Chapter 10: On the Verge of Vanishing.

The giant hand smashed down faster than a rocket.

'I don't want to die…..' Helplessly, I closed my eyes, hoping for a miracle to happen.

I reminisced back to my new life. I had been given a second chance and a family that loved me deeply.

1 minute, 2 minutes, 3 minutes passed. 3 minutes had passed but I could still sense every part of my body and could still perceive. More essentially, I didn't feel like I was being smashed by the monster's hand.

My eyes were still locked. I was afraid that when I opened them, the monster's face would appear in my vision and smile sinisterly. And the reason it hadn't killed me yet was simply because it wanted me to be filled with fear. It wanted me to have a glimmer of hope but then lose it instantly.

6 minutes had passed and I was still tightly shutting my eyes, lost in anxiety and panic.

But then I recognized something.

My body was slowly regaining its senses. I no longer felt cold from the blizzard just now, but felt cozy thanks to the rays of the sun. The place I was sitting on had also become harder, this was definitely not the feeling of someone sitting on a pile of snow.

Just like that, I slowly opened my eyes.

In front of my eyes was a familiar view. The clear blue sky emitted a pleasant and harmonious feeling when looking at it. The sun was placing right above me, granting sunlights filled with hope and warmth.

'I'm still alive…..' I didn't feel jovial , but rather blessed along with a sense of relief.

Then, I collapsed under the cotton candy-like white clouds. My body had lost all strength, perhaps due to immoderate stress.

Tears began to flow from the corners of my eyes. These were not tears of sadness, but tears of happiness.

Just like that, I fell asleep from extreme tiredness.

***

I woke up from my sleep. My body and mind were much more moderate than before. The desperation and destitute that I had just gone through had completely vanished after the nap.

It seemed to be dusk now. The sun was half hidden on the horizon. The sky was a mixture of pink and blue, leading to a dreamy and peaceful scene.

Now that I could think more intelligibly, I began to analyze what had happened.

'It seems like I was able to use the power of Ice.' I remembered that last moment, when I created a strapping wall of ice from the ground but was easily destroyed by the monster.

I shuddered as I recalled that petrifying monster: 'What the hell did I encounter?'

'Perhaps that monster must be at Beast level, or maybe it was on par with the four great beasts, which is at Giga level.

In addition to brawling the demon race, humans also had to defeat the demonic creature. These creatures were originally animals but because they had interacted with the demonic energy that the demons emitted when they advanced to the upper half of the world. There were also monsters that were created from nature such as Goblins.

These monsters were divided into 3 levels: Monster - Beast - Giga. Creatures at the Monster level were as compact as a normal person or slightly larger than humans. For example, Wendigo, Lycagon, Goblin, … Monsters may not be very strong, but there were countless Monsters in nature.

Next was Beast. They were many times more massive than Monsters and were also more deathful and frightener. Beasts were strong enough to destroy a small village.

Lastly, Giga. There are currently 4 Gigas in the world created by Destruction: Black Dragon, Levy, Basilisk, Titan. These are bigger than Beast and are also vigorous enough to fully knock down a populated town, or even a city. Up to now, no Giga has been destroyed even though humans had done all they could.

Based on each level's characteristics and strength, the monster I just encountered should be classified as a Giga. Since it has attributes quite indistinguishable to Yeti, I should probably call it by that name.

'Wait, if that's the case, then did I just find another Giga?' I couldn't help but feel a pang of nervousness at this concept. 4 Gigas were already too terrifying enough for humanity, and now there was another one.

I quickly moved my visions towards the door, which was now closed.

I moved myself towards it and grabbed the doorknob. Of course, it wasn't locked like usual.

'What if I go in there again?'

'What if the Yeti is still there?'

A series of thoughts flashed in my brain. Then, I lowered my hand that was grabbing the doorknob as I remembered how much fear the Yeti had given me.

'Maybe I'll come back someday when I'm stronger.'

Just like that, I headed towards the door of my house and went back to reality.

***

I opened my eyes again, realizing that I was sitting in the habitual garden at the back of the house.

The sun was slowly lowering behind the mountains and the moon was leisurely arising in the opposite direction. I realized that I had spent almost a day in the Domain.

My mother was currently busy in the kitchen as I could smell the fragrant smell of meat and broth from the garden. Not far from me was my father, practicing swordsmanship like every other day. Perhaps he deliberately trained longer than usual today so that he could keep an eye on me.

My father turned to look at me, noticing that I had returned from the Domain. He quickly put the iron sword on the ground and approached me.

"How is it, Lucian? Have you absorbed the marble?" My father asked curiously.

"Yes. But did you lie to me, dad? I have to defeat someone who looks exactly like myself to get the marble."

My father looked bewildered, "It's probably different for everyone, but I've never seen anyone in a situation like yours."

"Never mind that. Does that mean you've consumed the marble?"

"Yes, but I still don't know how to use it."

"Don't worry, I'll teach you tomorrow." My father's face showed pride and relief after knowing that I had absorbed the marble.

"Oh right, dad, is the place where I absorbed the marble real? Or is it just an illusion?" I asked him the question that I had been worried about the whole time. If I didn't get the answer I expected, I am disturbed that another Giga would be discovered in the world, which could cause more disasters to humanity.

My dad thought for a while before finally opening his mouth: "I believe that that place is just an illusion, it's not real. Whatever you saw was just an illusion."

'Phew' I let out a sigh of relief in my heart.

"But why did you ask me that question?"

"It's nothing. Besides, I'm really looking forward to tomorrow's training!" I happily walked towards the restful house. I was glad that the monster wasn't real and that I could use an element. I had taken another step towards becoming stronger to protect my precious people.