Player Who Became A Constellation [EN]: Chapter 183

183

The waterfall crashes down between the neatly split valleys.

Misty fog hangs thick in the air from the turbulent currents,

and a long river flows towards the precipice.

A decaying hand reached out from the river flowing through the valley.

Splash-!

A zombie pulled itself upright and lifted its head.

「Escaped….」

Zombies crawled out of the river one by one.

「Escaped… from the underworld! Haha!」

They took deep breaths and stood tall.

Then, the zombies suddenly noticed a shadow looming over them and craned their necks.

「Quooooh….」

Cyclopes with massive bodies glared down at the zombies.

「Ah… ahh…!」

As the zombies turned to flee, the Cyclopes snatched them up and shoved them into their mouths.

Chewing and swallowing them piece by piece.

「Aaaaaaaack!」

The screams of the spirits who escaped from the underworld echoed through the valley.

This is why this place is called the Wailing Valley.

「Chief… Chief… Chief…!」

The Cyclopes’ habitat, where they built huts by piling up bones and solidifying digested excrement, sprawled across the valley.

The largest hut among them was so immense and imposing that it resembled a dragon’s nest.

A Cyclops rushed in, flustered.

「Chief, Chief Clop! The chief’s child is missing…!」

The Cyclops raised its head.

A Cyclops with two heads sat on a throne made of bones.

Clop, the chief of the Cyclopes, tilted his heads, looking down at the Cyclops who was noticeably smaller than him.

「What are you babbling about? Are you saying Rocky is gone?」

「He went to the dark elves’ village but hasn’t returned.」

「Dark elves? He’s probably just catching them to play with. Aren’t all kids like that?」

He spoke as if he were talking about a child who went to catch bugs.

「It’s already been a week. And the three who went to escort him are missing too.」

「…Those dimwits, they must be distracted by eating elves instead of protecting my child again.」

「What should we do?」

「Which elf village is it?」

There are more than nine elf villages near this Wailing Valley alone.

「I don’t know.」

「…You idiot. How are we supposed to find him if you don’t know that?」

「Could he have been defeated?」

Clop’s two heads stared at the Cyclops.

The Cyclops’ body stiffened like a stone statue, and he twitched.

「Do you think we could be defeated by elves?」

「N-No, it’s a joke!」

「Ah… a joke… I see.」

Only then did the Cyclops’ body relax, and he trembled.

「Come to think of it, how long has it been since we left the elves alone?」

「10 years? No, maybe 15 years? Something like that.」

「Hmm… We still have to wait 10 more years until harvest season, but…. Well, it’ll be fine. It’s about time for the Red Moon to rise anyway.」

「Oh! Could it be…?」

The Cyclops looked at Clop.

「Let’s start the Red Moon Festival.」

The Red Moon Festival.

Every time the Red Moon rises, the Cyclopes’ hunger reaches its peak.

In the past, they ate the zombies that flowed out of the Wailing Valley, but there was a limit to that supply.

One day, they tasted a living elf, and from that point on, they discovered a new delicacy.

‘If we don’t pay attention, they’ll go extinct.’

They let them prosper for decades, and then they harvest them.

Just enough so that the seeds don’t run out.

For them, the elf village was no different from a farm.

「My son must be enjoying himself too. I must prepare as well.」

Clop’s two eyes gleamed.

「Hunt the elves.」

***

“Take this with you.”

Ral handed over a leather pouch.

As Rocky accepted it, Karen and Celot peeked into the pouch with curious expressions, then frowned.

“Are these fingernails?”

“That’s right.”

The leather pouch was filled with numerous fingernails.

Human ones, monster ones, and beast ones.

The types were diverse.

“While here, I’ve seen people come to the underworld once every few decades. Among them are those who bring information about the underworld. One of the books they had contained records that ‘fingernails’ seem to be used as ‘money of the underworld.’”

“Is it accurate?”

“Who knows? If it’s really used, take it, and if not, throw it away.”

Currency used in the underworld is fingernails?

