The Aurora city

Jayde hid within the dense foliage of the forest as he contemplated a way to get into the city. He couldn't allow the possibility of being caught. After his encounter with Kalikun, he understood that ancient races weren't a friendly bunch.

Suddenly, from the distance, some carriages seemed to come from afar. Jayde's eyes lit up as he observed their movement. He watched as they rode until they reached the front of the gate. Shortly after, a long sound rang out, akin to the clanging of bells.

This awakened the giants. The ground trembled, vibrations spreading and shaking the tree Jayde was hiding on. One of the giants went towards the colossal gate, hunching his back, his two arms resting on the gate as he pushed. A loud rumbling noise followed as the gate opened, and the carriages passed through. Immediately after they left, the giant closed the gate, and he and his colleague sat back down, drifting back to sleep.

Jayde's eyes lit up as he saw a chance. All he had to do was wait for another batch of carriages to arrive, then he was confident in sneaking through. He hoped his luck would be good so that another batch would arrive quickly. Thankfully, a few hours later, another batch of carriages approached. He quickly burst into motion, moving at supersonic speed. Strangely enough, this super-fast movement of his was quiet and stealthy, supported by his comprehension of the shadows. He arrived at the carriages, quickly going underneath one and latching onto it, letting the shadows hide him.

A faint trembling followed as the giants unceremoniously arose once more. The ground rumbled as the gate was opened again. A few minutes passed as the carriage Jayde was underneath passed smoothly, following which the gate was shut.

He had successfully infiltrated the city of Aurora. He waited until the carriage was moving through a secluded corner, then let go, allowing himself to fall onto his back. The carriage moved, revealing him on the floor. He quickly got up and stuck close to the shadows to benefit from their concealment.

He moved quietly until he came across what seemed to be a market square. Jayde was shocked out of his mind the more he observed the city. Sweat matted his back as a terrifying truth settled in his mind: *Humanity doesn't stand a chance.*

Due to his comprehension, Jayde's senses had been boosted by the shadows, allowing him to stealthily inspect some of the city's inhabitants. What he saw...

**[?????]**

Yes, he couldn't discern their stats even with the buff from his comprehension, meaning they all had higher mentals than him. Jayde was shocked by their strength. If ordinary civilians could be this strong, a chill ran down his spine at the thought of what their elite members would be like.

Another thing he noticed was that the population of giants was pitifully few. It seemed giants weren't as common as he thought, which was a relief. The thought of a horde of giants besieging humanity was terrifying.

He continued exploring the city, making sure to move in the shadows. He didn't want to be discovered. He didn't think he had a chance against such powerful people. If anything, Jayde now wanted to go back to his island as soon as possible.

But luck wasn't on his side as no carriages seemed to be coming through again so far. He just had to be patient. He decided to use this time to explore deeper into the city, moving beneath the cold grace of the shadows. Several times, he was spotted, but he acted naturally, moving with confidence. This helped him avoid causing any commotion.

Well, that was until he reached the heart of the city. There, a circular formation of Stonehenges lay, forming a circular path pattern. At the very heart of the strange formation was a massive portal. People moved in and out of the portal, going about their daily lives. Seeing this portal, Jayde's eyes shone. This was a gateway to Hollow Earth for sure. This was a rare opportunity to go into the layered world. But looking at the path to the portal, two giants stood, their eyes trained on the people passing. Jayde was pretty sure those giants had means to sniff out invaders who wanted to infiltrate from either side of the portal.

Clearly, he couldn't go, unless he wanted to die. There was no way he would be able to escape those giants. He could see outlines of seven shimmering circles branded on their arms. Such powerful beings could end him with just a slap.

Right now, Jayde was really feeling regret. Why did he have to be hot-headed and come into this city? Now he was going to have a hard time getting out. He quickly retreated back to the gates, waiting for them to open. But now the problem came: How was he supposed to sneak out when there were no carriages leaving the city? What was he supposed to do? Anyway, he stayed calm and waited for the gates to open. He'd cross that bridge when the time came.

Unfortunately, luck didn't seem to be on his side as hours passed with no sign of the gates opening whatsoever. Jayde was beginning to get worried as time went by. He didn't want to be stuck here. Just when he was thinking of finding another way, a faint trembling rang out.

His eyes lit up. Finally, he could get moving. He had explored enough for now. Silently, he inched closer and closer to the gates, until finally, he reached the end of the building which was blocking the furious light cast by the sun. Here he got ready and waited.

A rumbling sound rang out as the gates opened, and the carriages started riding in. An idea came to his mind. He bent to the ground, getting on all fours like an animal. His muscles tensed. Immediately, one of the carriages got close. He pounced, moving in a flash and appearing underneath. But this time, he didn't stop. He crawled at a furious speed, following the line of carriages all the way to the outside of the city. The shadow cast by the carriages supported him, enhancing his speed.

He moved until he noticed a problem. While he was moving, the carriages were also not idle as they were moving into the city. That was where the problem came. Right now, the long line of carriages which were his cover had long moved, and soon, he would be out of cover.

Even if he knew of this, there was nothing he could do but continue his movement. He would just have to hope he wouldn't be noticed. But unfortunately for Jayde, he would soon learn why two giants were stationed at the gates—one for opening, while the other... well, let's just say they were there to watch out for intruders like Jayde.

The moment Jayde's cover ended and he stepped into the light, he felt the gaze of the other stationed giant trained on his back. The giant reached for its mountain-sized club, resting it on its shoulders. The giant got into position, its knees bent, its back hunched. The very atmosphere seemed to freeze. Then it moved.