Chapter 17: Hidden Temple? Unexpected Treasury {2}

Chapter 17: Hidden Temple? Unexpected Treasury {2} The gap between Rank C and the lower ranks—G, F, even E—was vast, like the distance Between it Survival wasn’t just unlikely it was impossible without a miracle. The moment the Cyclops rose from the lake, towering like a building, its sheer presence crushed any illusion of safety. Panic clawed at my spine. We instinctively tried to retreat, only to find ourselves trapped—an invisible barrier sealed the area, caging us in. Clara immediately unsheathed her blade, her golden eyes focused, determined. Althea, floating above the battlefield, began casting something powerful—something immense. Her hands glowed with divine blue energy as she locked her gaze onto the monster. "Cover me," she commanded, her voice calm but strained. "I need at least one hour." My eye twitched. One hour? Was she serious? Still, I clenched my jaw and nodded. That hour could mean the difference between life and death. I needed a plan—fast. My thoughts raced like lightning, processing everything I knew about the Cyclops. Its weak points were obvious: the eye and the hearts. But the problem? It didn’t just have one heart—it had eight, buried within its muscular abs. To make things worse, it could regenerate unless all of them were destroyed quickly. "Clara!" I shouted over the chaos. "Each of its abs holds a heart. Hit them! I’ll distract the eye!" Clara didn’t respond, but the way her body tensed told me she understood. The Cyclops roared, slamming its massive fist toward her. Its speed was terrifying—easily E+—but Clara’s instincts were sharp. She leapt just in time, narrowly avoiding the blow. The branch she had been standing on shattered like dry twigs. Her breathing was ragged as she bounced between branches, staying barely out of reach. I could see the pale worry in her features, but she held on. Meanwhile, I began crafting weapons—starting with basic G+ and trying to edge toward F-. The Cyclops’s massive eye made for an easy target. I hurled the crude blade, and it hit. It didn’t blind the creature, but the attack irritated it. The eye, a critical sensory organ, wasn’t armored like the rest of its body. I needed to keep focusing my attacks there. The Cyclops grunted, swinging blindly in my direction. It still hadn’t realized where I was—it had terrible perception. Typical of its kind. Clara focused herself, her sword dancing in a fluid blur. Beautiful, calculated slashes rained down on the monster’s torso. Sparks flew, shallow cuts forming across its thick hide. She was like a shadow—nimble, unpredictable—but her strikes barely left a mark. The Cyclops didn’t seem to care. It lumbered forward with mindless rage. It didn’t even bleed. That was both a blessing and a curse—at least it wasn’t retaliating in full. We kept it distracted long enough for a plan to work—until the Cyclops suddenly stopped moving. Confused, I paused. Why had it stopped? A horrible memory surged from my past life. My eyes widened in terror. "Cover your ears!" I screamed. "Get away from it!" But Clara didn’t move in time. A bone-shaking roar erupted from the beast’s single eye. It wasn’t a sound—it was a weapon. The shockwave tore through the air like a sonic blade. Clara froze, paralyzed mid-motion. Blood leaked from her ears. My brain felt like it was being scrambled inside my skull. My ears rang. My nose bled. Even my vision blurred as pain exploded in my head. Still, I bit down hard and ran. I had to save her. I tackled Clara just before the Cyclops’s massive fist crushed the tree behind her. The shockwave sent me flying. One of my arms was ripped apart by debris. I collapsed beside her, vision darkening. The pain was unbearable. Clara knelt beside me, panic breaking through her usual stoic mask. She bit her lip, shaking, her golden eyes wide with fear. Althea, saw everything. She had said she needed an hour, but now she couldn’t wait. She cut her spell short, her body glowing in radiant frost. Her icy Blue hair turned translucent blue. Divine symbols shimmered across her skin. "Get back!" she called out, her voice sharper than ice. The air dropped in temperature instantly. An arctic vortex formed above her, swirling with biting winds and spears of glacial energy. A massive icy tornado ripped through the battlefield, consuming the Cyclops in its wrath. The beast bellowed, each part of its grotesque body being torn apart by the divine storm. Its hearts froze, then shattered. Its eye popped like a balloon. Althea’s power was simply astonishing as it make a Tornado it was big enough too even Devour the Cyclops. And then... silence. The Cyclops was no more. Its remains littered the battlefield like shattered obsidian. But Althea fell to her knees, coughing blood. Clara caught me first, supporting my half-unconscious body, then rushed to Althea’s side. She held us both as Althea and me drifted into unconsciousness. Just as the barrier that caged us disappeared, a soft glow lit up the lake. There, beneath the water’s surface, a structure revealed itself—a temple, ancient and silent, pulsing with arcane light. It wasn’t just any temple. First Clara put out two unconscious body Healing it with some Healing Potion she had also drinking one. She already Ready a Potion and she thanked herself for it since she really didn’t know that this will be this Dangerous. She watched slowly as Reo Arm slowly regenerate and while Althea She gave her a different one. As her extremely pale face become more better Then she looked at The Temple in the Water. But the water is Gone and The Temple is the only thing remained.