Nova didn’t know whether to laugh or cry at that. What happened to Eiruk to make him think this way? There was only one thing to do—ask.
“Why do you say that?”
Eiruk grinned, lifting his head toward the sky as if nothing beneath it could ever touch him. “Because I just scared away hundreds of animals,” he said, pride ringing in every word.
Nova almost burst out laughing. ‘An invincible idiot’, he thought, shaking his head.
While waiting to see if Eiruk would ever realize how ridiculous he sounded, curiosity gnawed at him. Without another word, Nova called up his Status.
[Status]
Rank: 0
Name: Nova Grey
Species: Human
Affiliation: None
Level: 6 (170/500)
Mana: Mana Core (Low) (781419/100000000)
Class: None
Titles: Goblin Exterminator, Kings Slayer, Survivor, Spear Novice, Troll Exterminator, Orc Exterminator, Rune Novice, Mana Novice
Stat Points: 294
Attributes:
Strength: 127 (+1357)
Vigor: 100 (+1056)
Dexterity: 150 (+1637)
Speed: 110 (+1189)
Intelligence: 66 (+677)
Wisdom: 110 (+1128)
Will: 10
Luck: 10 (+1)
Skills
Active: Spear Thrust (15) (152/16384000), Spear Jab (15) (19/16384000), Spear Sweep (16) (8162476/32768000), Spear Lunge (11) (583746/1024000), Spear Overhead Strike (10) (757/512000), Sword Slash (1) (75/1000), Sword Stab (1) (11/1000), Sword Chop (0) (141/500), Sword Sweep (1) (48/1000), Sword Parry (1) (184/1000), Sword Block (0) (497/500), Blacksmithing (1) (346/1000), Woodworking (0) (54/500)
Passive: Regeneration (11) (154213/512000), Keen Reflexes (3) (267/4000), Momentum Streak (15) (1440127/16384000), One with the World (Spear) (MAX), One with the World (Footwork) (MAX)
‘Almost 300 Stat Points to allocate…’ Nova mused, his thoughts turning restless. ‘How strong would I become if I used them all?’ The temptation tugged at him, but he knew the consequences. ‘But then the difficulty of the portals would skyrocket…’ He shook his head, murmuring, “Not worth it.”
Satisfied with his progress, Nova turned to Eiruk. “Bring me to the sealed mountain.”
“Sure,” Eiruk replied with an easy smile. Noticing the cold edge in Nova’s gaze, he assumed it was due to the upcoming meeting with his king. With a reassuring nod, he added, “Don’t worry—I’ll protect you if my King tries to kill you.”
Nova nearly laughed aloud. ‘Did it only take a week for this giant to become even more of an idiot?’ Still, he couldn’t resist playing along. With a faint smile, he said, “I’ll leave the king to you—if you think it’ll be that easy.”
“Easy,” Eiruk said without hesitation, still basking in his earlier triumphs. He didn’t even glance at Nova as he spoke.
And with that, they set off toward the sealed mountain.
The journey was uneventful—at least, aside from Eiruk’s constant attempts to flaunt his strength. No creature was too small to challenge; he seemed determined to prove his dominance over every animal that crossed their path, no matter how insignificant.
Nova could only smirk. ‘The more he thinks he’s invincible, the funnier it’ll be when we meet Ordun. I can’t wait.’ A quiet chuckle escaped his lips.
Five hours later, they arrived at a towering mountain, its peak piercing the sky. Strange symbols were carved into the stone—symbols Nova could read: “Sealed.” At a glance, it looked like any other mountain, aside from its sheer size and the constant flow of mana swirling around it like an invisible storm.
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Studying the mountain with growing curiosity, Nova recognized the familiar structure of an array. Yet, no matter how much he analyzed it, the deeper mechanisms remained elusive. All he could tell was that the array acted as a powerful reinforcement, binding the mountain in place.
‘This civilization keeps pushing me to study arrays’, he mused. ‘I’m starting to wonder how far more advanced ones could take them.’
Turning his gaze to Eiruk, he asked, “Do you have a way to get inside?”
Eiruk’s grin widened as he cracked his knuckles. “No—but I can just open up a hole.”
Nova sighed internally. ‘Seriously, this guy’s going to get himself killed if I don’t wake him up before I leave this portal.’ Yet, despite the thought, his lips curled into a faint, amused smile. ‘But this is also more entertaining.’
“Go ahead, then,” Nova said, gesturing toward the mountain.
The two of them approached the array, stopping just before its shimmering surface. The flow of mana was so dense and tangible that Nova felt as though he were breathing it in instead of air. For a fleeting moment, he wondered if there was even a difference—until Eiruk’s loud shout snapped him out of his thoughts.
Turning his gaze, Nova saw the giant preparing to strike. Eiruk had taken up a punching stance, muscles coiled as he stepped forward, intent on forcing his way through the array with sheer strength.
