Giant.
What is a giant?
What kind of species are they, really?
If you were born in this world, you’ve probably heard of them at least once—those distant, almost mythical tales tied to the “Dragon-Sleeping Mountain Range, the Final War.”
Stories like how dragons and humans once coexisted, or how, after a long and brutal war for dominance, humans drove the dragons away.
Frankly, these are hard to believe. They might not be objective facts at all—perhaps just stories humans crafted to legitimize their rule over the world.
Of course, that’s why we call them myths.
Putting that aside—
There’s an even older myth recorded before the “Dragon-Sleeping Mountain Range, the Final War.” It’s called the Colossus War.
The Colossus War.
This was a war between giants and gods, fighting for control of the heavens. (In other words, it’s the very first battle for dominance in this world. So, the Final War could be seen as the second.)
Unfortunately, detailed records about the giants during the Colossus War are scarce.
All we have are descriptions like:
“They allowed no supernatural powers.”
“They were enormous, with strength enough to lift mountains.”
“When they slammed the ground with Mjolnir, earthquakes shook the earth, and their voices roared like thunder.”
“Their nature was simple and kind-hearted, yet they were a warlike ruling species who enjoyed battle.”
“Especially when a giant bearing the name ‘Kushan’ let out a mighty roar, all nearby monsters would bow their heads in respect.”
“The giant king known as ‘Kushan Thor’ was said to have the qualities to become the ruler of all monsters on earth.”
That’s about the extent of the records.
—Additionally, it’s briefly mentioned that ‘Kushan Lord,’ the giant king, possessed nearly godlike strength.
In any case, the Colossus War ended with the gods victorious. The giants were defeated.
One interesting detail comes from a conversation between the gods and giants right after the war, revealing the cause of the conflict.
—Dialogue excerpt:
Arianrod, the goddess of sorrow who led the gods during the war, asked:
“You already rule the earth without rivals. Why covet the heavens?”
“Was there really any reason to fight us?”
To which the giant king Kushan Thor replied:
“There’s nothing left to achieve on earth, so we turned our eyes to the heavens.”
“There’s no real reason to fight.”
“But we fight.”
“We are a species that lives for battle. That is why we fight.”
Kushan Thor’s words were bold and fitting for a giant.
But logically, it’s hard to see those words as justification for a massive war like the Colossus War.
If the writer feels this way, imagine how the gods must have felt hearing it.
Already grieving the countless deaths of their kin, Arianrod was said to have been enraged by Kushan Lord’s words.
“Has strength consumed their reason? How arrogant to live by relying solely on innate power.”
“Fine. Then fight as you wish. But you will never rule the earth again. Now, feel the pain of being ruled, not the ruler. Only then might you learn humility.”
Arianrod’s curse was not just words. She traveled to find surviving gods and devised a way to curse the giants, with full divine support.
That method was:
“To leave their bravery intact, but steal their strategy.”
Athena said:
“To leave their love intact, but take away peace.”
Hestia said:
“To leave their intelligence intact, but deny them the wisdom to evolve.”
Ganesha said:
“To leave their nature intact, but strip away their strange divine powers.”
Indra said:
“To leave their home intact, but take away the monsters’ reverence.”
Pandu said:
“To grant uncontrollable madness.”
Kali said:
“To make them true to their own hearts.”
And Parvati as well.
Seven gods bestowed curses upon the giants through Arianrod.
Collecting these seven curses, Arianrod declared:
“I will take sorrow away from you.”
A kind of seal was placed on the giants, making it so they could no longer feel sorrow.
Thus, the gods limited the giants’ power with seven curses (eight if you count Arianrod’s condition) and cast them down onto a mountain range on earth.
What happened to the giants afterward is mostly unknown, except for some notes in “The Ancient Priestess and the Giants.” Perhaps the records haven’t been found yet.
But we can guess. Judging by the curses, the gods did not want the giants wiped out. Rather, they seemed to be setting the stage for a greater revenge.
“You will never rule the earth again. Now, feel the pain of being ruled.”
From Arianrod’s curse, it’s clear the giants’ future was bleak. Not only were their sources of earthly power restricted, but their future was limited as well.
Once the greatest species, waging war for heavenly dominance with the gods, they were now forced to live like any other monster.
—Author unknown, excerpted from the secret library of Atlanta.
Finally, we arrived where the giants were.
The place was quiet. A giant was tied to a pillar, guarded by a dozen or so users. A strange tension hung in the air between them.
