Chapter 88

King of the Underworld (2)

The Crimson Soiree from the red-light district had arrived late, after everything was over. When they began taking control of Violess, what crossed the mind of Sarpedon, leader of the Black Grasp, was, frankly, opportunity.

The absolute law of Violess was might. By that measure, the blood-soaked man who had defeated the great evil threatening Violess deserved to become its absolute ruler.

But wasn't it said that amid the ruins of a shattered kingdom, a nameless man would don the crown?

"In the end, isn't it the dwarfs who claim the spoils the giants leave behind after their battles?"

Lyla, Godmother of the Crimson Soiree, had exploited that opening perfectly. Two giants had fought for supremacy over Violess. One had fallen, and the other was exhausted.

A wounded ogre. Just as a pack of brave wolves could hunt a tiger, a band of trolls could hunt even an ogre.

No one was invincible against a mob. However skilled a fighter might be, a swarm of attackers would eventually wear them down.

There were thousands of Visters gathered here alone—a force large enough to be called an army. Surely they could hunt down one wounded ogre.

Sarpedon furtively gauged the situation and rose from his knees. And then—

ROOOOAR!!!

At the sight of the man wreathed in a rippling aura of dark-red flames, Sarpedon understood at once. Even if trolls gathered to form an army...

BOOM!

...they could never hunt a dragon.

The man had seized Lyla by the neck before anyone knew it. He slammed her straight into the ground, gouging out a crater and sending earth shooting into the sky—

A casual sweep of his hand tore through the landscape. The shock wave shredded the charging Visters. Only the groans of the fallen remained.

"You bastard!!"

"Die!!"

More Visters rushed him, swinging their axes, but the man fluidly twisted aside and kicked the leading Vister in the knee.

CRACK!

The Vister's knee bent backward, sending him toppling—

SPLURT!

The next Vister's chest split open, spraying red blood everywhere.

There was no mercy in his strikes. Ruthless instinct. Every attack the man unleashed inflicted a lethal wound, striking the Visters down.

"W-what is this...!"

"Aaaaagh!"

Their screams rang out in every direction. The man's movements were utterly invisible. Yet one after another, the Crimson Soiree's Visters fell, rolling on the ground in their own blood.

Some Visters sank to the ground where they stood, trembling violently. Wet puddles formed beneath them, as though they had pissed themselves in fear.

The man's eyes shone red as he watched them, as if stained with blood. The dark-red aura enveloping him blazed like fire.

Sarpedon swallowed involuntarily. That... wasn't human. But it wasn't a dragon, either.

Neither human nor dragon—something that reigned over all living creatures. He did not know what it was, but that was simply how it felt to him.

Now, not a single Crimson Soiree Vister remained standing unharmed. All several hundred of them lay on the ground.

How long had it taken? A mere three minutes...? No, not even three.

... Overwhelming. Overwhelming...? Could that word truly describe this?

Strength that seemed to exist beyond this world. It defied reason. And so, nothing could explain it.

The man shook the blood from his hand. Slowly surveying his surroundings, he looked at Sarpedon and the Black Grasp Visters.

"Are you going to attack me too?"

Sarpedon immediately prostrated himself.

"No, sir!!!"

Even that wasn't enough. He banged his head against the ground, afraid he might offend the man. Or perhaps he already had.

"Attack our king?! The thought never even crossed my mind!! We would never defy you!!"

He slammed his forehead into the ground, again and again, hard enough to split it open.

* * *

... I'd lost control of myself a little.

Those words had been so vile that even thinking about them irritated me, let alone saying them aloud. I erased them from my mind. They weren't worth another thought.

Then I looked over the Visters banging their heads on the ground before me, one by one.

'No Acatas.'

The Ashen Mask Visters—in other words, the Dark Merchant Company's Acatas—were nowhere to be seen. Apparently, they had been offered as sacrifices for Kraulgar's manifestation. With Iratum, its medium, killed by Dragon Rage Explosion[E], it had needed additional sacrifices.

Which meant...

'It's over, then?'

Only then could I finally relax.

Honestly, it would have put even me in a difficult position if Violess's Visters had attacked. And I really had been caught off guard when the Crimson Soiree seized their chance.

Of course, it wasn't as though I hadn't considered the possibility of them making a move. That was why I'd asked Isolde to contact the Eye of the Pilgrim.

But Kraulgar's manifestation had thrown an unexpected variable into the mix. The situation had changed drastically, and the Eye of the Pilgrim still hadn't reached Violess. Isolde and I were stranded here.

