A Night That Refuses to End
The night air felt heavy, like it had no intention of letting me sleep. Yggdrasil. The colossal divine tree that grew at the center of the world, the World Tree that connected every continent and every realm. Its massive roots formed the precious pathways linking the lands. The enormous ridges that split apart along those roots—the Frost Giant Ridge—served as the vital route leading into Jotunheim.
The first Jotun. The giants Ymir and Audumla were the ancestors of all living things. Above all, Ymir was undoubtedly the progenitor of Jotunheim’s inhabitants, the frost giants. The records claimed that when Ymir licked the ice, the ancestor of the gods, Buri, was born. But Ymir was eventually slain by Buri’s grandsons—Odin, Vili, and Ve.
Fuck. No matter how many times I hear it, this story is pure soap opera trash. So this is why my grandmother watched dramas every morning. She just couldn’t quit. But more importantly—why the hell did Odin kill Ymir?
The answer was on the next page. Odin had killed Ymir simply to use him as material for world-building. In other words, as ingredients for creation. There was no personal grudge; it was simply, “Become the foundation for a new world.” The story went even further, claiming that the blood Ymir shed when he died became a flood that drowned every frost giant except for a tiny few. That was supposedly why the gods and the Jotun race became mortal enemies.
“Hah.”
A sigh escaped me—not from awe, but from sheer disbelief. No matter how I looked at it, this Odin guy was complete garbage. I had no idea what happened in the past, but based on this story alone, he was an absolute bastard. Well, to me he was just a walking buff dispenser, but still.
A supporter should act like a supporter, you know? I won’t call the heavenly supporter a tool. I’m just saying, read the room. I’m counting on you, Odin.
Flip. Flip. I turned a few more pages. As expected from the land of giants, the stories about Odin weren’t exactly flattering. Was it a regional difference? I’d spent two years between Banaheim Kingdom—which worshipped Odin—and the Vikings. I could now personally feel how differently this place viewed him.
“Hup!”
I closed the massive tome and, grunting with effort, heaved it back onto the enormous bookshelf. Why was the bookshelf suddenly gigantic, you ask? Because this was Jotunheim, the land of giants, obviously.
Isabel and I had followed Yggdrasil’s roots on foot. After leaving Midgard and searching for somewhere else to settle, we naturally ended up here. This place let us live freely. The giants were the kind of bastards who would smash invading creatures of chaos with both hands.
Giants were beings who stood in opposition to the gods. But right now, with Loki’s children running wild, they seemed to be in a temporary truce. Since stopping the beings of Helheim was a shared goal, there was no need to fight each other. Isabel needed rest, and the giants had actually welcomed us. More accurately, they were thrilled to see a “little friend” after so long.
“Tirgar!”
“Oh! Taesik, you’re back!”
“Drop the ‘oh.’ Just call me by name.”
“Uahahaha! I’m too stupid to understand complicated things, but if you say so, then that’s how it’ll be!”
I had been waiting for him in the giant library, but he returned much faster than expected. Isabel, seeing a giant for the first time, stared with wide, round eyes full of wonder. That made sense—giants didn’t usually visit Midgard. At the very least, the Void Festival didn’t only strike Banaheim and Ludric. Dark shadows fell across the entire world, so even the giants lived hectic lives.
Once, after receiving a report about a giant serpent’s shadow sighted at the edge of Jotunheim, I had led an expedition there. Some said it was the shadow of the vanished Jormungandr, but in the end we learned nothing.
Tirgar was a friend and comrade I had met here a year ago. The bald-headed giant with his impressively braided beard still carried his massive axe everywhere.
“Anyway, you came at the perfect time!”
“Why?”
“Today’s the day guests arrived. We were right in the middle of a festival!”
“A festival?”
Now that he mentioned it, the village had been noisy ever since we arrived. I had been exhausted and slipped away from the commotion to hide in the library…
“Taesik, what do you say? Care to join us?”
When an old friend invited me like that, refusing would be rude. We were comrades who had become one on the battlefield. Tirgar was the one who had comforted me when my heart wavered while facing an S-rank Goblin Lord. He was the living proof of the saying “small peppers are the spiciest.” Together, we had stopped the Void Festival.
I was tired, but there was no helping it. A little fun wouldn’t hurt. Besides, those bastards weren’t around, so my mind felt at ease.
“Hehe, enjoy yourself,” Isabel said.
“What about you, Isabel?”
“I will rest.”
“Hmm… Alright. If you get bored, come out. I get lonely by myself too.”
The words “I get lonely by myself” shook Isabel’s heart once more.
