Chapter 405: Eighty-Ninth Floor, A Nation for Giants (3)

[Primary objective: avoid the giants’ gaze and meet the Giant Resistance. Time remaining: 22 hours 47 minutes.]

The giant’s eyes were rolling uncontrollably, but I had the distinct sense that the being inside them had locked eyes with me.

It was an unsettling feeling.

I couldn’t tell whether they were trying to speak or scream, but the giant suddenly inhaled sharply.

Not hesitating a moment longer, I activated Flash Strike.

Just when my surroundings slowed to a crawl, the giant began to open their mouth.

What the fuck?

It happened so abruptly, but I wasn’t particularly shaken.

Even if the creature inside the giant’s head was strong, it was all relative. Although it was stronger than the giant, it wasn’t strong enough to outspeed Flash Strike.

More than anything, I felt curious about the entity.

What exactly is this thing?

I quickly paged through my memories. I didn’t know what kind of abilities it had, so rather than wait and see, it seemed best to knock it out first.

Redirecting the mana I had already spread through the giant’s body, I guided it toward the giant’s head and converted it into lightning.

Since I didn’t want to kill either the giant or the unknown creature, I charged the lightning just enough to suppress the intruder.

To be safe, I expanded Flash Strike’s range.

Thankfully, the unknown entity showed no signs of resistance, and it lost consciousness almost immediately. I could feel its small body go limp.

That was enough. I began to withdraw my mana, but one thing still nagged at me.

Maybe I should knock out the giant, too.

I still didn’t fully understand the structure of this world or the relationship between the giants and these creatures. If the giant were to go berserk after losing their parasite, the situation could easily spiral.

Better to be thorough.

I added the giant to the range of Flash Strike and delivered a controlled jolt of lightning to their brain. Strength drained from the giant’s muscles, and as it collapsed, I teleported just outside the effect range of Flash Strike.

Although I had resolved my immediate danger, things had grown considerably more complicated.

This could be a real problem.

Still, the trial’s core premise had become more or less clear from what had just happened. It wasn’t difficult to piece together.

A Nation for Giants.

Even the name of the trial was a clue. I bet that every giant had a parasite in their heads. Interestingly, the parasites appeared humanoid.

A dwarf or smallfolk, most likely.

Giants and miniatures. It was an obvious dichotomy, one that immediately came to mind. It reminded me of the parasite inside Herkest’s head.

If my assumption held, then the Giant Resistance was composed of giants who had escaped the parasites’ control.

I would have to help the resistance establish a nation of their own. In the process, I would inevitably come into conflict with the parasites.

Ugh.

Unfortunately, a parasite had already noticed me. I had wanted to get a better grasp of this world and meet with the resistance first.

However, if I simply walked away now, it could jeopardize the entire trial later.

The creature had undoubtedly seen me. If I left it alone, the story would inevitably spread.

I can’t just kill it, though.

I hadn’t even made contact with the resistance yet. At this point, acting on assumptions would be reckless. I had only just encountered the giants and small entities, not seen the full story.

Who knew what exactly the dynamic between the giants and miniatures truly was?

Even if it looked like the little guy was controlling the giant from inside their head, there was no guarantee that was the truth.

After all, I had helped the elves without gathering more information first, only to later discover that things weren’t as they had appeared at first glance.

Maybe I am supposed to resolve something between the two sides, not kill them.

It was unlikely, but the giants could be bio-mechanical constructs created by the miniatures—homunculi, for example.

If that were the case, would I need to consider improving the giants’ rights?

It felt absurd even to me, but still, I had to keep every possibility in mind. What I needed now was more information.

My thoughts had spun for longer than they should have, which wasn’t a good sign.

How am I supposed to resolve this situation? Damn it. The more I think about it, the worse it seems.

No matter how I turned it over, there wasn’t a clear answer.

Killing the miniature was risky, but letting it go was also a problem. If I killed it, I would have to deal with the giant. On the other hand, if I let it go, I would be exposed.

