Chapter 76: A Miracle or an Opportunity? (1)

Crash! A massive force burst out like a powerful wave. It was the first triple circle mana blast in history. The force cut across everything that stood in its way as it rushed forward.

Grrr!! The Gigatitan let out a painful groan for the first time, and its monstrous body was penetrated at once.

The chitin and dense layers, which were hard on their own, had comprised the carapace shell from a molecular level. Then the honeycomb structure that was overlapped in three layers interwoven together one more time. So in short, its thickness and sturdiness was beyond extraordinary.

And that ridiculous structure was over three feet thick, so the monster’s shell was a highly advanced natural bulletproof shield that was miles better than kevlar fibers or a composite armor. However, despite such defensive layers, it was useless against the triple circle mana blast.

Wham! The three-layered honeycomb structure cracked. The interwoven molecules melted.

The blazing heat of the mana blast forcibly penetrated the carapace shell that was three-foot thick. The tissue inside the sturdy and tough shell was relatively weak. The powerful storm of the force shoved its way, shattering and tearing every tissue there.

Tear! The first that got penetrated was the muscle tissues right inside the carapace. When the jellylike muscle tissues were exposed to high temperatures, the protein heated up, and the moisture within the tissues boiled away. It caused extensive damage to the surrounding tissues.

And yet, the blast’s force was not diminished. It kept pushing forward, and this time, it hit the internal organs. Crack! The dorsal nerve cord that ran along its lower body like a spine was pierced through. It snapped, and the huge nerve tissue let out a fatal cry.

The same thing took place with the tissues behind it. The coiled heart just above the dorsal nerve cord was penetrated, as well as its lungs which provided oxygen to its vast body. A portion of the kidney that was bigger than a house and its hormone glands, the muscle tissues on its back, and finally, the three-foot thick sturdy back shell was smashed to pieces. They were melted and ripped apart. They were shattered and penetrated.

Kaboom! The violent and rough force of fire burst through the back of the monster. Shredded strands and pieces of internal organs spurted out in all directions like fireworks as the mana blast continued to charge forward.

Then, they fell down like rain. Lloyd rained down with them. He was sinking into a state of total unconsciousness as he fell.

I’m tired… The distance between the carapace and the ground was about 200 yards, and Lloyd plummeted to the ground like a kite with a cut tail. He could neither balance himself nor brace for an impact. No, he didn’t have the mind to. Everything felt numb in his head. It all felt like a dream. Lloyd’s looked straight ahead with a vague gaze. The bottom of the coastal cliff clogged up with gray rocks came fast into his view.

‘…….’

He wouldn’t be safe if his body continued to plummet down. That was his last thought before Lloyd passed out. His body, on the other hand, continued to fall. But right before he hit the ground, Lloyd’s body became buried under fluffy hair.

“Ppodong!”

Plop! Ppodong, who zoomed to his side just in time, caught Lloyd with his fluffy and chubby back. The thick and soft bed of hair allowed Lloyd to remain uninjured, and he was saved from being bounced off to the ground. But Ppodong couldn’t smile in satisfaction for his feat or be relieved for catching Lloyd. It wasn’t the time to laugh or be relieved.

“Ppo-do-dong! Ppodong!”

Pant! Pant! Instead of being relieved, Ppodong strove to run faster, his breath getting shorter as he ran. Just then, a giant shadow flooded behind Ppodong. Grrrr…!

Bam! Then, Ppodong heard a loud bang along with a roar near the rocks he had passed by earlier. More rocks smashed to pieces, and the blaring noise of breaking rocks mingled with the death throes of the dying monster.

Grrrrrrrrrrr! It was the noise the Gigatitan made as it violently moved. The connecting ligament between carapaces 11 and 12 held a weak spot, and a large hole was bored through it. A part of the dorsal nerve cord was snapped, and the heart and respiratory organs burst had out.

The critical hit would inevitably kill the monster. Despite that, the monster stubbornly struggled, and with an amazing show of stamina, life, and savageness, it delayed its inescapable death by a few seconds. Thus, it was going berserk, squeezing out every strength left in it as death closed in on it. Madness swept over the monster. It rushed to destroy anything in its sight. The rocks in the coastal cliff and Ppodong rushing ahead of it were all objects to be destroyed.

“Grrrrr!!”

Slam! Crash! The club-like forearms doggedly rained down, and Ppodong hurried all the more. His breathing became short, and his legs gave way. And yet, he continued to run.

