Chapter 15. The Insane Delinquent (2)
The continent was inhabited by countless wild animals adapted to countless different environments.
And just as many “monsters” existed alongside them.
Monsters—ferocious beasts that were even more faithful to their instincts than wild animals.
In truth, monsters hadn’t originally existed on the continent.
They had suddenly appeared at some point, but no one knew exactly when their existence first became prominent.
Every scholar held different views and opinions. Even those were merely hypotheses without any proper evidence.
Their origins could only be described as dating back to “an unimaginably distant past”.
However, regarding “how” monsters had come into existence—
All scholars shared the same opinion.
Mutations of wild animals.
A pig that underwent mutation became the monster known as an “Orc”.
A rat that underwent mutation became the monster known as a “Kobold”.
A centipede that underwent mutation became the monster known as a “Demugade”.
In this way, animals—including insects—underwent mutations and branched off into new species.
Those species continued evolving until they became the race now known as monsters.
And it wasn’t limited to animals.
Even plants underwent mutations.
That was how an entirely new biological classification called the “Monster Kingdom”, distinct from the Animal and Plant Kingdoms, came into existence.
And the mutagenic factor that transformed animals and plants into monsters—
Scholars named that mutagenic factor “Madness”.
Therefore, every monster possessed “Madness”.
That was why monsters couldn’t be consumed as food. Their bodies could still be used to make weapons and armor, however.
Madness dwelled within every monster’s body.
Countless attempts had been made to remove that Madness. However, they had all failed.
Mages concluded that it was impossible to remove because it had been engraved into monsters at the cellular level.
Consequently, anyone who ate monster meat would first lose their sanity.
They would lose all reason, surrender to their instincts, and repeatedly commit indiscriminate slaughter.
If they were killed at that point, it would at least be fortunate.
But what if they weren’t?
They would continue slaughtering others while accumulating more and more Madness.
Humans were animals too.
The continuously accumulating Madness would cause them to mutate, ultimately leading to the horrifying conclusion of humans undergoing “Monsterization”.
In other words—
Crunch.
Adrian, who was currently chewing on the Dermexus’ heart, was no longer in his right mind.
“Have you lost your mind?!”
Kai shouted in shock. He needed to stop Adrian immediately.
However, he didn’t recklessly approach him. He couldn’t approach him, nor should he.
Adrian had already chewed and swallowed part of the Dermexus’ heart.
And the heart was the core of Madness.
The heart was the source of life.
Monsters were also living creatures, so all their vital force was concentrated within their hearts.
Their inherent Madness was similarly concentrated there.
Therefore, eating a monster’s heart caused someone to be consumed by Madness far more rapidly than eating any other part.
Sure enough, Adrian’s entire presence abruptly changed.
Adrian’s eyes became an even deeper shade of red. They looked as though they had been soaked in blood.
Neither eye could focus.
....There wasn’t the slightest trace of reason within them.
Kai tightened his grip on his sword.
He had to kill him.
Before Adrian was completely consumed by Madness, Kai had to kill him right here and now.
However—
‘....Could I actually win?’
The thought unconsciously crossed Kai’s mind.
Kai couldn’t believe he was even considering such a question. Yet he couldn’t estimate his chances of victory against Adrian.
While Kai hesitated—
Something savage began rising beneath Adrian’s blood-red eyes.
It was “that thing” Kai had witnessed in the Frost Trial Grounds.
Something hidden deep within Adrian—
Something that had been suppressed by an unknown power and had therefore been unable to rise until now.
A ferocious beast twisted by murderous intent beneath storm clouds of hatred.
With Madness acting as its catalyst, that unknown beast was experiencing a horrifying liberation.
Its long-suppressed body was finally beginning to rise.
The moment Kai faced it—
He unconsciously faltered and stepped backward.
That thing….wasn’t human. But neither was it a monster.
It was the ultimate existence that ruled above all life.
The primal fear of a living creature confronting such an existence instantly began binding Kai’s body and mind.
Fear, terror, and despair—
Even those emotions were meaningless.
No matter how desperately one struggled, survival against that ultimate existence was impossible.
Even the instinct to survive became meaningless.
Kai ground his teeth.
When that wasn’t enough, he bit the inside of his cheek.
A sharp pain and the metallic scent of blood awakened his body and mind.
....He had to fight.
Just as Kai tightened his grip around his sword—
“Hoo...!”
Adrian released a long breath.
The savage presence within Adrian plummeted back into the depths. Suppressed by an unknown power, it ultimately failed to raise itself.
The radiance shining from Adrian’s eyes faded, and they returned to their usual calm state.
