Deep in the night.
When Hagrid was startled awake from his slumber, trussed up like a Thanksgiving turkey, carried out of the cave, and thrown onto the central rocky ground covered in dried blood, he initially thought this was some peculiar form of hospitality "play" unique to the giants.
It wasn't until he looked through the flickering torchlight and saw the Chief's deputy holding a spear that was dripping with fresh blood that Hagrid finally realized something was terribly wrong!
Merlin's beard! Did Ethan finally lose his patience and attack the giants?!
He didn't see the Chief... Could it be that the Chief had already been... by Ethan?!
Hagrid immediately shouted in panic:
"Ethan didn't do it on purpose! He's just a boy who loves art! Please, don't make things difficult for him!!"
His shouts echoed through the silent night.
They echoed in the ears of the giants, who looked utterly bewildered.
...What is this guy talking about?
Ethan: "..."
It was very sincere.
And also damned offensive.
Hearing no movement for a long while, Hagrid cautiously lifted his head.
Directly in front of him, he met a face more terrifying than a ghost!
Ethan was staring at Hagrid with a smile.
His neck was bent at almost a ninety-degree angle.
It clearly smelled like Ethan, yet it carried the uncanny, eerie feeling of a skinwalker.
He spoke slowly:
"It seems you have many misunderstandings about my image, my dear Mr. Hagrid..."
"That is my failing."
"In the future, I will certainly give you more opportunities to understand my true nature."
Hagrid: OMG!!!
In an instant.
Hagrid's robust body was scared a ghostly pale grey.
He drifted down to the ground like a sheet of paper, drained of all strength and means of resistance.
The usurping deputy, watching this unfold, thought: Are these wizards here to put on a comedy show?
"Enough!"
The deputy, Golgomath, was furious.
He slammed his spear down with force, creating a heavy thud.
It felt like robbing a restaurant only to find that no one gave a damn about him. Golgomath felt a baffled sense of suffocation.
He announced loudly:
"The weak and incompetent former Gurg has been killed by me! From this day forward, I, Golgomath, am the 'Gurg' of the giants!"
"What?!"
Hagrid finally snapped back to reality.
His expression instantly became grave.
A foreboding premonition climbed up his heart.
Sure enough, Golgomath stood up, shouting arrogantly and wildly:
"I will not cooperate with these wizards who are as fragile as twigs! I will lead our people to join the side filled with violence and blood!"
"And these three little runts..."
Golgomath looked down at Hagrid and the others.
His eyes looked as if he were viewing three bugs that could be crushed with a single step.
With a sneer, he said contemptuously:
"They are the beginning of this slaughter!"
"Kill them! Show these wizards the supreme power of our giant race!"
"Kill—!!!"
The giants responded with excitement, most of them young members of the tribe.
"You!"
Hagrid was both shocked and angry.
Perhaps due to the half-blood connection he shared with them, he felt a pang of heartache.
He hadn't expected the former Gurg to actually be killed...
With such a bloodthirsty leader, the giant race, which had once been glorious in ancient times, might truly be facing extinction.
Just as the giants were closing in with malicious intent, a clear and calm voice suddenly rang out:
"Since you claim to possess infinite strength, do you dare to have a contest with me?"
Hagrid turned his head in surprise.
He saw Ethan's face, brimming with confidence.
...Does Ethan have a plan?
But setting aside how a human could possibly compete in strength with a naturally god-strong giant... even if he won, they could no longer gain the support of the giant tribe.
This mission was destined to fail.
The rustic and loyal half-giant hung his head in despair.
"Compete with us in strength?"
The giants looked at each other.
Then, all at once, they erupted into earth-shaking laughter!
"Hahahaha! Is this wizard insane?"
"He's only the size of our palm, and he actually talks about competing with us in strength?"
"Hilarious!"
Amidst the roaring laughter, Ethan's expression remained unchanged.
His cobalt-blue eyes gazed placidly at these foolish hulks.
He spoke, dropping a bombshell:
"If I lose, I am at your disposal... But if I win."
"You will bow your heads and submit to me!"
As soon as these words came out, not only the giants but even Hagrid stared with eyes wide in shock!
