Chapter 32
The moment he stepped out of the mountain. Suhyuk and the viewers witnessed something astounding.
– Whoa…
– What is that?
– Damn, that’s freaking huge LOLOLOL LOL
The giant could be seen starting from the mountainside. It looked like a toy village made of Legos being trampled. The tiny dots under the giant’s feet looked no different from a swarm of ants.
“Haa-.”
With a sigh, he let his inner thoughts slip out.
“Why the hell does that bastard keep getting bigger…”
– LOLOLOL LOLOLOL
– For real, it does seem bigger LOLOLOL
– Still growing LOLOLOL
– Giant traits: Growth spurt
At first, he wondered if he was mistaken due to the distance. But dismissing it as a simple misconception was impossible given the sheer difference.
‘It’s easily twice as big as it was in the cutscene.’
No matter how far away it was, the increase in size was unmistakable. There had to be a reason for the giant’s growth.
And that reason was probably related to…
『Stage 7 – “Lightning” begins.』
The grand theme of this trial.
-It had something to do with the name “Trial of Lightning”.
-The trial’s name is Lightning?
-Salivating already
-This is rare
‘This is the final one.’
His instinct as a player told him so. As expected, that giant was the final boss of the “Trial of Lightning”.
No matter what stunts he pulled, there was nothing beyond this.
Of course.
The thought of something bigger than this showing up would make one despair at the heavens.
‘Lightning, huh…’
Buzz-
He sparked a tiny lightning at his fingertip. Although acquired sooner than planned, the lightning was now in his hands.
Something felt off.
Could the reward at the end of this trial be just the lightning?
‘No. Absolutely not.’
Lightning. It was undoubtedly a powerful skill.
Even a single fragment could unleash considerable A-grade power, and each additional fragment would multiply its strength.
He knew.
But still.
‘It’s not enough.’
The moment he reached that conclusion, Suhyuk shook his head.
‘It’s too early to be greedy before even starting.’
Thinking about rewards before the trial ended was premature. It was far too early. He needed to focus on the immediate goal.
‘A head-on collision is out of the question.’
No matter how many stats he gained or how well he cleared his meridians, facing such a giant head-on was impossible. No, that wasn’t something to approach head-on in the first place.
‘Is this all I have?’
【Lightning Spear】
Grade: Legendary
Buzz, crackle-
The yellow sphere crackled with faint electricity in Suhyuk’s hand. It seemed unable to contain its power even before activation.
Just as the giant in front of him wasn’t meant to appear in this segment, the same could be said for the legendary-grade item.
– Run away
– A chat message caught his eye.
“Run away?”
Suhyuk shook his head.
“There’s no need for that.”
– A real fight? With that thing?
– Classic Suhyuk, no backing down
– This is insane
Wolf Warrior, Giant Chief. Despite having taken down all sorts of difficult bosses and passing trials, the viewers found it hard to believe in Suhyuk.
It was understandable. No matter how exceptional Suhyuk’s control was, how could he possibly kill such a colossal monster?
And Suhyuk felt the same.
However.
This trial wasn’t meant to be solved in the conventional way.
“No need to overthink it.”
Clench-
Gripping the Lightning Spear tightly in his hand.
“All I need is one good throw.”
With his back turned to the path leading to the village. Suhyuk’s steps headed towards the mountain’s peak.
*
Boom-!
Thunder roared as bolts of lightning struck downward. A sky filled with thick clouds. The lightning from within gathered into his hand.
『”Lightning Spear” is initiating.』
『Initiation Progress: 33.1%』
Buzz, crackle-!
It was hot. Despite the time that had passed since initiation, it was only at 33 percent.
『Fatigue increased to 84.』
It felt similar to when using the lightning skill.
The difference was that the penalty was far greater than just using it.
『“Selfish Sacrifice Lv3” resists the damage from “Lightning Spear”.』
『Resistance failed.』
『Effect is negligible.』
It was a message he hadn’t seen since he started using the skill. He knew skills also applied to items through the magic sword, but he hadn’t expected resistance failure.
Of course.
No matter how growth-oriented the skill was, self-Sacrificing was still a D-grade skill. Its level was too low to withstand the burden from a legendary-grade item.
‘This is just the beginning.’
Lightning Spear.
Fully initiating this item was the actual start of this trial.
Buzz, crackle-!
It went wild in his hand. With such power, creating a spear solely with skill was impossible for him at this moment.
The only reason it was possible was one.
A legendary-grade item. One that could be initiated only once, thanks to the “Lightning Spear”.
‘I can do it.’
Skills and items that took a long time to initiate shared a commonality. They would exert far higher power compared to other items of the same grade.
This was evident from the lightning raging in his hand. The small light sphere transformed into the shape of a spear, unleashing a power that couldn’t be produced in this segment.
‘Of course, that’s if I hit properly.’
Boom-!
Once again, the lightning struck, and the spear in Suhyuk’s hand swelled in size.
Buzz, the electricity coursed through his palm and into his body.
“Urgh…”
He staggered a bit.
Each strike of the lightning brought a significant shock. He gripped the spear tightly, focusing to prevent it from slipping from his hand.
– Huh? Didn’t we see this before?
– Got the lightning and now he’s eternally in pain LOLOLOL
– Eternal agony Suhyuk LOLOLOL
Seeing the chat, a small smile crept up on Suhyuk’s face. They were right. A player wielding lightning had to endure constant pain. The power of the lightning used the user’s own stamina as fuel to burn brightly.
『”Lightning Spear” is initializing.』
『Initialization progress: 50.0%』
Boom-!
As the progress hit 50 percent, a much larger bolt of lightning struck. The lightning grew more intense. In the distance below the mountain, Suhyuk saw the giant’s head turn toward him.
