Chapter 3
Thump!
It was an ordinary strike, but it was packed with enough force to crush the head of any ordinary monster.
The werewolf crashed to the floor without even a whimper, and Mason straddled its chest, taking a mount position.
Mason raised his fist high.
At that moment.
Whoosh…
A heavy whooshing sound. The sound of something large and heavy flying towards him.
“Hmph!”
Mason struck it down without even turning around.
Clang!
Judging from the scattering metal fragments, it seemed to have been a giant two-handed hammer.
Of course, Mason’s fist was also shattered, but by the time he raised it above the werewolf’s head, it had already fully recovered.
It was the moment he was about to strike down with his iron fist, like a sledgehammer.
“Leader! Watch out!”
“…!”
At that moment, Mason was startled, a huge fireball flew towards him and struck his body.
Boom!
Mason’s body was thrown back by the explosion of the fireball, and the intense heat scorched his skin.
However, it wasn’t this minor damage that surprised Mason.
“Watch out… you say?”
It was the words.
A human voice. Human speech.
Mason took a step back and looked around.
Behind the werewolf stood a giant woman, now that he looked closely, she was a cyclops. And behind her, dozens of people with primitive ray guns and staffs were on guard.
That’s right. They were people.
“Are you… human?”
Mason felt his vision blurring.
He felt his chest swell with emotion.
“Humans… humanity… are there still humans left?”
The giant woman, now that he looked closely, was a cyclops.
“Yes. We are human.”
She said in a wary voice.
“Gwendolyn of the Guardian Attack Team, under the command of Heavenly King Yekaterina.”
It was the moment the savior met those who needed saving.
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Mason lowered his arms and took a step back.
It was a gesture of goodwill, an invitation for dialogue.
As the fight stopped, the healers rushed to the werewolf’s side.
“Leader! Wake up! Leader!”
Potions, various medicines, and healing spells were poured onto the werewolf.
Gwendolyn stood between the werewolf and Mason.
“Now, it seems it’s time to hear your introduction.”
“Mason, Mason Park. Mason Park of the Massachusetts Park clan.”
“When did I say we were exchanging names? Identify yourself!”
Mason said with a grin.
“As you can see, I’m human.”
“…Where do you see that?”
“From my handsome face and pure eyes?”
Gwendolyn made a dubious expression.
Strictly speaking, it wasn’t entirely wrong. Unlike ordinary giants who often had disproportionate bodies, Mason looked like a perfectly scaled-up human.
If he were of average height, around 1.8 meters, he would be considered a handsome and well-built young man.
However, that wasn’t the issue now.
“…Why don’t you take a look in the mirror?”
“Huh?”
Mason looked around.
A broken window reflected Mason like a mirror, and seeing his own reflection, he swallowed a groan.
“…Hmm.”
The clothes he had originally been wearing were torn and tattered during the battle, and now he was completely naked without a single piece of decent cloth left.
But that wasn’t the problem.
Troll blood and guts, dark red, slimy liquid and flesh covered his entire body. Especially around his mouth, there was even red-stained brain matter.
Combined with his already gigantic physique, he looked less like a human and more like a great demon who had just emerged from h*ll.
Mason said with an embarrassed expression.
“Sorry. Couldn’t find a place to wash up.”
“…”
Gwendolyn’s single eye gleamed with suspicion.
At that moment, the healers approached Gwendolyn.
“Gwen.”
“Sister, how’s the leader?”
“We’ve done everything we can in the field. We need to go back to headquarters.”
“Is it that bad?”
Gwendolyn was shocked.
That man, Andrei Dmitrinovich, was a powerful tanker, difficult to find an equal. And even in his werewolf form, he sustained such injuries?
Gwendolyn’s gaze towards Mason sharpened. Mason made an embarrassed expression.
“Uh… sorry?”
“Is sorry enough? After beating him to a pulp?”
“I thought he was a monster…”
The healers said to Gwendolyn.
“We need to go back to headquarters and operate. Let’s return.”
“But what about the Troll King subjugation?”
“We’ll have to come back later.”
Then Mason quietly raised his hand.
“Excuse me…”
“You shut up!”
“No, it’s just…”
Mason pointed to the troll’s head rolling in the corner.
“Are you talking about that thing when you say Troll King?”
Gwendolyn and the raid members looked at the troll’s head.
“…”
“…”
It was crushed, but it was clear.
“…How did you k*ll it?”
“I ripped its head off.”
“How did you rip it off…?”
“Beat it up.”
Gwendolyn had a blank expression.
At first glance, she couldn’t feel the energy field characteristic of a core from Mason.
He was definitely not a player.
‘Is that man really human?’
The Troll King was a variant of the troll, a monster with the power of a raid boss. The reason why the third strongest attack team in Korea, the Guardian Attack Team, was dispatched was because the number of players killed by the Troll King had exceeded three.
He killed the Troll King. And with only physical strength.
It was something that couldn’t be explained simply by saying he was strong.
It meant that he had exerted power beyond the Player System with mere physical force.
“…Anyway.”
Gwendolyn looked at Mason.
