Lee Shin Woo was walking into the inner part of the Giantsâ domain with one of the level 7 Giants. From an outside view, it looked like nothing more than an ordinary snow-covered field, but he felt like he was blocked by a barrier of mana around halfway through.
Although he knew this barrier wasnât physically stopping him from entering, it was a barrier that would lead one astray and force them to go in another direction. In other words, it was similar to the spatial barrier that prevented access into the mountain range.
[Itâs in here. You should be able to follow us through.]
âOf course.â
Due to the leading Giant, the barrier was temporarily removed, and the correct path appeared. Of course, a normal person would find it difficult to follow, but to Lee Shin Woo, who had figured out the right way to enter the mountain range, it wasnât very difficult. No, even if the Giant hadnât been here, he wouldâve been able to figure it out.
âThe spatial divergence is severe, even within the Giantsâ domainâŚâ
[Itâs a barrier created by the Titanâs Heart itself. Only us Giants are permitted to enter.]
âAs I thought. This is what it means to be descendants of the TitansâŚâ
[Indeed.]
As he followed the Giant, Lee Shin Woo felt apologetic to Kratia, as heâd left her behind and was going to see the Titanâs Heart without her. However⌠it couldnât be helped, as there was no way that the Giants, who hadnât yet fully overcome their instincts, would accept her.
âDo we have to walk for a while?â
[Weâll be there soon.]
The Giant really did stop soon. The snowy field had changed into a giant icy hill before their eyes. Lee Shin Woo felt a ridiculous amount of cold air and his body shook.
âAs expectedâŚâ
[Did you hear everything from Fennos?]
âNo, not everything.â
[I seeâŚ]
The Giant muttered sadly and pointed towards the hill. It seemed preposterous, but it seemed like the root cause of the cold air that froze the entire mountain range was this hill.
[The Titanâs Heart is inside here. Originally, the Titan controlled overwhelming heat rather than cold, but so much time has passed since the Titan had died that the last remaining trace of that individual has, as you can see⌠it spews out cold air, rather than hot.]
âHmm, how interestingâŚâ
Lee Shin Woo didnât really know much about cold-related artifacts, aside from Kratiaâs orb. But why was it? He felt familiar energy coming from the center of the hill.
He attempted to get closer and study the Titanâs Heart buried within more in-depth. But at that momentâŚ
[Who has come?]
[Who did you bring?]
Two Giants suddenly ran down from the top of the hill, casting a dark shadow over Lee Shin Wooâs head. When he raised his head, the Giants that lay before his eyes were the most powerful and largest Giants amongst all the Giants heâd seen thus far.
Of course, Lee Shin Woo wasnât surprised, as he knew who they were better than anyone else.
[Lv7 Sealed Titan Zombie â Ellata]
[Lv7 Sealed Titan Zombie â Arogan]
Both of them were previously heroes, and they were probably made into heroes even earlier than Lee Man Bok⌠as heroes that were born on this planet.
They survived through the day disaster befell the Empire, and they were picked by God and carried out her orders, but⌠they couldnât overcome the 12 generals and despite them being betrayed by their allies and becoming corpses, they regained their wills and had returned here. They had remained as Giants, not normal undead.
[Itâs someone who can understand us, oh mother and father.]
[Someone who can understand usâŚ]
âIâm Paul Zero.â
Lee Shin Woo confidently introduced himself to his two senior heroes, whereas the two undead heroes just kept watching the hill where the Titanâs Heart was buried. He wouldnât be able to sleep until he could figure out what this familiar feeling was. Not that he could sleep.
âI have inherited Fennoâs will, and have come here to retrieve the Titanâs Pride.â
[To think youâd speak the Titanâs name.]
[Fennos? What a nostalgic name. So you met him.]
âThatâs right.â
Surprisingly, the two Giants werenât really suspicious of him, nor did they reject him. They were the strongest of the Giants, those who scorned human beings, so it wouldnât have been strange at all if they were to have attacked him as soon as they saw him.
Lee Shin Woo thought about it briefly and realized. They were probably helped by Lee Man Bok. If that was their last contact with a human being, then he could understand why they were acting this way.
[Though you knew FennosâŚ]
[It seems like youâre quite close to this human, for you to suggest that he see the Titanâs Heart. However, the Titanâs Heart is the symbol of the Giants, so bringing him here was thoughtless of you.]
[Thatâs not the issue right now, mother, father.]
[âŚWhat?]
Ah, perhaps this guy isâŚ? Hearing that, Lee Shin Woo looked at the level 7 Giant in astonishment. To think heâd say that the Titanâs Heart, which all the Giants treasured âwasnât the issue right nowâ?