Inspiration struck.

Ah. Two-Way Portal.

I hadn’t thought of it right away, probably because I had only ever used it to protect someone or retrieve something.

However, if I couldn’t resolve this here and now, then I could temporarily send the problem elsewhere.

I wasn’t sure how disappearances were handled in this world, but it wasn’t a modern society. Its standards were likely far looser. Even in my own supposedly well-policed country, thousands of people went missing every year.

The giant was around fifteen meters tall and about three meters wide. Large, but not beyond the limits of what my portal could manage.

Now, where should I send it?

Three options were available to me: the rest area, Natalie’s world, and Seorden’s forest.

After a moment, I realized the first and third weren’t viable. I had sent other individuals to the rest area, but I doubted they could survive against the giant or their guest.

Since I had no way of predicting which of the two would wake up first, I had to think ahead.

Seorden’s forest won’t work either.

Poong-Wol, the other spirit beasts, and the fairies were powerful enough to handle the giant, but they didn’t take kindly to unfamiliar beings. Even if I technically owned the forest, I didn’t know the inhabitants well enough to feel comfortable leaving something like this in their care.

That left one option: Natalie’s world.

I do feel a little bad about always relying on her.

I couldn’t think of a better option, however.

With Gehenna present, the giant wouldn’t be able to run amok. I would make it up to her later.

No matter that I had only saved her once, Natalie always moved for my sake. One day, I would have to grant her something she truly wanted.

Carefully adjusting my mana output, I immediately opened a portal. That would ensure that no trace of my mana lingered after Flash Strike ended.

My portal was about three-and-a-half meters in diameter, more than large enough to shove the giant through. They weren’t particularly difficult to lift, either.

Heavy, but manageable.

I had no way of estimating their exact weight as I hadn’t lifted something this large before. Still, it wasn’t anything overwhelming. Just heavier than I was used to.

Once I eased the giant’s limp body through the portal, I closed it.

To be honest, I wanted to go along with it, but time was of the essence. I had no way of knowing what would happen next.

I instead sent a divine message to Gehenna—something only an apostle could receive—asking her to keep watch over them.

She responded quickly and clearly. Considering that Natalie usually observed my trials, she had probably relayed my situation. With Gehenna guarding the giant, there wouldn’t be any unexpected problems.

Just in case, I carefully reabsorbed the residual traces of my mana scattered throughout the area. I also took a moment to tidy up the scattered soil the giant had sent flying on impact.

Once everything was in order, I climbed back up to the rooftop and released Flash Strike. Scanning my surroundings with a cautious expression, I checked for anything out of place.

As the effect of Flash Strike lifted, Doppy flinched and cautiously asked, “What happened? Was that Flash Strike?”

“Yeah. There was something strange inside the giant’s brain. A living creature, about the size of a fist. Probably a parasite, but I need to look into it more.”

With that, I returned my gaze to the scene from moments ago. Doppy sensed the gravity of the situation and didn’t press for details.

We waited a few minutes, and thankfully, nothing happened. No one came looking for the missing giant, and there weren’t any signs that anyone was even aware that something had happened.

The perfect crime.

Though calling it a crime was a tad excessive. Technically, I was kidnapping the giant, but could it really be considered a crime?

Focusing back on the task at hand, I turned back to the city. Now I simply had to find the Giant Resistance.

They wouldn’t have that hazy look in their eyes, so anyone who appeared grounded and aware would likely be a member of the resistance.

The problem was, every giant I had seen so far had that subtle but unmistakable vacant look.

So how am I supposed to find them?

***

[Primary objective: avoid the giants’ gaze and meet the Giant Resistance. Time remaining: 15 hours 46 minutes.]

I spent the next five hours quietly moving from rooftop to rooftop, carefully observing the city from above. Spotting a giant that lacked a hazy gaze was far easier said than done, though.

At one point, I received a message from Gehenna. The giant had briefly woken up, but she had subdued them again.

