I Became the Genius of the Gigant Academy - Chapter 1:

The place was thick with a scent of iron.

From all directions, the sound of metal hitting metal and the loud cheers of people leaked in. In the middle of all, that chaos stood Abel.

“Hm.”

Loud sounds echoed around him, yet Abel stood there with zero concern for the chaotic sounds, and his eyes were focused on what was in front of him.

In that place was a giant made of nothing but steel, a Gigant Midget who was 3.8 meters tall.

Abel, irritated by something, had this weird look on his face.

“The maintenance is flawless, but… as I thought, the problem is with its condition. It’s horrendous.”

As Abel said, the Gigant was well maintained, but there were some deep scars left by the battle here and there.

“Tch.”

It wasn’t exactly a pleasing sight. But it’s not like there was a Gigant to replace it right now, and he couldn’t change the parts either.

‘I don’t have any other choice.’

Abel had his head down and tried to calm himself down and not be disappointed.

With just a little more time, he was confident he could improve the Gigant’s condition, but the thing is, he didn’t need to put in the effort to do that.

‘It’s ending today, anyways.’

Because today is his last day fighting with these lumps of scrap metal.

Abel had this fiery gaze and was deep in thought.

‘I’ll grab the opportunity at any cost.’

If he just gets a hold of the opportunity, he could get into his desired ‘Academy’.

However, even with all the fiery ambition in his eyes, there was a hint of lingering attachment and disappointment.

Looking back at it, it was apparent.

That was the first Gigant he got after he was thrust into this unknown world and had to undergo all sorts of hardships. He was so excited about getting his Gigant that he even gave him a nickname, “Rabbit”.

There were visible bumps on both sides of his head that looked like a rabbit’s ears, so they named him that.

“Hooo”

But Abel understood it quite well.

One needs to let go of things when the time comes.

He shouldn’t needlessly show affection and attachment to a lifeless creature like a Gigant because this world is too cold-hearted and cruel.

So, Abel suppressed any passionate emotions that arose in his heart, climbed the ladder, and applied the magically refined oil to the Gigant’s joint.

While doing that, suddenly, an old memory appeared from a dark corner of his mind.

Abelatium’s memory of the moment he came here for the first time.

»————- ★ ————-«

When he opened his eyes after that, he had a hunch that something wrong was about to happen.

Actually, anyone would have felt that way.

Just like usual, after playing video games late into the night, he lay on his bed trying to sleep, but when he opened his eyes, he realized he was lying on a cold, rough stone surface.

His clothes were all tattered, and he looked like a beggar. The skin on his entire body was dirty, as if it was covered with soot all over.

The passersby peeking at him were the same, looking like trash and filth.

‘What is this?’

For the young man, Oh Han Sung, who had just turned 24 years old, this was not a familiar experience. He just hoped it would all be a dream and he’d wake up any moment now.

However, that night.

As he grabbed his growling stomach lying on the freezing cold floor, he started to doubt the very reality of his situation. The dreadful reality.

‘No way.’

At first, he went into denial.

There was no reason for him to deny it, but he just didn’t want to accept the reality right before him.

But nothing would change by merely denying it. Ultimately, all he would accomplish by denial would be the realization that the truth was even harsher and hopeless.

Just like that, entirely for survival’s sake, he wandered around the streets.

While walking around, he came to know one fact for sure.

This place was not on planet Earth.

This was a region that not only inhabited species other than humans but also had the existence of a strange force that didn’t exist on Earth. Most importantly, “Gigants” prevailed in this place.

And ‘that’, ‘their existence’ was the most significant clue because just before landing in this foreign world, the game that he was playing had ‘Gigants’ as the core element.

From a fantasy worldview, people with Gigants are the main characters.

The moment he realized it, he wandered the streets proactively, and after a thorough examination of the whole city, it wasn’t long before his speculation turned into certainty.

This was the world inside a game.

Upon realizing the truth, Oh Han Sung gave up his real name from that point onwards. After that, around two years passed, and he was able to get his hands on the lowest-grade Gigant, the Midget.

A ‘nobody’ like him managed to turn around his situation, from the lowest floors of hell as a vagrant on the streets at the bottom of the societal hierarchy, despite being at the ends of his rope. It was truly astonishing that he came to possess an expensive Gigant all on his own.

He probably could’ve easily written a novel with that story, but he wasn’t one to dwell on the past and instead always had a vision for the future.

Abel.

That was the new name that Han Sung took up for his future and left his past behind.

“So it’s over, huh.”

Abel mumbled while wiping the sweat off his forehead.

He greased and lubricated all the joints, and in the process, he worked up a little sweat, but that wouldn’t hurt him in the match.

On the contrary, this would be better for the match because he wouldn’t need to warm up separately.

Grabbing onto Rabbit’s waist, Abel said these words.

