Death Notice

“Thud… thud… thud…” The Hill Giant’s footsteps echoed in the narrow cave, like muffled war drums.

“Oswaldo, Oswaldo…” Little Hill Giant babbled some vague ancient words of the Ruman Mountains, waving his arms wildly as he chased into the cave.

Physically equivalent to a human two or three-year-old child, Little Hill Giant could already babble and speak. Its dangerous life in the Silent Forest made it smarter than a human child. Charging in, it didn’t rush to attack. Instead, it held its bone-handled stone axe protectively in front, seeming hesitant.

Mother had taught it how to spot danger. Though this enemy looked weak, its behavior of barging into the cave confused Little Hill Giant instinctively. Their cave was near the Sanctuary Camp, where it often saw little creatures like Qin Lun nearby. Mother had warned that little beings from there were dangerous and hunting required extra caution.

Seeing Little Hill Giant’s cautious movements, a flicker of surprise crossed Qin Lun’s eyes.

But the young man soon smiled gently. According to his intel, even the cleverest Hill Giant was still just a Hill Giant. The reason they weren’t considered true Sapient Races was that most giants shared a major flaw: they were too hot-tempered and impulsive. Once provoked, they often lost rational judgment.

Thinking this, Qin Lun raised his guns and fired. Bullets streaked through the dim cave like two fiery chains, impacting the bone handle of Little Hill Giant’s axe.

The three original bullet types that came with the Burial of Light and Darkness, except for the remaining eight Dark Gold Bullets, had all been used up by Qin Lun at the Training Ground. Actually, only after restocking ammo did he discover a hidden feature of the firearm the previous owner hadn’t told him when he bought Burial of Light and Darkness.

Burial of Light and Darkness didn’t need manual reloading! Because Qin Lun crafted the bullets himself, they bore his spiritual imprint. He could will them to automatically load from his Storage Space into his revolvers.

Of course, the original bullets couldn’t auto-reload. Qin Lun only discovered this feature after restocking ammo. Thanks to this, he kept only the eight Dark Gold Bullets, using the rest for training. The current blue and purple bullets were all freshly made. He owed thanks to Hill and Hansen for the Shattered Crystals. Without them, his remaining few crystals couldn’t cover such heavy training costs.

“Clink! Clink!” Sparks flew as bullets struck the bone handle, ringing like metal hitting metal. Qin Lun’s mind raced, shifting his aim. The fiery chains extended towards the stone blade of the bone axe.

“Bang! Bang! Bang!” Under the relentless barrage, the sharp stone blade became pitted within seconds, stone chips flying everywhere.

Creatures of the Silent Forest were strong, bones hard as steel. Using purple armor-piercing rounds, breaking the bone handle would take ages; destroying the stone blade was far faster.

“Wooo…” Stinging shrapnel and stone chips peppered Little Hill Giant’s face. Roaring in fury, it swung its right arm back and hurled the massive bone axe at Qin Lun like a dark shadow.

“Whoosh!” The axe whistled sharply through the air, spinning past Qin Lun’s head, missing by mere inches. The silver hair near his ears fluttered wildly. Stiffening his face, he turned to look back. The huge axe blade had sunk deep into the solid cave wall behind him, only the bone handle left trembling slightly.

A wave of heat washed over Qin Lun; a large bead of cold sweat slid down his temple. When Little Hill Giant threw the axe, he truly felt he’d seen the God of Death grinning at him. Had it aimed better, unhampered by dodging shrapnel, his head would now be like a smashed watermelon.

No matter how detailed the intel, only seeing a Hill Giant’s power firsthand let you comprehend its terrifying strength.

“Groooaah!” Seeing the axe miss, Little Hill Giant’s eyes turned bloodshot. Rage finally overcame reason. Covering its face with its arms, it roared and charged straight at Qin Lun.

Time for it! Qin Lun’s eyes flashed with sharp light. Flipping his hands, he holstered both guns. Ducking low, he spread his palms flat against the ground before him. “Spirit Channeling Art – Inferno Hound!”

Qin Lun’s palms faintly glowed. A silver Pentagram Array flared to life, centered beneath his hands. The mysterious formation caught Little Hill Giant’s attention, making it hesitate. When the light dimmed, the stout little giant found a calf-sized beast with two heads blocking its path.

“Grrmbl…” Unlike the giant’s uncertainty, Cerberus took one look at its foe and instantly bared its teeth in a low growl. Sparks ignited in its dark pupils. It arched its back, dripping saliva that sizzled into wisps of smoke when it hit the floor.

Though younger than Little Hill Giant, Cerberus, even as a pup, possessed ancestral memories that unlocked as it grew. As the Demon Clan’s hound, the Inferno Hound was a natural, powerful predator.

Hearing the Inferno Hound’s growl, confusion vanished from Little Hill Giant’s face. Spreading its hands protectively over its chest, it lowered its body slightly and started stealthily retreating backward.

