บท 8: 8. Awaken

During the darkest, most hopeless period of his life, Orion was engulfed in despair until the system's awakening shone like a brilliant light, breaking through the surrounding darkness.

'System!'

When Orion saw the system revealed before him, he didn't realize the solitary tear that formed and rolled down his cheek symbolized deep relief and a glimmer of hope.

'Finally something that I can work with.'

Orion took a deep breath, doing his best to regain composure as his mind raced.

He forced himself to push aside the traumatic images he had just witnessed—the fate of poor Myla.

For now, he had to compartmentalize those haunting memories and focus solely on the giant looming before him.

Currently, the massive giant stayed bent over, holding its head, while deafening screams kept coming from its monstrous shape.

Yet, Orion observed that the giant's lone, cycloptic eye remained unresponsive even as it cried out in distress.

'Eye?'

As he studied the beast's massive, unblinking eye, a spark of inspiration struck Orion.

He swiftly turned his attention to Famir.

"Famir, hit it with the lightning bolt once again, but aim at its big eye."

Orion shouted to Famir, who was visibly distraught and struggling to regain his composure.

Deep down, he was consumed by self-blame for Myla's tragic death, tormented by the thought that if he had simply listened to Orion and left this accursed place, the unfortunate accident may have been averted.

'Get a hold of yourself. Now is not the time for this.'

He forcefully calmed himself down.

Upon hearing Orion's words, Famir's eyes lit up with a newfound glimmer of hope. He berated himself inwardly, wondering why he hadn't considered Orion's idea himself.

Despite this, he felt a surge of thanks for his fast decision-making. Famir gave Orion a positive thumbs-up and then gazed at the massive being with a serious expression.

As golden lightning started to gather and form, he lifted his right hand up high.

Electricity bathed his whole body in crackling arcs. His target was the enormous creature's huge eye, planning to release the powerful strike right into its one-eyed stare.

Nevertheless, Famir paused when the massive creature flailed aggressively, violently swinging its head from side to side. The unpredictable motion hindered the ability to accurately aim at the fast-moving target.

Although he could take a shot at that instant, the likelihood of the lightning bolt hitting the monster's eye was very low.

He frowned deeply as he brought down his charged hand and faced Orion, prepared to describe the situation.

Due to the giant's frenzied movements, he couldn't afford to use the charged attack recklessly. There must be an alternative method to coordinate a decisive attack on such an unstable target.

"I can't aim at it if it keeps shaking his head."

Upon hearing Famir describe the giant's uncontrollable thrashing, Orion lapsed into a moment of silence, lost in contemplation.

His gaze swept the surroundings until it settled on a partially melted rock nearby—a remnant from the extreme heatwave they had experienced beforehand.

Orion immediately walked over and grabbed a fist-sized rock from the still-hot debris of the boulder. As he turned it in his hand, the first thoughts of a plan started taking shape in his mind.

'I am sure I won't miss such a big target.'

Examining the stone carefully, he strategized his attack in his mind. Once prepared, he redirected his attention to the giant running amok.

Lifting his arm, he aimed carefully, adjusting his position to align his throw correctly. Orion tossed the stone with all his strength, letting out a grunt as he did so.

The piece of rock flew through the sky in a steep curve before unexpectedly hitting the creature's enormous stomach with a muffled noise.

The sudden effect made the huge monster stop holding onto its head right away. It froze, gazing at its belly with a nearly comical and puzzled look, as if questioning what had hit it just now.

The giant's temporary confusion served as an adequate distraction.

In that brief moment of opportunity, Famir took action. A loud explosion could be heard when he released the electrified lightning bolt he had prepared.

The amazing bolt of electricity appeared suddenly and was aimed straight at the monster's vulnerable eye.

Encountering no opposition, the bolt ripped through the giant's eye socket with a powerful explosion. It kept moving destructively, fiercely boring a burning hole directly through the rear of the creature's head.

The massive creature didn't have a chance to comprehend the situation or scream before its enormous body fell lifeless to the ground with a loud thud.

"We did it!"

Famir cheered loudly in triumph, releasing a victorious whoop.

Orion, standing close to the remains of the melted rock, nodded firmly and let out a deep sigh of relief. He started walking towards him.

Ryfin appeared from behind a different boulder, where he had sought shelter while the battle raged on. He also let out a deep breath, his shoulders visibly easing as the enormous danger was eliminated.

Nevertheless, as the festivities were starting, an unusual event took place involving the monster's lifeless corpse.

It started shining with a strong, vivid red glow, and in no time, the giant's body disappeared quickly, transforming into a glimmering red cloud of particles that scattered in the air, leaving them amazed.

Even though the huge creature had disappeared, it seemed to have left a physical remnants behind. A few items could be seen among the fading red particles.

"Should we check it out?"

Famir asked Orion, who arrived before him just now.

"We might as well. Maybe there will be things that we might need in the future."

Orion agreed with him. At this moment, Ryfin also joined them.

The trio slowly moved towards the spot where the giant's body had vanished entirely. After the persistent red particles vanished, various objects on the ground became visible.

Initially, they noticed an intricately designed sword shining in the surrounding light.

Beside the object was an elaborately carved staff, just a bit taller than a standing person.

Three bulky volumes were positioned close together, their old leather covers and well-used pages suggesting that they held valuable information.

Still, the thing that caught their eye right away was a dazzling blue orb, shining with an almost captivating glow. It seemed to be approximately the size of a closed hand, emitting a gentle, energetic hum.

The three looked at each other with confusion as they were met with a surprising reward after winning a difficult fight with the giant.

Just what secrets and powers lay contained within these mysterious items?