Chapter 200: First Origin Fragment - The Trial of Strength
He knew the quest difficulty was only Peak Bronze Knight, yet the being standing before him felt infinitely beyond that.
Taking a deep breath, Luke spoke honestly.
"Sir, I’m only an Early Bronze Knight. Your realm is far too high."
The Origin Titan paused and looked directly into Luke’s eyes, waiting for him to continue.
"So this isn’t exactly fair," Luke said with an awkward smile. "At the very least, you should suppress yourself to my realm."
Having said that, he silently hoped the ancient Titan would accept the suggestion.
Instead...
The Origin Titan tilted his head in confusion.
"Huh?"
He sounded genuinely puzzled.
"The power released by my fragment is already limited to the Peak Bronze realm."
"Specifically..."
"The Peak Bronze realm of the strongest Titan species born in this universe."
Luke froze.
’...What?’ His mind went blank.
If that was only Peak Bronze.
Then that meant there existed Titans who, despite being only Peak Bronze, already possessed bodies nearly one thousand feet tall.
Just how monstrous were Titans supposed to be?
Before Luke could recover from the shock, the Origin Titan continued.
"And this body is made from nothing more than ordinary stone." The Origin Titan calmly tapped his chest.
"My fragment merely refined it to the limits of a Peak Bronze Titan."
He paused before adding,
"So I am already being fair."
"If I were to use the true physical strength of my original body at the Peak Bronze realm..."
"You would be facing a Titan at least ten thousand feet tall."
Luke stood there in silence.
"...I take it back."
"You’re being extremely fair."
The moment he heard ten thousand feet, every thought of complaining vanished.
Taking a deep breath, Luke slowly raised his hand.
"Caelith Ascension."
The words echoed throughout the temple.
A brilliant radiance erupted from his body.
His physique rapidly expanded as his enchanted clothes automatically adjusted to fit his growing frame.
His hair lengthened, turning a brilliant golden blonde, while streaks of violet starlight flowed through it like living streams of cosmic energy.
His eyes transformed into miniature galaxies, with moon and planets revolving within them as his Cosmic System quietly rotated in their depths.
Moments later, a fourteen-foot-tall Cosmic Heart Titan stood inside the ancient temple.
"Interesting..." The Origin Titan’s tone carried genuine curiosity.
As he could sense an unfamiliar authority surrounding Luke.
It was the aura of a Warden.
However, Luke was still far too weak to draw out its true potential, allowing the Origin Titan to perceive only a faint trace of that power.
Even so...
The fact that a human could partially merge with a pure bloodline Titan was remarkable enough.
For the first time, a hint of anticipation appeared within the Origin Titan.
Could he actually overcome this trial?
With that thought, his expression became serious.
"Remember this."
His deep voice echoed through the temple.
"My power..."
"Or rather, my existence..."
"...was divided into thirteen different forms."
Luke’s expression instantly turned solemn.
Nyx, Caelith, and even Myrkhal stopped what they were doing, their full attention fixed on the Origin Titan as they carefully listened to every word that followed.
"The first fragment embodies Strength," the Origin Titan said, his voice echoing through the vast temple. "That is the fragment you are facing now."
"As for the second fragment and those beyond it."
"Each possesses a different authority."
"A different method."
"And a different trial."
He paused.
His ruined face slowly turned toward the empty darkness above, as though searching for something beyond the temple itself.
’...Strange’
For the first time since Luke had arrived, genuine confusion appeared in the Origin Titan’s voice.
He couldn’t sense the other fragments. as they had completely vanished from his perception.
That had never happened before.
Did they discover another method?
If so...
Why didn’t they begin with me, the first fragment?
The Origin Titan fell silent, seemingly lost in ancient memories.
Luke, Nyx, Caelith, and even Myrkhal waited patiently, not daring to interrupt.
After a long moment, the giant slowly lowered his head.
The curiosity in his voice disappeared.
Replaced by absolute seriousness.
"Listen carefully."
The atmosphere inside the temple instantly became heavy.
"What I am about to say. You must never forget."
Luke instinctively straightened his posture.
"The moment you obtain my fragment those beings will realize that one of the thirteen fragments has disappeared."
Silence.
The words echoed through the temple like a death sentence.
Luke’s heart skipped a beat.
His mind immediately recalled the quest description.
The beings...
The ones who had imprisoned even the Origin Titan.
A chill ran down his spine.
The Origin Titan paid no attention to the fear on Luke’s face and continued in the same calm, heavy tone.
"Although they cannot directly locate my fragments."
"You must still remain vigilant."
"Be wary of their methods."
"Compared to them, the methods used on Valtharion are simple."
"Their ways are so mysterious that you will rarely encounter anything similar in this world."
He paused for a moment before revealing another truth.
"Not all of my fragments rest on Valtharion."
"One day, you will have to leave this world and venture into the worlds beyond."
Luke’s expression stiffened.
But the Origin Titan’s tone suddenly became much more serious.
"However..."
"Remember this."
"At any cost..."
He deliberately repeated himself.
"At any cost..."
"Do not leave Valtharion until you have become the strongest being upon it."
The weight behind those words was enough to make even Nyx and Caelith remain silent.
"Understood?"
Luke met the giant’s gaze and nodded without hesitation.
"I understand."
The Origin Titan gave a slow nod before continuing.
"I have told you all of this because..."
"If, by some miracle, you succeed in destroying this body."
He glanced at his own stone form.
"Then the fragment sealed within it."
"And the consciousness I have left behind here."
"Will both disappear forever."
With that, the Origin Titan slowly crossed his colossal arms across his chest.
RUMMMBLE!!
The movement alone shook the entire temple.
The giant then lowered his shattered face and looked directly at Luke.
A faint trace of anticipation could be felt in his ancient voice.
"Come."
"Show me the strength..."
"That the new generation’s Hero of Light possesses!"
BOOOOOM!!
His thunderous voice exploded throughout the underground world, the deafening sound slamming into Luke like a physical force.
Luke instinctively grimaced, feeling his eardrums nearly burst from the overwhelming roar.
Even so...
A smile slowly appeared on his face.
If this was the trial to obtain the Origin Titan’s fragment. Then he would conquer it.
---
Author Note:
Finally it’s "200 Chapter!!!" YEAH, I am very happy with this. And believe me, all of this happened because of everyone’s support.
I am not going to announce a few names, instead I will thank everyone.
Because of your support, now this novel is also going to get External Ads.
Yeah, so we expect more growth for this novel.
So please keep supporting me, and I will continue to release even more Chapters.
-EternalVoidRuler.