Chapter 87
Chapter 87
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 87
Chapter Title: The Slumbering Cyclops
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Cain and Jay were both skilled enough to erase their presence, so they didn't encounter any monsters on the way.
It was generally known that the deeper you went into monster territory, the stronger the monsters got. But strangely, there were fewer mid- and large-sized monsters in the direction of the hills.
Only weaklings at the bottom of the food chain—like kobolds, goblins, and slimes—wandered around lazily.
They didn't notice Cain and Jay moving through the treetops. And even if they luckily looked up and spotted them, the crude wooden flutes they tried to blow never made a sound before the monsters vanished on the spot.
Cain, who had been leaping ahead, raised one hand and lightly clenched his fist. A signal to take a short break.
Jay steadied his quickening breath.
*My pride's taking a hit.*
He ground his teeth at the signal to stop, which seemed perfectly timed with his own aura reserves running critically low.
The kid wasn't even twenty yet.
Jay wasn't from a prestigious family, but he was still nobility. He knew the training methods passed down through his house and thought he'd pulled ahead of others based on that.
He wanted to argue with the heavens, but deep down, Jay knew.
Even with innate traits, honing them was what mattered.
Genius, talented, gifted—those traits meant nothing without effort.
And even without such traits, relentless bone-grinding work could change them.
"You're a real pain in the ass."
Cain chewed on jerky while sipping from his canteen, his expression unchanging despite Jay's jab.
A face Jay had seen plenty of times. Fair enough.
Jay shook his head once, then nodded toward the hills now coming into view.
"I don't know why you came here, but it looks like a bust."
To an outsider, it was a peaceful stretch of hills. The only oddities were herds of herbivores and goblins crawling around covered in mud to hunt them.
Or maybe the crows circling endlessly over the hills.
"Should we head back?"
They were close enough to see the hills with the naked eye.
No need to go deeper, Jay figured. He suggested it to Cain, but the man's black hair shook side to side.
"Go back first. I'll check and follow."
What gave him the confidence to act so bold? It couldn't be just playing by the rules, given what Cain had done before.
*If he stuck to protocol, he wouldn't have headbutted his seniors.*
A guy who crushed what he didn't like with raw skill—and didn't bother with formalities—now scouting by the book?
Jay licked his salty lips from the jerky, then rubbed his sore jaw.
"Fine. Let's go."
He'd recovered a bit of aura by now. As Jay stood, Cain brushed leaves off his clothes and started moving again.
* * *
They were right up on the hills now, but nothing stood out.
The area featured rolling hills of all sizes, a small stream nearby, and no large trees—a picturesque scene straight out of a fairy tale.
With few mid- or large-sized monsters around, herbivores were plentiful: vine-horned deer bounding about, horned rabbits, even a tusked boar in one spot.
"Dinner's pork tonight?"
Jay shaded his eyes with one hand, scanning the area as he spoke. Cain's golden eyes slowly swept the surroundings.
"Let's check that far first."
Jay turned at Cain's words. He clicked his tongue at the man pointing to the largest hill.
"Cut it out. We're not here to sightsee."
Jay had no intention of half-assing the scout. He'd joined the official subjugation team for a reason.
But he didn't want to waste time like this. What danger could there be in a place that looked this safe?
If there were dangerous monsters, those horned rabbits frolicking around would've bolted by now.
Cain fixed him with a cool gaze and spoke.
"Or I can go alone."
"You're really... Get ready for payback when we return."
Jay followed Cain's silently leaping back for only a moment before something odd caught his eye.
The big rain from not long ago. He'd heard it caused ghost rumors in some mountain village.
He remembered it well. Rain so heavy it seemed like the barren borderlands might flood.
Maybe because of that. One side of the hills had collapsed. And as they approached, a strange noise grew louder.
Drag—dragg—krrk!
Like stones scraping from far away. Or digging into the earth. The eerie sound of something hard grinding together.
Jay slowed his breathing, rising onto his toes.
Masking his heartbeat and breath with the weird noise, he crept toward the back of the collapsed hill.
"Hngh!"
Jay clamped a hand over his mouth.
Through a slight crack in the massive hill—where just a bit had crumbled—a huge, furrowed eye squeezed shut, and the rough, bumpy bridge of a nose peeking out.
*My god. Does that mean the entire hill is...*
Dirt piled on a sleeping cyclops?
Cawww!
A crow's cry like nails on metal! The cyclops's closed eyelids twitched irritably. And beneath, the silhouette of its eye shifting.
Jay swallowed dryly—afraid to wake it—and signaled Cain to retreat, hand outstretched.
Cain, fingering his sword hilt while staring at the cyclops, slowly backed away.
Carefully. Slowly retreating, they confirmed the circling crows—even one pecking on the cyclops's nose like it was after bugs—before turning and bolting.
