Chapter 102
Chapter 102
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 102
Chapter Title: Northern Mountains (3)
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His heart pounded excessively, his senses sharpening to an extreme degree.
A piercing pain stabbed through his mind, scraping at his nerves, while an inexplicable surge of irritation boiled up within him.
Annoying... sticky... wanna smash it... should I just erase it? Yeah, let's kill it!
A hallucinatory echo reverberated through his head, trying to force his actions.
And in a violent direction, no less.
This sudden bout of madness was unfolding in real time inside Harley's body right now.
It was a situation that would confuse anyone...
Hmm, it's nothing compared to when I absorbed the Immortal King's heart. This much? I can ignore it no problem.
Of course, to him—with Mind Hub—it wasn't a big deal at all.
Harley going a little off the rails wasn't exactly new.
He ignored the mental interference and calmly examined the changes in his body.
It wasn't just his heart racing wildly or his blood flow accelerating.
An indefinable aura of 'madness' swirled through him, hyper-activating every physical ability from his muscles to his senses.
Yes, it was just like...
These orcs right now.
Tougher skin, bulging muscles, hypersensitive reflexes.
The downside? Losing reason and charging in blindly on instinct.
Though it doesn't seem to have much effect on me.
The amount of madness now coursing through him was too meager to meaningfully enhance his already monstrous physique.
To feel a significant boost, he'd need dozens of times more.
Huh, maybe because I absorbed it all at once through the mana stone? I barely noticed it before, but now I can clearly sense the madness permeating everywhere.
It was scattered all throughout the world, accumulating bit by bit in his body with every breath, slowly swelling the madness already inside him.
But even as he sorted through his thoughts, Harley kept moving briskly. Glancing at the dwindling orcs, he spotted one key difference.
The amount of madness absorbed through breathing is different for monsters, isn't it?
Thanks to his efforts, the orc fight was nearing its end. He relaxed and observed more closely.
...Monsters have the highest absorption rate, then me, and humans last.
This difference was likely the cause of the monster berserk phenomenon—and why he'd felt off all this time.
Do monsters just mesh better with madness? Maybe it targets their wildness and instincts.
Makes sense; beings with less reason would succumb more easily than rational ones.
To learn more, he'd have to risk accumulating far more madness...
Not an issue for me. Let's see how much I can take.
To a barbaric warrior like Harley, born from experiments, it was no concern.
"Gruk..."
Thud—
...It's over. Orcs have always been fierce, but they've never been this bad.
As the last orc fell and the battle ended, the mage Fabiella—who'd maintained the barrier—let out a short sigh.
"They're already tricky to fight since they're so battle-hardened, and now they barely flinch from normal hits... Honestly, without Harley, I'd have given up and headed down ages ago."
Marcus, the guide who'd guarded the rear to protect the mages and archers, responded as he hurriedly cleaned up.
He used the provided cleansing magic tools to wipe blood from his body and gear, then applied juices to mask the smell.
For now, the mage's barrier kept noise and blood scent contained, but the moment it dropped, monsters would swarm again from all sides.
"Oh ho? Even the great Marcus scared of a few orcs?"
"Sigh... Mikel. You're missing the point."
Marcus continued calmly, chiding her, as Mikel recovered reusable bolts and wiped off the blood.
"This is the Northern Mountains—monster central. We've only been here a day, and our destination is still days deeper in."
And everyone knew density and strength ramped up the farther in you went.
Stealth magic tools had limits, so things would only get harder.
Mikel had no retort, just pouting silently.
Veterans as they were, cleanup was swift.
"Hup."
While the others worked, Harley climbed out of the burial pit he'd dug, tapping his shoulder with the folding shovel.
Originally, they'd planned to move fast before blood scent spread, skipping burials as inefficient.
But when Harley dug a massive pit in minutes with raw strength, that changed.
It wasn't perfect—like with the orcs that chased them—but it beat drawing way more monsters.
With Flora tossing in the last orc corpse, Harley smothered it under a mound of dirt in seconds with monstrous power.
...Impressive every time. How does he do that nonstop without tiring?
Perfect timing.
Basking in their admiring stares after finishing in a flash, Harley disassembled his shovel and grinned cheekily.
"Oh, yeah—about that. I'm running low on energy! Can I get my share of mana stones now?"
"Hm? What's that got to do with mana stones?"
"Hahaha! Tribal secret ritual. Eat mana stones to absorb their energy. As you can see from my build, normal food doesn't cut it!"
