Chapter 683

“What?”

- I mean it.

Su-ho’s eyes widened.

That was something he had never even considered.

‘No matter how much I inherited the Rune of Giants and the Rune of Titans.......’

No matter how he looked at Gestark before him, he was far larger than anything an ordinary living creature could even imagine.

Beyond standards.

An irregular.

Those were the words that came to mind the moment he saw him.

Among all the Players and living beings he had met, Su-ho was still confident that he possessed the greatest amount of mana, but even if he gathered every last bit of it, Hyman’s size was about his limit.

Of course, if he shortened the duration, he could grow larger than Hyman, but what meaning would there be in that?

If he merely enlarged his body that way, he would end up like he had during his first fight with Hyman—a hollow showpiece, or a balloon ready to burst.

But Gestark was serious.

Based on the reasons behind his own defeat, he was offering Su-ho advice with complete sincerity.

“Do you think I can do it?”

- You can. Aren’t you the Giant King of a new generation who will succeed me, and a warrior greater than I ever was?

“Thank you for saying that. But.......”

As Su-ho trailed off, his gaze returned to Gestark’s original body.

It looked like a corner of the universe itself.

Could I really become something like that?

The doubt lasted only a moment.

Then he shook his head.

“All right. I’ll do it. No, I’ll make sure I do.”

Only then did Gestark smile.

- Good. A great warrior must always possess that kind of resolve. And to tell you in advance, you’ll need to reach at least that level before you can face Overment without feeling that you are lacking as a giant.

“What?”

- I told you, didn’t I? There are many Giants in the world. But among them, I was never lacking as a giant. Why do you think that was?

“Ah.......”

In other words, he had to become the strongest existence, at least among Giants.

And the standard for that was that absurdly enormous body.

Su-ho closed his eyes for a moment.

It was dizzying.

Because the road ahead suddenly felt impossibly long.

Still, what could he do?

He had to do it.

He opened his eyes again.

“Please teach me.”

- Hoho, there is nothing more I can teach an outstanding warrior like you. What remains is continued training and growth.

“Everyone seems to tell me something similar.”

- Because in the end, all things inevitably converge upon the same flow.

All streams return to one source.

So after going round and round, it came back to that after all.

- But if I truly intended to simply leave everything to you from here, there would have been no need for a trial like this in the first place.

Gestark opened his hand.

Then a Rune of a form Su-ho had never seen before rose from his palm.

- Take it.

“Lord Gestark, this is.......”

- The Rune of the Giant King. This will erase the limits on how far you can grow as a giant.

“As I thought......!”

Su-ho quickly accepted the Rune, filled with gratitude.

At the same time, the corners of his lips rose.

It was a relief.

There was still a way.

“May I use it right away?”

- Absorb it. I will remain beside you and watch.

That was reassuring.

Su-ho immediately began absorbing it.

[ You use the Rune of the Giant King. ]

The moment he used the Rune, it turned into light and began to seep into Su-ho’s body.

Thump!

His heart pounded.

His body tensed instinctively.

Because when he had absorbed the Rune of Giants and Rune of Titans before, he had endured tremendous pain.

But.

“......?”

His eyes slowly opened.

There was no pain.

If anything, it felt warm, like soaking in hot spring water.

When he looked at Gestark in confusion, the First Giant King was smiling.

- Don’t be nervous. This is the last one.

“Ah...... Thank you very much.”

- Just experience it once. That way, you’ll have something to strive toward.

“Experience it?”

At that moment.

Thump!

His heart pounded violently.

And at the same time, Su-ho’s body began to swell.

Rumbleeeee!!

His body continued to grow.

Gestark moved far away from Su-ho, clasped his hands behind his back, and looked up at the ever-growing figure.

- Show me. Show me the potential for growth that lies within you.

Only a Giant King could possess the Rune of the Giant King.

And it could only be inherited from another Giant King.

The Rune of the Giant King was like water, its size and shape changing completely depending on the vessel that contained it.

That was why Gestark was curious.

Just what kind of vessel would the new Giant King possess?

Because this successor might be someone he would never meet again, Gestark decided to pour out the last of his power to see the new Giant King’s potential for growth.

That was also why Su-ho had been able to absorb the Rune of the Giant King without any pain, and why, though only once, he could enlarge his body like this without any effort.

Rumbleeeee!

His body continued to grow.

How large would he become?

Gestark prayed.

Even if Su-ho could not reach his own size, he hoped he would at least come close.

And after Su-ho had continued growing for quite some time.

- ......!

Gestark’s eyes widened.

At some point, Su-ho’s endlessly expanding body caught up to Gestark’s own.

- What in the......!

It was a sight difficult to believe even with his own eyes.

He was not seeing things.

