Danmachi: Goliath

"Equip Kilometer Great Bow."

[The weight of this bow would exceed the 100 kg limit, so it wouldn't be able to be returned to the inventory. Only bonded items can ignore this limitation, however, it would be allowed due to this area being the tutorial area.]

[Do you still want to equip this bow?]

'Yeah, it's a rank nine bows, so it probably exceeds 300 kg.'

Based on rank, the production of the same weapon might be different. For example, a hammer that's the same rarity but a different rank would be extremely different in weight since a rank 1 would be stronger than a rank 0, so holding a rank 0 hammer would be like holding a rubber hammer. A rubber hammer won't hurt a human, but it would hurt an ant. 

'Something like that.' I am not really good at analogies, but you get the idea.

But whatever, "Equip!"

As I uttered those words, a white light in the shape of a bow appeared vertically in front of me. It stretched about 20 meters high.

"WHAT THE FUCK!" I roared, and just then, I turned and sprinted away as fast as I could. 

A few seconds later, the entire earth seemed to shake and tremble, like the world was falling apart. After everything calmed down, I stopped and turned to look where the bow had spawned. A massive dust cloud obscured my vision, but soon, the wind blew it away, revealing the bow.

I walked forward, staring at the wooden traditional Japanese longbow lying on the ground, my horse beside me, both of our jaws literally touching the ground.

The bow was massive. If I were to estimate, its total length was well about 22 meters, even though it was curved. The wood of the bow is a deep, rich mahogany color, with natural dark streaks that give it an almost marbled appearance. 

The grip area is wrapped in a fine, dark leather, stitched with golden thread, and it was around 13 to 14 inches thick at the grip, tapering down towards the tips. The string was about 21 meters long, and the space between the deepest part of the bow's curve and the string was long enough for me, a 6'3" man, to lay down with my neck on the bow body. 

How did I know? Because I was lying on it right now.

"Neigh," my horse said, biting the string and trying to pull it. It failed, and I didn't even attempt.

"I wouldn't be able to use this." What a joke. 

A rare bow I cannot use until I become at least a rank 7 or 8. Not only that, I have to become a 15-meter-tall monster. 

"A massive bow used by a Goliath to shoot down a dragon." No wonder that was its description. 

This bow was never meant to be used by a human. 

Sighing, I returned it to my inventory and decided to call out the next best weapon in my possession.

Holding out my hands, I said, "Equip Stone Hammer."

This time, the white light appeared horizontally in front of my hand and it was about three meters long. Since the game didn't warn me, 'I think I can handle this---' 

"!!!"

As the hammer materialized and dropped into my hands, it pulled me toward the ground. Reacting in time, I quickly released it and jumped back, causing the hammer to fall to the ground, leaving another scar on the earth like the deep one left by the bow.

"Ok, I should have expected that."

The hammer was, like it said, a stone hammer. The massive iron rod, a bit rusted but still looking more durable than reinforced steel, was about three meters long and so thick my fingers can not wrap around it. The stone head was enormous, easily the size of a large boulder, with the shape of a vague rectangular prism roughly 1 meter in length, 70 cm in width, and 60 cm in height. It was rugged and uneven, with jagged edges and a rough surface, hinting at its immense weight and raw power. The entire hammer seemed ancient and incredibly heavy, the kind of weapon that only a true barbarian hero could wield.

I dusted myself off. 

"If all high-ranking weapons are heavy," I sighed. "Well, whatever." Returning the hammer to my inventory, I called out, "Equip Great Mace."

This time, a white light appeared vertically in front of me; the length was over half my total body length. As the mace materialized and dropped onto my palms, it pulled me down, but I was able to keep standing, though in a squat position like I was deadlifting. The weight then shifted towards the head, causing the mace to flip off my hand, the head slamming into the ground beside my feet.

"…" My pinkie toe would have been gone if it had been just an inch closer. "Ah, my luck is crazy." God loves me.

With that, I inspected the mace that stood vertically, its head on the ground.

The mace looked like an enlarged version of a smaller mace, fashioned from a massive slab of metal. The handle was around 145 cm long, with deep grooves for each hand for better grip, each about 10 cm in length, making up a total grip length of 20 cm. 

The grip wasn't coated in leather or anything; it was just pure metal with knurling for grip. "Using this would give a lot of calluses." My hands were soft, being a man who had never done much hard labor in his life, but that might change now.

The head of the mace had a distinctive, multi-flanged design with several protruding metal ridges that extended outward, forming a star-like shape when viewed from the top. These ridges were sharp-edged and robust. With the handle being approximately 145 cm long, the head was about 30 cm in length, almost the length of my head but definitely larger than the head of the average 5'9" man. 

The entire mace seemed to be made of solid metal, possibly steel or iron, with a dark metallic color, likely a gunmetal gray or dark silver. The grooves for the hands had a slightly darker hue due to the shadow effect.

"Am I getting old weapons used by people in the past?" If so, is this shit stained with blood and bacteria? Well, whatever. There was nothing I could do about it.

Leaning on the mace handle, with the mace not even budging under my 109 kg weight, I looked at the sky to continue the tutorial.

[Now that you have equipped a weapon, you should get your first exp.]

"Neigh!" my horse suddenly shouted, drawing my attention. Next to it was a blue creature that seemed to be made of some liquid substance with a visible core inside.

