Chapter 12: Binding Strength

With a swift motion, Jason pushed his open hand forward towards the giant's direction.

In response, a soft ripple coursed through the ground just inches from where the giant stood. Thick roots erupted from the earth, twisting and coiling as they aimed for the Giant's legs.

The clash of opposing forces created a tension that vibrated through the air.

On one side, there was the massive, domineering physical force of the giant and on the other, the smaller yet resilient root, glowing faintly blue with Jason's mana.

Under Jason's control, the roots snaked around the giant's left ankle before further tightening their hold.

All the while, Jason continued to observe the giant while formulating a plan.

'From its appearance and lack of mana, it must be an 'uncommon' rank Giant...' Jason thought as his eyes scrutinised the Gaint.

With its left ankle bound, the monster's merciless advance was halted. In response, it roared in anger as it tried to pull its left leg from the root.

'Unfortunately, the roots summoned by the 'binding roots' skill can't reach very far because of my low intelligence stat... I need to bring the Giant closer to the ground, and to do that... I need to use its size against it!' Jason concluded.

With a lifetime of experience as a demon, an organism that was naturally scheming in nature, Jason had a vast level of experience in analysing his opponent's strengths and weaknesses, all to exploit them with effective countermeasures.

As Jason had expected, the roots from his rare ranked 'binding roots' skill managed to restrain the lower ranked 'uncommon' giant momentarily.

Jason used the brief moment, as the Giant tried to pull its leg free, to retrieve an 'uncommon' rank mana recovery potion from his satchel. The cork popped free with a faint hiss. Tilting his head back, he downed the liquid in one swift motion.

As the cold liquid slipped down Jason's throat, almost instantly, a renewed surge of energy began to well inside him. Jason then pulled upon this stream of mana to recharge his mana reserves.

Now feeling somewhat revitalised, Jason focused on the Giant's lower body.

At the exact moment the giant tried to shift its weight to gain better leverage to break free, Jason channelled his renewed mana into his 'binding roots' skill again.

In response, another root shot up from the ground and targeted the giant's elevated right leg. It wrapped around the thick ankle before pulling taut.

The giant staggered, its sheer size working against it as it lost balance. With a ground-shaking thud, the creature fell to its knees.

Jason also swayed on his feet as the strain of maintaining two simultaneous skill casts pressed down on him. His breaths came faster now, but he didn't falter.

Instead, he once again reached into his satchel, pulling out another mana and an additional stamina recovery potion. He tipped their contents into his mouth and swallowed the liquids in a single gulp.

A tingling warmth coursed through his body, momentarily dulling his fatigue. The second wave of energy was enough to push him forward.

Summoning his 'will', Jason cast his skill again.

A third root emerged from the ground, latching onto one of the giant's flailing arms and pulling it closer to the ground. The creature roared in frustration, its voice a deep rumble that reverberated through Jason's chest.

Sweat beaded on Jason's forehead as he forced his trembling hand outward, directing the final strike. By channelling even more of his mana, he used his skill again, and a new root slithered toward the giant's thick neck.

As Jason exerted even more of his 'will,' the lone root wrapped around the Ginats' throat, glowing faintly as it began constricting.

The Giant tried to resist as it desperately clawed at the roots with its only free arm, but having been dragged down to the ground and now left with little leverage, it struggled in vain.

The root tightened around its throat, and the Giant's windpipe constricted. The giant gasped for breath, rage igniting in its eyes.

With a satisfied but warry gaze, Jason watched as the giant struggled against the bindings.

Despite the Giant's current state, Jason knew better than to underestimate a being on death's door. The fibres of the roots strained against the creature's immense strength, some beginning to fray. But Jason pressed on, his fingers curling into a tight fist.

"Stay down," he muttered under his breath, blood trickling from his nose from the effort of maintaining his skill.

With each desperate struggle, Jason watched as the Giant's movements slowed. Its chest heaved as it gasped for air, but the roots around its neck tightened, cutting off its windpipe. The glow in its eyes shifted from rage to panic and then, slowly, to nothing.

Finally, the creature stilled.

However, Jason did not cancel his skills immediately. His body screamed for rest, but his mind remained sharp, so he kept the roots in place for a few moments longer.

Jason was fairly confident that the giant was too stupid to feign death, but caution was never misplaced. 

Only when a peculiar change took over the Giant's fallen form did Jason cancel his skill. The roots crumbled into the earth, leaving the giant's lifeless form slumped on the ground. 

A strange sensation rippled through the air as faint green droplets of light emerged from the giant's corpse and floated upward, accumulating above it.

As these tiny drops of light continued to swirl together and gather, they quickly formed a glowing green orb, hovering about a meter above the lifeless form.

Jason recognised the change and carefully lowered himself to the ground, and adopted a meditative posture despite his overwhelming fatigue. 

As the trickle of green droplets subsided, a large glowing green orb was all that was left. Just as quickly as it appeared, the glowing green orb shot toward Jason before disappearing into his body.

Despite the overwhelming fatigue, Jason eagerly read over the new notification.

Congratulations!

Level Up!

Level Up!

You are now Level 2.

Jason exhaled as his body slumped slightly in his seated position. The rush of energy from levelling up barely masked the fatigue coursing through his limbs.

'Well… That concludes the first battle of many', Jason wryly thought as he wiped the blood from his nose.

After allowing himself a quiet moment of rest, Jason cracked one tried eye open and glanced at the survivors in the distance.

Usually, the appearance of such a strong monster at the start of the tutorial, especially a monster such as a Giant with its raw strength and sheer power, would have overwhelmed the tutorial initiates.

Its sudden arrival would have sent the humans into a frenzy, with many of them caught unprepared and unsure of how to respond. Panic would set in, and by the time they realised the importance of spending their stat points or purchasing skills and weapons from the system store, it would have been too late for some.

However, given some time and the fact they clearly outnumbered the Giant, it was a survivable ordeal.

The giant was a deadly adversary, but not an insurmountable one. Yet Jason's intervention had turned the tide, sparing many from an otherwise grim fate. Had he not been there, the casualty rate would have been higher.

However, Jason did not save them out of any noble notion of heroism. His motives were far more practical, perhaps even coldly calculated.

After all, he knew the value of the experience points gained from killing the giant and that it would help him level up and ultimately get stronger. Also, the system points (SP) he would get after the kill would allow him buy more skills or items from the store.

More importantly, he needed as many humans to survive as possible, not because of some altruistic concern for their well-being, but because they would be useful to him later on as pawn… ehm, allies, in the battles to come.

Jason knew he would not be able to face every threat alone.

Having a group of survivors around him, even if they were weaker, could serve as a buffer and a resource to help him grow stronger.

He was not interested in playing the hero, nor did he believe in saving everyone. In his eyes, the weak had to be culled for the strong to thrive. That was the natural order, and he was not about to disrupt it.

However, when it served his purposes, he was more than willing to provide some assistance, especially if it meant strengthening his position for future battles.

Jason, with a sinister smirk despite the trickle of blood running from his nose, closed his eyes once again as he refocused on recovering.