1. Omen Before the Battle: The Feeling of Being Watched
[Day 16 — 6:00 PM]
Ever since his health had crossed the 200 mark, Link hadn't truly relaxed.
It wasn't fear.
It was something else.
Something… deeper.
He was being noticed.
Not seen.
Not heard.
But acknowledged.
The back of his neck tingled constantly, as if something invisible had already marked him.
As if any sudden movement—
any careless sound—
would confirm his position.
He stood in the center of the settlement.
Not moving.
Just checking.
Again.
And again.
Potions. Grenades. Weapon balance. Armor fit.
Everything.
No mistakes.
Because he understood something very clearly:
This wasn't a battle that might happen.
This was a hunt that had already begun.
The sun dipped below the horizon.
But night didn't come.
Instead, the sky turned a suffocating shade of dark violet.
Like something beneath it was bleeding through.
He summoned the [Wiki · Bestiary].
The text appeared.
But it didn't feel like information anymore.
It felt… aware.
[Eye of Cthulhu]
Type: Fragment of Ancient Divinity
Description: It does not attack. It observes.
Warning: The moment it sees you, you are already chosen.
Link stared at the final line.
Then he scoffed.
"Judging me?"
He uncorked both potions and drank them in one motion.
The Iron Skin potion burned like metal scraping his throat.
The Swiftness potion spread like ice through his veins.
His muscles tightened.
His nerves sharpened.
"Then come."
2. The Town Reacts: Instinctive Fear
[8:30 PM]
The first to react wasn't Link.
It was the others.
Molly, the nurse, flung open her window.
Her hands were trembling.
Not from panic—
from instinct.
"Link—!"
"There's something up there… something watching us!"
Alfred, the merchant, ducked behind his counter.
"The air's wrong—this isn't decay—"
"It's… something that shouldn't still be alive!"
Even the Guide fell silent.
He looked up—
then took a step back.
Link didn't respond.
He simply lowered his visor.
Click.
The world dimmed.
Sound narrowed.
A system message appeared:
"You feel an evil presence watching you…"
"I know."
3. Phase One: Aerial Engagement
"—BOOM!!!"
The sky didn't open.
It shattered.
A massive crimson eye forced its way through the裂缝, pushing into reality as if the world itself resisted its presence.
Then—
it dropped.
The air compressed violently.
The shockwave slammed into Link like a blade.
Grass tore upward.
Dust exploded outward.
"Too fast!"
He reacted on instinct.
The Magic Carpet deployed.
His body twisted midair—
sharp angle—
barely avoiding the charge.
"WHOOSH—!"
The Eye tore past his shoulder.
The wind pressure screeched against his armor.
And in that instant—
he smelled it.
Blood.
Not fresh.
Rotten.
Preserved.
Like something that had refused to die.
He didn't hesitate.
Boomerang out.
Blue light cut through the air.
"SHK!"
Direct hit.
Right through the pupil.
Purple-black fluid burst outward.
Thick.
Warm.
Wrong.
The Eye didn't scream.
It simply—
contracted.
Then it locked onto him again.
Link's breathing slowed.
"…It's not attacking."
"…It's recording me."
"…Learning."
4. Transition: Structural Collapse
It stopped moving.
Hovering.
Perfectly still.
That had never happened before.
Link frowned.
Something was off.
The Eye began to shrink inward.
Not blinking.
Not reacting.
Its entire structure—
was collapsing inward.
Veins bulged.
Twisted.
Something inside was moving.
"Thump."
"Thump."
"Thump."
A pulse.
Not a sound.
A vibration.
Like a heart.
Link stepped back.
"…HP threshold."
"Crack."
A tiny sound.
The pupil—
split open.
Not opened.
Not transformed.
Torn apart.
Black fluid seeped out.
Flesh peeled back.
Link saw what was inside.
Not an eye.
Teeth.
"…So that's what you are."
The outer layer tore completely apart.
It wasn't an eye anymore.
It was a mouth.
The air exploded.
It vanished.
Not invisible.
Too fast to see.
"Phase two—!"
5. First Triple Charge: Real Damage
First charge—
grazed him.
The wind nearly knocked him off balance.
Second charge—
he forced a lateral glide.
A stone wall behind him shattered.
Debris rained down.
Third charge—
straight at him.
He tried to throw a grenade.
Calculated.
Released.
Missed.
Wind shift.
Speed misjudgment.
3D distance error.
Too late.
The mouth hit.
Not a graze.
A tear.
Teeth ripped across his left shoulder and side.
His pauldron shattered instantly.
Flesh split open.
"—Ghk!!"
He was launched backward.
Smashed into a wooden wall.
First damage:
HP: 220 → 176
Then impact hit his chest.
Like being crushed by a battering ram.
Air knocked out.
Left arm numb.
Secondary impact damage:
HP: 176 → 145
He dropped to one knee.
Blood dripping steadily.
Breathing unstable.
"…Not a collision…"
He gritted his teeth.
"…A bite."
6. Second Triple Charge: The Counter
It smelled blood.
Immediately attacked again.
Link steadied himself.
No retreat.
First charge—jump.
Second—midair glide.
The house behind him collapsed completely.
Third—
straight line.
The mouth opened wide.
The stench hit like poison.
Link stepped forward.
Not away.
Forward.
"COME ON!!"
Two grenades—
jammed directly into its mouth.
He rolled back instantly.
"BOOM!!!"
The explosion tore through internal tissue.
Teeth shattered.
Flesh burst outward.
Dark fluid rained down.
HP: 1130 → 870
Not dead.
But unstable.
Link breathed hard.
Eyes locked.
"…Good enough."
7. Final Strike
The Eye went berserk.
Faster.
More aggressive.
But—
uncontrolled.
Link didn't move.
He watched.
"It's off-balance."
It charged again.
He stepped—
just one step.
Barely avoided the path.
And struck.
Everything he had—
into one motion.
Upward slash.
"—CUT!!"
The blade drove straight into the torn opening from the explosion.
Through.
Split.
The Eye froze.
Then—
exploded.
Fragments rained down.
The sky cleared.
8. Aftermath
Link stood there.
Not moving.
His hand trembled.
He looked down at the blood.
Then laughed.
Soft.
"…That was close."
Dawn began to break.
He survived.
Not because he was lucky.
Because he endured.
9. Reward: Shield of Cthulhu
A drop.
At his feet.
[Shield of Cthulhu]
Defense +2Dash abilityImpact damage + brief invincibility
He equipped it.
Stepped—
"BAM!"
A burst of motion.
"…Nice."
10. Result
Loot obtained:
Demonite Ore ×70CoinsShield