He jumped over rocks and moved on, struggling to get as away from the Gigatitan as much as possible. But the monster’s determination was a bit stronger than his speed. Crash!

“Ppo…?”

Its forearm propelled down, blocking the front of Ppodong. Ppodong stopped dead in his tracks in surprise and hurriedly tried slip out through the left side. However, his attempt was blocked again.

Crash! The other forearm blocked his escape route. Ppodong’s round eyes swelled with frustration.

“Ppodong?”

There was no way out. His right and rear were blocked with a giant rock. Certainly, Ppodong could climb up the rock, but he wondered if the Gigatitan would sit and wait while he struggled to climb up the rock. The answer was no. There was no way out. Climbing over the rock would get him caught. Therefore, Ppodong thought there was only one method left in him.

“Ppodong! Ppo-do-dong! Hmphh!!”

He glared at the Gigatitan fiercely, revealing his front teeth and growling aloud. The monster’s upper torso fell down in the direction of Ppodong. Its wide-opened mouth rushed to his side, and it plunged right onto the ground.

Boooom!

“……!”

Ppodong’s buttock flinched hard. A little later, this loyal and chubby summon creature was able to witness a surprising spectacle. Thud… Thud… Amid the splattering of rock powder and dust, Ppodong saw an outline of the giant monster.

But the giant body was not moving. It was neither moving nor breathing. That only meant one thing.

“Ppodong?”

The monster’s breathing had stopped. Ppodong’s eyes widened as he realized that it was dead. But despite the fact that he was alive and safe, he neither congratulated nor rejoiced in being alive.

Instead, he ran on. He left the monster and ran ahead without halting for a second. His heart was almost bursting with exhaustion, but he went on. He did so for Lloyd on his back.

“Ppodong! Ppo-do-dong!”

Lloyd was on his back, and his heartbeat was very faint. His breaths were extremely faint. There was no time to waste. He had to save his owner.

“Ppo-do-dong!”

Pant! Pant!

“Ppodong!”

Just a little more. Just endure a little longer. Ppodong ran as if he was encouraging both himself and Lloyd. He was heading toward the city district of Cremo, where the chaos had died down. And behind him was the dead body of the giant monster that shone under the moonlight. The disastrous night was drawing to a close.

♣

Six days later. The citizens in the city were starting to recover from the shock of the incident following the death of the monster.

Everyone became one in clearing the broken rocks and restoring the crumbled walls. The injured ones received appropriate treatment in time, and those who lost their homes got help from their neighbors.

But no one forgot what happened that night. They couldn’t forget about it. Everyone could still see a giant silhouette lurking on the ground, immobile and dead, whenever they turned their heads as they cleared the rocks, built walls, or nursed others. The carcass of the Gigatitan. It was left at the coastal cliff as if it was sleeping. People recounted the night of the disaster as they looked at the giant carcass.

At the same time, they were relieved. The disaster was uncalled for, and yet not a single one died despite the frenzied chaos.

“It was a miracle. I never expected that someone come to my rescue this fast when I was flailing my arms in the water.”

A middle-aged woman was getting treated in the infirmary as she spoke.

“It was like thunder. The noise. The boat fluctuated violently, and I felt my whole body turn upside down at that moment. The next thing I know is that I was in the cold water, struggling to swim. Yes. The moment the monster hit the boat, I was sent flying away into the water,” she continued to speak.

“So? How did you get out of the sea?” asked a volunteer.

The other volunteers pricked up their ears. The middle-aged woman smiled faintly and said, “that man held out his hand.”

“That man?”

“I do not know his name. He is the one that summoned the large creature at the plaza last month.”

“Oh, that man. I know him. The snake-like creature belched out a large amount of gas into a large diaper.”

“Yes, him. He didn’t hesitate to come down and help me get out of the water. I wasn’t the only one. He saved an old man who was losing consciousness and sinking and a struggling child beside him. The man saved them all.”

“Woah…”

The volunteers let out a sound of adoration at her story. Another talk was taking place at the central plaza beside the infirmary.

“Hey, did you hear?”

“Hear what?”

“The story about the young man.”

“What nonsense are you talking about? Give me some context.”

“Oh, the young man, you know. The one who boasted around that he’s going to construct something near the shore.”

“Oh! That fellow.”

They were at the plaza that was partly destroyed by the statue that fell from the sky. The workers were chatting as they repaired the place.

“What about the young man?”

“I heard that it was him who put out the fire.”

“Fire? How?”

“He called a summon partner. I heard the chubby creature splashed water over the fire or something.”

