As Frank rode the cart back to town, he finally decided it was time to look at his notifications. Mentally thinking about opening them caused his vision to flood with blue screen after blue screen.
[Orc lvl.23 slain]
[Orc lvl.15 slain]
[Orc lvl.19 slain]
[Orc lvl.13 slain]
…
[Level up!]
[Level up!]
[Level up!]
[Level up!]
…
[[Marksmanship] has become lvl.6]
[New skill available]
[New spells available]
[[Herokiller] has absorbed the resentment of those you have killed!]
"Oh right! I still had spells to choose from last time. I can't believe I forgot." Frank shook his head, disappointed in himself. He had leveled up seven times, bringing his level to 17.
Almost automatically, Frank allocated the stats to where he usually put them. He then moved on to view the list of spells so he could pick what he would add to his arsenal. Including what he received from level ten, he now had three spells he could choose.
As usual, he wanted a spell with lots of utility, so that vastly narrowed the spells which he could pick from. The first one that stood out to Frank was [Mold Water]. It was much the same as [Shape Earth] but worked for water and ice.
With the addition of the flask he would eventually build, he could have instant and controllable waves. Not to mention he could fill things with water and turn it into ice, causing it to expand. The next spell that caught his eye was [Alter Self].
Using this spell he could not only change what he looked like physically, meaning it bypassed illusion resistance, but he could also quickly adapt to different environments. The spell probably had more uses and Frank knew he would uncover them eventually.
The last spell he chose was something he had previously passed up. [Lesser Illusion] was a spell with many uses, particularly its instant confusion abilities. Frank could use it to make a box over someone's head, momentarily blinding them. He could also use it to lure enemies away by making sounds at a distance. It was useful, but before now he didn't really have the want or need to take it.
Satisfied with his spell selection, Frank moved into his new skill options.
[Tinkering: Imbues knowledge on the creation of small-scale mechanical devices.]
[Runic Smithing: Combine the might of smithing with the ancient runes of the giants to produce wondrous items.]
[Perfect Tool: Whatever tool you need, you can make.]
[Crafter's Blessing: Invoking this skill will begin an hour-long ritual where you shape raw materials into a nonmagical item.]
Looking over the skills, Frank had no qualms about selecting [Crafter's Blessing]. He was sure there was some sort of limit to what he could make—a similar ability was in a game he played, after all.
Even if it had the exact same restrictions, he could use the ability to make parts to slowly make a whole product. With his skill and spells selected, Frank spent the rest of the trip back to town resting.
After finally arriving in town, he headed towards the blacksmith to sell the scraps of armor and shitty weapons to James. He could at least get the worth of the materials, and that was all Frank really needed. Every last coin was worth it.
He also sold James the 10 crossbows he made netting him a total of 875 gold from everything. Combined with what he already had, Frank was comfortably sitting at 1,254 gold coins. At the rate he was going, it would be a piece of cake to pay off his debt.
With everything he wanted sold, Frank rode his renta-cart to the guild. Once there he entered, a giant smile hidden under his helmet. He waltzed over to the counter, the line being surprisingly empty, and placed the quest paper on the board.
"Aslef, I have done it." Frank took off his bag and began to take out a handful of orc noses. "I have completed the mission." He flashed Aslef a smile, but the man continued to stare blankly at his helmet.
Forgetting no one could see his expressions, Frank returned the noses to his bag and coughed into his hand. This seemed to bring Aslef out of his shock.
"Congratulations… I wasn't expecting you to return so quickly. You do like to surprise me." He hesitantly grabbed the parchment and placed it under the counter, then crouched down and grabbed a bag.
Once he stood up, he gestured to it. "If you could please transfer the noses into here, I shall calculate your reward and any bonuses you might get if there were more than reported." Frank complied and quickly filled the bag.
Aslef left with it and returned with another that clanked with every step. "Here you are." Aslef placed the bag on the counter. "145 gold plus a small bonus of 25 gold for the few additional orcs killed over the estimated amount."
"Thank you, my good man!" Frank swiped the sack of gold off the top and turned to leave. He was feeling particularly good about how things were going and decided he was ready to take on the giant.
"I got a stone man to protect me and I have my trusty Herokiller. Nothing can stop me now!" With an extra pep in his step, Frank returned to the top of his cart and directed it out of town, past his home in the mountains. He was prepared to take on the giant now, and he wouldn't allow another delay.
The sooner he was out from under the duke's thumb, the happier he would be. During the trip, one which would take him well into the next day to complete, Frank rested. He wanted to be both ready in mind and body for the giant task.
The night began to roll around and Frank decided it was as good enough time as any to make camp. As with when he had assaulted the bandits, Frank constructed another underground sleeping spot.
