Chapter 69. Spoils (1)
My stats had not merely increased tremendously.
They had risen explosively.
Furthermore, now that I had left the Infinite Labyrinth, the effect of the title <Ruler of the North> was being applied properly again.
My stats were genuinely insane.
My Agility alone had reached an astonishing 84.5.
As a result, my “Neural Reaction Speed” had increased tremendously.
“Kai, attack me with your sword whenever you want. Don’t warn me first.”
“Pardon? Why would you suddenly ask me to—”
Whoosh—!
‘This bastard didn’t hesitate for even a moment.’
Then again, Kai knew about my Regeneration [B+].
Even if I were injured, I could regenerate, so he had no reason to hesitate.
Perhaps refraining from using Aura was his way of being considerate.
I immediately twisted my body.
Kai’s sword narrowly brushed past my shoulder.
“......!”
Kai’s eyes widened.
Even without Aura, he had swung his sword suddenly and without warning.
Moreover, Kai was no ordinary human.
He possessed the outrageously powerful ability Adoptive Muscle Memory [A-].
No human could rival Kai in terms of purely physical capabilities.
On top of that, he had the finely honed senses he had acquired upon reaching the level of a Master.
Ordinarily, I should have failed to react and lost my shoulder.
However, I had perceived and evaded the attack.
I had done so using nothing but my biological reaction speed, without relying on any power derived from Mana.
“....Did you predict my attack?”
Kai’s surprise was understandable.
Even so, I had not evaded it completely, and the sword had grazed me. In other words, I was only slightly faster than Kai without Aura.
‘Approximately twenty milliseconds.’
That seemed about right.
In other words, I could react to any stimulus within 0.02 seconds.
What if I activated Metabolic Overdrive [U] on top of that?
Assuming I burned 50,000 kcal, my Agility would soar to 126.75.
What if I then raised my Agility further by leveling up?
I could surpass zero milliseconds and reach negative one millisecond.
In other words, I could enter the domain of “Foresight”.
It sounded impossible, but I had witnessed it clearly with my own eyes.
‘Ian could do it.’
Ian had reached that domain of Foresight. He reacted before his opponent even began moving. It was as though he already knew when and how they would move.
At first, I thought Ian genuinely possessed an ability that granted Foresight.
However, that was not the case.
Ian had told me at the time—
—It’s simple. Watch the subtle movements of your opponent’s muscles and determine what they’re about to do.
Ian had added that by advancing even further, one could reach “Lumen Pax”.
Lumen Pax was the ultimate state in which one completely synchronized one’s mind and senses, allowing for perfect awareness of both the opponent and the entire surrounding environment.
It was easy enough to describe.
I had wondered how accomplishing such a thing could possibly be feasible.
Exceptional reflexes alone were insufficient.
One had to train every aspect of the Nervous System, including dynamic vision, as well as Motor Abilities such as the Strength and Stamina necessary to respond.
Mental training was also essential.
It was something that even my Predation [S+] could not accomplish.
However, what if I used Ian’s abilities, Solo Level Up [EX] and Player’s Will [EX]?
I did not know how high Ian’s stats had been at the time, but—
‘I can do it.’
If Ian had accomplished it, so could I.
Furthermore, the Strength and Stamina supporting my Agility had increased evenly to 87.4 and 93.6, respectively.
I could feel tremendous strength and stamina throughout my entire body.
I had grown to a level incomparable to what I had possessed before entering the Infinite Labyrinth.
‘At this rate, I’ll soon catch up to my previous life.’
If I grew just a little more, I could recover the combat strength I had possessed as the Predator.
That made the outcome somewhat disappointing.
If I had remained inside the Infinite Labyrinth for just one more year, I could probably have surpassed the combat strength of my time as the Predator.
And what if another ten years had passed inside?
I might even have grown powerful enough to stand shoulder to shoulder with Ian.
Time outside did not pass anyway.