“That was how he did it?”

“Yeah. And thanks to him, the fire was put out.”

“Haha, really? Is that possible?”

“The story must be going around because it is possible. There are many witnesses.”

“Is that so?”

Some workers had their ears to the ground as they worked while some shared the stories they’d heard with a glimmer in their eyes. However, the story wasn’t being spread around just in infirmaries and plazas.

“I saw it myself. It is all true.”

“True? Be more specific. Are you saying that Lloyd Frontera bore a large hole into the Gigatitan’s huge body?”

“Yes, he did.”

The conversation was taking place in the meeting room of Count Cremo’s study. A follow-up investigation was underway, which was led by an investigative committee.

The commander of post 23, who appeared before the body as a reference, nodded his head. “If you do not mind, may I walk you through what I saw one by one?” he asked.

“Yes, please do.”

“Thank you.”

The commander collected his breath and continued to speak.

“To be completely honest, I resolved to die that night. The post was smashed, and the Gigatitan had already made inroads to the land. So, I decided to take action.”

“What action?” one of the committee members asked.

“I blew up the gunpowder in the post.”

“Gunpowder?”

“Yes, I meant to attack the Gigatitan but failed.”

“Did it not get hit?”

“No, it wasn’t hurt at all. I was on the brink of death, and that man showed up to save me.”

“Lloyd Frontera did?”

“Yes, he did.” The commander nodded.

His gaze then traveled the people present in the room, from the count to the other members of the committee. Putting more force in his voice, he said, “He saved my life, and not only that, he evacuated me to a safe place and fought head-on.”

“Do you mean the Gigatitan?”

“Yes. Technically speaking, the silver-haired knight fought first, and he came later to help.”

The commander of post 23 continued to explain. He shared the story of Javier fighting against the Gigatitan. And how Lloyd drew the monster’s attention with the repaired mermaid statue. How Javier passed out, and Lloyd ran and fought back. And lastly, he shared the mysterious explosion that penetrated the Gigatitan’s body.

While the story was being revealed, the count and every committee member clenched their fists, gulped drily, and let out intermittent moans and made sounds of adoration. The story was too impressive to believe right away, but it was impossible to distrust it. That was because of the smoking gun. The huge hole drove into the Gigatitan’s body.

The count asked, “Did you get to take a closer look at how Lloyd Frontera created that hole in its body?”

“No, he was so far away from me, and it was dark. I couldn’t get a closer look at how it was done. However, it was very…”

“Very?”

“It looked like he was shooting a powerful cannon.”

“A cannon?” repeated the count.

“Yes.”

“Hmm, a cannon…”

The count furrowed his brows. None of the cannons he owned managed to penetrate the monster’s shell. And yet, Lloyd had looked like he was shooting a cannon?

“Could it be that he secretly used powerful magic?” the count speculated.

“I have a feeling that he did,” the commander seconded.

“I see. Thank you for sharing the story. Good job. You may go now.”

“Yes, Your Excellency. Thank you,” he said before he went out.

The members of the committee, now left to themselves, chatted with one another. Meanwhile, the count quietly closed his eyes.

Whew… I hope he wakes up soon. The count thought about Lloyd. The very young man who came from the Frontera fiefdom that sat in the corner of the east. The count counted the handful of accomplishments that the young man achieved overnight.

If it weren’t for him, I’d have died that night too. He was telling the truth. It must have been some seconds before the Gigatitan emerged and crushed the statue. At that moment, Lloyd had sliced the anchor ropes of the boats. It was thanks to his actions that the boat the count was on narrowly managed to avoid Gigatitan’s ambush.

There was more. They were able to rescue a countless number of people in the sea because they had an intact sailboat. And not only that, he extinguished the fire that spread in the city district and killed the monster with his hands. I can’t count the amount of debt this city’s people and I owe him for this. A sense of gratitude flooded his heart. Please, wake up, dear friend. The count sincerely wished that. Lloyd was the reason that miraculously no one had died in this incident, and the count wished that a miracle would fall on him as well.

After the night of the disaster, Lloyd’s heart stopped. It didn’t beat again. But he wasn’t dead. He was still breathing. His heart stopped, but his breathing continued. This lasted for the past six days.

It was a mystery no one had ever heard of or seen before. As such, the count was absolutely clueless. No, it wasn’t just him. Everyone in the city was left in the dark. Lloyd’s heart, which seemed to have stopped from the impact of the mana blast, was going through something strange, unprecedented, and miraculous.