CHAPTER 25: GIANTS FALL

He activated his Search Skill, focusing. Direction... Garrick... His eyes sharpened. Found him.

Without hesitation, Nolan sprinted off. His speed was so great that in the blink of an eye he reached the alley where Garrick and Peter were talking.

"Hey man, you did a good job," Peter said with a grin. "You didn’t even try hard, but you still defeated him."

"Yes, I did," Garrick laughed proudly.

That was when they bumped straight into Nolan.

"Hey, watch where you’re going," Garrick snapped—then his eyes widened. "You?! I beat you. I dealt with you. What are you doing here?" he said, puffing up with pride.

Nolan smiled calmly. "Well... today isn’t your lucky day."

He clenched his fist and struck Garrick square in the face, dropping him unconscious with a single blow.

Peter’s eyes went wide. He yanked out his sword and slashed at Nolan—but Nolan simply raised two fingers, caught the blade in mid-swing, and snapped it cleanly in half.

Peter stumbled back, trembling. "Who are you? What are you? Didn’t Garrick defeat you?"

"Yes, he did," Nolan replied coolly, stepping forward. His tone hardened. "And listen carefully. Never—don’t ever—tell anyone what happened here. When Garrick wakes up, you tell him the same thing. If either of you speak of this... I’ll come deal with you again."

Peter’s face went pale. He staggered back, then turned and bolted down the alley—only to suddenly find Nolan already standing in front of him.

Before Peter could even scream, Nolan’s fist slammed into his face, knocking him out cold beside Garrick.

With both men sprawled unconscious on the ground, Nolan dusted his hands off and quietly returned to Celia and Linda.

"Oh, sorry I’m late," Nolan said as he jogged toward them. "Let’s get going."

They turned toward the path that led out of the village. After a short walk, they arrived at Sindra’s gate where two knights were stationed. Nolan stepped forward, spoke to them about leaving on an adventure, and showed his Adventurer’s Card. With a nod of approval from the guards, the group stepped out of Sindra and into the open road.

After some time, they reached the edge of the forest.

"We’re here," Nolan said, his eyes narrowing as he scanned the woods. No need for directions—I can just use my skill.

Activating his ability, Nolan searched the forest and immediately sensed the presence of what they were after. "Found it," he muttered. "Follow me."

The group moved cautiously into the forest. Nolan brushed aside branches and pulled up a leaf as they walked, but then he froze. His eyes widened.

Ahead stood five massive figures. King Golems—towering giants of stone, their size eclipsing even the tallest trees around them.

"So this is it," Nolan said with a smile. "Are you guys ready?"

"Wait," Surya blurted, panic flashing across his face. "We don’t know how to fight monsters!"

"Yes, we don’t even know how to use our powers," Linda added, gripping her hands nervously.

"Oh, I forgot," Nolan chuckled. "My bad. There’s no need for you to attack—I’ll handle that. Just back me up."

"But... we could fight if we had weapons," Linda said hesitantly.

Even if they had weapons, they wouldn’t last here, Nolan thought to himself. He gave a reassuring nod. "You two just stay and watch."

Surya swallowed hard, but nodded. "Y-Yes, Master."

Without waiting for further discussion, Nolan strode forward. No plan, no hesitation—just confidence.

The massive golems stirred as soon as they noticed him. One by one they stood, their forms towering over the treetops. The ground shook beneath their heavy steps.

With a rumble, the first swung a colossal arm downward. The impact crushed the ground—but when the dust cleared, Nolan wasn’t there.

"Too slow," he laughed, flames bursting to life across both his hands. He leapt high into the air and slammed a fiery punch into the golem’s face. The stone giant’s head shattered instantly, its massive frame collapsing like brittle rock.

The other golems froze for a moment, shocked—then all four attacked at once, their massive hands pounding the earth again and again.

But Nolan was already moving, weaving between their strikes, dodging effortlessly as the forest floor split apart beneath their blows.

"Where is this strength from?" one of them seemed almost to groan as it swung.

Nolan smirked, gathering fire in his legs. He darted forward, then drove a blazing kick into one golem’s knee. The stone leg shattered into fragments. The giant teetered, balance lost, and with a deafening crash it toppled, leveling trees as it fell.

Linda and Celia were shocked. They had always known Nolan was powerful, but never imagined he could use nothing but his bare hands and legs to shatter the Golems—creatures forged from rock so strong that miners spent fortunes just to excavate it. Yet here he was, breaking one after another as if they were nothing.

"I... I didn’t know Master was this powerful," Linda whispered, her eyes wide.

"I knew he was strong. He even defeated the Red Wolf’s bandits... but this?" Celia shook her head in disbelief. "He’s actually crushing stone with his bare hands."

Nolan continued weaving between the giant’s blows, dodging with effortless grace. Then he stopped, his expression calm.

"Well," he said, his voice low, "I think it’s time for me to end this."

Only one Golem remained, towering before him like a mountain of stone.

"This is the last one," Nolan muttered as he braced himself.

The creature didn’t hesitate. It swung its massive fist forward, the force tearing through the air.

Nolan raised just two fingers and placed them against the oncoming strike.

CRACK!

The earth split beneath the impact—but Nolan didn’t move an inch. The Golem trembled, unable to push him back.

Its glowing eyes flickered in shock.

"My turn," Nolan said with a grin.

He pulled his arm back and drove his fist forward. The blow struck the Golem’s hand, still clenched into a massive stone fist. The hand giant shattered instantly, its exploding into chunks that flew in every direction across the forest.

"Linda! Celia!" Nolan called. With a quick gesture, a shimmering shield flared around them, blocking the deadly storm of stone.

Dust filled the air. Nolan lowered his hand, watching as the last fragments of rock crumbled away.

"I think I’m already done," he muttered. His eyes locked onto the Golem’s glowing chest. "Let me finish this."

The creature, staggering and half-broken, swung aimlessly with its other arm. Nolan leapt into the air, flames burning faintly along his fist.

He drove his punch straight into the glowing core embedded in its chest.

BOOOOM!

The core shattered, light bursting outward as the Golem collapsed with a deafening crash. Birds scattered from the treetops, and the ground shook beneath their feet.

Nolan landed lightly, dust swirling around him.

Celia and Linda rushed to his side, their eyes still wide with awe.

"Master... I didn’t know you were this powerful," Celia said breathlessly.

"Yes," Linda added, smiling in amazement. "You were amazing."

Nolan smirked softly. "Was I? Heh." He glanced at the rubble. "Well then... let’s take their cores."