Chapter 107

Chapter 107
## Chapter 107

### Rolling in the Pumpkin (2)

‘They claimed its nature resembled that of an Ogre.’

Such was the verdict delivered by the party’s beast specialists, who had scrutinized the available data on the creature prior to Harley stepping out from the subterranean trench.

Yet certainty eluded them due to numerous discrepancies.

The moment he beheld the entity with his own eyes, the reason became instantly clear.

“Kraaaagh—!”

Within the rugged peaks of the Northern Mountains, a territory teeming with apex predators, the Ogre reigned supreme.

Its dense, resilient hide easily deflected standard blades and spears, its skeletal structure possessed a durability and flexibility surpassing forged iron, and its potent cellular regeneration could rapidly mend severe trauma provided it remained well-nourished.

Furthermore, it stood as a titan among beasts, propelled by an astonishing concentration of muscle fibers that functioned simultaneously as impenetrable shielding and lethal weaponry, all guided by razor-sharp predatory senses.

‘Even Harley, possessing immense strength during that era, narrowly escaped death while confronting a standard Ogre.’

Its singular flaw lay in the necessity to spend nearly every waking moment tracking and consuming prey to sustain its colossal frame…

However, such a constraint meant nothing in the monster-dense wilds of the Northern Mountains.

Crackle—!

At this very moment, Harley was engaged in a deadly game of evasion with a dual-headed Ogre that tore through the woodland, shattering timber in its relentless pursuit.

Glancing over his shoulder, his vision aligned directly with the beast’s quartet of crimson eyes.

“Kuhhoo—!”

“Kkakakakat!”

Indeed, four distinct eyes glared back, not two.

The creature towered well over six meters, bordering on seven, drastically eclipsing the dimensions of a typical specimen.

Most notable of all, a pair of distinct heads sat upon its massive shoulders.

‘Twin Head Ogre…’

Four ruby irises, thoroughly saturated by insanity, locked onto him without a single blink, while viscous saliva pooled from two separate jaws lined with rows of razor-sharp, shark-like teeth.

‘It appears the more formidable beasts are far more vulnerable to the corruption of madness.’

Precisely as Harley experienced firsthand, the chaotic corruption residing within a slain beast’s flesh was absorbed and concentrated by the apex predator that consumed it.

Supposing this specific Ogre had been preying upon the corrupted denizens of the deep valleys…

‘And the madness has manifested in two separate heads despite sharing a solitary frame?’

The cerebral cortex, serving as the cognitive center, acted as the primary conduit through which bodily madness was processed and unleashed.

Possessing dual heads implied the creature could channel this chaotic energy with twice the efficiency of a standard monster.

Naturally, such a biological mutation would demand a doubled caloric intake, but for an entity dedicated entirely to perpetual consumption, such a drawback was negligible.

“Kieeeeek!”

Harley nimbly shifted his weight, twisting mid-stride to evade the colossal form thundering toward him, maintaining his forward momentum.

Thirty minutes had elapsed since he ventured into the deeper ranges to draw the beast’s ire, and the horde of lesser monsters converging from every thicket was multiplying rapidly.

Crack— Crunch!

Lesser beasts that attempted to intercept his path were unceremoniously snatched up by the pursuing Twin Head Ogre and stuffed ruthlessly into its gaping maws.

The colossus efficiently employed both upper limbs to cram the struggling creatures into its twin jaws, grinding and swallowing on the move, mimicking an athlete seizing refreshments along a racetrack.

“Kkiiiik!”

“Kuhuck!”

Devoid of the agonizing shrieks reverberating through the forest, the rhythmic motion might have resembled an act of diligent, sacred labor.

‘Its appetite is truly ceaseless. Still, I believe we have traveled deep enough.’

Harley, who had maintained a calculated gap while navigating the rugged terrain, decelerated sharply and came to a halt.

Naturally, his intentions extended far beyond a mere escape.

‘The sheer volume of madness contained within that monstrosity far eclipses everything I have gathered to date; leaving it behind would be an absolute waste.’

The moment his advance ceased, the Twin Head Ogre and the surrounding swarms of monsters began closing in from every sector.

Their primitive drives, completely rewired to harbor absolute animosity toward uncorrupted sentient life, compelled them to charge forward in a blind display of lethal intent.

As for Harley…

“Hoooo—”

His internal perception of time stretched, slowing his surroundings as he deliberately unlocked the dormant insanity within, elevating his internal power.

Plumes of pale vapor burst from his lips as his cellular structure rapidly superheated, a visible thermal haze rippling off his skin.

His gaze shifted, his left and right eyes gleaming with contrasting hues of crimson and emerald as “Frenzied Beast” and his supplementary traits activated in unison.

‘An unparalleled opportunity. There is no telling when a bounty like this will present itself again.’

Though he had been methodically consuming enchanted stones under the pretense of practicing a hidden ritualistic art, that approach carried intrinsic constraints.

Yet before him lay an answer.

An endless wave of corrupted predators surging forward.

And the boundless reservoir of ‘madness’ locked within their flesh.

