#107
Rolling Pumpkin (2)
‘Did I say it was similar to an ogre?’
It was the result of people with extensive knowledge about monsters analyzing the monster based on various information before Harley came to the ground.
However, he said he wasn’t sure because there were many other factors, but it was only after seeing him in person that I realized why he said that.
“Kwoaaa—!”
Ogres were the top predator even in the northern mountains where monsters abounded.
A tough leather that cannot be penetrated by an ordinary spear knife. A skeleton that is harder and more elastic than metal. A decent regenerative ability that quickly recovers from most injuries as long as there is enough nutrition.
In addition, it was a monster of monsters, filled with incredibly dense muscles that served as both weapons and armor, as well as sensitive senses that made hunting easier.
‘Even Harley, who was quite strong before, was on the verge of death while dealing with the ogre.’
The only downside was that in order to maintain its overwhelming body, it had to spend most of its waking hours hunting and eating… but
in these northern mountains, where monsters were abundant, this was probably not a problem.
Kwazizig—!
And now, Harley was playing a game of tag with an ogre that was breaking trees and rushing at her.
When he glanced back, his eyes met two pairs of red eyes.
“Khuuu—!”
“Kkakakat!”
Yes, there were two pairs, not one.
It boasts a height of over 6 meters to 7 meters and a body that is much larger than that of a typical ogre.
Above all, there were two heads on its shoulders.
‘Twin Head Ogre…’
Four eyes stained red with madness stared at him without blinking, and saliva was already flowing from two mouths with shark-like teeth.
‘I had guessed that the higher the species, the easier it would be to be affected by madness.’
Just like Harley is doing now, the madness in the monster’s body is absorbed by the predator and continues to accumulate.
However, if an ogre known as a glutton has been steadily eating monsters inside the mountain range…
‘Plus, it only has one body, but two heads that are affected by madness?’
Thinking organs such as the brain were nothing more than a channel through which the madness contained in the body was expressed.
They say that if you have two heads, you can be twice as effective as other monsters.
Of course, energy consumption will increase, but for a guy who just eats all day, there won’t be any difference.
“Keeeeek!”
Harley twisted her body slightly to avoid the monster charging at her and continued running.
About 30 minutes after moving to the inside of the mountain range to lure him out, the number of monsters coming from all directions was increasing.
Kwaduk—kwaduk!
And the small monsters that rushed to catch the running Harley were caught by the Twin Head Ogre who was running behind him and went straight into the ogre’s mouth.
The sight of a marathon runner moving both hands as if snatching a water bottle from the course and diligently stuffing it into both mouths and chewing and swallowing seemed like a scene of godly labor.
“Keuik!”
“Ugh!”
If it weren’t for the constant screams of monsters.
‘He’s really eating it non-stop. Well, this distance should be enough.’
The Harley, which was running down the mountain range while maintaining a reasonable distance, slowly slowed down and stopped.
Of course, I really had no intention of just bullying him.
‘There is more madness condensed into that one body than I have accumulated so far, so I can’t waste it and throw it away!’
As soon as he stopped in his tracks, not only the Twin Head Ogre but also monsters started coming towards him from all directions.
The instinct that was engraved to oppose intelligent beings that were not completely tainted by madness whipped them into blindly displaying their murderous intent.
And Harley….
“Whoa—.”
The accident accelerated rapidly, slowly awakening his madness and increasing his strength in the slowed down time.
As the cells of his entire body activated at the same time, white steam spewed out from his mouth and a haze rose from his entire body.
Skills including “Frenzy Beast” were activated at once, and his eyes began to burn red and green.
‘Yes, you never know when an opportunity like this will come again.’
In the meantime, he diligently absorbed magic stones in the name of arcane magic, but there were limits to that method.
But look over there.
Numerous monsters attacking only him.
And even the enormous amount of ‘madness’ contained within it.
ah! How desirable!
How much stronger could he become if he ate them all?
Pop! Pop!
The muscles of his entire body twisted and expanded, making a loud noise.
Its size exceeds 3 meters, and long, blade-like nails extend from its enlarged arms.
The legs also changed to look like those of an animal, and sharp claws sprouted.
