My Alter Ego’s Path to Greatness Chapter 102

#102

Northern Mountains (3)

My heart beats excessively and my senses become infinitely sharper.

A piercing pain gnaws at my nerves, and I feel irritated for no reason.

-I feel annoyed and uncomfortable. I want to destroy it. Should I get rid of it? Okay, let’s kill it!

An auditory hallucination-like sound spread in my head, trying to force me to take action.

And that too in a violent direction.

That sudden madness was something that was happening inside Harley in real time. It was a situation

that was bound to be confusing to anyone who went through it, but…

‘I don’t think I need to worry much about this, right?’

Of course, it wasn’t a big problem for him who had the “Mind Hub”.

Harley got a little sick, and it wasn’t something that happened yesterday or today.

He ignored the abnormalities affecting his mind and carefully observed the changes in his body.

It wasn’t just that my heart was beating faster and blood flow was faster.

An energy of ‘madness’ that could not be accurately identified was swirling through the body, further activating all physical abilities, including muscles and senses.

Yeah, it’s like…

‘Just like these orcs now.’

Tougher skin, swollen muscles, and more sensitive reflexes.

The downside is that one loses one’s reason and rushes blindly following one’s instincts.

‘Of course, it doesn’t seem to have that much of an effect on me.’

The amount of madness that had entered his body was too small to further strengthen his monstrous body.

In order to experience meaningful strengthening effects, you would have to accept dozens of times more madness than this.

‘But maybe it’s because I accepted it all at once with the magic stone. I couldn’t really feel it before, but now I can clearly feel the madness spreading everywhere.’

It spread everywhere, accumulating in his body little by little with each breath, gradually increasing the size of the madness that had already entered his body.

However, Harley, who was moving her body diligently while organizing her thoughts, was able to notice one difference as she looked at the few remaining orcs.

‘The amount of madness that goes into monsters through breathing is different, right?’

Thanks to his performance, the fight against the orcs was slowly coming to an end, so he relaxed his body and took a closer look.

‘…Monsters have the highest absorption rate, and then I’m the last one.’

Perhaps this difference was the cause of the monster madness and the reason why Harley felt strange all this time.

‘Are monsters and madness a good match? ‘It could be that they are targeting things like wildness and instinct.’

In fact, it would be easier for him to manifest madness than for someone with strong reason.

In order to get more detailed information, I had to take the risk of accumulating more madness than I already had, but…

‘It’s no problem for me. Should I try to do as much as I can?’

It didn’t matter to Harley, a barbarian warrior from an experimental subject.

“Cruck…”

He flutters—

“…It’s over. “Originally, the orcs had a strong fighting spirit, but it was never at this level.”

When the last orc was defeated and the battle was over, the wizard Fabiella, who was maintaining the veil of shielding, let out a short lament.

“They’re already good at fighting, so it’s difficult to deal with them, but now they don’t even flinch from a decent blow… Honestly, if it wasn’t for Harley, I would have given up and gone down a long time ago.”

Guide Marcus, who was fighting in the rear to protect the wizards and archers, received those words and hurriedly started cleaning up after himself.

Use the provided cleaning tool to remove blood stains from your body and equipment and apply juice to remove the odor.

Right now, thanks to the veil of shielding maintained by the wizard, noise and blood scent are not leaking out, but as soon as that is removed, monsters will start flocking from all directions again.

“Ohh? “Is Marcus of the world just this scared of the orcs?”

“Whoa… Mikel. “I think you’re forgetting something important.”

When Mikel, who was retrieving a reusable bolt and wiping away the blood stains, provoked her, Marcus quietly spoke as if scolding her.

“This is the northern mountain range, also known as the home of monsters, and it has only been a day since we arrived here, and our destination is deep enough that we have to go for several more days.”

Additionally, it was common knowledge that the deeper you go, the higher the density of monsters becomes, and stronger ones emerge.

Even magic tools that kill enemies have their limits, so it is as obvious as seeing fire that things will become more difficult in the future.

Mikel seemed to have nothing to say about that, so he just pouted.

As everyone was a veteran, cleaning up was done quickly.

“Utcha.”

Harley tapped his shoulder with a shovel as he climbed out of the burial pit he had dug while the group went about other things.

Originally, the group was trying to leave the place as quickly as possible before the smell of blood spread far.

Burying each monster’s body one by one was too inefficient.

But things changed when Harley demonstrated that he could dig a large hole in just a few minutes with his overwhelming physical ability.

Of course, that method wasn’t as perfect as the orcs who had just chased them, but if it hadn’t been that way, they would have had to face a lot more monsters.

Finally, with the corpse of the orc that swordsman Flora had thrown into the pit, Harley used his tremendous strength to instantly cover it with a pile of dirt.

“…I hear it’s amazing every time I see it. How do you do that so casually every time? “Aren’t you tired?”

‘It’s good timing.’

Harley, who had completed the task in an instant while receiving admiring glances from the group, disassembled the shovel and packed it away, and casually told the group what he had been thinking about.

“Oh, about that. I’m starting to lose energy! “Can I receive my share of magic stones first?”

“hmm? “What does that have to do with magic stones?”

“Hahaha—! It’s our tribe’s esoteric magic. “I eat magic stones to absorb the energy contained in them, but as you can see from my body, I can’t handle it with just a regular meal!”

“Ah…”

The group nodded vaguely at Harley’s words, picking up whatever they could, but of course not everyone was like that.

“Eating magic stones? “Savages like that… Ouch!”

puck!

Mikel said as if he was dumbfounded, but then he was stabbed in the side by Flora who was next to him and glared at her.

However, when Flora faced her rather confidently and frowned, Mikel sighed softly and muttered what he had been trying to say.

