“What are you doing here?”

  Ordun’s voice boomed through the cave, thick with authority. He wasn’t asking; he was demanding an answer.

  “W-we…” Eiruk stammered, his gaze flickering down toward Nova, hoping for a sign that he might be pulled out of this predicament. But Nova was nowhere to be seen. Panic rose within him as he hastily scanned the cave, desperately searching for even the faintest trace of his presence.

  But the search yielded nothing. Defeated, Eiruk muttered, “I-it’s for a-a m—”

  It was then that Eiruk noticed Ordun’s attention had shifted. The king’s gaze, once fixed on him, now rested on something—or rather, someone—off to the side. Eiruk’s heart skipped a beat as he saw the familiar figure standing there, calm and unwavering, looking back at Ordun with a faint smile.

  Relief surged through Eiruk’s chest, and his shoulders sagged. His role completed, Eiruk could finally step back now.

  Nova met Ordun’s gaze with an almost playful grin, twirling a spear effortlessly in his left hand. The motion had become second nature, a habit he did without thinking.

  The king’s eyes narrowed. “Another outsider, I see. Tell me, what’s your mission? My head?”

  “Hehe, no,” Nova replied smoothly, his smile widening. “Luckily for you, I’m here for your crown. And, well… I could use a favor.”

  Arching an eyebrow, Ordun’s voice rumbled with a mixture of curiosity and skepticism. “My crown? Is that part of your mission? That’s a new one.” He paused, eyeing Nova with increasing scrutiny. “What makes you think I’ll agree to any of that, is it because you’re relying on that giant over there?” His gaze flicked dismissively toward Eiruk before returning to Nova, whose expression remained unchanged.

  “You’re wrong again,” Nova said, shaking his head slightly. He leaned forward, his tone growing more pointed. “Do you know when two people can truly negotiate terms?”

  The giant king, intrigued despite himself, replied, “When they have equal strength.”

  Nova’s smile grew colder. “Exactly. So… what do you think happens when one is far stronger than the other?”

  The hint of unease crept into Ordun’s voice, though he didn’t let it show. “The stronger one dictates the terms.”

  Nova nodded, satisfaction flashing across his face. “So, Ordun…” He took a step closer, his eyes narrowing as he looked the king directly in the eye. “What makes you think you have the right to question me?”

  Without warning, Nova’s right fist shot out, landing with bone-crushing force against Ordun’s hip. The sound of cracking bone echoed through the cave as the king was sent flying. He crashed violently into the cave wall, leaving a deep indentation in the stone, his body crumpling to the ground.

  Eiruk’s jaw hung open in disbelief. He had never imagined that Nova could defeat his King, let alone injure him with a single punch. His mind raced for answers, but each time he thought he had grasped Nova’s full strength, the demon proved him wrong in the next encounter.

  He muttered to himself, “I’ll stop underestimating this demon… I’m done. I want out of this situation.”

  Meanwhile, Nova, unaware of Eiruk’s thoughts, continued his slow approach toward Ordun, who had yet to emerge from the crater left by his collision with the cave wall.

  “Come out,” Nova called, standing a dozen meters away from the struggling giant. “I have two favors to ask. Are you willing to grant them?”

  From where he lay, Ordun groaned, attempting to rise, but the damage to his hip was still too severe, slowing his recovery.

  “YOU!”

  Ordun’s voice cracked with fury, his bloodshot eyes burning as he glared down at Nova.

  He had fought in the Civilization War, ruled over the Giants for over a thousand years, and never in all that time had anyone dared to speak to him like this—let alone a child. The sheer disrespect made his blood boil. If not for his immense mental fortitude, he might have said something that would stain his dignity as a King.

  Nova, unmoved by Ordun’s internal struggle, simply shrugged. “Me, what? You know how this works. I’m stronger, and here…” He paused, stepping closer, his presence an overwhelming force. “I dictate the rules. So stop wasting my time.”

  Ordun’s teeth ground together with such force that it sounded like metal scraping against metal. “You caught me off guard. Don’t think—”

  Nova interrupted with a sharp chuckle, his eyes glinting with a mix of amusement and menace. “That’s unbefitting of a King, Ordun.” He stepped forward, his voice low and cold. “I’ll punch you again…”

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  He didn’t need to say anything more. With a single word, the air itself seemed to crackle.

  “Now.”

  The sound of snapping bones echoed through the cave as Nova’s punch landed with bone-crushing force, shattering Ordun’s left leg. The giant let out a roar of pain as his bones splintered into pieces.

  Ordun fought to keep himself silent, but a low groan slipped past his clenched teeth, the sound filled with raw pain. Sweat dripped from his forehead, his body shaking with the effort to remain composed.

  “Ready to talk?” Nova’s voice cut through the tension.

  The giant king’s lips parted just enough to whisper, “Say it.” His voice was barely audible, so soft that a less attentive person might have missed it entirely.

  “I need to find a sealed beast. I’m certain it’s here. Help me get to it.”

  Even through the searing pain, Ordun’s eyes widened in disbelief. He coughed up a spray of blood, his voice now thick with fury. “WHY DIDN’T YOU SAY THIS EARLIER? ARE YOU TOYING WITH ME?”

  Nova shrugged nonchalantly. “That’s on you. You weren’t listening.”

