Chapter 177: The Forest of Profane (1)
iW07K8The group looked around. Trees with long leaves blocked the sky above.8z6ZH
YPujEfGFrom above, it seemed there were no gaps, but light squeezed through the tiniest of spaces, illuminating the world. Moss and mushrooms grew in the shade, and the soil felt damp with moisture.0RNNi
VWJpuLYet, it didn’t feel like their original world.yPRQ1RF
EewTiThe secret to the feeling that time had stopped lay in the size of the rocks.fIMKtu
Q2vuFp6The age of a space can be known by the weathering of its rocks. But here, the rocks varied in size. There were small pebbles, but there were also countless house-sized boulders. It was impossible unless someone had moved them.QcgEk
DUFk“The composition of this place might be different from where we lived. Maybe it has the durability to withstand time.”
Canis had a point.KrrrQ9
i7p7qAncient artifacts were made from minerals that didn’t exist in their world. And being an ancient artifact itself meant it was something from a time before history. If it belonged to Heaven, then these rocks, having endured for eons, were living proof.bfm
iOWfT6e“So, this really is heaven?”qH3Pgk
2hM“Let’s check the Spirit Zone first.”nAorlg
GP9Rma5At Amy’s suggestion, each of them tested their ability to cast magic. The Spirit Zone is a realm of omnipotence, but there was an unease that the zone could be disrupted in a physically distant world.OaoBL
MAkIFortunately, their magic worked normally.wABDPy
nVj1dQ“So, this is heaven? Well, we’ve seen the sights; shall we go back now?”L4zzvp
9ooNQiEveryone looked at Tess. Surprised by the attention, she waved her hand awkwardly with an embarrassed smile.JvvoEv5
GyZ1wHh“Haha, no, just joking.”jRk
gXUa“No. I was seriously considering it too.”aNJ7Gnv
UELaIf even Rian was saying such things, it was clear how tense everyone else was.NR1KO
YgQUeCProving this fact, Shirone’s group hadn’t moved a step from the spot where they arrived.kBSqmQ
HT1qShirone took a small but significant step forward and spoke.mtN
FS0“Let’s move. Whether we fell from the sky or space folded, we saw a city. We should walk towards it, right? At least it means there’s civilization.”LNuRpy
S21Where there’s civilization, there’s law. Though it was uncertain if the laws would be reasonable, it was a more practical decision than spending the night in a forest where anything could jump out.YIqRjML
K25uJ4“But how do we find the city? We don’t know the direction.”Obrft
iYY2s“I can handle that.”PkV9G11
84kxaAmy’s eyes turned red. Reading the information stored in her magnetic memory, she pointed in the direction where Rian was standing.Wtits26
3xqW5O“Based on the coordinates, the city should be that way.”Q8f
IFeAmy’s magnetic memory perfectly restored specific moments. Even in this situation where they flew astronomical distances.gnp
JVeDgguThis was based on the fact that her ability wasn’t mathematical. Just as a compass points north regardless of the space, she also possessed a sort of magnet that could maintain her orientation amid any variables.fVINg7
n4RKu2Following Amy, the group didn’t miss the sounds emanating from the landscape. They heard insects and birds, but oddly, nothing was visible.VJMp
x4hRealizing it was a phenomenon not to be overlooked, they stopped when they heard rustling in the forest.RSf
lKCWith heightened senses, Tess drew her saber and turned. Rian, holding the handle of his greatsword, stood by her side.adcMCY
h5Wb“What is it, Tess?”tbzEG3r
kYWLWf1“I don’t know. Someone seems to be approaching us.”a6Je
53WAmy asked with a tense expression.Xv7jjW5
bYoGFQK“Are you sure it’s someone? Not something?”doVSn
aIA4wSYTess couldn’t answer. The breathing sounded human, but she couldn’t be certain.ut2U0A
IyWrwThere was no guarantee anyone lived here.avWh
kVHoIn a situation where some monster might emerge, the group’s tension peaked.97PZJ
6Ah1RSss! Sss!twr5GkE
6UUyneThe sound of foliage rustling grew closer and faster. Tess was sure they were being targeted.4Fheov
8xyThe mages entered the Spirit Zone, and Rian drew his greatsword, lowering it to strike the moment anything emerged from the forest.UD1y
G6rYTaking a deep breath, Rian waited for the approaching entity with a puzzled expression.VuKfR
