I swallowed hard... as the looming figure of the Cyclops grew closer and closer to my position in front of the brave Greek soldier statue.
I stood my ground as close as possible to the statue, facing forward toward the charging one-eyed giant, clinging to the faint, dreadful hope that my crazy idea could... no, WOULD work...!
And then, the moment of truth finally came...!
The Cyclops reached me, and without hesitation, it swung its massive club to the side, aiming to crush me in one fell swoop!
"NOW!"
With another burst of adrenaline, I ducked down in the nick of time, and the massive club instead smashed into the Greek soldier statue!
CRASH!
The brave statue took the hit for me, shattering into countless pieces!
The shattered pieces scattered everywhere, the force of the impact sending them flying across the cave.
Among the chaos, the very thing I was aiming for was thrown from the statue's grasp—its spear! It skidded across the floor, landing a few feet away.
Dust filled the air, creating a thick cover that momentarily obscured the Cyclops' view. I took advantage of the distraction, moving quickly, slipping past the giant's blind spot, and darting toward the fallen weapon!
The spear, once a mighty weapon with a long and imposing handle, was now broken in half... However, its remaining length was coincidentally perfect for someone of my size to wield.
I reached for it, feeling the weight of the weapon in my hands. It was heavier than I expected, but I managed to wield it properly...!
All those home dumbbell workouts finally paid off! I didn't just save up money to get a dungeon license—I had also been lightly training myself for its future procurement test!
And now... I wielded the spear like the Spear Hero Victor would!
I had watched his party's expeditions countless times, and I could at least confidently hold this spear the way he held his... or at the very least, copy it to a certain degree. This was the first time I had ever wielded a spear, let alone a weapon aimed at killing.
For a moment, it felt... odd. I wasn't sure if it was because I wasn't comfortable with the idea of using a weapon... or if I just didn't have an affinity for spears.
But, for now... I shoved aside those worrying thoughts. Something more important demanded my attention: staying alive.
I gripped the handle of this ancient spear tightly as I turned to face the Cyclops once more. The giant was already searching for me, its single eye darting around the cave in confusion.
But now, I had a weapon—a fighting chance, no matter how small.
The time to act was now!
"OI! UGLY!" I shouted with all my lung capacity. My shout instantly caught the one-eyed giant's attention as it turned its head toward me. "Come and get me, you damn brute!"
My taunting... worked!
The Cyclops turned its massive body toward me. Its single eye locked onto mine with pure malice... and I could see the fury building in its face.
ROAR!
It roared in rage, seemingly from my taunting... and I couldn't help but grin in amusement. I hadn't thought it would even understand my words, but it did, and it was now quite livid.
The one-eyed giant then began to charge toward me! Each rage-fueled step shook the ground beneath me...!
The spiked club in its hand was raised high into the air, ready to crush me in one powerful blow...!
I braced myself, tightening my grip on the spear even more... My heart pounded in my chest harder than before as I watched the Cyclops close the distance between us in a matter of seconds!
The moment of truth arrived as the Cyclops reached a smashing distance.
With another guttural roar, it swung its club down toward me with terrifying speed!
I leaped to my right, narrowly dodging the deadly strike—!
THUD!
The ground where I had stood exploded into a cloud of dust and debris again as the club impacted with a deafening thud!
"Chance!"
Seizing the opportunity, I lunged forward with the spear, aiming for the Cyclops' exposed left side!
The spearhead found its mark, plunging into the creature's flesh just below its ribs!
The Cyclops howled in anger and pain, its movements jerking violently from my spear attack!
"...!"
But to my dismay... the spear barely penetrated the giant's thick skin! It only pierced roughly the edge of the spear's tip, failing to reach any of its vital organs...
Before I could think further, I saw the Cyclops raising its free left arm—It was trying to grab me!
I yanked the spear out and retreated quickly, avoiding its grab just in time and putting distance between us once more.
My attack didn't really hurt him much, but... it seemed to have fueled his rage even more!
The Cyclops then chased after my retreating figure; its single eye burning with fury!
Its spiked club swung wildly—downward and to the side—each blow aimed with relentless aggression. I danced around the massive weapon, narrowly evading death with each swing.
Every time I dodged, I took the chance to jab at it with my spear, targeting every possible spot on its massive body!
But... my attacks barely made a dent in the thick, calloused skin of the giant. The spear either bounced off or sank in only shallowly, even as I struck repeatedly!
"Damn it!" I cursed at its resilient hide, as no matter how much I tried to attack its seemingly weak spots, they would not budge.
Was its skin just that thick? Or did my attacks lack the strength needed to actually hurt it?
I could even see its wounds slowly closing together, regenerating before my eyes...!
Desperation and dread surged through me as I tried to think of a way to defeat the Cyclops...
ROAR!!!
However, my thoughts were interrupted by the roar of the giant... and it had already swung its massive club toward me!
I barely had time to react, let alone escape this deathly swing!
With no better option, I lifted my spear to use it as a makeshift shield—!
CRACK!
The Cyclops' spiked club collided with my spear, shattering it into splinters! But it wasn't over yet—the club continued its momentum and smashed into my torso with brutal force!
"GAH!"
Pain exploded through me, and I was sent hurtling through the air!
In that single moment, as my body was sent flying, my life flashed before my eyes.
My body finally landed, brutally and far away, with a hard thud, knocking the breath out of me.
"Agh...! Hah... hah... hah...!" I groaned in pain, gasping for breath as I struggled to force air back into my lungs, with pain radiating through every inch of my body.
I tried to stand... but my legs wobbled and gave way, sending me crashing back to the ground as pain shook through me.
Stomp, stomp, stomp...
I could hear the Cyclops' heavy footsteps approaching—each one felt like a death sentence...
Before I could attempt to rise again, the Cyclops reached down... and grabbed me with its free arm, lifting me off the ground like I was nothing more than a ragdoll...
I dangled helplessly as it brought me closer to its massive head... its enormous mouth opening wide, revealing rows of jagged and grotesque teeth.
It was going to eat me alive.
'This... is the end, huh? So, in the end... I was just being delusional...'
But... as I looked up from its gaping mouth, I saw...
Its massive single eye.
Then... another wild, desperate idea crossed through my mind.