What did Ethan say?
He wants to be the Giant King??
Weren't they here to seek the cooperation of the giant tribe?
How did it suddenly turn into "conquering" the giant race?!
Hagrid didn't understand; Hagrid was very confused.
"You reckless little insect!!"
A giant reacted, instantly flying into a rage!
He naturally assumed Ethan was insulting them!
One of them reached out with a massive palm, grabbing towards Ethan.
He intended to crush him into meat paste!
However.
"Gravity Magic."
A whisper, barely audible, spilled from Ethan's lips.
A layer of dark purple magical energy wound around his body.
Bang!
His feet stomped into the earth, cracking the ground beneath him!
It was as if he had suddenly become thousands of pounds heavier!
— Gravity magic, listed among the ranks of Ancient Magic, is incredibly obscure and difficult to understand.
Setting aside whether one could learn it at all, an ordinary wizard would have to spend years studying it just to possibly cast it successfully!
However, Ethan was different.
His unique talent, combined with his learned skills, allowed him to master this magic in just a few short months!
He had learned to manipulate [Gravity]!
Boom!
The giant grabbed Ethan.
The next second.
"Eh?"
The giant froze.
He looked down in confusion at his palm, where Ethan stood motionless on the ground.
The giant pulled with all his might.
He couldn't budge him an inch!
It was as if Ethan had been welded to the towering mountain range itself!
"What is going on? What are you doing, Gru?"
Seeing their companion fumbling around in place, doing who-knows-what, the other giants stepped forward impatiently.
They shoved Gru aside and reached out to grab Ethan themselves.
"—Eh?"
One confused face turned into several confused faces.
The giants looked down at the ground in bewilderment and suspicion.
Looking at Ethan's faintly smiling face, they pulled upward with disbelief!
They pulled until veins popped all over their bodies and their faces turned purple!
Yet, no matter what, they could not shake Ethan in the slightest!
It felt as though what they held in their hands was not a tiny human, but an immeasurable colossus!
"W-what is happening?!"
The giants panted heavily.
Shocked and confused, they stared at the unscathed Ethan on the ground.
They watched as he casually dusted off his clothes, raised his head, and looked at the giants sincerely with those cobalt-blue eyes.
He spoke:
"Is that it?"
Giants: !!!
— Provocation! This was a blatant provocation!!
Pfft.
A soft chuckle rang out.
The giants turned in fury, glaring at Luna, who was laughing nearby.
With a roar, a fist swung towards her!
But it hit nothing.
They could only watch helplessly as the "golden-haired little person" leaped backward lightly, disappearing like a wisp of shimmering silver mist.
— They couldn't hit her, and they couldn't lift him!
At this moment, all the giants felt a massive, pent-up rage with nowhere to vent!
It clogged their chests, making their heads buzz with anger!
— They had never felt so stifled before!
Just then.
The usurper deputy, Golgomath, moved.
He walked slowly toward Ethan, holding a spear taller than the trees.
Like a moving mountain range, every step he took made the earth tremble!
From the spear that had pierced the former Gurg's heart, crimson blood dripped down, forming a trail on the grey-white rocky ground.
The giant tribe fell silent instantly.
With awe and anticipation, they looked upon their current Gurg, who represented violence and slaughter!
Boom!
Golgomath stopped in front of Ethan.
A pair of small, vicious eyes looked down at him.
His low, raspy voice rumbled from high above:
"You dare use magic to fool my people... I will tear you to pieces, twist off your head, and hang it in my cave!"
Silence.
After a long moment.
Ethan spoke slowly:
"A certain Mr. Lu once said:"
"'When Ethan simply uses magic, you'd better kneel and beg for mercy early.'"
Ethan raised his head, purple magic surging in his hands.
He smiled innocently at the Giant Gurg:
"Well?"
"Do you want to kneel and beg for mercy now?"
Hiss!!
Hagrid sucked in a breath of cold air!
Stunned and agitated, he looked at Ethan, who was "spouting wild words"!
He felt that Ethan's silhouette right now was so tall and magnificent!
— Worthy of a hero of the wizarding world.
So cool!!
It's just...
Why did those words sound so much like something a villain would say?
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