Chapter 317
Chapter 317
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 317
Chapter Title: Advance Reconnaissance (3)
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Every time the overwhelming mass of muscles boasting incredible density and volume flexed and shifted, a chilling sound emanated from his entire body.
Crunch—
> Crunch!
Savage tattoos etched across his body, which seemed to embody violence itself, writhed like living things, while a heavy aura hung in the air, as if the gravity in the surrounding area had multiplied several times over.
"The air here's got a unique flavor! Hmm, not bad at all! Kahaha!"
The muscular brute twisted his body this way and that to loosen up before bursting into raucous laughter. Harley, the barbarian warrior who had crossed over from another world.
Fwoosh—
Caw—caw—
His booming laughter sent shockwaves rippling outward, startling countless birds into flight across a vast area. But the man himself didn't give it the slightest notice.
And after slowly scanning his surroundings, he began ambling forward at a leisurely pace.
'As expected, Harley’s perfect for a job like this.'
In truth, even excluding Harris, there had been several candidates.
Setting aside Heinrich, whose disposition was a total mismatch and who came with far too many complications, neither Hans nor Heinz the Second were bad choices by any means.
'But neither is available for immediate use right now. They'll be more useful saved for later. For instance...'
Like when dealing with those evil organizations, the Demonic Cult and Blood Cult, whose information he'd gathered while collecting intel on the Kanghwan Realm.
They were no different from black mages or vampire forces in Outerica, so extra caution was needed in handling them at times like this.
'We haven't even fully grasped the situation yet. Can't go charging in recklessly and put them on high alert. Those types thrive when the world's in chaos, and right now, we can't say for sure how far their influence extends.'
In that sense, Harley—the rampage specialist, the demolition tank optimized purely for smashing and slaughtering—was an incredibly useful card to play.
As long as he didn't use Body Mutation, he just looked like a lone martial artist who had honed his external arts to the absolute limit, which was a fantastic advantage.
'Hmm, might the outfit stand out a bit too much?'
Harley glanced down at himself.
His bare upper body fully exposed his muscles and tattoos, paired with leather pants and barefoot as always.
"Hmmm."
He scratched the back of his head without thinking.
The beast hide cap pressed onto his skull felt rough under his fingertips.
Sure, it was an outfit that stood out as utterly alien in this world...
"...Eh, whatever!"
But what did it matter?
In Outerica, it had been the same story.
At first, plenty of people had sneered at him in disdain, but now? Not a soul dared treat him that way.
The results of his crash course in etiquette were already proven.
So he'd just make it happen here in the Kanghwan Realm too.
Hell, he could even kick off a fashion revolution, leading the trends!
'As the true warrior's garb!'
And to do that, he had some business to attend to first.
Harley's strides gradually lengthened as he walked, acceleration building in his massive frame.
Rumble—rumble—
The ground trembled more and more with each step, vibrations spreading outward.
Soon, his body cleaved through the wind and shot forward.
There was no standard footwork technique common to this world, no profound lightness skill involved—but then—
"Kahaha! Time to spread the glory of this awesome bod!"
For someone whose very existence was an unfair bundle of overwhelming physicality, such trivialities hardly mattered.
And so, the predator unleashed into this other world began his hunt in earnest.
It didn't take long for the results to show.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ Clop-clop—rattle—
In the mountains, the subdued sounds of multiple horse hooves and rolling carriage wheels echoed softly.
A disciplined group advanced briskly along a barely maintained trail, remnants of a path clinging to the rugged terrain.
Nothing out of the ordinary—a perfectly peaceful mountain road.
"This is weird."
Suddenly, one of the Zegal Clan warriors—sharp-eyed and ever vigilant, hand resting on his sword hilt—muttered under his breath.
He grimaced slightly, refusing to let his guard down even for a moment.
"Why's it so quiet? They were swarming like rabid dogs without a break until recently, and now this sudden silence... Feels like something big's about to drop..."
"Hey! Watch it! Words have power—keep that mouth shut!"
"What? I'm just saying we need to stay prepared for anything—"
"We get it, so shut it already!"
The one voicing his unease fell silent under his comrade's scolding and the sharp glares from those around them.
Only then did he realize everyone else was just as tense as he was.
Clop-clop—
In the suffocating awkwardness, the Zegal Clan's elites pressed on wordlessly.
Just two days ago, relentless attacks had kept them on edge nonstop, but at some point, those large-scale assaults had ceased entirely.
Small-time local powers still harassed them somewhat, but nothing on the scale that truly troubled them anymore.
This shift had come without warning and persisted, leaving them convinced it was a ploy to lure them into complacency before striking hard.
Their bodies rested easy, but their minds were more uneasy than ever.
And as everyone took this pre-storm atmosphere gravely—
"Suuuuh, fwooo—."
Hugo, holed up in his carriage as usual, breathed deeply and sank into meditation with complete ease—unlike the others.
'Finally, some peace. Should've done this from the start.'
It was only natural for him to be so relaxed.
After all, he was the one who had brought this peace.
If those annoyances kept buzzing around incessantly, the solution was simple: ensure they never dared approach from the outset.
While Harley scouted ahead, stripping potential threats bare, Hugo focused solely on the koan before him, diving deep into his inner world.
'I already know the method.'
His mind converged to a single point, time around him stretching languidly.
Senses sharpened to a razor's edge—every hair on his skin stood vivid, the flow of ambient qi drawing tantalizingly near, almost tangible.
'Come.'
Unlike qi drawn in through breath, the energy near his skin remained inert, but he persisted undeterred.
