Translator: AnubisTL
Under the vast, dark night sky, the fierce battle between the hybrid dragon and the diamond giant finally came to an end.
As the fight concluded, the tension in his muscles and nerves gradually eased, and hisHTTP is the foundation of the web. When a user enters a URL, the browser sends a request and the server responds with the content of a webpage. This system made the internet accessible and scalable, but it came with a serious limitation: everything sent through HTTP travels as plain text. That means it can be read by any intermediary along the path — internet service providers, network administrators, or anyone sharing the same public Wi-Fi. Entering a password on an HTTP site was no more private than saying it out loud in a crowded room.
This wasn't a hidden flaw — it was simply how the protocol was designed. The early internet prioritized openness and simplicity over privacy. That worked at first, but became increasingly risky as more sensitive activities moved online. Every request, response, and piece of data — including login credentials and personal information — was exposed during transmission.
HTTPS fixes this by adding encryption through Transport Layer Security. Before any data is exchanged, the browser and server perform a handshake to establish a shared encryption key. From that point on, all communication is encrypted. Even if someone intercepts the data, they can't read it without the key. This turns the same basic HTTP structure into a secure channel, protecting everything from passwords to payment details.
What makes this interesting is how early the solution existed. HTTPS was introduced just a few years after the web itself, yet adoption stayed extremely low for decades. By 2010, most websites still used plain HTTP. Banks and financial services used encryption, but everyday websites often didn't — meaning users routinely entered personal information into forms that were completely exposed in transit.
The slow adoption wasn't due to technical ignorance. It came down to economics. HTTPS required extra server resources, which could hurt performance. SSL certificates — needed to verify a website's identity — were also expensive. For small site owners, the tradeoff was straightforward: spend money and take a performance hit to improve security, or stick with HTTP and accept the risk. Many chose the latter.
The turning point came when the economics shifted. Let's Encrypt launched in 2016 and offered SSL certificates for free, removing the biggest financial barrier to adoption. Around the same time, search engines began penalizing HTTP sites in their rankings — directly hitting traffic and visibility. For many site owners, that was the final push.
By 2024, the vast majority of web traffic had become encrypted. Not because of a regulatory mandate or a sudden cultural shift, but because the incentives finally aligned. Security became cheaper, easier, and tied directly to business outcomes.
For everyday users, this means most online interactions are now protected in transit. The padlock icon in a browser confirms the connection is encrypted. That said, HTTPS has limits. It protects data on the way to a server — but not what happens after it arrives. If a site stores passwords improperly or suffers a breach, encryption in transit won't prevent that.
The HTTP-to-HTTPS shift illustrates a broader pattern in how technology evolves. The tools to solve major problems often exist early. But widespread adoption depends less on technical capability and more on cost, convenience, and incentives.
HTTP is the foundation of the web. When a user enters a URL, the browser sends a request and the server responds with the content of a webpage. This system made the internet accessible and scalable, but it came with a serious limitation: everything sent through HTTP travels as plain text. That means it can be read by any intermediary along the path — internet service providers, network administrators, or anyone sharing the same public Wi-Fi. Entering a password on an HTTP site was no more private than saying it out loud in a crowded room.
This wasn't a hidden flaw — it was simply how the protocol was designed. The early internet prioritized openness and simplicity over privacy. That worked at first, but became increasingly risky as more sensitive activities moved online. Every request, response, and piece of data — including login credentials and personal information — was exposed during transmission.
HTTPS fixes this by adding encryption through Transport Layer Security. Before any data is exchanged, the browser and server perform a handshake to establish a shared encryption key. From that point on, all communication is encrypted. Even if someone intercepts the data, they can't read it without the key. This turns the same basic HTTP structure into a secure channel, protecting everything from passwords to payment details.