‘Fitting for the world of the dead,’ Rocky thought.

“I’ll make good use of it.”

“Grandma!”

Ral and Lil hurriedly climbed down the tree to the cabin.

The two shouted with urgent faces.

“The Cyclopes have moved in the Wailing Valley!”

“What??”

“Dozens of them have moved. They’re scattering; it looks like they’re going to other villages!”

At those words, Ral’s face turned pale.

“Oh my god…! It’s not harvest season yet…!”

“Harvest season?”

At Rocky’s words, Ral made a shameful expression.

“We’re like livestock. The Cyclopes leave us in this forest and wait for us to prosper, and then they hunt us when our numbers grow to a certain extent.”

“……”

“It’s just a brief amusement for them, but it’s a matter of survival for us. Sometimes, an entire village disappears.”

As soon as Ral finished speaking, the sound of a flute echoed in the village.

The dark elves busily began packing their belongings.

“Where are you going?”

“We’re abandoning this village. They’ll come to this breeding ground. We can only run away.”

“What about guiding us?”

“…It’s impossible for now. They’ve started rampaging….”

Rocky stroked his chin.

“By any chance.”

Ral looked at Rocky.

“Would Cyclopes’ fingernails also be treated as money in the underworld?”

At those words, Ral looked surprised.

Rocky thought to himself that the Cyclopes were useful.

That thick hide that withstood Karen and Celot’s attacks.

The tendons that exerted great strength.

And strong bones and teeth, etc.

Rocky thought they were perfect as item materials to arm the Node warriors for army training.

Since there’s no need to go further south, it would be good to hunt a lot while we’re at it.

“…Can you hunt them? Of course, I saw you bisect three Cyclopes….”

“It’s possible.”

“…Then I’ll commission you. I’ll give you the gold and jewels that our tribe has collected. If necessary, I’ll also provide records related to the underworld. So…. Please get rid of them.”

These are things I didn’t even think about, but there’s no reason to refuse when they offer.

“Celot, Karen.”

The two looked at Rocky.

“Hunt more than 10 Cyclopes each.”

They are powerful monsters that are hard to come by.

It will be a great help in the growth of the two.

***

Clop, the leader of the Cyclopes, held a mace and moved with a wobbly gait.

“Kyaaaaaaack!”

“Run away-!”

Every time I think about it, hunting is very enjoyable.

Rather than dealing with the sluggish zombies flowing out of the underworld, it’s more fun to hunt these agile, quick-witted elves.

Look.

They set traps, hide and ambush, and try to resist us.

But-.

A sharpened stake from a log between the trees struck the Cyclops quickly with centrifugal force.

A loud roar echoed, but only the stake was broken.

Even in the shock of being hit by a battering ram, the Cyclops easily endured.

Crack-!

Cyclopes were seen stepping into the ground and getting their feet stuck.

The elves dug the ground and installed sharp spears.

But for the Cyclopes, it was just like getting acupressure.

The Cyclops who got their feet stuck smiled, pulled their feet out, and advanced again.

They destroyed anything that stood in their way.

Even just pushing the large trees with their hands caused them to collapse.

“A, avoid!!”

Accordingly, the dark elves screamed and were busy running away.

The Cyclopes’ bodies are huge. Elves are no more than slightly larger bugs.

So, no matter how much those bugs struggle, the level of resistance will be insignificant.

“Everyone prepare-! Hold on until the children in the village evacuate to other villages!”

The dark elves piled up large trees as barricades and waited in various places.

Hundreds of elves simultaneously drew their arrows.

“Aim!”

The arrowheads were aimed at the grinning Cyclops, scattering dirt.

“Fire!”

The arrows were shot high into the sky.

A rain of arrows that darkened the sky poured down.

But the Cyclopes felt their arrows like a shower.

They couldn’t even make a scratch on their hard skin.

A black shadow fell, and the dark elves raised their heads.

The Cyclops grinned.

“R, run away-!”

“My body… won’t move.”

Desperate expression.