The problem was the giant’s attitude.
If a monster were captured, it would be normal to struggle, to try to escape. Even if bound tightly, it should at least show hostility, like a wild beast.
But this giant was different. Its eyes were wide open, and its face was innocent to the point of naivety. It looked around curiously, even at the users standing guard and those passing by, as if it were watching a show.
“Is it really that simple and naive by nature? Or…”
“Commander, hurry… the duration won’t last long.”
While analyzing the giant, Yang Giduk muttered anxiously. Kim Yuhyun nodded in acknowledgment and slowly approached the giant. The guards tried to stop him, but Yang Giduk gave a warning glance, and they reluctantly stepped back.
When Kim Yuhyun closed the distance to about a meter, the giant’s gaze naturally shifted to him. Until now, no matter how much they tried to communicate, the giants never responded—or even let humans come close. But this was the first time a human had approached.
Though bound and sitting, the giant still looked down at Kim Yuhyun. Meeting that calm gaze, Kim Yuhyun quietly spoke.
“Can you hear me?”
(Can you hear me?)
(Vos Legere?)
The giant’s eyes widened as if they might tear. Kim Yuhyun instinctively sensed success.
“Quod, Quod?”
(Ah, ah?)
(Quod, Quod?)
It was real. Yang Giduk clenched his fist, then signaled the other users to be quiet. Since the crystal orb forcibly translates all speech, even the faintest sound could disrupt the conversation.
(Can you hear? Does that mean Hoc can hear too?)
(I hear it. Looks like we succeeded. Now we can finally talk.)
Kim Yuhyun didn’t know what Hoc meant, but from context, it seemed like a personal pronoun—or a form of address.
…Anyway.
Both crystal orbs were speaking simultaneously, but they could just focus on what was necessary.
Still, the conversation felt awkward.
(Wow, this is amazing. The voice is really coming from the crystal?)
But when the giant spoke, Kim Yuhyun realized the source of the awkwardness: the tone.
The users’ first impression of the giant was fear. In the previous battle, the giant had the aura of a savage warrior and brutally killed a giant bird monster.
So you’d expect a fittingly imposing tone. But the giant’s voice sounded like a child’s. Imagine a huge, tattooed, intimidating big brother suddenly saying “Oh my” and shrinking back—that’s the feeling.
The watching users were just as surprised but decided to stop overthinking it. It was easier to assume the translation magic was faulty.
But Kim Yuhyun looked at the giant more closely, his gaze deepening.
Round eyes, a button nose, soft downy hair on its face. No scruffy beard in sight. Setting aside the battle impression, he noticed things he hadn’t before.
In fact, the giant looked surprisingly young, almost childlike in some ways.
Recalling what he’d heard, Kim Suhyun said giants were at least five meters tall. But this one was under five meters, just over four.
“Could it be a juvenile?”
Thinking that might be the case, Kim Yuhyun broke the silence.
(Yes. I used this crystal orb. That’s why I can talk to you.)
(Heh. Amazing. I heard humans lack innate power but compensate with Apocrypha. Seems my father was right.)
“Humans? Father?”
(Do you know humans?)
(Yes! I’ve heard a lot about them from my father!)
The giant spoke with enthusiasm, chuckling softly. A couple of the users nearby sighed and turned away, as if they could no longer bear the awkwardness.
(Well, it’s my first time seeing this too. It’s really fascinating!)
But the giant, completely unfazed, continued speaking in an excited tone.
(If you’re talking about my father…)
At the mention of ‘father,’ Kim Yuhyun quickly jumped in. Instead of bluntly asking, “We came to conquer this forest!” or “Do you know why you’re here?” he decided it was better to keep the current mood going.
(Ah, he’s not here right now.)
The giant answered immediately, leaving Kim Yuhyun a bit taken aback. This was a sensitive topic, yet the giant spoke without hesitation.
(He’s not here?)
(Yeah. A few years ago, there was a big conflict within Litura. He was pushed out and had no choice but to leave the group.)
In that brief moment, a flicker of something strange passed through Kim Yuhyun’s narrowed eyes. It vanished quickly, but it was there.
(That’s unfortunate.)
(It’s okay. Everyone says he was wrong, but I still believe my father was right.)
Strange words, but Kim Yuhyun nodded, making sure not to miss a single detail.
(I see. Doesn’t sound bad.)
(Hehe.)
The giant smiled brightly, as if pleased by the compliment.