Ah! What an exquisite temptation!

To what heights could his strength ascend if he consumed every last one of them?

Crack! Crack!

His musculature distorted and expanded with sickening snaps.

His frame elongated, surpassing three meters in height, as his elongated upper limbs developed elongated, razor-edged talons.

His lower limbs similarly remolded into those of a predatory beast, terminating in formidable claws.

In truth, his prior combat state had never represented the apex of Harley’s capabilities.

“Khahat! This sensation is magnificent! Kkahahahat!”

His facial features had completely discarded any semblance of humanity, his widened, torn maw now displaying rows of jagged, serrated teeth.

He had shifted into a terrifying entity completely divorced from human form, pushing “Mutation” and “Physical Transformation” to their absolute thresholds, and yet…

“Kkakakakat!”

The destructive potential he now wielded was incomparable to his previous limitations.

Whirr— Whirr—

The pair of hatchets secured to Harley’s back uncoupled themselves, rising into the air with low, resonant hums.

Imbued with the viridian flames radiating from his left eye, the floating blades pivoted, pointing directly at the snarling hordes closing in on him.

“A true banquet!”

The moment he assumed his absolute combat state, his consciousness entirely submerged in chaotic fervor,

“Kieek?”

“Kuruuk—?”

The behavior of the oncoming horde altered abruptly.

The beasts, which had been stampeding with unbridled bloodlust, suddenly faltered, scanning their surroundings in utter bewilderment.

‘What is occurring? Has their aggression dissipated?… No, are they identifying me as a member of their own collective?’

Even the colossal Twin Head Ogre, which had pursued him with single-minded ferocity, appeared visibly disoriented.

Granted, it was a creature capable of cannibalizing its own kind, but pursuing a single, highly dangerous target simply for sustenance contradicted its survival efficiency.

Harley categorized his impressions, managing the violent impulses coursing through his mind alongside the vivid glow of his vision.

‘They perceive me as an entity entirely corrupted by the very madness they carry.’

Though entirely unforeseen, this revelation opened new avenues.

By utilizing this state, he could navigate through monster-infested territories entirely unbothered, stepping completely outside their natural predatory cycle.

Nevertheless, at this precise moment…

“The opening strike belongs to me!”

Kwaaang—!

Slamming his weight into the earth, he propelled himself directly toward the bewildered Twin Head Ogre.

“Kuwooong—!”

“Kkakakat!”

The massive beast, locking eyes with the charging Harley, reacted instantaneously.

Ultimately, their base programming dictated an absolute struggle to the death once a physical confrontation commenced.

As the beastly humanoid and the towering colossus locked in a brutal embrace,

“An intriguing display.”

A detached, freezing voice cut through the chaos from the exact position Harley had abandoned moments prior.

“Keek?”

“Kuruuk—?”

Simultaneously, the lesser fiends that had been converging on Harley froze, shifting their gazes toward the origin of the sound.

Positioned amidst the tangled, ancient woodland stood a figure clad in attire entirely unsuited for the wilderness.

A flawlessly pressed dark evening coat, looking as though he had stepped directly out of a high-society gala.

Impeccably styled hair, an unnaturally pale complexion, and eyes of deep crimson.

Elongated, sharp canines peeked through a dismissive, mocking smile.

He was the newly ascended sovereign of the Brokoslack Clan and the clandestine master operating from the shadows of the Talia Kingdom.

Heinz the Second.

“Kuwooooh—!”

The surrounding monsters shrieked, redirecting their advance toward Heinz.

Even one of the Twin Head Ogre’s visages snapped toward the newcomer, momentarily disregarding the threat of Harley.

This shift alone demonstrated just how intensely his arrival had disrupted their attention.

“Regardless of how deeply madness corrupts them, they remain bound by the laws of living flesh.”

Heinz merely murmured with absolute composure, watching the chaotic mass of claws and teeth rushing his way.

Slowly, his right arm ascended.

“So long as sanguine fluid courses through their veins, their resistance remains entirely futile.”

With an elegant, fluid sweep, his hand traced a perfect arc through the air.

And then.

Whoosh— Splat!

Every beast occupying that trajectory was instantaneously cleaved apart, their remains tumbling to the earth.

Their torsos, throats, and limbs were severed at varying angles due to their differing statures…

Yet such details were entirely irrelevant now.

The immediate clearing had been transformed into a literal lake of gore.

“Blood Mystery.”

Crimson, azure, emerald…

The sovereignty over the vibrant fluids erupting from the fallen carcasses transferred entirely to Heinz.

Molded by his absolute focus, the liquid condensed into crystalline armaments saturated with lethal intent.

“Kkiiiik!”

“Kuhheeek!”

The crimson torrent tore through the surviving beasts, steadily expanding its volume.

Gore summoned more gore, the swirling mass multiplying in size with every additional casualty it claimed.

“Hmm…”

Despite the staggering display of devastation, Heinz merely narrowed his eyes in mild irritation.

‘Manipulating this fluid proves taxing due to their abnormal primordial vitality. Furthermore, while the cognitive imprints within their veins are negligible, the chaotic madness supplanting them presents a minor annoyance.’

