The Forgotten Sanctuary

"There he is! There he is!"

"It's the tiny ones!"

"Don't let your guard down, anyone! Don't let your guard down! I heard they use strange powers!"

Thud, thud, thud!

Having successfully drawn aggro, giant warriors could be seen rushing in from all directions. If there was one thing you couldn't deny about giants, it was their absolute love for a good fight! Since Kim Tae-hyun had targeted them indiscriminately without caring about their tribes, giants from all kinds of different clans were gathered.

"Out of the way! Out of the way! You're in my path!"

"No, you get out of the way!"

"Did you just bump into me? Did you?!"

Even a slight brush of the shoulders was enough to make them swing their fists and bring down their clubs! Watching them start brawling among themselves on their way over, Tae-hyun was utterly dumbfounded.

What a waste... They should save that energy for something else.

Honestly, when he first saw the giants, he had wondered, Is there any way I can bring them back to my fief? After all, their sheer size and strength were truly spectacular! If he could put these giant warriors to work on construction...! Plus, he wouldn't even have to pay them gold! They were simple enough to work just for food!

But now, his mind had changed.

My territory is already overflowing with lunatics. There's no need to add more to the pile.

There were already plenty of dangerous elements in his fief. He didn't need to invite giants into the mix. Tae-hyun could already see the future: drunk giants tearing down buildings and stomping on players!

Yeah, I have a very strong feeling that's exactly what would happen.

"I'm hungry. Smack, smack."

"Can't we eat the thing inside?"

"The Great Warrior said not to eat it. The Great Warrior is scary when he gets angry."

"Right. When will the Great Warrior's work be finished? I want to eat until my belly is full."

The giants of the Black One-Eye Tribe standing guard clutched their stomachs and grumbled. The Great Warrior had told them, "Once the great Sadiq descends upon the continent, you will all..." and so on, but the giants couldn't comprehend most of it. In the end, the Great Warrior had given up and simplified it: "If my work succeeds, you will all get to eat your fill!"

The giants had reacted to that with fiery enthusiasm.

Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!

"What's that noise? Is it them?"

"The most wicked, filthy... anyway, those really bad guys?"

Among the giants, Tae-hyun's party was referred to simply as "those guys." Although the Great Warrior launched into incredibly long, profanity-laced tirades every single time, the giants were too dim-witted to remember all of it. So, they just settled on calling them "those guys"!

"Open the gates! Open the gates!"

"??!"

However, the ones who arrived were not "those guys," but other giants.

"It's warriors from another tribe! Another tribe!"

"Get ready to fight! Get ready!"

The Black One-Eye Tribe giants hurriedly called out to their comrades. There was only ever one reason why different giant tribes paid each other a visit: to smash each other's skulls in!

"What is this?! What is this?!"

"It's the other tribes!"

CRASH!

But before they could ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠even gather, a massive boulder was shattered to pieces. And then, the enraged giant warriors charged in.

"We told you to open the gates! You didn't listen! You die!"

SLAM!

The moment they made contact, the invading giant warriors swung their clubs with wild abandon! These were warriors who stood a full head taller than the giants of the Black One-Eye Tribe.

"Ugh... We won't back down either! We've become strong!"

Whoosh!

Flames began to erupt from the clubs of the Black One-Eye Tribe giants. Watching this unfold from a distance, Tae-hyun was surprised.

They're using Sadik's Flame. I suppose that makes sense.

Since the Great Warrior had taken charge, he had undoubtedly indoctrinated the giants into the worship of Sadiq.

Thud! Crash!

"Argh! It's hot! What did you do?!"

"We are strong now! We won't lose!"

Surprisingly, the Black One-Eye Tribe giants held their ground at the entrance, refusing to yield to the other giant warriors. Every time a club cloaked in Sadik's Flame was swung, the invading giant warriors recoiled in sheer disgust and backed away.

"How much longer do we have to wait?"

Ah. This is no time to be spectating.

The battle was so fiercely entertaining that he had lost himself in watching it. Tae-hyun immediately gave the order.

"Let's head inside. If we slip in now, they won't even notice us."

"Other giant tribes have invaded?"

"Yes, yes!"

The Great Warrior preparing the ritual—the Sadiq Holy Knight Commander—stomped his foot and shouted.

"It's those Arkius bastards!"

"No... it's giant warriors."

"I'm telling you, those Arkius bastards are behind this!"

"The Great Warrior is a bit strange."

"Yeah, yeah. He's strong, but he's dumber than us."

"......"

The Sadiq Holy Knight Commander felt a surge of anger but forced himself to hold it back. With the ritual so close at hand, he couldn't afford to ruin everything by bickering with these fools.

"Fine. I don't expect much from you anyway. If it's giants from other tribes, go and block them. You can do ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠it!"

"That's right! We've become strong! We've become strong with the power the Great Warrior taught us!"

"Yes. And make sure absolutely no one comes down here."

"Haha. The Great Warrior worries too much."

"Yeah, yeah. That's ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠why he spends so much time in the restroom."

"......"

"Even we get lost here. Besides, there's hot fire everywhere. No one can get in."

The giants' words weren't entirely wrong. This place, known as the Giant's Sanctuary, was located in the deepest underground depths of the Zaion Mountains. The outermost cave entrance was guarded by the Black One-Eye Tribe, and past that lay a labyrinth of paths as complex as a spiderweb. One had to wander through these tunnels and descend continuously deeper underground to find this hidden sanctuary. The very place where the now-forgotten god of the giants once resided!

The Sadiq Holy Knight Commander intended to use the power of this forgotten god to summon Sadiq into the world. It was a similar reasoning to why other churches coveted Carbanog's holy relics.

