#217
Lycanthrope (2)
These are the guys who do things on this scale.
Of course, this is not the only executing unit.
There were probably more of them spread out throughout the Elven Kingdom and possibly even across the continent.
'I can't handle the entire continent…'
Maybe we can deal with those in the Elven Kingdom's territory first?
Originally, I had planned to return immediately after reporting the abnormality, but I changed my mind.
[This is Harris. He discovered a group of lycanthropes who were creating an abyssal rift in the mountains north of the Elven Kingdom…]
After completing the on-site investigation and concentrating his mind, he conveyed the situation here to other high elves through "Star Observer."
[…There may be additional problems, so we will continue to search the outskirts like this.]
Pascal, who had become a top-level spirit, was lying limp on his air bed, moving as his senses guided him.
[Whoa… thank you for your hard work. We must immediately declare a state of emergency and strengthen security. Just in case, I will contact the neighboring countries as well.]
The elf queen who received the call let out a pained sigh, and the high elves who had accessed the World Tree network in Drasha each began to say one or two words.
[Hahaha! To be honest, I thought he was just going to kill time somewhere, but I never thought he would come forward so voluntarily. As expected, you make sure to do it when you do it! This is reassuring.]
[Horut? Even though you are a senior who has already retired, Mr. Harris is also a person chosen by the World Tree. Please use an honorific title.]
[…Hmm. Well, does that mean we can go out and search the outskirts?]
Even though there were only four of us, including the Queen and Cecily.
[By any chance, while the three of you were away… The safety of the World Tree is more important than anything else. I can't vacate this place hastily. I will leave the additional outskirts search to others.]
The total number of high elves currently in the Elven Kingdom was eight.
Before Cecily and Harris opened their eyes, there were only six people, and one of them had already retired from external affairs.
In addition, Lafori and Lydia, as well as one more person, had left for the Aeon Continent due to temple construction, so there wasn't much power left.
'I was caught off guard while thinking that the Enamel Continent was safe.'
Of course, that wasn't that big of a problem.
Even excluding the four high elves currently in Drasha, the Elven Kingdom's strong people were not small.
Although it is inevitable that there will be significant differences in potential, even ordinary elves who did not become high elves could become stronger through individual training.
"Hwaam—."
After finishing coordinating opinions through the World Tree Network and disconnecting, Harris buried himself in an air bed.
A cozy, comfortable, and fast means of transportation.
He gently closed his eyes, feeling the soft wind surrounding his entire body.
'Then I'll start the search again…'
Solve the problem at hand, receive support from the World Tree, and gain prestige in elf society.
This wasn't a bad outing.
…as expected, it was a bit annoying.
***
Crackling—crackling—
Harley chewed and swallowed something that was in her mouth and nodded in satisfaction.
A very satisfying genetic information that was unfamiliar yet somehow familiar was being engraved into his body.
'Is it because there is a general level person involved? I haven't had a chance to meet any useful people lately, but this is better than I thought! 'My compatibility is very good.'
Lycanthrope decisions sent by Harris.
Unlike other races, as they were half-monsters, they had a crystal similar to a magic stone in their hearts…
It did not stop at the level of increasing physical abilities and skills including "Body Transformation", but also something more. It was imprinting itself into Harley's cells one by one.
'I guess it's because they're similar to me. I feel like something is tickling. … And I think I know what I've been lacking until now.'
A being that is almost half-monster, grows by eating the hearts of its prey, and possesses not only extreme physical abilities but also the ability to mutate.
Lycanthropes were a race that had a lot in common with him.
'No matter who looks at me, I look more upwardly compatible.'
It was definitely not wrong.
What he realized after facing the wall for quite some time… except that there was a limit to himself that he could never overcome.
That was why, even though he had stolen the genetic information of all kinds of monsters, including dragons, and filled his stomach with madness by killing numerous giants, he could not advance and stagnated.
Unlike ordinary beings, he is a chimera created by Hans based on data from other researchers.
As a living organism, there was a fatal design problem.