"Slime." It is an easily recognizable fantasy monster. "I guess I won't get a wolf or something as my tutorial monster." 

Gripping the groove closer to the bottom of the mace handle with my left hand, I tilted it diagonally and walked towards the slime, dragging the head on the ground and leaving a long scar behind me. 

'I look like a badass right now.' With my military-like clothes and this massive mace, who wouldn't tremble in my presence?'I just need to fix my stomach.' I don't need abs; I just want to be flatter.

I didn't even need to use my mace on the slime; a simple stomp shattered its body and core. Opening my status screen, I saw something.

[Level Exp held: 0]

I guess it wouldn't have given me anything. Looking back at the sky, the tutorial continued.

[As you might have noticed, the monster gave you no exp due to the difference in power being too large.]

[Why don't we try something closer to your level?]

Ah, I jinxed myself because a few meters in front of me was what looked like a gray wolf back on Earth.

"Rooooar!" 

'What the fuck!?' A wolf roared!? 

It immediately charged at me, and I knew I had to act fast. Shifting my left hand to the second groove grip on the handle, I mirrored its charge, dragging my mace along the ground behind me, which slowed me. A lot.

Why am I not scared? Why should I be? Fear and hesitation right now would lead to a painful death. I don't want that shit. 

We closed in on each other rapidly, and the wolf leaped towards me, its eyes locked onto mine with a feral intensity, its jaws open wide with saliva trailing behind in slow motion.

At that moment, I crossed my right hand over my front and grabbed the groove closer to the bottom of the mace. I then tightened my grip on the mace, feeling the knurling press into my palms, the cold metal grounding me at the moment. 

With a powerful stomp of my left foot, I halted my forward momentum, pivoting on my heel as my muscles tensed and bulged. I could feel the raw power coursing through my legs, forearms, chest, core, and back as I transferred the kinetic energy into a spinning motion. The mace, heavy and unwieldy, lifted off the ground, its head cutting through the air with a whooshing sound.

The wolf was suspended in midair, its body arcing gracefully, claws outstretched, and eyes wide with a mix of rage and desperation. As the mace closed in, I could see the individual strands of fur on the wolf's head, each one quivering with the motion. The moment of impact was almost poetic—a collision of raw power and primal instinct.

The mace head, a massive slab of metal with flanged ridges, connected with the wolf's skull. The initial contact was a sickening crunch, the sound of bone meeting metal, followed by a series of grotesque cracks as the skull began to give way. The wolf's head seemed to crumple in slow motion, the pressure of the mace distorting its features, eyes bulging, and teeth shattering.

Time itself seemed to pause, the world narrowing down to this single point of violent contact. I could see every detail: the way the wolf's eyes lost their focus, the way its jaw dislocated, the way the muscles in its neck strained and torn. And then, in a fraction of a second, the pressure became too much.

The wolf's head exploded with a wet, visceral sound, like a watermelon being obliterated by a sledgehammer. Blood sprayed outwards in a crimson mist, mixed with chunks of flesh and fragmented bones. Gore splattered across my face and body, warm and sticky. I could feel the viscous fluids seeping into my clothes, the metallic scent of blood filling my nostrils.

The momentum of the swing carried the mace through the wolf's body, the heavy weapon pulling me forward with its inertia. I released my grip, letting the mace fly away, its path ending in the river with a resounding splash that echoed through the air.

Breathing heavily, I wiped the blood from my face, the adrenaline coursing through my veins making everything feel hyperreal. 'Huh.' I guess I am a psychopath, because ain't no way I shouldn't be reacting negatively to this. 'Back on Earth, my stomach couldn't handle LiveLeak, but now...'

'Is this the effect of a change of mentality?' This world is a game to me, so this blood can be considered VR and shit like that. 'That makes no sense at all,' but I didn't care when I opened the status screen.

[Level Exp held: 910]

I looked at the sky.

[Congratulations on getting your first exp! You have been rewarded with 1602 level exp, and an 'Ultimate Stats Level Seed' has been sent to your inventory. You can use it to level up your stats or use your new exp.]

"Yeah, nope." I am not using the Ultimate Stats Level Seed. This was one of the items that can bring a stat to 1200, so I need to save it until I max out strength. 

Yep, I have already decided what build I would follow for this game, but for now, I looked back to my status page. Now I noticed there was an exclamation mark next to my DEX stats. Mentally clicking on it, an orange screen popped up.

[Your (Dexterity) is too low compared to the other stats. It is recommended that you increase it to 624 before increasing any other physical stats.]

Once I finished reading it, a red screen popped up. 

[The level difference between your (Strength) and your (Dexterity) is 67.2227%! Due to the difference exceeding 25%, you can only draw out 87.5% of your actual strength.]

Another red screen popped up.

[The level difference between your (Strength) and your (Dexterity) is 67.2227%! Due to the difference exceeding 50%, you can only draw out 75% of your actual strength.]

Another screen popped up.

[The level difference between your (Agility) and your (Dexterity) is 67.0008%! Due to the difference exceeding 25%, you can only draw out 87.5% of your actual agility.]

And yet another screen.

[The level difference between your (Agility) and your (Dexterity) is 67.0008%! Due to the difference exceeding 50%, you can only draw out 75% of your actual agility.]

I sighed heavily. "Well, this sucks."