Blood of the Giants
"Of course." The Black Heaven Demon Sword responded lazily to the phenomenon.
Reverse Heaven Body. This body that defies the heavens rejects all supernatural abilities related to mana.
"It's not all good, though. Blocking the enemy's magic is great in itself. Especially something like a curse—the effect is even stronger. But it's not entirely a positive thing. You can't receive buffs from allied magic or healing spells either."
...I expected as much.
Cooking, alchemy, blacksmithing. Most sub-classes are chosen from those three, and I picked alchemy first for a reason. My Reverse Heaven Body recovers slowly, and I can't learn healing magic. That was the choice.
"Wh-what? The curse just vanished?"
"What kind of insane magic resistance is that? Is he secretly a giant hybrid or something?"
The students buzzed with chatter.
"H-heh, hahaha. A-as expected of this year's top scorer. Th-that's impressive."
Song Rahee staggered as she looked at me, her eyes gleaming brightly.
"The next spell won't be easy. It's my original magic, specialized in shattering magic resistance."
Song Rahee cast her spell.
That one's dangerous. Without Black God Martial Art's Black Scales, even a decent protective aura might shatter against it. She's got a talent heavily focused on anti-magic. Quite unique.
"Of course, this is my unilateral decision, so you can refuse, Lee Seoha. But if this doesn't breach your barrier either, I'll give you enough points to worry-free for a while."
"I'll do it."
I looked at Song Rahee. She seemed less like a prickly professor who might turn demon and more like a vending machine for points.
Song Rahee hurled the orb. And, as expected, it fizzled out with a pssssh the moment it touched my body.
"Wh-what? Th-this can't be... N-no way... My magic..."
Song Rahee stared at me with a dazed expression.
No. Come on, give me those points.
The days blurred by with training and theory exams, and before I knew it, the weekend was upon us. Surprisingly, Korea Hero School requires some weekend dedication.
"I understand everyone wants to rest on weekends. But a healthy body and hobbies are essential to becoming true heroes," the principal declares, so we all end up joining clubs.
...Fine, but why weekends?
"Let's join the Travel Club. At least it feels like a trip compared to other clubs."
"How about the Gaming Club?"
"What about the club to watch the Lotte Giants, the prestigious baseball powerhouse?"
"Lotte? Prestigious baseball powerhouse?"
There are tons of clubs. Everyone must join at least one, and you can do two if you sacrifice Sundays. Mine's simple: Occult Research Club.
Erhil joins there too, bringing in all sorts of curse-ridden artifacts under the guise of research.
Should I drag Seo Gayeon in?
I considered it briefly but decided to stick to building a connection with Erhil.
I wrote Occult Research Club and submitted it to Instructor Seo Wooju.
"Hm? This club... It has no members, no supervising instructor or professor, and might be disbanded soon. You sure?"
"Yes."
Finding an instructor or professor is easy. As the top scorer, plenty of people want to butter me up.
"Well, with you, you'll manage somehow. If not, just ask me."
Instructor Seo Wooju stamped it. I took the form and returned to my seat.
"Oh? You like the Occult Research Club?"
"Occult Research? Seoha, you're into that stuff?"
Erhil spoke up, and Kim Seohyeon asked in surprise from beside her.
"Hm, I was thinking about the Mint Choco Debate Club, but maybe Occult Research instead?"
"Oh, you know your tastes."
A British genius and a Korean genius debating mint chocolate. Sounds horrific.
I sighed and shook my head.
"But why follow me?"
"That's what friends do, right?"
"No need. We're playing on Sundays anyway. Better to do our own hobbies on Saturdays."
"True. Guess I'll go with the Mint Choco Debate Club then."
Kim Seohyeon hummed cheerfully as he quietly wrote down the Mint Choco club.
"You're here?"
"...Yeah."
Kim Ara nodded faintly in a soft voice.
"But is it okay to come to such a remote spot?"
"Yeah, no problem."
I'd gotten permission beforehand. Instructor Seo Wooju said I needed a wide space for training, and he recommended this place readily.
"Training all the way out here?"
"Yep. What I'm teaching you is very different from before."
I chatted with Kim Ara as we walked slowly.
Paewang had trained her, but he never properly taught her combat techniques.
"Didn't you notice something off when Paewang taught you the sword?"
"...Yeah, I think so. The results he described didn't match what I achieved."
Simple enough. Kim Ara had inherited what Paewang couldn't.
"He said my power was stronger than he described."
