Lee Shin-Woo walked into the inner part of the Giants' domain with one of the level 7 Giants. From an outside view, it looked like nothing more than an ordinary snow-covered field, but halfway through, he could feel a barrier of mana blocking his way.

It wasn’t physically stopping him from entering, but the barrier would lead one astray and force them to go in another direction, similar to the spatial barrier that prevented access to the mountain range.

[It's in there. You should be able to follow us through.]

"Of course."

The barrier was temporarily removed with the Giant leading the way, and the correct path appeared. Of course, a normal person would find it difficult to follow, but to Lee Shin-Woo, who had figured out the right way to enter the mountain range on his own, it wasn't very difficult. Even if the Giant hadn't been here, he would've been able to figure it out.

"The spatial divergence is substantial, even within the Giants' domain..."

[It's a barrier created by the Titan's Heart itself. Only us Giants are permitted to enter.]

"As I thought. This is what it means to be descendants of Titans…"

[Indeed.]

Lee Shin-Woo felt apologetic to Kratia as he followed the Giant inside; he'd left her behind and was now going to see the Titan's Heart without her. It couldn’t be helped, though. There was no way the Giants would accept her without fully overcoming their instincts.

"Is it going to be a long walk?"

[We'll be there soon.]

And the Giant was telling the truth. The snowy field morphed into a giant icy hill before their eyes. Lee Shin-Woo felt a ridiculous amount of cold air, and he started trembling.

"As expected..."

[Did you hear about everything from Fennos?]

"No, not everything."

[I see...]

The Giant muttered sadly and pointed at the hill. It seemed preposterous, but the hill was the origin of the cold air that froze the entire mountain range.

[The Titan's Heart is inside. Originally, the Titan controlled overwhelming heat rather than cold, but so much time has passed since the Titan went extinct; all that remained of the last Titan, as you can see...is putting out cold air rather than heat.]

"Hmm, how interesting..."

Lee Shin-Woo didn't really know much about cold-related artifacts aside from Kratia's orb. But for reasons unbeknownst to him, he sensed a familiar energy coming from the heart of the hill.

He went closer to study the Titan's Heart buried within the hill further, but at that moment...

[Who is it?]

[Who did you bring?]

Two Giants suddenly rushed down from the top of the hill, casting a towering shadow over Lee Shin-Woo. He looked up to see the largest and most powerful Giants he had seen thus far.

Lee Shin-Woo wasn't surprised, of course; he knew who they were better than anyone else.

[Lv7 Sealed Titan Zombie - Ellata]

[Lv7 Sealed Titan Zombie - Arogan]

Both of them had been heroes, probably way before even Lee Man-Bok... They were heroes that were native to this planet.

They survived the day the disaster befell the Empire, and they were handpicked by the goddess to carry out her orders, but...they couldn't defeat the twelve generals. Fortunately, even though they had been betrayed by their allies and ended up becoming living corpses, they regained their wills and returned home. They had remained as Giants, rather than regular undead.

[It's someone who can understand us, oh mother and father.]

[Someone who can understand us...]

"I'm Paul Zero."

Lee Shin-Woo confidently introduced himself, whereas the two undead heroes simply kept watching the hill where the Titan's Heart was buried. Lee Shin-Woo wouldn't be able to sleep until he figured out what this familiar feeling was; not that he could sleep to begin with.

"I have inherited Fenno's will, and have come here to retrieve the Titan's Pride."

[To think you'd speak the Titan's name.]

[Fennos? How nostalgic. So you met him.]

"That's right."

Surprisingly, the two Giants weren't really suspicious of him, nor did they reject him. They were the strongest of the Giants, those who scorned human beings, so it wouldn't have been strange at all if they were to attack him as soon as they saw him.

Realization dawned on Lee Shin-Woo after a brief bemused moment. Lee Man-Bok had probably helped them. If that was their last contact with a human being, he understood why they were acting this way.

[Though you knew Fennos...]

[It seems like you're quite close to this human if you’re suggesting that he see the Titan's Heart. However, the Titan's Heart is the symbol of the Giants; bringing him here was thoughtless of you.]

[That's not the issue right now, mother, father.]

[...What?]

