#51 Halli (2)
‘Yes, now that I think about it, it was strange.’
The Supreme God Order was, in name and reality, one of the continent’s greatest powers.
Did it make any sense that they couldn’t find a single fragment for hundreds of years in such a place?
Of course, the Immortal King, not being a fool, must have set stringent conditions and scattered them far and wide to prevent the Order from obtaining them.
Because of that, the Order had already missed two.
But this was the Supreme God Order.
That they hadn’t found a single one until now didn’t make sense.
“Of course, we don’t guard all the way from the Radiant Guard inward. We only block the pathways. Those of much higher station would be the ones managing it directly.”
“···I see. Then was there really a need to tell me that···?”
“Because of the Blessing of Silence. Also, if we know what we’re protecting, isn’t a more proactive defense possible? You know Count Landguard too, don’t you? Now that the descendant of the Immortal King has appeared, you know how important protecting the final fragment is.”
He knew it all too well.
That descendant of the Immortal King, Hans, was agonizing over how to find the final fragment.
‘But he doesn’t need to worry about that anymore.’
Though a different worry had taken its place.
Heinrich knew all too well how thorough the security was, having experienced it firsthand these past few months from the sacred grounds all the way to the Grand Temple.
And to retrieve a fragment located in the innermost depths of the Roselia Grand Temple, under impregnable security··· was, needless to say, nearly impossible.
“Besides, being admitted into the Radiant Guard means you are a trusted person. It seems the higher-ups think quite highly of you?”
“Hahaha··· I am receiving rather excessive attention.”
“Well, seeing your growth, they can’t help but invest in you. Hmm, then let me show you your post now. Follow me.”
Having said that, Railin rose from her seat and headed for the door leading outside.
Heinrich also hurriedly followed her out of the room.
“It’s troublesome, isn’t it? We can only speak in designated locations, so it can’t be helped···.”
The room they had been in was part of the complicated “procedure” they had gone through earlier.
That place was probably no ordinary room either.
“Would you try saying it as a test? Of course, you cannot write it down either.”
“You’re right. Tha-······, ······!”
Just as she said, he tried to speak just in case, but not a single word left his mouth.
“You couldn’t leak it anyway, but from now on, be careful of your words and actions even in daily life. Being unable to speak itself looks unnatural and suspicious. It’s best to think of it as a secret only you know. A secret you must absolutely never tell others!”
“···Yes! Understood. I’ll keep it to myself.”
Heinrich nodded heavily with a stern face.
As if swearing to take the secret held in his heart to the grave.
Yes, after all, he had never intended to leak it to anyone from the start.
Because only ‘I’ needed to know this fact.
He had absolutely no intention of telling others.
***
[The innermost part of the Roselia Grand Temple··· If I had just tried to find it, I wouldn’t have found it in my entire lifetime.]
A secret research facility located deep within the Forest of Demons.
In that gloomy place, an Akriche let out a low murmur.
He was precisely the target the Order was desperately pursuing, and the one person the information about the final fragment must never be revealed to.
The descendant of the Immortal King, Hans.
Having finished Halli’s enhancement research and finally begun free research, he had come across unexpected information and fallen into worry.
[What a headache. It doesn’t seem like there’s anything I can do about this right now?]
No matter how strong Hans was now, charging straight into the heart of the Order was still too much.
He couldn’t even know what further defenses lay inside.
[Actually, there’s no need to go that far either. It’s something that will resolve itself with time. If I wait, an opportunity will come before long. Kekeke···.]
Because he was not alone.
Now that he had pinpointed the location of the final fragment, all he needed to do was lay the groundwork while waiting for the right time.
The research he was conducting now was also important in many ways.
[This too is part of the preparation for that time. First, I need to find a way to firmly shake off the Saintess’s pursuit. It’s frustrating being unable to move properly because I’m stuck inside a barrier.]
He had already grasped the general outline.
It was still an issue that required more time, but since he had plenty of time left, there was no need to be too hasty.
After all, Halli’s enhancement, which was his immediate priority, was progressing smoothly.
***
In the forest some distance away from Hans’s secret research facility.
Rustle—
A black panther dropped like lightning from the dense tree canopy.
Its target was a foolish human standing alone.
He seemed not to notice the panther’s ambush, showing no reaction to the unexpected attack.
No, he only seemed that way···.
“Kahat! As if!”
The moment the panther fell toward his head.
That human, Halli, had already turned around to face the panther.
His two pointed ears twitching.
Sensing its ambush had failed, the black panther quickly extended its front paws, but he only bared his teeth in a savage grin.
Because he was already prepared for battle.
Crunch—
In an instant, his right arm swelled to an enormous size, and five blade-like claws sprang from his fingertips.
“Huup!”
“Kreuuung—!”
The battle cries of man and beast crossing paths.
The panther’s front paw swung toward Halli’s head, but he ducked to avoid it and parried its trajectory with his left arm, its muscles tightly compressed.
It was a physical technique included in Heinrich’s [Paladin Combat Arts] that he had been putting to good use in many ways.
And with the swollen hand, he grasped the black panther’s exposed nape.
Crack! Thud—
“Kek!”
The five blade-like claws attached to his massive grip didn’t simply pierce the panther’s nape.
Screech—
The claws tore through flesh as if wringing it and scraped at the neck bone.
Thud!
The victor was decided in a single exchange.
Unlike the black panther that had collapsed with the flesh of its nape completely torn away, not a single scratch appeared on Halli’s body.
“Kyaha~! Exhilarating, isn’t it?”
An opponent he had once fought with his life on the line could now be crushed with one hand.
