Chapter 8
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: penny
Chapter: 8
Chapter Title: Savage Awakening
-----------------------------------------------------------------
With Karack's roar, the massacre began.
"Kill them!! Crush every last one of those earth's parasites!! Raaaaargh!!"
Finally, I was witnessing the tribe's greatest warrior, Karack—the man of legend—fight for real.
Whoosh—
Boom—!
Every time he swung his massive two-handed axe one-handed like a windmill, three or four ants exploded into the air at once.
'Whoa, what the hell...'
It wasn't just slashing.
It was overwhelming mass and speed smashing everything in its path—like a natural disaster unleashed.
Crunch—!
Craaack—!
"Kieeeek!!!"
Green bodily fluids sprayed like rain, and the chitin shells—said to be harder than steel—shattered like cookie crumbs.
Truly overwhelming power.
It was so brute-force it bordered on awe-inspiring.
That kind of destructive force from pure human muscle alone? No aura, no mana?
Impossible by my common sense.
Muscles have physical limits.
Without supernatural forces like mana or aura to back them up, no amount of training could let you crush rock like tofu.
In contrast, Batu next to him showed the complete opposite style.
Swish—
Stab—
He glided through the ant swarm like flowing water.
Before a big soldier ant could even swing its pincers, Batu was already behind it.
Then he precisely stabbed his bone dagger into the tiny gap between its neck and body.
Thud—
The ants with severed nerves collapsed like puppets with cut strings, not even able to scream.
'Whoa... this guy's movements are on another level.'
My jaw dropped.
So these were the southern savage warriors.
I could see why the Empire scorned them as barbarians yet stationed massive forces on the border out of fear.
It was nothing like the rigid swordsmanship of trained knights.
This was raw ferocity and instinctive senses, evolved purely for survival.
That was when it happened.
As if mocking my admiration, a soldier ant twitched its antennae and approached me.
Click—
Click-click—
Up close, it was even more grotesque.
Glossy black shell, hairy legs bristling everywhere, antennae constantly wriggling.
Ugh... a tidal wave of instinctive revulsion hit me.
I hated bugs...
Clack—!
Clack—!
It threateningly crossed its mandibles, making clicking sounds.
Those jaws could probably sever my thigh clean off.
'Still, I can't just stand here. Let's give it a shot.'
As an experiment, I tossed the Kel Kar at its feet.
"Here, go on and take it. That's expensive stuff."
"Kiruk?"
But the ant didn't even glance at the sword.
It poked it with its antennae, decided it wasn't food, and charged straight at me.
'As expected.'
Kel Kar's special ability only worked on intelligent beings with 'greed.'
To instinct-driven monsters, it was just a heavy lump of metal.
Which meant I had to wield it with my own hands and strength.
What a shame. Could've been easy pickings.
Well, if monsters just keeled over from touching Kel Kar, it'd break the balance.
I rolled aside to dodge the charging ant and scooped up the fallen Kel Kar.
"Hup... Fine. Let's do this. I've got some experience squashing bugs like you!"
To divert its attention, I flung a handful of sand at its eyes.
Pfft—!
"Kieek?!"
The sudden sand attack made the ant flail its front legs in panic.
Not aiming for blindness—they didn't have eyelids anyway.
Just a distraction to obscure its vision.
As expected of a low-intelligence monster, even sand made it flinch and expose an opening.
That brief gap was all I needed.
I darted into its blind spot behind it.
And with all my might—squeezing out every last drop of strength—I brought Kel Kar down.
"Hiyah!!"
Crunch!
A dull impact rang out, and the ant's waist bent into a sharp V.
But it was tenacious.
No spine, maybe? Half-crushed, it thrashed wildly, twisting its head with clacking pincers.
"Tch! Why won't you die in one hit?!"
Karack made them burst on a graze!
I followed up with the weight of Kel Kar—once, twice, three times.
Mercilessly smashing until its head was pulp, just to be sure.
Splat!
Thwack!
Crunch!
Finally, its antennae drooped limply, and it stopped moving.
"Hah... hah..."
Damn... freaking... this is no joke.
Just one ant, and my breath was already ragged.
The first-stage tattoo boosted my strength, but without sword-handling skill, it drained my stamina massively.
My whole body was soaked in sweat, arms trembling.
At this rate, I'd collapse before killing a few more...
But then.
Right at that moment.