Thanks to Player’s Will [EX], my mental strength was also infinite.
It would have been wonderful if I could have trained endlessly for ten years, a hundred years, or even longer.
<H-Heh.... Hege...!>
Unfortunately, Avarus’s mind had failed to endure.
Avarus appeared completely unconscious, as though his mind had entirely departed.
The ominous and grotesque Rulebook from earlier was nowhere to be seen.
He was now merely a talking mass of flesh—or perhaps just a crude mass of flesh.
Even so, there was no telling what might happen.
If he regained his senses, he might be able to activate the Infinite Labyrinth again.
I approached Avarus and repeatedly slapped his flesh.
Slap, slap!
“Hey, come to your senses.”
<J1-0?L?>
“Yes, I said come to your senses.”
<Cher|y 7no?>
“Not ‘sense cherry’. Come to your senses.”
<Cherr-y….delicio|us.>
....He had completely lost it.
<I’m brea0d….big brea0d.>
Now he was claiming to be bread.
Big bread.
This went beyond merely losing his mind. His consciousness had completely collapsed.
His mind had been destroyed by 241 consecutive days of pain and torture.
Unlike mine, Avarus’s mental strength had not been infinite.
Furthermore, my Regeneration [B+] could block pain, whereas Avarus’s infinite stamina could not.
In any case, Avarus was effectively dead.
However, because his Stamina and Mana were infinite—his body had not physically died.
‘The Infinite Labyrinth must have disappeared because of the Absolute Rules.’
Absolute Rule 2 of the Infinite Labyrinth:
The Infinite Labyrinth must always possess an [Administrator].
However, when the mind of its [Administrator], Avarus, completely collapsed, the Infinite Labyrinth must have determined that he could no longer fulfill the role of [Administrator].
Therefore, it ceased recognizing Avarus as its [Administrator].
The Infinite Labyrinth was fused with Avarus.
It had fused not only with his body, but also with his “consciousness”.
Consequently, when the identity known as Avarus collapsed, his identity as the [Administrator] disappeared as well.
With its [Administrator] gone, the Infinite Labyrinth ceased to exist under Absolute Rule 5.
<Pagu-d—nabegino-pa}>
◆Whoooooooooooooa!!!!
As expected, another excessively dramatic message appeared.
This time, its intensity was unusually alarming.
◆Pay the price for coveting my adorable little sister!!!!
<Scallion….hungry.>
How was someone in that condition supposed to manage anything?
In other words, the identity and existence known as Avarus had unquestionably experienced “death”.
The system’s reaction appeared to be going far beyond reason.
◆You crushed the scoundrel who tried to steal away your precious little sister—and then wiped out his entire family for good measure!!!
◆You have cleared the sudden quest [A Surprise Attack Is Supposed to Be Sudden!]!
....Its dramatic reaction had reached the level of sheer insanity.
The “assassination” required to clear the sudden quest had been accomplished.
◆Of course, the real House of Venenon had already been wiped out long ago.
◆In other words, you weren’t deceived!
◆Ah! It was the fake Viscount Venenon!! Boing, boing—! What a mind-blowing incident!!
◆You dramatically exposed the true identity of Viscount Venenon!
◆You smashingly crushed Avarus!
◆You crunchingly devoured the Infinite Labyrinth!
◆And you even uncovered every last piece of information about the Dark Merchant Company!
◆This is insane! You’re completely out of your mind!
◆Your astounding achievements have brought astonishment to its ultimate climax!
◆Both eyes go boiiiing—! Boiiiing—!
◆You have accomplished an act of supremely climactic astonishment!
◆An equally astonishing reward awaits someone like you!
◆Now, prepare yourself!
◆Your heart goes thump-thump, pound by pound—feel those biceps! The grand reveal is imminent!!
What in the world was this nonsense?
The messages had gone beyond exaggerated excitement and entered the realm of frenzied lunacy.
Separate from that, however—
◆You have obtained 3,373,800 quest experience!
