Chapter 130

#130 Chapter Tin Knight and the Land of Giants (2)

-■■■! ■■■■!

As the Giant Captain shouted something, the surviving Soldiers threw their weapons down in unison.

It was an attack of terrifying power, but unlike the Giant Captain, their accuracy was rather poor.

Their attacks only turned a former comrade into a pincushion.

You felt a sense of doubt, but that doubt was soon resolved.

The Soldiers were throwing stones or kicking up sand with their feet.

In a way, it was the most effective attack.

Your body was once again covered in scratches, and your leg had even crumpled after being hit by a large rock.

You circled your Magical Power through your body once more.

Ignoring the less critical parts for the moment, you focused on recovering only the legs needed for mobility.

Then, you checked your Shield.

One of the three gems embedded in the shield had lost its light during the fight with the West Witch, but the other two still contained a fierce Magical Power.

Even while stumbling from the sand being thrown in your direction, you quietly watched for the right moment.

This stone was too big, this one was too small, this one lacked strength.

As you carefully selected the flying stones, the moment the right ones came soaring toward you, you unleashed the Magical Power contained in your shield.

Boom! Bam-bam!

The stones that were flying toward you turned back with a much stronger momentum toward their owners.

The Soldiers’ heads exploded all at once.

The only one left standing was the Captain Giant.

Rather than fleeing or cowering, he swung his sword at you with anger.

The size and weight alone were a violent force.

Even just grazing the side of the blade made your body crumple considerably.

If you were an ordinary person, you would have been unable to move due to compound fractures.

But it didn’t matter.

You had no concept of pain.

The fight dragged on for quite a while, but your body felt no fatigue.

Any injury could be healed as long as you had Magical Power.

You sliced at the ankle of the Giant Captain.

Compared to the other giants, his muscles and bones were much tougher and stronger, yet still soft compared to the familiar sensation your Tin Knight body remembered.

As the Giant Captain’s body leaned to one side, you leaped off his knee and moved to the opposite flank.

You briefly considered releasing the last gem on your shield, but fearing the unexpected, you decided to save that trump card.

Instead of delivering a body blow to his gut, you climbed onto his back.

The Giant Captain seemed to realize what you were trying to do and quickly threw himself to the ground to shake you off, but you were faster and reached his neck.

You crawled into the gap between his armor and helmet, plunging into the back of his neck.

The Giant Captain struggled for a moment before his body trembled and he collapsed forward.

You stood atop the Giant Captain’s head and looked around.

The bodies of the dead giants littered the streets.

The surviving giants fled from you with faces frozen in fear.

All that remained where you stood was blood and death.

You gazed at the scene for a moment before jumping off the Giant Captain’s head.

You looked at the golden thread bracelet.

The once brilliant gold was now stained a dark crimson.

No, not just the bracelet—your entire body was the same.

If you had tactile senses, maybe you could feel the hot, sticky touch of blood.

If you had a sense of smell, you might catch the awful scent of blood and guts.

Of course, that was impossible. Your body was merely a cold metal doll.

Without feeling any particular emotion about that fact, you moved toward one of the various directions indicated by the bracelet.

A few more giants appeared, but upon seeing you, they all ran away as if they had seen something terrifying.

After walking for a while.

You arrived at the shoreline.

You stared blankly at the rolling waves.

Though you knew this was the Witch’s workshop, you could only think of the vast puddle before you as the sea.

And that was a very troublesome matter.

You couldn’t swim. You couldn’t float.

There were no boats you could use here, and after a massive battle, it was too late to gain assistance from the locals.

In other words, you were trapped on this island.

You fell silent for a moment, then looked around.

You approached a nearby tree and began to chop it down.

Chop, split, fit together.

However, the wood that went through your hands transformed into a spectacular boat… which was far from the truth.

Looking at this failure that couldn’t even float a dog, your frustration deepened.

It was odd that you could slice and chop with endless precision, yet when it came to using it creatively, it ended up like this.

Leaving the failure behind, you decided to walk along the coast.

Thinking back, the various directions the thread indicated didn’t guarantee all led to the sea.

There might be a colleague somewhere you could meet on foot.

You walked and walked, continuously.

It took longer to create a boat or walk than it did to subdue the giants.

