The First Visitor - Part 1
ROOOOOAAAR!
The Sky Giant unleashed one Thunder Roar after another, fighting tooth and nail to stay on its feet. But knowing this was nothing more than the beast's final death throes, Sanghyuk squeezed every last drop of strength from his body.
Whirrr! Clank!
Sanghyuk lashed the Ten-Thousand-Year Golden Bone Whip around the giant's neck. Wrapping it around a throat that thick was a feat in itself, but with everything hanging in the balance at this final juncture, failure was not an option.
Let's end this!
Less than a minute remained before the Sky Giant's enrage timer ran out. Ten thick veins bulged across its brow, signaling that its life force had dwindled to almost nothing.
If the Sky Giant withstood Sanghyuk's finishing assault, it would enter berserk mode and survive. But if it buckled, the titan would crash down, and Sanghyuk would finally triumph on his fourteenth attempt.
"Aaaaargh!"
Creak, snap! Swish!
Sanghyuk hauled back on the whip with all his might, using the recoil to launch himself high into the air.
The Sky Giant roared repeatedly, tearing through the air in all directions. Because Thunder Roar harnessed acoustic force to blast a devastating shockwave forward, standing idly on the ground would leave anyone mangled beyond recognition.
So Sanghyuk relocated to the safest vantage point available: directly above the Sky Giant's head!
KBOOOOOM!
The cavernous underground chamber shook violently, as though ready to collapse at any moment. Naturally, no matter how wildly the Sky Giant thrashed, the bedrock would never truly cave in, but the titan's desperate resistance carried terrifying weight.
Yet that catastrophic force extended only beneath its crown. Perched atop the Sky Giant's head, Sanghyuk remained entirely untouched by the devastating shockwaves tearing up the ground below.
I have to end it right here!
Flash, crackle! CRASH!
Sanghyuk hurled his last remaining Spear of Zeus straight into the center of the giant's brow.
The spear struck true, detonating directly between the giant's eyes. The blast snapped the titan's head back and threw it off balance, but a single blow still wasn't enough to finish the job.
Sanghyuk knew that better than anyone.
One last strike!
Grip, creaaak!
Midair, Sanghyuk yanked hard on the whip coiled around his right hand almost the instant he released the spear, hurtling forward.
Shing!
The Traveler's Treasure Sword cleared its scabbard with a crisp hiss.
Thrusting the blade forward, Sanghyuk rocketed toward the Sky Giant's skull like an arrow loosed from a bow.
Squelch! Crack!
The Traveler's Treasure Sword struck squarely between the giant's brows. Weakened to its absolute limit, the Sky Giant failed to deflect the strike, and the blade sheared through bone, plunging deep into its skull.
Infused with the strength of a Knight and driven by every ounce of Sanghyuk's reserves, the blow struck with far greater ferocity than expected.
KROOOOOOAAAR!
With the Traveler's Treasure Sword buried hilt-deep into its cranium, the Sky Giant convulsed violently, letting loose a ragged, dying shriek.
Then, the towering titan slowly pitched forward.
THUUUUD!
"Holy shit... it worked! It actually worked!"
A string of curses spilled from Sanghyuk's lips the moment the Sky Giant hit the earth. Over the past few days, thirteen bitter failures had vaporized a staggering amount of precious Karma into thin air.
A few more deaths and he would have de-leveled entirely.
To clear the raid with a mere fifteen seconds left before the monster enraged made it impossible to suppress his euphoria.
You have defeated the special named monster Sky Giant.
As the first to hunt a giant-type named monster, you have accomplished a feat no other Dimensional Traveler has achieved. This shall become an achievement remembered for eternity.
You have acquired the Unique-grade title [First Giant Hunter].
Due to earning the world-first clear, the First Kill Bonus has been applied. You have acquired all 41 item types obtainable from the Sky Giant.
Congratulations! Accumulated Karma has broken through the threshold, raising your level.
The system confirmed the raid's success.
Monopolizing an immense bounty of Karma intended to be split among seven players, Sanghyuk saw his nearly depleted Karma bar fill to the brim in a flash, pushing him straight to Level 46.
"Bwahahahaha!"
Gateway to the New World
You have felled the Sky Giant and unsealed the gateway to a new world!
Leap toward the fissure that has opened behind the Sky Giant!
The shock of the Sky Giant's collapse had fractured the subterranean floor, creating a jagged chasm—both an escape from the Twilight Lands and an entrance to the wider world beyond.
Sanghyuk swiftly swept every dropped item into his Dimensional Bag and threw himself directly into the fissure.
Whoooosh!
