Chapter 41
Chapter 41
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 41
Chapter Title: I Want to Become Stronger
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Gerot was nine years old when he saw his father get slapped.
Everyone always bowed and scraped to his father, calling him "Boss," but that day was different.
The man was sitting in a chair with his legs crossed, and his father knelt before him.
A knight guarding the man struck his father across the cheek.
The man was a noble.
After the matter was settled, his father—whose cheek had split open and was bleeding profusely—searched for Gerot.
"How did that make you feel, Gerot?"
"......"
"I asked how it made you feel."
"No...... Why did they hit you, Dad......"
"Were you shocked?"
"No...... Why......"
Gerot couldn't string words together and started to sob. His father grabbed both his shoulders and spoke.
"There's no need to be shocked. And even less reason to feel sad or angry. The man was a noble. You need to understand that. Because he was a noble...... it was only natural."
That day, Gerot learned.
That this world was a stratified society.
That the strong trampling the weak was a "right."
And so, the fact that he needed to become strong.
"It's okay because Dad is weak. But I want you to be stronger than me, Gerot. So...... become an outstanding Gigant Rider. Become a knight. Become a noble."
"A noble......?"
"Yeah. Keep growing like you are now, and catch up to those stronger than you, one by one. Don't let those weaker than you grow stronger than you. If you keep doing that, one day you'll find yourself high up."
The nine-year-old Gerot wept and swore he would.
* * *
Viper.
This weapon was truly ferocious.
Just holding it made him feel the Gigant shuddering with a low growl. Sparks flew, and steam hissed out.
It writhed in his hand like a living thing, and gripping it alone put a strain on his demonic essence.
Kang Geohan stared straight ahead.
'Remaining mana: 41 points.'
Gerot White had wanted overwhelming attack power, so that's what he planned to deliver.
'Swing it three times and exhaust all mana.'
3RM.
Crunch!
The hand gripping Viper twisted with a grinding sound as it clenched tight.
Kang Geohan slowly crouched in the cockpit.
Thud!
Synchronized with Kang Geohan's thoughts, Femoral pulled one leg back and lowered its stance.
'Squeeze out every bit of demonic essence from my whole body!'
The ideal motion for that was the deadlift from weightlifting!
The pinnacle of power, using the strength of the legs, hips, back, and upper body all at once.
Kang Geohan sat, loading his hips and core with maximum tension, then snapped his back straight.
He positioned his palms facing the sky as if gripping a barbell, pressing them tight to his chest.
The output from the Gigant heart transmitted a suffocating weight through his arms, shoulders, and legs.
But weight was something all too familiar to Kang Geohan. He twisted his demonic essence three times, squeezing it out as he began pouring mana.
'Squat!'
Like jumping, he pushed off the ground with all his might and stood.
'Lockout!'
He regulated his breath with a sharp inhale, flicked his knees, and thrust his upper body under the immense load as if hurling it skyward, extending his arms fully to rise.
'Hold!'
Rumble!
As Kang Geohan endured the output, Femoral let out a roar, spewing steam from its entire body as it charged forward.
Viper whirled through the air before slashing forward with a shrieking whoosh.
Boom boom boom boom!
An explosion swept a 25-meter radius in a fan shape.
The goblins charging in high spirits detonated on contact with Viper, shredding apart.
Trees, rocks—nothing was spared as Viper pulverized everything in its path, annihilating all obstacles before arcing high and whirling back through the air.
Kang Geohan crouched and rose again, ramping up the Gigant's output once more.
Thud! Thud! Thud!
Gigant Femoral broke into a full sprint.
It pierced the thick blood mist from the explosion, batting aside airborne debris of trees and rocks, crossing the Viper-ravaged zone in one go.
Vision was a mess, but it didn't matter.
The upgraded Femoral's sensory processing unit (SPU) pierced the flying blood spray, trees, and rock fragments, vividly mapping goblin clusters and optimal strike points for maximum damage.
And the second strike followed!
Kablooey!
A thunderclap like lightning striking before his eyes—goblins were pulverized into oblivion, rocks and trees flying skyward.
Then, through that chaos, the third strike!
Rumble!
The open ground left by the overwhelming force was filled with blood mist and chunks of flesh, the air flow so unstable that eerie winds whistled erratically.
Growl!
Shrieeeek!
Gurgle! Gurgle!
And there were goblins hesitating, retreating. Goblins that had charged fearlessly like berserkers no matter how many were killed were now cowering.
"Haa...... haa...... ha......"
In the midst of the frozen goblin horde, Kang Geohan caught his breath.
Checking his mana hit zero and beginning slow recovery, he glared at the goblins.
'Success?'
Time was key. Against endless goblin waves, buying time to recover stamina.
Kang Geohan slowly advanced Femoral.
Screeeeech.
Viper dragged along the ground, producing a menacing sound.
The goblins flinched and backed away.
One step, another.
No goblins charged.
Kang Geohan smiled.
-......I'm speechless.
Helena sent a comm.
-You've completely overwhelmed the enemy. Now we control the pace.
Thud! Thud! Thud!
The group walked up to stand beside Kang Geohan. Five Gigants lined up in single file.
The overwhelmed goblins crouched low, growling threats, but they couldn't charge like before.
