Chapter Three: The Monster Arrives

“Grandpa!” From afar, Tetsuya spotted the firelight near the village and shouted at the top of his lungs, his voice echoing through the mountains, carrying far and wide. It didn’t take long before a group of young men searching nearby found him and brought him back to the village. Confronted by the village chief—his grandfather—leaning on his cane and wearing a face full of anger, Tetsuya could only force a sheepish smile in resignation.

“You little rascal, where on earth did you run off to? Didn’t you realize how dangerous it was?”

Naturally, Tetsuya couldn’t possibly explain everything that had happened. He could only scratch his head and laugh foolishly, but fortunately, his grandfather didn’t press the issue. After scolding him a few times, he turned to thank the villagers who had helped with the search, and then led Tetsuya back home.

The days passed at a gentle, unhurried pace, but Tetsuya felt a growing restlessness. Every day, he would stand at the village’s edge, gazing into the mountains toward a particular direction—the place the Followers had spoken of, their base. There, others his own age were likely still imprisoned, being remade as living weapons. The thought made Tetsuya’s heart burn with anxiety. He couldn’t shake the sense of responsibility he bore—the duty that belonged to the chosen one of Light.

Yet he dared not rush in recklessly. He was still far too weak; even with the resonance of Light, he would be nothing more than a tiny ant, easily crushed by a monster’s foot. The beings the Followers worshipped were powerful and evil, self-proclaimed “Elder Gods.” Would such creatures not leave a few monsters to guard their stronghold?

That was almost a given...

The weight of responsibility was crushing, far beyond what his small body could bear.

Tetsuya looked at the gemstone in his hand, shimmering blue beneath the sunlight—a beauty that seemed to pulse with life itself. He could feel the boundless energy within, but it was a violent, chaotic power, surging with rage.

The Relic of Light—the radiance that should have returned to the giants at their death, now sealed away by some evil art. It harbored the giants’ power; those agents sought to fuse the stone with brainwashed children, granting them the potential to become “Dark Gods.” But the process rarely succeeded. Even when it did, the energy within the stone would overwhelm and destroy the child’s mind, leaving behind only a bloodthirsty, frenzied shell.

According to the system’s answer, this thing could indeed enable Tetsuya to transform...

But he didn’t dare use it.

During his time in the Tiga world, he’d seen enough of the rage and madness of the Dark Giants. If he used this stone to transform, he would become just like them. And if the Followers were so confident in fusing the stone with children, perhaps they had a way to control the resulting monster.

If he went now, he would only be walking into a trap.

Most troubling of all, there was still a second, darker personality lurking within Tetsuya. He couldn’t be sure that, if he transformed this way, he wouldn’t lose control of his body altogether.

Lying on the grass, sunlight warming his face, Tetsuya felt a breeze brush over his back. He looked over his shoulder; the village was as peaceful as ever—a small, humble place, yet full of warmth, the home he had known for years. He yawned, eyelids heavy, drifting toward sleep.

But as Tetsuya was about to sink into dreams, a commotion broke out in the village. Several young men, anxious and in disarray, ran through the streets. Blood stained their chests, and they shouted as they ran:

“A monster! A monster!”

“The monster is here!”

Panic erupted throughout the village. People poured from their homes, faces pale with terror. The village chief stopped the group, forcing himself to sound calm. “A monster? Where is the monster?”

“Behind us... behind...” One of the men pointed frantically over his shoulder, barely able to speak.

The chief scanned the area, then said sternly, “There’s nothing back there. What are you shouting about?”

By now, the villagers had gathered, and after the initial panic, they realized there was no tremor in the earth, no gigantic, ferocious beast looming in the distance. Their fear began to subside—after all, they were used to dealing with monsters. Even though the terror was real, in the absence of danger, they recovered quickly. In a big city of the Tiga world, such a rumor would have caused chaos and trampling, even without an actual monster.

“N-no... nothing?” One of the men glanced back, the fear still etched on his face, blood spattered across his cheeks and chest as evidence of what he’d endured.

From the direction they’d fled, there was no sign of any monster.

“That’s impossible!” he shouted, waving his arms wildly. “I saw it! I know I saw it!”

The chief waved a dismissive hand. “What happened to you? Why are you so panicked? Did you see wrong?”

“I... I...” Under the gaze of the crowd, the man stammered, unable to speak.

By now, Tetsuya had been roused by the commotion. He looked toward the center of the village, where a crowd was gathering, deep in discussion. And then he saw it—

Just outside the group, in the open square, the ground began to bulge and heave, earth and stones rolling as if something tunneled beneath the surface. Finally, whatever it was dove deeper, surging toward the spot where the people stood. Without a second thought, Tetsuya leapt up and sprinted toward the village, shouting as loud as he could:

“Grandpa! Get out of there!”

“Everyone—run! There’s a monster!”

Hearing Tetsuya’s cries, the village chief turned, puzzled, and saw Tetsuya racing down the hillside. His face was a mask of panic, his voice hoarse with warning.

“Could there really be a monster?”

Before he could finish the thought, a muffled boom sounded from beneath the villagers’ feet—the ground collapsed, and a long tentacle burst out from below. With a single, tremendous sweep, it hurled people into the air. Blood and severed limbs scattered, and someone’s body was torn to shreds by the monstrous force.

Screams erupted.

“A monster! A monster!”

Panic overtook the villagers; like headless flies, they scattered in all directions, powerless to resist. To the monster, they were nothing more than snacks, helpless prey to be devoured.

But no matter how they ran, no one was faster than those tentacles. The long, sinuous limbs seemed endless, snaking hungrily after the fleeing people.

Crash.

As Tetsuya charged down the slope, nearly within reach of the village, he suddenly slammed into something invisible. The impact made his head spin, sending him sprawling to the ground. He reached out, feeling the air before him, and a cold certainty washed over him.

A barrier. An invisible wall blocked his path, preventing him from entering. Tetsuya’s face went ashen. He realized now: the barrier must be bowl-shaped, covering the entire village. Those outside could not enter, and those within could not escape.

“Damn it! Damn it!”

Tetsuya pounded the barrier in a frenzy, but only shimmering ripples spread where his fists struck. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t break through.

“Resonance of Light!”

He pressed his palm to the barrier, channeling a thread of light into it. Energy pulsed from his hand, the surface shivering with heat as waves radiated outward.

But... it was useless!

The village was small, yet the crowd was dense. While one group of villagers was pursued by the monster, the chief and another group had reached the edge of the village—no more than fifty meters from where Tetsuya stood. But they, too, encountered the invisible wall, unable to go any further.

Desperately, the villagers battered the unseen barrier: fists, feet, shoulders, even their heads—all to no avail.

As Tetsuya watched, his heart near to breaking, he saw another massive tentacle sweep toward the crowd. With human bodies so fragile, one blow would crush them to pulp.