Chapter 77
Chapter 77
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 77
Chapter Title: Diaphragm
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Kang Geohan followed behind the countess through the forest.
Winter's pale sunlight filtered down through the bare branches. An echo, starting from far away, whispered past his ears.
Echo Forest.
It was the third base they had moved to. Trees even larger than giants grew thick here, and the forest's outer edges reverberated sounds all the way to the center, making it ideal for hiding from enemies.
It had a mystical feel, like fairies might live here. If not for the circumstances, it would have felt like a vacation.
The countess walked in silence until no one else was in sight, then suddenly spoke.
“Knights, soldiers, even the citizens—they're all quite fond of you, aren't they?”
“...We're just working out together enthusiastically.”
“That's not all. Even in these times, you're the hero providing high-quality beast meat meals, warm blankets, and escape vehicles.”
“It's all thanks to Your Excellency granting me the Balrog core.”
“Indeed. I was stunned when I returned. I never imagined you'd absorb it so perfectly.”
She whipped around! The countess's face was flushed red.
“I was so shocked that I forgot all about your rudeness in treating my advice to share it like bullshit.”
“I'm sorry. I had a strong hunch that consuming it all at once would be most effective...”
“Ah, that's not what I mean.”
A soft smile played on the countess's lips.
“With that level of skill and rapid growth, a bit of arrogance is understandable. Look at Rikein Gold. He doesn't care about citizens or soldiers. He's obsessed only with his own achievements... That's usually how it goes.”
Ah, so she knew about Rikein.
Kang Geohan nodded inwardly.
“But you're different. You get along well with the technicians, soldiers, and citizens. You seem to care about their lives. You're a rare rider indeed.”
Kang Geohan scratched his cheek.
He didn't think it was because he was some saintly gentleman.
“In the end... everything's connected.”
The countess showed interest in his words.
“Connected?”
“Yes. To operate giants and golems, it's not just technicians we need, right? For example, if a magitech engineer makes a giant part from beast bone... first, someone has to butcher it. Then someone to cut the bone into sections by part. Then someone to refine it precisely. Only then does the magitech engineer engrave circuits and assemble. Not to mention people to transport resources, and the engineers need to eat and clothe themselves when it's time... Giants are so massive and complex that making them operational requires far more than meets the eye. So we can't treat soldiers or citizens carelessly. They're all connected to the giants I love and need to survive.”
The countess's smile deepened.
“Two hundred points.”
Countess Kali Stehold suddenly looked up at the sky. Through the dense branches, it appeared in scattered patches.
“I call it this: operating one giant requires one city.”
For a moment, she gazed at the sky with eyes sparkling like a girl's, then lowered her head to face Kang Geohan again.
In that brief interval.
As her eyes drifted down from the sky to meet his,
The romantic gleam vanished, replaced by the fierce gaze of a warrior aflame.
“That's why I can't tolerate this situation. The eastern border fortress is the city I built. I turned this barren place prosperous and raised giants one by one. It was my frontier before it was kingdom land! It's my youth, my life itself! And now the Logot Kingdom, those fucking bastards, are trying to take it all...!”
Crunch!
The sound of her grinding teeth was chilling.
“So... I have no choice but to fight to the end. Selfish as it is... I have to demand sacrifice and loyalty from you all. Fight with me until the end.”
It was accidental.
Seeing Kang Geohan working out with others had stirred sentiment, and his true feelings slipped out unconsciously.
Not said expecting any particular reply—just blurted out.
That's why Kang Geohan could read a part of the countess's emotions in those words.
'You've made up your mind. But you're feeling a little guilty.'
Guilt. That was the countess's warm side.
In this class-based society, someone of her countess rank could wield life-and-death power freely and sacrifice everyone for herself without a second thought. Yet she felt remorse.
'Well, if the rumors are true and the kingdom has truly abandoned us... now's the time to flee, not fight. That's the only way to save our lives.'
But the countess's decision was to fight on. If no reinforcements came...
'We could be wiped out.'
By twenty-first-century sensibilities, it would seem brutally selfish. Sacrificing twenty thousand for her own will?
That outcome pained Kang Geohan too.
His second life was just blooming—dying pointlessly was the last thing he wanted.
But,
'If the countess's resolve is that firm, there are no other options.'
Defy orders or flee just to survive? Unthinkable. Even if he lived, it wouldn't feel like living.
In a class-based, honor-bound old-world society, that's how it was.
A cowardly deserter might preserve his life, but he'd never pursue any dreams. It would just be another empty, accomplishment-free life like his last one.
So, Kang Geohan resolved himself.
'If I have to fight under the countess's orders anyway...'
He'd fully commit to this ride.
Bet firmly on victory and hold on fiercely for the rewards after.
And,
To his superior who had unwittingly revealed her inner thoughts, he'd offer a bit of lip service.
“Your Excellency.”
“...Hm?”
Countess Kali Stehold, momentarily dazed, turned to Kang Geohan. Their eyes met, and he smiled brightly.
