The Eye of the Giant King
The Mystic Eye.
A power made famous by Medusa of Olympian myth, or by Balor’s evil eye from the Mabinogion.
An ability that distorts any scenery caught in its gaze.
Most Mystic Eyes activate the instant something enters their line of sight, which is why they’re considered overwhelmingly powerful regardless of type.
The Cyclops’ eye beam, if one were to be technical, is nothing more than a degraded version of a true Mystic Eye.
Which was exactly why—
“Universal Erosion should do the trick.”
The spiraling mana within the Cyclops unraveled like a loosened skein of thread.
I seized the released crimson mana with the Blessing of Greed and twisted it in reverse.
Then I fired the inverted mana laser straight ahead.
It tangled with the Cyclops’ own outgoing beam and triggered a violent backlash.
“Insolent fool.”
The crimson mana that had been intertwining in midair suddenly swirled violently before exploding with a deafening boom.
The destructive force was enough to reduce an entire apartment building to rubble.
The Cyclopes didn’t resist the mana reflux. Instead, they deliberately overloaded their power, causing the mana I had twisted with the Blessing of Greed to detonate.
It was only possible because they didn’t fire a one-shot spell but continuously poured mana into their eyes.
It was a glimpse into the Cyclopes’ surprisingly sophisticated application of their own abilities.
-This has become troublesome.
“Not at all. The distance has closed enough.”
The tiny gap created by the explosion of the Cyclops’ Mystic Eye.
I deployed the Dark Shadow Soul-Chasing Sword using a blade formed from Polar Night.
The expanding, tangled rays of light created an opening. I pierced straight through the sphere and carved a path forward.
The Cyclops’ single eye widened in shock.
Exposing its own weakness so blatantly? How considerate. Thank you very much.
Hundred Beasts Emperor Martial Arts – Fifth Form
Light Flash Strike
I rapidly released the internal energy I had concentrated at my fingertips.
Thanks to my elevated mastery of the Hundred Beasts Emperor Martial Arts, I could now manifest strong energy even with the early forms.
Though the power was naturally weaker than the later forms, it was still more than enough.
“This should do just fine.”
More than enough to carve a massive hole in the Cyclops’ eye socket.
The creature hurriedly tried to close its eyelid.
After letting me get this close? Too late.
With my idle left hand, I activated Blood Reaving and yanked the Cyclops’ massive body toward me.
A monster weighing dozens of tons.
The size difference was overwhelming, yet ironically, the gap in pure physical strength wasn’t nearly as vast as it appeared.
My stats had long since surpassed those of a Diamond-rank player through repeated Devourings.
The five-story-tall monster was dragged helplessly toward me by the crimson pull.
Its posture collapsed, causing its eye to open even wider.
Shunk!
The Light Flash Strike pierced straight through the Cyclops’ pupil.
“Uuuuugh……”
The Cyclops thrashed across the ground, weeping tears of blood.
-It’s writhing quite violently.
“I destroyed its brain with concentrated energy. Its body’s vitality is just so absurdly strong that it’s still moving.”
Monsters that appeared in S-rank Gates were equivalent to Diamond-rank difficulty—around the 60th floor level.
To think I had one-shotted a Diamond-rank monster in my second year as a player.
I once again realized just how far I had come.
“Uwooooooh! Brother!”
“No time to get sentimental.”
My balance had been thrown off from launching the Light Flash Strike.
Dealing with the bloodthirsty Cyclopes closing in using pure martial arts would be difficult.
Giga Impact
Explosive Demon Qi
The same fatigue one would feel after sprinting a hundred meters at full speed washed over me.
Right after using Giga Impact, a languid sensation gently pressed down on my body.
It was a technique that consumed a massive amount of stamina.
But a single breath was enough to recover the stamina spent on Giga Impact.
On the other hand, the aftermath of the skill was devastating.
A dark-red wave of energy wrapped around the golden light and completely incinerated everything within a thirty-meter radius.
“Graaaah!”
The Cyclopes were crushed by the shockwave and sent flying in the opposite direction.
I spread Dragon’s Wings wide and unleashed a barrage of Thorns Missiles.
Hundreds of razor-sharp spikes embedded themselves into the Cyclopes’ enormous eyes.
With heavy thuds, the remaining Cyclopes collapsed to the ground.
“Junior, you’ve already finished one round?”
Shin Junseok, who had just entered the Gate, let out an impressed whistle.
“They attacked first. What else was I supposed to do?”
I gave a slight shrug and flashed a subtle smile.
* * *
After the guild members and the Golden Circle team finished entering, we began the full-scale conquest of the Gate.
“We’ll clear this today.”
An S-rank Gate?
I had no intention of getting stuck here for long.
While inside a Gate, it would be difficult to respond immediately if Rene or Armée Rouge tried anything.
This was a place completely cut off from the outside world.
Although I had established some communication channels, information delivery inside a Gate was inevitably delayed.
“I’ll take the lead.”
Shin Junseok stepped forward with confidence.
He charged at the Cyclopes alone, but the barrage of light beams and hurled boulders made even closing the distance a struggle.
“What the—? Junior made it look so easy! Why is this so hard for me?!”
Even with his mysterious footwork, completely dodging the crimson beams that reached him in just 0.5 seconds after eye contact was no easy feat.
“Team Leader, should we join in?”
“Just wait. I can handle this myself… whoa!”
Shin Junseok screamed.
A Mystic Eye beam had taken advantage of his momentary lapse in focus and scorched his uniform.
Even a graze would have been hot enough to warm his entire body.
“I won’t let you get away with that.”
