Chapter 70: A Runaway and a Fighter (2)
“Hamang!”
A giant water balloon, no Hamang, hurled himself into the air and attacked the side of the Gigatitan.
Hamang was heavily bloated after gulping down the seawater. His weight reached hundreds of tons. Of course, his weight was incomparable to the Gigatitan, which weighed over 2,500 tons. However, it was enough to make the monster stagger.
The Gigatitan’s legs tripped over one another. Like a tap dancer suddenly staggering by a gym ball from the side, the monster stumbled to balance itself without falling down. That saved the commander of post twenty-three.
The leg that was about to trample on the commander was pushed to the side by a few feet. It drove deep into the earth as it smashed a rock. The impact showered the commander with several fragments, but he didn’t get hurt. He was unhurt because he had a protector.
“Get down!”
A shadow appeared to protect him right after the shout was heard. The man seemed to lift something flat high up, and he began brandishing in a grand manner. Soon, sparks of fire bounced off in all directions. A flash of light was emitted from the object in the dark, which allowed him to see his surroundings clearly.
Someone was wielding a shovel. And the man was standing in a strange posture the commander had never seen before as he grabbed the shovel with both of his hands.
But there was something extraordinary about his movement. He was like an arrow that was directly hitting its target. He blocked every piece of rock that flew in his way. The man ruthlessly whacked, blocked, bounced, and pushed the rocks with his shovel.
He’s like… a shield with a handle.
That was what the commander thought of the scene. At last, the shovel handler turned around.
“Are you alright?”
“Uhm, I-I…”
“You looked fine. Please follow me.”
The man was no other than Lloyd, and he spoke to the commander as he slung the shovel over his shoulder. The dazed commander trailed Lloyd.
“Where are we going?”
“Where do you think? We’re running away.”
“Excuse me?”
“Didn’t you hear me?” asked Lloyd. “We’re running away.”
Lloyd’s voice dripped with casualness. The commander’s face hardened.
“I cannot run away. I must protect this place,” replied the commander.
“But you won’t be able to.”
“Still, I have to protect this place.”
“You don’t have to.”
“Eh? What do you mean…”
“Because I will protect this place for you.”
Lloyd, running on his feet, pointed toward one side. The gaze of the commander traced Lloyd’s finger. He spotted fire that was developing all over the destroyed post, where the pile of ammunition had blown up.
Amid the plume of fire stood tall Javier, the silver-haired knight. He was holding only one object in his hand: a long sword. Confidence reeled off him as not a single lash of his eyelid quivered in the face of the giant monster who was dozens of times larger than his body. Instead, he raised his sword high and aimed at the monster. He leaped from the ground.
He charged forward like a tornado. Leaping over the rocks, he jumped over the blazing fire. Right in front of it, there was the eleventh leg of the Gigatitan. Javier brushed past its leg. His sword became a ray of light, sweeping its leg.
Sparks gave off from the friction. A tiny scratch appeared at the end of its leg. Javier’s eyebrow quivered after pulling his sword back.
It wasn’t slashed?
He had expected that at least half of its leg would be sliced in half. However, his attack rendered a different result.
One more time.
The mana of the manaheart fluctuated. The rotation power of the triple circle shot up. Javier’s movement became faster.
Javier moved too fast for the Gigatitan’s gaze. He rushed into the monster’s blind spot and he jumped and stepped on its leg. He used the kick to leap up to its knees. That part looked vulnerable and defenseless compared to the rest of it.
Javier’s sword glimmered. Cutting across the space, he thrust his sword into the leg joint. However, he failed to slash the shell.
The sword attack, which was loaded with the mana blast, bounced off. When his attack was repulsed, the silver-haired knight’s eyes were filled with surprise. Lloyd, who had run away prior and just turned around, grimaced instantly.
Oh, come on, Javier. I told you we shouldn’t fight.
Lloyd’s heart pounded aloud. Just then, he recalled what happened earlier in the day.
“All right! Bangul.”
“Bangul?”
“Eat this.”
“Banguuul?”
“It’s a blue sunflower seed. Hurry before the monster notices you.”
Lloyd held out the blue sunflower seed to Bangul. This had taken place right after they swam through the sea on Bangul and safely arrived at the shore. First, Lloyd downsized Bangul. He gave a quick scan of his surroundings.
“What do you plan on doing now?” asked Javier seriously.
Lloyd replied matter-of-factly, “What else? We’ve got to hide.”
“Excuse me?”
Javier slightly furrowed his brows.
“By hide, do you mean ambush the monster?”
“No.”
