-- Giant Race

-- Threat Level SS (Millennial Beast)

-- Long ago, it was said that a race of Cyclops broke free from the control of the Gods and started to slaughter everything in existence. They had incredible strength that was able to overpower most of the other giant races, which allowed them to roam unhindered for many years.

-- The single eye on their head is able to shoot out a concentrated beam of light that is able to destroy fortress walls.

-- They are able to control the Metal Element to a certain extent, which gives them the ability to make their bodies as hard as steel.

-- They are weak against the Holy Element

-----

Instead of hope, William found despair as he read the information of Terrorhand. Although it had a weakness, he didn't have any Job Classes in his possession with the Holy Element.

His only hope was his companions so he decided to ask if any of them could wield the power to slay the Millennial Beast in front of them.

"The name of this monster is Terrorhand," William said as he tried to suppress the despair in his voice. "It is a Millennial Beast and its only weakness is the Holy Element. Do any of you possess the Holy Element?"

Isaac and Ian shook their heads before looking at their Young Master.

Est bit his lip before reluctantly nodding his head, "I don't have the power to use Holy Spells, but I do have a weapon that is imbued by the Holy Element."

The handsome boy waved his hand and a sword appeared in front of him. The plain-looking sword didn't look special. In fact, it looked so normal that William was finding it hard to believe that it was imbued with the Holy Element.

Because of his doubts, he decided to use his appraisal skill on the sword.

-----

-- The sword that was wielded by the Hero Altera who protected the humans during the War of the Darkness.

-- Its power will depend upon the belief of its user. The stronger their belief, the more powerful the sword becomes.

-- Imbued with the Holy Element.

-- This sword is indestructible.

-- Can only be wielded by the devout followers of the Goddess Astrid.

-----

William had a complicated look on his face as he read the information of the sword. Although the word "indestructible" and "imbued with the Holy Element" caught his eye, he was not feeling optimistic about their chances.

Aside from Terrorhand, there were six Gasmirages that were currently hiding using their stealth ability. William's map had been disabled, so he couldn't detect their locations. With a Millennial Beast and six invisible threats, William felt that this challenge was simply impossible to clear.

'I guess I have no choice,' William thought as he clenched his fist. This was a battle of life and death, so he couldn't be choosy with the method that was available to him.

Since it was impossible for him to beat the Terrorhand, he would devote himself to the supporting role to ensure that Est would be able to deliver the finishing blow to the Millennial Beast.

"Est, do you have the confidence to beat that thing?" William asked.

"No." Est shook his head. "Beating it is impossible."

He was feeling fainthearted, as he gripped the sword in his hand. When the Goddess mentioned that the trial would be hard, he thought that he would still be able to clear it using the sacred sword that the Goddess had passed unto him.

Est realized how naive he was.

Would a challenge that affected the Fate of a Kingdom be easy?

Of course not.

He was starting to despair. Fear was slowly gripping his heart and it was making it hard for him to breathe. Est felt his hand becoming clammy as cold sweat streamed down the side of his face.

As he was about to lose all hope, a pair of rough hands pressed down on his shoulders. Est raised his head and saw a pair of bright green eyes looking straight at him.

"No matter how strong the enemy is, a hero can't choose their opponent," William said in a firm manner. "This is why they are called Heroes."

"B-But, I'm not a hero," Est replied. "I was not born a hero."

"Heroes are not born, they are made," William stated. "A hero is an ordinary individual who finds the strength to persevere and endure in spite of overwhelming obstacles."

His confident voice pierced through Est's heart, warding off the fear that had almost rendered him paralyzed. Est could also feel warmth spreading from the palms of William's hands that were currently pressing on his shoulders.

"Pep talk is over," William said as he gazed at the adversary that he had to face. His fearless gaze awed Isaac and even Ian, who was always skeptical about William, had to admit that the boy's current expression looked cool.

"Bestow!"

"Ice Armor!"

"Leader of the Herd!

William buffed his herd and applied Ice Armor to everyone including Est and the twins. He then asked the system to switch his sub class from the Ice Wizard to Dark Mage. right now, his Ice Magic could make little difference against their enemies, so he decided to get serious.

----

"William, the mithril collar that I gave you is special," Celine said as he patted the boy's head. "It has a special function that you can use once every five years. The price of using it is very steep.

However, if you have to choose between paying the price and dying, you should just pay the price and use it. After all, only when you are alive will you be able to accomplish your goals in life. The passcode to activate the collar's ability is..."

-----

William touched the mithril collar on his neck and said…

"Rule Breaker..."

The collar glowed radiant blue as William felt a surge of power washing over his body. This was a forbidden spell that Celine had taught him to preserve his life before he left the village to visit the Holy Temple.

William didn't know that Celine had a premonition that William would encounter extreme danger during his journey. Because of this, she decided to impart the collar's secret in order to give him a chance of survival.

Tendrils of darkness snaked around WIlliam's body as the mithril collar executed its special function.

"T-This is Dark Magic?" Isaac gasped.

Ian's eyes widened in surprise before his face contorted to an expression of scorn.

Est stared at the red-head boy who was slowly being enveloped by darkness. To his surprise, he didn't feel any negative feelings towards William. In fact, Est was feeling a sense of peace and security coming from him.

Est understood that William was taking a risk by showing them this side of himself.

The sword in his hand pulsed with power and the words of the Goddess whispered in his ears.

"I only look at the results, Est. not the process."

'Lady Astrid, I think I now understand what you are trying to tell me,' Est thought as he firmly gripped the sword in his hand. 'Since you chose him to be my companion in this trial, I will also put my trust in him.'

-----

-----

William sighed as the power inside his body stabilized. This was the first time he felt so powerful. Even so, he understood that he wouldn't be able to beat the Millennial Beast with his current strength.

However, beating a Centennial Beast poses no problem at all.

"Ethereal Vision!"

The corner of William's lips curled up into a smirk as the color of his eyes changed into a golden color. The hiding Gasmirages were laid bare before his eyes and he decided to deal with them first before fighting off against the Millennial Beast.

"Glorious Darkness, my redeemer, I need you now in my time of need. Guide my hand so I might conquer your foes. Punish the fools who have forgotten your name, and doom them all to eternal darkness!"

"Darkness Breaker!"

Over a dozen dark beams shot out from the sky and criss crossed across the plains. The hiding monsters let out a shriek as their world descended into darkness. Dark mists oozed out of their eyes as their bodies rolled on the ground in pain.

"Mama Ella, I'll leave the small fries to you," William ordered. "Est, and your two sidekicks, we are going to deal with the Terrorhand. I'm going to say this now, but none of you are allowed to die. Do I make myself clear?"

""Meeeeeeh!""

"Understood." Est nodded his head.

"Okay," Isaac replied with a determined expression.

"I'll follow you just this once." Ian decided to focus on the task at hand for the time being. Even though he disliked William, there was no way he would allow his Young Master to face the Cyclops on his own.