Wrapped in protective strong energy, Shin Junseok charged forward recklessly.
About a minute later.
Three Cyclopes lay neatly side by side, unconscious.
“Haha! Hahahaha! I did it too!”
“That was incredibly inefficient, Senior.”
Blocking attacks with protective strong energy was terribly inefficient.
Since the energy had to be spread across the entire body instead of focused in one place, its fuel efficiency was far worse than simply canceling out the enemy’s assault.
If you burned through nearly forty percent of your internal energy in a single fight, winning hardly felt like winning.
“How long did it take you, Junior?”
“Five seconds.”
That was the time it took from entering the Gate, spotting three Cyclopes, closing in, and taking them down.
“Damn it. I need to work harder.”
Cyclopes were monsters whose entire power was concentrated in their physical abilities and their eyes.
Remove their eyes—their only weakness—and their endurance became monstrous. Even 4-star magic had a hard time putting them down.
Even if I went all out with Solar Explosion, they would probably endure it.
While Shin Junseok burned with renewed motivation, the rest of the guild members finished their battle preparations.
“I’ll leave command to Big Bro Youngsu.”
“I agree. Mister Kim’s abilities are trustworthy.”
Even Ellen didn’t try to claim command.
This guy’s basically half a Yeokcheon guild member now.
Maybe I should make him an honorary member.
“Then I’ll be counting on you.”
“Yes, leave it to me.”
Big Bro Youngsu nodded heavily.
It was a city-scale Gate.
Aside from the entrance area, almost nothing had been revealed, so we had almost no information.
Yet I boldly declared that we would conquer it.
-With your power, it should be more than enough.
“No. I’m trusting the strength of my guild members.”
I couldn’t do this alone.
No matter how strong I was, I couldn’t handle Cyclopes popping out from every direction by myself.
What I believed in was my comrades’ abilities.
“Team 1, advance. Teams 3 and 4, spread to both wings. Team 2, provide support.”
“Team 3, retreat ten paces. Team 2, advance.”
“All teams retreat, then counterattack in five seconds.”
Big Bro Youngsu’s commands flowed as naturally as water.
It was only possible because he had memorized the exact capabilities of every guild member and Golden Circle team member.
The buff effects from Centurion and Legion Command were excellent, of course.
But it was only because Big Bro Youngsu perfectly read the flow of battle that such precise orders were possible.
We pierced straight through the Giant’s Descendant Gate.
As we moved deeper, the number of Cyclopes increased.
Between twenty and thirty of them.
Roughly the same number as our combined forces with the Golden Circle team.
“Team 3, advance fifteen paces. All other teams, maximum firepower.”
Under commands that drew out each player’s full potential, the Cyclopes fell like straw.
◈ Devoured: 100%
◈ Skill Acquired: Giant's Arm
Giant's Arm
Grade: ★★★
Type: Active
Grants the power of a giant to both arms, tripling their size.
While active, stamina consumption increases by 100% and strength rises by 200%.
*Duration: 60 seconds
*Cooldown: 360 seconds
Devouring every last drop of the Cyclops’ essence was just a bonus.
Half a day after entering the Gate.
“Are you the invaders who have disturbed our domain with such noise?”
A giant twice as large as any Cyclops we had faced so far sat atop a rocky mountain, looking down at our party.
On either side of the mountain, fifty Cyclopes stood with arms crossed, glaring with murderous intent.
“Leave that one to me.”
“We trust our Guild Leader.”
Big Bro Youngsu and the guild members split to both sides, drawing the aggro of the Cyclopes.
“Leaders should fight each other, right?”
“Arrogant whelp. I shall punish you with my own hand.”
The Cyclops King rose to its feet.
The overwhelming presence radiating from the boss monster caused the rocky mountain to tremble as if swept by a violent wind.
A strange light swirled above its car-sized eye.
Unlike ordinary Cyclopes, the Cyclops King could use multiple different eye beams.
Similar to how a Twin Head Ogre excelled at magic.
However—
Ars Goetia – Internal Skill: Dantalion’s Illusion
Cyclopes had lower magic resistance than ogres.
While their toughness allowed them to endure direct hits from offensive magic, they couldn’t protect their minds.
The dark magic cast through the forbidden grimoire shook the Cyclops King’s mind.
The terror hidden deep within its heart.
The mana swirling around the Cyclops King’s eyes suddenly flickered out.
“Uwo?”
The giant king floundered in confusion.
I flapped the wings on my back and charged straight at it.
Ziiiing!
In its panic, the Cyclops King fired indiscriminate killing beams in every direction.
Long furrows were carved into the rocky mountain.
The power was enough to leave no trace of an average player.
Its accuracy was terrible, but the wildly scattering sparks of mana made it difficult to advance directly.
-There was no point in cursing it.
“No point? I just sealed off its other eye beams.”
After five seconds, the terror clouding the Cyclops King’s eyes vanished.
By the time it regained its senses, I was already right in front of it.
“You dare use sorcery on me?”
“If you don’t understand it, it’s always ‘sorcery,’ isn’t it?”
The Cyclops King’s fist came flying.
A fist the size of a house—no, even larger.
The pressure felt like an entire hill collapsing.
But—
Giant's Arm
Explosive Demon Qi
Monstrous Strength
I swung an arm that had tripled in size.
Kwaaaaaaaaang!
A tremendous impact rang out.
The Cyclops King’s muscles and bones were torn to shreds.
Blood droplets scattered through the air like mist.
The Cyclops King was so shocked that it could only open and close its mouth wordlessly.
“It actually worked.”
A moment later, the body of the self-proclaimed king tilted and fell beyond the horizon.