“Then what do you mean?” asked Javier.
“Ambush? Why would we ambush anyone? We need to hide.”
“Excuse me?”
“Hold on, are you thinking of fighting that monster?”
“Well, of course…”
“Don’t even try. You’re going to get beaten and die.”
Lloyd threw off the tuxedo that had become heavy from being drenched in water. He continued to speak as if he couldn’t wrap his head around why this conversation was even taking place.
“This place isn’t our city. Besides, they have armed forces here. So why on earth should we fight with a gun, no, sword?”
“Um, well…”
“For justice? Something like that?”
Lloyd cocked his head to the side. Javier’s furrow deepened.
“Then what did you mean when you shouted earlier?”
“When did I shout?”
“You replied that you would go yourself when the count had asked you what your plan was now.”
“Yeah, I did shout that.”
“Then why are you not taking responsibility for your words?”
“I said that I’d come here. I didn’t tell him what I’d do after getting here.”
“Right? So, who cares if I go hide now? Why should I put my life on the line for someone else?”
“But, Master Lloyd…”
“Do you think I’m a Superman?”
“Eh? Superman? What do you mean…”
“What, do I look like a hero who’s going to save the world?”
There was no way Javier saw him that way. Lloyd had never thought of himself like that either. He wasn’t Superman nor a hero in a movie who could perform extraordinary feats.
I’m just a normal guy who wants to pay off his debt and live the rest of his life in peace.
He was nothing but a hardworking young man who lived every day to achieve such a goal in mind. He worked hard to win business contracts and make money. An ordinary, hardworking man. That was what Lloyd was.
“Fighting that monster that’s as big as a building? Do you even hear yourself?”
The monster had sent the large statue hundreds of feet in the air with just one blow. It destroyed five sailboats by bumping into them just once. Dozens of cannon balls hit it, only to not even lay a scratch.
Fighting that monster?
Lloyd would have tried if he had stood a chance, but every fiber of his being said that it was impossible. In all frankness, Lloyd was scared. He couldn’t even muster the courage to try.
So, he concluded that what cannot be done cannot be changed, though it was painful to imagine the harm the monster would cause to the people. To Lloyd, the encouraging words to fight the monster as a group sounded the same as a suicide pact.
Lloyd thus spoke. “Let me be very clear. I do not intend to fight. That’s why I spewed some vague words and got out of the sailboat. Now, I will find somewhere safe to hide. I will hide until this chaos calms down a bit.”
“Then what do you plan on doing after the situation settles down?” asked Javier.
“Well, obviously, the count needs to pay me.”
“Once I get the payment for the project, I’m done. Yeah, yeah, I know, this is cunning and sly. However, my hands are tied. There’s nothing I can do. What do you expect me to do here? What more can I possibly do?”
Lloyd argued that there was nothing he could do. Javier’s gaze turned icy as he looked at Lloyd. The words that came out of his mouth were equally icy.
“Is this the kind of person you were all the time, Master Lloyd?”
“What?”
“I am disappointed.”
That was the end. Javier turned around. He drew his sword. He asked Ppodong, Bangul, and Hamang, who were all befuddled as to how to act during the argument.
“Do you wish to fight with me?” asked Javier.
“Ppodong!”
“Bangul!”
“Hamang!”
The three summons nodded in unison. A faint smile of satisfaction spread across Javier’s face.
“Great. Shall we go?”
“Ppo!”
“Bang!”
“Ha!”
Javier hugged the three creatures and ran off. They quickly disappeared into the distance.
Just then, messages cascaded in front of his eyes.
[Javier Asrahan is deeply disappointed in you.]
[Your likeability with Javier Asrahan has decreased by five points.]
[Current RP with Javier Asrahan: plus one]
[The intimacy level with Javier Asrahan has decreased one level from
[Even though your relationship with the major character has worsened a little bit, your RP remains unchanged and will not be forfeited.]
[Current RP: 1901]
It appeared that Javier was indignant this time. Lloyd bit his lip.
This is nuts.
He didn’t want himself or Javier to fight the monster. Of course, Lloyd understood that Javier was strong. However, none of this was in The Knight of Blood and Iron he had read.
In the novel, Javier never fought this Gigatitan. Moreover, he wasn’t a sword master like in the novel. Even though he had the triple circle with him, technically speaking, he was still a high-level sword expert. This meant that he could meet his end if he got unlucky and recklessly charged forward in the name of justice.
That can’t happen.
Lloyd didn’t want to lose Javier like that. Was it because he liked Javier?
Of course not.
Why? It’s simple. He’s the most useful person here!
