Chapter 682

Su-ho’s gaze followed Seolmundae Halmang’s hand as she pointed downward.

At the same time, a memory flashed through his mind, and goosebumps rose all over his body.

It was a memory from when he had first come here.

On the day he first progressed through the Giant Bloodline quest and met Seolmundae Halmang, Su-ho rode Cheolma endlessly upward.

What he eventually arrived at was an enormous palm.

The unmistakable contours of a hand cupped as though scooping water from a pond.

As he followed them with his gaze, he saw the wrist, and then the arm extending beyond it.

He could not see anything farther than that.

Because it was obscured by something he could not tell was darkness or something else, as though hidden behind fog.

And later, after finishing the wars of Olympus, he had asked about its identity as well.

The answer he received was that he lacked the qualifications to be told, but even then Su-ho had been certain that it was related to some particular giant.

‘But to think that was the First Giant King.’

Having understood the entire truth, Su-ho unconsciously swallowed dryly, and Seolmundae Halmang gave a faint chuckle.

- Look at you getting nervous. It doesn’t suit you.

“Haha...... Do you remember when I asked you about him before, back when I didn’t know what he was?”

- I remember. I couldn’t tell you because of the security clearance issue, could I?

“Yes, I’m only learning the truth of that day now. Though even putting that aside, how should I put this.......”

Su-ho’s gaze swept over Gestark once again.

“Even when it came to giants or Titans, their size was still within a range I could imagine, but this man is.......”

Huge.

Not merely huge.

Far too huge.

The largest mountain on Earth was Mount Everest, with an elevation of roughly 8,500 meters.

He had been there before and had climbed it before.

But the height of the First Giant King Gestark made even the Everest he had faced back then feel like a child’s toy.

Was he like some robot from a mecha series set in outer space?

Then a thought suddenly occurred to him.

“Ma’am.”

- Speak.

“I’m asking just in case. Do I have to fight him too?”

- What? Hahaha!

He was serious.

Considering the pattern of the trials so far, just how many battles had he been forced to fight?

Especially the battle with Hyman immediately before this one had, to be honest, not been easy either.

‘It’s a good thing I had blood magic and things like that.......’

No, even before that, it was only because the Gigantification skill had allowed him to become roughly Hyman’s size, even if only temporarily, that he had been able to entertain the thought of fighting him at all.

But Gestark was not that kind of problem.

He was simply too huge.

It was not even a matter of whether the thought of fighting him occurred or not.

It simply felt overwhelming.

‘I didn’t even think like this when I met the Demon King or the Dragon Lord.......’

Perhaps this was why primordial things were the most frightening and powerful.

‘Wait. Then Overment even defeated someone like Gestark......?’

His mind suddenly went blank.

Just what the hell were those Overment bastards?

As Su-ho’s expression grew serious, Seolmundae Halmang spoke.

- I think that’s enough idle thinking. You should speak with Lord Gestark directly about the details.

“Directly?”

- Yes, directly.

At that moment.

Fwoosh!

Light burst from Seolmundae Halmang’s body, and her head tilted slightly backward.

“M-Ma’am? Are you all right?”

Then her head, which had tilted back, slowly returned forward.

Her expression had become much calmer.

Su-ho instinctively knew.

The being before him was no longer Seolmundae Halmang.

Su-ho immediately showed his respect.

“It is an honor to meet the First Giant King.”

At Su-ho’s courtesy, she...... no, he smiled benevolently.

- You have a good eye.

The voice had changed.

His face and appearance were clearly still those of Seolmundae Halmang.

But the voice coming from his mouth was no longer hers.

It was his.

His voice had become more dignified and deeper, almost reminiscent of royalty, and anyone who heard it would surely think of him as the Giant King.

Gestark, borrowing Seolmundae Halmang’s body, curled and opened his hands, enjoying having a physical body again after so long.

But Gestark’s expression did not look entirely happy.

“You look somewhat sad.”

- How could I not be? Unless it’s a time like this, I have no choice but to remain trapped inside my own body for eternity.

“Trapped inside your own body?”

- Exactly as I said. I lost every opportunity and was stripped of my qualifications, leaving me preserved here like a specimen. If there is anything fortunate about it, it’s that I did not lose my body. The sad part is that the very body I retained became a prison that confines my mind. To make it easier for you to understand...... yes, being in a vegetative state would be the perfect description.

“Ah.”

Su-ho understood immediately.

A person in a vegetative state was said to have an awakened mind but an unresponsive body, leaving their consciousness trapped inside their own flesh like a prison.

- Let’s walk for a bit.

Wanting to enjoy his rare outing, Gestark suggested a walk.