I looked at Kim Ara. Slender build. Long, flowing dark purple hair. Long bangs covering half her face, yet unable to hide her beauty.
I slipped my hands into my pockets and spoke slowly.
"I told you. Your power is tied to your bloodline."
"Bloodline...?"
"Yeah, bloodline."
Paewang and Kim Ara carried the blood of a legendary extinct race. The giants. In ancient times, even dragons shunned these symbols of raw might. The blood had thinned, nearly dying out in Paewang's generation, but it flowed thick in Kim Ara.
A little more growth, and even Paewang wouldn't handle her power.
"Have you ever swung at something with full power? Poured everything into one strike until you felt drained?"
"No. Paewang told me not to hit anything at full strength."
"Felt weird, right?"
"......"
Kim Ara stopped and looked at me.
"Didn't something feel off? Like you could push harder. Like your body could do more than this. Not just a sensation—an intuition, almost a revelation."
"...I did."
Paewang inherited only half the giant bloodline—what they called raw muscle power.
Kim Ara was different. She'd inherited the giants' full biological essence, unlike her father.
"Then this time, squeeze out every ounce of power you have—or don't have—and smash."
This was how Kim Ara truly awakened in the future. Fighting demons after her giant blood, she realized its existence.
"We're here."
At the training ground, I tapped the floor with my foot.
"You can do it, right?"
"Yeah."
Kim Ara nodded and gripped her Giant's Sword. No matter how many times I saw it, the size was unreal. A literal giant's blade. Yet she held it like chopsticks, effortlessly.
Bzzz! The sword hummed. Purple mana surged around her.
I leaned against a tree and watched.
Screeech. The mana screamed.
But Kim Ara's eyes were serene as she gripped the Giant's Sword tightly and raised it overhead.
Wait... The Black Heaven Demon Sword's expression shifted—from curiosity to shock.
Kim Ara swung. From above down. No finesse.
They say softness overcomes hardness, but overwhelming hardness crushes all.
Craaaaaack────!!!
Space itself screamed as the sword descended. Everything in its path pulverized by sheer force, reduced to dust.
The impact site looked bombed—ground cratered deep.
In its midst, Kim Ara smiled. Blood streamed from her arms, veins burst, spraying everywhere.
But the giant's primal vitality rapidly healed her. Bleeding stopped, flesh rewinding like time reversed. Slightly, but her body grew even more resilient.
...Insane. The Black Heaven Demon Sword murmured quietly.
I grinned at Kim Ara.
"How's it feel?"
"...You knew?"
"Roughly. I've got good eyes."
I pointed to my eyes and smiled. Kim Ara smiled back—a faint, eerie one.
"Is Seo Gayeon like this too?"
"Gayeon? No way. So, how do you feel now?"
"Weird. First time in years I've felt like this."
Kim Ara muttered casually, so I missed the last part.
"Never been this intrigued by someone before."
Alchemy Guild. Glorified gathering of alchemists, but they mostly work solo. Most prioritize research over socializing.
Lately, the guild was in uproar over one thing: a recipe scattered by a recent joiner.
"A golden ratio like this exists? Unbelievable..."
"Reverse thinking. Poisons and cures are a hair's breadth apart. But making a potion purely from poisons?"
"Efficiency? Ingredients aren't rare, but it needs matching potency."
"Foolish question. Valuing this potion by 'money'? That's an insult to the recipe!"
'Master,' who built an AI and vanished for 10 years hating meetings; 'Al Magus,' pursuing the Philosopher's Stone; 'Zermeng,' Potion Maker holding 35% of the global potion market.
Figures who could shake the guild alone were debating fiercely.
"Outrageous. So, Master, you know who this is, right?"
"...No."
"What? You made the AI yourself and don't know?!"
"Really don't! My disciples nagged, so I got help from the Electronic Witch for the AI. Hard for me to intervene."
"That crazy..."
Electronic Witch. A witch living in the digital realm, having abandoned her flesh. Commissioning her is tough.
"...No choice but to wait for him to resurface."
"No choice my ass! By then, rumors will spread industry-wide. Demons might even assassinate the alchemist who shared this!"
It was a worst-case scenario they'd seen before. Demons and villains don't want heroes growing stronger.
"Speaking of, what's that alchemist's name?"
"You don't know that either?"
"Veritas."
"......"
The questioner fell silent. Only then did they realize they'd never named the alchemist.
Truth. The aspiration of every alchemist.