Thanks to that, the group gained recovery time.
Just one minute, but in battle, that time was sweeter than honey, more fulfilling.
Like boxers reviving in the one-minute rest between rounds, or recovering much of your spent strength with a minute's rest between sets at the gym.
"Huu......!"
[Mana: 43/85]
Facing off against the goblins for one minute of rest, Kang Geohan recovered more mana than he'd used. Fresh vigor spread through his heavy limbs.
"Alright......! Next set!"
Helena and Loen jumped on it.
-Go! Sir Kang Geohan White, conserve your strength! If we start tiring, hit 'em with another sweep like before!
-Everyone, hang in there! The initiative is ours now!
"Let's crush them."
The five Gigants charged forward in unison.
The tide was turning. Kang Geohan's group advanced slowly, managing stamina.
They narrowed the gap bit by bit with Rapal Black, who was annihilating goblins on the other side.
Saksen Silver, watching from afar, let out a hollow laugh.
"This doesn't make sense......"
It was a mission meant to exhaust them until they collapsed.
Starting with Harkrux, who had the least demonic essence, the front line had seemed ready to crumble, so Saksen Silver was preparing to step in.
But the situation flipped.
In the Eastern Pioneers' history, there were rookies who'd lasted long, but never ones who'd massacred the enemy...... Today, history would be made.
Saksen Silver eyed the group that wrought this miracle, his gaze lingering especially on one.
"Kang Geohan, huh...... I had a bad feeling with that knight Kaltz stuck to his side, but his mana control is downright chilling."
He almost wanted to watch up close. Was that why Kaltz was with him?
Saksen Silver shook off the deepening thoughts and refocused on the situation.
"Anyway, this initiation rite is meant to teach them the border's terror, make them more cautious and fierce...... But if they beat it, is that good or bad?"
Saksen Silver shook his head. Yet somehow, an irrepressible smile crept onto his lips.
* * *
At the ragged entrance to the Great Forest.
Before a sea of corpses and shattered debris, the six Gigants huddled, venting steam unsteadily.
-Haaak...... haa.
-Huu...... cough, damn, I'm dying.
-Kruuuh...... huaa. Huff...... We won!
Over the comms came ragged breaths. And victory cheers rasped from raw throats.
-Huff...... huff...... Honestly, I thought we'd break...... Didn't expect you to hold till the end. Huu...... Saved my skin thanks to you.
Rapal Black was a wreck too.
No matter that he was a Black knight, elite even among formal rider candidates, facing this many goblins alone wasn't easy.
Proving it, his Gigant's outer armor was bent and torn to shreds. Blood and flesh clung, screeching with every move.
"Huu...... haa...... What are you talking about. You saved us."
Kang Geohan spoke truth too. Rapal Black had slain 2,973 goblins alone. Far more than the 2,115 his group of five took down.
That was Rapal Black at full power.
'Worthy of a Black, huh...... Not even a formal Gigant Rider, and this level of skill.'
Thanks to him, Kang Geohan glimpsed yet another milestone he needed to surpass.
-Me?...... I know techniques you haven't learned yet, and my armaments are far superior, so it's natural. You're the impressive ones.
At that, Kang Geohan cracked open the cockpit hatch, glanced at Gerot White venting steam from his shoulders and head while facing the wind.
"No...... We would've struggled without the special weapon Gerot brought."
Kang Geohan still didn't know why Gerot entrusted him with that precious Viper.
But thanks to it, they completed the mission successfully, so gratitude mingled with budding trust.
On that note, Kang Geohan carefully wrapped Viper and offered it to Gerot White.
Gerot, perched on the Gigant's chest, looked up at Kang Geohan's Femoral.
Kang Geohan climbed out through the open hatch and faced him.
"......Thanks. Used it well."
Gerot White averted his gaze from Kang Geohan and spoke.
An utterly unexpected reply.
"Keep it...... Just use it. When we get back to base, I'll give you an extra slot for the main armament bay too."
Kang Geohan's eyes widened.
"You're giving me this? To me?"
Of course he wanted it. He'd tested it—insane firepower.
But the situation made no sense. Why give away something this valuable? Especially from Gerot White, who'd clashed with him at every turn?
This was beyond mere favor between friends—an absurd gift. Why would Gerot?
"Kang Geohan."
Gerot White met his eyes.
'......Crying?'
Gerot's eyes were red.
Sitting at the edge of the open cockpit, Gerot looked up at Kang Geohan with reddened eyes and spoke.
Desperately.
"I...... want to become strong."
His voice trembled.
"On the Kingdom Train Mimir...... and today...... I felt it clearly. I want to be strong like you. How do I do it?"
What flashed in Gerot White's mind then was Kang Geohan boldly facing the noble. He hadn't won, of course, but he'd convinced the noble with his skill.
No more tantrums would cut it.
Everything was clear. Kang Geohan, once weaker, had caught up and grown far stronger. If this continued, the gap would only widen. He'd be weeded out.
Gerot couldn't bear it. Even on his knees...... he'd acknowledge the other's superiority, face reality, grasp any thread to grow stronger.
Gerot's eyes shook as he gazed at Kang Geohan. Kang Geohan's eyes shook in turn.