"Ahh..."
The group nodded ambiguously at Harley's improvised explanation—though not everyone bought it.
"W-Wait, eating mana stones? Barbarians do th— Ow!"
Poke!
Mikel yelped as Flora jabbed her side, glaring back.
Flora glared right back defiantly, and Mikel sighed, mumbling.
...Never heard of southerners eating mana stones...
I don't mind the barbarian label, but that's 'cause I'm not really southern.
No need to correct them, though. As his party role grew, these little perks felt nice.
"If that's the case, no issue. Next resupply, I'll push for extra as operating expenses."
"Ooh— As expected of a knight, so generous!"
With everyone's okay, time passed. By the time their carefully set camp was ready...
Huh?
Harley's expression turned odd as he eyed the collected mana stones.
He'd expected them brimming with madness from the monsters, but the amounts felt off.
Not absent, but...
...Can I take mostly the recent kills for my share?
"Sure, why not? Special reason?"
"Of course! Fresher ones taste better and work greater! Hahaha!"
Overall, the madness was far less than in the first orc stone he'd sensed.
Some had barely any left.
...When the host dies and loses value, it dissipates back into the air?
And seeds new madness in other monsters.
"Alright, that works."
Distribution done, he grabbed a handful without hesitation and shoved them in his mouth.
Crunch, crunch—!
"Uh... th-that...!"
Ignoring their stunned stares, Harley crunched away with Gourmand.
His depleted energy refilled...
Thump—!
And the seed of madness in his body sprouted like weeds after rain. ◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ A chilling space that could freeze even souls, thick with eerie ghostly qi.
Not a graveyard but an ordinary wild hill, yet the atmosphere felt like a demonic realm.
[...Girl, to the King... pledge... your loyalty...]
A woman's sobbing wail echoed everywhere.
The air churned, and thousands of ghosts prostrated in worship.
Wooo—
Phantoms, wraiths, specters—translucent hordes of all kinds exuded阴森 aura, dropping the temperature below freezing just by existing.
Now that's a sight.
Hans calmly surveyed them, unfazed by the surreal scene.
Leading the ghosts was a Banshee Queen in a black-veiled updo hat and mourning dress...
Another top undead officer.
[Well done, Olivia. You've gathered far more than expected.]
[By the King's command... I minimized clashes with humans... and focused on assembling the children...]
Ghosts' intangibility made stealthy movement ideal.
They were vulnerable to mana or holy power, but perfect for evasion and congregation like this.
Hans closely regarded the politely standing Banshee Queen Olivia.
Her pale skin in black mourning garb contrasted her beautiful features with her infamous ferocity.
Like Entraciano or Karam, etched in history books.
Mass slaughter specialist. Ordinary folk without spiritual wards die instantly from her cursed scream.
Her notoriety exploded after one such event.
A city's lax defenses let her in, massacring tens of thousands—a key incident in Immortal King war records.
But her true value went beyond combat.
[Olivia. I have a task for you.]
[My King... Command me... I shall... devote myself fully...]
Hans glanced at a dazed group of drooling humans.
Unfocused eyes staring into void—Oath of Reverse Heaven members.
He'd sidelined them for undead cleanup, but tracking them was trivial if he focused.
No barrier could block his overwhelming black magic and Eye of the Abyss combo.
These were caught incidentally during cleanup.
Though it'd take effort, and I'm still short on time.
Only roughly sorted the urgent west; other regions' undead remained unsalvaged.
As the continent descended into chaos, his undead would keep getting spent.
Grunts were expendable, but top officers? Too valuable to lose.
And now I get Olivia.
Ghosts ignored physical barriers, infiltrating anywhere unwarded.
And Olivia commanded them all—
Immortal King's intel chief, vital for continental war.
[The group these belong to.]
Hans continued, eyeing the black mages.
Interrogated via Eye of the Abyss, minds cracked but lives intact—controlled precisely.
[Extract everything you can from them.]
[As you command... Set the final goal... I shall... strive to achieve it...]
[Kuhuhu— Of course...]
Hans laughed阴森ly, spreading his arms.
The air roiled; abyssal darkness threatened to swallow the world.
[Absolute Obedience.]
He wanted tools that obeyed faithfully.
Compliant ones got reprieve; resisters, death.
No mercy needed.
[As the King wills...]
Banshee Queen Olivia bowed deeply to the declaration's pressure.
She approached the still-dazed black mages to begin.
Some time later.
Thousands of ghosts—
Scattered stealthily into the world.