Epic of Caterpillar
chapter-166

As the Realm Menace of Lust, Kireina has taken the lives of five Elemental Knights in the Athetosea Great War and was about to fight the enraged Champion of Black Flames. A different fight unfolded.

Truhan and Celica's team were currently fighting against the experienced and strong Champion of Earth-Shattering Arms, Gustav Gifford. An old man with amazing strength, which he has cultivated his whole life.

One wouldn't be wrong to call this man, the personification of a rock, stoic, sturdy and strong. Since his childhood that he formed his character alongside these virtues.

At the age of 6, Gustav lost his family and the entire village where he lived due to a terrible invasion from Demi-Humans. These Demi-Humans were Harpy folk from the Windy Mountains, where his village was.

Due to certain misunderstandings, Gustav's family alongside the whole village was massacred and devastated by the Harpy folk, he managed to survive somehow, due to the sacrifices of his parents, and ran as fast as he could, while never looking back.

"You have to survive, son!", these were the last words of his mother, as she was taken by the Harpies and completely ripped to shreds right in front of him.

As he saw how her mother died in terrible agony and pain, she kept yelling at him to escape, and after she finally stopped struggling and died, he somehow managed to break through his fear and panic and ran as fast as he could.

Perhaps due to the benevolence of some Harpy, the child was left alive, and although he went across various soldiers, only two followed him, until they stopped midway and returned to the village.

Inside the village, the harpy feasted in the humans and had a banquet, taking all their possessions.

In reality, this attack was triggered due to the humans recently tricking the Harpies and taking some of them as slaves, after several years, they finally had enough and devastated the village. However, they never knew that the massacre that they unfolded would ultimately lead to their tribe's demise.

As Gustav ran through the Vast Plains, he wandered across the dangerous plains, surviving however he could. Escaping from the deadly monsters while eating whatever thing he found. Gustav went through horrible things that no one would have been possible to imagine.

However, somehow, he survived. As he survived, he adapted and became stronger. Through the countless trials that the wild Vast Plains sent to him, he survived. As he trained his body in the wild and collected food for himself, he quickly became stronger and awakened his hidden potential as humans. Gustav gained skills as he trained his body until it became as sturdy as a rock.

At the age of 12, Gustav has become someone indomitable, a Human raised in the Plains by himself, due to the countless scars and hardships, his flesh, bones, and skin became sturdy like a rock or even steel. He was able to hunt even the deadliest of the beasts by himself and feasted in their bodies like a wild boy.

Although he met with some Nomad Tribes in the past, he never joined them and ran away from their help and hospitality. He only cared about himself and his wellbeing. Growing in horrible conditions in the wild, made him grow selfish and unaware of the value of human interactions.

As the years went through, Gustav trained his body every day, and became a complete Warrior, he created his own weapons made of minerals and the materials of the beasts and devastated anything that came his way.

As his power grew stronger, he quickly realized that there was something empty in his heart, even with the sensation of fulfillment in his strength, there was something that he still lacked. And then, it came to him.

Revenge.

He wanted to avenge his family and village, however, after remembering the frightening strength and magic of those Harpies, he realized that he would never be able to accomplish such thing by himself.

Gustav proposed himself to get stronger and avenge his family once again. Gustav was prideful, but not a fool. He knew that to gain strength, he needed to go through Human interactions once again, even if it made him feel awkward after so long. He settled himself to do so.

At the age of 15, Gustav went towards Orange Town, and while using the countless materials he had collected from the monsters he has slain; he made a small fortune. He bought himself equipment and paid to pass the night in an Inn. The day after, he became an adventurer in the guild, and immediately started to take in different monster subjugation quests.

As the years passed, Gustav became even stronger, his [Epic] was slowly awakening and giving him new strength and almost limitless potential and growth. Although he never went to a party and barely interacted with other people, so he gained himself the name of "Lone Slayer".

At the age of 19, Gustav fully awakened his [Epic] and obtained insights about the world and how it worked, he gained the title of [Lone Slayer Knight of Earth-Shattering Might] and obtained a series of tasks, asking for him to slain different monsters. As his life progressed, he knew and met new people, and against his will, he slowly formed bonds with others, creating a group of friends and forming bonds with those inside the Kingdom.

When he was 25 years old, Gustav was contracted by a Noble to do a series of subjugations, and after completing all of them flawlessly, he gained the attention and interest of such Noble.

Afterward, Gustav became the personal Knight of that Noble, and due to his efforts and strength, he gained fame and a small fortune. He formed ties with the Royal Family and its Knights and quickly became an Apprentice Royal Knight.

At the age of 32, he became General in command of a series of troops, and at that time, his [Epic] awakened once again, having completed all his tasks, he was granted the [Legendary Relic] [Earth's Anguish] alongside the title [Radiant Champion of Earth-Shattering Arms].

