https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-92-Path-of-the-Crimson-Scales-Complete-/13676233/
Chapter 93: Hill Giant
“I’m going to eat you all!”
A frenzied roar echoed from the hillside.
A towering figure over five meters tall, its body thick and covered in rough, brown skin, swung a massive tree—still dripping with soil—like a weapon in one hand. Clad only in crude, untreated animal hides loosely stitched together with fur and leather thongs, sweat dripped from its body onto the stinking hide, releasing a pungent stench. This was a Hill Giant.
Hill Giants were selfish, dim-witted savages, often dwelling in hills and valleys across the land. They gathered in wooded clearings or makeshift huts in the mountains, roaming far and wide in search of food. They hunted, raided, and plundered—anything to fill their insatiable hunger. They charged through forests and over mountains, hunting prey and crushing the weak. If not for their immense size and endless strength, these lazy, slow-witted brutes would have long since vanished.
But now… food had come to them.
The Greedy Hill Giant licked its lips, drooling thick, foul saliva.
Since that monstrous Ogre had driven them from the Valley, the creatures had wandered the fringes of Storm Ridge, scavenging rotten scraps or devouring passing Humans.
This one hadn’t eaten a proper meal in ages. And now? The moment was perfect.
[Based on your own strength, you can observe the following information.]
【Greedy Hill Giant】
Huge Giant, Chaotic Evil
Armor Class: 13 (Natural Armor)
HP: 105
Strength — 21
Dexterity — 8
Constitution — 19
Intelligence — 5
Wisdom — 9
Charisma — 6
Senses: Passive Perception 12
Actions: Multiattack, Club Attack, Throw Rock, Bite
Challenge Rating: 5 (1,800 XP)
Stuffed Bun sighed, eyes wide. “This thing’s tough… Can we really beat it?”
Singo scoffed. “What’s there to fear? With our setup, just plain attacks would crush it. This whole thing’s just a XP grind for you. If you weren’t stuck at level four, I swear it’d already be dead.”
“Fine,” the other replied, grinning nervously. “Just don’t get your team wiped out.”
Below, the Dragon Blood Four, their team strength vastly improved, had taken on the toughest quest available: Defeat the Hill Giant destroying the farm. The official Challenge Rating for this mission was a daunting five.
For players like Singo, reaching level four was already a monumental feat—achieved through relentless, round-the-clock grinding. Most others still hovered around levels one or two.
Now, facing the charging Hill Giant thundering down the hill, Singo remained calm.
“War Fury Brother,” he said, “you and Xia Ye Qiu Yu hold it back here. Me and Stuffed Bun will hit it from above.”
Tian Sheng Zhan Kuang nodded without hesitation. “Got it.”
In an instant, Singo and Stuffed Bun vaulted onto their mounts—Wyverns—and soared into the sky.
Tian Sheng Zhan Kuang stepped forward without flinching, meeting the towering brute head-on.
He had fought space beasts before. This giant? Nothing more than a pile of meat.
He walked the path of the Barbarian, the Frenzied Warrior—a relentless pursuit of blood and unbridled fury.
When a Barbarian enters Frenzy, they surrender to the chaos of battle, their body trembling with the raw thrill of violence, their mind lost in the storm of combat.
“AAAAAAHHHHHH!”
Tian Sheng Zhan Kuang roared, eyes flaring crimson.
Muscles bulged like twisted roots, veins stood out like ropes beneath his skin, and a thick, blood-charged aura radiated from him.
With a primal scream, he charged forward—leaping into the air, giant axe raised high.
“Frenzied Strike!”
The axe slashed through the air, a storm of power. But the Hill Giant was too tall—the blow only grazed its chest.
The giant blinked in surprise. Then, realizing it had been intimidated by such a tiny creature… and that the creature didn’t fear it… its face twisted into a snarl of rage.
“I’ll crush you into paste!”
The Hill Giant swung its tree-club forward, blocking the axe. With a thunderous shove, it sent Tian Sheng Zhan Kuang flying backward, his axe plunging into the earth.
