Ranking Battle (6)
Hans's pupils trembled violently. Just look at the rock giant's colossal bulk and frame. Ten warriors fighting with one heart might barely match it—and he was supposed to take that thing on alone?
My God!! Why must You put me through a trial like this!!
The other nine warriors exchanged glances among themselves, then patted Hans on the shoulder and headed out of the arena.
Pat, pat—
"Well, this is gonna be rough. Do your best!"
That was Friga.
"Hans. It will be a difficult opponent... but you can do it!"
Kenis.
"Um... well, hang in there."
Even Iscal.
Before he knew it, Hans found himself alone in the vast arena, face-to-face with the rock golem.
The rock giant regarded Hans blankly, then slowly opened its mouth.
Rumble—
A pillar-like arm moved slowly, stirring the air around it. Every tiny motion was a natural disaster that tore the surroundings apart.
YOUR
BOOM—!!
The giant slammed its arm down. A thunderous roar shook the ground faintly all around.
Fwoooosh—!!
Enormous flames erupted across the rock giant's entire body.
The surging flames burned and burned the giant's body, melting the rock. The hard stone liquefied under the searing heat and became sticky magma.
"W-what in the world..."
Hans stumbled backward from the intense heat that slammed into his face. The air itself sizzled and boiled; sweat poured down even when he stood still.
How am I supposed to face this alone!!
Hans screamed inwardly toward his god. Whether that scream ever reached the divine was anyone's guess.
"Kh..."
Shaaaaa—
Suddenly, light flowed from the Rune of Courage engraved on his longsword. A throbbing sensation pulsed in his right hand, and a fierce wave raced through his veins and across his entire body.
It was as if the Rune of Courage were whispering to him.
Do not fear. You can do this.
Thump. Thump—
With every regular heartbeat that traveled through him, his mind settled.
Calm. Quiet.
The scorching heat no longer tormented Hans. It was hard, but bearable.
The rune's power seeped in along the blood racing through his whole body.
Hans widened his eyes and stared at the rock giant—now better called a lava giant.
"Hoo—"
He exhaled a deep breath and steeled his mind.
A trial given by God could not be avoided.
Then he would meet it head-on.
Sharp as a single blade.
Calm as a still lake.
His senses gradually sharpened and grew keen.
The crowd's cheers receded into the distance.
The noisy clamor shrank, and the world in his eyes narrowed.
Before long, only the lava giant and himself existed in Hans's world.
"Hans!! Hang in there!!"
A familiar voice pierced through his extreme concentration. A small smile formed on his lips before he knew it. As long as that girl was behind him, he felt he could do anything.
Rumble—
The lava giant drew its massive arm far back. A clear sign of attack.
It cocked that pillar-thick arm all the way back—
KRA-BOOM—!!
A roar so loud one could mistake it for a falling star shook the earth. The arm the giant swung smashed through the arena and drove deep into the ground.
An incarnation of destruction itself. Everyone fell silent.
And Hans? Where was the challenger?
Thick dust billowed up and blocked the view.
"Th-there!!"
At someone's cry, every head turned as one.
Dash—
Hans burst through the dust and leapt high.
In that brief moment, Hans had formed a strategy of his own.
No matter how many times he slashed at the giant's seething body, its thick legs, or its iron-hard arms, landing a meaningful blow would be difficult.
In that case!
Sizzle—
He planted his feet on the giant's arm driven into the ground and climbed aboard. Flames flickered, and the sound of flesh cooking rose from his feet.
"Urgh!"
Aim for the head!
Searing pain, a sensation that burned his nerves—yet because of it, he ran even faster.
Sizzle-sizzle—
Every time he stepped on the giant's uneven arm, the sound of cooking meat rang out. He could feel the flickering flames climbing his legs.
Pushing through the tongue-lashing flames, Hans racing up the giant's arm looked every bit the hero. The spectators clasped their hands without thinking and cheered him on.
"Kraaaah!"
He overcame the pain with a battle cry. Hans's eyes fixed solely on the giant's head—nothing else.
That was the fatal mistake.
"Reckless."
Lionheart, arms folded as he watched from outside the arena, muttered. The young man's spirit and guts were excellent, but his judgment left something to be desired.
If it had been Lionheart himself, he would have moved into the giant's blind spot to create an opening. Then he would have targeted the legs first, stripped away its mobility, and taken it apart step by step.
Dash—!