These changes in strength didn't go unnoticed, as the Royal Family noticed his talent and the information of his [Epic] and decided to create the group of [Fire Radiant Champions], although he was the only one for that time, he worked hard by completing a task and gathering people for his own organization.

After three years, the title of [Hero of Raging Winds] was awakened in an experienced adventurer and bounty hunter, as he quickly gained fame by his title, completely overshadowing Gustav's achievements.

At the age of 37, Gustav started to receive orders from the Hero of Raging Winds, which he had to comply with. However, as he met with the man and conversed with him, he slowly began to like his attitude and point of view. They quickly became friends and comrades, as they worked together to deal with the outside threats that threatened Athetosea, who has lacked a Hero in the last two hundred years. The appearance of the two was clearly stated has a blessing from the gods.

As the two repelled the outside forces wanting to invade Athetosea, the years passed as they forged their friendship while gaining power and riches. The two, who were once commoners, created their own Noble Families and bought their own pieces of land. However, none of them ever made a family, as they were too obsessed with accomplishing their goals and becoming stronger.

At the age of 46, several [Epic] users suddenly began to appear, the Champion of Freezing Winter, the Champion of Black Flames, the Champion of Emerald Trees, and the Champion of Psychic Eyes.

Alongside this, a certain group of individuals who named themselves the [Elemental Knights] appeared and quickly formed their own group, who the group of Champions was in charge.

Although Gustav grew as a person and made countless friends and comrades, alongside subordinates. He never lost track of his desire, revenge.

At the age of 52, with the help of the Hero of Raging Winds and other Champions, Gustav finally obtained his revenge, as they went into a "subjugation" quest towards the Windy Mountains, his place of birth.

There, they made the plan of luring the Harpies while using one of the villages they had good terms with, alongside this, the Hero of Raging Winds intervened and became friends with the chief of the Harpy Tribe, and with his treachery and character, ended up luring the entire Tribe towards the village, where they fell right into the human's trap.

The entire Harpy Tribe was enslaved and killed. Gustav had his revenge as he killed every Harpy, he remembered by the time they killed his family and destroyed his village. That day, Gustav took the lives of twenty Harpies with his own hands, which were sturdy like rocks and sharp like steel.

Being bathed in the blood of those who destroyed everything he loved, Gustav was finally satisfied and returned to Athetosea, leaving whoever survived to the Hero's care. Then, the Hero quickly enslaved all the remaining Harpies and sold them at a cheap price to the slave dealers of Athetosea, who quickly profited with the half-bird Demi-Humans.

As time went through Gustav created alliances and bonds, especially with the Elemental Knights and Champions, he even made his own family at the age of 53, with an adventurer woman who deeply admired him. After that, he had three sons with her.

Even at his age, Gustav didn't want to stay still, and kept training and participating in different quests and subjugations, even at such an old age, he kept getting stronger. However, he still felt like his [Epic] could awaken one last time, but the requirements for them were unclear.

Until one day, due to strange circumstances, a war between the two opposing sides of Athetosea appeared, and he found himself in the middle of such a strange and bizarre war. Because of the Champion of Psychic Eyes orders, who he still held great respect due to her intelligence and cunningness, he participated in the war, to defend his people and family.

Little did he know that this whole battlefield was in fact, orchestrated by the Realm Menace of Lust, who in her endless lust, hunger, and desire for power, wanted to devour and own everything in Athetosea.

As Gustav fought alongside his companions and subordinates, he was quickly overwhelmed by the enemy might and power, and the strange army of powerful Demi-Humans that suddenly appeared.

Suddenly, Gustav was quickly stopped by a strange pair of Giant Demi-Humans, a Red Oni, and a Dark Giantess. As he struggled in a battle of life and death against the two peerless warriors, Gustav felt his body slowly decaying due to his age.

But even so, he didn't give in and fought bravely while trying to protect those he cared for and formed bonds with. Until that very last moment, when a strange system notification appeared, due to fulfilling strange conditions, he was awakened into a [Hero] and gained the title of [Hero of Earth-Defying Might]. Gaining countless Skills and new strength, and even some of his youth, he was a new person.

Finally, he understood how the world worked and the destiny he had to fulfill as a Hero. Things weren't unclear for him anymore, as he quickly understood the reason behind the war and the culprit behind the manipulation of the Nobles. He had been awakened to fight that being, the Menace of Lust.

However, two Giants stood in his way. These two beings who held immense power were his last trial before the final battle in his life.

Wielding his evolved [Legendary Relic] [Heaven and Earth's Anguish], a powerful Claw weapon that held the power of Heaven and Earth in each arm, he went once again to confront the pair of Giants that stood in his way.

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