Chapter 17
Chapter 17
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 17
Chapter Title: Gigant Assignment Ceremony
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Flutter— Flutter—
The night breeze shook the tent.
“Drurung. Keuooo.”
Davis’s snoring echoed all the way from beyond the tent.
Kang Geohan’s personal tent was just over seven pyeong in size. The three-pyeong tent for the squires was attached separately next to it.
Kang Geohan glanced toward the tent where Davis’s snoring was coming from and gave a wry smile.
‘I made a crazy proposal to Sir Kaltz.’
The squire had to share the three-pyeong tent with Davis. He’d offered that spot to a high-ranking Black family knight, so it was a miracle he hadn’t been beaten to a pulp on the spot.
‘And yet... he accepted the proposal, even if conditionally...?’
It was a sign of just how desperately Kaltz longed for a Gigant.
Flutter—
Listening to the sound of the wind rattling the tent, Kang Geohan quietly steeled his resolve.
‘I’ll make that dream come true, no matter what.’
He would give a knight stripped of his Gigant Rider qualifications for disobeying orders a Gigant once more. Even if it meant enduring impossible trials, he would give it a shot!
That was why Kang Geohan couldn’t fall asleep tonight.
‘I need to develop my abilities further.’
He’d gotten a hint from Kaltz today.
‘Intense desire and focus are the keys.’
Kang Geohan’s Gift had been shaped by the unconscious mind of his bodybuilder past life.
The InBody window and nutrition info window had been perfect fits for that.
But today, Kang Geohan had felt a sense of regret. He’d realized his abilities weren’t complete yet.
‘Right. That was missing.’
The friend of every gym rat. The inseparable companion of bodybuilding—how had he forgotten it?
Kang Geohan closed his eyes.
And he wished fervently.
‘I want to see it.’
Every detail of the fiendhood within me. Beyond just sensing it—I wanted to see it clearly with my own two eyes.
Even the way the darkness mana and light mana I ate today were stored in my body as fiendhood and spirit essence...!
The vivid contours of the fiendhood swelling up again, infused with mana...!
Kang Geohan had one wish.
‘An ability to witness the transcendent structures of fiendhood and spirit essence, darkness mana and light mana with my own eyes. Yes—like a full-body mirror in the gym!’
Full-body mirrors were inseparable companions for gym-goers, whether to check balance during workouts or to inspect which muscles had pumped well afterward and which needed more training.
What Kang Geohan desired was a mirror ability to see transcendent entities like fiendhood and spirit essence.
With his eyes closed, focusing with the concentration to read the numbers on a baseball flying at 150 km/h, Kang Geohan probed his body over and over.
Then, at one point.
[Ding! Your Gift is beginning to evolve in a new way.]
The unknown power deep in his soul writhed and stirred.
‘Ah...! I can see it!’
He could see the thread-thin fiendhood spreading through his head and limbs, wriggling.
He could see the darkness mana he’d eaten earlier sloshing as it was absorbed into the fiendhood.
He could see the light mana clumping together into pure white spirit essence and piling up. It wasn’t just seeing, either.
[Ding! You have peered into yourself. You can amplify the efficiency of your fiendhood and spirit essence. You can adjust mana absorption to accelerate the growth of your fiendhood and spirit essence.]
‘I can amplify efficiency?’
The meaning of the first part didn’t quite click, but the second—accelerating fiendhood growth—he understood perfectly.
Slosh— Slosh—
He could move the darkness mana he’d eaten earlier at will and feed it directly to the fiendhood.
‘I can feel it. The pain...!’
Like the muscle soreness when muscles grew, a throbbing ache began to ripple through his entire body.
Biological cells breaking down, replaced by growing transcendent fiendhood.
Was the fiendhood still too weak? The pain was faint, but it was pain that hadn’t been there before.
Kang Geohan welcomed this pain with joy.
‘This is heaven.’
What if you could take protein and direct it instantly to the desired muscle group for absorption? What if you could achieve muscle growth exactly as you wanted? Any gym rat would kneel and weep before such an absurd blessing.
That was exactly what was happening to Kang Geohan now.
Growing his far greater fiendhood muscles without a speck of waste, exactly as desired!
Ding-!
Sure, the more he peered inside, the more a sharp headache stabbed at his skull, but so what?
Watching the darkness mana absorb in real time and the fiendhood grow.
Kang Geohan smiled.
‘With this, I can definitely get stronger.’
Confidence filled his chest.
* * *
What Kang Geohan witnessed there was humanity’s confidence.
High-gravity zones, lightning fields, terrifying monsters.
Even a rough think showed Laniakea was no kind environment for humanity.
And yet, the reason humanity could build cities and pioneer new lands.
Gigants.
They stood in a row right there.
At a glance, it looked like a construction site. Temporary structures three to four stories high, woven from steel pipes, stretched out in lines, with thick waterproof tarps fluttering atop them. A barren site like a massive housing development under construction.
But looking closer, each temporary structure housed a single Gigant clad in iron armor, gazing down at the world like colossal bronze statues.
Today’s Gigant assignment ceremony—one of the most important events in the training camp schedule—was led by none other than the camp commander, Baronet Harun Basio.
“There are over three hundred training Gigants here.”
The trainees, lined up in perfect rows and columns, buzzed with excitement. Baronet Basio bared his teeth in a grin.
