Chapter 50
Chapter 50
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 50
Chapter Title: Raising the Goal
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Boom!
He hadn’t even lifted his foot yet, but the Femoral seemed to dig into the ground. His center of gravity lowered sharply. Blue ripples spread out in concentric circles from the Femoral across the swamp.
Screeech.
The armor plates ground against each other, screaming under the intensely compressed power.
In that instant, Kang Geohan instinctively focused his mana essence into his lower body.
The muscles of the lower body were called the second heart for how much they influenced the condition of the entire body.
Having trained them so rigorously over his past life, he naturally concentrated his mana essence there now, as he prepared to unleash tremendous power.
The mana essence surging into his lower body twisted into double strands, compressing his mana to its limits.
And that was the right call.
Whoooosh!
Ssssh!
The mana essence concentrated in his lower body steadily stabilized Kang Geohan’s power. It laid the foundation for him to unleash even greater force in a single burst.
The output from the Photon Warrior Packs installed at his wrists, ankles, knees, and elbows also became more consistent. They steadily vented steam, bracing for the impending explosion.
Kang Geohan shouted.
“Gerot!”
-Here we go!
Thud! Thud! Thud!
Through the SPU, Kang Geohan clearly sensed Gerot charging at his back.
Thanks to the parts gifted by the noble boy last time, the fully upgraded SPU now surpassed Cyclops-level performance, detecting Gerot’s movements.
‘They say Chain Action requires perfect synchronization between two people... but honestly, if even one side times it right, it can activate!’
In the end, it was a simple principle: one pushes, the other jumps. Even if the pusher was erratic, as long as the jumper reacted sensitively enough to handle it, there was no problem.
‘Now!’
Pushing the SPU to its limits, Kang Geohan pinpointed the perfect timing. In that exact moment, he unleashed all his gathered power and leaped forward.
Boom!
The blue waves of the swamp split in two. Over 30 meters of straight-line ground emerged, aimed precisely at the center of the lizardmen horde.
The inertia pulling his body back. The suffocating pressure blocking his breath. Shoving it all down with his lower body, Kang Geohan ramped up his output.
The Femoral spewed flames and smoke as it slammed—boom!—into the ground, and he swung the double-bladed axe.
KABOOM!
It was the same as before. The sonic-breaking strike left the lizardmen unable to react.
But lizardmen were cunning.
They lowered their bodies, aiming for the stiffness that would soon follow.
“You think we’ll fall for it again!”
Skreeeech!
Like a race car driver cornering at full speed.
“Hup!”
Kang Geohan sucked in a deep breath, slammed his left foot into the ground, and pivoted.
Rumble rumble rumble!
The Photon Warrior Pack shook wildly, spewing flames, as the Femoral’s body spun around.
He wobbled a bit but succeeded in changing direction without stopping. At the same time, his second axe swing.
Crack!
The lizardmen who had leaped to exploit his stiffness were bisected mid-air.
Just two axe strikes. But the reckless maneuver left Kang Geohan exhausted.
His breath rose to his chin. His lower body trembled. Yet he didn’t stop. He sucked in another breath, crouched low, then rose with all his might.
Thud!
The Femoral stomped the ground and took to the skies.
Switching to Viper, he swung the long chain.
Boom!
Deafening blasts, billowing smoke, scattering flames. Lizardmen flew back.
Seeing them shatter like scarecrows without reaction, Kang Geohan yelled through gritted teeth.
“Laugh again, you bastards!”
Thud!
Gerot White landed to protect Kang Geohan, buying him a moment’s rest. When Kang Geohan signaled, he hurled him back into the lizardmen horde.
The lizardmen soared like bowling pins struck by a ball.
‘Kang Geohan...’
Helena White gritted her teeth, watching his brilliant performance.
‘Am I falling behind again?’
Kang Geohan was the only one in the group who could handle these bizarre lizardmen alone like that.
The fact burned at Helena.
She clenched her teeth and shouted.
“Everyone, charge! You planning to just trail behind Sir Kang Geohan White?! Push them to their limits—no, beyond!”
As she yelled, she shoved the back of the leading Harklux.
“Here we go! Push!”
-Push!
Boom!
There was a bit of a noisy racket, but Harklux wobbled through the air successfully.
Sonic boosters on his Gigant’s back spat fire. Leading with his shield, he smashed into the panicked lizardmen.
Helena White followed at full speed. In her hands was a massive 12-meter spear.
-Sir Harklux White! Leap as you please! I’ll skewer them all!
As the main dealer, she precisely impaled the lizardmen that the support tank Harklux engaged, right at the spear tip.
No matter that the lizardmen were 270-centimeter behemoths—even against ones moving like arrows, skewering them with a spear far larger was no ordinary feat of martial prowess.
A miracle only Helena could pull off.
Hiss!
Whoosh—!
Hiss!
Swoosh!
Each time steam burst out noisily, the spear sliced through smoke, thrusting out to impale, fling, and bash lizardmen.
Shrieeeek!
The lizardmen bared their jaws in screams, scrambling to reform their lines. Leaping above them was Loen White.
“Eat this!”
The ranged dealer and supporter spun a massive net with all her might and hurled it into the lizardmen’s midst.
The tangled lizardmen tumbled and flailed in chaos. Harklux pressed forward through the gap, while Helena endlessly thrust from behind.
Gerot threw Kang Geohan, and his Viper ravaged the lizardmen.
The tide had fully turned.
Bwoooo—!
Then one lizardman blew a large horn.
Kang Geohan, in the heat of battle, looked up in disbelief.
“Blowing a horn? A lizardman?”
