All of my people were killed.
I am their revenge.
Their grudge.
The last surviving one.
"..."
The moment Isaac heard the giant's cry filled with anguish pouring from its mouth, what he felt was a pain in his chest.
From the giant's perspective, they stood on the exact opposite end of the spectrum.
However, Isaac realized that his pain came from empathy.
Of course, there was no time to voice such thoughts.
Others around him began questioning urgently.
"What do you mean? You turned our land into a hellscape?"
The one who had lived the longest in the Abyss Realm, Mu-myeong, couldn't hold back and asked.
It wasn't a time for casual questioning, but she couldn't suppress her emotions.
The giant, as if waiting for this moment, shouted in injustice.
"What did we do wrong?! We simply existed! We lived like that! We only desired peace!"
"..."
"My people had no desire to take up swords or spears! Our land was fertile, and that alone made us happy—!"
Tears streamed from the giant's eyes.
It was different from the divine guardian they had seen before.
The giant cried out in resentment, releasing the emotions it had held back for so long.
"What did we do?! Can you not even allow us to merely exist?! Humans—! You selfish beings! Do you think the world revolves around you?!"
For a moment, everyone fell silent.
The sorrow and resentment the giant carried had clearly built up over far more than just a day or two. It looked too heavy even for such a massive being to bear.
"…That's… really sad."
At Sharen's murmured comment, no one said anything.
They understood the injustice, but if asked whether they could empathize with this suddenly appearing giant, the answer was no.
"Prepare the magic!"
A long, drawn-out cry from Regant echoed. The mages prepared their spells, and seeing this, the giant furiously tried to tear open the space again.
Crackkkkk!
Could something really be torn apart with just strength?
Isaac knew some other force was at work but couldn't figure out exactly what it was.
"Step back."
The Grandmaster gathered the group.
The giant's sorrow lingered in his mind, and Isaac especially felt a strange sense of empathy.
But it was only right to act rationally rather than be swayed emotionally.
Isaac clenched his fist as he looked up at the magic spells flying toward the giant.
'Will that even work?'
From Isaac's perspective, who had planned to cut it down with his sword, the idea seemed doubtful.
The spells fired in the dark cave looked like a meteor shower falling in the night sky.
A bolt of lightning split the thick air, followed by a barrage of wind, fire, and ice magic flying toward the giant.
Boom! BOOOOM! KABOOOOOM!
"Keep firing! Don't stop! Keep going!"
Following Regant's command, the mages poured every bit of magic they had into the giant.
The surge of light, heat, and pressure filled the entire mine.
For many of the mages who had almost no real battle experience, this was the first time they had ever poured out their full power in a real fight.
Some even fumbled their spells, but regardless, the colorful barrage of magic toward the giant was a magnificent sight.
Dust scattered thickly.
When the smoke cleared, the giant was still there, covering its face with one hand.
"This… this can't be…!"
Regant's voice trembled.
Even after the Tower's mages had gathered and unleashed their full magical power—
The giant's palm only showed some burns and scratches, with no significant damage.
They could cause damage, but the cost-to-effectiveness ratio was abysmal.
Some of the mages were already panting heavily, having used up their full power.
"It's not working…"
With a look of frustration, Regant covered his face with his hand.
"What the hell are those things?"
Having recently delved deeply into both sorcery and studies on the Transcendents, Regant now felt like he had hit yet another massive wall, one different from sorcery.
In the end…
"Huff…"
The giant exhaled and glared at them. As if asking, "Is that all?"
The only silver lining was that since the giant had lifted its hand to block the magic, the widening rift had begun to shrink slightly.
But anyone could see it was only a matter of time.
They couldn't cut it down with swords.
Magic didn't work either.
If time passed, the creature would eventually break free.
A sudden calamity.
The Mage Tower was starting to feel overwhelmed.
***
Outside the abandoned mine, under a pitched tent.
Underneath it, Sharen was fanning herself and grumbling.
"Ugh! It's so stuffy and hot in there!"
Her light complaint provided a brief moment of distraction from the grave situation they were facing.
Liana sat under the tent with her knees pulled in. She looked as though she felt utterly useless in the current situation.
But in truth, there were very few people who could help right now.
"Hoo…"
The party wiped away sweat from the thick, sticky air inside and drank some water.
The dust that seemed lodged in their throats washed down, and they began preparing for a discussion.
"So what do we do now?"