It was at that moment that Lee Shin Woo realized something. That this Giant hadnât brought him all the way over to just show him the Titanâs Heart. Rather, the Titanâs Heart was probably just an excuse to ask him for something.
[What are you talking about? Explain in detail.]
[Iâm not a very good speaker, so Iâll let this human explain. This human knows how to honor our will, so please hear him out.]
The level 7 Giants bowed its head towards the previous heroes. Lee Shin Woo thought âas expectedâ and nodded his head. The level 7 Giant had brought him here to persuade these two Giants to fight against the Imperial Army with them. To think that the Giant that had ignored him at the beginning was doing so much for him now.
[âŚI thought youâd completely degenerated into the undead, but youâve regained your intellect.]
[How surprising. Is this change your doing as well?]
âYeah.â
Of course, Lee Shin Woo had no intention of doing exactly what the Giant wanted. He gave them suitable responses whilst quickly analyzing the Titanâs Heart.
He was finally getting a feel for it. If the Titanâs Heart was indeed what Lee Shin Woo thought it was, then it would be a waste to just sit around doing thisâŚ!
[Not only has a human come into a forbidden area, but weâre listening to what he has to say as wellâŚ]
[Iâm sure that somethingâs going on. Itâs good that the messenger has regained a bit of his intellect, but he probably came with grave news as well.]
âYou said this is a forbidden area, right?â
[Thatâs right, human. Weâre thinking about whether we should punish this one for allowing you, a human, into the forbidden area, or if we should consider you friendly enough to allow you into this area.]
[What exactly did you do to bring back their intellect? Although theyâre better off than the undead teeming within the Empire, theyâre ultimately still undead.]
ââŚHoo.â
At that moment, Lee Shin Woo raised his head.
His analysis of the Titanâs Heart was complete. It was exactly as Lee Shin Woo had thought. He realized how to truly âawakenâ the Giants.
âThere are those who are trying to invade that forbidden area. They are aiming for the Titanâs Heart.â
It was the second act of his play.
[And thatâs not you?]
Mm, a logical response. Moreover, itâs actually correct. However, Lee Shin Woo brushed it off and continued.
âI came here to protect that, or more specifically, the Giants themselves. If youâre ready to hear me out, then Iâll keep going.â
[âŚ]
[Letâs hear him out. I feel a familiar energy from this guy. Itâs similar to Man Bokâs. The energy similar to our friend, who rescued us and helped us regain our intellect.]
[Ugh⌠Alright, letâs hear him out.]
They would be pissed if they found out that Lee Shin Woo had killed Lee Man Bok. Lee Shin Woo inwardly grinned and continued.
âItâs the Imperial Army. One of the 12 generals is with them at that, the Mercenary King, Metafel. There are 50,000 troops coming this way. Theyâve come through the mountain range with a magical device that nullifies the spatial inference. I stole that away from them, but theyâre gathering through an innate ability.â
[Metafel RerdanâŚ!]
[Grr⌠Heâs the guy who killed MeljooâŚ!] [1]
âIâm helping the Giants stop them with my own forces, but there will be several casualties amongst the Giants in the ensuing battle. If theyâre unlucky, then they may be completely annihilated. We need your help in order to stop them.â
[Metafel⌠How dare heâŚ!]
[Even so, we have to protect the Titanâs Heart.]
[âŚIndeed. Itâs even more important that we stay here, knowing that Metafel is aiming for the Titanâs Heart.]
Despite their hatred of Metafel, they prioritized staying by the Titanâs Heart and protecting it, rather than vengeance.
It wasnât like they were scared of Metafel. Thatâs just how important they considered the Titanâs Heart. Lee Shin Woo realized just how important the Titanâs Heart was to them. If thatâs the case, then⌠Lee Shin Woo lightly provoked them.
âOf course, you donât have to worry about it too much. Since Iâll kill Metafel before you even get a chance to see him.â
[âŚIf thatâs the case, then thereâs no reason for us to be even having this discussion.]
Lee Shin Woo would kill Metafel, not the Giants. They understood what he had said and heâd left an impression on them, but itâs not like that would be enough for them to respond with âIâm going to kill Metafel myself!â. So Lee Shin Woo furrowed his brow, nodded his head, and spoke.
âThatâs right. The Giants may perish, but youâll be able to protect the Titanâs Heart.â
[Thatâs our (the Giantsâ) mission that has been passed down from generation to generation. Those who die shouldnât have any complaints.]
[But still, father, motherâŚ!]
