The moment he was sure of Metafel Rerdan's death, Lee Shin-Woo was swarmed by lines of text that he should be familiar with by now, but wasn't.

[You have defeated one of the twelve Generals, the Eater Metafel Rerdan! All heroes who contributed gain 50,000,000 Perium, and all stats are increased by 100. You have acquired 15 permits to the Goddess’s Secret Shop. Proficiency in all combat-related skills have increased significantly!]

[High Rank Combat Sense is now Lv3. Agility has increased by 20.]

[High Rank Fire Resistance is now Lv2. Magic has increased by 10.]

[Mana Acceleration is now Lv2. Magic has increased by 10.]

[High Rank Command is now Lv3. All stats have increased by 5.]

Killing one of the twelve generals meant removing a portion of the curse that covered the Empire. Not only was Metafel one of the generals, he had also reached level 8, and would’ve been a huge threat to the other heroes, so Lee Shin-Woo was given an unprecedented sum of rewards.

While the amount of stat points he had gotten were about the same, he'd been given at least 50% more Perium and permits than usual. From what he'd been told, permits to the Secret Shops were fragments of the goddess’s power, so he knew that the goddess had sacrificed much of her power to give him these, if nothing else.

[Through your fight against one of the twelve generals, you have shown your ability as a leader, a warrior, and a thief. You have achieved a feat worthy of the Joker karma. All stats have increased by 20.]

[The Joker karma has become even stronger. The Joker's innate skills have grown. Acting is now Lv18, Disguise Lv7, and Instigate Lv8. Magic has increased by 10.]

Lee Shin-Woo had used all the means available to him to win this battle, and had made the title of Joker proud, causing his Joker karma to become even stronger.

He smiled happily as he read the messages. How many stats did I get from this battle!? As expected, it was worth pushing himself to manufacture the Golem and fight Metafel head on.

[You have received the goddess’s grace. Invisible Heart's max level has increased by 10.]

That was the final message. This time, too, his Invisible Heart's max level had increased. He'd killed 7 of his undead seniors through the hero quest, and had killed two of the twelve generals. As a result, his Invisible Heart’s max level had now gone up to 127.

...It's not enough. I still don't know how exactly this affects me.

It would've been nice if he could precisely sense and control Invisible Heart. No, it would be possible sometime in the future. I will be able to do it, he thought and stiffly nodded to himself. As if this were all preplanned, the Titan Golem's runtime ended at that moment.

[The Titan Bone Golem's core is recharging its heat. Time until fully charged: 60 days.]

The mana circulating through the Golem disappeared, and it shrunk down rapidly. Then Lee Shin-Woo's synchronization with the core was released, and the exterior body returned to its original state, attaching back onto the core.

The core went back to charging, but since it was surrounded by material which would eternally emit heat, it didn't freeze its surroundings like before. That showed Lee Shin-Woo that he had indeed completed the Golem properly. Even on its own, it was fully equipped to be autonomous.

"Hoo, it feels like I've suddenly become a lot weaker."

Lee Shin-Woo grabbed the core and softly landed on the floor with a wistful smile. So this is what it felt like to be a giant hero. Now he understood how the Giants turned Titans, who were obsessed with their size, felt.

[Oh Titan!]

[Congratulations on your resurrection!]

Lee Shin-Woo was swarmed by Ellata and Arogan, followed by the newly reborn Titan Tribe.

Although the Titan Bone Golem was no longer active, the Titans weren’t going to revert back to their original states after their rebirth; they all remained in their elite forms. They were no longer weakened.

"I told you I'm not a Titan. Look, this is the Titan you worship. This thing." [1]

Lee Shin-Woo instantly re-equipped himself and showed the core to the deeply bowing Titans. However, their attitude didn't change in the least. Arogan, the only one amongst them to have evolved into a Bone Titan Knight, slightly raised his head and spoke respectfully.

[Paul Zero, you have not only resurrected the Titan, but you have become the Titan yourself. That is enough for us. Us Titans will always follow you, Paul Zero.]

"...Right."

