Chapter 173
Chapter 173
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Translator: Ace
Chapter: 173
Chapter Title: The Giant Stands Alone
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Looked at the doll again.
It had clearly been frozen solid, so how in the world had it broken free of the ice?
I glanced at the ice shards scattered everywhere. Fragments of the doll's outer shell were mixed in among them. I looked at the doll once more.
'...It's smaller now.'
It must have deliberately shattered its outer shell to forcibly escape the frozen state.
Which meant our plan to freeze it with Seren's chill and quickly head upstairs was no longer viable.
'What do we do about this...'
I pondered as I sprinted down the corridor.
Quite a bit of time had passed in the meantime. It wasn't a good sign. Twelve hours wasn't generous in our current situation.
I kept running and glanced back.
Thud...! Thud...!
The damn doll was chasing us relentlessly.
Shouldn't a thing that size and weight be collapsing the corridor?
This blasted hallway must have been forged from melted steel—it showed no sign of crumbling.
The doll wasn't particularly fast, but if we let our guard down, it would catch up in an instant.
It was a nuisance in every conceivable way.
'...A nuisance?'
I froze at the word that suddenly popped into my head. In that moment, Evan, running beside me, spoke up.
"Won't we just be wearing ourselves out like this? Wouldn't it be better to team up and take it down right now?"
"No. That might play right into the princess's hands."
"What do you mean?"
"The doll's role from the start is to wear us down and annoy us."
A speed just enough to keep us in sight without losing us.
Aggression that would harass us if we ignored it.
Durability that prevented a quick decisive battle.
It wasn't made to be defeated in the first place.
"One of us has to handle it."
I declared firmly.
"While that happens, the other four search the entire second floor for the room leading to the third and head upstairs."
"That's too dangerous."
Seren said.
"Wouldn't it be safer for four of us to deal with it while one searches the whole second floor? If they find the way up, they can shout for us."
"No."
I shot down Seren's suggestion.
Seren gave me her usual blank stare, without any sign of offense.
It was a gesture asking for the reason.
"First, time is gold for us. As you know, this floor is huge. Just the fact that it takes an hour of running these damn corridors to go back and forth proves it. And we passed hundreds of rooms along the way—one person searching all that would take who knows how long."
"...I see. And second?"
"Second, having all five of us go up together carries too much risk. How do we know how far it'll chase us?"
"It could chase us all the way to the third floor?"
"It burst through the floor right from its debut. No reason it couldn't do the same to reach the third. Imagine facing it on the third floor, plus something even stronger ganging up on us?"
"......"
Seren shut her mouth.
Truth be told, I knew it too.
The guy who views everything negatively, assumes the worst-case scenario, and nitpicks every little thing.
Hang around someone like that normally, and no one sticks around—they get avoided.
But in an emergency like this, it was different.
You needed someone to speak the harsh truths.
That, I believed, was the role of a leader.
"So, who are you leaving behind?"
"...We'll figure that out."
I said, then added softly.
"Honestly... I'd be the safest bet. I could not only hold it off but probably win if I went all out. But..."
"You can't do that."
"You're our strongest fighter."
"......"
I couldn't help but feel a bit impressed.
In this situation, even after I openly said I'd opt out of the bait or sacrificial role, they respected my choice.
Sure, I wasn't throwing a tantrum, and a little thought would show my reasoning was sound...
But how many could think that far in a life-or-death scenario?
'Is this the makings of a hero?'
Everyone here was a future hero, after all.
"I'll do it."
Karon spoke up.
"My speed can outpace it easily. No problem at all. I've got stamina to spare. I could play tag with it all day."
"Good."
I could trust Karon.
I nodded in agreement, and right away, Karon attacked the doll to draw its attention...
"Evan! Dodge!"
"Ugh?!"
Evan, who had been reaching for a nearby doorknob, started running again.
Thud...! Thud...!
The doll charged toward us without even glancing at Karon.
Karon, who had just joined us, ground his teeth.
"...It won't even pretend to notice me."
"Hmm."
I scratched my forehead and muttered.
"Looks like... it goes after the group with more people."
If its role was to drain our strength—our overall power—then it made perfect sense.
Seren said.
"Should I stay? I can keep freezing it over and over."
"How many times can you do that?"
"...Ten? Maybe a couple more if I push it."
Pushing it probably meant risking her life.
"I told you, that shell regenerates a hundred times."
"Hmm."
I racked my brain some more, but no clever solution came.
Finally, I sighed.
"No choice. We'll have to take it down together here."
I'd have to pace my internal energy and time carefully.
Considering the floors left, we couldn't afford more than two hours here.
That was the moment.
"I'll take it!"
Mir, who had been quiet until now, stepped forward with a shout.
Karon immediately shot him a sneer.
"You? Don't make me laugh. Mir Giant, you need to know when to step up and when..."
"Karon, shut it for a sec."
I cut Karon off curtly, then turned to Mir.
"How do you plan to handle it? It seems to automatically track the larger group."
"Doesn't matter! I'll grab it when it goes after you guys and hang on for dear life!"
"Nonsense—"
Karon started to retort but caught my eye and clamped his mouth shut...
Though he still looked uncomfortable.
Seren and Evan were probably wearing similar expressions.
"......"
My thinking was a bit different.
Truth be told, from the moment I conceived this plan, I saw Mir Giant as the perfect fit.