The level 7 Giant who was listening from beside them looked as though he were burning up. Now that he thought about it, the one who had been hit by the level 7 eliteâs arrow and had been complaining the entire time was this guy.
As expected, at the time he was consumed by rage, but as time passed he came to realize that the level 7 elite was stronger than he was.
âYeah, thereâs nothing for you to worry about. Until the next batter is up, that is.â
[The next batter?]
Hearing that, the Giants flinched. Had they really not expected this? Lee Shin Woo snorted and continued. He hadnât planned on telling them this, but the situation was different now.
âIsnât it obvious? Would the Empire really give up on this place with just the loss of Metafel? Rather, theyâll come out even more aggressively next time, as theyâd have lost one of the 12 generals. At the very least, Feotane Von Seldin would be included in the next punitive force.â
[âŚ]
If that happened, then the Giants would be exterminated for sure. No matter how much they used the terrain to their advantage, or how well they planned, they wouldnât be able to block that single absolute being, despite their best efforts.
âIâve come here to persuade you (the Giants) and retrieve the Titanâs Pride. But I havenât come here to die. Iâm going to run before then. Moreover, now that I look at you guys⌠it seems like youâve become too greedy. You two, the leaders of the Giants, donât seem to know whatâs really important here.â
[Itâs the Titanâs Heart. The most important thing to us is the Titanâs Heart!]
Yeah, that Titanâs Heart. Theyâd finally gotten to the key to the problem. Lee Shin Woo extended his hand, gestured to the icy hill, and smiled coldly.
âOf course, this is a great treasure. But right now, itâs nothing more than an item thatâs emitting cold air and slightly boosting your energy.â
[How dare you!]
The Giant on the left side, Ellata couldnât hold themselves back anymore and swung its greatsword at Lee Shin Woo. The giant weapon seemed to contain enough force to cleave through a mountain, yet⌠Lee Shin Woo blocked it with the Titanâs Pride.
[That shieldâŚ!?]
Lee Shin Woo didnât even blink at the astonished reaction of the Giant.
âAt this rate, you guys will be annihilated, and the Titanâs Heart you hold so dear will be taken away from you. You said the thing most important to you is the Titanâs Heart, right? What youâre doing is pretty much giving it to the Empire on a silver platter.â
[Keuk!]
Kwang! The force behind the Giantâs greatsword finally broke apart the Titanâs Pride. Before the greatsword could continue on its course and break Lee Shin Woo as well, he summoned a second shield and blocked its strike once more. Lee Shin Woo saw the speechless, gaping Giant and smiled bitterly.
âIf itâs so precious to you, and if you truly want to protect it so badly, then you canât just be sitting here doing nothing. The Empire already knows where it is. They also have a way to find it. So do you really think youâll be able to protect the Titanâs Heart on your own?â
[We caâŚ!]
âCanât.â
[KeukâŚ!]
Lee Shin Woo mercilessly cut them down. A giant attempted to refute his claims, but when it saw his blazing goblin fire, it couldnât follow through.
How could they stop the level 8 Archmage from taking the Titanâs Heart when they couldnât even beat a weak skeleton? The intellect that heâd barely been able to preserve was telling him. That the undead in front of him was telling the truth. Everything was over, so long as the Empire had a way of locating the Titanâs Heart.
âSo, our job isnât to stay here and protect this thing.â
[Our?]
âYeah, âourâ.â
Lee Shin Woo grinned. At some point, a gigantified Breath of the Lightning God floated in the air. The mana consumption was tremendous, as it had been gigantified, but its dignity was undeniable.
âOur job isâŚâ
Lee Shin Woo dropped his hand lightly. At that moment, the Breath of the Lightning God shot out like an arrow and burrowed into the icy hill. Seeing that, the Giants were shocked and moved to stop him, but it was already too late.
The tough ice itâd burrowed into began to crack, and once the Breath of the Lightning God began to emit lightning, the cracks spread throughout the entirety of the hill.
[Are you trying to break apart the Titanâs Heart!?]
âNope.â
The hill, which boasted an incredible toughness from the many years of repeated freezing, was broken in an instant. That ice was saturated in mana, which wasnât very important.
What was important was what appeared inside.
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[Lv8 Damaged Titan Golem Core]
âOur job isâŚâ
Lee Shin Woo looked at the âTitanâs Heartâ, which had been stripped of its outer coating and even now was releasing cold air⌠No, it was actually a golem core that was sucking all the heat from its surrounding, and he said.
âTo revive the Titan.â
[1] T/N: Rather than a âGrrâ (a growl), itâs more like the sound when you grind your teeth, but I donât know a suitable onomatopoeia for that.