Yes. Even if those Arkius bastards have arrived, they won't be able to find this place right away. The paths are too complex, and Sadik's Flame is scattered everywhere. Even skills like Divine Foresight won't work...

The Sadiq Holy Knight Commander was well aware that every church possessed some form of foresight skill. However, no matter how potent Arkius's foresight skill was, it wouldn't be able to pierce through the dense divine power of Sadiq currently blanketed over this area to pinpoint their location.

Wriggle—

A massive, pitch-black abyss whose bottom was completely invisible. Floating in the center of it was a blazing egg of fire.

With the exception of a few special deities like Carbanog, most of the gods had departed from the continent. The divine power currently wielded by the churches was merely the residue left behind by those gods. Yet, even that residual power was incredibly formidable. What if the god they worshiped actually descended upon the continent once more? The sheer scale of that power would be unimaginable.

This was why every religious order desperately desired the return of their patron deity. Of course, this was not something that could be achieved through mortal strength alone. That was why the churches obsessed over the holy relics of the gods who still lingered, such as Carbanog. No matter how weak, a god was still a god. By borrowing their power, it might be possible to summon back a departed deity!

"Yes. There's no way those bastards ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠could ever make it all the way here—"

Step—

Before he could even finish his sentence, Tae-hyun's party emerged at the entrance.

"......"

The Sadiq Holy Knight Commander's face contorted as if he had just swallowed a bug.

"This path is way too complicated."

"Even with a map skill, it would take days to navigate."

"Don't worry. If I use a skill..."

"—Divine Foresight!"

Ah.

Tae-hyun realized his mistake. Perhaps because he had grown too accustomed to relying on Divine Foresight, he hadn't even considered what to do if he couldn't use it.

I was too careless. I should have planned for this in advance... Will we make it in time?

Fighting their way through wasn't the issue, but if they wasted too much time wandering around, there was a high chance the quest would fail. The Holy Knight Commander might escape as well.

While Tae-hyun was agonizing over this, Heuk-heuk fluttered his wings and spoke up.

"Master! I am overflowing with power! I absolutely love this place!"

"?"

Tae-hyun was about to scold him for being so clueless, but then he paused. Come to think of it, Heuk-heuk was a demonic beast of Sadiq. It was only natural that he would grow stronger in a place where Sadiq's power was dense.

"Heuk-heuk. Can you feel where Sadiq's power is coming from?"

"Of course I can."

"Let's go! Lead the way!"

Whenever a trap made of Sadik's Flame appeared along the path...

"Heuk-heuk. Eat it!"

Heuk-heuk devoured the flames blocking their path as if they were mere snacks! Watching this from behind, the Orc Ahjussis looked on in fascination.

"Wow, that little fella is truly remarkable."

"He seems even smarter than my dog back home, Fluffy."

"Is there any way we can cook and eat that thing?"

"Where on earth do you find a creature like that?"

Although a rather disturbing comment had slipped into the conversation, Heuk-heuk didn't seem to notice.

"You! Count Kim Tae-hyun!"

The Sadiq Holy Knight Commander roared fiercely. Tae-hyun waved back warmly, as if greeting an old friend.

"Oh, hey. So this is where you were."

"Is that guy Arkius? He doesn't look very wicked."

"Maybe the Great Warrior was exaggerating?"

"Yeah. The Great Warrior worries too much."

While the giants babbled amongst themselves, Tae-hyun quickly assessed the situation. An incredibly deep, dark abyss, and a blazing egg of fire hovering within it! Even a cursory glance told him it was highly suspicious and ominous.

Hmm. It is dangerous.

He needed to beat down the giants and the Sadiq Holy Knight Commander as quickly as possible, then deal with that egg...

"Hmph. Count Kim Tae-hyun. I will admit that you have ruined many of our order's plans up until now. I'll at least acknowledge that you are formidable."

"I think you're pretty amazing too. By the way, have you ever thought about coming to work for our church?"

Finding a place like this and even sweet-talking the giants into cooperating was no ordinary feat. He was exactly the kind of talented individual the Arkius Church desperately needed! However, to the Holy Knight Commander's ears, it sounded like anything but a sincere offer.

"How dare you mock me!"

Whoosh! The Holy Knight Commander exploded with rage.

"No, I'm being serious..."

"To resort to such pathetic mockery, you are a far smaller man than I thought!"

"Fine, whatever."

Tae-hyun gave up on trying to persuade him. Honestly, considering everything he had done to them so far, it would be weirder if the man actually agreed.

"But this time, you are too late."

"?"

"The ritual is already complete. You are far too late! Bwahaha! Behold! Sadiq will descend here momentarily!"

"......!"

The Holy Knight Commander didn't seem to be lying. Tae-hyun's expression grew serious.

Should I just run?

The boss monster had successfully summoned an even stronger boss monster. Fighting here under these conditions was practically begging for a party wipe. Letting the Sadiq Holy Knight Commander slip away was a pity, but it was still better than a total party wipe. Tae-hyun knew all too well that only fools clung to lingering regrets in situations like this. Knowing exactly when to cut his losses was one of Tae-hyun's greatest strengths!

Well, it won't be too late to run after I gather a bit more information.

"How is Sadiq descending? Your order was completely destroyed, and the holy relics were... well, they disappeared."

He refrained from provoking him further. The man was already angry enough as it was.

"I borrowed the power of the giants."

"What? How?"

"These ignorant fools had completely forgotten about their own god."

"Who are you calling ignorant?!"

"Yeah, yeah! The Great Warrior is the most ignorant one here!"

Ignoring the giants' protests, the Holy Knight Commander continued.

"This place is the giants' sanctuary... where the forgotten god of the giants once resided. A powerful divine energy still lingers here. With this power, it is more than enough to summon Sadiq!"

"?"

Tae-hyun was puzzled by Carbanog's sudden message.