‘What fun would it be if you realized you’re weak already?’ Nova mused, his lips curving into a faint smirk. Without a word, he moved—thrusting his spear toward the array with such blistering speed that Eiruk didn’t even notice.
The spear pierced the barrier an instant before Eiruk’s fist connected, tearing open a hole large enough for the giant to pass through.
[Spear Thrust proficiency increased]
Nova smoothly withdrew his spear just as Eiruk turned toward him, beaming with pride. “See? Easy. Come on, follow me.”
Nodding, Nova offered a light, almost playful compliment. “You’ve really gotten stronger, Eiruk.”
Pleased with himself, the giant strode forward without another thought, and Nova followed closely behind.
Beyond the array stood an enormous cave entrance, easily a hundred meters high. Its sheer scale made Nova pause, a new thought creeping into his mind.
‘An illusion or camouflage—another layer of array’, he reasoned silently, stepping into the shadowed depths alongside his overconfident companion.
The cave floor was a pale, ethereal blue, while the rocky walls shimmered softly with the same hue, casting a faint, otherworldly glow that illuminated the entire space. The air inside was cool and crisp—so pure that Nova felt as if he were breathing the essence of untouched nature itself.
Arching an eyebrow, he murmured, “Is this because of the array… or the rocks?”
Without knowing the nature of the shimmering stones, he couldn’t draw a final conclusion. Yet, as they ventured deeper, the air grew even fresher—almost unnervingly so.
‘It’s definitely the cave, not the array’, Nova thought, his curiosity deepening. ‘What could possibly make the air this pure?’
Lost in contemplation, he followed Eiruk without a second thought, his steps quiet against the glowing floor. The giant, however, seemed blissfully unaware of the unusual air. Instead, he admired the radiant blue walls, enjoying the refreshing sensation as if it were nothing more than a pleasant breeze.
They walked in silence for what felt like hours—though in truth, only minutes had passed—when Eiruk’s voice broke the quiet. “There’s an open gate ahead,” he said, pointing forward.
Snapped out of his thoughts, Nova lifted his gaze. Sure enough, a massive, shimmering blue gate stood before them, as tall as the cave’s entrance. It yawned open, as if whoever had passed through hadn’t bothered to close it—or hadn’t needed to.
The two exchanged glances before approaching the gate, scanning it for clues. Its surface was covered in intricate carvings—elegant but cryptic, with no obvious meaning or pattern. Whatever secrets it held remained locked behind the silent stone, if there were even any.
Nova shrugged, pushing his questions aside. “Let’s keep going. With you here, we’ve got nothing to worry about—right, Eiruk?”
The giant grinned, flexing his fingers. “That’s right! Who would dare mess with me?”
‘Yeah, nobody’, Nova thought sarcastically as he stepped through the door, Eiruk beside him.
Barely ten steps in, the cave walls opened into a vast circular chamber where he couldn’t see the end of it.
In the center of the chamber sat a giant, a massive sword planted beside him. His skin was a deep bronze, laced with veins of shimmering gold, while a wild mane of black hair framed his face. Dressed in black hide that covered most of his body, he radiated an oppressive presence—so heavy it could subdue weaker foes without lifting a finger.
Nova’s gaze swept over him, quickly catching the large crown resting on his head. ‘Found you’, he mused. ‘Crown and king. The whole package.’
Then his eyes narrowed as he noticed the ink-black name floating above the giant’s head.
[Giant King]
‘Let’s see how strong the king of such a race is’
[Giant King]
Rank: 0
Name: Ordun
Species: Orc
Affiliation: None
Level: 11
Class: None
Attributes:
Strength: 619
Vigor: 653
Dexterity: 627
Speed: 563
Intelligence: 419
Wisdom: 541
Will: 3
Luck: 1
"Insane," Nova muttered, his eyes wide as he compared the Stats between Grimthar and Ordun. The gap was staggering—far too large. With that kind of raw power, Ordun could toy with the entire giant race at will.
But then, a new realization settled in for Nova: the true difficulty of a Blue portal.
He thought he had seen it all, but this made him realize how much he had underestimated the leap in difficulty. And with that realization came a sobering thought:
‘I need to build every Node as soon as possible or I won’t even be able to clear a Purple portal.’
Lost in thought about his next steps, Nova barely noticed Eiruk beside him, who had gone unnervingly quiet. The giant gulped, suddenly being shaken awake from his earlier delusion, he took a hesitant step toward Ordun.
"K-King?" Eiruk stammered, his voice trembling.
Being called out, Ordun’s head turned. His golden eyes locked onto Eiruk, and the sheer weight of that gaze made Eiruk feel as though he were being pierced to the core. A primal urge to kneel overwhelmed him, but he stood frozen, unable to do anything but tremble under the king’s intense stare.
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