Accordingly, the Cyclops felt great joy in subjugating the weak and swung their maces.

Bang-!

A roar echoed, and the ground cracked.

They reached out and put the elves in their mouths.

The Cyclopes’ strength was immense, and they were very agile compared to their size.

Also, the large single eye did not miss a single moving creature with its unique wide field of vision and chased after them.

The dark elf village burns.

「Good! But I don’t see Rocky.」

「He must be in another elf village. Chief!」

The Cyclops looked at the direction the elves were running.

「…Then we can just follow them.」

The direction the elves are running is where the other village is.

The Cyclopes moved their feet.

Dry trees collapsed at the giants’ advance.

They crumbled like cookie crumbs just by waving their hands or ramming their bodies.

The Cyclopes who were advancing stopped abruptly.

They blinked their big eyeballs with blank expressions.

「What? Why did you stop?」

Clop tilted his head and asked, looking at the Cyclopes who had stopped in front.

「No, Ch, Chief…. Let’s go to another village first.」

「What?」

「Let’s do this village later. Hurry!」

「What’s going on that…?」

When one of the Cyclopes grabbed Clop’s shoulders and tried to push him, Clop raised his head and looked at the elf village.

On the large tree in the elf village, a single dark red object was hanging.

Four heads tied tightly with ropes.

‘Fellow tribesmen?’

Are the heads of fellow tribesmen hanging there?

Goodness gracious!?

Clop was taken aback.

For centuries, the elves had never hunted their fellow tribesmen.

Sometimes, those who were called heroes appeared and tried to hunt them, but they were eaten instead.

They were the absolute beings of this land, and hunting was impossible unless they were fellow tribesmen.

But, in front of him… a fellow tribesman is dead.

‘E, elves, could they hunt us!?’

Were we too careless?

Clop, who had goosebumps, took a step back for a moment, and there was a noticeable face.

The smallest head among the four heads.

A baby Cyclops who died miserably with his eyes burst.

「Rocky…. My son!」

The Cyclopes flinched and looked at Clop.

A red aura emanated from Clop’s body.

「Quooooooooh!」

Even though they did not make eye contact with the magic-filled eyes in the roar he let out, all the Cyclopes felt their bodies stiffen.

「How dare you, my son-!」

「…….」

His anger touches the skin.

Clop was enraged.

It is dangerous to leave the elves alone like this.

They have grown to the point where they can hunt not only his son but even fully grown adults.

This was something that should not have happened.

「What are you doing.」

No further neglect was necessary.

If there is even a slight threat….

「It’s the Red Moon Festival.」

Murderous intent emanated from Clop’s body.

「Don’t miss a single one of those damn elves and eat them all!」

…I will annihilate them!

The Cyclopes turned their heads one by one.

As if Clop’s anger had been transferred, a red aura emanated from their bodies, and their eyes gleamed with murderous intent.

「Quooooooooh!」

They roared one by one.

「Go!」

Following Clop’s cry, the Cyclopes began to move again.

Originally, they would only hunt half of them so that the dark elves would not run out.

But it’s different now.

They were going to eat everything without leaving anything behind.

It was when the Cyclopes were moving.

A black shadow fell between the large trees.

Crack-!

Pitch-black.

A black crow mask and feathers fluttering like a robe behind it.

A huge greatsword was plunged into the crown of the leading Cyclops’ head.

The Cyclops, whose crown was pierced, twitched.

When he raised both hands and reached for his head, the man in the crow mask twisted the greatsword.

Instantly, the eyes of the Cyclops, whose crown was pierced, rolled back, showing the whites, and he knelt down and bowed his head in silence.

Thud-.

The man in the crow mask stood on the head of the instantly killed Cyclops.

Rocky glared at the advancing Cyclopes.

“The Red Moon Festival….”

The Cyclopes widened their eyes.

No one could even hurt a fellow tribesman, but the little animal in front of them had ‘killed’ a fellow tribesman.

“Can I enjoy that too?”

Rocky drew his greatsword and pointed it at the Cyclopes.