Of course, Lee Shin-Woo knew this was how it would turn out from the very beginning. Well, at least once he figured out the Titan they worshiped was actually a Golem. However, he put on a reluctant expression that seemed to say 'Well, if that's how you feel, there’s nothing I can do'. And he gave Arogan a serious nod.

"Alright then. I can't always maintain the Titan form, but I can make it so that you remain as the powerful Titan Tribe."

[It's an honor!]

Arogan was the first to drop to his knees and bow, and soon the others followed suit. That was the beginning. The Titans, who had hidden in the depths of the Giants' domain for their own safety...as well as those who had originally been part of Metafel's corps, all kowtowed to Lee Shin-Woo.

[Sir Paul Zero!]

[We'll follow you to the end of time as well!]

[Please allow us to accompany you, even from the rear while you do your great work!]

Mm, as expected, seeing me turning into and moving around as a Titan had a huge impact on them. After all, the best way to achieve absolute loyalty is to display absolute force.

"I already know how loyal you are. Even if you don't bow like that, I won't abandon you."

"Hoo, Paul Zero is so cool..." Kratia said.

Jin nodded disgruntledly. "...Well, I suppose right now he is."

Lee Shin-Woo stood in the center and looked over hundreds of the now elite Titans, as well as thousands of undead soldiers who maintained military discipline and prostrated before him; there was no way it would be uncool.

Of course, all of his bowing troops were undead, and Lee Shin-Woo was undead as well, so he seemed more like a great demon than a general.

"All of you did good today, so make sure to rest well. Ah, Shino Rendu, come forward."

[Yes, Sir Paul Zero.]

Shino Rendu stood before him calmly. Lee Shin-Woo let out a brief sigh.

"I promised you that I'd let you cut off his head, but I couldn't keep my promise. You have my apology."

[Please don't worry about it. He didn't even have a head left to cut off. I'm happy that I could at least get a good hit in.]

He seemed to be referring to the time he defended Lee Shin-Woo and hit Metafel in the groin. Not only was it a surprising attack, but it had also triggered Metafel's transformation into a true monster... Lee Shin-Woo supposed those were the last days for a man who'd lost 'it'!

"Still, a promise is a promise. So instead, I have something to give you."

[I'm sorry...?]

Lee Shin-Woo extended his hand towards where Metafel had fallen. Due to him being level 8, Metafel had left much more loot than Hansen Von Dorthe. Amongst the loot, there was one thing that caught his eye...

[Lucky Strike! You have acquired 96,661,210 Perium.]

He'd acquired about 100 million Perium. Lee Shin-Woo and Jin had a total of 100 million Perium before, but killing Metafel had garnered another 100 million for them.

Considering the fact that Perium was clearly another source of karma, Lucky Strike was definitely no regular skill. However, that wasn't the point right now...

[You have acquired the Bayran inner map.]

Wait, he'd definitely gotten the same map when he killed Hansen! To think he'd get a duplicate item; there was nothing worse! But catching a glimpse of the map, he realized that the shape was different. He decided to check it more closely after going through the rest of the loot.

[You have acquired Lv8 Eater Metafen Rerdan's tongue bone.]

[You have acquired Lv8 Eater Metafen Rerdan's frontal bone.]

Now that's what I'm talking about! It was a pleasant surprise to get two bones. That alone made it worth it to kill Metafel. Giving away one bone thus became nothing but a slight heartburn for him to overcome.

Lee Shin-Woo grabbed the more disgusting of the two bones, the one which clearly held the essence of Metafel as an Eater, rather than the Mercenary King—the tongue bone.

"...Come forth."

Lee Shin-Woo called out to Shino, trying his hardest to conceal his reluctance. Well acquainted with Lee Shin-Woo's Bone Reinforcement, Shino was extremely surprised.

[Sir Paul Zero, you're not...]

"It's something you'll need to complete your revenge. You're not going to refuse, are you?"

[I... May I really receive this?]

"All you need to do is accept it."

The moment he said that, Shino’s expression turned indescribable. He was probably deeply moved. The others nearby seemed inspired as well as they looked on.

