Salasis

A Volcanic Giant High God who was willing to spar without using divine power—where else could you find such a good deal?

So Hermes finally found his rhythm, and the more he fought, the more excited he became.

Every punch was perfectly precise, every kick packed with immense force.

Every blow landed solidly; not a single strike missed.

The red-bearded old man was brave, but against Hermes's almost perfect bodily coordination and control of his strength, he began to feel overwhelmed.

Obvious wounds started appearing on his body, and blood slowly trickled from the corners of his mouth.

Salasis was stubborn by nature and insisted on not using divine power to heal himself.

He took stubbornness to the extreme.

"The clan chief is hurt!"

That group of dutiful descendants in the distance finally noticed something was wrong.

"The clan chief can get hurt too? He can actually get beaten up?"

What dutiful descendants!

Seeing their clan chief completely on the back foot, the young Giants actually felt a sense of satisfaction.

"Damn, that's awesome!"

"That blond guy's a Giant too, right? Looking at his build and skin color, he's definitely of the Giant race."

Since it was a formal challenge, and a bare-knuckle brawl at that, they weren't the least bit worried about their clan chief's safety.

The clan chief was a High God, while his opponent was only a puny Middle God. What was there to worry about?

"Hahaha, finally, we're not the only ones getting beaten up!"

To get a better view of the fight, they all shrank down.

They watched from the sidelines, relishing the thrill of seeing someone else get physically pummeled.

It couldn't get any better!

Finally, after another fierce collision, the red-bearded old man took a punch from Hermes square in the chest.

"Pfft!" Salasis's chest caved in.

He flew through the air like a boulder, then crashed heavily onto the scorched ground in the distance.

A cloud of dust billowed up.

He tried to get back to his feet, but in the end, he could only kneel on one knee, panting heavily as sparks flickered in his breath. He was clearly exhausted.

Without using divine power to recover, the red-bearded Salasis no longer had the strength to fight.

Hermes didn't pursue him. This was the kind of fight he liked, too.

"That was great!"

He couldn't help letting out a loud roar.

Perhaps because of his Special Race, Hermes increasingly felt like a violent maniac.

"Why do I like such direct, violent fights so much?"

"It's the Golden Mountain Bloodline!"

Violent tendencies lurked in every human's blood. In his previous life, Hermes had enjoyed watching car crash videos.

He hadn't understood why, but now he'd finally found an excuse to make himself feel better.

Hermes would never admit that he was violent. He blamed it all on his true body.

"Still, this red-bearded old man really suits my taste!"

So Hermes looked at Salasis with admiration, too.

They were kindred spirits.

So we're the same kind of person!

"Are you all right?"

Hermes walked over to the red-bearded old man, Salasis.

He held out a hand and said, "You're an opponent worthy of respect."

"You followed the rules strictly and didn't use your High God power. That's truly admirable!"

That really was rare!

Salasis could have turned the fight around by unleashing even a little of his divine power, but he'd held back the instinctive urge.

He'd rather lose face in front of his descendants than break their agreement.

Most people couldn't do that.

Along the way, Hermes had encountered far too many bullies who preyed on the weak.

The bandits along the road, for instance.

They were often fools who didn't know their place, sometimes even High Gods who had refined Divine Sparks.

They'd come to rob him all smiles, then happily end up dead.

Weak, but always eager to play!

Compared with Salasis, those people were nothing.

"Hahahaha!"

After getting over the initial awkwardness, the red-bearded old man lifted his head again and laughed heartily.

He'd always been an openhearted man.

"That was satisfying! It's been ages since I've had a fight that satisfying!"

From the old man's laughter, Hermes could hear that he was sincere.

Perhaps Volcanic Giants disdained hypocritical lies. Facing an opponent head-on was simply their way of life.

Win or lose!

"My name is Salasis. I'm the clan chief of the Bis Volcanic Giant Tribe."

Gripping the hand Hermes had extended, Salasis used divine power to heal his injuries.

That made his stance clear.

He admitted defeat!

Proud as he was, he admitted defeat without the slightest hesitation.

If he hadn't admitted defeat,

he would never have used High God power to heal himself.

Resting for a while and then fighting again—that was the Volcanic Giants' creed.

"My name is Hermes!"

It was the first time Hermes had given his real name, and he'd done so in Hell, far from the Great Earth God Realm.

There was no denying it: sincerity was always the most lethal weapon.

"Ah! Your strength is as impressive as your skill, Hermes. From today on, you're a friend of our Salasis Tribe."

As he looked at Hermes, a complicated emotion flashed through Salasis's eyes.

Respect? Admiration? Envy?

Perhaps all of them!

At last, he gave a hearty smile and clasped Hermes's hand tightly.

"Roar! Roar! Roar!"

The Giants around them cheered, excited by the thrilling battle.

Volcanic Giants were a tribe that worshiped absolute violence.

They were also a Special Race with exceptionally keen spiritual perception.

Hermes's sincerity.

Not only could their clan chief, Salasis, sense it, but even these Low Gods and the little ones with only Saint Domain strength could feel it.

"Do you really have to go?"

A group of red-skinned Volcanic Giants gazed at Hermes with pleading eyes.

Their eyes were full of reluctance.

"Yeah. If you're not here, we'll be the only ones getting beaten up!"

A few Volcanic Giants with Low God and Middle God strength thought to themselves.

They were straightforward, but they weren't stupid. They could only think that, not say it out loud.

Otherwise,

their clan chief would greet them with a loving punch.

"I can't, Salasis. I still have to take the Demon Assessment."

Hermes had already decided:

before heading to the Purple Crystal Mountain Range, he'd first get himself a Demon Medal.

"You know what I'm like. If I go out with this level of strength, I keep running into inexplicable robberies."

Hermes was a Golden Mountain, while Salasis and the others were Volcanic Giants from the Bis Volcano Group.

One was born with a talent for the Great Earth Law, the other with a talent for the Flame Law, but their naturally straightforward temperaments made them kindred spirits.

In a sense, Hermes could also be classified as a Giant.

For example, an Earth Giant—or the king of the Earth Giants, the Earth Monarch.

It wasn't that they looked alike. Rather, their personalities and ways of life were similar.

For instance, Hermes and the Volcanic Giants both disliked living in relatively safe cities.

He preferred the wilderness!

Especially the vast mountain ranges teeming with the breath of nature.

"Indeed!"

Hermes had lived in the Bis Volcano Group for decades, and during that time he'd sparred with Salasis countless times.

As time went on,

he couldn't keep his Middle God strength a secret, and Hermes had never intended to hide it.

It wasn't anything unusual.

All Salasis had to do was fight Hermes once at his normal strength.

He'd naturally be able to tell.

Besides, Hell was full of Middle Gods who had mastered Fusion Profound Mysteries.