Chapter 217
Chapter 217
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 217
Chapter Title: Lycanthrope (2)
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These guys were the type to pull off operations on this scale.
Of course, there was no way the assault team consisted of just this one group.
There were probably even more scattered throughout the Elven Kingdom—and possibly across the continent.
'The whole continent is beyond what we can handle...'
But maybe they could prioritize and deal with the ones inside the Elven Kingdom's borders first?
He'd originally planned to report to the World Tree and head straight back, but he'd changed his mind.
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ [This is Harris. We've discovered a pack of Lycanthropes creating a Rift of the Abyss in the northern mountains of the Elven Kingdom...] After wrapping up on-site and focusing his mind, he relayed the situation here to the other High Elves via Observer of the Stars.
⚙ WORLD TREE NETWORK ⚙ [...This could lead to additional issues, so we'll continue the outer perimeter search as is.] Lounging limp on Pascal's air mattress—now a top-grade spirit—he drifted along wherever his senses guided him.
⚙ WORLD TREE NETWORK ⚙ [Phew... Good work. We'll declare an emergency and bolster defenses immediately. Just in case, I'll notify the neighboring countries too.] Along with the Elf Queen's headache-inducing sigh, the High Elves connected to the World Tree network from Drasha began chiming in one by one.
💬 WORLD TREE NETWORK — Horut Hahaha! Honestly, I thought you'd just kill time somewhere and come back, but stepping up like this on your own? As expected, you go all out when it counts! This puts my mind at ease. — Another High Elf Mr. Horut? Even if you're a senior who's retired, Harris is someone chosen by the World Tree. Please use honorifics. — Yet Another ...Ahem. So, should we head out for the perimeter search too? There were only four of them in total, including the Queen and Cecily.
— Elf Queen Of all times, while three of you are away... Above all, the World Tree's safety comes first. We can't leave this place lightly. Let's leave additional perimeter searches to the others. The total number of High Elves affiliated with the Elven Kingdom was eight.
Before Cecily and Harris awakened, there had only been six—and one of those had already retired from external duties.
On top of that, with Rapori and Lydia away, plus another tied up with temple construction on the Ion Continent, their reserves were thin.
'The Enamel Continent let its guard down thinking it was safe, and got stabbed in the back.'
Of course, it wasn't a huge problem.
Even excluding the four High Elves at Drasha, the Elven Kingdom wasn't short on powerhouses.
While they couldn't match High Elves in potential, ordinary elves could grow plenty strong through personal training.
"Yaaawn—."
After coordinating opinions via the World Tree network and disconnecting, Harris sank into the air mattress.
A plush, comfortable ride that was fast to boot—his personal means of transport.
Feeling the soft breeze enveloping his body, he gently closed his eyes.
'Alright, time for me to resume the search...'
He'd solved the immediate issue, gained the World Tree's backing, and boosted his reputation in elven society.
Not a bad outing at all.
...Though it was a bit of a hassle.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ Crunch—crunch—
Harley nodded in satisfaction after vigorously chewing and swallowing whatever had gone into his mouth.
Familiar yet novel genetic information—thoroughly satisfying—was imprinting onto his body.
'As expected, because it included a general-grade one? Haven't had decent material lately, but this is better than I thought! Matches me perfectly.'
The Lycanthrope cores Harris had sent.
Unlike other异種, they were half-beastkin, half-monsters, so they had crystals akin to mana stones in their hearts...
They didn't just boost skills like Body Transformation or physical abilities—they were etching something more into every one of Harley's cells.
'Because they're similar to me? It tickles... And I think I know what I've been missing all this time.'
Half-monster, growing by devouring prey hearts, extreme physical prowess plus transformation abilities.
Lycanthropes shared many traits with him.
'Anyone can see I'm the superior version.'
Not wrong, exactly.
The fact he'd realized after hitting a wall for so long... that he had an insurmountable limit.
Despite stealing genes from dragons and monsters, filling his belly with giants fueled by madness—he'd stagnated.
Unlike ordinary beings, the chimera he'd become from Hans's research using others' data had a fatal design flaw as a lifeform.
Unlike Lycanthropes, crafted directly by the 'gods.'
Without overcoming that... he could never transcend.
'Until just now!'
Having devoured all the Lycanthrope cores, Harley smacked his lips and grinned ferociously with a cackle.
How could he not laugh?
He'd just stolen the 'gods'' blueprint!
Now, the final piece for ultimate perfection was filled!
'Heh heh heh, time for a meat party!'
As satisfaction-soaked Harley celebrated alone with a pile of meat...
"As I thought... this giant isn't just a minion of madness."
He glanced toward the voice from a short distance away, spotting Saintess Riesta.
Seemed the thing she'd been waiting for was finally done.
"It had to use madness as the summoning medium, so that's all that came out. Absorbing other negative energies to grow... Well, it's just regaining its original power."
Standing before the shattered remains of the subjugated giant, she examined its core, thickly coated in holy power.
"...Haa. With madness already spreading across the world, this could lead to more nations falling."
The concentration of madness blanketing the continent was severe.
Even simple, hot-blooded humans were starting to feel its effects.
The initial spread had limits, but once inside monsters, it ceaselessly stimulated hosts, slowly bloating their bodies.
That increased madness would scatter into the air upon the host's death or enter stronger predators—naturally worsening the situation inexorably.
"Gulp! If you're done looking, can I eat it now? It'll dissipate if I don't hurry!"
"...Here. But are you really sure it's okay?"
"Of course! How many have I eaten so far? Uhahahaha!"
And amid it all, a variable named Harley appeared, devouring and controlling madness directly!
