Michael pondered for a moment, then decided it was time to test the Goliaths properly at their normal size.
“Alright, enough playing small,” he said, waving his hand. “Return to your normal forms.”
The three Goliaths immediately began to shift.
Their bodies expanded, muscles thickening and bones stretching.
The ordinary Goliath grew to a towering four meters.
Lily surged to five and a half meters.
And Beginning rose to an incredible six meters tall, casting a massive shadow under the sun.
The ground beneath them quivered faintly as they moved.
Michael narrowed his eyes slightly. In their normal forms, they felt different—like actual calamities made flesh.
Now that they were back to normal, it was time to test their true strength.
He started once again with the ordinary Goliath.
Michael planted his feet firmly into the ground, bracing himself, and raised a hand, beckoning.
“Come.”
Without hesitation, the Goliath charged forward, muscles rippling as it swung a mighty fist toward Michael.
Michael didn’t dodge.
Instead, he caught the blow directly on his forearm, using his mana to harden the impact point.
Boom!
The impact shook through his body.
The sheer weight behind it pushed Michael back several meters, his boots gouging deep tracks into the earth.
His arm throbbed faintly.
Michael clicked his tongue.
“This guy… can match me in strength?” he muttered, astonishment flashing across his face.
It wasn’t even a mutated one—just a normal Goliath—and yet its brute strength was comparable to his, a high human whose physical strength could compete with an extraordinary rank creature.
He looked at the Goliath with new respect.
“Good. Very good.”
Now, it was Lily’s turn.
Michael steadied himself again.
Lily was a caster by nature; she specialized in magic rather than raw physical combat. Yet, he had a sinking feeling about this.
Lily walked forward, her giant frame moving with a surprising grace.
Without hesitation, she threw a punch toward him.
Michael lifted both arms to guard, expecting it to be similar to the last clash.
He was wrong.
The moment Lily’s fist made contact—
BOOM!
Michael’s vision spun.
He felt his body lift from the ground, sent flying through the air like a ragdoll.
Crashing through a bush, Michael rolled across the ground several times before coming to a stop.
He coughed, dust billowing from his clothes.
Lying flat on his back, staring up at the blue sky, he couldn’t help but laugh bitterly.
“I didn’t even have a chance,” he muttered, wiping the dirt from his face.
He sat up and looked at Lily, who stood calmly, tilting her head as if wondering if she had overdone it.
Michael waved his hand.
“I’m fine.”
He got to his feet and dusted himself off.
Michael didn’t even bother trying to test Beginning after that.
If Lily, who leaned toward magic, could overpower him so easily, then Beginning—who was built purely for might—would only humiliate him further.
“I have some self-respect,” Michael mumbled, smirking as he shook his head.
He dusted off his coat and glanced at Beginning.
“You’re lucky,” Michael said, chuckling. “You get to skip the test.”
The realization hit him harder now.
Mutated undead were truly on another level.
They weren’t simply stronger; they were superior in every measurable way.
Still, strength wasn’t everything.
Michael needed to know if their speed in full size could still keep up with him.
“Speed test next!” he called out.
He led them back into the clearing.
Now, with their towering sizes, the forest looked a little cramped for them—but it would still work.
This time, Michael positioned himself beside the stump and pointed toward a distant boulder.
“On my signal… we sprint!”
The Goliaths nodded, crouching slightly in preparation.
Michael dropped his hand—and they burst forward.
Michael unleashed his full speed, mana surging into his legs for extra boost.
The air whipped past his ears.
The ground trembled under the Goliaths’ heavy strides.
At normal size, their bulk made them slower—much slower compared to when they were compacted.
Michael easily took the lead, weaving through the trees effortlessly.
Behind him, he could hear the thunderous crashing of their movements.
It was no contest.
Michael reached the boulder first, turning around with a grin.
The Goliaths arrived shortly after, their large forms forcing them to bulldoze through a few unlucky trees.
“As expected, your speed drops drastically at full size,” he said thoughtfully. “Makes sense. You’re built for strength, not agility.”
He wasn’t disappointed.
Rather, he was pleased.
This way, he had clearer strategic options depending on their form.
Compact size for mobility, full size for devastation.
It was perfect.
Then, a dangerous curiosity sparked in his mind.
“If your small forms are that strong… what about your maximum size?”
He turned toward the ordinary Goliath first.
“Use your Size Alteration skill,” Michael commanded. “Grow as big as you can.”
The Goliath obeyed.
Michael quickly backed away, putting a safe distance between them.
The Goliath’s body began to swell, muscles ballooning, bones creaking audibly as they stretched.
Its skin thickened.
Four meters became five.
Five became six.
Michael’s eyes widened.
It didn’t stop.
The Goliath kept growing—seven meters, eight meters—until finally, with a massive rumble, it peaked at just over nine meters tall, towering like a building over the forest.
The ground trembled slightly under its sheer weight.
Michael stared up at the towering figure, genuine awe flashing through his eyes.
“…What the hell.”
The Goliath looked almost like a mythological giant now, its body dense with terrifying power. Even breathing seemed to make the air around it ripple.
Michael swallowed dryly.
In his mind, a conclusion solidified.
Goliaths weren’t normal.
They should be a race as special as the Spectral Ants, perhaps even more so when it came to physical might.
A wry smile tugged at his lips as he turned to look at Lily and Beginning in the distance.
With expectation he told them to increase in size too.
“Lily. Maximum size.”
Lily nodded gently, stepping forward.
Mana rippled around her slender but muscular frame, and slowly, she began to expand.
Six meters.
Seven meters.
Eight meters.