Then, suddenly—
Grrrrrrrrrrr!
A loud rumbling echoed around them. The giant blinked slowly and lowered his gaze to stare at his own belly. Come to think of it, he hadn’t eaten anything since being captured.
(We…)
After a moment—
(How about we eat something and talk a bit more?)
Kim Yuhyun’s voice softened unexpectedly.
The next morning, I started marching at first light. According to my memory, we had to cross a mountain range today.
Since the clan had rested well yesterday, everyone had regained some energy. But I expected them to tire again by afternoon, so we needed to cross the mountains before nightfall. From here on, it was basically like entering the third region, and monsters would likely see our mountain crossing as the perfect chance to ambush us.
But my expectations were completely off.
We crossed the mountains faster than I thought, and not once were we attacked. Not a bad thing, but it made my stern warnings to the clan feel pointless.
By midday, we had reached relatively flat terrain.
After a short break, we resumed marching. Occasionally, I heard soft humming—probably not from carelessness, but relief. They must have been recalling how we were ambushed crossing the mountains in the second region, and now felt safe having passed through unscathed.
As we crossed more open ground, a wide clearing suddenly appeared ahead. I looked around slowly.
‘They camped here.’
No valley nearby was a downside, but since it was the first day of the march, there should be enough water. For my brother, who commands 5,000 people, this was probably the best spot to camp. The most obvious proof was the visible signs of their camp.
“Hold position.”
Though we had rested earlier, I ordered another stop—not for rest.
“Looks like this was their first campsite.”
Quick-witted Go Yeonju immediately scanned the area. Then, crouching down, she began brushing the ground, inspecting the traces left behind. I waited quietly for her to speak. Her tracking skills were better than mine.
“They left early this morning… huh?”
A faint note of doubt slipped from her lips.
“What is it?”
“It’s strange. They definitely camped here…”
“Camped?”
“But the traces from yesterday and the day before are mixed together.”
That meant they shortened the distance by at least half a day… Wait.
‘Already?’
My eyes narrowed reflexively. If Go Yeonju was right, the northern expedition had stayed here for two days.
That wasn’t something to take lightly, especially on the first day of the march. Something was definitely going on.
“We should investigate.”
I waved my hand lightly, and the clan members quickly scattered in all directions.
But less than five minutes later, a tired voice called me over. It was Go Yeonju again.
Approaching her, I saw her crouched down, looking a bit dazed.
“Already found something?”
“Not just found… it’s impossible to miss.”
She trailed off, pointing at the ground.
Looking down, I saw two enormous footprints.
Whether human or monster, everyone leaves traces on the ground. And humans and monsters leave distinctly different prints. From that perspective, these footprints looked very much like human feet. In fact, they were almost identical.
But the problem was their size. Twice as big might be understandable, but these were on a whole different scale—both in length and width.
‘This is definitely…’
“One thing’s for sure.”
Go Yeonju stood up suddenly.
“These prints are definitely not human—they belong to a monster.”
She lightly tapped a spot on the ground.
“There’s a mark where a post was set up. They probably tied something here.”
“Hmm…”
‘So my brother has already encountered the giant?’
If they tied it up, it was likely to secure a sample.
Lost in thought, I soon felt the clan members gathering back around.
Knowing what the prints meant, I hesitated for a moment.
‘Go Yeonju’s deduction is pretty solid. Should I just reveal everything here? It might be easier that way.’
“Could it be… a giant?”
At that moment, Im Hanna, who had been examining the area with Go Yeonju, spoke cautiously.
“A giant? Are there giants in this world?”
Cha Sorim turned her head and asked, and Im Hanna smiled warmly.
“Yes, there are. During the war with the allied forces, our clan lord fought a monster believed to be a giant.”
“Oh.”
A chorus of realization spread.
That was true. The giant I fought back then—was its name Kushan Thor?
Probably not its real name. Even among giants, there are leaders, and myths call the king of giants ‘Thor.’ So all giants who were kings were called Kushan Thor.
Besides that, the throne was passed down through direct bloodlines, and for a long time, giants with the surname ‘Kushan’ held the title. But honestly, that’s not really my concern.
“If it was during the war with the allied forces… does that mean this is connected to them?”
“Hmm. I’m not sure about that.”
Im Hanna shook her head and shrugged.
I was still debating whether to reveal everything when Im Hanna’s words gave me a good opening.
“Maybe…”
Just as I was about to speak, a voice interrupted from beside me.