With his new proficiency, Frank was able to make it much roomier and nicer. Plus the addition of his pillow, which he now always kept on him, he was perfectly happy and content with his sleeping arrangements.
Eventually, Frank awoke from his slumber and dug himself out. He found the sun just beginning to rise from the darkness that had enveloped the world before. Frank stood up from his foxhole and spread his arms wide, stretching.
He twisted and turned, popping his back, and climbed back up on the cart after feeding the mule a bit. Finishing the last stretch of his journey, Frank ate lightly, his meal consisting of just mushrooms and water.
It wasn't healthy, and he would need to start diversifying his diet soon. But for now, it was fine. Frank whistled and sang the rest of the ride and once he found the landmark that indicated he was a mile out from the giant and decided to travel on foot the rest of the way.
"Man, I can't believe all of this exists behind my home." Frank thought to himself. Along the mountain that served as his residence was the trail he followed to get here. It led him to a rather large area between the mountains which would serve as an excellent place to build a stronghold.
The natural mountain barrier prevented large armies to surround or quickly get to whatever lay at the center. "Ah fuck." Frank mumbled. "That's why they want the giant gone. So they can fucking build something here."
Things started to click into place for Frank, and he didn't like where his thoughts ended up. Soon it wouldn't be his problem. He would only return occasionally to sell the citizens of this town magic mushrooms and whatever else he would create.
As Frank approached the location of the giant, he noticed a very faint rumbling noise. As he approached it got louder and louder until he realized it was the giant snoring. Finally in view, Frank was able to see the hill giant in all of its glory.
The ugly creature was probably 17 feet tall with a build that reminded Frank of a buddha statue. As it slept, naked safe for a cloth skirt, its large stomach rose and fell like the waves. Feeling the vibrations from its snoring alone caused Frank to pause.
He looked towards Exodius and gulped. Frank was confident he could kill the creature, but how long and how creative he had to be was a mystery. He wasn't sure what had possessed him to come so early and without preparing all he could.
With this sudden realization that this was a mistake, Frank began to backstep. The creature had other plans, however. It chose that exact moment to roll over and scratch its eyes. The massive figure was now completely Facing Frank and he couldn't help but swallow a breath.
Sweat began to drip down his brow as he stepped with as much caution as possible. What turned out to be his undoing was the fact that he was accompanied by Exodius. The stone golem lacked the grace and the finesse to be careful in the retreat.
The construct, with a sickening crunch, broke a branch underfoot that prompted the hill giant's eyes to snap open. Its momentarily unfocused eyes gradually gained clarity and narrowed in on the sight of Frank and his creation.
"Ah! Food!" The dull creature smiled, its lips parting to reveal a set of blackened gums and yellowed teeth. As it rolled onto its belly, Frank took the chance to sprint back the way he came.
"This was a huge fucking mistake, what the hell. I can't believe I thought I could do this. Oh God-" Much to Frank's horror, he heard a whistling sound overhead then a crash as a tree had been thrown over him.
It landed not even 20 feet from where he was and halted his run. If he had amazing luck, he could probably lose the giant in the forest. Regrettably, it was so sparse he was sure the giant could easily see him. Gathering his courage, Frank turned around and took aim with Herokiller.
He tried to steady his breath and as he lined up his shot he commanded Exodius. "Charge and attack the giant!" As he finished his words, Frank began to let loose a volley of bolts. Little over half found their target roughly 100 feet away.
The bolts, much to Frank's chagrin, only barely pelted the creature. Most didn't even embed themselves in the Giant's flesh, leaving only superficial wounds. The mountain moved, each step taking it closer and closer to the golem.
Once Exodius reached it, the giant simply swung its hand. Its arm moved so fast it was a blur to Frank, practically instantly his golem became a shower of stone shards. Seeing how his construct had been defeated in a single hit, Frank's faith in his survivability dropped to rock bottom.
Still, his self-preservation prompted him to move. Frank began running through the trees, firing shot after shot. Each, much like every bolt before it, simply scratched the hill giant. Frank wanted to cry, but he didn't have time.
He gritted his teeth and waited for it to move closer. There was no outrunning it. Each of its strides covered a distance that would take him twice as long. Knowing there was no other way but through the creature, Frank began casting spell after spell.
First, he covered the terrain in earthen spikes, then he applied [Grease] to every surface he could. With that done, he started building walls after walls of dirt and stone. Hiding behind one, he crafted images of himself peeking behind each of the walls in hopes he could confuse the lesser intellectual.
By the time he finished each of these, the giant was upon him. It barreled into the spikes, the first causing it to scream out and the slick coating causing it to fall forward. The floor violently shook as the giant fell face first onto more spikes.