Given he might be the key to ending the madness crisis, she reluctantly acquiesced despite her unease.
As she watched him pop the orb into his mouth with furrowed brows...
Twitch!
Sensing something sudden, she whipped around in alarm.
...As expected, multiple giants were climbing through the Abyss's border.
But...?
"Saintess?"
After freezing for a while, she snapped out of it only after Heinrich cautiously called her several times, then slowly spoke.
"Giants have appeared. A lot of them. ...Five? No... maybe more."
At that gravely serious pronouncement, Isea, Gios, and Lydia—who'd been quietly resting—stared at her with stiff expressions.
A single giant could摇动 a minor nation.
Five or more at once? That was an imperial crisis requiring full mobilization.
If they didn't eliminate them before they grew stronger, nations really could fall.
"Saintess! Share coordinates for the weakest spot first! We'll prioritize cleaning that up—!"
Even in the urgent situation, Isea pressed Riesta, who remained focused on something.
Space jumps took time to prepare—no room for hesitation if they wanted to move fast!
But shaking her head at the urging, she gripped her holy emblem, closed her eyes, sighed, and spoke.
"...This time, it might be hard for us to step in. Even for you, Isea, crossing the continent instantly would be tough, right?"
"Yes? Well, true, but... no way?"
"Sigh. First, contact the main temple and relay via Rapori. Why does this have to happen now...?"
White giants beginning to emerge on the Enamel Continent, far from the recent commotions.
And right off the bat, five or more simultaneous invasions.
Fail to respond in time, and the damage would snowball.
—Harris Ah, what now... Unfortunately, too far for Riesta to pinpoint exact coordinates, but grasping the situation early was still hugely helpful.
As Harris, flying the Elven Kingdom outskirts, hurriedly broadcast to the High Elves again...
"Urgh—my stomach feels all queasy."
Right after swallowing the giant core, somewhat detached from the group's grim mood, Harley grimaced and rubbed his belly gently.
Of course, with his ability to chew and digest steel, indigestion was hardly the issue.
"Burp! Buuuuurp—!"
With a thunderous belch, thick steam billowed from his mouth like chimney smoke.
And with it, stark changes began in him.
Thick steam poured from his mouth, seven orifices, and every pore; his body glowed red-hot like heated iron; the surrounding air scorched instantly from the ultra-high heat.
"Huh? Harley? What's happening all of a—"
"Wait! Fall back!"
⚡ SKILL EVOLUTION ⚡ Subject meets conditions and grows. Special Skills 'Frenzied Beast', 'Mad Dragon’s Heart', and 'Madness Control' merge and evolve into 'Tyrant of Madness'.
It was just something that should've happened eventually, arriving sooner than expected.
He hadn't anticipated his solo cackling paying off this quick.
With the former 'deficiency' gone, the madness—bloated without breaking limits—compressed past a threshold.
Influenced, his skills evolved as physical abilities exploded—
Finally, his flesh shattered the wall constraining him, leaping to the next stage.
⚡ SKILL EVOLUTION ⚡ Subject meets conditions and grows. Special Skills 'Mutation', 'Body Transformation', and 'Gigantification' merge and evolve into 'Ultimate Evolving Lifeform'.
⚡ SKILL ENHANCEMENT ⚡ Special Skill 'Ultimate Evolving Lifeform' absorbs subordinate abilities 'Super Regeneration', 'Superhuman Strength', and 'Hypersensitivity', further strengthening. Harley had no deep contemplation of martial arts or profound enlightenment of truths.
What he pursued was the contradictory goal of 'the end as a lifeform' and 'infinite evolution'.
But the countless lifeform data and potentials he'd obsessively gathered.
Cell-level analysis and tuning for maximal efficiency.
And the tenacious karma piled from all that...
Was enough to propel his flesh beyond limits into 'transcendence'.
"Fall back! It's dangerous to approach now!"
"Wh-what's happening all of a sudden? Was it that giant core from earlier?"
The party hurriedly retreated from Harley, who was sucking in surrounding energies including madness, faces tense.
Even their eyes couldn't pierce the thick steam, where sinister bone-cracking echoed nonstop—naturally so.
Watching them, Heinrich—who grasped the internal situation in real-time—smiled calmly to reassure his comrades.
"No, it's not that. It's just simply..."
But before he finished—
"Kahahahahaha——!"
A booming laugh that shook space itself reverberated everywhere.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ Harley thought.
About his current situation.
'Ah! Feels refreshing and great, but I'm hungry and annoyed! Gotta eat something first, right? But...'
Then, the markings etched on his body caught his eye.
Mysterious patterns over art-like beautiful muscles.
"Tch, this doesn't satisfy at all."
He was the supreme, strongest lifeform.
Everything expressing him had to be top-tier too!
'Come to think of it, what did that old hag say back then? Something about giving me something amazing?'
He remembered.
Solve the Tribal Alliance's issue, and she'd imprint the War King's mark.
But now, with continent-wide problems and severed southern ties, heading there recklessly wasn't feasible—they were planning separately.
The church had tried soothing them for ages; barging in with the hero party would just scream "fight me".
'...Why worry about that?'
Just smash everything, no?
The previous great chieftain was the root anyway—kill him, and the temple nonsense resolves!
'Yeah! Let's go, right now!'
Admiring his own strength and wisdom, Harley sprang up, having made up his mind.
Munching a huge hunk of meat in his mouth.
And Heinrich, watching from a distance, quietly pressed a hand to his forehead.
"...Saint? You okay?"
His comrades, relieved to see him rise normally munching meat as usual, asked curiously.
But he had no time to reply.
'Oh, Main God...'
Involuntarily, another lunatic had been added.