Tests(6/?)

(Alternate Title: Cyclops 2/2)

[The Veserithorn is reborn.]

Vesper's eyes snapped open abruptly as he gazed at the azure sky of the [Small World].

"That was terrifying," he dryly thought, lacking the energy to express any other emotion.

Vesper was emotionally drained due to the situation he had been put in four months ago.

Yes, four months ago. This wasn't his first death at the hands of the Cyclops; it was the 37th consecutive death.

The Cyclops proved to be much more powerful than he anticipated. The creature didn't seem to die even with a large part of its body flesh torn or limbs ripped off. As long as the head (the most resistant part) was intact, the Cyclops would move and wield an even greater force than when "intact."

This was something Vesper discovered around the 17th round against the Cyclops, and since then, he had been trying everything to pass and crush the creature completely. However, as it was evident, he failed, over and over again.

Vesper's eyes moved across the plains as images of his previous battles played in his mind, along with the last moments of each of those battles.

Crushed by the Cyclops' foot, killed by blood loss, killed by a crack in the skull, burned alive by a beam of light, killed by a giant boulder...

Vesper always managed to prevent dying in the same way, creating a new form of death each time, courtesy of the Cyclops, subjecting him to various forms of despair.

It reached a point where Veserithorn was advancing purely with determination—the same determination that fueled his hatred for the giant monster, a hatred that grew with each passing moment.

The battles against the Cyclops didn't last minutes or hours; often, they lasted days due to the enormous resilience on both sides: the {Skill} of the Cyclops and Vesper's {Determination} engaged in a battle of endurance, never reaching a conclusion until a lethal blow was dealt or one side gave up.

"But to the monster's misfortune, I always come back stronger. Sooner or later, it will die, and I will make sure to savor every moment."

An evil motivation was driving Vesper now. He knew that at some point, he would win the battle. He was learning more and more about this Cyclops, its movements, memorizing how much destructive power each punch and kick could deliver, the positions it could defend and when it couldn't, openings, the most fragile parts of its body, and many other minor details.

Vesper's buffs allowed him to memorize more and more about the Cyclops, which, in Vesper's perspective, was closer to a god than a monster.

"That is, not counting THIS, which is increasing more and more..."

He thought as he moved his eyes to his abilities.

[{Determination}(8 —> 9)] / [{Spiral Energy}(48 —> 49)}] / [{Twist}(19 —> 20)] / [{Eyes of Fate}(8 —> 9)] / [{Wingdings}(19 —> 20)]

Vesper's main abilities had increased by a large margin, but unfortunately, his stats remained the same. Vesper didn't understand why, and he even asked the System about a possible reason for this, but apparently, the System itself didn't have an answer.

The best he got was a theory, a side effect of being reborn and not being able to defeat the one who killed him.

"Not that I'm satisfied with this answer, but it's much better than nothing."

The situation he was in simply demanded this kind of behavior.

But fortunately, this would change soon. Vesper felt it deep within himself. His abilities took time to level up, but whenever they did, they became much stronger, much stronger.

The best example of this was {Determination}, the amount of determination Vesper felt at this moment (even while feeling 'disheartened') was almost ten times greater compared to when this ability was at Level 1.

"Maybe at some point, I can achieve something similar to what Mr.G had mentioned?" He thought while exhaling a bit of air, getting up.

Vesper extended his simple bow forward while manipulating the Spiral Energy within him, repeating a process he had become accustomed to over time.

''☼︎☜︎✋︎☠︎☞︎⚐︎☼︎👍︎☜︎(REINFORCE)'' His words commanded and surpassed all possible logic, transmitting the Spiral Energy in his arm to his bow, strengthening it by a large margin.

"Good." This was a process that Vesper discovered on his 20th attempt, and thanks to this, his arrows, which used 100 units of energy, could cause much greater damage to the environment and the Cyclops itself, preventing Vesper from mental exhaustion.

"Initiate this stage." Vesper ordered the System, wondering internally how many times he had said that.

"39 times if we only count 'confirmations,' if we count every time I hesitated and didn't want to confront the Cyclops, it surpasses 60..."

[The Fifth Stage is starting.]

The familiar red light revealed itself on the horizon of the temporarily intact plain, making Vesper take a deep breath while pointing his reinforced bow in that direction.

"Hopefully, this will be the last attempt."

...

''💣︎✋︎☼︎☼︎⚐︎☼︎(MIRROR)'' Vesper's voice commanded, and so it was done—a mirror appeared a few meters behind the fading red light.

When the light dissipated, the Cyclops looked around searching for a target, and Vesper took action. He released the bowstring loaded with three spiral arrows, causing them to fly toward the Cyclops.

The Cyclops detected the arrows and moved its gigantic arm in their direction by reflex, barely managing to do anything due to its delayed reaction. The arrows were broken, but not before creating small holes in the Cyclops' arm.