“Get through it just one more time.”

Of course, there was no way he’d get an answer.

While grinning, Abel got down the ladder and opened the bag lying on the floor.

He took out a combat suit from it.

The Midget Rabbit belonged to the lowest grade of Gigants; however, his height itself was not vastly different from Tito, who was a grade above him with an average height of 4 meters.

At best, he was 30 cm taller.

This height difference was not huge considering the fact that Tito and the next grade’s height differed by around 2 meters.

But there was something that made even those 30 cm feel like a huge setback, and those were the safety parts for the rider, or to be more specific, their near absence was the issue.

In simple words, Midget had no parts for the rider’s safety.

That’s why some people just called it moving metal pipes.

So, even if other factors were ignored, a Midget’s rider had to wear a combat suit properly infused with defensive magic.

“Ugh.”

Abel opened up the body suit and tried to fit into it.

He bought it from the black market, and the suit worked just fine, but its size was the problem.

It was really small.

A combat suit is prepared with special materials and processing methods, so he couldn’t just modify it as he wanted.

In the first place, the only reason he got it at such a cheap price was because of this problem.

Abel’s growth period wasn’t over yet. But his physique was on the shorter side because his diet wasn’t exactly ideal.

So, if he wanted to fit into it forcefully, he could do it.

“Uhhh…. Uh! Done!”

After going through all of the trouble, Abel fastened the suit’s lock and wiped off the sweat on his forehead with a cloth.

Putting on the suit was a huge challenge. Surprisingly, it didn’t restrict movement that much once it was on.

That may seem unbelievable, but it was one of the main features of this exceptionally valuable and rare suit.

Abel did a few basic stretches as warmup and then went up the ladder to get to Rabbit’s cockpit.

On top of the ladder, he opened up the cockpit, which made a clunking sound, revealing the interior of the cockpit.

“Perfect.”

Abel, with a smile on his face, went right into his spot in the cockpit.

Unlike the combat suit that wasn’t the right fit for his body, the cockpit’s interior was a perfect size for him.

Once he settled down and secured himself in his spot, Abel placed his hand on Rabbit’s core.

Whirring-!

After a short while, Rabbit woke up with a strange sensation throughout its body.

As this happened, the front cover of the cockpit automatically lowered, and the lights in its interior turned on.

Abel also felt a wave of adrenaline rise in his body and felt like he was at the top of the world, almost as if he were omnipotent.

It was an intense, pleasant feeling he’d never get tired of, no matter how often he experienced it.

With a sparkling gaze full of intent, Abel said these words.

“Rabbit. Let’s go.”

Without getting a reply to his words once again, Abel, as well as Rabbit, started moving.

He put away the heavy ladder by picking it up like it weighed nothing.

Then he stepped forward with that huge foot.

Thud, thud-!

Surrounding him was chaos and noise.

But when the enormous Gigant started moving, the gaze of every person in the room pointed all at one place.

If it were just a normal, average Gigant, people would look away after one look.

But the one walking in front of them now is Abel.

The rising star of the ‘underground fight scene’.

Glorified and worshiped.

Abel.

“Hey kid! You gotta win today as well!”

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Infamous Scans

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“Give it your best!”

Cheers. Encouragement.

“Tch. A worthless brat being the talk of the town.”

“He’s just lucky, that’s all.”

Jealousy and envy.

“Whoa…..”

And admiration.

This messy mix of emotions pierces through the cockpit and stings his whole body.

He didn’t feel pressured by these overwhelming emotions instead, Abel laughed out.

‘This is just the first step.’

The game’s storyline hasn’t even started yet. So, it’s not too late. He wouldn’t be left behind.

If he seizes this opportunity…

‘I’ll definitely go mainstream.’

‘I can go to the academy.’

‘I can become a part of the game’s main storyline.’

He didn’t suppress the desire and ambition rising in his chest. Abel let it manifest itself, turned it into fuel, and walked out just like that.

Exiting the chaotic maintenance room, he passed by a few doors and got to a considerably big-sized room.

It was the waiting room for the players participating in the match.

Abel stood in the waiting room, his body tense while his mind was deep in his thoughts.

‘I only get one chance.’

The goal was to avoid getting an average victory. It was to showcase himself.

His talent and abilities.

The reasoning behind this was simple. He was expecting a special guest in the audience.

If he couldn’t show that, all of this would be useless.

Abel strengthened his will and looked into the air. To be specific, at the message window that appeared there.

QUEST: [Frog in the Well(5)]

[Accept the Scarlet’s ‘Choice’ from the Spear of Flame]

The last one of a lengthy chain of quests.

The opportunity to clear this quest that took six months of hardships, troubles, and preparation is right before his eyes.

At that moment.

Whoa…..!

The sound of people cheering echoed in the waiting room, leaking from outside.

