Gigas Core

The next day, after leaving the Adventurers' Guild, Rai, carrying an empty sack, walked towards the city gate to start his mission. However, when he reached the gate, he stopped, seeing Erin talking to a guard. Rai immediately approached her.

"What are you doing, Erin?" Rai asked.

"Oh, Big Brother Rai! I was waiting for you. Like I said yesterday, I want to come along," Erin replied.

"Ugh, I told you it's dangerous! Don't be stubborn and insist on coming," Rai said.

"But it's just picking medicinal herbs, right?" Erin countered.

"Look at this."

Rai showed her a poster with a picture of a kobold and the task to kill at least 10 of them to get paid. After reading it, Erin looked up at Rai.

"I can fight, so I'm coming," Erin declared.

"No, it's too risky," Rai said firmly.

"Come on, Rai, just take her. Kobolds aren't dangerous monsters; they won't attack unless provoked," the guard said, helping Erin's case.

"But sir..."

"Just look at her," the guard interrupted Rai, pointing at Erin beside him.

Rai turned to see Erin looking at him with pleading eyes and hands clasped to her chest. He also saw Erin carrying a basket for plants. "Haaaah," Rai sighed.

"Alright, you can come, but don't go far from me," Rai conceded.

"Yay! Thank you, my dear Big Brother!" Erin cheered instantly.

"That's the spirit! Go on now, or you'll be late," the guard said.

"Okay. (He turned to Erin) Come on, Erin," Rai urged.

"Yep! Thanks, Mr. Guard!" Erin said, waving to the guard as she walked off with Rai.

"Yeah, be careful!" the guard replied, raising his hand.

*****

After pass the gate, they walked towards the forest not far from the gate to find the kobold village, which was usually within the forest but not far from the main road outside. As they walked along the forest edge from the inside, they finally found the kobold settlement, which had five houses and was inhabited by about 30 creatures that looked like bipedal dogs carrying primitive weapons. Rai and Erin peeked from behind the bushes.

"You wait here for a bit, okay? I'll handle everything in a flash. After that, help me collect their tails," Rai whispered.

"Okay, Big Brother, be careful!" Erin whispered back.

Rai stood up and walked out from behind the bushes. "Grrr?" The kobolds turned to look at Rai standing upright in front of the bushes. "Graaaaaah!" They started charging at Rai, wielding their weapons. Rai raised his index finger, and his other hand pointed his index finger at the group of kobolds running towards him. Crack! Lightning struck Rai's raised index finger and flowed to the index finger pointing at the charging kobolds in front of him.

Crrrt! Blue lightning shot out from Rai's index finger, hitting one kobold, then bouncing from one kobold to another until all the kobolds were killed by the lightning. And Blaaaar! Finally, the lightning destroyed one of the kobold houses in the village, setting it on fire. "Huf," Rai dusted his hands and turned to look at Erin behind him. He winked and gave a thumbs-up.

Erin, who watched Rai easily defeat about 30 kobolds with just one attack, was stunned. She slowly came out from behind the bushes and approached Rai.

"Big Brother... you're so strong! How come you still an F-rank adventurer?" Erin asked.

"Because I don't have a job, just like you. Come on, let's collect their tails. More than 10 is fine too," Rai replied.

"O-okay," Erin said, pulling her knife from her belt.

They both started moving around the kobold village, cutting the tails from the kobolds' charred bodies. Erin worked enthusiastically, quickly pulling and cutting kobold tails and putting them in the basket on her back. She turned to see Rai also cutting kobold tails with a chop of his hand and was amazed.

"Big Brother Rai is so amazing. I wonder if I can ever be as strong as him," Erin murmured to herself.

"Erin, look out!"

Suddenly, Rai shouted and ran towards Erin. Slowly, Erin turned to look behind her. She looked up and saw a kobold five times larger than a normal kobold, wearing armor and carrying a massive iron club. Thwack! Before Erin could react, the giant kobold's hand slammed into Erin, sending her flying far to the side and hitting a large rock. Seeing Erin not moving and falling face down in front of a large rock, Rai became furious. He transformed his arm into a Raigan arm, and craaaaaak, his claws pierced through the giant kobold's body in front of him.

"Graaaaaah!"

The kobold was still alive, even though it was spitting fresh blood, then it swinging its massive club at Rai. Clang! Rai parried it by raising his other arm, which he had also transformed into a Raigan arm. Craaaaaak! Rai pulled out the kobold's heart. "Graaaaaah!" The kobold's body immediately fell backward and thump, made a loud sound as it hit the ground. After toss the kobold heart, Rai turned his head to look at Erin,

"Erin!"

Rai immediately turned and ran towards Erin. He turned over Erin's unconscious body and checked her injuries.

"Erin... Erin!" Rai cried anxiously.

Erin wasn't injured, but she had stopped breathing and was unconscious. Rai immediately took off Erin's basket and laid her down. He started pressing on Erin's chest to try and get her to breathe again, but suddenly, Erin opened her eyes, and her pupils, which were originally blue, turned bright red. Bwoooosh! A very bright red light enveloped Erin's body, forcing Rai to step back and cover his eyes with his arm.

"Huh... w-what the hell is happening?" Rai asked, looking at the light cocooning Erin's body.

After the light dimmed, Rai saw the light cocoon in front of him. He walked closer and touched it. Thump... thump... thump! He could feel a pulse.

"Huh... Erin... just like me? Is she a Gigas too?" Rai wondered to himself.

Rai stood guard, waiting for what would happen when Erin emerged from the cocoon. He turned to look at the large kobold lying dead on its back on the ground.

"Look... this is your doing, King Kobold. Next time, please don't just appear out of nowhere and hit a child," Rai muttered to himself, annoyed.

Rai turned back to the light cocoon in front of him and sat cross-legged, waiting. He braced himself, remembering when he himself had become Raigan and gone berserk.

"I have to stop Erin, no matter what. The city cannot be destroyed. I still need the tower in that city, and this proves that I'm not the only one who has reincarnated in to this world. That means there's hope that Raidan also reincarnated in this world," Rai thought to himself, staring at the cocoon in front of him.