So smart! Qin Lun’s eyes lit up. Little Hill Giant’s actions impressed him yet again. Despite its fiery temper, it had sobered up a second time, assessed the threat, and was trying to flee. Qin Lun totally revised his view. He stopped seeing the small giant as just a beast, but recognized it as a Sapient Race.

Use the hidden card? No, not yet. Qin Lun hesitated unusually for a second, then quickly dismissed the thought, giving a soft chuckle. He turned and began walking towards the rear of the cave.

“Oswaldo! Oswaldo!” Strangely, seeing Qin Lun approach the back again, Little Hill Giant stopped retreating. Baring its fangs, it roared at him. It wasn’t running anymore.

The far end of the Hill Giant cave was filled with dry grass and withered leaves. Scattered nearby were several complete skeletons. This was their sleeping area.

Reaching this spot, Qin Lun kicked out violently, sending dried grass and leaves flying everywhere. Seeing this, Little Hill Giant grew frantic. It tried charging several times, but Cerberus blocked it each time.

“Thump!” In the midst of his destruction, Qin Lun’s foot caught a skeleton, sending it crashing into the wall. Fragile bones shattered into pieces, scattering the already damaged remains.

“Waaahhhhh!” Witnessing this, Little Hill Giant exploded with rage. Throwing caution to the wind, it charged recklessly at Qin Lun.

“Heh, so these skeletons were your toys!” Qin Lun blinked, chuckling lightly at the giant’s fury.

Hill Giants possessed high intelligence, so they inevitably shared Sapient Cultures’ habits. Clever as it was, Little Hill Giant was still just a child. Sometimes, for a child, toys matter more than life itself.

The reckless charge carried Little Hill Giant a good distance. Taken off guard, even Cerberus was violently shoved aside. Hit the cave wall, it bounced off, landing on its back.

“Yelpin!” Cerberus rolled over, scrambled back up, shook its two heads, and went berserk. Since birth, it had never taken such a hit!

But as a fifth-tier demon beast, the Inferno Hound was clever too. Seeing the overly agitated giant, a sly glint flashed in its eyes. It sped from behind, catching up fast. Both heads snapped down, biting for the Hill Giant’s ankles!

“Thud!” Little Hill Giant toppled like a collapsing mountain, its massive body hitting the cave floor hard, kicking up a giant cloud of dust.

“Waaa!” Agonizing pain shot through its ankles. Little Hill Giant propped up its upper body, clenched its fist, and slammed it down hard onto Cerberus.

“Crunch!” The fist connected solidly with one of Cerberus’s heads, producing a sickening crack.

“Aaarrooo!” Both huge beasts wailed in pain simultaneously.

Cerberus shuddered violently. The head that had bitten the giant spat out dark blood uncontrollably. It jerked its jaws open, stumbling backward weakly until its limbs buckled, and it collapsed to the floor. The struck head had one eye blown out. A deep dent was left on its forehead, dark brown skin cracked all over, leaking fiery lava-like fluid.

Little Hill Giant fared no better. Its bitten ankle and the fist it punched with were charred black where the demon blood splattered, foul greenish smoke rising from the burns.

Though Hill Giants possessed magic immunity, it worked only against Magic Elements and laws constructed by Mage’s psychic powers. The blood-lava inside the Inferno Hound wasn’t just fire element; it was a physical substance. Such damage couldn’t be negated.

“Hmph!” Seeing both Little Hill Giant and Cerberus grievously wounded, a fierce light blazed in Qin Lun’s eyes. He spun around, kicking rapidly with both feet, smashing every remaining skeleton on the ground completely to pieces!

“WAAA WAAA WAAA!” Little Hill Giant exploded into absolute fury. Leaping up from the floor, it lunged madly at Qin Lun! Compared to Cerberus, its burns were only surface wounds; the bones were unharmed, so mobility wasn’t really affected.

Seeing this, the wounded Inferno Hound struggled fiercely to push itself up. Despite the injury – the damaged head flopped limply on its chest – the other intact head fixed Little Hill Giant with a fierce glare. Like lightning, it pounced, clamping its jaws down hard on the giant’s injured leg!

Forced down again, Little Hill Giant grimaced. It raised its undamaged fist, hoping to knock Cerberus away a second time.

But Cerberus, having tasted a Hill Giant’s power once, wouldn’t fall for the same trick twice. Seeing that massive fist coming in its peripheral vision, it instantly released its bloody grip. Using all four legs to push off, it darted nimbly aside, avoiding the punch. Then, it flung its whole body onto the fallen giant, snapping for its throat! The two massive beasts rolled violently on the ground, locked in a savage brawl, bellows shaking the cave.

“Bang! Bang! Bang!” Qin Lun dared not let Cerberus fight alone this time. The Burial of Light and Darkness was immediately loaded with precious purple armor-piercing bullets. He opened fire relentlessly at Little Hill Giant’s already injured ankles.

As the fierce battle raged – two giants and a demon dog thrashing across the cave floor – none of them noticed the figure concealed within the trees outside the cave entrance, silently watching them.