“I feel the same.”
“The same... you say?”
“Yes. Though it's been short, the time I've spent at the eastern border fortress, the things I've achieved—they're the most valuable accomplishments of my life so far. I don't want to lose them pointlessly either. So I'm fighting with my own reasons, staking my life. Only if Your Excellency survives and the people of this fortress stay together can I protect what I've built. So, Your Excellency, this isn't your fight alone. It's desperate for us too. Your victory is our victory. You don't need to... bear it so heavily alone.”
At that calm voice,
The countess's eyes wavered.
She asked,
“...Even if it ends in death?”
Kang Geohan smiled wryly.
“No! What kind of harsh words are those to a subordinate fighting desperately not to die?”
Her knight-unlike cheeky response made Countess Kali Stehold's eyes widen round, then crinkle into half-moons as she chuckled.
“Right. You make sure to survive. I'll protect you. Stick right by my side.”
Her voice grew even friendlier.
But Kang Geohan blinked as if she'd said something absurd.
“Um... Your Excellency? Isn't the spot right next to you the most dangerous?”
“...Insolent.”
Whap!
At a loss for words, she flicked his forehead. As Kang Geohan rolled his eyes in complaint, the countess tossed out,
“I'll give you Yotun.”
“...Pardon?”
Kang Geohan didn't grasp it at first.
Yotun could only be piloted by formal giant riders who had received the Silver surname.
But Silver appointments came directly from the king of Linekar, so it shouldn't apply to him.
Yet the countess said,
“Given the situation, His Majesty will understand. There's a Yotun that lost its pilot in the recent operation. It should be repaired by now. I'll let them know—go pick it up from the maintenance bay. You... should handle it well. Ride that strong machine... and don't die.”
Countess Kali Stehold smiled brightly.
His heart pounded.
“I'll even grant you a new Silver name. The highest I can give with my authority is Black. I'll announce it tomorrow.”
Ahh,
Countess...!
Kang Geohan was swept up in a feeling utterly different from before.
This time, it wasn't flattery.
It was loyalty and love welling up from his muscles.
* * *
“Sir Kang Geohan Black Knight!”
Ren Engini beamed.
Kang Geohan scratched his cheek, embarrassed.
“I'm still not used to it. The Black Knight surname.”
“Of course! Going from White to Black Knight in less than half a year! Probably the first in kingdom history? You should feel awkward for it to seem human.”
Ren Engini patted Kang Geohan's shoulder familiarly, then turned.
“But get used to this one quick!”
There,
Was Yotun.
Total height: 10.5 meters
Shoulder width: 5 meters
Chest-to-back thickness: 4 meters.
Weight: 30 tons.
One meter taller than Cyclops, shoulders half a meter wider, a meter thicker.
Ten tons heavier.
He'd seen it plenty before, but viewing it as his own changed everything.
'Big...! Massive...!'
Ramping up output on that—how would the pressure feel? The speed rushing at full throttle? The shake from clashing weapons? The heat and steam from overheat? What would it all feel like?
He was itching to test it ASAP.
Seeing Kang Geohan's breathing quicken, Ren Engini said as if she couldn't stop him,
“Get in already. You'll feel the upgrades once you're piloting.”
“Yes, ma'am!”
He clambered aboard Yotun in a flurry. From the cockpit, he gripped the ground and yanked the giant heart up like a deadlift, rising sharply.
Rumble!
Like rocketing to the sky on a rocket. Heavy pressure from inertia.
Overcoming it opened a new world.
“Ah...”
And just from takeoff, Kang Geohan felt a massive difference.
'So... stable.'
Unlike piloting Femoral, the advanced trainer.
That felt like weight training on a rocking ship—uneven pressure swaying every which way.
One slip, and surging output could injure.
But now, it was like a fixed barbell on a Smith machine—uniform, comfortable pressure.
That heavy stability.
Ren Engini shouted from outside.
“There are tons of differences, but the one you'll feel most is the synchronizer.”
“Synchronizer?”
“Yes. Standard on mainstays like Yotun. It auto-adjusts compatibility between parts. You, Sir Kang Geohan White—no, Black Knight—used such mismatched powerful parts on Cyclops... You'll feel a huge difference now.”
Mounting a 2-core 4-thread on Femoral, equipping Giant Set, adding Lizard King's SPU—it was like stuffing a sports car engine and parts into a compact like Morning.
More powerful, sure, but poor weight balance, high drag, incompatible parts—tough on the driver.
But those parts in Yotun? Like tuning a sports car with sports car parts.
Stability across the board.
Kang Geohan felt pure ecstasy.
Just from takeoff, he already loved this machine.
“I see... Time to name it.”
“Oh? What's the name this time?”
Thinking of that stability, one name fit perfectly.
“Diaphragm!”
The diaphragm.
The muscle membrane dividing chest and abdomen.
Foundation guaranteeing exercise stability.
A strong diaphragm maximizes power output, improves indigestion, even helps treat anxiety disorders.
It fit that sense of stability perfectly.