Su-ho was unmistakably growing through Gestark’s power, and as even more time passed, he surpassed Gestark’s own body—the largest body ever recorded in history—by a tremendous margin.

- Ah......

A gasp of wonder escaped Gestark’s lips.

At the same time, tears flowed from his eyes.

This place was the cosmic expanse of the Giant Realm, the world of Giants.

It was also a place that only the highest-ranking Titans could reach, so there were no spatial limitations.

Yet the moment he saw Su-ho’s body become so enormous that it seemed capable of swallowing the universe itself, he could not stop himself from shedding tears.

There was only one reason.

The sheer, overflowing, insane talent that had far surpassed his own was dazzling.

A light of hope that had appeared for the first time since the despair of losing everything.

That light was no mere lamp.

It was a lighthouse.

A lighthouse of hope shining with an immense light.

Gestark watched Su-ho’s endlessly expanding body for a long time, and finally, when Su-ho reached the peak of his expansion, the fuel sustaining it ran out and his body returned to its original size.

“Haaahhh!”

The instant Su-ho returned to normal, he began breathing heavily.

His heart felt as though it would burst.

What on earth had happened?

He remembered the Rune of the Giant King reacting and beginning to enlarge his body.

But at some point, he had lost consciousness, and when he came to again, everything had returned to where it began, with him gasping for breath.

Su-ho barely managed to collect himself and rose unsteadily.

And what he saw was Gestark looking at him with deep satisfaction.

“W-What happened, Lord Gestark?”

- It is done.

“What?”

- Everything is done now. You have shown me limitless potential as a Giant King.

“M-Me?”

- Hoho. It seems your consciousness could not keep up with your enlarged body. So from now on, trust me and continue advancing without hesitation. You possess talent greater than mine.

“Ah......?”

Su-ho tilted his head.

What was he talking about?

Me?

He could hardly believe it, but the Giant King had said so with certainty, and in the end Su-ho had no choice but to nod.

Gestark was so moved that he even took Su-ho’s hand between both of his and shook it.

- This was the greatest meeting I could have asked for. Then I suppose it is finally time for us to say goodbye.

He had confirmed talent beyond his expectations.

He had seen far more than he had hoped to see.

So now, he could send Su-ho away without regret.

The moment Gestark spread his hand wide.

[ You have successfully absorbed the Rune of the Giant King completely. ]

[ You have received the acknowledgment of Gestark, the First Giant King. ]

[ All trials have ended. ]

[ The Giant King Competition has ended. ]

At last, every trial was over.

And then.

[ All qualifications have been fulfilled. ]

[ Congratulations! A new Giant King has been born! ]

[ All conditions have been met. ]

[ All conditions for unlocking the fourth authority of the Giant Bloodline have been fulfilled. ]

[ ① Reach Level 400. ]

[ ② Pass the Giant King Competition. ]

[ The fourth authority of the Giant Bloodline is unlocked. ]

[ Giant King has been unlocked. ]

Su-ho had finally fulfilled every condition and was able to unlock the final authority of the Giant Bloodline.

[ You have acquired Gestark (SS) from the Giant King. ]

[ Trait information has changed. ]

[ New skills have been added due to the effect of the Giant King’s Gestark. ]

[ You have acquired Titan Legion (SS). ]

[ Information regarding your existing authorities has changed due to the effect of the Giant King’s Gestark. ]

[ The grades of your existing authorities have changed due to the effect of the Giant King’s Gestark. ]

[ By obtaining the power of the Giant King, you have acquired the ‘Titan’ stat, the physical stat of Giants said to possess the strongest bodies. ]

[ You gain an additional 200 Titan stat points. ]

[ Some stat information has changed due to the effect of New Blood. ]

[ Giant Strength has been changed to Titan. ]

[ The Titan stat becomes even stronger. ]

[ You have achieved a great feat no other Player has ever accomplished. ]

[ The System acknowledges your great achievement and awards you 50 bonus stat points. ]

[ You are the first Player to witness the ultimate essence of the Giant Bloodline. ]

[ You have achieved a great feat no other Player has ever accomplished. ]

[ The System acknowledges your great achievement and awards you 50 bonus stat points. ]

System notifications poured in one after another.

Giant Strength had become Titan.

[ Congratulations! The Titan stat has increased in level and reached Gold grade! ]

The Giant Strength stat that had been Silver grade—or rather, the Titan stat, as it was now called—had finally reached Gold grade.

[ You have become a representative of the new generation recognized by the ruler of the Giant Realm. ]

[ Gestark, the First Giant King, wishes to entrust the fate of the Giant Realm to you. ]

[ The entirety of the Giant Realm is designated as territory belonging to Suho Land. ]

[ Dominion Core activates. ]

[ All stats increase. ]

At last, as the new Giant King, Su-ho brought the Giant Realm itself under his command.