Chapter 35 – The Weight of a Giant
Chapter 35 – The Weight of a Giant
Tyler stood, his heart pounding, as he watched the cockroach swarm before him grow.
[Enemies Identified: Cockroach Swarm, Level 20 x120]
[Enemies Identified: Cockroach Swarm, Level 20 x140]
[Enemies Identified: Cockroach Swarm, Level 20 x170]
[Enemies Identified: Cockroach Swarm, Level 20 x200]
“Tyler… is it possible that they are multiplying?” Milo asked, dread lacing his voice.
“I don’t think there’s another explanation,” Tyler replied grimly, watching as the numbers climbed higher and higher. “We killed so many, but they’re restoring to their original numbers.”
“Tyler, how are we supposed to win this? How can we kill an ever-multiplying enemy? Should we flee?”
“Run away when facing an overwhelming enemy? Milo, do you even know me?”
“I know you too well,” Milo replied. “But how do we defeat that? How can we kill them if they keep multiplying?”
“You know, Milo, what’s any number multiplied by zero?”
“Uh, zero?”
“Yes. We simply have to kill them all, at once.”
“But how are you going to kill so many—no. Tyler, are you thinking about using that Gigantify skill again?”
“Exactly.”
“But there are people around here unlike the desert. You could potentially kill the NPCs and destroy their houses along with the cockroaches.”
“Milo, do you think I really care? And besides, if we don’t kill these cockroaches, it’s not like these people will survive for long either.”
“But Tyler, you shouldn’t—”
“Too late. I don’t have time for idle chitchat. Let’s get this done fast and quick. Try to stay as far as possible. You know that I’m not entirely able to control my body as a giant yet.”
“Then why are you so confident that your skill would work?”
“Because it is literally the strongest skill I have now. If I had this skill prior to confronting Gorrum, even that would have been an overwhelming victory for me.”
“You’re really impossible to deal with. At least try to avoid stomping on the huts. Please.”
“Okay, okay, I would.”
Tyler used [Gigantify]. Within seconds, his body swelled upward, muscles stretching, bones cracking and creaking like branches in a storm. The pain surged through his nerves like fire, but he held steady. He now stood a giant, towering over the buildings, at least fifty feet tall. Every step he took sent tremors through the muddy earth. The ground cracked. Benches snapped under his weight. The wooden outposts exploded into splinters. He raised one massive leg and shouted:
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“GIANT’S STOMP!”
His colossal foot crashed down with a thunderous impact. A wave of cockroach shells burst like overripe berries. The tremor it sent flattened fences and scattered debris across the road.
[+2 XP] [+2 XP] [+2 XP] [+2 XP] [+2 XP]
But even after such destruction, several groups scattered to the edges, escaping under huts and behind walls.
As the skill ended, Tyler shrieked as the searing pain of contraction hit. His bones felt like they were snapping in reverse, his skin stretching and folding back in a horrific rush. He fell to one knee, clutching his ribs.
“Ah, I don’t think I can get used to this.”
He opened his stat window, quickly dumping all six of his unassigned points into Power Energy. With the storm wizard hat’s multiplier, his PE hit 63—enough to use [Gigantify] twice in a row.
He spotted a new cluster and activated the skill again. The transformation was just as painful as before, but he didn’t flinch. He brought his foot down with another “GIANT’S STOMP!”, smashing another cluster to bits.
Again.
And again.
He hunted the remaining cockroach swarms, following them into wider spaces and crushing them before they could regroup. Their numbers dropped below fifty. It was working.
But then the cockroaches adapted. They split into tiny units—groups of five or six—darting into alleyways and clinging to the sides of huts. They were harder to track, harder to target.
Tyler saw a group crossing the street. He readied his stomp again—but paused.
“Stop, you idiot!” Milo’s voice reached him. “That’s the cemetery!”
Tyler jerked his leg back just in time. He lost balance, almost toppling.
He looked down. “Were you trying to kill me? You almost killed me, dumbass!”
He saw Milo standing beneath him, shaking in fury. Tyler shrank back to normal size.
“Sorry, I can’t hear you from up here,” he said with a shameless smile.
Milo snapped, “I told you to be careful! See, you were almost about to destroy the cemetery. Watch where you step! You had almost stomped me to death too!”
Tyler laughed nervously but said nothing.
“I don’t want your apology! See what you’re doing to this place. I’m sure the cockroaches wouldn’t have done half as much damage as you have.”
“I’m trying my best not to step on any houses. I’ve unknowingly stepped on some boats and wooden outposts but that can’t be helped.”
“Since the cockroaches are less now, let’s go back to the earlier plan. You use Fireball and I use Freeze Core.”
“Don’t try to order me around. I’ve killed way more cockroaches so I decide how we proceed forward.”
“But you also caused more destruction—You know what, whatever. I’m not arguing with you anymore. Do what you want, but please don’t stomp the huts.”
“I’m trying to, but it can’t be helped. The cockroaches are tenacious and smart. They are hiding near the houses and are spread out more, making it difficult to get rid of them at once.”
“So that justifies destroying the huts and the town? And possibly harming the citizens too?”
“It doesn’t necessarily justify it, but we need to get rid of the cockroaches soon. I’m sure the town people want that too.”
“I don’t think the town people want that at the cost of—you know—having their town entirely destroyed.”
“Shut up. The end justifies the means. And if I cause too much damage, then I’ll just give them some damage compensation and apologize.”
“Really?”
“Yeah, it worked for Farnak, so why wouldn’t it work here too?”
“Are you serious? You think paying money will solve all your problems? So you can openly cause destruction and harm people and at the end of the day everything is fixed by paying some gold. Right?”
“Yes, exactly. I see that you’ve finally understood.”
“Are you serious Tyler? When did you become so cruel? Equating destruction and lives with money?”
“That’s exactly how things work in real world Milo. You can get away with anything as long as you’re rich enough. And besides that, the NPCs are not even like real. Their actions, their feelings, their words, their sentiments and their entire being is pre-programmed.”
“Oh really? Then what about me? If you hurt me then would you just pay some gold to compensate it? For you these NPCs are not real people, but I am. Will you treat me like that too?”