Chapter 45 – Royal Knights (2)

A Stone Giant.

The commonly known weakness of a Stone Giant was simple.

A mana stone located somewhere inside its body.

The moment the mana stone was destroyed, the Stone Giant would lose all power, becoming practically nothing more than a mindlessly huge lump of rock.

However, it was easier said than done, as finding the mana stone was an extremely difficult task.

Unfitting for the overwhelming Stone Giant, the object called a mana stone was at most the size of a human fingernail.

Ultimately, in general.

There were two methods for dealing with a Stone Giant.

The method of crushing it with overwhelming power, and the method of preparing a tool that could find the fingernail-sized mana stone.

‘He has neither of the two. No overwhelming power, nor such a tool.’

Patricia thought so.

It was a natural conclusion.

Martial force was a given, and so was a tool.

Because of the word “tool,” it might sound easy, but that “tool” was something only a high noble, at the very least, could barely manage to obtain one of.

The reason was none other than the price.

For a mediocre noble, it was normal to invest in something far more practical rather than procuring such a tool.

‘The Camilton Viscounty. I’ve never heard the name before, but anyway, it doesn’t seem like they would have such wealth.’

Even if they had that kind of money.

Unless they knew the content of this exam in advance, it was normal not to even think of bringing it.

‘Will he run away now? Or is he actually thinking of facing it? No, that’s too foolish. It’s definitely a point deduction. Since she said he is smart, he won’t do that.’

Naturally, Patricia’s thoughts revolved within the boundaries of common sense.

An opponent that could not be defeated.

A situation that could not be overcome by any means.

A moment where there was nothing to protect, and he only needed to look after his own safety.

Here, there was only one path that Henry Camilton could choose.

Retreat.

Both Melissa and Patricia thought so.

The core of the evaluation was how “wisely” he retreated.

How stealthily and quickly he could escape the spot.

How many crises he experienced in the process of retreating.

And whether he could obtain useful information even amidst the crisis.

Ultimately, it meant that the entire process of reaching safety was directly connected to the result of this exam.

Patricia was supposed to intervene only if he failed to retreat, or if Henry Camilton pounced on the opponent.

But.

‘…Why isn’t he backing off?’

Henry was already moving differently from her thoughts.

Because instead of widening the distance immediately, he was actually approaching the Stone Giant with a cautious air.

‘Ah, is it that? Is he planning to let it pass by while hiding?’

Hiding was also a possible option.

That was, if he did not know the characteristics of a Stone Giant.

Rather, it might be possible for an ordinary person without mana, but the Stone Giant’s mana stone detected the surrounding “mana lumps.”

A human knight was an excellent lump of mana, and the moment they approached, they would be turned to mush by that giant fist.

‘I should go soon… No, he’s approaching more? Could it be?’

At that moment, Henry dashed at full speed.

Patricia’s face froze.

If she intervened now, she could still save him.

No, it would not be too late even after the Stone Giant raised its fist.

In fact, the exam was already as good as failed, but for some reason, Patricia was seized by a desire to see the outcome of the situation unfolding now.

‘He plans to do something.’

This was not the behavior of someone blindly pouncing.

Henry had not given up, nor did he intend to die.

The confidence that he could defeat the Stone Giant.

That confidence was also transmitted to Patricia, and in the end, she made a passive choice.

‘While closing the distance just a bit more.’

Patricia approached Henry. Now, if Henry just turned his head, he could see her figure with the naked eye.

An action that an examiner should absolutely never do.

However, by approaching like this, Patricia gained the leeway to watch Henry’s actions to the end.

The next moment.

“…….”

Patricia realized that her choice had been wise.

***

“I should use the sponsorship shop first.”

Henry’s actions were swift.

Defeating the Stone Giant in front of him was absolutely not something that could be done by normal methods.

If he faced it, he would die.

No, the watching examiner would intervene, but the result would remain that he had practically died.

Then what about running away?

It might be satisfying from the examiners’ perspective, but it was a method that did not apply to the viewers watching Henry now.

[Entered the sponsorship shop.]

[Category setting: Elixir]

“Although the precautions to take when facing a Stone Giant are countless, in the end, if put differently, those precautions become the characteristics of the Stone Giant. I plan to utilize one of them now.”

The sword was already sheathed.

Because a 1-star knight’s sword strike was no different from a toothpick to that Stone Giant.

“It is a level that requires at least a 4-star knight to face normally. Unfortunately, I have not reached that realm. The characteristic I will utilize is none other than the mana stone somewhere in the Stone Giant’s body.”

A mana stone.

Depending on its quality, the price varies widely, and even the lowest-grade mana stone can fetch a significant price.

In particular, the quality of the mana stone coming from the Stone Giant was divided depending on how long it had been active.

“A Stone Giant spends most of its life sleeping. The reason it wakes up and is active like this is one of two things: someone forced it awake, or it is hungry.”