Vesper had learned a lot in these numerous rounds and didn't just watch the arrows approach. He moved across the plain, creating more arrows and shooting them again at the Cyclops. His Eyes of Fate had been activated since the moment the mirror was properly created.

''RAAAAAGH!'' The Cyclops roared at Vesper, sending powerful sound waves that diverted the arrows, before starting to run towards Vesper. Its steps brought the familiar sense of oppression that Vesper had felt in his last 39 battles.

"This body is extremely exaggerated...!" Vesper reaffirmed what he already knew as his body was reinforced with Spiral Energy to keep a good distance from the Cyclops for a while.

He quickly generated more arrows and shot them at the Cyclops, which leaped into the air, putting an enormous amount of force into its legs. The ground of the plain cracked and exploded as it performed the jump, throwing the Cyclops into the clouds, eclipsing the sun.

"Tch."

[Twist(Activated)]

A vast amount of spirals was generated in the path the Cyclops was going to follow, while Vesper put an extra amount of energy into his legs and jumped in the direction where the Cyclops was born.

The monster descended towards the ground, where Vesper was previously, while roaring and already turning its head to where Vesper had moved, ready to throw itself there upon landing.

Due to this, its body didn't notice the spirals in its path. When it passed through them, distortions were generated in its skin, tearing off a large part, leaving only raw flesh and a waterfall of blood bathing the plain due to the Cyclops' size.

This same monster roared in pain as it opened its arms, releasing shockwaves that shot towards Vesper, who kept running towards where the Cyclops was born.

Vesper took a leap forward, turning in mid-air to face the approaching shockwaves. He held his reinforced bow and aimed it at the shockwaves before generating a single spiral arrow, which, unlike the others, had a spherical tip.

Without much thought, Vesper shot the arrow, and it rocketed into the shockwaves, colliding with them and exploding, releasing Spiral Energy in a circular area, catching everything within a range of 20 meters.

Everything within this 'sphere' of spiral energy was severely twisted and pulled towards the core of the sphere before disappearing completely due to the shockwaves, which were also drawn there, completely nullifying the Cyclops' furious attack.

Vesper landed on the ground not even a second after firing such an arrow and quickly continued running while the Cyclops did the same, obliterating everything in its path, creating deformations across the vast plain due to the force and weight it possessed.

Vesper put three arrows in his reinforced bow and shot them on the ground he passed, causing the ground to distort and explode, raising a large amount of dust as a 25-meter crater was formed.

The Cyclops ignored the huge cloud of dust that arose due to Vesper's action and quickly passed through it but fell forward when the ground it so confidently stepped on was absent, causing its leg to fall into this 25-meter crater, temporarily hindering its movement.

"Perfect!" Vesper celebrated in ecstasy before starting the real battle.

His bow generated a single arrow that had a positive sign (+) on the tip, and thus, Vesper shot the arrow towards where the Cyclops had 'fallen.'

The arrow crossed the entire distance in the blink of an eye and collided directly with the center of the Cyclops' chest, which was removing its leg from the crater while trying to get up.

When the arrow collided with the center of the Cyclops' chest, the positive sign (+) on its tip glowed faintly, and before the Cyclops could do anything, the arrow quickly grew in size, impaling the center of the Cyclops' chest, theoretically killing it.

"This sucked a significant amount of Spiral Energy." Vesper stared at the Cyclops' body with his Eyes of Fate while preparing three more arrows on his reinforced bow.

"In a few moments, the Cyclops will activate its ability, and finally, I can start attacking it."

During his various battles with the Cyclops, Vesper noticed some things. The monster wouldn't use its Energy Beam while in what Vesper called the '1st Stage,' unless its eye was attacked.

Next to this, Vesper also realized that regardless of how much he attacked the Cyclops' eye in this 1st Stage, the eye didn't seem to be damaged. It only served to bring pain to the Cyclops, not a real injury. Real injuries could only be inflicted at the beginning of the 2nd Stage of this monster.

It was in the 2nd Stage of the Cyclops that the battle truly began.

[The Cyclops has activated its ability.]

The System notified Vesper the moment smoke began to emanate from the Cyclops' body, causing Vesper's body to tremble slightly as he remembered the numerous previous battles.

"No! This time it will be different. The abilities have increased by a huge margin!" Vesper always motivated himself in this way after the 10th Attempt, and thanks to his determination, he somehow believed in it without any doubt.

While it was something positive, it had a huge impact whenever Vesper was about to die because it made the despair even greater, shattering all his courage, feeding even more into Vesper's hatred.

A bell rang in Vesper's head, notifying him of the beginning of the real battle as the Cyclops raised its body, ignoring the waterfall of blood streaming from the center of its chest and the giant hole there.