The focus that had vanished along with his reason—
That, too, had returned to normal.
‘How....?’
The question remained, but Kai couldn’t bring himself to demand an answer.
When he slowly raised his gaze, approximately half of the heart in Adrian’s hand had already disappeared.
Blood covered Adrian’s mouth.
The sight was so grotesque that Adrian didn’t appear human at all.
Kai didn’t even want to think of him as human. He was about to reprimand Adrian, but firmly closed his mouth.
....He didn’t particularly want to speak with him.
However, today’s events allowed Kai to strengthen his resolve even further.
Adrian had to die.
Of course, Adrian was no longer the delinquent of the Count’s family.
Adrian had unquestionably changed. But Kai couldn’t yet conclude that it was a change for the better.
Frankly, it was far more likely to be a change for the worse.
Something unknown dwelled within Adrian.
It was clearly being suppressed.
Even so, it had been deadly enough to awaken Kai’s primal fear as a living creature.
Kai couldn’t imagine what Adrian might eventually become if he were allowed to live.
Nor could he predict what kind of threat Adrian might pose to the County.
That threat could be directed toward Seraphia at any time.
The dark bruising around Seraphia’s neck was proof enough. Even after more than ten days, the bruise had yet to heal completely.
It proved that Kai’s suspicions were correct.
Adrian intended to kill Seraphia.
There was no doubt about it.
This time, Kai had somehow overcome the crisis by cooperating with Adrian.
But this would be the one and only time. After today, Kai would never cooperate with Adrian again.
Kai organized his thoughts and calmly steadied his breathing.
Three months remained before the royal decree arrived. It wasn’t a short amount of time, but neither was it long.
Twelve days had already passed.
Kai turned around and left.
* * *
◆Kai possesses active aggression and is determined to kill and destroy you!
◆If given any opportunity, Kai will unquestionably kill and eliminate you!
Translucent messages suddenly appeared before my eyes.
“What’s with this all of a sudden?”
When I raised my gaze, Kai was walking away. His long blond hair fluttered behind him.
Combined with the drifting snow, it made him resemble a solitary wolf of the snowy plains.
Apparently, watching me eat the Dermexus’ heart had disgusted him.
Munch, munch.
So what was I supposed to do about that?
Of course, I knew that eating a monster’s heart wasn’t normal.
When my comrades in the Coalition first witnessed my ability, they were so horrified that they nearly fainted.
It would be best not to use Predation in front of other people.
However, to absorb an ability, I had to “personally” consume a heart while it was still “alive”.
Once the life within the heart was completely extinguished, I could no longer absorb its ability.
Therefore, waiting wasn’t an option.
Kai’s Affinity had already fallen into the abyss anyway.
I had no intention of raising it.
Far from wanting to increase his Affinity, I felt the same way toward him.
I also possessed active aggression and intended to kill and destroy Kai.
I was merely unable to do so yet.
‘That monster.’
Both his stamina and Aura had been completely depleted.
Even so, I hadn’t imagined that he would still be capable of displaying that much combat power.
I had merely delivered what people commonly called the “finishing blow”.
Kai had effectively hunted the Dermexus himself.
There was a reason he had been called the Commander of the Frost Legion.
Even I, who had been the Coalition’s Predator, had been unable to handle him.
However—
This time would be different from my previous life.
◆You have defeated a Dermexus!
◆You have acquired 200 Combat EXP!
◆Your level has increased!
◆Your level has increased!
Once the changes inside my body ended, translucent messages appeared before me.
Perhaps they had been pushed aside by the messages about Kai’s Affinity, because only now did the notification appear telling me that I had gained two levels.
Then I chewed and swallowed the final piece of the Dermexus’ heart.
◆You have consumed the Genetic Factor of the individual known as “Dermexus” through Predation.
◆You have acquired the skill “Hardened Skin [D]”!
◆Hardened Skin [D] : Upon acquiring this skill, the player’s skin-cell membranes are strengthened.
The strengthened skin prevents moisture loss and assists blood circulation throughout the body, improving the player’s Thermoregulation by [+50%] and granting [+12%] resistance against [All Physical Trauma Damage].
<This is a Passive Skill that applies permanently once acquired.>
<Absorbing additional Genetic Factors will strengthen this ability.>
The instant the message announced that I had acquired a new skill, my body began reacting.
My skin became smooth, like polished metal.
At the same time, it retained a subtle elasticity and flexibility, making it appear no different from ordinary human skin.
However, it was now as resilient as rubber and as hard as metal.
A thin, gleaming membrane also covered the surface of my skin, protecting my body from the cold.