“That’s right. An incredible number. In most territories, you’d be lucky to see even one Gigant, but here we have over three hundred. And today! You’ll become their masters. Even if it’s just for three months, you’ll be piloting real Gigants.”
Swallows could be heard gulping all around.
“There’s one fact you must keep in mind. All these training Gigants are assembled from used parts. In truth, their performance lags far behind the Gigants used on the front lines.”
‘Ah...’ came sighs of disappointment. But Baronet Harun Basio shouted over them with enough force to shatter their regrets.
“One! This place is a treasure trove. Assembled from used parts, their quality varies wildly! Sometimes good parts slip in, or compatible parts come together to rebirth as exceptional machines. If you pick well and draw out that potential! You might end up piloting a training Gigant that rivals frontline models.”
It was a declaration to set hearts racing. Gigants—the colossal gods that crushed battlefields between kingdoms and monsters prowling beyond the zones!
To pilot one nearly as good yourself! Whose boy or girl’s heart wouldn’t pound?
‘The camp commander sure knows how to exaggerate.’
Of course, they were still machines assembled from old used parts.
Kaltz, who knew the full story, was well aware the claim of rivaling frontline Gigants was full of hyperbole, but the clueless trainees’ eyes sparkled like stars.
“The Gigant perfectly compatible with you. The premium training Gigant assembled in top condition! Today’s assignment is your chance to find it with your own hands. No need to waste time, then! Starting with the highest scorer on the entry test. Helena Yellow!”
“Yes!”
Though Kang Geohan had stolen the spotlight by hurling Rapal White, pure takeoff time put Helena at 45 seconds and Kang Geohan at 53—Helena first, Kang Geohan second.
Helena stepped forward to the podium. Baronet Basio looked down at her and said,
“Try test takeoffs until your fiendhood can’t handle it. Once airborne, listen closely to the drive sound. Louder means higher output. Steady and uniform means high stability and good compatibility with your fiendhood. Pick a good training Gigant, and your training ahead will be smoother—so choose carefully.”
“Yes!”
“The rest of you, follow Helena and observe her choices. The top three scorers get this one-on-one chance. Eleventh place and down, two at a time. Up to thirtieth, five at a time. The rest, ten at a time.”
“Yes!”
Everyone answered with vigor.
Helena glanced at Kang Geohan before stepping forward. She glared at the Gigants with a tense expression.
‘I can’t test takeoff one by one. At my level, ten is my limit. So first, I need to visually select the best-looking ones.’
She recalled the tips from her guard knight.
‘Clean exterior. Overall symmetry. Simple design over complex. Above all, inspect each joint carefully... And sometimes, follow your instincts!’
Scanning with her eyes, occasionally attempting takeoffs herself, she poured her heart into finding the best Gigant.
* * *
“Helena Yellow.”
Baronet Basio murmured her name and casually asked Kaltz beside him.
“She looks like she’s got a story, doesn’t she?”
Kaltz narrowed his eyes, appraising Helena.
“You think so?”
“Definitely. You can tell she’s properly trained, right? Way better than Gerot Yellow. But... the Gerot family? I’ve heard of them—they’re freefolk rich enough to rival nobles. And yet I’ve never heard of Helena. There’s got to be a backstory.”
“She could just be a natural genius.”
“Geniuses make names for themselves. Like that Roen kid with the huge eyes over there. A freefolk with that much talent—not a reverse folk like Kang Geohan—and no one’s heard of her till now? Hmm...”
“...I get it. You like her, Commander.”
Baronet Basio grinned.
“Yep. I like the talented ones with stories. They’ve got talent and work twice as hard as anyone. Watch—she’ll pick the best training Gigant.”
And she did.
Sweat streaming down her chin from intense focus as she inspected and tested takeoffs, Helena finally found one.
Baronet Basio marveled.
“Wow... I didn’t even know that one was there.”
It looked ordinary at first glance. But the proportions were spot-on, and the armor plates were arranged in a simple yet efficient design.
That wasn’t all. Kaltz said in a low voice,
“The joints... impressive.”
“Yeah. I almost missed it. It’s amateurish, but looks like someone modded it to mimic Randal-style hydraulic joints? Who did that? With a mountain of work, they put real effort into assembly.”
“If the drive sound is stable, it’s a wrap.”
“Yeah, with that level of assembly work, no need to check.”
Helena leaped onto the Gigant and attempted takeoff.
Tssshhh!
Screech! Grind!
Thud! Thud! Thud! Thud!
Wrrrrrm—
The drive sound was thunderous yet steady and stable. The best among the ten she’d tested so far.
“It’s done.”
“Even that lingering ‘wrrrrrm~’ is perfect.”
“And ten takeoffs... impressive.”
Baronet Basio gave a peculiar smile.
“Told you. She’s got a story. And finding something like that... that’s skill. Skill. Best training Gigant I’ve seen in ages.”
Helena opened the cockpit hatch and climbed out. Her flushed face showed her joy plainly.
She looked around, met Basio’s eyes, and bowed her head. Then she scanned again, spotted someone, and flashed a triumphant smile.
Following her gaze, Baronet Basio chuckled warmly.
He’d found Kang Geohan at the end of it.
“Alright, next up is your star disciple who’s got everyone’s attention. Feel the pressure? Helena snagged such a good one. You’re already at a disadvantage.”
“...He’s not my disciple.”
Kaltz muttered softly, but Baronet Basio just chuckled and raised his voice.
“Next! Kang Geohan Yellow, step forward!”