An underground torrent surged within the cavern. Carried naturally by the rushing subterranean river, Sanghyuk shot down the winding passage like a rider on a waterslide.
Known among players as the "Waterslide to the Mainland," the ride was surprisingly thrilling.
After sliding for roughly a minute, Sanghyuk burst out of a cliff face, finally leaving the Twilight Lands behind. The drop wasn't excessively high, and a lake of comfortable depth waited beneath, keeping the landing safe.
Splash!
He broke the surface of the shallow lake, yet before he could fully savor the thrill of stepping into an uncharted world teeming with new possibilities, another system message materialized before his eyes.
"Ack! A-A Legend-grade title?! Cough!"
He had expected a reward, but he hadn't imagined it would be a title of Legend grade. Caught off guard, Sanghyuk choked on a mouthful of lake water.
He scrambled ashore and immediately brought up the details of his new acquisition.
Title: First Visitor
Grade: Legend
Description: You are the first Dimensional Traveler to set foot on the New Continent. As always, the very first is the most extraordinary.
Effects:
• Prefix: Critical Hit Rate increases by 25% and Critical Damage increases by 40% when in combat on the New Continent (Hellfire Desert, Continent of Heroes, Continent of the Sun).
• Suffix: Karma gained on the New Continent increases by 20%.
• Passive Effects:
- No. 1 (S): All stats increase by 10%.
- Run at the Speed of Light! (A): Movement speed increases by 20%.
"This is broken."
The word slipped out before he could catch himself. If this wasn't completely broken, what was?
Sanghyuk had seen the full details of a Legend-grade title only once in his past life, and this outclassed that one several times over.
Who owned this in my previous life? Well, with specs like these, it makes total sense they never breathed a word about it.
The greater a treasure, the more desperately its owner had to guard its existence.
There wasn't a single wasted line on it. The passive effects alone easily outperformed most standard Legend titles, while the prefix and suffix offered the ultimate modifiers for combat and grinding.
Riding the momentum, Sanghyuk inspected the First Giant Hunter title as well.
Title: First Giant Hunter
Grade: Unique
Description: You proved your strength to the world by slaying a giant-type named monster before anyone else.
Effects:
• Prefix: Attack Power increases when confronting named monsters.
• Suffix: Critical Hit Rate increases when confronting named monsters.
• Passive Effect:
- Is the Air Up There Different? (A): Halves the effectiveness of Giant's Endurance on giant-type monsters when facing them.
Well, this one is pretty solid.
First Giant Hunter offered respectable utility. Compared to the staggering parameters of First Visitor, it might seem humble at a glance, but strictly speaking, it remained an exceptional title in its own right.
Still, the prize I've really been waiting for is something else entirely.
With both titles cataloged, Sanghyuk reached into his Dimensional Bag with an expression brimming with anticipation.
From the depths of the bag, he withdrew a massive crystal radiating a brilliant crimson glow.
Giant Blood! The foundational cornerstone of my One-Man Army project.
Grinning broadly, Sanghyuk examined the Giant Blood once more.
"This is what I'm talking about!"
Sanghyuk clenched his fist, nodding vigorously.
The Blood Knowledge he had craved so desperately was finally in his hands.
While Blood Knowledge was exceptionally rare, roughly a hundred distinct variants existed across the game.
And Giant Blood stood firmly among the top three.
Personally, I don't consider it just top three—it's the undisputed number one. Though people will always argue over that...
To Sanghyuk, Giant Blood reigned supreme over every competing lineage.
Some claimed Dragon Blood was king, while others championed Demon Blood or Phoenix Blood. Yet in Sanghyuk's eyes, Giant Blood held a subtle but decisive edge over all of them.
Dragon Blood was the only real contender, but for the grand design Sanghyuk was constructing, Giant Blood was an infinitely better fit.
Besides, even with my regression knowledge, tracking down Dragon Blood would take far too long... whereas Giant Blood was practically handed to me on a silver platter thanks to the Sky Giant.
Factoring in every variable, Sanghyuk had resolved from the start that Giant Blood was his sole path forward.
Offensively, Dragon Blood might boast a slight advantage over Giant Blood, but defensively, the sheer absurdity of Giant's Endurance left Dragon Blood choking in the dust.
Preparations to inherit Giant Blood are complete.
You can inherit the Blood Knowledge 'Giant Blood' to obtain the immense might of the giants.
Would you like to absorb the Blood Knowledge 'Giant Blood' into your vacant fourth Soul Hole?
Please make your decision within 5 minutes.
As a contented smile spread across his face, the long-awaited prompt surfaced before him.
Naturally, Sanghyuk's answer was immediate.
YES.