Ah, can it be...? Lee Shin-Woo looked at the level 7 Giant in astonishment. Did the Giant really just say the Titan's Heart, which all the Giants treasured, ‘wasn't the issue right now?’

It was at that moment that Lee Shin-Woo realized something. This Giant hadn't brought him all the way over to show him the Titan's Heart. Rather, the Titan's Heart was probably an excuse to ask him for something.

[What are you talking about? Explain in detail.]

[I'm not a very good speaker, so I'll let this human explain. This human knows how to honor our will, so please hear him out.]

The level 7 Giants bowed to the former heroes. Of course, Lee Shin-Woo thought as he nodded. The level 7 Giant had brought him here to persuade the two Giants to fight the Imperial Army with them. Who would’ve thought the Giant who had ignored him at the beginning would be doing so much for him now?

[...I thought you'd completely degenerated into an undead, but you've regained your intellect.]

[How surprising. Is this change your doing as well?]

"Yeah."

Lee Shin-Woo had no intention of doing exactly what the Giant wanted, of course. He responded appropriately whilst quickly analyzing the Titan's Heart.

He was finally getting a feel for it. If the Titan's Heart was indeed what Lee Shin-Woo thought it was, it would be a waste for it to sit around being an icemaker...!

[Not only has a human entered a forbidden area, but you’re telling us to listen to what he has to say as well...]

[I'm sure that something's going on. It's good that the messenger has regained a bit of his intellect, but he probably came with grave news as well.]

"You said this is a forbidden area, right?"

[That's right, human. We're thinking about whether we should punish this one for allowing you, a human, into the forbidden area, or if we should consider you a close enough ally to allow you entrance.]

[What exactly did you do to restore their intellect? Although they're better off than the undead infesting the Empire, they're ultimately still undead.]

"...Hoo."

At that moment, Lee Shin-Woo looked up.

His analysis of the Titan's Heart was complete. It was exactly as Lee Shin-Woo had thought. He realized now how he could truly 'awaken' the Giants.

"There are those who are trying to invade the forbidden area. They’re aiming for the Titan's Heart."

It was the second act of his play.

[And that's not you?]

Mm, a logical response. Moreover, it's actually spot on. However, Lee Shin-Woo brushed it off and continued.

"I came here to protect that, or more specifically, the Giants themselves. If you're ready to hear me out, I'll keep going."

[...]

[Let's hear him out. I feel a familiar energy from this guy. It's similar to our friend Man-Bok, who rescued us and helped us regain our intellect.]

[Ugh... Alright, let's hear him out.]

They would be pissed if they found out that Lee Shin-Woo had killed Lee Man Bok. Lee Shin-Woo inwardly grinned and continued.

"It's the Imperial Army, led by one of the twelve generals, Metafel the Mercenary King. There are 50,000 soldiers coming this way. They've entered the mountain range with a magical device that nullifies spatial inference. I stole that from them, but they're still gathering force through the general’s innate ability."

[Metafel Rerdan...!]

[Grr... He's the one who killed Meljoo...!] [1]

"I'm helping the Giants stop them with my own forces, but there will be casualties amongst the Giants in the ensuing battle. If they're unlucky, they may be completely annihilated. We need your help in order to stop them."

[Metafel... How dare he...!]

[Even so, we have to protect the Titan's Heart.]

[...Indeed. It's even more important that we stay here, knowing that Metafel is aiming for the Titan's Heart.]

Despite their hatred for Metafel, they prioritized staying by the Titan's Heart and protecting it rather than exerting vengeance.

They clearly weren’t scared of Metafel, but the Titan’s Heart came first for them. With that in mind, Lee Shin-Woo provoked them.

"You don't have to worry about it too much. I'll kill Metafel before you even get a chance to see him."

[...If that's the case, there's no reason for us to even have this discussion.]

Lee Shin-Woo would kill Metafel, not the Giants. They understood what he had said and he'd left an impression on them, but it wasn’t enough for them to make them declare their determination to kill Metafel themselves.

Brows furrowed, Lee Shin-Woo nodded and said, "That's right. The Giants may perish, but you'll be able to protect the Titan's Heart."

[That's the mission of us Giants that has been passed down from generation to generation. Those who die shouldn't have any complaints.]

[But still, father, mother...!]