“Put some clothes on, will you?”
Mason flapped a piece of torn, blood-soaked cloth.
“This is all I have.”
“…I’ll lend you my tracksuit.”
Mason grinned.
“Well, I’m not in a position to be picky.”
As Gwendolyn gestured, the raid members quickly began to collect the Troll King’s head and body.
The healers asked Gwendolyn.
“What are you going to do?”
“You guys take the leader back. I’ll go to the camp with this guy.”
Gwendolyn made a displeased expression.
“I need to wash him up, dress him, and talk to him.”
“I’m hungry.”
“…I need to wash him up, dress him, feed him, and talk to him.”
Mason grinned.
“That’s the civilized way, indeed.”
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Camp.
It was a term referring to the large trailers that served as field bases for players.
Usually, dozens to hundreds of players gathered in one camp.
This was because the cost of moving a single trailer was not small.
However, Heavenly King Yekaterina’s subordinates used one camp per attack team, and they never shared their camps with outsiders.
The reason was simple.
Most of Yekaterina’s subordinates, commonly known as the”Einherjar,”were not ordinary humans.
“…Even we look ordinary compared to you.”
Mason, after showering, was wearing Gwendolyn’s tracksuit.
The size itself fit him more or less, but the arms and thighs were extremely tight.
This was because Mason was a muscular giant, while Gwendolyn was an ordinary giant.
“Hmm, this is delicious.”
Mason was munching on emergency rations as if they were biscuits.
He was on track to empty 40 servings of emergency rations in one sitting.
“So, what exactly is your identity?”
“A modified human from the future, from another world.”
“…Are you kidding me?”
“It’s true.”
Mason popped a biscuit into his mouth.
“I’m from the 28th century. Our world was destroyed by monsters, and as a last resort, we used dimensional travel.”
“You expect me to believe that?”
“It’s the truth.”
“…”
Common sense wasn’t always right. Gwendolyn herself was a cyclops, a being considered extraordinary.
But even for her, Mason’s words were hard to believe.
“Are all the people in your world as strong as you?”
“Technically, I was a non-combatant.”
“…What?”
“My dream was to be an explorer. An explorer who explores outer space and makes contact with aliens. I needed to maintain a human form as much as possible, so I’m inefficient in terms of combat power.”
Gwendolyn recalled the short but intense battle with Mason.
“You’re inefficient?”
“My focus is on survivability rather than combat power.”
Mason gulped down a bottle of beverage.
“Those who didn’t care about maintaining a human form were stronger than me. Besides, our weapons… were powerful even by our standards.”
“Then how did you lose to the monsters?”
“Our weapons and technology were stolen by the enemy. By the Specter.”
Gwendolyn had read research papers on monsters.
The Specter’s specs were not designed to counter modern technology. There was a paper stating that it would be effective against a civilization with greater energy and computing power, a civilization at least at Kardashev Scale Type II or higher.
A transcendental civilization that would be realized at least centuries later… as a natural enemy.
“Alright. Then… let’s say I believe everything you’re saying for now.”
Gwendolyn looked Mason straight in the eye.
“What do you want to do here?”
Mason’s potential hadn’t been fully revealed yet. Especially considering the knowledge he possessed, he could become anything.
A savior or… a conqueror.
So this was the most important question to ask Mason.
“What kind of person do you want to be?”
“A person who can reach out to someone they meet for the first time.”
Mason’s eyes held a bittersweet longing.
“I want to tell someone, somewhere, sometime, that they’re not alone. I want to share my knowledge and experience, help, be helped, and make friends.”
“…”
Gwendolyn felt that he was sincere.
That dream, which seemed more fitting for a children’s fairy tale, was his true dream. A dream he couldn’t give up on, even if reality didn’t allow it.
And this man… was not a bad person, nor could he ever become one.
“So.”
Gwendolyn asked.
“What do you think of me?”
“I think you’re someone with a bit of an attitude problem.”
“…Besides that.”
Gwendolyn looked at Mason.
“I’ve been called a monster and had to hide for a long time. Because I’m a different species from ordinary people. Can you reach out to me too?”
At that moment, Mason burst into laughter.
“No, if you’re not human, who is?”
“I’m not normal.”
“Don’t you have too much self-awareness? You’re a normal person.”
“I’m big.”
“Normal? You’re about the same size as me.”
“I only have one eye.”
“Is there a law that says you have to have two eyes? I had a friend who had about a hundred eyes.”
Accustomed to ridicule and contempt, Gwendolyn could recognize them instantly.
There wasn’t a speck of contempt in Mason’s cheerful laughter. And that fact made Gwendolyn feel flustered.
“Really?”
“Of course, it’s true. To surprise a 28th-century person with your appearance, you’d have to do something like multiply or evaporate.”
Gwendolyn made a disgusted expression.
“…Where on earth are you from?”
“A place where anyone can be whatever they want to be.”
“It must have been a wonderful place.”
Gwendolyn realized she was already believing Mason’s words. And that she wanted to see the world he was talking about.
“It must have been… a wonderful place.”
It was then.