What makes this interesting is how early the solution existed. HTTPS was introduced just a few years after the web itself, yet adoption stayed extremely low for decades. By 2010, most websites still used plain HTTP. Banks and financial services used encryption, but everyday websites often didn't — meaning users routinely entered personal information into forms that were completely exposed in transit.
The slow adoption wasn't due to technical ignorance. It came down to economics. HTTPS required extra server resources, which could hurt performance. SSL certificates — needed to verify a website's identity — were also expensive. For small site owners, the tradeoff was straightforward: spend money and take a performance hit to improve security, or stick with HTTP and accept the risk. Many chose the latter.
The turning point came when the economics shifted. Let's Encrypt launched in 2016 and offered SSL certificates for free, removing the biggest financial barrier to adoption. Around the same time, search engines began penalizing HTTP sites in their rankings — directly hitting traffic and visibility. For many site owners, that was the final push.
By 2024, the vast majority of web traffic had become encrypted. Not because of a regulatory mandate or a sudden cultural shift, but because the incentives finally aligned. Security became cheaper, easier, and tied directly to business outcomes.
For everyday users, this means most online interactions are now protected in transit. The padlock icon in a browser confirms the connection is encrypted. That said, HTTPS has limits. It protects data on the way to a server — but not what happens after it arrives. If a site stores passwords improperly or suffers a breach, encryption in transit won't prevent that.
The HTTP-to-HTTPS shift illustrates a broader pattern in how technology evolves. The tools to solve major problems often exist early. But widespread adoption depends less on technical capability and more on cost, convenience, and incentives.
heightened mental and physical states slowly returned to normal.
What followed was a tidal wave of exhaustion and pain.
Garos touched his head.
One of his dragon horns had been broken. He twisted his neck and scanned his surroundings, seeing his severed horn deeply embedded in the diamond giant's arm, its tip buried deep and surrounded by a dense network of cracks.
He wobbled to his feet and stretched his body.
The pain radiating from within and without made Garos grimace.
His Dragonfall strike, which had pushed him beyond his limits, had killed the diamond giant, but it had also left him severely injured.
He felt at least three of his ribs were broken.
Dragon blood flowed from his wounds, pooling on the ground in a crimson pool.
He was teetering on the brink of critical injury, almost at his absolute limit.
This battle against the diamond giant had been truly perilous and arduous.
In terms of overall capabilities, the diamond giant had actually surpassed Garos.
It stood upon the earth, relying on its formidable defense and regenerative capabilities to withstand most of Garos' attacks, while its own strikes could shatter the diamond giant's scaled armor, inflicting effective damage.
Yet, Garos ultimately emerged victorious.
He lured the diamond giant away, engaging it in a fierce battle in his normal state. By feigning weakness, he lowered its guard. The legion of servants then arrived to assault the giant camp, dividing its attention. Finally, Garos unveiled his trump card, unleashing his most powerful strike to deliver the killing blow.
"I won because I seized the initiative, because I prepared in advance, because I meticulously planned," Garos reflected silently as he reviewed the battle.
Had the diamond giant been prepared, the outcome might have been entirely different.
Despite its immense power, higher life grade, and superior physical strength, the diamond giant had been slain by Garos due to carelessness and its obvious vulnerabilities.
This gave Garos a profound realization:
Even as he grew stronger in the future, until he reached a level where absolute power could sweep away all obstacles, he must remain cautious. He could not allow arrogance and self-confidence to cloud his judgment.
Especially when planning a risky endeavor, he must deliberate carefully, avoiding rash action driven by impulsivity.
Strength was the key to victory, but it was not the only factor.
The diamond giant served as a cautionary tale.
Because it reacted even slightly too slowly, it was caught off guard by Garos's meticulously planned ambush. Despite its superior strength, it found itself mired in a quagmire, led step by step to its doom, its last moments filled with bitter resentment.
"The threat posed by the stone giant is resolved."
"I can finally return to a peaceful life."
"I hope the days ahead are less turbulent, allowing me to develop my territory in peace."
