The Pitiful Goliath

A smile appeared on Shiva's face as he heard the sweet voice of the tower.

<The Goliath of Dread has attacked you!>

<The Title - Crafty Vengeance has been triggered>

<Your next attack will deal double the damage.>

As a red aura materialized around him, strengthening his muscles and body, Shiva began to run forward in the direction of the giant. 

It was his plan all along—the giant, by nature as a guardian, was obliged to protect the portal above all else. Shiva used that to his advantage to invoke his title effect. 

After all, he hadn't attacked the giant directly; instead, the giant had attacked his weapon, effectively an extension of himself. And it had succeeded, fulfilling his plan perfectly.

As Shiva rushed towards the towering creature, it roared in madness, its massive fists banging against its chest as if it had assumed Kingkog as its role model. The ground trembled beneath its weight, but Shiva remained unfazed.

Continuing his stride, Shiva pulled back the spherical head of the flail, preparing for his next attack. The distance between them closed rapidly until they were mere meters apart. 

At that moment, the abomination finally moved, bringing down its massive hammer-like hand toward Shiva with terrifying force.

Shiva didn't stop; instead, he raised his empty hand, and suddenly a blazing skull manifested itself, hovering above his palm. 

As the massive hands of the goliath drew nearer, Shiva threw the skull—not at the goliath, but at his feet. The blazing skull exploded upon impact, unleashing a powerful blast that propelled Shiva forward with tremendous force.

"Argh!"

Shiva barely dodged the impending fist of fury, which landed on the ground with all the grace of a wrecking ball meeting a piñata. However, in the process, Shiva was not unscathed. The explosion from the blazing skull had burned his legs and back, inflicting pain upon him. 

Nevertheless, the pain was nothing compared to the adrenaline coursing through his veins as he now found himself standing right below the goliath's two legs.

"You might wanna grit your teeth," Shiva muttered, his voice laced with mockery. 

Infusing mana into the flail, he began to swirl it, generating enough centrifugal force until he felt as if his hands would detach from his body. 

The Goliath, who sensed Shiva's presence beneath it, felt the dread of an incoming attack. 

It attempted to move, but suddenly, ghastly bone hands rose from beneath its feet, clutching onto it firmly.

Though the bone hands shattered with just a bit of pressure from the giant, they had served their purpose.

The mana infused in the flail had finally reached its peak, and Shiva had chosen an extremely vulnerable spot to strike. 

As the vicious head of the flail fell right between the legs of the giant, a massive impact was heard.

-GROWWWWWL!!

The roar of agony tore through the air like a thunderclap, reverberating with an intensity that seemed to shake the very ground beneath their feet. It was a primal cry of pain, raw and unfiltered, echoing across the battlefield like a mournful lament.

As Shiva's footing was disturbed, he couldn't infuse the mana further. As a result, the chain constricted suddenly, pushing him back 10-15 meters away from his initial position. Nevertheless, Shiva's plan was a success. He had effectively dealt a powerful blow to the giant.

The giant continued its growl filled with agony. 

The attack would have been tolerable if it had been aimed anywhere else, but the particular place made it worse for the giant. In that moment, the roar of agony spoke volumes, conveying a depth of suffering that words alone could never capture.

Each of its guttural growls carried with it the weight of suffering, as if the very essence of anguish had taken shape in sound. Even Shiva himself, the reason for its pain, shuddered at the thought of receiving such an attack in such a place.

Nevertheless, after a minute of rampaging and growling with agony, during which Shiva dared not go near it fearing he would get swept up, the giant finally collapsed. 

It wasn't dead yet, nor was it injured anywhere else. It was just that it couldn't bear the pain anymore and fell down, clutching its four arms between its legs.

"Forgive me!" 

Shiva whispered as he walked up with a smile and a guilty tone, the words sorry not sorry slipped out of his mouth as his eyes revealed excitement. Even though it was a monster, anyone present would pity it instead.

Nevertheless, Shiva was not going to lose such a golden opportunity. Infusing mana into his flail once again, Shiva moved forward. It was time to finish the battle.

***

The giant, which had been busy clutching its crotch, posed little threat to Shiva as he swung his terrifying flail with relentless determination. Despite the ferocity of the giant's attempts to resist, it proved futile against the continuous assault of the slippery Shiva, ultimately forcing the behemoth to collapse under the onslaught.

With each successive blow, Shiva battered away at the giant's defenses until finally, with a resounding crack, he split open the creature's head. As the once-mighty beast fell, defeated, Shiva slumped down, his body weary from the exertion of battle.

He wasn't concerned about sudden monster attacks, as the immediate vicinity was devoid of any creatures. Even if there were any lurking nearby, they would have undoubtedly fled in terror at the sight of the goliath's rampage.

Then, the voice of the Tower echoed in his mind, announcing his victory and showering him with rewards.

<You 25 have slain the Goliath of Dread, level ->

<You have levelled up>

<You have levelled up>

<You have levelled up>

<You have levelled up>

<You have levelled up>

Shiva's exhaustion seemed to evaporate as he received the unexpected boon of five level-ups in rapid succession but the rewards were't over yet!

<You are the first person on Earth to defeat a Guardian Monster>

<The Tower recognises your achivement>

<You have been rewarded with a unique Title - Guardian Slayer>

___________

<Guardian Slayer>

Rank - Unique

Description - Awarded to those who emerge victorious against guardian monsters in the tutorial.

Effect - When fighting against Guardian type creatures, all skills will be strengthened.

____________

<You 15 have defeated a monster who is more than levels higher you>

<You have aquired the unique title - Oddity>

_________

<Oddity >

Rank - Unique

Description - Awarded to those who fight against overwhelming odds despite the neccessacity, whether a brave or a fool!

Effect - Provide resistance of fear against those stronger than yourself.

_________

"Woah!" Shiva exclaimed in astonishment, his voice tinged with excitement.

"Five level-ups at once and two unique titles on top of it! As expected of a Guardian monster! It's definitely worth fighting against."

The first title was immensely desirable and promised to be very helpful in his future endeavors. However, the second title seemed a bit...odd and irrelevant to Shiva, given his already strong mentality. Nevertheless, he shrugged it off, since it was a free bonus.

Overall, satisfied with his rewards, Shiva rose to his feet and turned his gaze towards the bloodied body of the fallen giant. 

"Now, shall I complete what I came here to do?" he muttered to himself.

Walking forward with purpose, Shiva placed his hand on the giant's lifeless form and uttered the incantation.

"<Raise the Dead>."

---***---