[JAPAN]
Despite never seeing Tokyo before, Thalia was appalled at the sight appearing before her. It looked like a nuclear bomb had exploded…buildings crumbled, smoke filled the air, and the streets were littered with a twisted mangle of glass, steel and concrete in every direction.
The screams of people could be heard…they were nearby. Thalia rushed to help,
"Wait!" Thomas yelled.
"Our mission is to defeat the giants and then clear the dungeon…another team will arrive shortly and handle the search and rescue. You need to stay on mission." Thomas said firmly.
"Speaking of which…it looks like we have company…time to get to work. You take the giants on the right. I will handle the ones on the left." Thomas said.
His mana surged and his size rapidly increased until he was bigger than the giants!
'I guess there is no need to hold back.' Thalia thought as she watched Thomas pummel nearby giants.
!ALERT!
[MAIDEN'S DOMAIN activated]
[CORONA skill used]
Thalia dashed toward the giants. Her cutlass pierced the first giant…but the giant was so large and his skin so thick, that it felt like cutting through a thick steak with a butter knife.
Thalia poured more mana into her Corona skill, converting more of her mana into strength stats. She severed the giant's leg…as it collapsed to the ground, she severed its head.
!ALERT!
[SPECIAL MISSION – STOP GIANTS]
[Giants defeated 1/100]
[YOU LEVELED UP]
'Wow…I leveled up after defeating just one giant? This place is a gold-mine filled with leveling experience!' Thalia thought in excitement.
For the next four hours she continued to defeat giant after giant…she could feel her power growing rapidly. With each giant she defeated, the next one became easier and easier until the fighting started to feel a bit boring…she also observed her leveling rate was slowing down.
"Well it looks like we took care of most of the giants…there are a few stragglers wandering around…but we can leave those for the other hunters." Thomas said.
He continued, "time to clear the gate…are you ready for this kid?"
Thalia smirked and nodded her head. The two entered the dungeon.
Thomas and Thalia smiled as they took in the beautiful scenery before them. In every direction there were towering mountains with granite faces covered in pine trees (or what looked like pine trees).
"What a beauty…these giants know how to live…reminds me of Colorado." Thomas said in awe.
"Arsha…I know you can hear me…I know you put a void bug on us when we left…where are we?" Thomas asked.
"Not far at all…you are a few universes away." Arsha said as she materialized a familiar.
"Hmm…good…very good…I love this place. I want to keep it." Thomas said with a grin.
"The dungeon boss is over there…about 10 miles away." Thalia said with her Perception skill active.
"Good, that means we get to sight see." Thomas said.
For the next three hours, Thalia defeated giant after giant. Thomas, however, lost his sense of urgency the moment they entered the dungeon.
"Are you planning on helping?" Thalia asked annoyed.
Thomas continued to walk in a leisurely pace with his hands in his pockets…like a tourist on a sight-seeing adventure.
"Na…you got this…besides hardships are good for kids…helps you grow big and strong." Thomas said with a smile.
He continued, "speaking of strong…so what do you think of our Suho?"
Thalia blushed bright red and said, "Wha? What? We are in the middle of a fight…why bring him up?"
"His dad is pretty much my best friend…little Suho is like a nephew to me. Sure, he is very strong…but every man needs a strong woman. So…are you interested?" Thomas asked with a playful smile.
Blushing bright red with embarrassment, Thalia let a nearby giant hit her…anything to shift the attention from this uncomfortable conversation.
Thomas roared in laughter.
The rest of the way to the dungeon boss, Thomas said nothing more…instead he sang in a soft voice "Strangers in the Night." (by Frank Sinatra)