Chapter 43. Traces (2)
One of the Six Monarchs who served the Emperor—the Monarch of Beasts.
The Coalition Forces referred to the Monarch of Beasts as [Irreducible Complexity].
Irreducible Complexity.
Simply put, it referred to a life-form that “could not be explained through biological evolution”.
To put it even more simply, it was not a creature produced by nature but the creation of an intelligent being with a clear intention.
In other words, it meant “a life-form created through intelligent design”.
There was a common misconception about evolution.
It was the belief that evolution possessed the “purpose of becoming better”.
But that was wrong. That was never the case.
Evolution was merely the phenomenon in which various individuals appeared randomly, and only those capable of adapting to the environment survived and passed on their genes.
In other words, evolution possessed neither “purpose” nor “will”.
It did not mean that a particular organism assessed which circumstances would benefit its survival and then “chose” to evolve.
It merely meant that genes that happened to be better adapted to the environment survived.
In other words, evolution was the result of “natural selection”, in which nature—in the form of the environment—made the selection.
Then….
What if such a thing were possible?
What if purpose and will could be inserted into evolution?
What if a creature could determine which circumstances were advantageous to its survival?
What if there were an “intelligent life-form” capable of considering all those factors and selecting its own genetic abilities?
A life-form created through intelligent design—the Monarch of Beasts.
The Monarch of Beasts was an entity created not by nature but through intelligent design.
It was a life-form designed with a definite evolutionary objective, imbued with a clear will, and focused exclusively on selecting the traits most advantageous to its survival.
Because of that, it would not be an exaggeration to say that the Monarch of Beasts possessed the Genetic Factors of almost every life-form inhabiting this continent.
In that sense, the Monarch of Beasts could be considered equivalent to the Ultimate Life-form Ian had described.
However, there was one decisive difference between it and an Ultimate Life-form.
The Ultimate Life-form Ian described was a creature that had acquired every form of natural adaptation in the world, was born instantly, reproduced instantly, possessed an eternal lifespan, had no natural predators, and was completely devoid of biological weaknesses.
Such a creature did not require every Genetic Factor in the world.
Unnecessary, useless, or redundant Genetic Factors would only become hindrances.
But the Monarch of Beasts was different.
It possessed the Genetic Factors of almost every life-form inhabiting this continent.
Above all, the Monarch of Beasts merely possessed those Genetic Factors.
It had done nothing more than simply “mix” them together.
The grotesqueness of hundreds of monsters blended into one. The chaos of thousands of animals and insects compressed together. A creature produced by crossbreeding tens of thousands of organisms.
A Chimaera.
The Monarch of Beasts was a Chimaera into which every life-form in the world had been grafted.
That was why….
It was also the Monarch I wanted to consume with Predation [S+] more than any other.
The fact that it possessed the Genetic Factors of almost every life-form inhabiting the continent meant that I could obtain a virtually limitless number of Genetic Factors by consuming the Monarch of Beasts with Predation [S+].
If I could obtain them, I would be able to create an endless variety of Combination Skills.
Just as I had extracted a dragon’s Genetic Factor from Dragon’s Claw [A] and created Dragon Rage Explosion [E].
However, in my previous life, I had failed to consume the Monarch of Beasts with Predation [S+].
I had been unable to do it.
And it was not limited to the Monarch of Beasts. The other Monarchs as well, especially—
◆Player’s Will [EX] is resisting the Madness!
I had been unable to consume them with Predation [S+].
But things were different now.
With Ian’s ability, Player’s Will [EX], I could consume the Monarch of Beasts with Predation [S+].
Therefore, I had to find it.
If the Monarch of Beasts was somewhere in the north, it must have left traces behind.
◆Activating the Combination Skill ‘Metabolic Overdrive [U]’!
I rapidly ascended the Snowy Mountains.
Finding traces was no easy task.
The northern region of the continent was vast. No matter what I did, I could not search every part of the north.
Finding traces would therefore be an incredibly difficult task, but there was one place I suspected.
The Gelu-Drake’s habitat.
The summit of the Snowy Mountains.
The Gelu-Drake was known as the Master of the Snowy Mountains.
It almost never descended from the summit.
It used its powerful claws to dig through the snow and primarily fed on the moss and grass growing beneath it.
That was why I had never gone anywhere near the summit while hunting monsters in the Snowy Mountains.
As long as no one invaded its territory, the Gelu-Drake was not particularly threatening.
It was the Master of the Snowy Mountains I had intended to hunt only after meeting Ian.
However, I had ultimately encountered a Gelu-Drake.
That was because the Gelu-Drake had descended from the summit.
At first, I assumed it had come down because it lacked prey. That was all I had thought.
But what if that was not the case?
What if the Gelu-Drake had not descended of its own will?