About a third of your Magical Power remained.

One gem still lay in your shield, but while it could be used for combat, it couldn’t be considered as fuel for you.

You felt uneasy about whether you could encounter another colleague before your power ran out.

Though you could rejoice in the face of any fearsome opponent, in a situation where brute strength didn’t help, you felt powerless.

How much longer did you walk?

You suddenly spotted a glimmering golden light in the sky.

Reflecting the sun’s rays, they were flying over the sea with their two wings.

Having seen the sight many times before, you immediately recognized them as the West Witch’s minions.

They didn’t seem to realize you were there yet, but judging by their appearance as they searched for something, it was only a matter of time.

Just then, when you were preparing for battle.

The golden monkeys soaring in the sky suddenly paused, then hurriedly flew off somewhere, ceasing their search.

You tilted your head in confusion, but the monkeys that had left wouldn’t be coming back.

Feeling a mix of disappointment and relief, you hurried your steps once again.

Clink. Clink. Clink.

Leaving footprints in the sandy beach, you dragged your heavy body along.

The blood had dried into black scabs, and the sun was nearing the horizon.

After confirming that even the third golden thread was pointing towards the sea, you plopped down on the ground.

If there were a giant ship on the shoreline, you might have been able to use it to move forward, but no matter how much you walked, there was nothing resembling a boat in sight.

Now, all you could do was wait for your comrades, who might be coming at any time, preserving what little Magical Power you could.

Once again, time passed.

“─I found you.”

A familiar voice tickled your ear.

A girl with black hair braided over her shoulder, her white skin wrapped in dark clothing, descended from the ship and approached you.

Her blue eyes, as always, held no trace of warmth, and her expression was blunt.

Yet her appearance was incredibly comforting to you.

Perhaps because you didn’t say anything, the girl spoke with a suspicious look.

“What? Staring at a person’s face.”

[Tin Knight claims to be discerning between real and fake!]

Words tumbled out before you could think.

The girl, Dorothea, frowned.

“Wait, fake? Is there really one of those creatures that the Witch controls that can change its form?”

[Tin Knight says there were no such creatures!]

[Tin Knight remarks that if there were multiple Dorotheas, that would be a remarkably terrifying sight!]

“Hey!!”

Dorothea yelled in frustration.

You laughed hoarsely, unable to make a sound.

Though Dorothea glared at you, she soon sighed.

“Ha, okay. This isn’t the time to be joking. Are you alright? Seems like you’ve been through a lot.”

[Tin Knight reveals he was struggling against a formidable foe in a restricted area!]

“Seems like other things were fine. Get on the ship for now… No, wash yourself first.”

[Tin Knight wonders if he isn’t used to blood given his profession!]

“Just because you’re used to it doesn’t mean you like it! Now hurry up and wash yourself.”

You followed Dorothea’s instructions and cleaned yourself up.

Washing metal with seawater isn’t ideal, but as long as you had sufficient Magical Power, it wouldn’t be a huge issue.

Poring your Magical Power into your rusted body felt like pouring oil into a doll, and your dilapidated frame transformed back to pristine condition.

As you infused Magical Power into your shield, the gems that had lost their light began to shimmer brilliantly once more.

[Tin Knight asks about the other colleagues!]

“I don’t know. You were the first to join. It’s worrying that a thread has gone missing, but there’s no way to confirm that right now.”

As a grotesque skull that was difficult to identify as human began to row, the ship carrying you and Dorothea started to move forward.

Dorothea asked.

“Have you bumped into any monkeys?”

[Tin Knight mentions that the ones flying around seemed to leave suddenly as if some urgent matter arose!]

“Urgent matter? Did they discover the others and call for reinforcements? It wouldn’t take many to catch Sophia, but it could be Adel or Franka.”

[Tin Knight suggests Sophia might have surprisingly done something worthwhile!]

“Yeah, right. Regardless, be prepared. Just because they took a break doesn’t mean they won’t strike again.”

[Tin Knight claims he can’t fight on the ship, but instead promises to show off a special booster!]

[Tin Knight assures it’ll be an exhilarating thrill and fun!]

“That’s enough; you row too!”

Grumbling with remarks and complaints, you and Dorothea moved onward.

The gloom that had long been present vanished before you even realized.

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