First Prey

*Woosh*

Luo stepped into the portal that had formed before him. As he entered, he felt himself being pulled into a spatial passage. Unlike his previous experiences, he could feel a distinct force guiding him through the passageway. He also realized that he had the ability to intervene with the ride if he chose to do so. As he approached the end, he could feel the gravitational pull from the other side of the gate, and he prepared himself.

*Walks out*

In the midst of a cluster of ruins that resembled the remains of a demolished civilization, a gate suddenly materialized just above what appeared to be a colossal altar that remained partially intact. The altar was surrounded by eight massive boulders, some of which were cracked, but none were completely shattered. Luo emerged from the gate and surveyed his surroundings, remaining vigilant and alert. It was very cloudy. After quickly scanning the area, he cautiously took cover behind a large piece of rubble close by to assess his situation.

"Anything?"

[Wait.]

[I'm still trying to break past the barrier.]

Luo asked Eijaz if he had obtained any information. Time went by as he maintained his vigilance, waiting for news. That was when he heard it.

*Dom**Dom*

The ground shook every time he heard that sound. It was like the sound of bombs falling. But the sound kept getting closer, and the ground shook even more. Luo was starting to feel anxious. He lifted his head to take a look, only to be met with a mind-blowing scene.

"Oh-My-GOD, we've really messed up this time"

He saw the underside of a foot, a giant scaled foot was traversing above his head, at a height of about twenty meters. The leg extended beyond the cloud cover, while the rest of the body was obscured by the same, thus making it difficult to see. The prevailing atmosphere in this world suggests that it is nighttime, given that the only source of light was the profound blue moonlight emanating from the distant blue moon. At first glance, the setting gave off a very serene feeling. However, as one immersed themselves, things turned eerie very quickly due to the prolonged calmness. Now, the only sound that could be heard was the footfalls of this colossal entity, turning the already eerie atmosphere into something spine-chilling. Luo remained motionless, rooted to his spot, not moving a single inch, afraid of being detected.

*Huff**huff*

His breaths were becoming shorter and shorter as the pressure of this creature was really getting to him. For a moment he really thought he was done for, just one step from this thing is capable of flattening him into a carpet.

Fortunately, the giant creature didn't seem to care about him and continued on its path without stopping.

*Sigh*

Luo sighed in relief after the entity vanished into the horizon. He looked at his trembling hands and thought.

'It knew I was here'

'I could taste the blandness, it was uninterested'

'If it had decided to attack me, I would've been done for. That thing's aura was pitch black'

Luo was trying to calm himself down when Eijaz appeared in front of him. It didn't seem to be aware of what transpired as it spoke in its monotonous voice.

[Luo, I've got the information, I will transmit it directly to your mind]

'Weird, did not notice what just happened?'

Luo caught on this detail, but he glossed over it without much thought, however he still took note of it.

As it was said, Eijaz touched Luo's forehead. A stream of information was entering his mind. He closed his eyes, concentrating on sorting things out.

"A world of the second order, it was originally inhabited by humans."

"However, fifteen years ago, a war broke out when a sub-race of giant species, known as the Fallen Giants, invaded the world with the assumed intention of coveting its rich resources."

"At first, humans had the upper hand in the war. However, as the conflict dragged on, they became exhausted and were eventually outnumbered by the enemy. To make matters worse, the enemy had formed an alliance with demons, who provided them with support. As a result, the war lasted only ten short years"

[It seems that the remaining humans have sought refuge in an elf kingdom in a distant planet. It has been four years since then.]

After spending around two hours pouring out his thoughts, the sun rose on the horizon and the scenes around him began to clear up. He could now see the beautiful blue sky and the ruins surrounding him. This planet had an ecosystem very similar to Earth's, but it appeared to be more technologically advanced, although it didn't seem so due to everything being in ruins, but Luo knew this because of the information he had received. It was the kind of civilization where flying cars and holograms were commonplace, and robots occupied most of the repetitive jobs. Luo gazed at the distant sky for a while before lowering his eyes to spot a dome-shaped building that was the size of a stadium. Unlike the surrounding structures, the building appeared to be intact and shone with a metallic hue that was visible from his location. Resolving himself, Luo decided to venture out of his hiding spot and explore the building in search of any survivors.

Luo stepped down from the altar and headed south towards the dome-shaped building. He kept his guard up and took cover by the ruins while running in fear of attracting the attention of an unwanted creature, the path was relatively smooth, and he quickly approached the dome. However, when he was about five minutes away from reaching it, he passed by the largest rubble he had seen since arriving. He eyed the location from a distance and felt a strange sensation regarding the shape of the rubble. Being naturally cautious, he proceeded with great care. He decided to use his Origin Sense to scan beneath the rubble. He was still quite a distance away, around thirty meters (32 yards), but even after scanning the area a couple of times, he found nothing. He assumed that he was overthinking due to what he had seen the night before.

'I guess I'm just way too tense due to that thing.'