mJL2Given the frequency of the sounds, it should have arrived by now. Yet, there was only noise, and the entity hadn’t shown itself.g6L
ACJf“Rian, you should step back.”sc5O3K
k8BaaTess’s voice trembled.y3Jij7
PRoFShe thought of one possible scenario. The sound was coming from much farther away than expected.WAl
0zF2Maintaining his stance to strike, Rian stepped back when suddenly, thud! Thud! The ground shook.CbohOEw
E3fBLFinally, pushing through the bushes, it appeared.jIuT
j2VuoDi“What, what is that?”lS2a
UBmIBrShirone looked up. As much as he could lift his head.DRC
m4G4DU6A giant.EJOSm6q
RESAn eight-meter-tall giant. Although it was scantily clad, it wore ragged pieces of cloth here and there.Pcbi
4FaQw6zIts beard reached its chest, and its face was deeply wrinkled, but its body was as robust as a young man’s.nenrRle
be0Tess, strategically trying to find a vital point, checked its groin. It was smooth. Though the face looked masculine, and there were no breasts, it lacked genitals.NL1Y
x5BzeFo“Um… we have a bit of a problem here.”Io68zV
VFmOArin spoke. Tess, who had left the giant’s examination to Rian, turned around and asked.zoFq1c
5sRxQC“What’s wrong? Worse than this?”0Wp
KVrJVZ“I don’t know which is worse, but this is a first for me.”xNPoMGE
3riJSShirone also turned to Arin. How would her insight view the giant now?JqwJ
ghYB“I can’t read its emotions. Whether it’s angry, smiling, or sad. Everything is mixed up.”iAevet
YunsnGXThe most surprised was Canis. Even Harvest, who was materialized behind him, tilted his head while examining the giant.wsI2RL
WU3A9“Arin… can’t read its emotions?”fIVtm9
nZP4AImpossible. It was theoretically impossible.7GCo
j0SO4NThe ability of Insight brings all characteristics of the world to an equal level.7ZRHZvy
dnNIf someone like Sakiri from the Magic Association could block emotions, it would at least show such Insight.Dr2Cp
jUz8JThat Arin couldn’t read the giant’s emotions was certainly strange.ThFJyW
DDR“Those who come to Purgatory… Those who deny God…”oWsr
ls80uIFThe giant’s words were unintelligible. It didn’t seem they could find an interpreter. The only person they could rely on was Arin.ILm5
RwaN7d5But she shook her head again.tnZEroM
diO“I don’t know. I can’t decipher it.”urL5S
RfpNeither Insight nor telepathy worked. Arin was practically blind. She couldn’t even read the expressions, so she borrowed Canis’s eyes.YYT
9Q3Omi“Canis, does that giant seem hostile?”4DD6hc8
gpY“It does seem that way.”qXcRM
n0CCould it be that Arin, who specialized in mental resonance, couldn’t even sense hostility? The reason they ventured into this unknown world was because they trusted in Arin’s ability to nullify dangers.wlosY6u
gFeDWithout Arin, it was impossible. Amy, possibly thinking the same, left the final decision to her.sUqQ
cQtoswL“Arin, what should we do now?”7y12p
HFfdIh“Well, what else? We have to run!”qoRqZ
UQQAs Arin darted away, Amy stood stunned.f3n9Z0c
YEPDkCanis chased after her, and the others began to retreat as well.YjmjGx
EZquAmy, the slowest to react, looked back at the giant. It was uprooting a sapling nearly two meters tall and giving chase.cd0S
7E66kFV“Gaaaah!”t9rBN
v0NzuukThe giant’s roar was as loud as a sonic cannon. In a daze, Amy threw herself aside.YpT5h5
1o4n2cThe sapling’s roots brushed her collar.wXXH
ykE“Being big, it can’t follow us closely! We need to run!”WnOPq
n61BII“Why didn’t you say that earlier?”IAIUO0
Bv3Amy, having caught up to Arin with Schema, shouted. Fortunately, she narrowly escaped the first strike, but had she reacted a bit slower, her back would have been split open.2B0bia
9FsvPNr“Sorry! I didn’t expect this either.”9ld
ATPJzYArin didn’t evade responsibility.k0R
oyiNow that they were in heaven, they were one team. As a non-combat mage, her role was to identify the enemy’s nature and objectively analyze the situation to relay to the leader. With that function disabled, she could only apologize.cUGk6b
bMDZvpHSince they were a united group, no one blamed Arin. But they worried about the future.fMm
9H9Arin’s mental abilities were a huge asset. Although it was too early to conclude that her power didn’t work against just one giant, the fact that things had gone awry from the start was undeniable.zpI