Unlike the lycanthropes, a race created through the direct intervention of 'God'.
Unless he could overcome it… he could never reach transcendence.
'Until a little while ago!'
Harley, who had eaten all of the lycanthrope's crystals and chomped on them, giggled with an evil smile.
That has to be the case.
How could you not laugh, as you had just stolen the blueprint of that 'god'!
Wasn't this the final deficiency needed to reach a more complete ultimate?
'Hehehe, it's a meat party at times like this!'
When Harley, who was so satisfied, was celebrating alone with a lot of meat.
"As expected… it looks like this giant is not just a servant of madness."
He turned his head at the sound of a voice coming from a little distance away and looked at Saint Riesta.
It seems that what I had been waiting for a while ago has finally come to an end.
"I guess because the medium for summoning was madness, I had no choice but to bring that with me. "Becoming stronger by absorbing other negative energies is… if I were to put it bluntly, a process of regaining my original strength."
In front of the giant that had already been defeated and crumbled to pieces, she was holding its core and looking around with her hands heavily covered in divine power.
"…sigh, I am worried about the madness spreading in the world right now. "If this continues, there may be more countries that truly fall into ruin."
The level of madness that had already spread throughout the continent was at a serious level.
Now, even simple and hot-headed people can be affected by it.
There was a limit to the amount of madness that first spread across the continent, but it entered the monster's body and constantly stimulated the host, gradually increasing its size.
Even if the host died, the increased madness would only spread again into the atmosphere or enter the body of a stronger predator, and the situation would naturally worsen.
"Sniff! After seeing all that, can I eat it now? "If you don't eat it quickly, it will all fall apart!"
"…Here you are. But it's really okay, right?"
"Oh, of course! How many things have I eaten so far? Hahaha!"
But in the midst of all this, didn't a variable called Harley, who could control the madness by directly eating it, suddenly appear?
As his existence might be the key to ending the madness, in the end she had no choice but to accept it despite feeling uncomfortable.
The moment when Riesta looked at him with frowning eyes as he quickly shoved the beads into his mouth.
flinch!
She suddenly felt something and looked in a certain direction with a look of confusion.
…As expected, many giants were climbing the border of the abyss.
however…?
"Saint?"
She was frozen for a while, and only after Heinrich, who was next to her, called carefully a few times, did she come to her senses and slowly opened her mouth.
"A giant has appeared. And quite a lot. … five? No… maybe more."
Isea and Geos Lydia, who were quietly resting on a more serious matter than they thought, looked at her with stiff faces.
A single giant is a disaster that can destabilize a weak nation.
However, if there were more than five such monsters at once, it was a crisis situation that even the Empire had to do everything in its power to do right away.
If we don't get rid of them quickly before they get stronger, the country could truly be destroyed.
"Saint! First, please share the coordinates of the most vulnerable areas first! First of all, let's clean up from there as quickly as possible…!"
Lee Se-ah repeatedly urged Riesta, who was concentrating on something even in an urgent situation.
As it takes quite a bit of time to prepare to move through space, there was no time to hesitate in order to move as quickly as possible!
However, despite the urging, she quietly shook her head, held the star tag around her neck, closed her eyes, and opened her mouth with a sigh.
"…I think it will be difficult for us to step forward this time. Even for Isea, it would be difficult to immediately cross the continent, right?"
"yes? That's right, but… really?"
"Phew, first of all, I have to contact the main shrine and deliver the news through Lapori. Why is this happening again?…"
White giants began to appear on the Enamel Continent, which had been a step away from the commotion.
It was also a simultaneous invasion by five or more entities from the beginning.
If you do not respond in time, the damage will quickly snowball.
-Harris: Oh, what is this again….
Unfortunately, the distance was so far that Riesta couldn't know the exact coordinates of its appearance, but still, just being able to quickly grasp the situation would have been of great help.
When Harris, who was flying on the outskirts of the Elven Kingdom, was again in a hurry to spread the news to the high elves…
"Ugh— I feel really bloated."