....The experience reward was enormous.
It amounted to an astonishing 3.37 million experience points.
It could not even be compared to the experience I had received from the Lycanthrope.
The “large amount of experience” listed as the quest reward had certainly not been an exaggeration.
◆Your level has increased! ×20
I had gained an astonishing twenty levels.
‘This is insane.’
I could not help saying it.
To be honest, I had wondered how much a “large amount of experience” could really be.
‘There was a reason they called it a large amount.’
What if I included the stats gained by training inside the Infinite Labyrinth?
Through this quest alone, I had gained the equivalent of an astonishing 133 levels.
My growth had not merely exploded. It had gone completely out of control.
I was now truly close to surpassing the Predator from my previous life.
At that moment—
“Lord Adrian.”
Kai suddenly called out to me.
Before I could wonder what he wanted—
“I survived thanks to you. Thank you.”
Kai bowed his head to me.
“....What?”
“What do you mean?”
“Don’t you hate me?”
“I won’t deny that.”
“Then why are you thanking me?”
“My dislike for you and the fact that I survived thanks to you are separate matters, are they not?”
When he put it like that, he had a point.
“Do you find my gratitude difficult to trust?”
“It doesn’t make me feel particularly good.”
“Then I withdraw my gratitude. However....”
“However?”
“I sincerely thank you for acting on behalf of Lady Seraphia and the County.”
Kai bowed his head to me once again.
At that moment—
◆Kai’s Affinity toward you has increased!
A message announcing the increase in Kai’s Affinity abruptly appeared before me.
◆Kai’s Affinity toward you is now [Trust].
◆A person at [Trust] completely believes in and relies upon you and will follow you in anything.
◆Kai will willingly accept personal losses for your sake.
Kai’s Affinity had already reached [Trust].
It was difficult to believe that this was the same person who had initially been at [Hatred].
In any case—
I had never particularly cared about Kai’s Affinity, so I did not question it.
In truth, even my mental strength was considerably exhausted.
I had spent 241 days inside the Infinite Labyrinth.
Only a single day had passed in reality, but I had unquestionably experienced all 241 days.
I had spent every one of those days training without sleeping for even a moment.
Player’s Will [EX] had prevented me from going insane, but mental exhaustion was a separate matter.
Without my experiences from my time with the Coalition Forces, I might have been the one who collapsed.
I casually waved my hand and dismissed the Affinity messages.
At that moment—
<8….7….6….>
Avarus suddenly began counting backward.
<5….4….>
It resembled some form of self-destruction countdown.
Apparently, it had been designed to activate automatically whenever his life was endangered.
Come to think of it, Avarus had arranged for Shield Magic to activate automatically even while using Transmog.
There was every possibility that he had prepared for emergencies like this.
<3….2….>
It was too late to evade.
Kai would probably survive through Immortal Link [E].
I also possessed Regeneration [B+], but I could not rely solely upon that.
If my heart or head exploded and caused instant death, Regeneration [B+] would be useless.
I had to endure it with Dragon’s Skin [U].
However, Dragon’s Skin [U] lasted only five seconds.
I could not activate it prematurely.
I had to activate it at the exact moment of the explosion.
I quickly invested all twenty stat points gained from leveling up into Agility.
My Agility soared instantly.
My endocrine hormones surged as though exploding, and my entire body moved in rhythm with my violently pounding heart.
My nervous system went into overdrive. It heated up until my body could instantly react to any stimulus.
<1….>
Then, just as the countdown was about to end—
<0….9….n0t h3re….>
There was no zero or nine.
In other words, “zero-nine” was absent.
No wonder he had started counting from eight.
To hell with this.
<H-Hea|h...>
Avarus had simply lost his mind.
His completely collapsed consciousness did not appear capable of ever recovering.
There was a reason the quest’s assassination condition had been fulfilled.
In any case, that was fortunate.
Kai also released a relieved sigh.