Just like he said.
With a giant's brute strength, latching onto that massive doll wasn't impossible...
Excluding blessings, mana, or trained techniques, in terms of raw physical toughness, Mir was unmatched among us.
The reason I hadn't mentioned him outright was...
I felt it would mean nothing unless he volunteered himself.
That's the nature of the bait or sacrificial role.
You can't force it on someone.
"Mir."
"Yeah!"
"I'm entrusting it to you."
Mir's eyes went wide, then he grinned so brightly it almost embarrassed me.
"Of course!"
"...Just promise me one thing."
"Got it!"
"I haven't said it yet. If it looks like you're gonna die, run. Got it?"
"......"
Mir twisted his lips.
It was a crooked smile that didn't quite suit him—almost a smirk—but slightly different.
"Got it! Then I have one request too!"
"Shoot."
Mir pounded his chest and yelled.
"Trust me!"
"......"
"No matter what happens, no matter what you hear, don't look back!"
"...Alright."
Mir flashed another grin, then whirled around and charged straight at the doll.
Boom!
The crash echoed down the corridor.
Evan flinched and started to look back, but I said.
"Evan, let's search the rooms."
"Oh, right."
Boom...! Boom...!
Explosions like boulders colliding rang out one after another.
I wanted to look back too, but forced myself not to.
Instead, I threw open the nearest door and roughly rummaged through the furniture.
Suppressing the urge to think about Mir.
Even so, that final smile of his lingered in my mind.
'Ah.'
It took me a moment to pin down the perfect word for it.
It was the fiercely belligerent grin of a warrior facing battle.
* * *
Thud.... Thud......
How long could Mir Giant hold out?
A giant's unbreakable body, terrifying strength packed into a small frame, and the nascent but definitely awakened power of the Frost Giant.
Even accounting for all that...
Three hours at best, four tops—that was my honest assessment.
That's why I told him.
Run if it looks like you're going to die.
'......'
A scoff escaped me.
Deep down, I knew.
Mir wouldn't run or retreat until the end.
Thud.... Thud......
Whether it was innate cowardice.
Or shaped by his surroundings, education, and life experiences—only time would tell.
And in my view...
Mir was the furthest thing from a coward.
If he'd prioritized his own safety in a life-or-death crisis, he wouldn't have died protecting us in the training camp before my regression.
— ...Mir protected us.
— Protecting the weak... that's what makes a hero, right...? He took my place...
Back then, I told Mir that protecting the weak makes a hero.
It wasn't advice or a lecture.
I didn't put much weight behind those words.
Yet he'd awakened as a hero from just that one line.
— ...I'm no hero material.
It was hard to refute Charl's mutterings. Back then, he'd only been protected by Mir.
So Charl calling himself hero-disqualified...
Put another way, it meant Mir, protecting Charl back then, was at his most heroic.
I knew it.
Among our five, Mir Giant was the most heroic.
Even if it killed him, he wouldn't back down.
That gave me one more reason to kill the princess as soon as possible.
Click—.
My grip tightened on the doorknob.
It grated that neither my Fiery Eyes nor Snake Eyes worked in this damned mansion...
But I tamped down the impatience and methodically checked each room one by one.
Knowing that in times like this, the slowest path was the fastest.
* * *
Everyone has something they're confident in.
For Mir, it was strength.
Pure physical power, no abilities or skills involved.
Thud... Thud...!
He charged straight at the doll pounding toward him.
BOOM!
A massive collision.
His eyes bulged wide.
In a contest of strength against strength, he wouldn't lose to anyone.
Not even against kin several times his size in the northern tundra.
"Grraaagh...!"
He clenched his teeth to the breaking point.
With bloodshot eyes, he blocked the doll's advance with his entire body.
Considering the size difference, it looked reckless—like a squirrel stopping a landslide—but precarious.
Yet Mir's body actually halted the roly-poly doll's charge.
[.........!]
The doll even seemed taken aback.
Its crudely drawn face shifted for the first time.
"You... ain't going anywhere...!"
His roar carried a majestic weight.
His voice, like vomiting blood, echoed through the entire mansion.
In that instant—though Mir didn't realize it—the others searching rooms redoubled their frantic efforts.
[.........!]
The doll's face twisted back into rage.
BOOM!
A shockwave erupted from its massive body, sending Mir flying.
"Gah...!"
He couldn't brace for it.
It felt like a colossal wave slamming into him harder than a gale.
His mind went white for a moment, his body swaying on the verge of collapse.
In that gap, the doll leaped high.
"......!"
Mir snapped back to his senses and saw it.
"Wait..."
Even Mir realized what was coming, but it was too late to dodge. He could only reflexively thrust both arms upward.
Then the soaring doll's enormous body plummeted down like a meteor.
Thud...!
The fallen doll's overwhelming weight crushed Mir.
Grrrrrind...!
Pressure like his spine and knees shattering bore down on his entire body.
Hold.
I have to hold.
I want to hold.
'Hold, hold, hold, hold. Hold, hold...!'
But the world is full of things willpower alone can't overcome.
His nails shattered.
His fingers snapped.
Agony wracked his wrists.
'Ah...'
Finally, his waist buckled. His knees gave.
'Why am I so weak?'
BOOM!
The doll's bulk ground Mir into the floor.