With his territory's development back on track, Garos wanted to avoid any further unexpected complications.
Pushing aside his thoughts, Garos's gaze swept over the diamond giant's shattered remains.
Now that it was dead and its diamond core had been removed, its once radiant body had turned ordinary. Yet the shattered fragments still retained a diamond-like luster—not ordinary diamond, but magic diamond, imbued with flowing magical energy.
The diamond giant's remains were a considerable treasure.
They could be traded for vast amounts of black oil or other resources, or consumed directly. Such magic diamonds would greatly benefit the development of Garos's claws and fangs, scales, and bones, enhancing their hardness, sharpness, and magical resistance to some degree.
The only problem was...
...having to fight against the dragonkind's innate greed.
"Eating a little each day will not only promote my growth but also strengthen my resistance to the allure of treasure," Garos thought to himself. He casually picked up a fist-sized magic diamond, took several deep breaths, and forced himself to swallow it, suppressing the overwhelming urge to cling to it.
Next, he picked up a second one.
When he tried to put this second one in his mouth, he found it difficult to swallow. Every cell in his body seemed to resist, and Garos felt an overwhelming sense of reluctance.
But he steeled himself and forced down the second diamond as well.
When he attempted a third, Garos engaged in a fierce battle against his own desires. His face twitched, his body trembled, but he still couldn't bring himself to swallow it.
Still, this was progress.
Previously, Garos couldn't even eat two magic gems in a row. Now he had advanced to a third.
"One day, I'll be able to devour all treasures without batting an eye," Garos thought.
The diamond giant's remains were scattered in countless fragments, too cumbersome to manage. He decided to leave them for now, keeping only the most precious diamond core close to his body. Taking to the air, he soared back toward the Stone Giant Camp.
The battle at the giant camp was far from over.
Led by the Gluttonous Demon Karu, Garos' legion of chosen was besieging the stone giants.
Several sorcerers had cast enhancement spells on Karu, and Warchief Bloodtooth had further boosted his attributes with his Combat Aura. Now, Karu was locked in a head-on battle with a Granite Giant, holding his own without the slightest disadvantage.
His massive fists and feet struck with devastating force.
When they landed on the Granite Giant, which towered over him, shattered rock flew and dust rained down.
Boom!
The Granite Giant's punch sent Karu flying backward.
But before the giant could support the other giants, Karu stabilized himself.
He stomped his foot, cracking the ground, and charged forward like a cannonball, slamming his body into the Granite Giant's chest.
A dull impact echoed.
The Granite Giant's chest armor cracked in a spiderweb pattern, and rock fragments sprayed backward like buckshot.
The massive creature staggered backward, its face contorted in fury, and swung its arm at Karu.
Refusing to back down, Karu met the Granite Giant's stone fist with his own bare fist. The two collided repeatedly, each impact sending dull thuds through the air.
"Eat my Super Demon Fist!"
Karu suddenly retreated a step, raising his massive fist and roaring in a deep voice.
The Granite Giant's expression turned wary, its eyes fixed on the Gluttony Demon's fist.
The next moment,
Karu threw a punch, and the Granite Giant simultaneously swung its own fist to meet it.
As their fists collided, the Granite Giant felt puzzled.
The Gluttony Demon's punch seemed ordinary, no stronger than its previous blows.
At the same time, Karu opened his gaping maw, a thick mass of energy already brewing within.
"Despicable!"
The Granite Giant's pupils constricted.
Boom!
Karu spat out a murky energy ball that flew with blinding speed, striking the Granite Giant's chest at close range. The impact sent the giant flying backward, crashing heavily to the ground.
Before the Granite Giant could struggle to its feet,
Karu's solid body leaped up and slammed onto the giant. He raised his fists and began a relentless barrage of blows, each impact sending shockwaves through the stone. The Granite Giant was unable to rise, its body riddled with collapsing sections and gaping cracks.
(End of the Chapter)
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