“…Hmph. I don’t like it when you say things like that.”
“Isabel?”
“Ugh. You don’t even realize what you’re saying. Hero, you’re an idiot.”
I noticed Isabel’s face had turned bright red. She was definitely sick with something. At the very least, it was probably a cold. Even her voice had grown small. Her words had come out in a tiny mumble, so I couldn’t quite catch them…
“Are you okay?”
“…I’m not okay.”
My heart ached. The situation had shifted from a gentle thump thump to a frantic ba-dump ba-dump. What was I supposed to do about this?
Isabel averted her gaze and tried to calm herself.
“Hmm…”
Her face was flushed with fever, and she kept avoiding eye contact. She was even trembling slightly. She must have overexerted herself following me. In times like this, it was best not to push her and just let her rest.
*
Time passed. Maybe it was the alcohol, but my laughter had grown crude—bordering on deranged.
“Puhuhuhuhuhu. You dumbasses. You really think you can beat me?”
“Kuhuhu… I’ll bet on you losing and sucking my dick.”
“Puhaha! You into that kinda thing?”
“Uahahaha! Nice one! Then pull harder!”
“I was gonna do that even if you didn’t say it!”
Ooh! Ooh! Ooh! Ooh! Ooh!
The Vikings’ war cries echoed. The guests Tirgar mentioned were apparently Vikings. They worshipped Odin, but that didn’t mean they hated giants. The giants felt the same. Instead of clinging to grudges from the distant past, they had built strong bonds with one another.
“All height and no size, you rabbit-dicked bastards!”
“Uahahaha. Looks like the dwarves want to get trampled.”
“Kuhuhu… Pull!”
“Ooh! Ooh! Ooh! Ooh!”
…Of course, that was just my personal observation.
I gulped down the overflowing liquor and yanked the rope. Everyone knows the exercise we were doing—shirtless, sweating, and pulling with all our might. It was a tug-of-war. What the hell did you think it was? …You perverts.
It was the highlight of every Korean school sports day. And apparently, it was also the highlight for Vikings. The only difference was the burning pile of embers in the center. The losing team had to stick their feet in it. Well, everyone’s feet were calloused anyway, so it didn’t really matter. Don’t underestimate the skills I honed back in my K-middle-school days!
Tirgar, me, and thirty Vikings were locked in a fierce tug-of-war. What should I do? I was having way too much fun. The adrenaline was surging so hard I felt like I might explode.
“Odin stands by our side!”
“Uwooooooh!”
Odin? I genuinely thought I was an idiot for not thinking of it sooner. They were invoking Odin’s blessing—why couldn’t I do the same? It definitely wasn’t because I was scared of that pit of fire. …For real.
Odin's Blessing has been bestowed upon you.
A pure white radiance enveloped my body. The fleeting, beautiful, sacred light caught the Vikings’ eyes as well. How does it feel, having the god you worship stolen by a mere non-believer?
“T-that’s…”
“Puhuhuhuhuhu.”
“Taesik! Excellent choice!”
“Right? I told you to trust only me. Who the hell dares say I have a small dick?!”
“You bastards! Don’t panic! That’s obviously cheating!”
“Warriors! Raise your voices!!”
“Uwooooooh!”
What are these Ragnar-looking idiots even saying? Let me ask again.
“How does it feel? Does it make you want to cry? Does your chest hurt? Huh?”
It must feel like hiding in a closet in an erotic manga, secretly watching an NTR scene while holding your breath. Why do I know this so well? Because it’s the genre I hate most in the world. I prefer pure love. Fuck NTR.
“Grrr. Odin is with us!”
“Oh yeah? Then I’ll just stack it again.”
“You son of a bitch! Have you no honor?!”
“I’m not a warrior like you guys. Anyway, pull harder! Are the great Viking warriors really this weak?”
“Well said! Pull, you bastards!”
“Puhuhuhu.”
I layered Odin’s blessing once more. The pure white light covered me, and I could feel my strength surge. Even without Tirgar’s help, I was confident I could win. And sure enough, they were gradually being dragged toward the flames.
Ssssss… The sound of feet scraping across the ground was vivid. The ones holding the front line screamed. As expected of Vikings—their voices were ridiculously loud.
“Cheating! It’s cheating!”
“Foul play!”
Foul play my ass.
“You guys called Odin first! Is that god just a tool to you?”
“Blasphemy!”
Tirgar and I laughed like madmen. It felt great. I loved beating them, and Tirgar loved winning against Odin’s followers, so he was overjoyed.
“Puhuhuhuhuhu.”
“Uahahahahahahaha!”