Rustle rustle—
Soon, hundreds of lizardmen heads emerged from the distant waterways connected through the swamp, swarming in.
Zaksen Silver’s grim voice broadcast through the comms.
-Damn it...! Everyone, conserve stamina while fighting. Escaping here won’t be easy.
The second wave began.
* * *
The blue swamp had turned green.
Hiss...
The Gigants that had danced beyond the speed of sound now moved sluggishly, leaking feeble steam.
600 lizardmen slain in total.
Zaksen took out 250. Rafal handled 100. The remaining 250 fell to Kang Geohan and the four trainee riders.
The lizardmen avoided facing Zaksen and Rafal, so many piled onto Kang Geohan’s group. In the end, they matched Zaksen’s 250.
Thanks to that, Kang Geohan’s team was utterly spent.
Hiss...
The Gigants staggered, barely able to walk properly.
Zaksen Silver eyed the scene with a peculiar gaze, then barked.
-What are you doing! How much did you fight to be this wiped out already? We have to get back to the outpost before sunset!
-Y-Yes... We’re moving now...
Loen muttered as she hobbled her Gigant along.
-Tomorrow... my whole body’s gonna ache like crazy...
Harklux grimaced, thinking of the brutal mana essence soreness worse than any muscle pain.
“...Gotta stuff myself with ogre meat and crash.”
Kang Geohan shuffled along like someone who’d done endless heavy sets nonstop, burning with the will to absorb dark mana soon.
Anyway, they’d won, so he felt good.
But Zaksen Silver kept yelling.
-Quit yapping like you did something great! Pathetic retreat without even seeing the second swamp, let alone the third! Shut up and move those feet!
At that, Loen grumbled on the trainees-only channel.
-What... Didn’t we fight pretty well? Yesterday 100, today 250—that’s gotta be good, right?
-...It’s only natural it doesn’t impress Sir Zaksen Silver. Didn’t you see him fight earlier?
Helena’s remark softened Loen’s tone.
-Yeah... He was on another level. Lizardmen fleeing everywhere, and he caught and killed them all... Scary even as an ally.
Thud! Thud!
Splash, splash.
The seven Gigants trudged back to the outpost, chatting away to unwind from battle.
Zaksen Silver and Rafal Black guarded the rear.
Zaksen was still griping.
-Hmph! Retreating from lizardmen scum...
Rafal Black said, puzzled.
-Pardon? Still, they fought well, didn’t they? Already using mid-level tactics in real combat? Impressive for Whites.
Zaksen replied coldly.
-Impressive? No. Far from it. How long till we seize the key point and build a bridgehead like this?
Rafal’s eyes widened.
-Pardon? Seize the key point? Build a bridgehead? Our mission is just mapping the initial assault, not...
-That’s the bare minimum! The bare minimum!
He ranted about how drawing a sword meant cutting grass, emphasizing the need for seizing the key point and bridgehead.
Rafal Black sighed softly at him.
‘What? He’s basically admitting the kids did well, right?’
Zaksen Silver had subtly raised the goal.
-Tomorrow, we push to the third swamp.
It wasn’t imagination—Zaksen Silver’s voice sounded a bit excited.
* * *
The next day: the third swamp.
The day after: the fifth.
Battles with lizardmen dragged on endlessly.
Even after slaughtering hordes one day, more poured in the next. At night, more ambushed from somewhere.
Typically 800 to 1,500 per day.
Endless waves of lizardmen, daily bloodbaths.
Kingdom scavengers couldn’t even collect all the corpses each day.
Creak. Screech...
The Gigants’ joints wore out, squeaking.
Zaksen Silver, handy with basic Gigant maintenance, oiled them daily and swapped worn parts.
Kang Geohan and his comrades watched, along with Davis, whose interest in Gigants had recently spiked, eyes gleaming as he learned.
No time to rest, barely time to sleep.
Through those hellish four days, Kang Geohan and his team’s mana essence grew rapidly.
Their mid-level five-man tactics grew ever more proficient.
Finally, in the seventh swamp, they uncovered the lizardmen’s secret.
Kaltz returned from scouting with a major find.
“No doubt... it was the Lizard King. And on its head was a crown—definitely an Oparts, or the ‘core’ of this uncharted zone. It commands 1,000 lizardmen.”
Zaksen Silver nodded at the report.
“Yeah... That explains their cunning and strength. Lizard King. We’re up against a lizardmen kingdom.”
Rafal Black followed up.
“And if that crown is the ‘core’... Taking it out should end the anomaly too.”
“Right. Probably affects the mind. Could be unifying the lizardmen’s spirits. That’s how they organized and learned advanced tactics. Still don’t know how they counter Gigants, though...”
Zaksen Silver bared his teeth in a grin.
“Anyway, one thing’s clear: Grab that bastard, and we conquer an uncharted zone. Ultimate merit for frontline duty. Lizard King plus 1,000 lizardmen. Sound manageable?”
“Yes, sir!”
Kang Geohan and his comrades replied.
1,000. Manageable compared to what they’d faced.
The Lizard King was a wildcard, but Zaksen Silver would handle it somehow—they trusted that.
The goal was set.
Rafal Black smiled faintly.
‘Started with assault maps. Then bridgehead. Now full conquest?’
Zaksen Silver, pretending otherwise while steadily upping the bar.
But even Rafal didn’t think it overreach.
Kang Geohan’s team had grown terrifyingly fast.
‘Guess we’ll wrap up sooner than expected.’
The daily fierce fights and growth were rewarding, but Rafal still wanted proper sleep.
A smile tugged at his lips.
Everyone felt the same.