What if something had driven it away?
With those suspicions in mind, I thoroughly searched the summit of the Snowy Mountains.
Perhaps this was what people meant when they said there was always another mountain beyond the mountain.
Even the search itself took an extremely long time.
It felt as though an entire day had passed.
Fortunately, my efforts were not in vain. On one of the peaks, I discovered a “trace”.
It was an overwhelming sight, as though an enormous scar had been carved into the landscape.
“This is….”
Within that scene, I discovered the mutilated corpse of a Gelu-Drake.
The horribly mangled corpse was frozen solid. The creature had been dead for a long time.
Its heart had also lost its vitality long ago and was now as hard as ice.
Regrettably, it appeared impossible to consume its Genetic Factors with Predation [S+].
I examined the Gelu-Drake’s corpse more closely.
Its enormous body, once known as the Master of the Snowy Mountains, lay cold and lifeless upon the frozen ground.
Frozen blood covered its entire body, turning it white.
Its tough hide, which could easily repel even steel swords, had been torn apart in numerous places.
If a human had done this, it would have required at least a knight capable of wielding Aura.
However, the Gelu-Drake’s hide had not been torn by a blade such as a sword.
Deep wounds had been carved into it by sharp claws and teeth.
This was not the work of a human. Nor was it the work of a monster from the Snowy Mountains.
No monster inhabiting the Snowy Mountains could have done this to a Gelu-Drake.
And it was not limited to the Snowy Mountains.
Even if one searched the entire continent, there were not many monsters capable of slaughtering a Gelu-Drake this brutally.
I examined the Gelu-Drake’s corpse in even greater detail.
The claws that had once symbolized the Master of the Snowy Mountains had been ripped out, rendering them completely useless.
There would have been no reason to go this far if it had merely been hunting for food.
“This wasn’t a hunt driven by hunger.”
In other words, this had been punishment inflicted upon a creature that refused to submit to the legion.
Even in my previous life, dragons had never submitted to a legion.
And the Gelu-Drake bore a dragon’s Genetic Factor.
A Gelu-Drake imbued with a dragon’s arrogance would never submit to another creature.
In the end, they had abandoned their attempt to subjugate the Gelu-Drake. Then they had slaughtered it in this brutal manner.
“Was the Gelu-Drake I encountered an individual that escaped from here and survived?”
Judging from this corpse, which was approximately twenty meters long, the Gelu-Drake I had encountered appeared to have been a “young offspring”.
I continued examining the corpse.
Its head had also been severely damaged.
Most of its teeth were broken, and its snout had been ripped wide open from top to bottom.
Its yellow eyes, which it had failed to close before death, stared vacantly without the slightest trace of life.
This was the scene where the pride of the being once known as the Master of the Snowy Mountains had been mercilessly trampled.
Only then….
Could I determine who had done this.
It was the Monarch of Beasts, yet at the same time, it was not the Monarch of Beasts itself.
“The Commander of the Beast Legion….”
A Legion Commander who served the Monarch of Beasts.
While serving as the Special Warfare Unit’s Covert Operations Commander within the Special Task Force, I had collected all available intelligence on the Monarchs and their Legion Commanders.
My mind contained information about every Monarch and Legion Commander.
Even after searching through the memories of my previous life, I could say with certainty—
“It was the Commander of the Beast Legion.”
This was unquestionably the work of the Commander of the Beast Legion.
“Was the Commander of the Beast Legion active in the north?”
I had not been in the north during this period, so I did not know the details.
And since Seraphia had not yet awakened as the Monarch of Frost, it seemed entirely possible.
In any case….
“The Commander of the Beast Legion….”
The Emperor granted the rank of “Monarch” to the six beings he acknowledged.
Likewise, the Monarchs bestowed the position of “Legion Commander” upon the strongest of their followers.
The prime example was Kai, Commander of the Frost Legion.
Kai was a knight who had received the position of Legion Commander from Seraphia, the Monarch of Frost.
Legion Commanders served their respective Monarchs rather than the Emperor.
However, because the Monarchs served the Emperor, the result was essentially the same as serving the Emperor.
Meanwhile, the Legion Commanders who served the Emperor directly….
They were separately referred to as Imperial Legion Commanders.
But whether they were Imperial Legion Commanders or a Monarch’s Legion Commanders, they were identical in one respect: they stood at the forefront of the war and mercilessly trampled the Coalition Forces.
The strength of the Legion Commanders was the stuff of nightmares for the Coalition Forces.
A Monarch personally selected each Legion Commander.
The Monarch then bestowed a portion of their authority and power upon the selected individual.
That was why I had been unable to consume the Commander of the Beast Legion with Predation [S+] in my previous life.
He, too, had possessed a portion of the Monarch of Beasts’ authority and power.
