Chapter 176: Gigantification

Episode 176

The Blue Team was just as surprised by Luca’s transformation.

“…Huh.”

Juan clicked his tongue and tilted his head back to look up at Luca’s towering figure.

‘Now I understand why he hid his ability until the end.’

He thought to himself.

Luca’s unique ability was impossible to conceal once activated.

– …I really didn’t want to use this.

Luca’s muttered words, filled with sincerity, echoed through the helmet speakers.

– But now that I have, I’ll wipe you all out!

He shouted and charged towards the Red Team.

Luca’s speed in his ‘gigantified’ state was incredible.

– Gah…!

Dante, who was at the forefront, gasped as Luca suddenly appeared right in front of him.

He instinctively leaped to the side.

**Boom!**

The spot where Dante had been standing was deeply cratered as if a meteorite had struck.

– Eek…!

– Holy crap…!

The entire Red Team was terrified.

Getting hit by that fist with their stats suppressed by the suits?

It wouldn’t just be a game over, they might actually lose their lives.

– Whoa…! I would have died if that chain skill hadn’t ended…!

Dante was relieved that the Team 9 member’s Mana Chain skill had ended just in time, when

“Hans!!”

Kim Jinsung’s shout made Hans turn towards the front in shock.

He saw Luca swinging his other fist, the left one this time.

‘……!!’

Hans’s eyes widened. But it was too late to react.

Just as the fist was about to reach him, someone suddenly jumped in front of him.

**Bang!**

“Ugh…!”

Kim Jinsung staggered back, wincing.

He had instinctively rushed forward and barely managed to block the attack by channeling all his Mana, but the aftereffects were severe.

‘This hurts…’

The pain that spread throughout his body translated into damage.

He had taken a defensive stance, but his HP had still dropped by almost 30%.

‘I can’t block this.’

He immediately assessed the situation and gave orders.

“Everyone retreat! Quickly! …Ugh!”

**Boom!**

He leaped to the side, and Luca’s fist slammed into the spot where he had been standing.

Seeing that, the Red Team had no choice but to follow his orders.

Even Alopsky, their ace, was struggling!

There was no point in fighting a team fight in this situation.

“You can’t run away!!”

Luca’s voice boomed through their helmets.

As Luca tried to chase after them, Kim Jinsung desperately used his skills in succession.

—

▶ You have used the skill ‘Mana Seal’.

▶ You have used the skill ‘Confusion’.

—

…But they had no effect.

‘Damn it! Are they not working because he’s stronger than me?’

Kim Jinsung thought to himself, looking at Luca, who was still running towards them.

To successfully inflict a status ailment on an enemy, the user generally had to be stronger than the target.

He had rarely failed before because he was rarely weaker than his opponents, but things were different in this arena, where they were wearing suits that suppressed their stats.

‘Then…’

He reached out towards Luca again.

—

▶ You have used the skill ‘Mana Spider Web’.

—

“…Huh?!”

Luca stumbled and almost fell forward.

White Mana spider webs had suddenly entangled his legs.

“Hmph!”

He easily tore the webs apart with his hands.

He glared at the Red Team members, who had created some distance.

“You’re lucky, bastards! Next time we meet…!”

He growled a warning and turned around with a frustrated expression.

Juan raised an eyebrow.

“What? Why aren’t you chasing them? Come back!”

– I’m out of Mana.

Luca’s short reply came through the speaker.

– Let’s just kill the dragon before my skill ends.

He said and started running towards the dragon pit. Juan watched him silently.

‘…He’s getting smaller.’

Luca’s size had definitely decreased compared to when he had first ‘gigantified’.

He wasn’t mistaken. Luca’s body was still shrinking in real time.

‘It seems like his body gradually shrinks as he runs out of Mana.’

Juan looked at Luca’s Mana bar, which had hit zero, and shouted to his teammates,

“Kill the dragon and then recall to regroup!”

He followed Luca, who had started attacking the dragon, towards the dragon pit.

He saw the other members following them and smiled faintly.

‘I finally managed to see his ability.’

The ability of his rival, Luca, had been revealed to the world.

And he hadn’t even revealed his own true ability yet.

* * *

“Wow…!”

“That’s amazing!”

The Team 6 members, watching the match, exclaimed in admiration, their eyes glued to the TV screen.

“Can humans really grow that big?”

“That’s on a whole different level from the physical enhancements we’ve seen with drugs.”

“How is that suit expanding with him? Won’t it rip?”

“It’s probably reacting to his ability because it’s made of a flexible material that uses Abyss Mana stones.”

