Chapter 109: The Giant Stands Up

“Kyahhh! It’s a monster!”

“Scary! Scary!”

“Let’s run away!”

Though they shouted “monster,” the children’s faces were bright and carefree.

They ran around aimlessly as if playing tag, with a burly bald man in the middle.

“I’m going to eat you!”

“Eek!”

“Aaah!”

As the man rose to his feet, seemingly joining in their play, the children screamed at the top of their lungs and scattered in all directions.

“…What should I do from now on?”

The bald man, Charles, sighed heavily and brushed his hand over his hairless forehead.

A warm-looking middle-aged woman wearing a white apron approached Charles.

“The children are lively, aren’t they? It’s been a while since we had an outsider visit the orphanage, so everyone’s happy.”

“Thank you.”

A steaming mug of tea was handed to Charles.

His large hand, covering nearly the whole cup, awkwardly adjusted the handle.

“Just please say goodbye to the children before you leave. They’ve been hurt by abandonment… if you disappear without a word, they’ll be deeply hurt.”

A brief shadow of bitterness flickered in the warmth of her eyes.

“…Understood.”

Though Charles was completely out of sorts, he found it difficult to refuse her words, as she was practically his lifesaver.

Even in the short time he had been here, he had grown fond of the children who, unafraid, teased him with their trivial pranks.

‘Is this a completely different world?’

A few days ago, Charles had fallen into an unfamiliar place.

A pitch-black pit spat him out as if it were vomiting a foreign object.

Used to the sensation of missing limbs, he had helplessly tumbled on the ground.

‘Ugh…’

Spitting dirt from his mouth, he looked around. Then he realized his arms and legs were intact.

‘No way.’

He had been on the verge of being trapped deep underground, where no light shone, with his limbs severed.

His elbows and knees had disappeared, left to rot.

Though the wounds were mortal, Charles had endured excruciating pain as Kairus had taken some measures to keep him alive.

Each day was hell.

Not hearing any news of his comrades, just breathing was torture—like ants crawling in his brain.

“Is anyone there?”

As Charles blinked his huge, ox-like eyes trying to understand his situation, a gentle, melodious voice echoed in his ear.

He tensed his muscles reflexively. The once destroyed dantian now surged with powerful magical energy as before.

“Are you okay?”

But he had to relax as soft hands supported his body.

The middle-aged woman standing nearby was an ordinary person—without any magic power.

The wrinkles around her eyes were gentle, filled with sympathetic compassion born of lived hardship.

“Let’s wrap this around you first.”

Charles’ worn cloth was more rag than garment.

He wrapped himself in the large blanket she offered and headed to her place.

Since he regained consciousness in a dark mountain area, he had no choice.

Without money or identification, he planned to follow her and take only what was necessary before escaping.

“It’s been a while since we had an outsider visit the orphanage, so everyone’s happy.”

“Thank you.”

The steaming mug of tea was handed to Charles again.

His large hand, covering almost the entire cup, awkwardly adjusted the handle.

“Just please say goodbye to the children before you leave. They’ve been hurt by abandonment… if you disappear without a word, they’ll be deeply hurt.”

‘A guest staying briefly. It’s their bedtime, so I should get them in quickly.’

The two-story building looked small for all the children to live together.

There was a spacious yard in front where most of the children seemed to spend their time.

“This way, please.”

Charles entered a small room the stranger offered, trying to rest his weary body.

The wounds on his body had miraculously vanished, but oddly, phantom pains flared in his arms and legs that were now intact.

‘Their clothing was unusual. Though they spoke the same language.’

Though it seemed Charles followed the middle-aged woman without much thought, he observed his surroundings carefully.

The clothes and shoes worn by the woman and children, as well as the building itself, were unlike anything seen on the Continent of As.

Most of all, the magical energy in the air felt different.

As if this was a different world altogether.

‘Could it be…’

A blow to the back of his head hit like a hammer.

If he truly had come to another world, his thoughts on what to do next became a complete mess.

He had to reunite with his scattered comrades and seek revenge for Roy…

“Sir.”

The endless stream of thoughts was abruptly cut off by a small movement.

The door of the room Charles sat in creaked open, and a round head popped inside.

Charles had no immunity to children.

Though he liked them, he never had a chance to get close.

The youngest among his comrades were the identical twins, Sian and Ian, but even they were nineteen years old.

Moreover, most children would cry violently the moment their eyes met Charles’.