He hit the ground hard, but didn’t stop. Crimson eyes gleamed—not with fear, but with wild excitement. A worthy opponent.
“AAAAAAHHHHHH!”
He yanked the axe free and charged again.
“Wait—!”
A sharp female voice called from behind.
But Tian Sheng Zhan Kuang didn’t hear. He was lost in the frenzy.
Xia Ye Qiu Yu sighed, shaking her head.
The Frenzied Warrior was strong, durable, and terrifyingly effective—but once in Frenzy, he was deaf to everything but the fight.
She stepped forward and cast her spell.
【Enlarge】
Tian Sheng Zhan Kuang’s body surged upward—growing from nearly two meters to almost four. His weapons, his leather tunic, everything scaled up with him. Now, he stood almost eye-to-eye with the Hill Giant—a true equal in size.
His vision rose. He laughed—a deep, wild roar.
This time, he leapt higher—his axe arcing down not at the chest, but the head.
The Hill Giant, though dull, sensed the change. The “little man” was now a threat.
It roared and slammed both arms down, swinging the tree club with brutal force.
THUD!
The axe and club locked, trembling. Tian Sheng Zhan Kuang crashed to the ground—but the Hill Giant still held the upper hand, slowly forcing the axe down, pressing him beneath its might.
“Aganassa Flame Blast!”
Xia Ye Qiu Yu whispered, and a searing, ribbon-like flame shot from her lips, striking the Hill Giant as it was locked in place.
The giant’s right shoulder seared black, its flesh charred. It howled in agony, jaws gaping wide, fingers loosening on the club.
That split second of weakness was all Tian Sheng Zhan Kuang needed.
He kicked the club aside—his three-meter axe swung in a deadly arc—slamming into the already-burnt shoulder.
SHHHHHHHH-KRACK!
The entire right arm, still attached by a few tendons, tore free. The massive limb tumbled to the ground, blood spraying.
Warm, sticky blood splattered across Tian Sheng Zhan Kuang’s face. He didn’t flinch. Instead, his eyes burned brighter.
“AAAAAAHHHH! I’LL KILL YOU!”
The Hill Giant screamed, now berserk with rage, its mind fractured by pain and loss. It grabbed the axe still buried in its flesh and hurled it ten meters away—then lunged forward, engaging in brutal, primal hand-to-hand combat.
Fists, knees, heads, teeth—no weapon, no mercy.
High above, Singo watched the fight unfold.
“Told you,” he said to Stuffed Bun, “if you didn’t act, War Fury Brother would’ve beaten it to death. Once he’s in Frenzy, he’s deaf to reason—just wants to fight.”
Stuffed Bun, watching the blood-soaked warrior tear into the giant, whistled. “Damn… War Fury Brother’s insane.”
Singo cut in sharply. “Enough talk. Prepare for the charge.”
“Got it,” Stuffed Bun replied.
With practiced ease, he guided his Two-Headed Dragon, locking into a dive.
“ROOOOAAARRR!”
The dragon’s twin heads bellowed from the sky.
The Hill Giant, lost in its rage, ignored the sound—still hammering Tian Sheng Zhan Kuang with furious blows.
Even enlarged, Tian Sheng Zhan Kuang’s strength paled against the Hill Giant’s. And now, his Frenzy had ended—his body spent, muscles burning.
Fighting a Challenge Rating 5 monster solo? Even a pro like him couldn’t do it forever.
But he had a plan.
He had a backup.
And his goal wasn’t to kill the Hill Giant himself.
As he lay on the ground, battered and bleeding, he looked up—his eyes locking onto the sky.
A grin spread across his face.
The Two-Headed Dragon dove.
Singo nocked an arrow.
A purple sigil flared on the Hill Giant’s left arm—Hunter’s Mark.
“Swoosh!”
The arrow flew—sharp, precise—piercing the mark, bursting through the other side, crimson blood spraying.
Under the mark’s curse, the wound erupted with unnatural bloodflow.
“WHO DARES?!”
