Boo-woo-.
Kwaaang-!
Hercules' fist crashed into the ground.
The floor creaked, causing YuWon's body to stagger, and then his fist shot forward.
Jjaeuk-!
It literally struck Hercules' jaw.
It was a fist of gigantic proportions, yet it didn't even budge Hercules' neck by a millimeter.
Throb-.
Rather, it was YuWon's hand that hurt.
'Tough'.
How could a human body be so tough?
"Those eyes are annoying."
Hwareuk-.
Ashen Eyes bloomed in YuWon's eyes.
YuWon used it to dodge Hercules' punch.
Each punch was a threat, and he had no choice but to dodge them.
Bum-.
At that moment, Hercules' hand grabbed YuWon's arm.
Simultaneously, YuWon's eyes widened as he attempted to close the distance again.
Boom-.
An extended fist.
He couldn't avoid it.
Kwaaang-!
Fist and fist collided.
The impact was felt not only in the fist but throughout the swinging right arm.
['Gigantification' screams].
Thrrrr-.
His entire arm trembled.
After all, he wasn't the best at taking hits.
Tuong-!
YuWon's body was sent flying, and Hercules retracted his fist.
"We'll stop here today."
It was their first proper clash.
However, even with that collision, YuWon's body was completely exhausted and battered.
Hercules' Gigantification was not an ability that YuWon's body could withstand.
"I can keep going."
"Your current strength can't withstand my punches. Next time, it won't be just an arm."
"...Tch."
YuWon clicked his tongue.
It didn't last long, and the excitement of the battle quickly faded.
He was right.
He couldn't withstand Hercules' punch in his current state, and it wasn't just the Gigantification ability, but the difference in strength and endurance statistics.
'What the hell are strength and endurance?'
In the grand scheme of things, Hercules' Arcane Power wasn't that great.
Compared to most High-Rankers, it wasn't anything special.
However, Hercules would later be ranked as one of the top 10 High-Rankers.
There was only one reason for that.
'His strength and endurance.'
To say that he was the strongest living man would be an understatement; his body had no equal.
['Gigantification' ability increases]
[This takes 'Gigantification' to the next level]
Of course, YuWon didn't suffer for nothing.
After YuWon's training with Hercules, he taught him how to use Gigantification.
"Gigantification is the use of muscles."
"Muscles?"
"Yes."
"How?"
"You squeeze here, and then you push like this... and then you keep squeezing, like this!"
"..."
I didn't understand anything he said.
Although he was the best at Gigantification, he wasn't very good at teaching.
In the end, however, YuWon had no choice but to learn the art of Gigantification through trial and error.
He wasn't a very good teacher, but...
'This sucks, completely.'
YuWon sighed.
A month had already passed.
He had been living at Hercules' house, eating and sleeping with him.
Hercules, who was supposed to be a good teacher, if not a great teacher, was a complete disaster as a teacher.
The good news is that at least he was gaining something by fighting with him.
"Three rounds again today?"
Ding, ding, ding-.
Hercules loosened his grip.
It was creepy to see him like that at first, but I had gotten quite used to it.
"It's not like there's anything else to do."
YuWon had already spent a month here.
It wasn't a long time.
However, during that time, YuWon had never landed a proper punch on Hercules.
"At least I've figured out the trick."
[The power of a Giant resides in the entire body]
Kuwook-.
At some point, YuWon stopped using other abilities.
During the past month, YuWon had solely focused on Gigantification.
Unlike usual, he had only fought Hercules in close combat, and only in close combat.
Throughout this time, YuWon had a single goal.
To become Hercules.
That's how YuWon thought he could better manage Gigantification.
"It'll be a little different this time."
Over time, YuWon had realized one thing about Gigantification.
Like most abilities, the best way to handle Gigantification more proficiently was to use the ability a lot for a long time.
Furthermore...
Gigantification continued to evolve as more stimuli were applied repeatedly.
[The power of the giant permeates your entire body].
[The strength of a giant is now in your right arm].
[The arm of the giant has been implemented].
Boom, boom, boom-.
The Arcane Power of Gigantification that had spread throughout his body focused on his right arm.
Hercules' eyes widened at the change in YuWon's body.
"You're using your head."
This was different from partial Gigantification.
Partial Gigantification, which was the beginning of Gigantification, involved using partial Gigantification because you couldn't achieve full Gigantification.
But now, YuWon's Gigantification wasn't so rudimentary.
He had concentrated the power of his full-body Gigantification into one arm, and the strength of his fist would be several times greater than that of his full-body Gigantification.
Of course.
Quack-.
'The burden on the body is also significant.'
The tension in YuWon's right arm was palpable.
The cells in his right arm were screaming.
Due to the excessive overload, the arm was starting to break.
There wasn't much time left.
"...I'm going."
Kwadeuk-.
YuWon moved towards Hercules.