“…I’ve never heard of southerners eating magic stones…”

‘Even if they’re barbarians, I don’t really care.’

But he probably thought that was because he wasn’t a real Southerner, so he didn’t say anything to them.

As Harley’s importance in the party grew, the feeling of being considered for even the smallest details didn’t feel so bad.

“If that’s the case, it doesn’t matter. When I go back again, I will try to receive some additional compensation for necessary expenses.”

“Oh, the knight is really big!”

After receiving everyone’s consent, time passed and a campsite with great care was set up.

‘what?’

Harley’s expression changed mysteriously as she looked at the magic stone she had recovered.

Of course, I thought the monster’s magic stone would contain a lot of madness, but the amount contained there was something strange.

It’s not like it doesn’t exist at all. No….

“…Can I give my portion mainly to those I recently caught?”

“hmm? It doesn’t matter. But is there any special reason?”

“ah! Of course, the fresher ones taste better and are more effective! Hahaha!”

The overall amount of madness had been greatly reduced compared to what he had first felt in the orc magic stone.

Even to the point where there was almost nothing left in some magic stones.

‘…When the host dies and its utility value disappears, does it disperse back into the air?’

And it will later enter the body of another monster and become the seed that gives birth to new madness.

“Then we can do it like this.”

As soon as the distribution was over, he grabbed a handful of magic stones without hesitation and brought them to his mouth.

Crackle, crack, crack—!

“Uh… I…!”

Harley ignores everyone’s absurd looks and diligently chews the magic stone using “Ghost Eater.”

The energy that had diminished began to build up again….

Excited!

The buds of madness in his body began to grow like weeds in the rain.

***

A gloomy ghostly energy in a creepy space that seems to freeze even the soul.

Even though it is not a cemetery but an ordinary hill, there is an atmosphere that feels like a magical landscape.

[…I will offer…my allegiance…to the girl king…]

The woman’s sob-like sobs rang out in all directions.

At the same time, the surrounding air trembled and thousands of ghosts fell down in unison and worshiped.

Woo woo—

The translucent beings of all types, including Phantom Wraith Specters, were all radiating a gloomy aura, and their mere presence was causing the temperature to drop below zero.

‘This is again spectacular.’

Hans, unfazed by the surreal situation, calmly looked down at them, admiring his surroundings.

The person who stood at the front representing the ghosts was the Banshee Queen, wearing a black veiled hat with finely curled hair and a dress that resembled mourning clothes…

She was also a high-ranking official in the Immortal Army.

[Good job Olivia. You have collected much more than you expected.]

[As the king commanded… I focused on minimizing conflicts with humans… and gathering the children together…] Because

ghosts have no substance due to their nature, It was overwhelmingly advantageous to move secretly.

Although there was a disadvantage of receiving more fatal damage from energies such as magical power or divine power, there was no advantage to avoiding fights and gathering together in one place like now.

Hans looked closely at the Banshee Queen Olivia, who stood politely in front of him.

The pale-skinned lady dressed in black mourning clothes was famous for her vicious abilities that contrasted with her beautiful appearance.

Like Entracio and Karam, it even appears in history books.

‘It’s an ability specialized for mass murder. An ordinary person without any spiritual defense could die instantly just by hearing that cursed scream.’

The reason her notoriety became fully known was because such an incident actually occurred.

The incident in which tens of thousands of citizens were massacred in a city that failed to prevent her invasion due to lack of response was considered quite important in the records before and after the previous Immortal Kings.

But her true value did not lie only in her combat abilities.

[Olivia. There is something for you to do.]

[King…. Order anything… I will do my best… I will fulfill it.]

Hans slowly turned his head and looked at a group of humans who were drooling with a mesmerized expression.

Staring into space with unfocused eyes—those who belong to the oath of the reverse sky.

Since the priority was to take care of the immortal army, it was put aside for a while, but if Hans made up his mind, it was only a matter of time before he would find them.

Even with a barrier of a decent level, it would be impossible to avoid the pursuit linked by his overwhelming dark magic and the “Eye of the Abyss.”

The guys here now were also caught while they were taking care of the undead.

‘Of course, it would take a lot of work and I still don’t have the time.’

Only the western part of the continent, which was the most urgent, was roughly cleared, and the undead in other areas had not yet been completely taken care of.

In proportion to the confusion the continent becomes, the undead that are ‘one’s’ will also continue to be consumed.

Even if it was the case for ordinary entities, the top executives were too valuable to lose like that.

‘That’s how I got Olivia in that situation.’

Ghosts are not bound by physical restrictions and can roam freely anywhere without special defenses.

And Olivia, who commands all of those entities—.

He was the chief information officer under the Immortal King, responsible for all information needed in the war against the continent.

[This is where these guys belong.]

Hans looked at the warlocks and continued.

The interrogation through the “Eye of the Abyss” slightly affected my taste, but I deliberately adjusted it to a moderate level, so it did not cause much harm to my life.

[Try to find out as much as you can about these guys.]

[I will follow your orders… Please set the final goal… I will do my best to achieve it…]

[ Hehehehe—of course….]

Hans smiled darkly and spread his arms.

The surrounding air was shaking, and an abyss-like darkness spread as if it would swallow the world.

[Absolute obedience.]

What he wanted was a horse that would faithfully follow his commands.

Those who comply obediently may get a brief reprieve, but those who do not follow through to the end will only face death.

They didn’t need any leniency.

[As the king wishes…]

Banshee Queen Olivia bowed politely again in response to the intimidation contained in the Immortal King’s declaration.

And she slowly approached the warlocks who were still sitting dazed in order to proceed with the work.