Hans sprang higher, using the rocks embedded in the giant's arm as footholds. Before he knew it, the giant's head was right in front of his nose.
"Hyaaaaah!!"
He leapt with everything he had.
Higher. Higher still!
Toward the giant's head!
And then—
WHAM—!
"Guh—?!"
The lava giant's other arm swept in viciously and swatted Hans aside. The motion was exactly like swatting a flying insect.
Hans shot away like an arrow and slammed into the far wall of the arena.
"Ghh... uurgh."
The giant thudded toward Hans, who was buried deep in the wall. A faint moan escaped him—proof he was still alive, at least.
He strained with all his might to rise, but his arms and legs hung shattered and limp, and blood poured endlessly from his mouth.
"Dam...n it..."
Hans's head drooped.
His chest still rose and fell, however faintly—so he was alive.
Seeing that, the giant declared:
Hans had failed to overcome the trial.
His courage and spirit in refusing to retreat before a vast enemy had been excellent, yet he had failed to master the blood boiling in his veins, made a reckless decision, and ruined everything with poor judgment.
And yet—even so.
Simply standing tall before an infinitely mighty foe was already a trial in itself.
Look at that young man who fought a giant as vast as a mountain!
Though he was defeated, his spirit and courage!
How could they not be magnificent?
The spectators sent praise and cheers toward Hans.
Shaaaaa—
A handful of starlight descended from the sky and wrapped around Hans's fallen body. The starlight, holding a warm glow, gently caressed the unconscious young man.
Fwaaaash—
Wherever the starlight touched, Hans's wounds closed and his bones knit, healing at remarkable speed.
Seeing that, the crowd roared even louder.
The Sixth God, too, had taken a liking to the young man's spirit!
Praise the young man's courage!
Extol the omnipotence of the Sixth God!
Having finished its work, the giant turned its gaze upon the remaining nine warriors.
PREPARE. FOR. THE. TRIAL
The trial was not yet over.
Warriors, prepare for the trial.
"Whew..."
After casting Minor Heal on Hans—who had been beaten half to death by the lava giant—I wiped away a cold sweat. When Hans suddenly charged in loaded with every buff imaginable, I genuinely thought he was going to win.
But who could have guessed he'd go for a jump attack right there.
"Jump attacks are the symbol of defeat, Hans..."
In this business, carelessly attempting a big, telegraphed jump attack is how you get yourself killed.
After confirming Hans's stamina had fully recovered, I checked his record.
Hans: Trial Failed (38.7 sec) — Rank 1
"He really got pureed."
Of course, I had buffed the giant specifically so he'd get pureed. Even so, I never expected a thirty-eight-second cut.
I did give it buffs, but the trial monsters seem pretty strong by default...?
I could just hand the lower-rank friends the kinds of trials they usually fight and drop them that way.
As for the B-GradeHorribly Heavy Hammer that had appeared... I could give that to the drunkard over there. A hammer and an old man was a classic romantic combo in its own right.
I dug through the list to choose the next trial. Countless varieties of trials appeared.
There were so many it was actually hard to pick.
I selected a trial with a decent enough name, and for the target... the guy wearing the lion skin. That character had a name too, but it was way too long.
Since he used a club as his weapon, from now on his nickname would be the knockoff of Heracles: Fake-racles.
A man with ridiculously bulging muscles.
Come to think of it, how was it that out of ten people, the only female characters were Kenis and Friga? In games like this, you needed plenty of pretty girls for business to boom.
Trial of the Serpent
📍 Challenger: selecting...
Hissssssss—!!
The solidly standing lava golem crumbled with a roar, and a giant snake burst out from within. It was fairly large, though a bit smaller than the lava giant.
Still big enough to eat an adult man as a light snack. Fake-racles standing before the snake looked utterly pathetic.
No need to buff the snake, right?
In Hans's case I had to force a fast dropout for tenth place, but the other lower-rank friends could just fight decently and fall on their own.
Surely they wouldn't drop faster than thirty-eight seconds.
Hissss!!
The trial began in earnest.
The snake coiled up and glared at Fake-racles. A soft hiss came from its flicking tongue as it slowly shifted, watching for an opening—then opened its jaws and lunged like lightning!
An attack so fast you had to wonder whether it even registered on a single frame.
Amazingly, Fake-racles...
"Somebody help me!!"
"Oh for fuck's sake—hey!"
Not even ten seconds in!
You can't try to die already!