"It's always uncomfortable to see how this MONSTER acts as if nothing is happening." Vesper aimed his bow and shot all three arrows.

[Twist (Activated)]

A large spiral formed in the Cyclops' eye that was finishing getting up, while all three arrows were equally drawn to this spiral, which was already damaging the monster.

The Cyclops roared in pain and fury when it felt blood flowing from its eye, causing light to gather in the Cyclops' eye.

"!" Vesper knew very well that this light was a sign of trouble, a big problem. Thus, Vesper began to run around the Cyclops, always maintaining a distance of 55 meters while running in circles.

The light in the Cyclops' eye ended up canceling the three arrows that were sucked into the [{Twist}], but the spirals formed when the arrows collided with the eye had an interesting effect.

The Cyclops fired its Beam of Light, attempting to target Vesper. The same Beam of Light spun in a spiral motion, an effect achieved by the ongoing torsion in front of the temporarily indestructible eyes of the Cyclops.

This strategy made the Cyclops's strike more lethal due to the rotation of the Beam of Light but also easier to dodge as it slightly slowed down. It was a trade-off that Vesper was willing to make and risk everything on; so far, it hadn't gone wrong.

The Beam of Light lasted a full 5 seconds as the Cyclops tracked Vesper with its vision, causing everything around the Cyclops, wherever Vesper passed, to be obliterated into nothingness, creating several holes that extended hundreds of meters below the ground (122 meters). It demonstrated the terrifying power behind this amplified beam of light.

'Just a few more moments...' Vesper thought while running for his life, knowing that attacking the Cyclops in any way would be futile. Any variable could result in something he hadn't experienced yet, a lesson he learned well in his last death.

'And... now!' When he felt the Beam of Light beginning to weaken, Vesper suddenly crossed into the circle where the Cyclops was. Now, this circle was separated from the rest of the Plain due to the enormous circular hole created by the Beam of Light.

The Cyclops also started to act aggressively, delivering a kick toward the approaching Vesper, tearing and exploding the ground completely beneath its foot, dividing the circle where they both were.

Already knowing how the Cyclops executed this kick, Vesper narrowly dodged it with a strong lateral impulse, amplified with more Spiral Energy than usual, causing sweat to trickle down Vesper's body.

'If only my stats had increased...!' He thought indignantly while focusing on the battle, closing the distance between them.

The Cyclops withdrew its foot while joining both hands and slamming them onto the ground like a hammer, aiming to hit and crush Vesper entirely.

With enough time to prepare for the monster, Vesper once again spent a considerable amount of Spiral Energy and propelled himself forward, passing under the Cyclops's legs while avoiding its strike, which completely shredded one side of the divided circle.

'This destructive power remains utterly absurd, no matter how many times I see it!' He aimed the bow at the Cyclops's lowered back and shot a spiral-arrow with a line (spiral), leaping onto its back when the arrow hit.

The vast amount of dust raised and the stones thrown in all directions were useless against Vesper, who used the Cyclops's back as protection, a safe point.

This safe point did not last long before the Cyclops moved its hands behind its back, attempting to grab Vesper, who evaded by propelling himself even higher, climbing the Cyclops's back.

There came a point when it was physically impossible for the Cyclops to continue chasing Vesper in that manner, and Vesper knew it very well. He knew the limits of the unnecessarily powerful giant's flexibility.

Vesper climbed the Cyclops's right shoulder and stared at its ear while loading a spiral arrow with 300 points of energy, his body sweating as he aimed.

'I need to endure, I'm too close!' Vesper thought with a determined look as he shot the arrow into the Cyclops's ear. The arrow hit a very sensitive area and quickly began twisting everything around it, making the Cyclops roar in pain and extreme agony.

It stomped its feet on the ground while moving both hands to its head, causing Vesper to jump off the shoulder, leaving a spiral line engraved in the region where he had been before.

The Cyclops covered both ears while continuing to thrash, breaking the ground more and more where it stood. Vesper took advantage of the opportunity to observe the region being destroyed under the Cyclops's feet.

[Twist (Activated)]

A large number of spirals appeared where Vesper was looking, causing the Cyclops to lose balance—both due to the spirals and the unstable ground it stood on—forcing the Cyclops to fall backward while continuing to scream in pain, an extremely unpleasant scene unfolding inside the Cyclops's ear.

Vesper held tightly to the spiral line attached to the Cyclops's shoulder and pulled it with all his strength to throw himself upward again, while the Cyclops fell backward.

Due to the Cyclops's Light Beam attack and the enormous circular hole that was created, the Cyclops fell like a bridge connecting the Circle and the rest of the Plain, preventing it from falling into the hole twice its size with its own body while trembling in pain.