Strictly speaking, the state of the previous battle was not Harley’s strength.
“Khaat! This feels amazing! Kahahaha!”
All sense organs, including the eyes, nose, and ears, were extremely developed, gathering information from the surroundings, and the long, torn mouth was already filled with shark teeth.
When I exercised my “mutation” and “physical mutation” to the fullest, which I had not been able to use freely due to the gaze of others, I became a form that could not be called human at all…
“Kkakakat!”
The combat power that increased as a result was incomparable to before.
Whoosh—whoosh—
the two axes hanging from Harley’s back fell off with a loud crash and hovered in the air.
Eventually, the axes, with a green flame burning in their left eyes, turned their blades towards those who were barging their teeth at him.
“It’s a sumptuous feast!”
The moment when the madness that surged from his body took over his entire body and he was ready for battle.
“Kiek?”
“Kuwook—?”
The monsters’ reactions became strange.
Just a moment ago, I was trying to catch him with my eyes closed, but now I stop and look around…
‘What? Has the hostility suddenly disappeared? …No way, are we seeing them as the same monster?’
Even the twin-headed ogre that had been following him so fiercely looked embarrassed.
Of course, it was a warlike character that would eat the same monster without hesitation, but wouldn’t it be too inefficient to chase after one just for a bite to eat?
Harley gathered her thoughts, feeling the redness of her vision and the madness swirling in her brain.
‘I guess he realized that I had been consumed by madness.’
Although it was an unintentional situation, this was yet another new discovery.
If you use this method, doesn’t it mean that you can now freely walk through the gap between monsters while avoiding their food ecosystem?
Of course, now….
“First-time winner!”
Kwaang—!
He kicked off the ground and lunged at the Twin Head Ogre that had come a short distance away.
“Kwong—!”
“Kkakat!”
The guy who was quietly looking at Harley also immediately responded to the attack.
Once a conflict occurred, it was their nature to fight until one side died.
When the humanoid beast and the giant monster began to clash fiercely.
“Hmm indeed. “It’s a fun place.”
A cold voice echoed from the place where Harley had been standing just a moment ago.
“Keeek?”
“Kruk—?”
At the same time, the eyes of the monsters that had flocked to Harley and were gathered together in a haphazard manner all turned towards that place.
In the middle of a forest filled with rough trees, a man dressed in clothes that did not match the place stood.
A neatly ironed black tailcoat with no wrinkles, like something only nobles would wear.
Hair pulled back coolly, pale skin, and red eyes.
Even sharp fangs revealed with a cynical smile.
The new Lord of the Brokoslak Clan and the shadow ruler of the Thalia Kingdom.
It was Heinz II.
“Kwoaaa—!”
The monsters surrounding all around roared at once and rushed at Heinz.
One of the heads of the Twin Head Ogre, who was in a life-and-death struggle with Harley, even turned towards him for a moment, showing how much his appearance had attracted the attention of the ogres.
“Even if it is tinged with madness, a living thing is a living thing.”
However, Heinz muttered calmly even as he looked at the monsters that surrounded and attacked him.
His right hand is slowly raised.
“It is a meaningless struggle as long as blood flows through the body.”
With his body gently rotating as if dancing… his right hand drew a circle around him.
and.
Sigh— poop!
The bodies of the monsters caught in its path were cut into pieces and rolled around on the floor.
Because their heights were so different, the cut off parts, such as the neck, waist, and legs, were all different… but
even if they survived right away, it would have been meaningless.
Unless this place has already become a sea of blood.
「Mystery of Blood」
Red, blue, green….
Control of the colorful blood that escaped from the owner’s body was all subordinated to Heinz.
And it was forged with an iron will and became a weapon with murderous intent.
“Kwiik!”
“Hehehe!”
It gradually increased in size by trampling on monsters that were still alive.
Blood leads to blood, and the blood grows in size, causing more sacrifices.
“Hmm…”
It was an overwhelming sight, but Heinz could only frown slightly as he looked at it.
‘Maybe it’s because of the monster’s vitality, but I can’t control it well. Moreover, the desire in my blood is not that strong, but the madness that has taken its place is a bit annoying.’
From the moment the host died, the madness in the body began to volatilize, but a significant amount of madness still remained in the warm blood of the freshly killed monster.