The bone-chilling cold had noticeably weakened.
My skin had become thick like hide and hard like calluses.
Even in its current state, it was an extremely useful ability. But if it continued evolving, it would become truly “overpowered”.
In the future, [Thermoregulation] would grant me complete immunity not only to bitter cold but also to extreme heat.
[Physical Trauma Resistance] would become capable of stopping even steel weapons.
My skin would eventually possess greater defensive power than armor.
Therefore, since things had already come this far—
“Should I start hunting now?”
It seemed the time had come to begin hunting in earnest.
In truth, growing through physical training wasn’t a bad approach either.
Calling it merely “not bad” would be an understatement.
I could confidently describe it as “overpowered”.
Using Regeneration [C+], I could repeatedly surpass the limits of my body.
Even so, it would be difficult.
After watching Kai fight, I was certain of that.
“I don’t think I can kill him yet.”
There were limits to what I could achieve through physical training alone.
That monster trained his Aura during every moment of his life.
As I grew stronger, Kai would continue growing stronger too.
Therefore, I needed to grow at a far more explosive rate.
And it wasn’t only because of Kai.
There were also the Monarch of Frost and the other Monarchs, especially the Emperor.
◆Player’s Will [EX] is resisting the madness!
Ultimately, physical training alone would never be enough to oppose the Emperor.
I needed to quickly regain the abilities from my previous life and recover the combat power I had possessed as the Predator.
Beyond that, I needed to surpass the combat power I had possessed as the Predator.
If possible, I needed to acquire enough combat power to rival the Hero, Ian.
That would have been impossible in my previous life, no matter how hard I tried.
But things were different now.
By hunting monsters, I could gain “experience points” and acquire their “abilities” at the same time.
I could become vastly stronger than the Predator of my previous life.
My decision was made.
“Let’s go hunt monsters.”
Ian’s ability, Solo Level Up [EX].
My ability, Predation [S+].
Monster hunting would allow me to exploit the synergy between those two abilities.
It was a method of explosive growth that physical training couldn’t begin to match.
Furthermore, now that I possessed Player’s Will [EX], I could use Predation [S+] without limit, unlike in my previous life.
“Let’s see....”
I calmly searched through my memories.
One by one, I recalled the abilities I had consumed through Predation during my time as the Coalition’s Predator.
Then I began identifying the abilities I needed most in my current situation.
“I should prioritize hunting Ice Trolls first.”
I needed to evolve Regeneration [C+].
“I remember there being a Nutrient Synthesis ability somewhere in the north as well.”
Nutrient Synthesis.
It was an ability that could synthesize every required nutrient from calories.
With that ability, I could use Regeneration [C+] without being restricted by the specific nutrients available to me.
And if I combined it with the Hardened Skin [D] I had just acquired?
My entire skin would become an endlessly regenerating suit of steel armor.
“But I still lack offensive power.”
I could wield a sword, but I couldn’t use Aura. I had faced the same problem in my previous life.
And I had overcome it.
“There was probably a Heightened Keratin ability somewhere in the north too.”
Heightened Keratin.
Acquiring this ability strengthened the keratin within the body, refining its density and hardness to an extreme degree.
As a result, it drastically increased the hardness and strength of one’s “fingernails, toenails, and hair”.
My fingernails would become harder than steel.
Their offensive power would become sharper than an Aura Sword.
Countless Imperial soldiers had fallen to their knees before me because of this ability.
I could confidently call it the core ability that had transformed me into the Predator.
And that wasn’t all.
There were abilities that produced Bioelectricity for attacks.
Abilities that freely generated poison. Abilities that caused powerful explosions. Abilities that detected Ultrasound and Infrasound.
Abilities that allowed someone to see various wavelengths of light, including Ultraviolet Light, Infrared Light, and X-rays.
Countless forms of life existed across this continent.
Accordingly, there were also countless rare biological evolutionary abilities.
And there was always a chance....
“Could Extra Sensory Perception exist too?”
It was the ability commonly known as ESP.
Extra Sensory Perception.
This ability activated the sensory nerves to an extreme degree, allowing its user to detect an opponent’s location through terrain and physical obstacles.
It was an extraordinarily overpowered ability.
Even throughout my entire previous life, I had only heard rumors that a monster possessing such an ability existed.
I had never actually seen one.
The Emperor had completely exterminated its species.
But now I had returned to the past.
And with Player’s Will [EX], I could use Predation [S+] without limit.
Did I really have time to lie around worrying about it?
“Should I head out right now?”
Instead of returning to the County, I turned and began walking toward the snowy mountains.
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