With experience nurturing several transcendent bodies, he was confident this hurdle was well within his grasp.
'Come.'
The energy he sought, the laws of the world, the environment, his body—all differed.
But with just the right trigger...
His spirit, already touching lofty heights, stood ready to seize it anytime.
Twitch—
The qi brushed a hair on his skin, reacting faintly.
His jolting carriage couldn't disrupt his focus.
'Come.'
With his companions' prior permission, he skipped meals, sustaining his cultivation unbroken.
How much time passed?
The elusive insights teasing his fingertips finally rolled into his grasp.
Recalling the sensation when Harris broke through in martial arts, he clenched it tight.
'...You've come.'
And at last—
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ The entity has met the conditions and attained enlightenment. Skills 「Qi Circulation Technique」, 「Underwater Breathing」, 「Clear Mirror Still Water」, and 「Sturdy Bones」 have fused into the Special Skill 「Celestial Qi Physique」. A profound sense of liberation washed from head to toe.
He could feel this world's energy coursing through his body.
The mystical sensation of his muscles and bones transforming under an unknown power.
Hugo slowly lifted his eyelids, thrilled, a smirk tugging at his lips.
"Well now—"
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ "—what a thrill! Kahaha!"
Rumble—
A booming laugh shook the air as a towering pavilion in the corner of a vast estate crumbled.
Earth and dust billowed upward, scattering everywhere, but no one here cared anymore.
By now, a single collapsed building barely registered—finding anything intact in this place was the real challenge.
Including the people.
"Guh... guhuk! You monster...!"
A middle-aged man with his bones shattered rolled on the ground, vomiting blood as he cried out.
Blood then gushed like a waterfall from his mouth, but compared to the catastrophe unfolding, it was nothing.
He turned his head in collapse, surveying the carnage around him.
Dozens of figures lay still, drenched in blood.
Including the second-in-command elder, all were at least Peak Realm experts—the pillars of the Asura Sect.
They shouldn't have ended up scattered so pitifully!
"Urk... you bastard... why are you doing this...!"
The overlord of the Hubei-Henan border region, the Asura Sect Leader, glared at the perpetrator through blood-tear-blurred vision.
Even with unfocused eyes, identifying the foe was easy.
That giant frame wasn't something you forgot easily.
'At least end of Flower Realm... no, that's Manifestation Realm for sure. But how's someone with such a standout appearance gone unnoticed until now...?'
Even with top sect experts gathered and using formation arrays, no attack had landed.
Traces from his and the elder's qi blasts vanished in the blink of an eye; lesser strikes didn't even scratch.
It was the legendary Vajra Indestructibility.
The unattainable realm reachable only by those who perfected external arts.
And that fist power alone punched holes in buildings with wind pressure—small wonder they ended up like this.
"Grrrh... you scum—! Who the hell are you! What grudge do you have to barge in and commit this outrage!"
He bellowed, channeling his boiling rage.
For an ordinary man, he'd have died long ago, but as a Flower Realm master, his vitality clung stubbornly.
Though in this state, it wouldn't last.
"Huh? Oh man, is this what they call hypocrisy? Folks never reflect on their own crap. Tsk tsk tsk."
"Hypo... what?"
"Oh? Not an idiom here? Whatever, skip it! What's there to nitpick! Kahat!"
Early in the fight, he'd just laughed off words and hammered away relentlessly. Now, at the end, this cheeky response?
The Asura Sect Leader squeezed his eyes shut, steadying his breath before glaring anew.
He got the gist from context anyway.
Couldn't stomach their actions, so he charged in blindly, huh?
"...Fine, so you disapprove of our path? But do you know? Your actions here are hardly—"
"Eh, whatever. Not interested in soul-searching. I'll do whatever I damn well please."
"...Grrrr! You... reveal yourself! You wouldn't hide it even now, would you?!"
Blood pressure spiking at the casual interruption, he gnashed his teeth and demanded again.
Even if he died, he had to know who the culprit was.
Perhaps sensing that desperation, the brute who single-handedly annihilated the sect obliged this time.
"Eh, no point dragging it out... Just call me the Mad Demon! Oh, wait—might not get the chance now? Uhahaha!"
More mockery than answer.
And separately, the Sect Leader couldn't even be satisfied with it.
For good reason...
"...Mad Demon? That name? Don't spout nonsense! Think I, the Asura Sect Leader, wouldn't recognize his portrait?! Mocking me to the bitter end!"
"Mad Demon" was already taken—by someone actively making waves recently.
Convinced he was being toyed with, he spat more blood in fury.
"Ah, seriously? Someone's already using it?"
Harley just shrugged plainly.
Licking his lips in mild regret, he scratched his chin irritably.
"Guess I'll have to chat with that guy. It's mine now, so pick something else. Gotta snap necks if they show yellow."
He tossed out the grim threat casually.
"...What the—?!"
"Man, you talk too much. Anyway, I've humored you enough—payment time? My time ain't cheap!"
"...Payment?"
The Sect Leader furrowed his brow at the out-of-left-field remark.
What the hell did that mean...?
"Might be tricky digging it out since I trashed the place a bit rough, but the good stuff's in the vault anyway. Too much hassle grabbing every trinket."
"...Wait—!"
"See ya, pal. Be good next life."
"You bast—!"
Crack!
With the noisy one silenced, Harley hummed as he rummaged through the rubble.
Debris floated midair at his whim via 「Jewel Eye: Compel」, like vacuum grasping, but no one remained to witness the spectacle.
"Oho! Jackpot! Talk about generous?"
The small fry and civilians Harley spared had long fled far away.