It hadn't been an easy situation to escape, but I'd found a breakthrough in an unexpected place: Kraulgar's Authority, the Source of Wrath. Devouring it with Predation[S+] had given me the transcendent skill Berserk[?].

◆Berserk[?]

: When using this skill, the player sends their accumulated [Madness] into overdrive. This allows the player to temporarily increase the [Rank] of [Normal Skills], enhancing them to [Transcend] their maximum rank limits.

The enhanced skills' [Rank] and [Power] are amplified according to the [Madness] unleashed, and each is granted [Additional Effects] appropriate to its properties.

A transcendent skill. At first, I hadn't known what that meant, but the description made it clear. It enhanced abilities or allowed them to unleash an entirely new dimension of power, literally letting them transcend their limits.

The price was [Madness]. Kraulgar had originally used wrath, but it seemed to have been converted into Madness when I absorbed it through Predation[S+]—

'Is there a way to check my Madness value...?'

On a hunch, I checked 「Player Information」.

==「Player Information」==

[Name] - Adrian Whitewolf

[Title] - Master of the Snowy Mountains

[Level] - Level 76

[HP] - 9,185

[MP] - 0

[Sanity] - 107/110

[Stats] - Strength:81(+5) Agility:110.8(+18.8) Stamina:95.85(+16.85) Mana:11(+5)

[Experience] - 9.33%

<Additional Stat Points +1>

There was a new field called [Sanity] that I hadn't seen before. The word referred to one's mental state. Put simply...

'Does it measure how well I can keep my mind intact?'

To put it even more simply, mental fortitude. By that interpretation, my maximum mental fortitude was 110.

'It looks like it's related to my Mana stat.'

It seemed I had 10 [Sanity] for every point in Mana. And my current [Sanity] was 107. That apparently represented my Madness value while also determining the power of Berserk[?]—

◆Activating transcendent skill, Berserk[?].

◆[Sanity] - 107

◆Berserk[?] will be applied at [B-] rank.

◆The skill eligible for transcendence at this value is Promote Metabolism[C+].

That seemed to be how Berserk[?]' s rank was determined. A value of 107 meant [B-] rank. Thus, it could only be applied to Promote Metabolism[C+], which was lower-ranked.

So I immediately selected Promote Metabolism[C+]—

◆The rank of the skill Promote Metabolism[C+] has been raised to [B-].

◆[Additional Efficiency] - Agility and Stamina gains increase by a further [+5%].

◆[Additional Effect] - You can temporarily stimulate the heart muscle to increase the speed of blood circulation.

Its rank immediately rose by one tier, with [Additional Efficiency] and an [Additional Effect] added. It was a good skill. It let skills that had reached their biological limits and could evolve no further transcend those limits. Hence, a transcendent skill.

Even if it was temporary, I could replenish my Madness by devouring monster hearts with Predation[S+], so it was fair to call it a "good" skill.

But I had been mistaken. Berserk[?] wasn't a good skill. It was an absurd skill.

Because its true effect lay elsewhere: combination skills. Raising Promote Metabolism[B-]'s rank affected every combination skill that used it—

◆Combination skill, 'Metabolic Overdrive[U],' transcends its limits!!

Metabolic Overdrive[U], in particular, was affected the most and transcended its limits.

◆Accelerated Heartbeat[E]

: When using this skill, the player sharply increases their heart rate, amplifying the effects of Metabolic Overdrive[U] [Twofold].

However, excessive strain on the cardiovascular system may damage the heart, and intense hormone secretion carries a risk of extreme agitation or anger.

<This is a super-combination skill that transcends the limits of Metabolic Overdrive[U].>

Its rank was [E], for Epic—the same rank as Dragon Rage Explosion[E]. In other words, its utility rivaled the power of Dragon Rage Explosion[E], and it truly lived up to that.

Explosive speed and enhanced strength. Hyper-Reflex Mode, which predicted an opponent's movements. Wide-Area Awareness, which heightened concentration to the extreme, allowing me to rapidly perceive and react to my surroundings. Even if only temporarily, I could wield abilities beyond my biological limits.

On top of that, Berserk[?] could be applied to Dragon's Claw[A], Regeneration[B+], Toughened Skin[B], and Nutrient Synthesis[B]. There were endless possibilities for transcendence beyond Accelerated Heartbeat[E]. I couldn't imagine what abilities those would produce.