The Hill Giant, now insane with pain, twisted around—red eyes blazing at the sky.
“DIE!”
It grabbed a boulder and hurled it at Singo—a massive rock that would crush any man.
But Singo, riding his dragon, twisted mid-air—dodging the stone by inches.
The rock arced through the sky—nearly crashing down—when Singo shouted:
“Stuffed Bun!”
It was a feint.
The real attack was coming from behind.
The Hill Giant, still frozen in its throwing stance, didn’t see it.
A deafening roar split the air.
“ROOOOAAARRR!”
Stuffed Bun shot down from above—Wyvern wings tucked tight.
He leaned forward, gripping his six-meter lance with both hands. The wind screamed past his ears.
His heart pounded. Adrenaline surged.
“PAY FOR YOUR SIN!”
He roared.
【Dragon Roar Charge】 activated.
The lance, fueled by the dragon’s speed and raw power, drove straight into the Hill Giant’s skull.
The tip pierced through tough hide, shattered bone, tore through flesh—bursting out through the giant’s open, snarling mouth.
The Hill Giant’s roar died mid-scream.
Its massive body collapsed.
“THUD!”
Stuffed Bun casually dropped the lance.
His Wyvern, “Noodles”, spread its wings—catching the air, rising again in a smooth, graceful climb.
The Character Sheet updated.
[You have slain Greedy Hill Giant. Gained 1,800 XP]
[Your class level has increased to Level 4]
Stuffed Bun’s heart still raced. He leaned back, feigning coolness.
“Still warm—enemy commander’s head is already mine.”
He circled the sky once more before landing.
Then, with a grin, he struck a pose.
“Hardcore Player. Tell me—am I not cool?”
Singo shot back, unimpressed.
“If you weren’t still stuck at level four, I’d have shot its head off. And War Fury Brother? That axe would’ve taken off its neck.”
Stuffed Bun’s smile vanished. He slumped.
Tian Sheng Zhan Kuang picked himself up, rubbing his bald head.
“This thing’s strength… I don’t think I could’ve beaten it alone.”
Xia Ye Qiu Yu surveyed the battlefield, trembling.
Her Constitution wasn’t high. One solid hit from that giant? She’d be dead.
But then, she frowned.
“Singo… what are you doing?”
There he stood—holding the Hill Giant’s stinking arm like a treasure, sniffing it like a rare perfume, even nudging it toward his mouth.
Singo grinned. “This is gold. Hill Giant finger—perfect for crafting Strength-Boosting Spirit Medicine. Can raise your Strength to 21.”
“21?!” Tian Sheng Zhan Kuang perked up instantly, rushing over to examine the corpse—no longer repulsed by the stench.
Even the Two-Headed Dragon, circling above, swooped down—though not to study.
It wanted to eat.
“Hey! No! Don’t eat it—waste of good loot!”
Xia Ye Qiu Yu groaned.
When it was all over, the ground was a wreck.
Singo’s pack bulged with loot, his face glowing with satisfaction.
But his scent—like a rotting beast that hadn’t bathed in years—made Xia Ye Qiu Yu subtly step back.
Then, Singo leaned in, eyes gleaming with mystery.
“You know… what’s the next Main Quest?”
Stuffed Bun snapped. “Cut the crap, Hardcore Player—spit it out!”
Singo slowly exhaled.
“War.”
Xia Ye Qiu Yu tilted her head. “How do you know?”
Singo smirked. “I spent three days at the Dragon Vale headquarters in Ashen Hollow. Unlike you, Stuffed Bun, who just grinds missions like a mindless meat puppet, I noticed things.
Every day, the Great Goblins and Lizardfolk armies drill. In a place with medieval-level industry? That’s not normal.”
Stuffed Bun nodded. “I heard the noise too.”
Tian Sheng Zhan Kuang narrowed his eyes. “So you’re saying… our next main quest is a full-scale War?”
Singo nodded. “Exactly. And it’s going to be big.
And me and Stuffed Bun—as members of the Crimson Scale Conqueror subclass—will play a major role.”
(End of Chapter)
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