Chapter 9: The Cyclops Awakens
Whoosh! Splash!
A ship cuts through the Dead Sea.
At its bow stands Iban Hellinger, his blond hair fluttering.
‘Aah!’
Savoring the sea breeze with a smile, Iban’s heart swells.
He expects his youthful ambitions to shine as brightly as the sunlight glinting off the waves.
‘I’m… the protagonist!’
At the royal ball a month from now, this handsome hero who vanquished Monster Island, the scourge of the Dead Sea, will steal everyone’s attention!
Rumor has it this ball will be the grandest in a decade! Princesses from neighboring kingdoms will attend, along with all sorts of legendary beauties!
‘Hmm, if too many flock to me, it’ll be hard to manage. Should I set some greeting priorities?’
That’s when it happens.
Someone sidles up, brushing shoulders with Iban. Only one person on this ship would do so without a word.
Without turning to Karina, Iban speaks.
“What.”
“Something’s off.”
“What is.”
Karina points forward, her expression serious.
“Straight ahead is Monster Island, right?”
“What’s that out of nowhere?”
“It’s not the wrong direction, is it?”
“It’s right. You set the coordinate memory spell and checked the tracking and direction stones yourself yesterday.”
“Yeah. I can’t be wrong. So why? Why?”
Karina mutters.
No way she’s wrong.
If the direction’s correct, following this route, Monster Island should appear within a day at most.
So.
It should already be visible at this range.
“Why? Why isn’t a single one in sight?”
“What.”
“Yesterday, storm clouds covered that area, and a tempest raged across the Dead Sea. So why? Why can’t I see them?”
“You mean what!”
When a storm churns the Dead Sea, the next day, its unique fish species float to the surface.
That’s when thunderbirds, drawn to the delicacies, fly far from their habitats to the Dead Sea after the storm.
“Thunderbirds. The sea’s littered with fish, but not a single thunderbird’s in sight. That’s impossible. Their usual range is concentric from their nests, about this far. So if we’re here and Monster Island’s this close, we should’ve seen them this morning…”
Frustrated, Karina conjures colored lights with both hands, drawing diagrams in the air.
She can’t be wrong.
This isn’t just from the Monster Encyclopedia’s thunderbird ecology section but a fact her master recorded in a crystal orb from a Dead Sea trip.
“Maybe they all died on that sh*tty island.”
“Last month’s rainy season, I saw records of thunderbirds spotted closer to the continent than here. Ecosystems don’t change that fast.”
Karina bites her nails anxiously.
Iban Hellinger, who’s known this genius mage since childhood, doesn’t brush off her behavior.
“…Everyone, to positions!”
His light shout is met with dozens of unified responses.
“To positions!”
On the wide deck.
The swordmages, lounging moments ago, snap into formation at Iban’s command.
As family-embroidered flags flutter in the wind, everyone awaits Iban Hellinger’s orders.
“So?”
Iban asks Karina.
Eyes closed, feeling the wind’s flow at the bow, Karina doesn’t answer immediately, but he waits.
Greenish mana shimmers like heatwaves from her body.
Flash!
Staring at the green energy soaring high, Karina senses distant mana.
Her mouth slowly opens.
“It’s weird. The residual energy’s much smaller than expected.”
“What? What’s going on? Did they actually fight among themselves?”
“Don’t know. I’d need serious casting to find out.”
“No, hold on.”
Iban nods after a moment’s thought.
“Karina. Can you prep a wide-range explosive spell now?”
“Wide-range explosion?”
“As big as you can make it.”
Karina questions.
As a genius mage, it’s not a problem.
Just one thing.
“…Prep alone takes half a day.”
The long casting time is the only issue. But once cast, it could unleash an unimaginable explosion on Monster Island.
“Don’t care.”
“But you said you just needed support.”
Of course, Karina knew.
From the start.
“You said you and your men could handle it.”
“Yeah, I did.”
She knew he’d use her like this if things got tricky or unexpected.
But still.
“Scratch that. I was rash. Can you just help?”
She knew.
Grin.
That shameless smile Iban Hellinger flashes with such requests. She knew her heart would melt at that cool smile, despite knowing better.
“…Fine.”
Karina sighs and nods.
“Really, really, thanks. I’ll treat you big later.”
“You better this time.”
“Of course!”
Iban turns from her and barks orders to the swordmages.