The teary eye of the Cyclops looked upward due to the front of its body facing the sky, and with this same eye, it saw the small figure that had caused so much pain to it very close to the clouds.

The small figure, Vesper, who had previously seemed like an insect, held his reinforced bow while loading a Spiral Arrow with an extremely powerful purple color, a purple that seemed to imitate space itself.

Vesper's spiral eyes stared at the Cyclops, which seemed to have understood what was happening. Unfathomable fury filled Vesper's eyes before he fired the arrow toward the Cyclops.

The arrow's release emitted a wave of Spiral Energy from the bow, propelling Vesper even higher, like a kind of recoil, making him very close to the clouds.

The arrow crossed the sky, leaving a purple trail behind like a comet, quickly approaching the Cyclops's eye, which desperately tried to get up but failed due to the ear injury, confusing its sense of balance and making it extremely dizzy.

The arrow hit the Cyclops's face, blinding it, making the last thing the Cyclops's vision captured the inversion of both: the Cyclops's and Vesper's roles.

The previous 'little ant,' which was nothing more than an insect to the monster, in the midst of the clouds, while the monster that could eclipse the sun with one of its jumps was sent hundreds of meters below the ground due to the impact of the arrow.

The Cyclops's screams of fury, anguish, and agony could be heard throughout the Plain as it fell due to the various things it witnessed and felt in the last few seconds, before a strong Spiral Energy began to distort everything as the Cyclops fell deep into the hole, destabilizing the Plain's structure.

The spiral generated by the arrow began to distort the Cyclops's head extremely quickly, tearing its teeth, destroying its cartilage, and completely crushing the Heart that was in place of the brain of this magical creature, while simultaneously dumping a massive amount of Earth and Stone on the Cyclops's body that hit the bottom of the huge hole.

Vesper, who was in the sky, starting to fall downward, watched everything with immense joy on his face, small tears streaming from his eyes due to finally completing this ordeal.

He stared at the completely collapsing circle burying the Cyclops and flashed a beautiful smile, a smile made of satisfaction and joy that he felt at this moment.

'I hope it falls deep enough to reach hell, you bastard Cyclops!' He declared with an extremely loud and cheerful voice, laughing in euphoria as he fell from the sky. At this moment, Vesper even forgot to speak in Wingdings.

[Stage 5 has been completed.]

[The {Destiny Theft} was used against the Cyclops.]

[A new ability has been acquired due to {Destiny Theft}.]

[A significant amount of stats has been gained.]

[A substantial amount of EXP has been gained.]

[Veserithorn's {Buffs} are being applied to your rewards.]

[One of the two missions has been completed, and rewards will be applied.]

END

-----

And finally, the Cyclops dies!

At first, I thought I made the Cyclops excessively strong, but after a kind of 'self-hypnosis' (lol), I convinced myself that it was within the required standards. It serves as a kind of 'mini-boss' for these Tests, separating the 'easy' and 'hard' categories, so he should indeed be astronomically powerful when compared to the challenges Vesper has faced so far.

Now, I have to carefully consider whether all the next 5 Stages (6, 7, 8, 9, and 10) should be equally difficult or more. This will probably depend on the amount of Rewards Vesper gains from the Cyclops and the future 'things' he does.

From Stage 5 onward, the stages will no longer be divided into 'Parts' as they were from Stages 1 to 4. This will streamline the Tests, preventing them from only ending around Chapter 30 (I wouldn't doubt they would end around that part—I had a lot of 'filler' prepared for that, but I decided to go against it and do something more decent).

...

I tried to improve my battle narrative with this Cyclops battle, and honestly, I liked the result. But this probably happened because I could imagine everything perfectly while narrating, so my opinion doesn't count (っ ͡ ͡º - ͡ ͡º ς)

...

I confess I was quite surprised by the sudden influx of comments, and I'm saying this in an extremely positive way.

I enjoyed researching the suggestions provided and considering them for the future of the work, thinking about how to fit them in, whether it would work well or not, and considering various other aspects.

It made me feel smart ˙ᵕ˙

...

I'll be back with Mr. G soon and start developing Vesper's personality and mindset more. These 30+ Deaths served to make him more astute and strategic, even though he still ignores some things and does others unnecessarily.

...

I'm repeating many things today, so I'll stop talking here. Just know that your suggestions are noted and duly considered, so don't think I discarded them because of the sentences that will follow!

1 - What Abilities, Passives, or Masteries should he gain when reaching the milestones of his stats, as he did with Energy in this chapter? (the milestones: 500/1000/1500/2000/2500)

2 - Suggestions for characters in the {Chat}, please? I am quite satisfied with those already suggested, but new suggestions are always welcome! (thus, I can have a wider range of choices/options)

3 - Ideas for the First World to visit? (exclude HQs or non-anime movies, lol)

Have a good day / Good afternoon / Good night!