Chapter 22: The Slumbering Hatchling Dragons

"Ha!" Muria, now ten meters tall, ferociously knocked down a Cloud Giant guard, stirring up a cloud of dust. However, this did not dampen the spirits of the numerous giants who had gathered around to watch, cheering for Muria's martial prowess.

These elegantly dressed Cloud Giants stood on stands reminiscent of an ancient Roman coliseum, cheering loudly as their compatriot was laid low, celebrating Muria's strength.

But the audience in the stands wasn't limited to Cloud Giants; there were also the Tide Giants, with large patches of purplish-blue skin and minimal coverings over key areas.

The Mountain Giants, with skin tones ranging from light yellow to slightly red, were bare-chested, wearing only animal skin skirts, appearing somewhat barbaric.

The tallest of them all, the Storm Giants, dressed in waistcoats, looked rather cultured, with their towering figures reaching up to eighteen meters.

These massive giants, shouting and cheering, were visibly excited and thrilled.

"It's said that Prince Muria has only lived for twelve years since his birth, and now he's capable of defeating an adult Cloud Giant," remarked a Storm Giant with deep blue hair and purple skin.

"To be precise, it's just over eleven years, not yet twelve," interjected a Cloud Giant commander.

"Truly worthy of a Titan's son, able to defeat real adult giants at the same age as our children," commented a light-yellow skinned, muscularly knotted Mountain Giant.

The Mountain Giant, clad only in a piece of animal skin, contrasted starkly with the finely dressed Cloud and Storm Giants, perfectly illustrating the dichotomy between civilization and barbarism.

Standing on the granite-paved ground, Muria raised his hands high, basking in the cheers and praises from the surrounding giants. He thoroughly enjoyed this feeling.

This coliseum-like grand structure was built by the giants specifically for Muria to provide him with a conducive training environment. The tiered stands were specially constructed so the giants could watch Muria's fighting prowess.

Here, Muria was "invincible." When he agreed to have the giants as his sparring partners years ago, he had anticipated this outcome.

Over the course of more than three years, Muria had lost count of how many giants he had fought. Initially, it was the Cloud Giants who sparred with him to hone his combat skills. Then, the strongest Storm Giants joined in, and eventually, all giants were aware.

Thus, this massive coliseum-style "training arena" was swiftly constructed.

As Commander Albert of the Cloud Giants mentioned, any giant was willing to spar with Muria to practice his combat skills.

However, no giant fought Muria with their full strength. The giants gathering around the Crystal Castle, regardless of their type, possessed Gold-level strength upon reaching adulthood.

These Gold-level giants controlled their strength in battles with Muria, allowing him to practice his fighting techniques while "defeating" them without too much difficulty.

After receiving cheers for a moment, Muria waved his hand, and the entire arena fell silent, all giants' attention turned towards him.

"Warrior, stand up," Muria commanded the Cloud Giant lying beside him.

As the Cloud Giant stood up, Muria looked around at the watching giants and roared, "I know you all think I'm still young, currently only at Silver IV rank. Even as a child of Titan and Dragon, I'm not a match for Gold-level opponents, so you all have been holding back."

"But! Today, I want to experience the true power of a Gold-level." Muria looked at the Cloud Giant guard he had just defeated. "Warrior, unleash your full strength. Do not hold back anymore."

"Otherwise, I will consider your action as contempt for the Titan blood in me," Muria declared. Titans hold a special significance for giants.

"I understand, Prince Muria. Please, be careful," the Cloud Giant's demeanor instantly changed, becoming cold and brutal, with a murderous aura.

"This is the stance of a Cloud Giant guard," Muria admired the transformation of the Cloud Giant before him, acknowledging the harsh realities of Erathia.

Erathia was never a peaceful world. Every day, wars raged, conflicts erupted among humans, monsters, nations, and even gods. Countless lives were lost daily across Erathia.

