Chapter 5
Hmm… I’m bored.
Is this what life as an octopus is like?
All I can do is swim around the ocean while making strange sounds.
I thought about going up onto land, but I’m still too embarrassed to do that.
No matter how you look at it, a walking octopus is a bit grotesque, isn’t it?
Instead, I’ve been practicing controlling my body a little more these days.
Originally, this body was so huge that it was difficult to reduce it to this size.
But I feel like I could transform my body into any shape I want if I put my mind to it.
If I had to guess, the secret lies in the space within my lower mouth.
The space where I had stored that woman.
It seemed that the space inside was incomprehensibly vast and empty.
In other words, there’s a twisted space within me.
And if I have such a space inside me, I should be able to manipulate my size and shape as I please, right?
I don’t really understand the principles behind this body.
But does it really matter?
The important thing is that I’m just an incredibly cool and awesome being.
I know I’m not a normal creature.
How else could a human turn into an octopus overnight and stay calm?
But somehow, I could.
I no longer had emotional highs or lows like when I was a human, and I didn’t panic or worry in any situation.
Was it because I’m an octopus now? Do octopuses have no worries or emotions?
Whatever the case, being an octopus didn’t make me feel any misery as a human would.
I’m not sure why, but that’s just how it is.
I have no complaints or satisfaction.
Perhaps my intelligence and way of thinking have changed, but so what?
I’m just a worry-free octopus now, and I feel nothing about it.
Anyway, I’ve been practicing molding my body into the shape of a human.
Even if I don’t worry, I still get bored.
To make new friends, it would be better to look like a human rather than an octopus.
I turned my tentacles into arms and tried shaping my body to be around 180cm tall.
I even tried sculpting a handsome face…
But it’s not an easy task.
I was never good at drawing or sculpting since I was a kid.
Creating a detailed human shape was proving to be difficult.
But I’ll get there if I keep practicing.
So recently, I’ve been gurgling and practicing my body transformations.
Gurgle… Gurgle…
In the distance, I spotted an island.
A tiny island floating in the vast ocean.
With a beach and some trees, it looked like a small ecosystem had formed there.
But it didn’t seem like anyone lived there.
It was probably an uninhabited island.
Great! Maybe I can practice walking there.
If I want to live as a human, I need to get used to moving on land.
It’s been so long since I became an octopus that I don’t even remember how to walk properly.
Swish—
I rode the waves and reached the beach.
I spread one of my legs wide, using it as a board, and it felt like surfing.
As soon as I reached the beach, sticky sand clung all over my tentacles.
“…!”
Wait. I thought this was an uninhabited island, but someone is here.
No… It didn’t seem like a person.
They had purple skin, horns on their head, and bat-like wings on their back.
They looked like a demon straight out of a storybook.
Their form was almost human, with just a few distinct features.
Behind them was a large hole in mid-air, like a gate you’d see in a video game.
From that gate, demons kept pouring out.
And one by one, they all froze when they saw me.
“What are you all doing…?!”
And then, a huge demon appeared last.
He stood well over two meters tall and wielded a massive club.
It seemed like he was the leader.
Is this… an opportunity to make friends?
Receiving so much attention was embarrassing, but I decided to muster up the courage and try.
“Qyu-?”
I lifted one of my legs to my face and unleashed a super cute octopus charm attack.
Even I found it so adorable that I wanted to befriend myself on the spot.
“Guh-heok—”
Oops. It looks like my overwhelming cuteness caused someone to cough up blood.
That’s a common reaction when someone sees something unbearably cute.
The demons in the front row started spitting blood and collapsing.
I guess I need to restrain myself a little if I don’t want to lose potential friends.
“Kuhaaak…! Commander…!”
“Why is such a being in the Middle Realm… Everyone, attack it…!”
What? Attack?
Following the order of the largest demon, the demons all charged at me.
Were these guys the bad ones after all?
I thought we could become friends…
Are they demons who came to invade Earth?