Javier was set to become his biggest asset. His talent would become the backbone of the fiefdom’s prosperity once he was a sword master. On top of that, he was a great equipment for construction at the moment. His mana blast had made quarrying and boring holes in the ground extremely easy.
Plus, I don’t have to pay for his labor!
Lloyd needed to just feed him, and he’d work like a mule. So Lloyd didn’t want to lose such versatile construction equipment like this by throwing him into danger.
That was why… Oh, come on! You have no idea how hard I worked to make you strong! Lloyd ran after Javier, grumbling countless times in his head. He tried to talk Javier out of it. One thing led to another, and that was how Lloyd ended up saving the commander of post twenty-three. Lloyd lashed out at Javier as he ran away with the post commander.
“Hey! That’s enough! Let’s run away!”
“No, thank you.”
Javier, who had already landed on the other side, casually rejected him as he ran in the same direction. The veins on Lloyd’s forehead popped out of his skin.
Lloyd bellowed, “Hey!”
“Yes, Young Master.”
“Does this turn you on? Do you have a hero kink or something?!”
“Excuse me?”
“Excuse me, my ass! Am I wrong? You really think you can stop it?”
“I don’t know. But…”
Javier, who was running at full speed, stopped. He then turned around. The giant monster was charging toward his way. Its foot was shooting down from the sky. Javier positioned his sword toward the incoming foot and used the mana blast.
Javier’s body was sent back along with the fierce shockwave. He was pushed about sixty feet back. Barely recovering his balance, Javier’s eyes blazed with determination.
“It appears there is no one who can stop that thing other than me.” His voice was soft, but it rang aloud by the mana.
“Wow.”
Gosh, he sure acts like he’s the main character of the novel. His meddling and sense of justice are unhealthy at this point.
Lloyd didn’t have the time to blame it on that nor to dissuade him.
“Hey! Dodge!”
Javier must have been annoying the monster with his mana blasts. The Gigatitan started to shower Javier with attacks. It wielded its club-like forearms, its main weapon.
Javier quickly dodged the attack. A string of attacks followed, giving no time to rest for Javier.
Each time its forearm struck down, the ground cracked, and the rocks turned to powder. The formidable shockwave and pieces of rocks shook the whole area. Javier closely managed to avoid the attack each time. He became farther from Lloyd and drew the Gigatitan to his side.
It appeared that Javier was worried that Lloyd would get hurt by the attack that was meant for him.
That idiot!
Javier was drawing all the attention to himself. It looked like he wanted to die. Lloyd’s heart pounded harder as a result.
This is the reason why I said we should hide instead of fight.
However, it was too late to pull out. Lloyd needed to come up with something, otherwise, Javier would be done for. If he was unlucky, Lloyd himself would be dead as well, like a combo deal.
I can’t let that happen.
Lloyd shook his head hard. He strove to calm himself.
First, I need to analyze my surroundings if I want to overcome this situation.
He wiped off the drops of sweat streaking down his eyes, and he quickly scanned the area.
He collected his thoughts
.
The biggest problem is that Javier isn’t doing any damage to the monster.
Javier could slash through steel, but at the moment, his sword strike wasn’t working against the monster’s thick shell.
The Gigatitan looks just like a mantis shrimp. Or a lobster with club-like forearms.
The biggest problem of crustaceans was their hard, sturdy, distinctive shell.
Javier might be able to do something if he can get through its skin.
Lloyd looked into the Gigatitan’s body.
The night was too dark. Furthermore, it was difficult for him to find the gigatan’s weak spot no matter how many times he scanned the monster.
Oh, how I wish that thing was a rock or a ground so I could get a full scan of its shallow layer… Wistfulness flooded his thoughts. Just then, Lloyd was struck with an epiphany.
Eh? Hold on.
Lloyd, who was sighing at length, paused. A new idea hit him. His fragmented thoughts exploded into a fully developed plan.
Survey. The skill that surveys the ground. The skill that sees which part of the ground is solid and weak. That sweet skill analyzes all geographical features of the land up to sixteen feet underground. But will it work against that thing?
He wondered if that could be possible. Surveying a live organism was something he never tried before. He had never expected it to work. On the off chance that it was… It’d be an amazing win for him. Even if it failed, he’d lose nothing. This was a bet he couldn’t lose.
Let’s give it a try. Survey!
Lloyd squeezed his eyes in excitement. Activating the surveying skill, he looked up at the Gigatitan.
[Surveying will begin.]
Along with an unbelievable message, various data points of the Gigatitan’s body parts appeared in front of him.