The identity and existence known as Avarus had now disappeared completely.
The thing writhing before us was merely a mass of flesh.
Even so, I felt neither sympathy nor compassion for it.
Avarus had been a deranged Alchemist.
Under the pretext of experimenting with Artificial Mutations, he had severed people’s limbs and stitched them onto incorrect parts of their bodies.
Under the pretext of conducting sensory experiments, he had removed their eyes, ears, tongues, and noses before observing them.
He had forcibly injected people with Hallucinogens and Toxic Drugs.
He had forcibly impregnated women and subjected them to repeated abortions to study changes in their Reproductive Organs.
He had conducted countless horrific acts of Human Experimentation that were unbearable even to imagine.
The number of victims and comrades from the Coalition Forces sacrificed because of him was incalculable.
In terms of sheer casualties and suffering, Avarus had been even worse than the Lycanthrope, Commander of the Beast Legion.
Although those events now belonged to my previous life, he was no different in the present.
He was the madman who had transformed every resident of Venenon Viscounty into Homunculi.
Considering all the people sacrificed to create his Homunculi, I felt not the slightest sympathy for Avarus.
Nor did I possess any mercy for him.
And when I also considered what Avarus had done in my previous life—even chewing him up right now would not satisfy me.
With that in mind—I immediately took action.
Kai looked at me with an expression filled with questions.
“....What are you doing?”
“There’s something I haven’t finished eating.”
“Something you haven’t finished…. Pardon?”
Kai’s face distorted beautifully.
“You still have something left to eat?”
“Yes.”
“You ate continuously for 241 days without even resting.”
“That’s true.”
“And you’re going to eat again?”
“They served me a Full-Course Meal. Shouldn’t I finish everything before leaving?”
“A Full-Course Meal? Are you saying there’s still dessert?”
“Who knows? I’ll have to taste it before I can tell whether it’s dessert or the Main Course.”
“Pardon...?”
Kai displayed a strange expression of disbelief.
I casually ignored him and carefully examined Avarus’s flesh.
Both his appearance and mind—
‘He seems like a completely different life-form.’
Perhaps that was why—
‘I can’t find his heart.’
Even after using Predatory Instinct [S] and Find Weakness [U], I could not detect it.
‘Was his body reconstructed through an authority possessed by the Monarch of the Abyss?’
In other words, the current Avarus was no longer human.
He was effectively an entirely new species or monster.
That meant consuming Avarus through Predation [S+] could grant me a corresponding ability.
I could now safely classify him as the “Main Course”.
It was an extraordinary Main Course that could be consumed only after finishing an Appetizer lasting 241 days.
In any case, I could not identify anything that could be called his heart.
‘I can probably just eat the entire thing.’
I opened my mouth wide toward the mass of flesh.
“Wait! Don’t tell me you intend to eat that—!”
Kai’s brief scream came from behind me.
Crunch!
The texture of tough flesh filled my mouth.
A translucent message appeared before me.
◆Kai’s Affinity toward you has boarded an express carriage headed straight into the abyss!!
Kai’s Affinity plummeted instantly.
◆Kai’s Affinity toward you has become [Friendliness]!
◆A person at [Friendliness] displays a positive and amicable attitude toward you.
◆This person will actively provide assistance or cooperation. You may receive their support during combat or particular situations and request their help during a crisis.
Kai’s Affinity had immediately fallen by one stage from [Trust] to [Friendliness].
Honestly, it kept going up and down.
He reacted like this every time I used Predation [S+].
‘Is it really that disgusting to watch?’
◆Do you even need to aaaask?!
‘What’s wrong with this one now?’
Ignoring them both, I continued devouring the flesh.
◆Are you genuinely out of your miiiiind?!
Another translucent message appeared before me, now practically fainting in horror.
◆You have consumed the Genetic Factor of the entity known as “Z’thulonak”!
Just as I had predicted—a different entity name appeared instead of the human name Avarus.
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