‘It noticed.’
No matter how far away it was, making such a commotion couldn’t go unnoticed. And it was nighttime now. The lightning, which had just begun to illuminate the mountaintop, was now lighting up the entire village.
‘Halfway there.’
Initialization progress 50 percent. An equal amount of time was still needed for the item to reach its full potential.
“This is damn exhausting.”
Drip-
Sweat from his forehead dripped to the ground.
This trial was truly brutal.
There was only one way to pierce the giant’s heart and finish it off.
To fully initialize the Lightning Spear, the weapon he obtained from the sixth trial.
‘No.’
Buzz, crackle-!
Suhyuk glanced at the spear wildly sparking in his hand.
‘This is the start.’
Just like any weapon, no matter how powerful, if it missed its target, it was useless. Especially given the distance right now.
“Faidal-!”
Thud-
The giant, having spotted him, roared in rage. The giant began to charge towards the mountain where the lightning had struck.
Fortunate or unfortunate, the situation changed slightly from what he initially thought.
“Whoa?”
– Damn LOLOLOL LOLOLOL
– How fast is that thing?
– Is it the Hulk? LOLOLOL LOL
– Thud thud thud thud-
It covered several meters in a single step with incredible leaping ability. The giant, leaping upward, quickly began to traverse the lower part of the mountain.
“Faidal-!”
Growl-
It climbed the mountain using its massive hand. The menacing red glow in its eyes and the growling reverberated through the mountain.
The moment the giant saw Suhyuk, it realized.
That he was the human who had killed its son.
“It’s really pissed…”
Suhyuk muttered, looking troubled at the speed of the approaching giant.
– Wouldn’t you be pissed if he killed your son?
– True LOLOLOL
– Where’s your conscience?
There was no time to respond to each chat comment. It wasn’t as if he was saying it without knowing the answer.
– But how is he going to hit that?
– Yeah, it’s too fast.
– If he misses once, isn’t he screwed?
– Maybe the spear has a homing function?
— As if it would.
The giant was closing the distance swiftly—what took a carriage a long time to travel, the giant was covering in mere moments.
Whatever its physical capabilities were, the giant was practically flying up the mountain.
At this rate, it would reach Suhyuk’s location in just a few minutes.
‘Focus.’
Standing at the edge of a steep cliff, Suhyuk watched the giant rapidly approaching.
『”Lightning Spear” is initializing.』
『Initialization progress: 76.6%』
Fortunately, the giant’s speed and the initialization time of the spear roughly matched up.
The main question was whether he could hit the target.
He only had one shot. His pupils dilated. As his concentration peaked, the penalty from the lightning lessened.
He heard a voice.
“Never take your eyes off the target.”
Every time Suhyuk prepared to throw a spear, he remembered those words.
Choi Suhoon.
A comrade from Blue Eyes, who stood nearly 2 meters tall and wielded a 3-meter long giant spear. On the first day Suhyuk crafted a spear using lightning, Suhoon taught him the art of javelin throwing.
“Never take your eyes off the target. That’s where javelin throwing begins.”
The giant’s image loomed ever larger as it raced toward him. The ground quaked, and the giant’s form grew bigger in his vision.
He didn’t take his eyes off the target. The javelin throw had already begun.
“Parabolic arcs, forget them. Predictions? You don’t need them.”
Suhoon’s advice as he watched Suhyuk throw the lightning spear.
“Just throw it. You’ve played shooting games, right? There’s a function called ‘Hitscan’.”
Hitscan.
A function commonly used in first-person shooting games, where bullets reach the target instantly.
“Movement patterns? Forget them. Thoughts? Don’t bother. You’re different from other spear throwers.”
Buzz, crackle-
The sensation of the lightning running through his fingertips was exhilarating.
『”Lightning Spear” is initializing.』
『Initialization progress: 90.2%』
The initialization was nearly complete. With such power, it felt like it could pierce anything.
But.
‘That’s not enough.’
Just hitting the target was insufficient. If he hit less critical areas like the hands, legs, or shoulders, it would still result in failure.
‘Vital spot.’
He had to pinpoint and hit the most critical spot.
Clench-
Without taking his eyes off the giant. Suhyuk recalled the conversation he had with Suhoon during their last training session.
“So what should I do?”
“After all, the thing you’re trying to throw isn’t an ordinary spear, right? Think of it as shooting, not throwing.”
“Shooting?”
“Yes, shooting.”
“It sounds the same. I asked you to teach me javelin throwing.”
He expected Suhoon to teach him techniques involving posture, timing, and other javelin skills. But Suhoon’s answer was different from what Suhyuk had expected.
“The same?”
Suhyuk realized it only after he tried throwing the lightning spear.
“I doubt it. It’s entirely different.”
It was never the same.
Thud, thud, thud-
The giant was close. Close enough to see the pupils in its eyes.
– What are you doing?
– Throw it already, please!!!
– He’s going to hesitate until the end LOLOLOL
– Throw it or don’t, throw it or don’t…
Suhyuk understood the frustration. The giant was close enough to reach out and grab him. He remained cautious, not stopping the initialization.
‘Vital spot is…’
Thud-
The giant’s footstep echoed loudly.
Roar-!
The giant leapt high, its gaze meeting Suhyuk’s. It made it to his location.
At that moment.
Buzz-
A small golden light flickered in the giant’s eye as it stared straight at him. The hesitation ended. The decision was made on where to pierce the giant’s massive body with the spear.
“-There.”
『”Lightning Spear” is initializing.』
『Initialization progress: 100%』
『Initialization complete.』
Suhyuk’ body, which had bent backward to launch the spear, snapped forward swiftly.
Flash-!