CCDHearing the ground shake, Shirone looked back. Thinking the giant would be slow because of its size was a miscalculation. It had caught up quickly.L8KW
UfvTess’s voice echoed in Shirone’s mind through the mental channel.1JLj
bUfH2-Shirone, give the command. Should we teleport and escape?9SzpaV
4uhOn-That’s risky. We still don’t know where we are. If we encounter a greater danger, we could be wiped out.ghKQT
Govs-But we can’t keep running either. Honestly, I can’t even see what’s around us right now.YtE2jo
Ok70rp-…That’s true. Then let’s fight here. Taking down the giant seems like the priority.sKJV
n9DAs Shirone chose the combat route, Rian and Tess turned and charged at the giant.SV8s
hV6lC8With Shirone at the center, Amy and Canis took their positions on either side, while Arin supported from the rear.52p
xu2L12Rian, the vanguard knight, initiated the attack.Bbox
EArHlRFFighting an eight-meter-tall enemy came with unpredictable variables. Attacks from above the head were hard to predict, and they could only target areas below the knees.yIwTfev
OMjsRian aimed for the Achilles tendon.JjfOmb
LUeAs he swung his greatsword, the giant swung the tree trunk. Their weapons collided midair, and the trunk shattered like splintering wood.273iS
KyukIppIt wasn’t that he had cut it. The giant’s strength was so immense it destroyed its own weapon.sGO
BKS3U37From the impact of the clash, Rian was thrown three meters away. He barely landed on his feet, but his legs dragged on the ground.Dw6qvZ
GBNFeeling a tremor in his right arm, he gripped his greatsword with his left hand and took a combat stance.XcwKO
YGUKTThe giant’s strength was immense. But more surprising was its speed.zVuT5i
sajs2vR“How can it be this fast? It defies physics.”hjXkRHx
FRVMFor a creature of eight meters to support its body, it would need hundreds of times the muscle strength of a human.qcYGy
KGFSJust standing was astonishing, yet its combat movements were comparable to a predator.DPc
knneW“Executing heretics!”s9T
fnnkT6TUttering incomprehensible words, the giant hurled the splintered sapling at Tess.t9N
kl2IChtAs the sapling embedded itself in the ground, Tess leaped into the air.TxH5Xow
CO8Ks2The giant, in a continuous motion, punched. It seemed impossible for Tess, suspended in midair, to dodge.r9zKfN
t510S5hAt that moment, her body flew forward, defying inertia, landing on the giant’s fist.ELwueM
pXqIt was External Gravity.oLwO
3sCPN62Charging up the giant’s forearm, she slashed at its left eye with her saber and jumped down. As the giant covered its eye and raised its torso, she shouted to her team.wq2oH
7gsvu8“Now!”mDijYWX
3T5Shirone fired the Photon Canon. Considering the monster’s size, conserving energy wasn’t an option.uJheln
4P6foA beam of light, comparable to a cannonball, struck the giant’s abdomen.pz2QWH
pn7hG2The giant’s body bent around the Photon Canon, lifting its legs off the ground.6GeEe
dqSP4YUWatching the giant get pushed back was hard to believe. Even Canis, who had previously been hit by the same technique, winced at the hallucination pain.JjnS4
wdOxosShirone’s group thought it was over. But as the giant’s legs, now horizontal, came down, its feet crushed the ground, stopping its momentum.LDQD
G8SEveryone was speechless.5mNCIV
RrjVyiOThe giant had withstood the Photon Canon. Wasn’t this the same magic that had nearly reached 5,000 in destructive power in the Room of Achievement and Sacrifice? The fact that a creature of flesh and blood endured it was unbelievable.psZ
UMACEV“How on earth is it still standing after that?”z92jjQ8
vzmcGecThe giant’s expression twisted. Its wrinkled face became terrifyingly monstrous.ncc4
dWqBAt that moment, a Fireball from Amy flew in, setting the giant’s face ablaze.vmzr
kYoQzAmy’s judgment was spot-on. Fire is the enemy of cells. No matter how strong, burning it was the solution.hCE
1G9sThe giant, its beard aflame, wobbled while clutching its face.HTVYr
vaN5traSeeing the burning giant’s face, their skin crawled. Beneath the melting skin, new skin was regenerating.jlZKGo
4twNjTess murmured in disbelief.gb0
d2Esv“That’s Schema, isn’t it? How can a giant use Schema?”eAvra
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