If that’s the case, I have no choice.
I must fight to protect humanity as the righteous octopus!
…But I’m just a cute and weak octopus. How am I supposed to fight?
All I have is my cute appearance and my wobbly legs.
But those worries proved unnecessary.
As the demons attacked me, a transparent barrier formed around me for some reason.
The demons that bounced off the barrier exploded on impact.
Pop-pop-pop-pop-pop—
“What is this…?”
The demon called the Commander looked flustered.
I realized that each time the barrier activated, some sort of energy within me reacted.
Could it be that I am actually a terrifyingly powerful octopus?
It felt like some kind of magical force.
While I didn’t logically understand how to use this power, I knew instinctively how to wield it.
Just as a human can move their arms simply by thinking about it, without having to control each joint individually…
This power felt like it was a part of my body.
“Qyu~!”
Here I go! Octopus Punch—!
————————!
Everything in a straight line ahead of me disappeared.
It felt like the space itself had been crushed.
The demon commander was reduced to nothing but a pair of feet, while the rest of his body scattered into purple dust.
Oops. I accidentally obliterated the entire island.
It was a beautiful island too… What a shame.
Hmm? But something was still intact even within the obliterated space.
It was the gate that the demons had arrived through. It remained open, still connected to somewhere else.
I couldn’t see what lay beyond the gate.
There was just a flickering blue plasma.
I tried to insert my body into it, but the gate was far too small for me.
Regrettably, I’d have to leave the gate alone.
I guess I’ll have to find a new island.
After using my power, I felt a bit more accustomed to this body.
If I keep this up, I might even be able to transform into a human form one day.
Though it’s still very challenging, I now felt confident that I could do it someday.
Feeling good, I dove back into the sea and started swimming.
Time to find new friends…
***
“Long time no see, everyone.”
“Leon, so you’ve been in the Eastern Continent.”
The Eastern Continent’s port.
The Eastern Continent’s hero party was already there, waiting for Lancelot’s group.
“We were on our way to the Western Continent as scheduled, but… we had to turn back midway. It seems like Lancelot had a similar experience.”
“…So you did.”
“If it weren’t for Kanon, we might not have made it. Kanon turned the ship around immediately, and we barely survived. But some of us…”
The Eastern Continent’s hero, Leon, and his party seemed to have experienced the same being as well.
Some of Leon’s comrades were missing, and the ones who survived weren’t in the best state. Still, they seemed better off than Lancelot’s party.
“Let’s save talking about it for later. I already feel like I’m going to lose my mind.”
“Agreed. By the way, isn’t that Princess Hestia of the Osgan Kingdom?”
“Yes! It’s been a while, Leon.”
Hestia and Leon were acquaintances.
Lancelot quickly gave Leon a brief explanation of Hestia’s situation.
“…I see. Princess Hestia, could you stay with us a bit longer? I think we need to hear more.”
“Of course. I’m willing to help as much as I can, considering you all saved me. I just need to contact the kingdom first.”
“Understood. Coincidentally, we’ve already received contact from the Empire in the Western Continent. Let’s go together.”
Lancelot’s party followed Leon’s group to the headquarters of the Eastern Continent’s Allied Kingdoms.
Unlike the Western Continent, where the Empire was the dominant force, the Eastern Continent was governed by a coalition of kingdoms.
“Lancelot. I’m glad you’re safe.”
Upon reaching the headquarters, Lancelot and his group contacted the Western Continent through a crystal communication orb.
Lancelot briefly explained the situation to the Emperor.
“The truth is, we’ve received similar reports in the Western Continent as well.”
“…What? Are you saying that being has already reached the Western Continent?”
“That doesn’t seem to be the case. But we’ve had reports of people displaying similar symptoms of mental instability. It occurred in a small coastal town, and people suddenly began showing signs of mental disturbance. It’s an even stranger case since there was no clear warning.”
“Hmm…”
A mysterious incident in the Western Continent as well.