[Hungry?? Does it eat other monsters?]

[Doesn’t that mean it’s hungry for mana?]

[It seems right that it fills itself with mana haha]

“You saw it exactly. Through the mana stone, the Stone Giant can search for surrounding lumps of mana. It can find places where mana naturally clumped, or it is also possible to find living things full of mana. For example.”

Henry tapped his chest with his index finger.

“Like me. The mana gathered by a 1-star knight will exude a quite delicious aroma to it. It hasn’t found me yet, but if I approach just a little more, it will feel it. The fact that there is prey here.”

Of course, he must not be discovered first.

An overwhelmingly disadvantageous situation.

To secure even a slight advantage, Henry absolutely had to take the initiative.

[Purchased the item.]

[Purchased the item…]

……

All at once, something was grasped in Henry’s hands.

An appearance resembling a grass root.

However, it had a look as if wrapped in something bluish.

“Also, the reason it sleeps is to digest the absorbed mana. You could say it is similar to a snake. It rests until it digests the prey, and immediately goes hunting after it is all digested.”

[Is it that thing I’m thinking of right now?]

[??? What is the thing you are thinking of?]

[You know, that thing haha. You don’t know it? haha]

[??????????]

The response in the chat window was split in half.

There were those who guessed, and those who could not yet.

The ratio was slightly higher on the side that had not guessed.

Pausing his explanation, Henry climbed a suitable tree.

The Stone Giant was getting closer. A distance that could be approached in a few seconds if it set its mind to it.

While cautiously watching for the right moment.

“I’m going now.”

Henry kicked off the branch he had stood on.

Rumble!

A heavy vibration was transmitted. It was the aftermath of the Stone Giant moving. The ground shook and the air trembled. However, Henry had drawn out all the mana in his body and wrapped it around himself.

*Crash! Thud!*

Trees were uprooted entirely, shattered, and collapsed.

But Henry was one step faster.

Avoiding the heavy fist, he climbed the next tree. Right before it shattered, he kicked off and leapt again. It was now a distance where he could lock eyes with the Stone Giant.

“Its mouth is opening! Because it has to eat me!”

A pressing cry.

A throat resembling a small cave revealed itself.

However, Henry did not withdraw. Rather, he threw himself toward the opened mouth. Right before being sucked in, he threw the roots he was holding in his hands into it all at once.

At that moment.

*Snap!*

By a hair’s breadth, the mouth shut.

The Stone Giant’s instinct to trap its prey in its mouth.

Thanks to that, its face became a safe foothold, and Henry stepped on the closed mouth and leapt once more.

“……Like this!”

Turning his body toward the Stone Giant, Henry shouted.

“If you do this, you can catch the Stone Giant. It is a monster like a toad. Once food comes in, it clenches its mouth first. If the one that went inside were me, the situation would have become very troublesome, but unfortunately for it, the one that went in now is not me.”

[How much worth of elixirs did you pour in just now?]

[It looked to be at least ten roots haha]

[Aren’t you running a deficit?]

[What happens to it now? Does it explode?]

“It was 100,000 won per root. To explain this part first, you will see it is not moving. Because food entered. Since it is full, it no longer needs to eat me.”

However, that was not a reason to just stand still.

In a normal situation, it would be the sequence to wander around looking for a place to sleep.

But as if something was baffling, the Stone Giant just stood on the spot restlessly.

And.

“Now, the roots I threw in will gradually show their effect.”

The Stone Giant began to run wild.

Henry had already widened the distance from it by a long way.

He could feel the ground shaking, but no matter what happened over there, this place was not dangerous.

“It looks ready to smash everything, but it won’t last long.”

Right now, a sort of supersaturation state was occurring inside the Stone Giant’s body.

Because the mana, which was overflowing rather than just abundant, was not at a level that could be managed by the small mana stone.

But it could not throw it up either.

Perhaps if it were food, but mana was not the kind of thing that could be spit out so easily.

After a moment.

The Stone Giant’s body gradually began to swell. In an instant, it bloated to about twice its original size, and then, *Boom!* With a roar, it exploded.

[It really explodes haha]

[How many minutes did the mission take now? Did it exceed ten minutes?]

[Haha, it exceeded ten minutes haha]

[It took too long for it to explode haha]

“Thank you for the donation. I am satisfied. Because of the magicians, I was able to attempt to face such a thing. If it were not for the magicians, I would have given up and retreated.”

Henry said calmly.

Of course, he did not think so in his heart.

‘Too bad!’

It was so wasteful that tears of blood were about to flow.

The value of the roots invested just now alone was one million won.

Furthermore, had he not fought the battle just now while disregarding safety and bearing the risk of the exam?

But even so, he could not show his emotions.

“Thank you once again. I don’t know how many times it has been already. The experience of surpassing what I thought were my limits, thanks to the magicians.”

Only by speaking like this at times like this.