This was indeed the power of a Legion Commander of the Abyss. An ability and Authority I wouldn't even have dared to devour with Predation[S+] in my previous life. Ian hadn't voiced his concern that he wouldn't be able to handle me for nothing.

'It looks like Sanity builds up with Madness.'

In other words, using Predation[S+] would accumulate it. There was just one drawback—

'It doesn't work very well with Player's Will.'

Player's Will[EX] completely reset any Madness that exceeded my mental fortitude. That made it impossible to keep accumulating the [Sanity] that determined Berserk[?]' s power.

'Does this mean I should put some points into Mana too?'

If I increased my maximum [Sanity], I could work around it by using Berserk[?] just before it reset.

But Mana was an utterly useless stat for me. I'd have to think about how to make use of this over time.

Regardless, I could now dare to say it.

'I've surpassed him.'

I had surpassed the Predator of my previous life.

Just as I clenched my fist, a groan suddenly reached me.

"Urrgh...!"

Lyla, whom I'd slammed into the ground, was slowly trying to rise.

... I was a little surprised. I'd struck her with strength amplified by Accelerated Heartbeat[E]. What's more, I'd partially lost control of myself. Every blow had been a critical hit, and as the motionless Crimson Soiree Visters demonstrated, I'd shown no mercy.

Was this why she was the Godmother of the Crimson Soiree, after all?

"U-urrgh...!"

She could take quite a beating.

But that didn't mean she was in any condition to resist. In the end, unable to get properly to her feet, she began crawling across the ground.

"S-s-spare me...!"

She instinctively crawled toward Isolde, clung to her, and began begging. She instinctively knew that begging me would not save her.

Isolde looked down at her in silence. She hardly ever expressed emotion, but there was something about the aura she gave off. She had the air of a benevolent Saintess.

Indeed, she was a foolish woman who sacrificed herself out of the conviction that she must embrace everyone. So it might seem as though she would be unable to kill Lyla—but anyone who thought that didn't know Isolde well.

The people Isolde believed she must embrace were strictly limited to the innocent. She showed not the slightest mercy to those who had sinned.

That was why she had been merciless toward the imperial army, refusing even to take prisoners. In accordance with her will, the Divine Command's motto during our days in the allied army had been:

[Forgiveness is God's to grant. Kill them all.]

"God will forgive you."

And so, the allied army had called Isolde—

CRUNCH!

[The Saintess of Judgment].

* * *

Lyla's head was crushed. Isolde's judgment was merciless. Yet I knew that granting her a painless death was the greatest mercy Isolde could offer.

Lyla had exploited women in the red-light district. Her sins were not the sort that deserved to be punished in a single stroke.

In any case, no one in Violess could even contemplate attacking me now. And as the entire city bowed down in submission—

◆You have cleared the Hidden Quest, [What a Fine Day to Stir Up Trouble]!!

A message announcing the Hidden Quest's completion appeared—

◆Waaaaaaaah?!!?!

As though it had been waiting for this moment, hysterically excited translucent text filled my vision. But only for a moment—

◆Hold on!!

The messages started raising objections?

◆I can't accept this!

◆The Hidden Quest's objective was the 'fall' of Violess, wasn't it?!

◆Who told you to 'rule' Violess instead?!

'... What?'

◆You've done something different from what the quest asked!

◆I can't approve this!!

◆I simply won't accept it!!

'What are you...?'

◆Why am I suddenly changing my tune, you ask?

◆I'm not changing my tune!!

◆This was all a buildup to giving you an extra reward!

"...?"

◆You, who carried out the quest in a different way!

◆You, who accomplished such an incredible feat!

◆How could I possibly give someone like you only the regular reward?!

◆I can't approve of that!!

◆I simply won't accept it!!

◆That's why you're getting a spe-cial bo-nus~!

... How did its overreactions manage to evolve by the day?

◆Were you surprised?

◆Did your heart just drop into your stomach?!

◆Were you worried you wouldn't get your reward?

◆Then the operation was a hu~ge success!!

◆Huh? Are you angry?

◆Then, with my sincerest apologies, I'll give you the additional reward, the Title <King of the Underworld>!!

◆How's that?! Is your heart pounding over the extra reward?!

◆Do you think you'll pass out from a heart attack when you get the main reward?!

◆Then take a nice, deep breath!

◆And hurry up and claim your main reward, [Ian’s Journal]!!

'... Did this thing learn a transcendent skill too?'

Something like Frenzied Hysterics[?], for instance.