“We’re gonna win!”
“Taesik, what do I do? I’m having too much fun.”
You too? Yeah, me too. It’s pretty nice that the god you serve changes depending on the day. You don’t have to be tied to just one—you can borrow power from all of them. Of course, in this world Odin was the chief god, so the one who actually granted real power was Odin. I was insanely happy. Delighted. This was probably the first time in a long while I’d enjoyed myself like this.
The past two years had been pure agony. It was already night, but I didn’t feel tired at all. Tonight, I was going to see this through to the end. I was going to watch their feet touch that vicious pile of flames and ash. I was going to see them burn their feet so badly they’d have to plunge them into the cold ground. Sorry, Odin, but your warriors are going to lose to me. So just let me use one little cheat—
“Look at that.”
“Grant me victory!”
Odin’s buff. Triple stack, you morons.
“You cowardly bastard. Is being a hero all it takes?!”
“Yep. Being a hero is enough.”
“Grrr!”
*
The alcohol kept flowing. Maybe it was because I finally had a place where I could truly relax, but I felt especially good tonight.
“Mmm~”
“It’s delicious, isn’t it?”
“Yes, it’s exquisite.”
“The giants look brutish, but they’re surprisingly delicate cooks.”
Before I knew it, evening had come. Isabel sat primly beside me, popping pieces of grilled meat into her mouth with an ecstatic expression. Her face had never looked this relaxed when we first met last week. Was she gradually opening her heart? Or had we simply grown a little closer? Either way, once the misunderstanding was cleared up, we wouldn’t see each other anymore. Thinking that moment wasn’t far off made me feel a little sad.
“Hero, stop drinking and eat something.”
“I already ate earlier. How about a drink, Isabel? The taste is killer.”
“I’ll pass.”
Eating together was nice, but the amount of meat those damn Vikings had shoved into my stomach earlier was enormous. My insides felt bloated. Well, I’d be moving around again soon, so it didn’t matter too much. Still, I really couldn’t fit anything else. I’m sure everyone knows that precarious feeling of having reached your absolute limit.
“Haha! Eat more!”
“Krr! I’ll just tear into three more and call it quits.”
These crazy bastards. How does all that even fit? Well, they were giants, so their intestines were probably on a different scale. Still, watching them keep eating without getting full was fascinating. Just what was different about the Jotun race?
A peaceful daily life. How long had it been since I last enjoyed something like this? Tonight, the night sky looked especially clear. A day like today would definitely become a cherished memory—
Whack!
Which son of a bitch threw a drinking cup at my head?
“Tiny-dick! Let’s go one more round!”
“Hah!”
It was definitely the guy who had been at the very front pulling the rope earlier. He was picking a fight again? I should’ve been angry, but a bright smile bloomed on my lips. Was it the alcohol? Or was it because this rare feeling of joy was so precious?
“You picking a fight again?”
“This time I’m going to win.”
“Hahaha! That’s the funniest joke I’ve heard all year.”
Honestly, I didn’t care either way. Even as he threw the cup at me, he was laughing. And so was I. That was the whole story. Right now, in this moment, we were living and enjoying ourselves. We slammed our foreheads together with a loud clang and glared at each other. At the same time, our smiles bloomed fully.
The giants and Vikings cheered and formed a circle around us.
“Ooh! Ooh! Ooh! Ooh! Ooh!”
“Ooh! Ooh! Ooh! Ooh! Ooh!”
Amid the commotion, Isabel watched with a warm smile. Our eyes met. She shyly waved her hand. Since this kind of scene must be unfamiliar to her, it was natural for her to feel embarrassed. At the same time, I had received her support. My fighting spirit surged.
“You think you can beat me?”
“I stake my honor as a warrior on it.”
“Okay. Deal.”
The guy asked me,
“What will you stake?”
“That tiny rabbit dick of mine you want so badly, you son of a bitch.”
“Puhahaha! I look forward to the moment it gets cut off.”
“Puhuhuhu. That won’t happen, so don’t worry.”
Hey, you know what?
“I don’t think I’m gonna lose.”
“Hehe, me neither, you tiny-dicked bastard.”
“This idiot’s talking shit again.”
Cheers rang out. The thick smell of alcohol rose as the bonfire crackled. The heat warmly embraced the cold of Jotunheim. Far away, the sacred light of Yggdrasil could be seen. The colossal divine tree that connected the worlds added its own warmth. It had been so long since I felt such gentle heat.
“Grab the rope.”
“Already got it, dumbass.”
“Puhuhu…”
“Hehe.”
Tonight really doesn’t seem like it’ll let me sleep.