Regant approached, wiping sweat with a towel. For now, he had stationed mages inside the mine.
Considering the size of the creature, they had a few hours to spare.
They needed to find a way to resist before the thing completely tore the rift and crossed over.
"Isaac Logan, what do you—?"
Regant tried to speak but looked around instead.
"Where did Isaac go?"
When he asked in disbelief, the Grandmaster pointed toward the entrance of the abandoned mine and answered.
"He said he was going to try talking to him."
"Him? The giant?"
At Regant's reaction, Liana's expression also momentarily stiffened. No matter how much stronger Isaac had become, would he be okay alone?
"Yes. After all, Isaac has some sort of connection to the woman the giant has named as his mortal enemy."
At the Grandmaster's words, Regant scratched his head and stepped back.
Well, if even the mages' spells don't work, then it would be unreasonable to cut down a giant with a mere thin sword.
Now was the time to pursue reality rather than romantic ideals.
"..."
Liana quietly stood up.
One of the good things about the Silence spell was that it didn't just erase one's voice—it also muted the small sounds of movement.
The rustling of clothes, footsteps, etc.
While everyone was seriously discussing the giant, she, who couldn't even hold a sword, would be of no help.
"..."
As she headed toward the abandoned mine, a woman stood in her path.
Marlin of the Leviath family stared intently at Liana.
The two women were both known for being reticent.
Without much conversation, Marlin slowly turned her body and began walking alongside Liana toward the mine.
***
"Could you tell me what exactly the Silver Clock did?"
Isaac, now seated, looked up at the giant and asked.
The inside of the mine had grown quiet.
A few mages were watching from afar, but they were too distant to hear Isaac's quiet voice.
"..."
The giant remained the same.
He was widening the space with his fingers, and now it had grown large enough for a fist to pass through.
"I want to know."
"Aren't you afraid of me, human?"
At the giant's question, Isaac calmly answered.
"My desire to know outweighs my fear."
"..."
The giant said no more. He concentrated on tearing the space apart with a loud 'kuung' sound.
"They said you caused the deaths of all your kin."
Isaac looked up at him and asked.
"You said you were their revenge. Their grudge. The last remaining survivor. That's what you said."
Isaac was beginning to understand why those words had struck a chord in his heart.
"I think the reason I want to talk to you is because I'm going through something similar."
At Isaac's words, the giant's movements paused. His eyes were so large that he couldn't hide the direction of his gaze.
The giant was clearly looking at Isaac.
"Something similar?"
As the giant finally showed interest, Isaac opened his mouth.
"It's also the reason the Silver Clock took an interest in me. The reason I carry the burden of karma, as they say."
"..."
"This is my second life."
At Isaac's words, a look of confusion flashed in the giant's eyes. But Isaac continued.
"In my first life, the Transcendents violently ruled the human world. Their invasion was successful, and we were utterly destroyed."
"...Destroyed?"
The giant's eyes widened, as if he had just heard something unbelievable.
"My comrades, friends, and teacher who I left behind in that world—I've met them again here. But…"
With a bitter smile, Isaac said,
"I can't say they are the same people who stood beside me that day."
Just take the thief-turned-disciple Damien, for example. In his past life, he could have been called a traitor, but here, they get along well.
"I think I finally understand why I carry this karma and why the spectral energy manifested."
I am their revenge.
Their grudge.
The last surviving member.
Through the giant, Isaac realized everything rested on his shoulders.
"...Is that even possible?"
For the first time, the giant asked a question.
He seemed genuinely curious. Maybe it was frustration over the idea that their victory had somehow been undone.
Isaac nodded.
"It was made possible through the mana collected over a very long time at the Magic Tower."
"Why were you chosen?"
The giant's question seemed as if he were also asking himself.
Why had so many of his kin died, yet he alone survived? There was a hint of self-loathing in his voice.
Isaac carefully guessed the intent behind the question and answered hesitantly.
"My divorced wife… In other words, my ex-wife chose me. I didn't know at the time."
When he said this awkwardly, the giant stared at him and spoke with a bitter tone.
"You too have unintentionally taken on a heavy burden."
Isaac didn't respond to that. It would've been a lie to say the burden wasn't heavy.
"Just in case you're wondering, I've kept it a secret. From my ex-wife, I mean."
"I don't even know who your wife is, human."
"…That was a pointless comment, wasn't it?"