This seemed to cause a great deal of damage, but the rage that bubbled out from the giant seemed to allow it to push past it. Slowly the creature picked itself up and kicked the spikes. Chunks of earth began to crash into the defenses and trees were ripped out of the ground as the furious and bleeding giant simply tugged on trees.
With one in each hand, the giant began to toss the trees at the illusory Franks. Inwardly Frank was elated; it had fallen for his subterfuge. Sadly, this only lasted for a moment.
"I smell no new blood! Where are you, human?!"
It stopped and began to sniff the air. Frank saw this and began to panic. He was going to be found and his weapon did nothing more than bother the giant. His spells could damage it, but it would probably kill him before he even had the chance to whittle its health down.
In a moment of what he thought to be genius, Frank used [Flames] to ignite what remained of his [Grease] spell. He thought it would have to work, unfortunately, he was wrong. The fire instantly dried up the area it made contact with and alerted the giant to his location much earlier.
Frank looked over and watched with wide eyes as two trees were hurled toward him. He first thought was to run and then maybe try and hide underground, but his indecision would be his downfall. The first tree impacted right in front of Frank, sending a shower of dirt and rocks.
He tried to clear his now-blocked vision, but as he moved back and channeled the spell, the second tree collided with his form. Frank was not only knocked back a couple of feet, but he felt an impossible pressure on his legs.
Hastily, Frank attempted to remove his legs by using dirt to lift the tree and for a hole to be dug under so he could slip out, but his legs wouldn't respond to his commands. His once pristine armor was tattered and the splints were bent in ungodly angles that lodged sharp bits of metal in his legs.
Finally, tears began to stream down Frank's cheek as he knew his death was coming. He closed his eyes to prepare for the worst of what would come. A small part of him hoped he would be saved, the idea that he was special briefly crossed his mind.
Through his own discovery, Frank found he gained skills faster than the average person. He was special in some way. Luck seemed to help him out, albeit less than it did for the [Hero], but luck was usually on his side!
It wasn't today. Frank felt monstrous hands wrap around him and a sudden and sharp pain shot through his body. He screamed bloody murder and opened his eyes to see the giant had torn off his leg.
"OH, GOD! AAAAGH!" Blood began to pour incessantly and Frank quickly checked his health. Seeing the numbers, Frank spat up blood and almost passed out. He was currently sitting at 20 out of 208 health.
Frank started to panic and chastised himself for already using [Flash of Genius] and for not taking [Borrowed Time]. He began to hyperventilate as he watched the giant go for his second leg.
He bit down, clenching his jaw best he could. A second passed and nothing happened. The giant looked at him in wonder, studying his every reaction. Frank thought for a second that his luck was kicking in and the hill giant would let him go.
Instead, it wrapped its hand around his leg and held him upside down. Then, it raised its arm that held him into the air and brought him down quickly. With a pop, Frank's leg dislocated and with a crunch, his head cracked against the floor.
The last bit of hope Frank had that he would survive died the moment he noticed he had five health left. There was nothing more he could do. His weapon had long been forgotten about, Frank having dropped it when he was pinned under the log.
The only thing he had left was his armor and his bag. His armor was in pieces and his bag… Suddenly, Frank had another thought. With as much speed as he could, Frank began to enchant his dummy money pouch.
He managed to finish it as the giant held him over its head. It looked up at him and opened its maw wide. Frank gulped and opened the new bag of holding. Letting his arms fall, his backpack slid off his body and as it passed the open bag, it got sucked in.
Frank watched the bag begin to contort and stretch, busting at the seams. Before it completely fell apart, Frank let go of it. It dropped straight into the giant's open mouth and Frank closed his eyes waiting for what was to come.
One thing that Frank had forgotten about was that a bag of holding could not be placed in another bag of holding. The two pockets of space could not exist so in such a way that would fold reality to allow for infinite storage. If this was attempted, the space inside the bag would become unstable and tear.
This tear would open a gate that sucked in all near it, throwing it to the far ends of the current realm. Frank hoped he was far enough away from the gate that would form, but he wasn't. The giant, now feeling something wrong with its stomach, dropped Frank.
As he fell past its belly, he watched the creature get pulled into the gate from the inside. Its body imploded, showering Frank in guts. The resulting and still very much open portal began to pull Frank in.
[Hill Giant lvl. 45 slain]
[Level up!]
[Level up!]
[Level up!]
[Level up!]
…
Seeing his level ups as he was pulled through the tear in space, Frank quickly put every point into constitution, not even looking at how many points he put in or the rest of the notifications.
"If I don't survive this, I just want you to know, God: I fucking hate you."