Vmmm—
A faint red aura leaked from the ant's crushed body, seeped into the sandy ground, then surged toward my feet.
And then.
Fwoosh—!
An unknown hot energy rushed up through my soles into my body.
"...Huh?"
My heart started pounding heavily, thud-thud.
It was like downing a quintuple-shot coffee in one go—a thrilling awakening and rush swept through me.
Exhausted muscles surged with vitality; my blurry vision cleared like a lie.
This wasn't aura or mana.
A far more primal, rough, scorching life force.
'Th-this is...!'
Karack's words flashed through my mind.
[Every time you kill earth's parasites, the earth's power builds in your body.]
No way...
It wasn't a metaphor—it was a literal physical phenomenon?
I looked down at my hands.
Kel Kar, which had felt so heavy moments ago, now seemed a bit lighter.
Now I understood.
The reason savages wielded monstrous strength without aura.
Killing monsters returned their life force to the earth, which then shared its power with the savages. That was the system.
Yeah, it had seemed off.
Like elves drawing from forest spirits or mermaids from the sea's blessings.
In fantasy, home turf always gives half the win—it's the rule.
Made no sense for savages alone to grind meritlessly in the harsh south.
Turns out, they were a cheat race absorbing experience points in real-time through the earth.
But.
The real problem started here.
'Hold on...'
Feeling this sensation at all was the issue.
No central continent human accustomed to mana—your average civilized folk—could sense this.
It was a privilege reserved solely for those blessed by Turungkeron, with the earth's blood in their veins.
In other words...
This damned...
"I'm... actually a savage?"
I didn't want to accept it.
Really didn't want to.
I was a man who dreamed of being head butler of the Lovensia Ducal House.
Sipping elegant tea times, wearing crisply ironed linen shirts, living a refined life untouched by monster gore!
But covered in monster blood, sucking power from the earth like a savage?
More than when Magra dripped my blood into the Blood Bone Ritual.
More than when Kel Kar acknowledged me.
Right now, this feral power coursing through my veins confirmed my identity to the bone.
'No way...'
I wanted to deny it.
Scream that it was a dream, a mistake.
But my body reacted differently from my mind.
So honestly, craving even greater power.
Each heartbeat sent ecstasy up my spine.
More blood.
More death.
More power.
"Uwaaaaaah!!"
I exploded—whether from facing this undeniable reality or sheer injustice and rage.
"Me, a savage?! Me, a savage?!"
I screamed like a madman and charged the ant swarm ahead.
"Die!! All of you die!! Why is this happening to me!!"
Slash!
Crunch!
Fury-fueled strikes sent ant heads flying and legs severed.
Each kill sent hot power surging through my soles.
My body grew lighter.
The sword faster.
Strength overflowing.
Soldier ants that had been tough now looked like ants I could squash by hand.
"Raaaaargh!!"
Three hits became two.
Two became one.
Bathed head to toe in green blood, I danced through the swarm, butchering like a maniac.
No elegance—just pure destructive instinct driving the slaughter.
Watching from afar, Karack teared up in admiration.
"Behold!! Kel Bark has finally awakened his savagery!!"
"Ooooh...! Look at that ferocity! He's tearing the ants apart!"
"Kahahahaha!! Look at that overwhelming form! The king's bloodline is different indeed!"
Batu beside him couldn't close his gaping mouth in shock.
"Fast... the growth is... too fast... a monster..."
They thought I'd embraced my savage nature, massacring foes with a warrior's pride.
No!
You idiots!
This was my outburst of grievance and rage!
A scream against my ruined life!
But my body was too honest.
'Damn it all!!'
This power. This rush.
This cursed body growing stronger with every kill!
This euphoria swelling with each swing!
The results were too sweet to refuse.
Was I doomed to become a savage drunk on blood and power too?
"Nooooo!!!"
My scream drowned in the battlefield din, my sword never stopping its dance.
As dawn broke and the red sun rose over the horizon...
I slumped on a throne of hundreds of ant corpses, panting.
My body was caked in sticky green blood; my clothes were rags beyond recognition.
I looked like hell.
But.
I clenched my fist.
Explosive power surged through my entire body.
Fatigue? Muscle pain? Gone.
Energy overflowed uncontrollably.
Compared to last night, my body was incomparably stronger.
Crazy... my biceps looked 1.5 times bigger than yesterday.
I let out a hollow laugh.
"Haha..."
No denying it now.
I looked up at the sky.
I... was a perfect savage.