It was about an hour later.

The show was over. Despite experiencing hell on earth, the three guys were still alive. Better yet, they were completely healed!

Limbs regrew and bones mended, reforming and reshaping the strong bodies like they were made of soft clay. After cooling down, the outer shell that resembled rock was peeled off, revealing pristine new skin, like that of a baby.

They were now resting under a soft blanket, naked and too exhausted from the rebirth for anything other than sleep. A giant meal was to be prepared for them after they woke up since apparently they would be hungry like never before.

Their bodies were remade with magic, but the mass had to come from somewhere. That was especially noticeable with Tabbris since he regrew four limbs. He was much skinnier than Gerald remembered. It only made sense for them to be hungry.

While the maids and cooks were preparing the food, people left one by one, and Gerald was no different. He wasn't supposed to be there anyway. The only reason he could, was because he tagged along when the Shadows rushed to the Palace.

It's surprising how easy it is to go somewhere if you just act like you belong there. Restraining his Aura also made a difference, since many important people there clearly had similar abilities to him.

Nobody even knew he was there until he spoke. Well maybe the King knew since he glanced at him at the beginning for a short moment, but he didn't seem to mind, so it was probably fine.

In any case, he had nothing more to do there, so he left. The immediate mortal danger for Tabbris was gone, so he should just let the guy rest and recover.

The battle was supposed to start the next morning at dawn, so people will be busy tonight. Should everything go as planned, the next week they would be celebrating victory.

Gerald soon returned home. He was glad to have tagged along as he gained valuable experience and insights.

At first, he was debating if he should get his hands on some Elixir of Life and regrow his hand and get rid of scars. However, after meditation on it for days(seconds), he decided it wasn't worth it.

"It's just one hand anyway, I don't even need it," he said to himself. "It's totally not because of the pain, not at all…"

Maybe if he was at the death's door and had no way out he would consider it, but other than that… Well, he wasn't a masochist.

It was time to bury the frightening memories in the depths of his mind and focus on other things. For example, he still didn't know if he could fill Pure Ether Crystals with his Mana. Perhaps it was possible, or perhaps it wasn't. At least for now he didn't know how.

The library for common folk certainly didn't contain the information he needed. He could only wait for when the war was over and he could ask for a wish from the King.

Why was he so certain he would be one to win it? Well, there was a thing he made, and he was sure it would be enough to guarantee him the first place.

He called it the Big Boy.

It was named after the two famous bombs from a time long passed when humanity first learned to split the atom. Marvelous weapons of mass destruction.

They were fair, and they were just, they were something you could trust. Complete annihilation, for all human creation. Unconcerned were with gender, and blind for skin color, it just was a sun, bringing endless horror.

The only problem…

Gerald was worried the Giant might dodge it or toss something to intercept it. So he had to make sure to drop it at an opportune moment. Because of course, he would be dropping it. He would have to fly a few kilometers into the sky, cringing at the thought of the cold air up there, and then drop it quickly and accurately on the Giant.

It would be best if the beast was distracted and wasn't paying attention to him. For that reason, he would have to wait for the battle to be at its peak. Many soldiers would surely die, but that was a sacrifice he was willing to make.

And just to be sure the Giant would ignore him, Gerald had a 200IQ plan!

He would be dropping rocks from the sky! Yup, giant stones the size of a wine barrel, and he would have dozens of them.

He was pretty sure they couldn't hurt the massive humanoid monster, but that was the point. He would be like a mosquito, poking, and prodding until he found the opening.

"Hehe, nobody can compete with my brilliance!" He laughed sarcastically and rubbed his hands. Now he just had to gather the stones and prepare for tomorrow.

Actually, he wanted to increase his powers more at first. Having 5.000 MP, for example, would be great. He could be using infinite magic and drown the Giant in a fire. But! As he drank more Mana Elixirs, he started feeling some pressure in his body.

The best he could describe it was having a full stomach and still trying to eat more. He thought maybe the feeling would go away with time, but it didn't. Every potion he drank made him feel more bloated and uncomfortable. In fact, the feeling only went away when using magic and his Mana stores drained.

He could, of course, force himself to drink more, but one thing was clear. His body was telling him it was at its limit. As he was now, 1100 MP or so, he was pushing the limit already. The only living beings that had as much Mana were wild beasts in high Silver or Gold ranks with bodies ten times the size of his.

The energy density, and gaining all that power in such a short amount of time probably wasn't healthy.

Actually, he noticed another change, even if it was small. His body was growing. He wasn't simply becoming taller and more muscular, though that was obvious, horizontally he gained quite a bit of size too.

He might not have noticed it if not for one small detail. His rings were becoming tighter. That shouldn't be of any concern since when becoming stronger, fingers are bound to gain some size too, but…

After careful observation, he came to find out that his bones expanded. It was just a few millimeters or so, nothing huge, but it made a difference. He wasn't sure if it was that Bone-Reforming potion he drank, the food he ate, or the general influence of Mana, but the fact remained.

He was growing.

Whether it was temporary or not, the only thing that mattered was that it was happening.

Anyway, about those stones…

"Toby! Come here, boy!" Gerald called his mount after coming home.

Woof!

Toby came running with his tongue hanging out and waved his tail in excitement, expecting food. He acted like a big friendly fluffy dog.

"What the fuck Toby! Woof?! Seriously?! Are you a dog or a Warg?!"

Toby quickly realized his mistake and sat down, showing his sharp teeth and a dangerous expression while releasing growling sounds from his throat.

Grrr!

"That's better," Gerald nodded and scratched him behind the ear. "Let's go, we have stuff to do!" He fixed a saddle on Toby's back and jumped on.

"Onward my stead! Adventure awaits!"