Boom!
The massive explosion sent snow flying everywhere, even coating Sean's face with a mouthful of it. Fortunately, several guards stood in front of him, though snow still kicked up at his feet, and a bit of ice clung to his fingers.
"Lord, are you alright?" A guard turned and shouted at him.
People from Tylermian Town tended to speak loudly—this one was clearly a native. His ears were already ringing from the blast, and the shout only made them ache more.
"I'm fine, fine."
Sean looked at the man and noticed a few drops of greenish liquid on the faces of those in front of him.
When he turned his gaze to where the snow giants had stood, he saw a charred, blackened crater—whether from that explosive genius or from Lussier's flame magic, he couldn't tell.
Two snow giants sat inside the pit. One had already collapsed, while the other, still seated, let out low moans.
The bomb had torn a large gash in its chest, revealing the muscle beneath—also a bluish-purple, like frostbitten flesh, with green liquid oozing out.
Sean then realized the liquid on the guards' faces was their blood.
The fur on their faces and arms was singed too...
Roar!
The snow giant bellowed—a beastly cry unlike anything he'd heard before, deep and guttural, as if something were stuck in its throat.
Just then, Kerry and Manus, who had taken cover from the explosion, stepped out.
"Lord Vigil, are you alright?"
"I'm fine. Thank you for helping defeat the snow giants." Sean expressed his gratitude.
To be fair, if it had been just Danti and the guards instead of them, the battle would have been brutal, with many likely injured. But thanks to the archaeological team's higher levels and their bizarre abilities, the fight wasn't as tough as he'd imagined.
Still, some were hurt.
Sean looked at the two snow giants' massive bodies—even sitting in the pit, they were taller than an average person.
"Captain, should we finish them off in one go?" Guda said from the other side, pulling out another grenade.
Sean's mind raced...
He recalled that in the first few days after arriving in this world, he'd often sit in the attic and listen to Luke and the others tell stories about places like the City of Technology or somewhere up north, which was highly developed. The crude flintlock pistol at his waist was something Luke had bought back then. So, this Guda must be from the north.
"Don't get close to them for now—none of you. Snow giants have strong vitality. We'll attack when they're exhausted." Kerry said.
Sean fixed his gaze on the two snow giants...
"They still have half their health."
"Huh?" Lussier turned to look at him.
"What did you just say about them?" She hadn't quite caught his meaning.
In Sean's eyes, the snow giants had health bars reading [4000/9000], with status effects like [Exhausted!], [Fear!], and [Pain!] above their heads.
The other one was fully [Unconscious!], with only [3000/9000] health left.
They still had plenty left—why did it seem like they were about to die?
Sean had never seen a creature with health below half before. So this was what "half-dead" looked like—a bit surprising.
But thinking it over, it made sense.
In reality, many complex situations could occur. Even losing an arm might not cost half your life, but the pain alone could send someone into shock and kill them.
Shock?
Wait.
Sean looked more closely at the snow giant.
He noticed their health was changing again—dropping by 10 points per second. So that was it: injury leading to death worked this way.
A single blow might not fell them, but the gradual bleed-out would cause death.
This was like using numbers to explain how severe wounds could lead to infection and death over time. The snow giants were a case of that.
Still pondering the snow giants, a grayish woman's face appeared before him.
Lussier leaned in close...
"What did you just say?"
"I mean they still have some strength left. Look, it seems to be catching its breath." This witch was surprisingly persistent—he had to explain clearly.
"Lord Vigil is right. Snow giants have incredibly strong vitality. Even with serious injuries, they'll fight back. I've often heard of mercenaries getting hurt by them during my expeditions in the northwest." Kerry chimed in. He was an old adventurer familiar with the world's regions.
How could they not be tough?
Their health was nearly double yours.
Sean glanced at Kerry—his health had dropped by 200, now at [5800/6000].
But hearing that, Sean understood something: beasts likely had a different health system from humans. Those often described as thick-skinned and tenacious would naturally have more health.
Still,
"But I still don't get it. You said they come from the northwest highland snow mountains, so why are they here?" This had been Sean's question from the start.
"We're not sure either. Tylermian is in the south, and the snow mountains are in the northwest. There's no reason for them to be here." Kerry couldn't confirm it either.
"Maybe it's migration... but from the west to here would take at least a few months, and they'd have to pass through hot regions. No matter how strong snow giants are, their bodies have limits. Walking under a scorching sun would gradually drain their vitality." Lussier said.
Months!
Sean remembered it had snowed half a month ago. If it were months, it would have been autumn.
And over such a long route, other areas might not have snow yet.
"Any other possibilities?"
"Unless someone used magic to transform and bring them here. But a wizard capable of that would probably be stronger than me." Lussier said.
Yet Sean saw no [Worry] status above her head—only [Smug!].
Was she bluffing again?
She was likely hiding her true strength from Kerry.
From what Sean had learned about magic, there were many ways to bring two snow giants here.
Spatial teleportation would be a very high-level spell, but disguising them as ordinary people or shrinking them into pets would be easier.
Magic was ever-changing, limited only by imagination.
This was one of the magic basics Lussier had taught him.
"Could there be other explorers in town besides us?"
Sean pulled out the map again to check...
"Either way, let's deal with these two snow giants first." Seeing the beasts' remaining health was low, and to keep others from getting close, Guda pulled out another firearm.
This time, it wasn't explosives but a uniquely styled flintlock pistol.