Harley, who was somewhat out of touch with the serious mood of the group right after swallowing the giant's core, frowned and gently patted her stomach.
Of course, he could chew and digest even steel, so it wasn't really an issue like indigestion.
"Ugh! "Oh my god!"
A loud belching sound followed by thick steam rising from his mouth like a chimney.
At the same time, a dramatic change began to occur in him.
Not only did thick steam rise from the pores of his body, including his mouth, and his entire body, but his body became bright red like hot iron, and the surrounding air instantly heated up due to the extremely high temperature.
"uh? Mr. Harley? Why are you suddenly like that…."
"Wait! "Step back!"
《The object grows by meeting the conditions. The special skills 「Frenzy Beast」, 「Heart of the Radiant Dragon」, and 「Insanity Control」 combine to evolve into 「Crazy Tyrant」.》
It was just something that should have happened sometime, but happened earlier than expected.
I had no idea that what I had been giggling to myself a little while ago would come back so quickly.
When the 'deficiency' that had existed before disappeared, the madness that had been growing in volume without being able to overcome the limit was compressed and exceeded a certain concentration.
As the skills influenced by it evolved, physical abilities increased explosively—.
Finally, his body broke the wall that was limiting him and leaped one level higher.
《The object grows by meeting the conditions. The special skills "Mutation," "Physical Mutation," and "Giantization" combine to evolve into the "ultimate evolved life form."
Harley had no deep consideration of nothingness or profound realization of the truth.
What he pursues is the contradictory goal of 'the end as a living being' and 'infinite evolution'.
《The special skill "Ultimate Evolutionary Life Form" absorbs the low-ranking abilities "Super Regeneration," "Super Strength," and "Nervousness."》
However, the information and possibilities of countless life forms that have been persistently collected over the years.
Cell-level analysis and coordination to use it most efficiently.
And the tenacious karma he had built up throughout the entire process
was enough to 'transcend' his body beyond its limits.
"Stay back! "It's dangerous to approach now!"
"Why are you acting like that all of a sudden? After all, isn't there something wrong with the core of that giant?"
The group's faces hardened as they hurriedly retreated back to avoid Harley, who was absorbing all the surrounding energy, including madness, in an instant.
It was only natural that the bloody sound of bones being twisted was being heard in the thick steam that even their eyes could not see through.
Heinrich, who was aware of the internal situation in real time, smiled calmly and reassured his colleagues.
"No, it's not like that. That's just simply…"
But before those words were finished.
"Kahahahahaha——!"
A loud laugh that seemed to shake the space itself echoed everywhere.
***
Harley thought.
About the situation you are in now.
'ah! I feel refreshed and good, but I'm also annoyed because I'm hungry! After all, I have to eat something first, right? But…'
Then, suddenly, the imprint on his body caught his eye.
Various mysterious patterns engraved on beautiful muscles that are like works of art.
"Use this, I'm not satisfied with it."
He was the best and strongest living being.
Of course, everything that expressed oneself had to be the best!
'Now that I think about it, what did the old lady say then? 'Didn't you say you'd do something amazing?'
I remembered.
I had decided to engrave Tuwang's engraving on him if I resolved the problem of the tribal alliance.
But now, as various problems broke out across the continent and exchanges with the south were cut off, they could not head there carelessly and were making separate plans.
Even though the church tried to appease them for a long time, if the hero party ignored them and rushed in, all they could say was to fight.
'…But why should I care about that?'
Isn't it okay to just destroy everything?
Anyway, the cause is the warchief of that squadron, so if we just get rid of him, won't the problem be solved, including severing the relationship?
'okay! Let's go right away!'
After making up her mind, Harley immediately stood up, admiring herself for being not only strong but also wise.
He was munching on a large piece of meat in his mouth.
And Heinrich, who was watching it from a little distance, quietly placed his hand on his forehead.
"…Saint? Are you okay?"
Colleagues who were relieved to see Harley getting up from her seat, chewing meat as usual, started talking to her in wonder.
He didn't have time to answer that.
'Oh my God….'
Unintentionally, one more idiot has been added.