If he had not gained overwhelming blood control through “Mixed-Blood Evolution,” he would not have been able to carry out such a merciless massacre.
He is now like a disaster to creatures below a certain level.
Of course, that also meant that you couldn’t use much power against an opponent of your level or higher, but…
“Wow…!”
Skak—
“…Ugh!”
The troll’s neck broke off and fell to the ground as it came through the storm of blood.
And the ultra-high-pressure blood that shot out from Heinz’s fingertips again destroyed his brain and heart at the same time.
“If it’s at this level, it’s there. “Let’s take a moment to see what these guys taste like… kekekeut—!”
He gently brought the blood of the monster he had hunted to his mouth and immediately spit it out.
The blood of monsters steeped in madness was truly the worst.
Vampires gain strength by drinking the victim’s blood and extracting the life force and mana contained therein.
In the first place, the monster’s blood was full of mana-denatured vitality, so the absorption efficiency was not good, but with the contamination of insanity added to it, it was in a state where it could not be consumed.
“Tsk, I was just wondering. “I can’t help it.”
Heinz continued to slaughter the attacking monsters and manipulated their blood to extract magic stones from their hearts and collect them in one place.
Whisper—thud!
Then, engulfed in green light, he snatched the pickaxe ‘Eline’ that flew towards him and threw it into the subspace magic tool he was carrying.
This is also one of the reasons why Heinz came here in person.
‘Because Heinz didn’t have anything to do right now.’
We have gathered as much information as we can, and increasing our influence is progressing smoothly.
In addition, since Harley was not suitable for mass murder, I thought it would be difficult to be surrounded by swarming monsters, so I had Heinz on standby in advance…
‘Because I didn’t know that if you completely unleash madness, you won’t be attacked first by monsters. Still, it was necessary to retrieve the pickaxe, and since I’ve collected so many magic stones, it won’t matter.’
Heinz nodded to himself and then turned his gaze to look at Harley.
“Hahaha! This guy is so tough! “It’s tearing apart!”
“Shut up—!”
The twin-headed ogre… no, the one who had now become a ‘single-headed ogre’ was being torn apart by Harley, who was less than half his height.
He has taken the form of a beast and is overpowering the beast with his bare hands without using any weapons.
‘Well, actually, Harley was actually stronger with her bare hands.’
Although he used weapons to blend into civilized society for a while, his main weapon was his monstrous body itself.
Phew!
Finally.
Sharp, extended nails dug into the ogre’s chest, and Harley pulled out its entire heart along with the magic stone.
Kwasik! Kwazijic!
And when I chewed it and swallowed it, a madness that exceeded the amount I had absorbed so far swirled through my body in an instant.
My heart beat excessively, my blood flow increased, my muscles expanded, and heat radiated from my whole body… but…
‘Why are you here now?’
It was just a familiar symptom now.
Ignoring the whispers of madness ringing loudly in his head, Harley returned to his human form, grabbed the ax flying in the air, and hung it on his back.
“Haha! I felt refreshed after sweating a little! “Then, shall we have a snack?”
He sat down in front of a pile of small monster magic stones, grabbed a handful and stuffed it into his mouth.
Crack! Crack!
Aside from the madness, the twin-headed ogre not only strengthened the body but also increased energy storage efficiency, so I planned to fill it up in advance.
however.
The moment Harley was peacefully taking nutritional supplements.
[Kooooooo——!]
A roar filled with enormous energy erupted from inside the mountain range.
The air shook and mana vibrated in all directions due to the enormous waves spreading in all directions.
The presence of that sound gave me goosebumps all over my body, and I entered a state of extreme tension without realizing it.
‘This?’
Harley and Heinz II’s eyes simultaneously turned towards the direction where the sound originated.
Although the energy itself is different, I have experienced similar sounds quite often recently.
To be exact…Hans from his subordinate Entracio.
That means the owner of this roar is—.
‘Dragon?’
The dragon sleeping in the north has awakened.
![Arcane Sniper [Matan’s Shooter]](https://cpunovel.b-cdn.net/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/arcane-sniper.jpg "Arcane Sniper [Matan’s Shooter]")