Lee Shin-Woo would have to fight stronger and stronger opponents from this point forward, so he needed to get Shino Rendu, who acted as his unit commander, to level 7 as soon as possible. That was why he offered the level 8 bone to him. The undead hero was unique for his Super Regeneration and the herculean strength of his right arm; those were abilities no one else had. The higher his level, the better a job he could do.

[If you insist... I'll accept it.]

"Good. However, it won’t go down easily. You will have to endure it."

[I'm well aware of the danger, but I'll be alright. My instincts as an Avenger are telling me that.]

Oh, isn’t he reliable? There was no greater revenge than absorbing the bone of the object of said revenge. Lee Shin-Woo had never used Bone Reinforcement with a bone two levels higher than his target, but Shino should be alright.

Moreover, Shino would grow immensely if he gained the additional karma held within.

"Good, then take it."

Lee Shin-Woo activated Bone Reinforcement immediately. The mana in its entirety went into Shino Rendu. Shino yelled, but he soon closed his eyes and focused on accepting the power.

[Consuming Lv8 Eater Metafel Rerdan's tongue bone to execute Bone Reinforcement on Shino Rendu. Endurance and Magic have increased by 20. Absorption is now Lv8. Magic has increased by 10.]

Level 8 bones sure were in a league of their own. Lee Shin-Woo had used the bone to reinforce someone else, yet his stats had increased by 40! Plus, his Absorption had grown as well. His lips curved into a smile of their own accords.

[Kuhaaahk...!]

What would happen to Shino Rendu, who had absorbed such an amazing bone? Tormented by the overflowing black mana, Shino grabbed a hold of it with his strong will. The Eater's lunacy, which was instilled into his brain, was forcefully burned away by his mana, as if it were thrown into fire.

The karma he'd been bestowed as an Avenger was complete, and in the process of accepting a new and more powerful karma...he finally evolved into a level 7.

[The Lv6 Undead Avenger Shino Rendu has evolved into Lv7 Greedy Avenger.]

Oh. I didn’t have my hopes up, but...did he acquire a portion of the Ghoul's predatory abilities? That would explain the 'Greedy' part.

There wasn’t much change to Shino’s appearance, but it felt like his tough body had become even tougher, especially his right arm, which contained the goddess’s power. The strength it radiated became even more prominent than before, and it screamed 'bad guy' energy; Lee Shin-Woo was sure that Shino Rendu had acquired the essence of the Eater karma from the bone.

"How do you feel? You can do well from now on, right?"

[...It's the best.]

Shino Rendu finished leveling up and replied joyfully.

[With my newfound power...I will help you kill all the twelve generals, as well as the Emperor. No, I'll continue to follow you even after that no matter where you’re going.]

"There's probably nothing past that, but... Alright. You did good."

Now, aside from his Golems, all of his Corps Commanders were level 7s. Lee Shin-Woo was now left with the last remaining bone. He turned to see if Jin was interested, but Jin shook his head.

Honestly, Lee Shin-Woo had expected that very reaction. With a grin, he grabbed the bone and activated Bone Reinforcement on himself.

[Consuming Lv8 Eater Metafel Rerdan's frontal bone to execute Bone Reinforcement. Strength has increased by 40, Agility by 25, Endurance by 50, and Magic by 35. High Rank Command is now Lv5, and all stats have increased by 10.]

As he thought, he gained a ridiculous amount of stats from absorbing a level 8 bone himself. Now he knew for certain why he had gained 40 stat points from using Bone Reinforcement on Shino Rendu.

Lee Shin-Woo kept nodding to himself and calmed the mana circling furiously around him. At the same time, he organized the information rushing through his mind and gained one good memory in the process.

"Bayran... It's the most advanced megacity and a level 4 danger zone directly connected to the capital. It's imperative that we attack it to access the capital."

The two maps he'd acquired would tell him where the city was, as well as the significance behind that city.

1. E/N: The Titan, and the Titans are different. Though it may be confusing, THE Titan is Lee Shin-Woo’s Gundam Titan Bone Golem, while the Titans (emphasizes the S) is the tribe that was formerly the Giants…or as system-ssi said: Sealed Titan Zombies. ☜