The child who came to Charles now was so small their head barely reached his waist.

As Charles desperately tried to soften his stiff expression to look harmless—

“Here, eat this.”

The fearless child stretched out their right hand. It was a small package labeled “choco pie.”

Charles was so taken aback he couldn’t speak, only breathing heavily.

“It’s really tasty. I’m giving it to you as a gift.”

The warmth on the back of his hand made Charles’ large eyes tremble uncontrollably.

The child slipped the unknown item into his palm and quickly disappeared as they came.

“…Sweet.”

Entranced, Charles tore open the wrapper and took a big bite.

A wave of sugary flavor spread in his mouth, causing him to frown.

He didn’t usually like sweets.

“How pathetic.”

Yet his jaw kept moving.

The palm-sized treat vanished into his stomach in the blink of an eye.

‘Maybe I’ll stay here for now.’

Though everything was full of question marks, Charles had suffered torture for so long.

He just wanted a place to rest and recover his body and mind.

“It’s about time to get moving.”

Several days had passed since he first thought this.

If he stayed any longer, he’d want to stay here forever, so Charles steeled himself.

“Hey…”

Just as he was about to call the children loudly to say goodbye—

KWAANG!

The locked iron door rattled and fell off its hinges from the kicks of intruders.

“Ugh…”

Unlike when Charles had first appeared, the children shrank silently, unable to scream.

The orphanage director, preparing lunch, came out of the building. Fear darkened her eyes as the large men swaggered closer.

“Auntie, haven’t you made up your mind yet?”

“Looks like the number of kids has even increased.”

“Why waste your life running charity when it’s not even profitable?”

Spitting on the ground, they smiled cruelly even as they looked at the terrified children.

Fearless and brash, their eyes caught an unusual sight.

“What the hell is that guy?”

This was a place where only a powerless middle-aged woman and children lived.

Today, the intruders intended to get from the director what they had failed to obtain before.

But in the middle of the yard sat an enormous man crouched down.

“Bro, his presence is no joke.”

The leader was a B-rank Hunter, and the rest were all C-rank Hunters.

In the Hunter world, their power was negligible—barely enough to straighten their shoulders—but it was a different story when facing ordinary people.

“So what if his presence is no joke? He’s just a big, ugly bug. I’m B-rank, you punk!”

“Oh, yes, sir. I was just talking nonsense! Please forgive me!”

“Forgiveness… be careful, got it?”

The leader scolded a worried subordinate.

Despite the bald man’s rough appearance making it seem like they should be calling him “bro,” no Hunter’s magical energy was sensed from him.

There was no need to worry.

No matter how big an ordinary person was, they couldn’t stop even a low-ranked Hunter.

“Hey, mister. What’s your relationship with this orphanage director? Or is this about something else?”

The man called “bro” wiggled his pinky finger.

Though Charles didn’t know exactly what it meant, he instinctively knew it was not a good sign.

Charles stood up.

Seeing the children’s terrified faces, his reason almost snapped.

“Whoa, he’s huge. How tall is this guy?”

Unease made the gang falter and step back.

The man at the front raised his voice, but the tremor in it was clear.

“Get lost.”

Charles didn’t say more.

He spoke briefly and then subtly unleashed his presence.

With children nearby, he carefully restrained his magic to only intimidate the men.

Though he had thought the bald man showed no Hunter magic, unexpected fierce power flowed from him, draining the men’s faces of color in an instant.

“B-bro…!”

Even the leader, a B-rank Hunter, paled as their enthusiasm rapidly faded.

“Damn…”

The leader’s face flushed red as he was about to curse, but a massive hand like a pot lid covered his face.

SMACK—

Charles grabbed the man’s face and swiftly slammed him against a wooden post beyond the fence.

As Charles moved to strike unseen by the children, a sudden vacuum wave made the surrounding grass stand stiffly upright.

“Ugh…”

Blood exploded from the man’s head, soaking the wooden post and dripping down.

His previously arrogant expression was long twisted in pain. Charles’ assault did not stop at one blow.

BAM— THUD— THUD—

Only after the back of the man’s head was completely caved in did Charles release his grip.

“B-bro…!”

Hearing this from behind, Charles lightly brushed off his hands and turned.

The leader’s unconscious subordinates sweated nervously, unable to approach.

“This is why you can’t leave things to low-rank guys.”

As Charles exhaled deeply to calm the excitement flooding his body, a new figure parted the bushes and appeared.