Titan
Titan
According to Shin Su-ah-yang's explanation, the Gate where the mutation occurred this time is called the Plateau of Giants in the future.
Originally, it was a plain filled with A-rank Ogres, but now that the Gate Mutation has occurred, massive Giants, whose size is easily comparable to a 20-story apartment building, are roaming around. The Gate is located on Jeju Island.
That's why, after packing our bags, we headed to the airport instead of the Association, and the Association branch manager, Gu Do-han-ssi, who was waiting in advance, came out to meet us.
"Welcome. And thank you for coming to help like this."
"It's nothing much."
"Nothing much? When I heard that the Dragon-nim himself had decided to help, I felt as if I had gained an army of a thousand men and ten thousand horses. By the way, the lady behind you is..."
"Ah, she's someone I hired recently as a manager to handle miscellaneous tasks."
"I see. Then, I will guide you inside."
As we followed Gu Do-han-ssi into the airport, the Awakened who had arrived first were gathered on one side, waiting.
Perhaps they hadn't heard that we would be joining, as the Awakened had surprised faces when they saw me entering the airport.
"Everyone, please pay attention. As you may know, this is Dragon-nim and his contractor, Shin Su-ah-yang. And this is Baek Yeon-yang, a member of Shin Su-ah-yang's party. They have agreed to explore the mutated Gate that appeared on Jeju Island with us."
At Gu Do-han-ssi's explanation, the faces of the Awakened brightened.
"With a Dragon with us, the danger will be reduced."
"Maybe we can even fully clear the Gate."
"A bus ride plus a performance bonus. Sweet."
Whether they had heard about what happened inside the Gate last time, they seemed to think that my participation meant they could come out alive even if an accident occurred inside the Gate.
And their thoughts weren't entirely wrong.
If some incident were to break out this time as well, we would certainly step forward to resolve it, and we would end up saving those who can be saved.
That's good for raising our reputation, and there's nothing bad about maintaining a good relationship with the Awakened.
However, it literally means saving only those who can be saved; I have no intention of overexerting myself to save people.
Well, if it's dangerous enough for our party, especially my avatar, it wouldn't be strange if all the Awakened here had already died long ago.
Realizing that the Awakened's focus had slackened along with his words, Gu Do-han-ssi spoke as if scolding them sternly.
"No matter how much Dragon-nim has decided to help, do not let your guard down inside the Gate. If you all are veteran Awakened, don't you know well what happens to those who are careless inside a Gate?"
Only after Gu Do-han-ssi's warning did a proper sense of tension settle on people's expressions.
Then, Association staff came in and distributed materials to the Awakened.
"This is data investigated by a reconnaissance team sent by the Jeju Island branch of the Association. As you can see, the Gate was originally an A-rank Ogre Gate. However, the current Gate where the mutation occurred has been measured as SS-rank."
"It's my first time hearing of an SS-rank, what are the criteria?"
"An SS-rank Gate definitely exceeds the standards of an S-rank, but unlike the Gate where Dragon-nim appeared, it's not a Gate where measurement is completely impossible."
"Then, how much higher is it based on the S-rank average?"
"The measured value is approximately four times higher."
"...Thank you."
Four times the average of an S-rank Gate.
I didn't know exactly how much that was, but a look of worry crossed the faces of the Awakened scheduled for deployment, as if it were indeed serious.
"Is it that high?"
"...Nidhogg-nim might not know, but Gates with this kind of value, even including those that haven't been made public, wouldn't even number five in the entire world."
"It's worth worrying about then."
While Shin Su-ah-yang and I were having a conversation in low whispers so as not to be heard by those around us, the briefing continued.
"Moving on to the next page, as a result of the Jeju Island reconnaissance team entering the Gate and examining the initial area, the Gate, which was originally a plain, has changed into a considerably high-altitude area. Also, they say there is a light fog, so be careful of places like cliffs."
"Have the monsters inside been confirmed?"
"The place is quite vast. Monsters were not confirmed just by looking at the initial area. But..."
"But?"
The branch manager hesitated whether to say this or not, but eventually conveyed information that was not written in the report.
"It might be a mistake by the reconnaissance team, but they said they saw a massive shadow in the fog."
"...There might be a super-large monster."
"Indeed. So you all should be careful as well. If you judge that hunting is impossible, return immediately."
The briefing concluded with the branch manager's final words, and just in time, at the word of an Association staff member that preparations for departure were finished, we left for Jeju Island on a prepared plane.
Since it was just going from Incheon to Jeju Island, the flight was short.
We arrived at Jeju Island not long after taking off into the sky.
After getting off the plane, we took a pre-arranged car and moved straight to where the Gate was located.
To enter the Gate nestled in the mountains, we drove along an unpaved road deep inside, and arrived at a Gate whose entrance looked easily twice as large as other Gates.