The level 7 Giant seemed to be burning up. Now that Lee Shin-Woo thought about it, this Giant was the one who had been hit by the level 7 elite's arrow and had been complaining the entire time.

The Giant had been consumed by rage earlier; Lee Shin-Woo only realized now that the Giant was actually stronger than he was.

"Yeah, there's nothing for you to worry about. Until the next batter is up, that is."

[The next batter?]

The Giants flinched.

Do they really think that wouldn’t happen? Lee Shin-Woo snorted. He hadn't planned on telling them this, but the situation was different now.

"Isn't it obvious? Would the Empire really give up on this place after the loss of Metafel? No. In fact, they'll be even more aggressive next time due to the loss. At the very least, Feotane Von Seldin would be part of the reckoning."

[...]

If that happened, the Giants would be exterminated for sure. No matter how much they used the terrain to their advantage, or how well they planned, they wouldn't be able to block someone with absolute power despite their best efforts.

"I've come here to persuade you and retrieve the Titan's Pride. But I haven't come here to die. I'm going to run before then. Moreover... it seems like you've become too greedy. You two, the leaders of the Giants, don't seem to know what's really important here."

[It's the Titan's Heart. The most important thing to us is the Titan's Heart!]

Yeah, that Titan's Heart. They'd finally gotten to the key to the problem. Lee Shin-Woo reached out to gesture at the icy hill and smiled coldly.

"Of course, this is a great treasure. But right now, it's nothing more than an item that's generating cold air and slightly boosting your energy."

[How dare you!]

Ellata, the Giant on the left, couldn't hold back anymore and swung its greatsword at Lee Shin-Woo. There was enough force to cleave through a mountain, yet...Lee Shin-Woo blocked it with the Titan's Pride.

[That shield...!?]

Lee Shin-Woo didn't even blink at its astonished cry.

"At this rate, you will be annihilated, and the Titan's Heart you hold so dear will be taken away. You said the thing most important to you is the Titan's Heart, right? What you’re doing is pretty much giving it to the Empire on a silver platter."

[Keuk!]

Kwang! The force behind the greatsword finally broke apart the Titan's Pride. Before the greatsword could continue its course and break Lee Shin-Woo as well, he summoned a second shield and blocked it once more. Lee Shin-Woo smiled wryly at the speechless, gaping Giant.

"If it's so precious to you, and if you truly want to protect it so badly, you can't just sit here doing nothing. The Empire already knows where it is. They also have a way to find it. Do you really think you'll be able to protect the Titan's Heart on your own?"

[We can...!]

"Can't."

[Keuk...!]

Lee Shin-Woo mercilessly cut them down. The Giant wanted to argue, but it fell silent when it met his blazing goblin fire.

How could they stop the level 8 Archmage from taking the Titan's Heart when they couldn't even beat a weak skeleton? The intellect the Giant had barely preserved was saying that. The skeleton in front of him was telling the truth. Everything was over, so long as the Empire had a way of locating the Titan's Heart.

"So, our job isn't to stay here and protect this thing."

[Our?]

"Yeah, our."

Lee Shin-Woo grinned. At some point, a gigantified Breath of the Lightning God had taken flight. The mana consumption was tremendous given its size, but it was undeniably imposing.

"Our job is..."

Lee Shin-Woo dropped his hand. At that moment, the Breath of the Lightning God shot out like an arrow and burrowed into the icy hill. Seeing that, the Giants sprang up to stop him in shock, but it was already too late.

The tough ice it'd burrowed into began to crack, and once the Breath of the Lightning God began to glow, the cracks spread throughout the entirety of the hill.

[Are you trying to break the Titan's Heart!?]

"No."

The hill, which boasted an incredible toughness from the many years of repeated freezing, was broken in an instant. The shattering ice was saturated in mana, but that wasn't the important thing here.

What was important was what appeared inside.

[Lv8 Damaged Titan Golem Core]

"Our job is..."

Lee Shin-Woo looked at the 'Titan's Heart', which had been stripped of its outer casing and was still releasing cold air even now... No, it was actually a Golem core that was sucking all the heat from its surroundings.

"To revive the Titan."

1. T/N: Rather than a 'Grr' (a growl), it's more like the sound when you grind your teeth, but I don't know a suitable onomatopoeia for that. ☜