Thus, every giant who survived to adulthood had gone through countless battles. To them, Muria, who grew up in the "paradise" of the Titan Islands, was like a flower nurtured in a greenhouse.

Despite countless battles, Muria had yet to kill any creature. However, he had unparalleled confidence in his Titan and Dragon bloodlines.

After more than three years, due to his lengthy lifespan, Muria's power had grown slowly, reaching only Silver IV rank.

But at Silver III, Muria could already overpower all Silver creatures. Now, at Silver IV, with significantly increased strength and size, he was confident in his ability to confront, even defeat, Gold-level entities using combat techniques amassed over hundreds of thousands of years by the Titan clan.

In the training arena, amidst the cheers of thousands of giants, Muria adopted a seemingly ordinary fighting stance, "Come on, warrior!"

The Cloud Giant guard roared and launched an attack. The bruises from their previous fight, healing rapidly due to the giant's robust constitution, did not affect his combat ability.

"Roar!" Stimulated by the scene before him, Muria too, roared excitedly, fully embracing his identity.

"Boom!" The two massive figures collided, stirring up dust and cracking the granite floor beneath them.

Muria locked eyes with the Cloud Giant, seeing the calm determination of a seasoned warrior.

The Cloud Giant held Muria's slightly plump, tender fist in one hand, while Muria firmly grasped the other, engaging in the most primal contest of strength—wrestling.

The Cloud Giant's experience outmatched Muria's, easily drawing him into a direct test of strength.

As Titan's son, Muria might not be a teenager yet and couldn't outmatch an adult Gold-level Cloud Giant in strength.

"But don't underestimate me, warrior," Muria grinned at the Cloud Giant, "I wouldn't have let you go all out without being sure."

"You did underestimate me, Prince Muria," the Cloud Giant admitted earnestly. He intended to use his Gold-level strength to swiftly overpower Muria, but upon truly exerting himself, realized Muria's strength was not much less than his.

"Hey!" Muria smiled, disliking the tedious wrestling. After all, the Cloud Giant's strength was still slightly greater than his at the moment, and continuing this way would be disadvantageous for him.

"Throw!" Muria shouted, the hand holding the Cloud Giant's fist swelling to twice its size in an instant. What had been a somewhat chubby arm became veined, muscular, and enveloped in dazzling golden lightning, radiating a powerful beauty.

Caught off guard, the Cloud Giant was flung into the air by an irresistible force.

"I didn't expect the Burst Technique I learned yesterday to be so effective," Muria watched the Cloud Giant he had tossed, smacking his lips, "though the name is a bit too plain."

The Burst Technique, the name of the Titan clan combat skill Muria had mastered, was simple and direct, revealing its effectiveness only upon use.

Muria's thoughts briefly wandered

 before returning to the battle, now far from a novice in combat and understanding the adage, "An opponent on the ground is a good opponent."

"Crash!" Muria stomped the already cracked granite floor, creating a small crater. Using the recoil, he flapped his wings and rapidly approached the Cloud Giant stabilizing himself in mid-air with levitation magic.

"Boom! Boom! Boom!" In mid-air, the Cloud Giant managed only three exchanges of fists and kicks with Muria before losing strength, finally being kicked to the ground by Muria's thunder-wrapped foot.

Seeing the Cloud Giant crash, Muria did not relent. He gathered his legs, prepared to launch another attack, when the guard shouted, "I concede, Master Muria."

"Are you sure?" Muria asked in surprise.

"I'm sure, Your Highness!" Not a life-and-death struggle, the Cloud Giant muttered to himself, unwilling to engage in a bloody battle with the being he had decided to follow in the future.

With the Cloud Giant's concession, the arena erupted into cheers louder than before.

Just then, a dragonkin girl, diminutive compared to the giants, approached the exhilarated Muria with news.

"Master Muria, the six hatchling dragons you've been caring for have just consumed a large amount of food and have fallen into a deep slumber."