  Ordun took a deep breath, trying to steady himself, his anger bubbling just beneath the surface. Finally, after a tense moment of silence, he growled, “It’s the beast sealed in that pond.” He gave a sharp nod toward the far end of the cave, where a large lake lay, its surface reflecting the faint light of the cave.

  ‘Pond?’ Nova’s cold expression faltered, replaced by disbelief as he stared at the vast expanse of water. ‘Does he not see this is at least a thousand meters wide?’ He narrowed his eyes and shook his head, disbelieving. “What kind of beast are we talking about? Do I just swim through the lake to find it?”

  Ordun sighed deeply, a sound he hadn’t made in over a hundred years. “It’s a Sky Serpent. The seal is active, so I’ll need to disable it before you can enter the pond.”

  ‘Sky Serpent… the name alone sounds strong,’ Nova thought, his curiosity piqued. He nodded, saying, “Then disable it. I need to get inside.”

  “Do you even know what a Sky Serpent is?” Ordun asked, incredulity in his voice. He couldn’t believe someone would willingly confront such a creature.

  Nova simply shook his head. “No.”

  Ordun’s shock was palpable. “And you want to fight it? Those beasts were sent by other civilizations to destroy mine. They’re war weapons. Their lengths range from 100 to 200 meters. Forget about it—I would barely be the size of a patch of their scales.”

  Not bothering to respond to Ordun’s warning, Nova’s gaze sharpened. “Can they fly?”

  Seeing the unyielding determination in Nova’s eyes, Ordun gave up on trying to reason with him. “Yes.”

  Nova murmured to himself, a grin tugging at the corner of his lips. “A serpent that flies… that sounds like it came straight out of a legend.” He refocused and asked, “How do you disable the array?”

  Not willing to say more than necessary, Ordun retrieved a small token made of blue metal—the same material that made up the cave—and tossed it toward Nova. “Hold onto that as you enter the lake,” he said before falling silent, his expression unreadable.

  Nova caught the token, noticing the intricate engravings that covered its surface. ‘These markings… they seem to facilitate the flow of mana... another application of an array?’ His curiosity piqued, he examined it closely as he made his way toward the lake.

  Eiruk, having silently witnessed everything unfold before him, felt the tension mounting. Realizing that another confrontation, possibly even more intense than the previous one, was about to take place, he wisely retreated to a safer spot.

  Meanwhile, Ordun simply closed his eyes, already resigned to the inevitable. In his mind, Nova was as good as dead. The Sky Serpent was no ordinary beast—its sheer power far surpassed Ordun’s. In his mind Nova was as good as dead.

  Standing at the edge of the lake, Nova grinned, his mind alight with excitement. ‘A weapon of war used by other civilizations...I cant wait’ With that thought, he took a deep breath, clutched the token tightly in his hand, and leaped into the water. As soon as he entered, the array activated as Ordun had predicted, parting just enough for him to pass through before closing once again.

  Once submerged in the lake, Nova took his time, allowing himself to explore the vast, underwater expanse. He had already discovered previously that he could hold his breath for hours, perhaps even longer. He hadn’t yet tested the true limits of his body, but for now, there was no urgency.

  Unable to spot anything of interest just yet, he decided to dive deeper.

  ‘How deep is this lake?’ he mused as the minutes ticked by. ‘It’s been five minutes, and I still can’t see the bottom.’ The thought nagged at him, but his curiosity only grew stronger. As he swam further down, Nova couldn’t help but wonder why the lake seemed devoid of life. But he pushed the thought aside. He had more pressing matters at hand.

  Eventually, he caught sight of the lakebed.

  It was littered with debris—broken weapons, shattered armor, and bones, some of which were unfamiliar to Nova. Many of them were likely relics of other civilizations, lost to time.

  ‘Still no sign of the Sky Serpent,’ Nova thought, his gaze scanning the scattered remnants. Though there was much to be found, none of it seemed to hint at the beast’s presence. The debris was ancient, decayed, and crumbled to dust at the slightest touch. All he could make out were vague shapes, the faint outlines of what once was.

  Having found nothing he continued to swim, the weight of time pressing down on him as he explored the lakebed. After nearly half an hour, his persistence was rewarded.

  ‘Is that it?’ Nova thought, narrowing his eyes. In the distance, what looked like a colossal wall rose from the lakebed. ‘It’s enormous. I can’t even tell the difference between this and the Galthar’s walls,’ he mused, his mind racing with thoughts.

  Without hesitation, he sped toward it, his heart quickening as he approached.

  When he landed on the lakebed, the wall loomed above him, its size overwhelming. He stared up at it, noticing a name hanging above. The lettering was an inky black, flecked with shimmering gold specks that gave it an almost mystical aura.

  [Sky Serpent]

  ‘Status’ Nova immediately checked.

  [Sky Serpent]

  Rank: 0

  Name: None

  Species: Beast

  Affiliation: None

  Level: 15

  Class: None

  Attributes:

  Strength: 941

  Vigor: 805

  Dexterity: 1007

  Speed: 1076

  Intelligence: 132

  Wisdom: 98

  Will: 1

  Luck: 0

  Nova nearly spoke out of instinct, but at the last moment, he remembered he was submerged in water and quickly shut his mouth, thinking, ‘Holy shit. A weapon of war, indeed.’

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