“You heard her! From now on, cast speed spells at the stern to reach Monster Island in under a day! Execute!”
“Execute!”
At the ship’s rear.
Dozens of circular magic arrays bloom, enabling acceleration to Monster Island.
Whoosh!
Creating towering waves as the ship surges faster.
Muddy water pooled on the ground shoots skyward.
Whoosh!
A dead ogre’s massive body crashes to the ground, a gaping hole in its head.
Mud and rainwater from yesterday’s storm spray like a fountain, but none touches me.
“Dead? Yep, dead.”
I’m on a cliff, far from where the ogre just fell.
Thud.
“Eh… this one’s done.”
Setting down a boulder I was about to throw, I dust my hands with slight regret.
Where’s the cyclops?
All that’s appeared under the blade-like cliffs of the valley are ogres.
‘All’ being just three, including this one… Given their wide territories, maybe one more ogre remains.
Sighing, I start walking.
Striding along the edge of the central peak, my steps lack caution.
Why wouldn’t they? An ogre’s head can be crushed with a small boulder now—what’s to fear?
Sure, without terrain advantage or surprise, it might be tougher, but it’s just a matter of time. Ogres seem full of openings compared to my past self, who struggled against their sluggish moves.
Wind pressure.
A swing of their limbs stirs a fierce breeze, but even without Berserker Mode, targeting knees, feet, or calves makes them easy to disable.
‘…Wait.’
This third ogre was on the right side of the central peak. The other two were spread out in opposite directions from here.
So.
The left side of the peak, where their territories don’t overlap, remains. Another ogre might be there, but maybe.
“Cyclops?”
It could be there.
Cyclops, said to be smarter than ogres. Unlike ogres that popped up right after the storm, it might be cautiously holed up, wary of changing weather.
I climb the steep hill and soon find it.
At Monster Island’s heart. Between jagged peaks, a vast sinkhole-like pit. Its gentle slope hides the end, but the cyclops must be there.
‘Aha.’
No wonder I couldn’t spot it from below. Chuckling, I plunge both hands into the rocky ground I’m standing on.
Pulling with leg strength, I rip out a door-sized boulder.
“Hup!”
I hurl the boulder overhead into the deep pit where the cave lies.
How long passes?
A bellow like a ship’s horn echoes from deep within, followed by a sudden gust.
Whoosh!
“Whoa!”
Leaping aside, a boulder two or three times larger than mine grazes past where I stood.
…Boom! Crash!
It flies far behind the peak, crashing somewhere on the island with a familiar roar. As my lips curl into a grin.
Against the vast darkness below, the island’s top predator slowly emerges.
It was the cyclops.
Unlike other monsters on this island, it doesn’t make a sound to threaten me.
It just stares with its single hollow eye, slowly moving its massive limbs.
Crack!
As if loosening up before a fight.
Its upper body swells, its huge mouth opens, and a deafening roar pours out.
Aaaah!
Rocks and dirt from the slope to the peak’s edge scatter like a sandstorm.
The roar, strong enough to shake off yesterday’s rainwater from the foliage, shifts the air itself!
I’m airborne.
“Ugh!”
Right before its roar, I leap toward it, entering Berserker Mode.
“Huaaaa!”
My roar, bursting with vitality, clashes with its own.
The colliding air currents whip up a fierce vortex, swallowing dirt and gravel, spiraling skyward.
Whoosh!
Beyond it, a house-sized boulder, torn from somewhere, rips through the vortex, filling my vision.
‘Shall we?’
Grinning, I unleash my energy.
Specifically.
Crackle! Zap!
The electric current activated in Berserker Mode.
From my toes, up my legs, through my spine, it surges through my body, boosting muscles and reflexes to their limits.
Waver!
My already heightened vision explodes with information.
The world slows to a crawl.
The boulder, once a cannonball, now moves slower than 1 cm per second.
Scattered dirt and sand hang like stars in the sky.
The cyclops, charging at full speed, looks comically frozen.
‘Aha.’
Processing all this, I move slowly too. Not fast, like moving through a swamp, but lightning compared to this scene.
Crackle! Zap!
I’ve adapted to this electrified Berserker body.
“Oh, this…”
To an onlooker unaware.
Boom boom boom!
A golden lightning bolt zigzags through cliffs, caves, and rocks across the peak.
…Thud!
Standing, I hold a glittering gem ripped from the cyclops’s exploded corpse.
“…Pretty useful.”