There was no particular path, but the two walked in one direction.

Even the way he walked was different from Seolmundae Halmang.

He was truly a completely different person.

Only the shell was the same.

Gestark continued speaking.

- First, let me offer my congratulations. Congratulations. Of everyone who has ever gone through the trials I created, you are the first to reach this point and meet me.

“Thank you. It’s an honor for me as well.”

- If anything, the honor is mine. You’ve probably heard enough on your way here to roughly understand, but I’ve been waiting for someone like you for a very long time. And now that the moment has finally come, I can’t tell you how happy I am.

Gestark’s expression was filled with emotion.

He meant it.

Because he truly had waited for a very long time.

“Did you end up like this because you were defeated by Overment?”

- To give you the conclusion first, yes. I used all three of my chances in the indie game, and I even threw away what could be called my final chance, the betting opportunity. So now I live for eternity as part of this Giant Realm, serving as a helper of the System.

Someone had once said.

Most forms of happiness were similar, but every form of sorrow was different because each had its own story.

But in a world ruled by the System, every form of sorrow looked similar.

That was why there was no need for many questions.

“What do you want me to do?”

- There is nothing I desire. I’m not in a position where I could dare desire anything in the first place. So do what you desire.

Gestark’s gaze was deep.

A man who had a mouth but could not speak.

Until just moments ago, he had lived like someone in a vegetative state, and even after gaining a fleeting moment of freedom, he was still a man in a vegetative state.

It was tragic.

Just what was Overment that someone had to suffer this much because of it?

Perhaps because of that.

Su-ho’s gaze deepened as well.

What he desired.

Surely it was the same thing Gestark desired.

And so, as always, he nodded sincerely.

“I will make it happen.”

Gestark smiled at those words.

- Thank you.

“It’s only natural.”

- It will be very difficult.

“I’m prepared.”

The words that he was prepared.

Gestark’s gaze deepened once more.

Because he too had once taken on the challenge with determination just as deep as Su-ho’s.

But reality had not been easy.

If anything, it had been cold and cruel.

Of course, that did not mean he intended to dampen Su-ho’s resolve.

- You are a warrior far greater than I ever was. In that sense, you are already an excellent Titan and a Giant King in your own right.

“But Lord Hyman told me there was still an important process left.”

- You mean the matter of acknowledgment?

“That’s right.”

- Hoho, you can simply let that go in one ear and out the other. Because in truth, that was mostly because of my own greed.

“Greed?”

- Yes, greed. I wanted to see the giant who would succeed me with my own eyes at least once.

“Ah.”

Su-ho understood.

When so few people had ever passed that even an alternative trial had been created, of course he would have wanted to see his successor at least once.

Then Gestark spoke in an emotional voice.

- And...... I am still certain. Certain that the choice I made was not wrong. Watching you fight Hyman allowed me to realize that once again. In that sense, you need to become stronger than you are now. You are already strong enough, but Overment is filled with nothing but monsters. So from now on, you will have to become far stronger than you are now.

“I’ll keep that in mind. Then may I ask you a few questions as well?”

- As many as you like.

“The Ark Dragon Lord I met recently said there are many different kinds of dragons in the world. Is it the same for Giants?”

- That is a good question. The world is vast. And perhaps there are Giants out there that even I have never seen. But there is one thing I can guarantee. The reason I lost to Overment was never because I was lacking as a giant. If anything, I fought as a giant to the very best of my ability, and there was nothing lacking in that regard. However.

Gestark’s eyes narrowed.

Regretful memories of the past flashed through them.

- The more rounds that hellish game went through, the more it deliberately brought me opponents who were unfavorable to me. That is why I lost.

“Unfavorable opponents?”

- Giant Hunters and Giant Slaughterers are representative examples. Those bastards were created by Overment out of necessity. And there are an enormous number of things like that in the indie game.

Su-ho suddenly remembered the Fairy Hunter and nodded.

“I see.”

- Even now, thinking back on that time leaves me with many regrets. I often think that if I had possessed more kinds of power, I surely could have defeated them and proudly won the game. That is why I am telling you this once again. Prepare as many different kinds of power as possible. That is the only way to defeat Overment and win the indie game. And lastly.

When Gestark gestured with his hand, they began moving farther and farther away from Gestark’s body.

More precisely, not from Gestark borrowing Seolmundae Halmang’s body, but from his original body.

The two continued moving farther away until they eventually stopped at a certain point.

And thanks to that, Su-ho was able to see it.

Gestark’s enormous body, large enough to make Mount Everest look laughably insignificant.

Gestark spoke.

- To win the indie game, you too must learn how to become that large.