Lancelot was convinced it was related to the being.
“For the time being, I suggest staying in the Eastern Continent a while longer.”
“Understood. I’ll contact you again soon.”
After sharing the situation and information, Lancelot ended the call with the Emperor.
“A foe we can’t even think about facing… It’s hopeless.”
“Do you think it’s unrelated to the demons? I didn’t sense any demonic energy.”
“Yes. It seems like it’s a different entity.”
Leon and Lancelot sighed, feeling helpless.
Dealing with demons alone was already overwhelming, but now an unknown entity had appeared.
“Lancelot! It’s been a while, so let’s have a drink!”
The party members and Hestia had laid out food and drinks and were holding a banquet.
It looked like Leon’s party’s navigator, Kanon, was behind it.
Every time the two parties met, it was always Kanon who led the drinking.
“You haven’t changed, Kanon. It seems like you’re the only one in your party who looks fine. I guess it doesn’t affect idiots?”
“What are you talking about! I almost died too. It was thanks to Lena quickly casting the perception-blocking spell that I survived. Steering the ship blind and deaf was hell. If it weren’t for me, we would have capsized long ago.”
Despite his carefree demeanour, he was the best navigator and helmsman.
It was largely due to his excellent navigation skills that Leon’s party suffered less damage.
Lancelot and Leon soon got into the spirit as well.
Perhaps they also wanted to forget for a moment.
The memories were so horrific that even thinking about them was agonizing.
Just as the atmosphere reached its peak, Kanon brought up a particular topic.
“Come to think of it, Princess, you said that being looked like an octopus?”
“Yes. It wasn’t exactly an octopus, but if I had to describe it, it was close to one.”
“Hmm… Then something comes to mind.”
The only information they had was Hestia’s memory.
For some reason, she remained unaffected by recalling that being.
“What’s on your mind, Kanon?”
“Kr-krhm… Yaa-r’lyehu! Yaa-r’lyehu! Cthulhu fhtagn-”
“…?”
Kanon cleared his throat and began chanting something bizarre.
It sounded more like an incantation than a song.
Taken aback by Kanon’s sudden behaviour, the party members stared at him with strange expressions.
“Hahahaha! Don’t be so surprised. There’s a deep meaning behind this.”
“Stop with the scary jokes, Kanon. We’re all still on edge.”
“It’s not a joke. I heard this while drifting around the seas in my pirate days. It’s a chant I heard on an island. To be honest, it’s more like the song of some primitive tribe.”
“A chant?”
Kanon began recounting his past, before he became a member of the hero party, back when he was still a pirate.
“Far to the south of the Eastern Continent. There’s an island that’s quite distant even from the mainland. The tribe on that island had its own unique beliefs. When we first docked there, we were taken aback. Not only did they speak a different language, but their culture was also very grotesque.”
Recalling that time seemed to unsettle Kanon, and he shivered.
“That tribe worshipped a grotesque creature. If I had to describe it, it looked like an octopus monster with countless tentacles. There were statues of the hideous creature all over the island, and there were drawings of it everywhere. They also forbade eating octopus, considering it taboo.”
“…An octopus monster, similar to what the princess described.”
“Exactly. As soon as I heard the princess’s story, I immediately thought of that tribe. Anyway, the tribe was completely deranged. They worshipped that octopus monster like crazed fanatics. And the song they sang when offering sacrifices to it was this.”
-Yaa-r’lyehu! Yaa-r’lyehu! Cthulhu fhtagn-
Kanon recited the eerie chant once more.
“Well, the chant was just a bonus. Their rituals were so grotesque that it stuck in my mind, so I remembered it.”
“So, you’re saying that the octopus deity worshipped by that tribe is related to this incident?”
“Isn’t that what it seems like—at least to me? What the princess described matches up with a lot of what that tribe revered about their octopus god. I’m sure the name of that octopus god was…”
— Cthulhu
“Yes. That was its name.”
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