Aside from that, there hadn’t been any issues—other than boredom. It was starting to wear on me.

Finally, after night fell over the city, something occurred. The number of giants on the streets began to dwindle.

Though there wasn’t an obvious landmark near the location I had subjugated the giant, armed giants started patrolling the city as if conducting a search. They stopped and checked any giants they found wandering the streets, confirming their identities.

It looked almost like the city had a curfew.

It was hard to say for certain, but it didn’t feel like they were looking for the one I had taken. Their behavior seemed routine and familiar.

The ruling faction of giants had to be aware of the resistance’s existence. That was probably why they were conducting these inspections.

At this point, I was almost certain that the miniature humanoids were controlling the giants on a larger scale.

Despite how many giants were active during the day, there weren’t any sounds of revelry—like drinking or shouting—even late into the night.

Another glaring piece of evidence was that most of the giants had headed for the massive building at the city center once it grew dark.

If inspections like this exist, then odds are that the resistance becomes more active at night.

This would be the best time for me to act. With fewer people around, it would be easier to inspect the giants without drawing attention.

I extended my senses carefully, making sure not to let my presence leak, as I picked up Doppy with one arm and moved across rooftops.

About thirty minutes passed like that. Then, at the edge of my perception, I picked up movement. A small giant was weaving between buildings.

Of course, small relative to the normal giant. Even this one was around eight meters tall.

Even if they were a young giant, that still made them about four times taller than me.

This wasn’t the first smaller giant I had seen, though this one appeared rougher and more ragged.

Is this one part of the resistance?

Unlike other giants I had observed, this one was moving stealthily. They clutched a bag tightly in one hand, slipped through alleyways, and skillfully avoided the patrolling giants.

Their actions were experienced, and they had clearly done this many times before.

The small giant was gradually making their way toward the outskirts of the city, toward the city gates.

As I closed the distance and focused on their eyes, my suspicion solidified.

Their gaze wasn’t hazy or unfocused.

Found one.

I motioned for Doppy to stay silent and began quietly following the small giant.

Even though I had found evidence of the resistance, I didn’t plan on making contact yet. I had no way of knowing whether they were aware of me or if they would react hostilely. From their perspective, I was nothing more than a slightly larger parasite.

If I spoke too soon, things could easily escalate. If the giant panicked and got caught by the city guard, I could lose my chance to meet the rest of the resistance.

I watched to see how they would exit the city.

A massive gate, dozens of meters high, stood far off in the distance. The giant didn’t head toward it, however. Instead, they made their way toward a cluster of shabby buildings along the outer wall, almost like a shantytown.

Finally!

I felt a wave of relief. Trailing after the small giant had tired me out. Even though they were only eight meters tall, the sheer difference in our heights made pursuit awkward, and the city itself was sprawling.

There is probably a tunnel or something hidden in there.

Just before the door to the ramshackle house closed, I slipped in behind the giant.

My guess proved to be absolutely on point.

The small giant paused, closed their eyes, and scanned the surroundings as if checking for danger. After a moment or two, they began to carefully move a cabinet pressed against the wall.

That revealed a staircase leading downward.

I didn’t wait for them to go in first and slipped ahead of them.

About thirty seconds later, the small giant peered out the window to check the surroundings once more, then shut the cabinet and followed after me.

Once the door closed, darkness swallowed the room. Only after we had descended a little further did some torchlight appear, illuminating the path ahead.

The small giant, who had maintained a tense expression throughout, leaned back against the wall and let out a sigh of relief, “

Phew.

”

I judged that this was the right moment to speak. Just in case, I spread my mana to block out any sound from escaping the area.

Trying my best not to startle them, I calmly and clearly stated, “Don’t be alarmed. Just listen.”

“

K-KEEAAHH!

”

What?

Contrary to expectation, the small giant let out a bizarre shriek and immediately flung themself backward.

With a heavy thud, they smashed their head against the wall behind them and collapsed face-up in the passage. They were unconscious.

Umm, this wasn’t supposed to happen.