Chapter 10: The Cyclops’s Gem and the Final Escape
The cyclops’s gem.
When it was embedded in its head, I thought it was just a small stone with a faint red glow…
Sparkle!
Washed in a nearby puddle, its red radiance dazzles.
Like a ruby, shimmering, with strange bubbles sparkling and simmering inside—a mystical sight.
It screams rare.
The novel’s mention that it could buy an entire castle feels pretty convincing.
“But… how much is a castle in this world?”
Recalling Western castles from my past life’s internet, my heart swells grandly. Impenetrable high walls, spires piercing the sky!
At least a billion, right?
“…Not bad.”
The struggle here was worth it.
With that thought, I grip the glowing red gem and stand.
Crackle, zap!
Golden currents, like lightning, still spark from my massive hand holding the gem.
As Berserker Mode’s duration extends, the residual time of currents flowing through my body grows too.
Come to think of it, the gem isn’t the only reward for my struggles. The electric ability from eating the thunderbird exceeded my expectations.
Grin.
Human movement relies on electrical signals between cells. I thought maybe the currents in Berserker Mode could explosively boost muscles, nerves, and reflexes, but I didn’t expect this much.
“Can I use it one more time?”
The explosive acceleration from before seems limited to once or twice, but after taking down the cyclops, that hardly matters.
Tap, tap.
Leaping up the valley’s slope, scarred by explosions, I stand atop Monster Island’s highest peak.
Under fluffy white clouds.
No part of the island’s terrain, visible below, seems threatening enough to require that explosive acceleration.
“…So this is the view.”
It feels strange.
The sprawling vista of Monster Island stretches beneath an open sky.
A surge of emotion hits.
Look at it.
Beyond the blade-like valleys, vast plains unfold. Small hills, ridges, and rocky zones dot the landscape. Rivers flow, dense jungles loom, and deeper in, swamps spread…
In those tame areas, orc tribes hunt wolves or bears. In the hidden brush, gnoll tribes prey on snakes or crocs. Down there, goblins lurk in grassy valleys, emerging at night…
And I’ve eaten about 90% of those monsters…
Literally, I’ve hunted the diverse orc and gnoll tribes, their predators like thunderbirds and ogres, and even the cyclops, the apex predator above them all.
Unknowingly, I’ve become the pinnacle of Monster Island’s ecosystem.
Phew.
A long-held breath escapes from my core.
Maybe it’s the hellish days I endured, starting from the island’s edge, now tiny as ants below.
How many months did it take to get here?
Survival.
I ran like mad for this alone.
The growth through unimaginable, unnecessary hardships from my past life feels overwhelming.
Slap!
Slapping both cheeks to snap out of it, I focus on the final step to make 99% of my struggles 100%.
“…Let’s go.”
A vast sea stretches blue around me.
Time to cross that dazzling sea and reach the continent.
Descending to the island’s edge takes half the time of climbing. Still in Berserker Mode, I leap down with massive bounds.
Thump! Thump! Thump!
Like a green giant from a movie in my past life, I bound down, leaving footprints in the earth.
“Hahahaha!”
Laughter bursts from the surging vitality. Shaking the landscape, I reach the island’s edge.
From a cave by the shore, I pull out the raft I built last month.
A massive raft, made from dozens of whole logs, bound with sinews from monster corpses, fitted with a large oar and a small sail.
For me, who can crush boulders with a punch, building this with the island’s resources was nothing.
‘That way.’
Monster Island lies directly east of the Carbon Kingdom.
Having tracked the sun’s rise and set daily, finding the direction is easy.
So.
Whoosh!
Splash!
Pushing through waves crashing on the shore, I’m about to board the raft.
“Oh, right.”
I almost forgot.
A ridiculous laugh escapes. The whole reason for this insane ordeal was those things.
Slosh, slosh, slosh.
Striding back to the shore, I lift a massive boulder near the cave.
Here goes.
“Hup.”
The boulder arcs far into the sea, splashing down.
Suddenly, a strange sound, and a giant tentacle bursts from the water.
Its tip splays, sharp spikes wriggling toward me.
“What the f*ck.”
Another casually tossed boulder hits dead-on.
As the tentacle writhes, I start ripping up and hurling nearby rocks. Still in Berserker Mode, it feels like a snowball fight.
Grrrr!
The tentacle doesn’t agree, letting out an even stranger sound, spraying bizarre-colored blood before collapsing into the sea.
After it sinks and floats back up, I gleefully hurl rocks in a wide arc around it.
“Hup! Hup! Hup!”
About 30 minutes later.
The nearby sea is filled with bubbling blood and floating monster tentacles.
Tap, tap.
Dusting my hands, a relieved laugh bursts out.
Finally… everything’s ready!
I’m leaving this damn Monster Island!
Brushing off the horrific days of over half a year with a single laugh.
Now I can eat something other than monster meat! Maybe sleep in a proper soft bed!
With mixed emotions, I step onto the raft with trembling legs.
“Well then.”
I start rowing the massive oars vigorously.
“…Finally, goodbye!!!”
“…Finally done!”
On the ship speeding toward Monster Island.
Iban’s eyes gleam with greed and awe at the red aura filling the wide deck.
Whoosh!
Karina, the genius mage, prepares her spell. The massive mana gathered at the ship’s center swirls like a giant tornado.
Rumble!
“This is…”
“The power of a mage called a genius at the Magic Tower…”
“Insane…”
Swordmages watching from a distance mutter in disbelief. What kind of explosion is she preparing? Can that much mana be held in the air?
High in the sky.
A red vortex rises like a dragon.
Floating within that explosive mana flow, Karina’s hair lifts as she chants.
Iban, unable to hide his amazement, speaks.
“…It’s done, right? You can cast it now?”
Karina, eyes closed, shakes her head.
“…What?! Not yet? You can gather more mana? That’s…”
Karina raises a finger.
A signal not to interrupt.
Large-scale spells require undisturbed focus.
Iban, knowing this, quickly covers his mouth, but can’t hide his awe.
“…My god…”
Anticipating Karina’s wide-range explosive spell and the massive payoff from using her, Iban’s lips curl.
That’s when it happens.
“Huh?!”
A lookout atop the mast, marveling at the mana vortex, spots something.
“What’s… that?”
Through a telescope, beyond where Monster Island faintly appears, he catches a strange ‘sight.’