Chapter 15: The Cyclops

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Afterward, he once again set out toward the middle section of the forest. Along the way, Qin Yuan occasionally chatted with the Dreamwhisper Grimoire. He had to admit, that spellbook was incredibly talkative. Most of the time, it was the book doing all the talking while Qin Yuan just listened.

He noticed something strange during the journey. They had barely encountered any monsters—not even lower-level beasts, let alone the third or fourth-tier creatures. This puzzled him, so he asked the Dreamwhisper Grimoire, but it was equally unsure.

On the bright side, they did find one or two types of alchemical herbs growing wild. However, these were all one-star herbs, of relatively low value—not comparable to magical materials.

An hour later, after continuous brisk walking, even Qin Yuan’s current physical condition began to feel the strain. He leaned against a tree trunk to rest, gazing at the increasingly dense jungle around him as he asked the grimoire, “How much further do we have?”

“About one-third of the way so far...” the Dreamwhisper Grimoire replied.

Qin Yuan calculated—it was already two in the afternoon. Considering the remaining distance and the return trip, estimated at six hours total, they wouldn’t get back until after eight. A bit late, but probably manageable.

After a brief rest, Qin Yuan prepared to continue when suddenly a tremor shook the ground violently. Was it an earthquake? No... that thought was quickly dismissed. The sound seemed to be coming from a specific direction, rapidly approaching their location.

Qin Yuan turned his head in confusion—and was rendered speechless by the sight before him.

A towering cyclops, over ten meters tall, with pale blue skin, appeared in his view. Its limbs were powerful, skin rough, with a massive scar across its head. It wore a giant pair of shorts woven from some unknown animal’s fur.

[Cyclops Dagan (Level 19): Adult of the cyclops clan, possessing immense strength, and capable of firing a terrifying freezing beam from its single eye.]

Level 19?! Each step the cyclops took caused the earth to quake.

Qin Yuan quickly curled behind the tree trunk, trying to remain silent and praying the giant had not noticed him. Against such a powerful monster, he knew he stood no chance.

Fortunately, the cyclops seemed oblivious to the nearby human. After a brief pause, it turned to leave.

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Qin Yuan sighed in relief.

“Wait!” The Dreamwhisper Grimoire suddenly spoke urgently inside his mind. “I know it!”

The book floated out, expanding to normal size, then shouted, “Dagan! Over here!”

The cyclops halted, rotating its massive one-meter-wide eye toward the source of the voice.

Nearby stood a human, alongside a strangely shaped owl that Qin Yuan had noticed but found unremarkable.

Now, the floating spellbook captured Dagan’s attention.

“What are you doing?” Qin Yuan asked, startled.

“This is a very friendly troll. I’ve known him since he was little. Perhaps he can give us a ride,” the grimoire said excitedly.

“Oh, I remember now... You’re that talkative spellbook,” Dagan said with a sudden look of recognition.

With giant feet over two meters wide, he strode over to Qin Yuan in just two steps, squatted down, and smiled warmly.

“Hey, old friend, long time no see. Where have you been all these years?”

“Annoying as ever...” the grimoire rolled its eyes, then continued with curiosity. “That old man left me in the bookstore and vanished somewhere. But you’ve grown quite a bit since I last saw you—then you were a little over two meters tall, now you’re huge. Come to think of it, about 160 years ago, you got injured that night, and it was me and the old man who got the healing potions for you...”

The grimoire rambled on about old memories. The cyclops, perhaps accustomed to this style, listened quietly with a silly smile, just as in the old days.

Still, being bombarded with nonstop chatter for several minutes would tire anyone’s ears.

After a while, he waved his hand, interrupting the endless monologue, and looked at the young man leaning against the tree.

“By the way, who is this human with you?”

“Cough, cough, I’m his follower now,” the grimoire quickly answered.

Then it suddenly remembered the main point: “We’re heading deeper into the forest. Can you take us part of the way?”

“Since you’re friends, you’re naturally mine too. Of course, no problem,” the cyclops agreed readily.

He then lowered his huge hands to the ground.

“Come to my hands.”

“That will save us a lot of time,” the grimoire said happily.

Qin Yuan swallowed nervously but nodded and stepped onto the giant palm. Feather, the owl, showed no fear and strutted on confidently.

“Hold on tight,” Dagan warned, then began walking deeper into the forest.

With each step came thunderous pounding, and nearby birds and beasts scattered in alarm.

Standing in the palm, Qin Yuan felt the scenery rushing past rapidly. Each stride covered several meters.

“No wonder we didn’t meet any monsters along the way...”

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Qin Yuan finally understood—they had all been scared off by Dagan’s presence.

Ignoring the fleeing wildlife, Dagan continued at a brisk pace.

Usually tense in the forest, Qin Yuan allowed himself rare moments of relaxation, leisurely surveying the vibrant forest scene ahead.

During their ensuing conversation, he found that although the cyclops looked fierce, his temperament was actually very gentle.

Of course, this might be partly because of his close friendship with the Dreamwhisper Grimoire, and the happiness of seeing an old companion.

Dagan mentioned that he would take them to his home soon for a chat.

Qin Yuan agreed, especially since having the cyclops’s help would save several hours of travel.

“By the way, what exactly is the underground area where the Fountain of Magic lies?” Qin Yuan asked. He recalled only a few mentions from the grimoire, who said it wasn’t too dangerous but didn’t know much else.

“That’s a dungeon, with the Fountain of Magic at its center. The old man cleared out the monsters,” the grimoire said leisurely, floating in midair.

“The environment is quite nice. The old man renovated it and even raised some wild animals there as a small outpost.”

“Dungeon?” Qin Yuan was familiar with the term from stories in the real world, usually meaning monsters and treasure.

“So, what exactly are these dungeons like?”

“You’ve asked the right question,” the grimoire began eagerly.

“The origin and exact nature of dungeons remain a mystery, but many patterns have been observed.”

“They can suddenly appear anywhere in the world. Typically, a previously empty place will suddenly reveal a ‘gate to the underground.’ Passing through leads to a whole new subterranean area.”

“From what humans have explored, each dungeon is unique and independent; no repeats have been found.”

“Inside, conditions vary greatly, but most monsters rarely exceed level ten.”

“Explorers often find treasure chests and sometimes natural wonders—like the Fountain of Magic. Others include the Trial Tower and the Maze of Lost.”

“Why such deliberate placement of treasure chests remains a mystery.”

“Of course, this is just the conventional explanation from the spellbook.” The grimoire chuckled. “The old man has explored many dungeons and discovered some unusual signs.”

At this point, its expression grew serious.

“He once found traces of the ‘Treasure Dragon,’ one of the Eight Great Dragons.”

“The Eight Great Dragons?” Qin Yuan had never heard the term before. “What is that?”

The grimoire patiently explained, undeterred by the basic question.

“The Soul Lord rules this land, and the Eight Great Dragons are his most powerful servants.”

“Soul Lord...” Qin Yuan murmured the familiar term.

He had encountered it before—several of his special items, including the owl whistle, were described as made by the ‘Soul Lord.’

Perhaps a highly ranked individual.

In a world suffused with magic, the existence of ‘deities’ was not impossible.

“The old man’s findings suggest that the formation of dungeons may be related to the Soul Lord,” the grimoire said.

Indeed, both the name and the nature of the entity resembled common descriptions from the real world. Could there be a connection... Qin Yuan pondered silently.