was explicitly mentioned as being severely degraded compared to the original, making me wonder just how powerful the original Titan’s Monstrous Strength must have been.

[….]

Despite the demon lord’s fragment staring at me unpleasantly, causing significant discomfort, I couldn’t deny that this hunt had yielded substantial rewards.

….The unpleasant feeling of being treated like livestock was just a bonus.

※ ※ ※

And so, the next day.

“Did you sleep well, Pierre?”

“Yes…. Thank you.”

After leaving Gus, who doesn’t need sleep due to his special abilities, on night watch, the two of us woke up at our temporary campsite and began our day with a simple breakfast as usual.

English muffin-like white bread. A few eggs. Some wild fruits (berries), and preserved meat products that looked similar to dried hamburger patties.

‘….McM■rning?’

After looking at the food that somehow reminded me of fast food from my previous life, I quickly ate it and set off with Pierre back to the pioneer village.

Fortunately, from this point on, there were no further attacks or incidents.

Thanks to that, after traveling at a leisurely pace for about half a day, Pierre and I finally returned to the familiar and missed pioneer village….

‘….A carriage?’

The first thing that caught my eye was a carriage—seemingly belonging to a merchant—parked near the village entrance.

‘What’s this? Did a merchant visit the village?’

My intuition wasn’t giving me any warnings, so there was no need to be particularly cautious. As I relaxed a bit, the person who came into my view was… my servant Corin, who had been governing in my absence!

“Welcome back, Lord Alzar!”

“Indeed, Corin.”

Meeting again after several days, neither of us could hide our delight. In such a situation, I casually greeted him as a form of courtesy.

“Has anything happened while I was away?”

However, the answer I received far exceeded my expectations.

“Actually, a traveling merchant visited… and, well, he tried to commit fraud and is now being detained in the village. He’s currently awaiting your judgment, Lord Alzar.”

“….What?”

The content was that a merchant who had visited our village had attempted to commit fraud.