“Hey, Sol-ah. Didn’t we fight giants too?”
Suddenly, all eyes turned left. I followed their gaze and saw An Sol nodding eagerly.
“You guys? Where?”
I asked quickly, and An Sol tilted her head.
“Huh? Don’t you remember, big brother? We fought together back then.”
“So where?”
“There.”
“…”
Watching An Sol repeat herself like a parrot, I clenched my fists. She suddenly pointed at her head and shook it.
“W-well… back then… you, me, our brother, Ha-yeon unni, and Bbangbbang unni…”
“Why am I Bbangbbang?!”
An Sol, counting on her fingers, suddenly jumped up.
“Ah! You scared me! When did I say that?”
“You just did!”
“I said Vivian unni!”
“Ridiculous! You stuttered!”
“Eek!”
“And why don’t you remember? We met one on the first floor and one on the third floor!”
Vivian shouted, and An Sol fell silent, stepping back sheepishly.
Anyway, one on the first floor and one on the third floor. So Vivian definitely remembers.
“Vivian, where was it? Where did we fight the giant?”
Vivian turned her head and pouted.
“Hmph, I don’t really know.”
“…”
“And why are you asking me?”
“…What?”
A brief silence fell, accompanied by soft inhalations from around us. At the same time, my mood sank.
‘What’s wrong with them today?’
I was already anxious, and all they had to do was say we saw the giant on the first and third floors of the ruined lab.
But why does it keep getting under my skin?
“An abandoned research facility.”
Maybe reading my expression, he quickly pulled his words back and stammered.
The first and third floors of the abandoned research facility, huh…
Right. Now that I think about it, there was a giant there too. It was fuzzy since it was early in the second run, but now I remember.
“Su, Suhyun. For now…”
Suddenly, I felt Hayun gently wrap her arm around mine, but I quickly pulled away and pointed at the two of them.
“You two.”
Ansol and Vivian flinched.
“I appreciate you coming along, but… where exactly are we right now?”
“…”
“If you’re just going to mess things up like this, why don’t you just turn back?”
“…”
Finally, Ansol bowed his head deeply and said, “I’m sorry…”
Vivian looked utterly heartbroken, as if something deeply painful was weighing on her.
Anyone who’s spent a long time with me probably knows what kind of behavior I hate the most when we’re out.
Yet, these two are doing exactly what Lee Yujeong used to do all the time.
An awkward silence hung in the air.
I glared at them for a while, then, with a final warning, I turned my back.
“Let’s go.”
---------------------------= Author’s Note =---------------------------
The giants have appeared a total of three times so far. Twice in the abandoned research facility (Episode 89 – 5-meter giant, Episode 96 – giant (upper body) + basilisk (lower body) = Gigas (mythical creature)), and once during the Western Continent War (Episodes 365–366 – the former king of the giants, ‘Kushan Thor’). So, this third area’s攻略 part is basically about picking up the threads I laid out back then.
When I say you might be disappointed in Kim Yuhyun, it doesn’t mean the ‘brain king’ suddenly becomes a pushover. It’s quite the opposite. In other words, you’re about to see a different side of him than before.
In fact, Kim Yuhyun has often been a harsh critic to his younger brother Kim Suhyun, and he’s shown that side frequently. But to others, especially enemies, he’s a ruthless character.
Suhyun struggled through the first two years of the first run, but after meeting his older brother, he grew a lot. If you think about who has influenced Kim Suhyun the most up to now, I believe you’ll be able to guess why Kim Yuhyun is acting the way he is this time.
I read your comments carefully yesterday.
Before writing today’s chapter, I thought it over and realized that changing the plan is the right move. The second area part got long, and I got tired too, so I figured readers would naturally feel the same. Plus, Kim Yuhyun being the main focus right now is probably part of the reason.
Of course, it’s impossible to just swap Kim Yuhyun out for Kim Suhyun at this point. But I’ll try to condense and trim as much as possible (cutting Kim Yuhyun’s backstory, removing the part where he soothes Vivian and reconciles, reducing flashbacks and records from six appearances to four, etc.). I’ll also try to increase the length of each chapter. I can’t promise the pacing will feel faster, but whether it’s this third area or future parts, I won’t include anything that isn’t essential to the story.
Thank you. (__)
P.S. Goyeonju, Nam Daeun, Kim Hanbyul, Lee Yujeong, and others—once we get to Atlanta, I’ll write plenty of scenes with them, so look forward to it. :)