In other words….
“I can obtain the Genetic Factors possessed by the Monarch of Beasts. Let’s see...”
I could consume the Genetic Factors of the Monarch of Beasts from the Commander of the Beast Legion as well.
Seen from that perspective, this could actually be considered fortunate.
“Fighting the Monarch of Beasts would have been difficult.”
I had spoken as though I stood a chance, but honestly, I had been frightened.
My chances of victory were not particularly high.
Objectively speaking, there was a high probability that I would be the one hunted instead.
Even with Dragon Rage Explosion [E].
But if my opponent was the Commander of the Beast Legion….
“I genuinely stand a chance.”
This was a fight I could genuinely win.
However, that did not mean I could afford to lower my guard.
Although Legion Commanders could not compare to Monarchs, their strength also belonged in an entirely different league.
Kai, the Commander of the Frost Legion, was proof enough of that.
I immediately opened the 「Player Information」 window.
== 「Player Information」 ==
[Name] = Adrian White Wolf
[Title] = Master of the Snowy Mountains
[Level] = Level 29
[HP] = 2,515
[MP] = 0
[Stats] = Strength: 33 (+5), Agility: 32.2 (+9.2), Vitality: 24.15 (+8.15), Mana: 6 (+5)
[Experience] = 77.2%
<Bonus Stat Points +1>
I had gained one level from the experience earned while hunting the monster legion.
That had brought me to level 29, but something was strange.
“My Agility and Vitality stats have increased even further.”
They had increased to the oddly specific values of 9.2 and 8.15.
Excluding the effect of the title <Master of the Snowy Mountains>, that meant they had risen by an additional 4.2 and 3.15.
Before the battle against the legion, I had gained Strength +4 through training.
However, I did not remember gaining any Vitality or Agility.
“Why did they….? Ah, it was because of this.”
I quickly discovered the reason.
<Once acquired, this Passive Skill remains permanently active.>
◆Promote Metabolism [C+] : Upon acquiring this skill, the player’s endocrine system is stimulated, greatly increasing the metabolic rate. The player’s Agility and Vitality increase by [+15%] while the player’s Strength decreases by [-0%].
+The Strength stat no longer decreases.
+Changes from an [On/Off] skill into a [Passive] skill.
Promote Metabolism had evolved to rank [B] this time.
Having reached the complete form of its ability evolution, it had changed from an [On/Off] skill into a [Passive] skill.
In other words, the effects of Promote Metabolism [C+] remained active at all times.
“Instead, the effect that momentarily amplified my abilities has disappeared.”
But that did not matter because I had Metabolic Overdrive [U].
The increases to Agility and Vitality were also lower, but the fact that it was passive offered far greater advantages.
“Does this mean each point invested in Agility will now increase it by 1.15?”
Since the thought occurred to me, I invested my Bonus Stat Point +1 into Agility.
I confirmed that my Agility stat had increased from 32.2 to 33.35.
And because the same principle applied to “Vitality”, it also meant that the efficiency of my physical training had increased by fifteen percent.
“Nice.”
It was more than merely nice. It was ridiculously overpowered.
After all, the higher my stats became, the more their efficiency would increase exponentially.
However, their effects were still relatively small at my current level.
“Hmm....”
I assessed and weighed my combat power as objectively as possible.
The Commander of the Beast Legion.
If it truly was the individual I suspected….
“I don’t think I can do it alone.”
It seemed I would have to unleash the hunting dog.
* * *
Ruuuumble!
The gates of the Count’s Castle, constructed from thick timber, opened with a thunderous roar.
The Count’s Castle had once been filled with ice and snow.
However, Dragon Rage Explosion [E] had melted nearly all the accumulated snow and ice.
But had it snowed again while I was searching the Snowy Mountains?
Snow covered various parts of the walls and gates.
When the gates finally opened completely, Kai was the first person to greet me.
Long golden hair that seemed to contain sunlight.
Silver armor unaffected by the cold.
Eyes resembling blue opals.
A sharply defined jawline.
Kai resembled a noble wolf of the Snowy Mountains.
‘Why does he look completely fine?’
He looked far too healthy.
Of course, I was the one who had told him to recover.
And approximately one day had passed since I began searching the Snowy Mountains.
I had expected him to have recovered somewhat, but this was far beyond anything reasonable.
There was no trace of the man who had been battered beyond recognition and on the verge of collapsing.
His injuries were not something he should have been able to recover from in only a single day.
Yet, I could not see a single wound on Kai as he approached me.
‘How...?’
I carefully observed the approaching Kai.
Before long, I perceived a “certain power” emanating from him.
It resembled the miraculous power of a Saintess.
‘Regeneration...?’
It was also remarkably similar to my Regeneration [B+].
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