"Welcome. I am Kang In-seong, the branch manager of the Jeju Island Association."
While the half-bald Jeju branch manager and the person in charge of this Expedition Team exchanged brief greetings, we also reconfirmed the purpose of this exploration.
"Three Giant's Hearts requested by Ratatoskr."
"And five stems of Iron Blood Herb that only grow here. Right?"
"Yeah."
As in any world, a Giant is like a symbol of pure strength.
That's why, to restore Ratatoskr's power, we plan to kill at least three Giants and take their hearts—more accurately, the Core inside the heart.
'Should I pack a few more for my own nourishment?'
I've eaten Giants a few times myself, and the heart in particular is an excellent elixir, effective even for me.
Of course, assuming my main body eats it, a few Giant's Hearts would feel like eating a pack of red ginseng for a human... but it's better than nothing.
And the Iron Blood Herb that Shin Su-ah-yang is going to take is said to have the effect of strengthening bones and muscles, but since it's not a medicine effective enough for me or Ratatoskr, she's taking it purely for her and Baek Yeon-yang to consume.
With the final confirmation finished.
Carrying the storage box brought separately to pack the two items, we entered beyond the Gate with the Expedition Team.
The inside of the Gate was an environment with light fog in a plateau area, just as the reconnaissance team's report said.
"Starting the exploration."
An Awakened specialized in reconnaissance took the lead, and we followed behind into the depths of the Gate.
As expected of a Gate where Giants live, the inside of the Gate was incredibly vast.
We kept walking across the wide plateau where the end was nowhere in sight no matter how far we went.
"Damn. It's ridiculously wide."
"Not a single monster in sight, just a foggy field. Is this really a Gate?"
There was a limit to moving in a tense state, and the Awakened, who had been walking across the endless field, began to voice their complaints one by one.
However, their complaints did not last long.
"Wait. Shh."
The Expedition Team stopped in their tracks at the signal of the reconnaissance personnel ahead.
While everyone stopped and quietly watched the surroundings, a vibration was detected.
Kung-
Kung-
Everyone realized that the ground vibrating at a regular rhythm was the sound of someone's footsteps.
If it echoed this much even from a distance, just how massive was the owner of these footsteps?
Everyone was able to find out before long.
"O-over there—"
An Awakened pointed into the fog, and there, just as Branch Manager Gu Do-han-ssi had said, a massive humanoid shadow was passing by.
Finally, a Giant had appeared.
Keung- keung-
The Giant, who had closed the distance to some extent, flared its nostrils as if sniffing.
-Keuhu! Humans. It's the scent of humans!
The booming voice struck the eardrums, and at the Giant's words, the inside of the Gate began to stir.
-What!
-Are they really humans!
-Prey! Prey!
-I'm going to eat first!
The identity of the stirring was none other than other Giants.
Whether someone had been crouching or someone had been sitting, the number of heads visible through the fog increased in an instant.
In that way, a total of four Giants slowly approached the Expedition Team.
"Everyone, prepare for battle!!"
Realizing it was already too late to run or hide, the Expedition Team prepared for battle.
Each drew their weapons, but their faces showed uncertainty as to whether these would even work against those massive Giants.
At that moment, the face of the Giant who first discovered us poked out clearly through the fog.
"Humaaans!!"
"Attack!!"
As the hand that poked out along with the face approached at a speed where it was unclear if it was trying to grab or crush the humans, those holding shields and melee weapons among the Awakened in the lead struck the hand away.
And they came to realize that wounds cut by things like swords or spears were merely like being pricked by a toothpick or cut by paper to the Giant.
"It tickles!!"
The Giant reached out its hand again as if it were nothing.
It was drooling from its mouth as if anticipating the humans it would soon taste.
"Compared to the world I lived in, they're far too stupid."
There were Giants in the Nine Worlds where I originally lived.
They were the residents of Jotunheim.
Among them were wise and clever Giants, and there were also wicked and cunning Giants.
But look at them.
In their eyes, unlike the Giants I had seen, not even a fingernail's worth of intelligence could be found.
Actions purely succumbed to instinct and appetite.
"Surely they aren't defective products?"
It would be a relief if I didn't get an upset stomach from eating their hearts for no reason.
I should take the Cores first and have Ratatoskr examine them before eating.
While I was thinking about something else for a moment, the Expedition Team was gradually driven into a corner.
At least they hadn't been caught yet because the Giants were stupid; if it continued like this, other Giants would join in, or they would gradually become physically exhausted and be caught and eaten by the Giants.
"I will join in as well."
"Me too!"
Baek Yeon-yang and Shin Su-ah-yang went out to face the Giants to help the endangered Expedition Team, and since I had no intention of helping until those two were in danger, I quietly waited in my spot.
I wonder, can those two handle the Giants?
As the two joined the Expedition Team, the full-scale battle between Giants and humans began.