No time to ration aura. They had to escape now. And report to Commander Reinhardt.
The moment they cleared the hills and hit the forest, Jay gasped for air.
"Hah, huff... Crazy. What the hell was that?"
"A count-level cyclops."
Who didn't know that!
Jay growled, fury rising.
"How'd you know?"
"I didn't come here knowing."
"Yeah, that's not the point."
Reporting this ASAP was.
If they pushed without sparing aura, collapsing on arrival, they could reach the forward base by tonight.
As they sprinted, Cain's eyes narrowed slightly.
"Before we entered, the ogre subjugation we were assigned—where was that?"
"That? Probably the evergreen forest zone if you head that way."
As Jay absentmindedly answered while catching his breath, the mana around Cain rippled.
"I'm splitting off for a bit. Back by tomorrow."
"Huh?"
"Borrowing a signal flare."
Bang!
Cain snatched the flare Jay was carrying from his belt and vanished.
Or seemed to—boosting his speed to dash off, leaving twisted air and a dust cloud behind.
"Insane."
Jay slowed, cursing at the sight.
* * *
"Grk, grraaa!"
"Run, Zero. Run!"
"Don't... talk while carrying me like luggage, please."
As Zero caught his breath with me slung over him like baggage, urging him on.
He zigzagged through tight trees, climbing the mountainside to gain distance. But the magician ogre bulldozed trees aside, pursuing relentlessly.
"Grraaak!"
"One burst of strength, meaningless. Power of truth."
Boom! Thud!
Midway, I blocked the ogre mage's spells with phase shields while firing magic missiles to blind it temporarily.
Like that, bounced around on Zero's back for a good ten minutes.
Far enough from people now—strong magic on the ogre would be fine.
*No need to burn pages just to kill it, though.*
Cain would show up soon anyway.
Me casting to kill it or yelling "Go, Cain!"—same result, but mana cost like heaven and earth.
High-class spells weren't easy to recharge, so save them unless life-or-death.
Plus, stopping to target it when it's just us two? That was the real risk.
"Grwaa!"
Smarter than a regular ogre, maybe. It saw me casting as the biggest threat.
We'd run far enough to ditch us, but the stubborn ogre kept chasing, now hurling spells, rocks, and uprooted trees in rage.
"Damn."
Zero twisted his body more violently.
*I'm gonna hurl.*
Dodging a rock that grazed past, splintering wood, Zero swatted debris with his hand. I pulled out the siren.
"Cain! Where..."
"Duck."
Zero dropped low at Cain's voice. I ducked too.
Flash!
A black shadow streaked by, wind trailing late.
Cain gripped Ska and charged the roaring ogre mage, swinging.
Slash—
"Graarak!"
The ogre twisted mid-roar. One of its two heads flew, blood fountaining.
Heart pumping, it sprayed high arcs of blood before clutching the stump with one hand, bellowing.
Cain dodged the ogre's wild swings, slicing into the fallen massive head to spill its contents while moving.
"Hoo. Hah."
Panting, I patted Zero's shoulder as he set me down, pulled out water, and opened the codex.
Cain had run far, sweating as he swung. I blasted magic missiles into the ogre's reaching shoulder, knocking it back, then spoke.
"I'll cover you."
I peppered the ogre's palm—aimed at Cain—with magic missiles to block.
Height difference and its log club pushed Cain back briefly. Then aura cloaked Ska, cleaving the log in half. He closed in, severing the ogre's arm.
The ogre snatched its flying forearm midair, jamming stump to stump.
"That regen and recovery is annoying."
Fingers twitched immediately. As I frowned, Cain exhaled low.
"Used too much aura getting here."
"Tough? Say so. Big bro'll handle it."
Hand on a high-class page, I offered. Cain scoffed.
"Said I'd end it next attack."
He steadied his breath, then impaled an incoming fireball on his blade tip. It dissolved like cotton candy in water, revealing the hidden fire spear behind.
*That's mine.*
Quick phase shield blocked it. Cain charged straight, leaping onto the now-seamless arm, turning Ska into a spiked whip and lashing.
Whip! Crack!
Air tore as it wrapped the last head's neck. The whip shortened, yanking Cain into the air.
Releasing it, he reformed Ska into a sword and plunged straight down from above, into the crown.
"Graaa! Graarak!"
Earsplitting screech, foam at its mouth. But tough regen kept it alive.
Even skull-pierced, it raised both hands for Cain atop its head.
Crack!
Something shattered. Dozens of blades burst from the ogre's face.
Cain, Ska bladed like a porcupine, squeezed his last aura, twisting like a blender inside its skull.
Arms froze mid-raise, then slumped. The ogre knelt and collapsed.
I caught my breath, watching Cain flick blood off the reformed sword.
True protagonist.
Too wiped to summon a chair, I plopped down, thumbs-upping and grinning as Cain approached.