As he was thinking this, he walked past the rubble. And just before he could completely pass it, one side of the rubble suddenly exploded, and a huge, veiny, red palm filled his view as it extended towards him trying to catch him. Thankfully, Luo was quick to react. He used [Explosive Steps] to leap backward creating quite the distance. Once he landed, he looked in the direction of the dust where the hand had extended from to locate the enemy. He didn't have to wait long for that, as the dust dispersed quickly when a huge creature stood up amidst the rubble. It was around forty meters tall (130 feet tall), with a humanoid body, a huge belly, and long thin limbs. Its dark red skin had white veins popping on it, and its face was weirdly formed with a huge forehead and a very thin jaw, making it look almost like a light bulb. The creature stepped towards Luo, who could now clearly see it. Despite its grotesque appearance and big build, he didn't seem to be fazed. His eyes shone with a golden hue, as he wore a confident smirk extending across his face, he said.

"I guess this is my first prey, huh? Do you know anything about it, Eijaz?"

[This is a fallen giant Luo, the main invaders on this human planet.]

"I've been very tense lately. I hope spending time with you will help me relax a bit."

Luo spoke with confidence to the giant coming at him, not expecting any answer. However, he was surprised to hear an incoherent, childlike voice respond.

"Human, arrogant, Human, Weak, Human delicious!!!"

As it said the last part, it quickened its steps towards Luo in an attempt to catch him. Although Luo was taken aback by the creature's ability to speak, he didn't dwell on it for long. With a powerful kick, he exploded from his spot and dodged the giant's hand. Without hesitation, he appeared before the creature's knee cap and delivered a forceful blow with the sole of his foot. A loud cracking sound echoed in the surroundings, followed by an even louder screech.

*Screech*

The giant lost its balance and fell onto its back, rolling amidst the debris like a crying baby. It held its blown right knee, which was now oozing white blood amdist the rising dust.

Luo stood to the side at a safe distance, observing the huge creature wailing like a four-year-old with a cold expression. He wore a ruthless smirk on his face. In Luo's perspective, the aura around the giant had turned into an intense, vivid blue color, indicating that it was weaker than him. Initially, it had a brown aura, but as he broke its leg, the aura immediately turned blue.

Walking up to the creature, Luo started speaking to it

"What a surprise! I didn't expect you to be able to talk. That's nice. So, let me ask you some questions, will you?"

The giant didn't seem to understand what Luo had said. As soon as it noticed him getting closer, it charged at him with its mouth wide open, trying to swallow him whole.

*Sigh*

"It seems like this thing can't handle pain; it has completely lost its mind."

Not worried about the charging enemy, Luo shook his head with a sigh. He kicked the ground once again, appearing before the creature's charging head. With a new technique he had devised from [Explosive step], he delivered a straight punch right into the middle of the creature's forehead. The technique, called [Explosive Strike], shattered the creature's head, causing brain matter and blood to rain down on the ground. The now headless creature sprawled unmoving on the ground.

Luo backed away immediately after delivering the strike to avoid being stained by the brain matter. However, despite his efforts, his black tuxedo, which was already in shambles, was now stained with white blood on both his right hand and left leg that he used to deliver the attacks. Luo shook his head at the sight of his clothes. He looked like a homeless graffiti painter. However, he quickly diverted his attention from the matter as he noticed two notifications that appeared before him.

[You have slain a peak First Order, Fallen giant (child).]

[You have obtained 400 units of Soul Energy.]

The first one was from the Akashic Records, while the other was from Eijaz, who had successfully absorbed the soul energy from the deceased creature.

Luo wanted to ask Eijaz a couple of things, but he decided to refrain from doing so as this commotion might have attracted another giant, so he hurriedly resumed his run towards the dome-like building.

Luo stood on the street in front of the building, observing the huge stadium-like structure in search of an entrance.

"Just where in the hell is the entrance?"

Luo was getting quite frustrated as he had already circled the building a couple of times, unable to find the entrance. After calming himself down, he walked up to the metallic exterior to examine it more closely. Just as he placed his palm on the surface, a mechanical voice emanated from inside the wall.

"Human life sign detected. Initiating Procedure Number 57."

Just as Luo was about to react to the voice, the spot where he placed his hand transformed from solid to slimy, and then spread out into a circular opening.

Luo backed off a couple of steps in surprise, feeling quite hesitant about going inside. He paused until he heard Eijaz say,

[I don't think it means any harm, Luo]

Upon hearing Eijaz, Luo contemplated for a couple of seconds before deciding to the building.

'It's not like I have any other leads right now, and since Eijaz said it won't cause harm, I can take the risk.'

"Let's give it a go then"

Luo walked inside the opening as he said that, and directly after he entered the entrance reverted to its previous state.

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Note : The Akashic Records can be used to deliver a message in the language of the chosen being(s). It is an active function, which means that it can be turned 'ON' and 'OFF' at will.

[Spatial Gate]????????????