‘The winner’s decided, huh.’

That thought was just in his mind when a suited-up bald, middle-aged man with a terrifying presence entered the waiting room.

“2 minutes to go.”

“Okay.”

His voice, amplified by the Gigant, echoed in the entire room.

With furrowed brows, the bald man nodded in reply and exited the room. He stood in front of the wall opposite the room.

Abel glared at that wall with a piercing gaze as if he was looking at an opponent and cleared any worthless thoughts cluttering his mind.

During a match, useless thoughts were poison.

“1 minute to go.”

The middle-aged man spoke once again.

Abel tightened the grip on the core in his hand.

Whirr-!

After a minute, from the direction of the middle-aged man, another sound came with the vibration. That was his voice.

“Go win this match.”

There was no reply because the wall that blocked his path forward began to open up.

Abel showed zero hesitation while walking through the newly open entrance.

He took two steps, but the air around him had a different sensation to it.

Flashing lights.

Hundreds of onlookers.

“Whoaaa-!”

“Rabbit! Rabbit! Rabbit!”

“Giant slayer! Crush them all!”

A louder wave of cheers erupted a moment later.

Giant Slayer. That was the nickname given to him and Rabbit because Abel’s height was shorter than average, as was Rabbit’s.

A height difference like that is usually a big disadvantage for the shorter opponent.

But, only ‘usually’.

By crushing all the bigger opponents, both he and Rabbit earned the nickname ‘Giant Slayer’.

“Wooooow-!”

With safety and protection completely thrown out of the window, the audience and the match arena were extremely close to each other.

Because of this, even inside Rabbit, his ears were about to bleed out.

Slightly waving his hands, Abel entered the center of the arena, and soon after, he heard the audience cheering for someone else.

“Lumberjack! Lumberjack!”

“Let’s see you give a full swing to that ax! You son of a gun!”

“I bet all my property on you! If you lose, I’ll drive an ax into your head!”

Lumberjack.

The official meaning is a person who axes down trees, but it’s also the nickname of his opponent.

He’s known for chopping his opponents into pieces, hence the nickname.

He could clearly see Lumberjack.

His body’s outer casing was the same as Midget grade.

But the height difference was a lot. Roughly estimating, his height of 4.3m was close to the height of the Tito grade.

Not to mention, he was holding a gigantic ax in his hand, and the size of the ax was not a joke.

Compared to that, in Rabbit’s hand, there was a factory-made sword that was no match for his ax.

Regardless of who the onlooker was, anyone could see the obvious, Rabbit was the underdog.

[Here we go! The match between the two aces of this arena! Lumberjack VS Rabbit! Ladies and Gentlemen, it’s “Rabbit The Giant Slayer” VS “Psycho LumberJack”!]

“Whoaaaa!”

While the announcer shouted to hype up the atmosphere and get everyone excited, Abel looked around a bit.

He believed in zero distractions before the match, but this was important.

Frantically looking around, Abel’s eyes scanned the audience seats, slowly narrowed his focus, and stopped at one spot.

Fiery red hair and eyes, sharp and clear facial features, and a bird-shaped brooch.

‘She’s here.’

The Spear of the Flame, one of the Empire’s Three Divines.

Scarlett.

The Gigant rider who led Abel to the ‘Academy’.

The Academy, where all the main scenarios would continuously flow.

‘If you don’t get inside the Academy, you can’t really do anything.’

This place.

To be exact, with this place as the backdrop, the game mainly revolves around the main characters, including the game’s protagonist, whose stories then unfold further.

So, to get into the main storyline, one must join the Academy.

Given that the world inside this game has a happy ending, there will be no problems.

But if it’s a bad ending? If a bad future’s already decided?

This world will be ruined and destroyed.

“Oooooooo!”

“Yes, that’s the stuff! Kill ‘em all!!”

With louder, more enthusiastic cheers from the audience’s side, Abel raised his head and saw Lumberjack swinging his ax in the air.

Lumberjack felt Rabbit’s gaze on himself and got even more excited.

He acted as if he was cutting off his neck with the ax.

Abel very gently raised his middle finger to give him a reply.

To tell him the feeling was mutual.

Right away, the audience’s reaction got louder, more fierce, and more excited.

“Okay then!”

The announcer believed that the crowd was hyped enough and shouted loudly.

[Looks like everyone’s heating up! If we drag this out anymore, we might just get stabbed by a knife, so without further ado, let’s get started!]

Abel visualized the scene in his mind right away.

Rabbit clenched both of his fists.

The magicians on standby under the arena put up their hands and perfectly spread a blue-shade defensive barrier for protection.

The excitement of the audience in the stadium reached a peak. The announcer had a smile on his face and shouted out.

[The Match….. Begins!]

Bang-!

Rabbit kicked into the ground.

[To be continued.]