The corruption woven into their physical forms began evaporating the instant their life signs ceased, yet a significant concentration lingered within the freshly spilled fluids.

Had he not achieved an unparalleled mastery over fluid manipulation via “Hybrid Evolution”, conducting such an effortless culling would have been impossible.

To entities of a lower echelon, he represented an unavoidable natural catastrophe.

Of course, this also implied that his absolute dominance waned when facing adversaries above a particular threshold of power…

“Kuwoooh…”

Crack—

“…Ugh!”

A hulking Troll, attempting to breach the swirling vortex of gore, found its neck cleanly severed, its massive frame collapsing into the dirt.

With a flick of his fingers, Heinz unleashed hyper-pressurized needles of fluid that simultaneously pierced both its cerebral matter and cardiac core.

“This tier offers no genuine challenge. Let us sample the essence of these creatures… Ugh, vile—!”

Drawing a small stream of the fallen beast’s fluid to his lips, he immediately spat it out in disgust.

The lifeblood of a creature completely warped by madness tasted utterly abominable.

Those of the vampire lineage extracted raw power by digesting the vital essence and ambient energy sealed within the blood of their prey.

However, a corrupted monster’s fluid was already saturated with a degraded, volatile form of altered mana known as ‘life force,’ making absorption highly inefficient—and to make matters worse, the pervasive madness rendered it completely toxic to the palate.

“Tsk, I harbored a faint hope it might prove viable. No matter.”

Heinz persisted in systematically eliminating the oncoming waves, utilizing his fluid manipulation to cleanly wrench the enchanted stones directly from their cardiac cavities, clustering them into a centralized heap.

Whirr— Thud!

Reaching outward, he intercepted the flying mining tool ‘Elinne’ as it returned to him shrouded in a viridian glow, depositing it safely inside his spatial storage device.

This task had comprised part of his motivation for entering the region.

‘Furthermore, Heinz possessed no pressing obligations at this current juncture.’

He had secured the necessary intelligence, and the consolidation of his faction was progressing without impediment.

Since Harley lacked the specific tools required for efficient mass extermination, Heinz had taken up a supporting position nearby to intervene should the former become overwhelmed…

‘I failed to anticipate that his complete surrender to insanity would cause the monsters to disregard him entirely. Regardless, the retrieval of the mining tool is complete, and we have secured an abundance of enchanted stones, making this venture a success.’

Nodding in self-satisfaction, Heinz redirected his attention toward Harley’s confrontation.

“Kkahahahat! This one possesses true resilience! Tearing through its flesh is remarkably entertaining!”

“Kuwooooong—!”

The Twin Head Ogre… or rather, what had now been reduced to a ‘Single Head Ogre,’ was being systematically dismantled by Harley, who possessed less than half the titan’s physical volume.

The beast-like warrior was thoroughly dominating the colossus using nothing but raw, physical force.

‘Indeed, Harley’s lethality has always peaked when relying strictly on his bare hands.’

Though he had recently adopted conventional weaponry to better integrate with civilized territories, his ultimate instruments of destruction remained his own altered anatomy.

Thud!

Finally.

His elongated, razor-sharp claws tore straight through the Ogre’s sternum, and Harley forcefully extracted its beating heart along with the embedded enchanted stone.

Crack! Crunch!

He consumed the prize entirely, instantly integrating a massive wave of chaotic energy that dwarfed the sum of all his previous accumulations.

His pulse skyrocketed, his circulatory system accelerated to frantic speeds, his musculature expanded further, and an intense heat radiated from his skin…

‘An entirely familiar sensation.’

He had long since adapted to these biological reactions.

Disregarding the chaotic murmurs echoing through his consciousness, Harley gradually receded into his human presentation, retrieving the floating hatchets and securing them firmly across his back.

“Ahahat! A rigorous exertion truly clears the senses! Now, time for a light refreshment!”

Seating himself directly before the gathered mountain of enchanted stones, he began scooping them up by the handful, cramming them into his jaw.

Crack! Crack!

His objective was to rapidly replenish his internal reserves, given that his baseline physiology had mutated to a higher tier and his energy retention capabilities had drastically improved following the consumption of the Twin Head Ogre.

Right at that exact instant.

[KuoOoooooh—!]

A deafening, majestic bellow saturated with cataclysmic force erupted from the deepest recesses of the inner mountains.

The atmosphere visibly trembled, and the ambient mana of the forest rippled violently from the sheer magnitude of the acoustic shockwave.

Instinctive tremors ran down their spines, causing their bodies to lock up in immediate vigilance.

‘What manner of entity is this?’

Harley and Heinz the Second simultaneously snapped their attention toward the direction of the resonant cry.

While the specific signature of the energy felt distinct, they had encountered an incredibly similar pressure quite recently.

To be precise, Hans had observed this exact caliber of presence emanating from his vassal, Entracio.

Which meant the architect of this shattering roar could only be…

‘A Dragon?’

The ancient dragon slumbering within the northern wastes had finally broken its slumber.