I will be the Strongest

Chapter 21

Digging his fingers into the ground, the giant struggles to drag himself across the earth. His reddened vision darkening, and his body's responses fading away. Slowly, everything is fading.

Around him, the bodies of those who came with him are scattered. Some have already given in, dying within moments, while others, like him, continue to battle whatever it is that is affecting them. The small trails created by dragging their bodies have actually formed large lakes where their blood, along with that of others around them, continues to accumulate.

His arms slowly stop responding to his commands. Blood trickles from beneath his nails towards the ground, creating smaller lakes as it pools in the holes caused by his fingers.

What's most terrifying is that all of this occurred without even a fight. There was no brawl, not even a chance for confrontation. The moment they set foot on solid ground and saw the bodies scattered about, the most some could do was attempt to take a step towards the waters... An utter failure, as they soon fell upon the trees.

His eyes blink one last time as blood drips from his mouth and nose. Not even his ears escaped, let alone the sockets where his eyeballs reside.

'The Tower of Six... So, is this the final level? Or maybe it goes up to ten, but there are only six floors?'

Leaning against the trunk of a tree facing the beach, Hye waits for the possible last giants to emerge. A massive finger stretches out beside him, blocking the sunlight from reaching him. Red is the river flowing around him, heading towards the sea whose waters now carry a reddish hue.

"Well, we'll see after dealing with this..."

With the dagger in hand, Hye rises. However, something was definitely different than expected.

"One, two... seven..."

Previously, upon completing a level, a single monster would be added to the previous number of monsters. After passing through five levels, fifteen is the number of bodies scattered on the forest floor. However, emerging from the sea... 9...11... the giants keep rising.

"...15...? Not adding just one more creature, but rather the sum of all that had passed before... So, this really will be the last level of the first floor?"

Near the shore, the giants stop. Red is the color of the sea swirling around their feet, as from the sand the blood of their kin flows towards them. Before their eyes, a little further ahead, their bodies lie fallen upon the small trees of that forest, which to them, resemble more of a large field with slightly taller grass than usual.

"This... What is this? What place is this?"

"And you're asking me this? We're in the same situation, i***t!"

Hidden behind one of the trees, Hye observes them. Again, beings so large that, obviously, not only the blood in the water but also the bodies scattered through the forest, it would be more than natural for them to see all of this even from the midst of the waters where they emerge. So why does that not seem to be the case...?

The confusion and apparent fear on their faces as they approached the beach... could their vision be so poor...? No, that certainly isn't the case. Earlier, one of them had seen them from several kilometers away, so what's the difference? Was the first giant more capable than those who came after its demise? No, that doesn't seem to be the case. They are equally powerful.

Despite not knowing why or how, Hye can understand them extremely easily and knows that they are intelligent beings capable of conversing normally amongst themselves and insulting others. So how can these creatures not distinguish between the trees and the bodies, which are already quite conspicuous, unless they come very close to the sand?

"Could it be the place...? Because that's where they emerge, it's possible that a limitation is imposed on them until they have approached the forest closely enough? A limitation both physical, causing their movements to be automatic during the approach, and mental, rendering their reasoning nonexistent until the trees are less than a step away from their feet."

[The enemy has been poisoned by the poisonous dagger]

In the end, no matter how much Hye questions himself, he would never reach the correct answer.

The number of giants increasing so much could not be any less irrelevant, as it would not alter their weakness. And after a few more minutes of reflection and waiting, as it happened before, the outcome repeated itself once again.

The moment he heard the first knee hit the ground, the only giant that had separated from the others and returned to the waters turned around. His movement was swift and his eyes precise, immediately finding the culprit. But it was already too late.

Using a tree to gain momentum, Hye leaped towards the giant in the sea. In the forest, the first one fell trying to reach him with one hand as a last effort, around him, just like him, the others couldn't even speak with blood filling their mouths.

Upon hearing the thud of the knee hitting the ground, the one walking on the water turned around. However, aiming for the lower part of his body, the one responsible for that was already tearing a rather superficial piece of his leg.

Such a small wound, barely enough to bother him?

"You bastard..! So small, yet so brave."

Smirking, the creature brought its hand towards Hye. The thud of the slap against his own leg stirred the waters around. But there was nothing in its hand.

"Don't run, little one. Where did all that courage you were displaying a few moments ago go?"

Yanking out the dagger, Hye let himself fall, and once again, the hand appeared blocking the sun.

"Ha! Pathetic! You..."

Staining the waters, blood gushes forth, the voice fades away. His movements suddenly become cumbersome. His breath heavy, hard to complete.

With the fall of his first knee, the giant realized. He had become just another one, like all the others on the beach.

[Congratulations]

[Level six of the first floor of the Tower of Six has been successfully completed]

[The door to the second floor will be opened]

The sea remains calm, without any wave or disturbance. But upon the waters, a gigantic body floats, used solely and exclusively as a means of transport.

Hye observes the fallen giants on the beach, blood still dripping from every hole in their bodies. Did he feel anything? Perhaps, but not as much as the creatures did.

'Hmm... It's really a shame that these creatures didn't generate any points in the system... How many levels would I have evolved if that had happened?'

[The first floor has been completed]

[Calculating the points earned during all levels]