“Ah… I see. Well, there are plenty of ability users who can increase their size in this continent.”

“But I’ve never seen anyone grow to the size of a dragon.”

“Me neither.”

They were all buzzing with excitement, discussing Luca’s ability.

Assistant Team Leader Aster and Team Leader Ricardo, who were having a quiet conversation, were no exception.

“Doesn’t this mean the Red Team has almost no chance of winning, according to the rules? They can only use 20% of their true abilities even if they reach max level.”

“…No, I noticed that he consumes Mana quickly in his gigantified state. We might be able to win if we wait until his Mana runs out and then engage in a team fight.”

“Wouldn’t the Mana problem be solved as they level up and buy traits? There’s also the ‘blue’ monster that gives a Mana buff.”

“……”

Ricardo fell silent.

Aster was right.

‘If the Mana problem is solved, there’s no way to stop that monster…’

Ricardo’s face grew increasingly serious, while

Francisco, the leader of Team 1, was beaming.

‘Yes! The situation is almost exactly as I wanted!’

The situation Francisco had desired was as follows:

1. All participants reveal their unique abilities.

2. The Blue Team’s abilities are superior, naturally giving them the advantage.

3. Juan becomes the protagonist of the match.

The first two conditions had already been met. With Luca’s gigantification ability alone, the Blue Team seemed almost guaranteed to win any team fight.

‘The problem is that Luca, not Juan, might become the protagonist of the match…’

That wouldn’t be a favorable outcome for Francisco.

If the Blue Team won thanks to Luca’s performance, Luca, who would naturally earn a lot of points, would rise to first place.

Francisco couldn’t bear to see Ramiro, the leader of Team 2, gloating.

‘Fortunately, it seems like Juan hasn’t fully unleashed his ability yet.’

He recalled the scene from earlier, at the poison swamp.

The moment when Luca, the Team 9 member, and the Team 10 member had suddenly increased their running speed, while Juan hadn’t.

‘There was definitely a light emanating from their feet. A white light, the same color as Sunlight.’

He had clearly seen that subtle detail, which most people wouldn’t have noticed.

‘Considering the situation, it was definitely a skill cast by Juan.’

If his assumption was correct, then Sunlight wasn’t Juan’s only ability.

‘Maybe he has a comprehensive ability related to light, or maybe he’s one of those rare individuals who can control the weather.’

Honestly, the weather control ability was highly unlikely. Even if he just had a comprehensive set of light-related abilities, it would be an incredible asset.

And Francisco had a feeling that was the case.

‘If that’s true, then Juan has a high chance of finishing the newbie showdown in first place, even after the third round.’

The third round, the highlight of the newbie showdown, was still remaining.

And according to the PD, its difficulty was on a whole different level compared to the first two rounds.

Everyone would be forced to use their true abilities then, and that would give Juan, who hadn’t revealed everything yet, an even bigger advantage.

[If this continues, the Blue Team will have a significant advantage, won’t they?]

The commentator’s voice suddenly reached Francisco’s ears through the TV speakers.

[Not only Luca’s ability, but the abilities the other team members showed us also seem very effective in team fights.]

[That’s right. Sunlight, gigantification, bulletproof shield, Mana Chains… They’re all skills specialized for large-scale battles. And Gian’s Ghost Form seems very useful for assassinations and reconnaissance.]

[Every team needs a member with an ability like Gian’s to balance things out.]

[That’s right. On the other hand, the Red Team lacks a powerful finisher. Alopsky’s elemental skills, Hans’s Poison Orbs, Dante’s Genocide Arrow… They all seem more suitable for harassment than team fights.]

[The most painful thing for the Red Team is that they don’t seem to have a way to stop the gigantified Luca.]

[That’s right. If they only had a powerful finisher, it would synergize well with the Team 8 member’s ‘Tree of Life’ skill… Huh?]

Daniel’s eyes widened as he realized something.

[Now that I think about it, the Team 7 member hasn’t revealed his unique ability yet.]

[Is that so? …Ah, we just got a report from the production team. It’s true, the Team 7 member is the only one who hasn’t used his ability yet!]

[Then the situation changes again! Depending on the Team 7 member’s ability, the momentum that had shifted towards the Blue Team could be reversed…]

As Daniel was speaking,

both commentators’ eyes suddenly widened.

[Whoa?! What’s that?]

[Is that the Team 7 member’s ability? Hold on!]

**Boom!**

A loud explosion echoed from the arena.

“……!!”

Francisco, who had been watching the broadcast, also sat up straight, his eyes wide with surprise.