In the next moment.
Boom-.
Kwaang-!
The fists of the two men collided.
YuWon's eyes saw the ceiling.
His arm was torn apart, with blood and broken bones.
His mind was awake, but he couldn't move because of his arm.
"Simple."
Pandora, who was applying medicine to YuWon's arm, spoke up.
"Ignorant."
"...I think the order has changed."
Are you saying that he was just ignorant?
But YuWon couldn't think of anything to refute. Lately, YuWon had been very simple and ignorant, even with himself.
And that was Hercules' style.
Click.
Pandora closed the box of herbs and potions.
She applied some of the more expensive ones. After being with her for the past month, Pandora was quite skilled in the medical arts.
"Three days."
"Will it take three days?"
Pandora didn't respond.
The silence was an affirmation.
"Don't overdo it."
"...I'll try."
YuWon closed his eyes like a dead mouse.
Pandora, who looked at YuWon for a moment, got up from her seat and left.
Carrying the box of herbs, Pandora approached Hercules, who was waiting outside.
"How is he? Is he getting better?"
"No."
"Did I hit him that hard?"
Hercules scratched his head, looking embarrassed about YuWon's injuries.
He should have maintained some control over his strength, but apparently, he had gotten too carried away without realizing it.
Click.
Pandora opened the box of herbs again.
Noticing her gaze directed at the wound on his fist, Hercules hurriedly shook his head.
"No, thanks. It'll heal on its own."
"Still..."
"It's fine."
In the face of stubborn refusal, Pandora nodded.
Undoubtedly, a wound like this meant nothing to a High Rank like Hercules. A higher state of health would not only make him stronger but also more resilient.
Hercules clenched his fist several times and looked at the wound.
'I didn't think I'd get injured.'
It didn't make sense.
It hadn't occurred to him that he could get hurt until the collision happened.
The Lightning, different objects, different abilities like the Ashen Eyes.
Even with all of them, all YuWon used was Gigantification.
Sweat formed in Hercules' hands as he clenched his fists.
'Even when I fought against the Giants, I never got hurt, but...'
The bruise between his fists and the skin that burst from the strong impact.
It was caused by the impact of his fist colliding with YuWon's fist.
"Maybe I'm raising a monster."
"A monster?"
Hercules turned his head upon hearing Pandora's voice.
Apparently, he had muttered too loudly.
"You heard that?"
"Yes."
"You know, the day he entered the tower."
It was a thought that came to his mind again.
YuWon had entered the Tower just a few years ago. A normal Player would have been around the tenth floor.
"I didn't really teach him anything. He didn't learn Gigantification from me, he didn't master it from me, he didn't come this far because of me. It was all him, he grasped it, he learned it."
"And does that make you nervous/anxious?"
"A little."
"Why?"
In response to Pandora's question, Hercules thought in detail about the anxiety that had arisen while observing YuWon.
"What that guy is seeing is something bigger than Olympus. He's seeing something greater. Olympus and the Three Precious Children are just a gateway to pass through."
YuWon was clearly a great player.
Not even his own father, Zeus, or the great Asgardian ruler Odin could overshadow YuWon when they started.
Hercules no longer regarded YuWon as just a mere player.
He was looking far, very far.
How far, he couldn't even guess.
"And yet he doesn't tell me what he's preparing for, what he's fighting against, and I can't even see it."
Hercules remembered the battle with Olympus.
Even in the presence of Zeus, he didn't feel intimidated, and despite his victory over the ranker giant, YuWon didn't seem to have achieved his goal.
That troubled Hercules even more.
"He's not just trying to get stronger. I don't see in him the greed I've seen in players who have power."
"Then what?"
"He has a goal. Something so tightly held that he can't take a day off, and I don't know what it is."
A goal that would make even a player of Kim YuWon's caliber impatient.
A goal so grand that even Zeus, the great king of Olympus, would find it difficult to reach.
And Hercules didn't know what that important goal was.
Thud~
"I see. I wonder what it could be."
The closed door opened, and YuWon, who had been listening inside, came out. Herbs were applied to his arm, and it was bandaged.
"Are you sure you don't need to rest, with your body like this?"
"I only have my arm injured, so it's not like I can't move."
"No, no. Take some time to recover."
"Do I look that beat up?"
It was true that he needed rest to recover. Even a resilient player like YuWon would need more than a few days' rest for his arm.
Of course, YuWon was well aware of that and didn't like pushing himself too hard.
But...
"Forget it. It's not like we're going to fight anyway, but I'm going out."
That didn't mean he could stay still now.
The moment he had been waiting for had arrived.
Hercules' eyes widened at YuWon's words.
"Where are you going?"
"It was a little faster than I expected, but..."
YuWon took out his player kit with his uninjured left hand and held it in front of him.
"I think I should descend to the first floor."
And a single character floated above it.
[Hephaestus: Completed]