Halli had grown so quickly largely thanks to the influence of Heinz II.
Because the blood he left behind had become a powerful nutrient for Halli.
Of course, he couldn’t obtain the blood mana that was the source of Heinz’s power or his various abilities, but the body of Heinz, enhanced by [Hybrid Evolution], was anything but ordinary.
“Then shall we begin!”
The muscles of his swollen right arm compressed, their volume decreasing and becoming sleek.
And that arm immediately dug into the black panther’s heart.
Pfft— Shhhk!
The black panther’s magic stone came out with the hand bearing the sharp claws.
After roughly shaking off the blood, he bit and chewed the fist-sized crystal with teeth that had grown as densely as a shark’s.
Crunch! Crackle— Crunch!
‘Seems like black panthers aren’t very effective anymore?’
[Mutation] was a trait that acquired various kinds of genes to evolve.
If he repeatedly devoured the same species, efficiency inevitably dropped.
The reason he extracted and ate magic stones was simple.
It was the most efficient way to satisfy the conditions of [Mutation].
‘If only I could get a Dragon Heart, nothing could be better.’
The Dragon Heart, the ultimate magic stone.
Naturally, not a single one was on the market, and no one had even identified the material.
Someone somewhere might possess one, but there was no way he could know such information.
《The individual has obtained enlightenment through repeated actions. Skill [Devour] acquired.》
Around the time he finished eating the black panther’s magic stone, a familiar notification window floated before his eyes.
“Oh? A skill that suits me perfectly?”
[Devour] was a useful skill that allowed him to eat anything more easily, quickly, and in greater quantities.
As an added benefit, it also sped up digestion, helping with energy supply, so it wasn’t bad.
‘······.’
More than that, there was something that had been bothering him greatly lately···.
“Wahahahat—!”
A hearty laugh burst out before he knew it.
Nothing was particularly funny, yet for some reason he couldn’t hold back his laughter.
‘Ever since acquiring [Mutation], Halli’s personality seems to have gotten a bit strange···.’
Should I call it hearty, or should I call it tough···.
“Pfft··· Pahahahat!”
‘Let’s just say it outright: it’s psychotic.’
He was usually fairly decent, but after fighting or seeing blood, he inevitably changed like this.
Repeated human experimentation and the skills acquired from it must have greatly influenced the avatar’s personality.
Thinking it over, it was reaping what he had sowed, so there was no one else to blame.
‘Hmm··· Having been like this for a while, this might be fine in its own way.’
Laughing so refreshingly made him feel clear-minded.
···Isn’t it fine like this after all?
-Individual Name: Halli
-Common Traits: [Mind Hub], [Persona], [Clear Mirror Still Water]
-Individual Traits: [Mutation], [Physical Mutation], [Regeneration], [Devour]
-Notable Details: Through various experiments, the body has adapted to mutation. Each time new genes are acquired, it evolves into an optimal combination and mutates the body based on that information. Even in extreme environments, it transforms into a suitable form to adapt to its surroundings.
[Physical Mutation] was an excellent ability that could transform the body through various combinations of possessed genes.
If there was one flaw, it was that calories were consumed rapidly each time it was used.
But thanks to that, he could pull off feats like this.
Crunch, pop—!
The muscles throughout his entire body swelled and his skeletal frame thickened.
His shoulders broadened and his field of view rose higher.
After some time had passed.
Halli had already become a muscular giant over two meters tall.
“A big physique is definitely advantageous in a fight. You need to be at least this burly!”
Ripping off his uncomfortably tight top, he let out another refreshing laugh.
‘I’ve tested and adjusted in various ways, but as expected, the bigger the body, the better for fully utilizing Halli’s abilities.’
Monsters, including demon beasts, transmute the mana dwelling in their bodies through their powerful vitality, displaying destructive force beyond physical limits.
Power that a human body cannot wield.
And although Halli outwardly maintained a human appearance, the bones and muscles composing his interior were already no different from those of demon beasts.
The bodies of those specialized solely for slaughter boasted performance far superior to humans.
Gurrr—
In exchange, energy consumption efficiency was atrocious, but now he could handle it sufficiently with [Devour].
‘Ah, but with the aftereffects of [Physical Mutation] overlapping at the same time, the hunger is tremendous.’
Drool—
Before he knew it, saliva was dripping from Halli’s mouth.
His gaze was already fixed on the black panther collapsed on the ground.
‘···I have [Devour], so it should be fine?’
He could now digest anything without getting sick.
And wasn’t there food right here to sate his hunger?
Gulp—!
Halli tore off one of the black panther’s front legs, roughly skinned it, and brought it to his mouth, devouring it ravenously.
The demon beast’s raw flesh being torn away by his sharpened teeth.
Blood dripping drip by drip.
Halli’s mouth and chest were already drenched in blood.
‘···No, no matter how I look at it, this seems insane.’
He had tried not to interfere with each avatar’s personality as much as possible, but Halli seemed to need special management.
Constantly minding his words and actions would be tiring in many ways, but with his current disposition, it seemed impossible to build normal human relationships.
He’s not even a barbarian, what is this···.
‘Hm? Barbarian?’
The Auterica dimension, where various races and species lived mixed together.
Naturally, barbarians existed here too.
And they formed quite a significant force.
In the barren wastelands of barbarism located in the southern continent, there was even a tribal confederation nation of barbarians established there.
‘Barbarian··· barbarian warrior··· wouldn’t that work?’
A massive physique and tattoos scattered all over.
Letting out tough laughter while smashing enemies’ skulls with a giant axe, quenching one’s thirst with the blood of prey.
“Oh! That’s great?!”
Halli, who had been chewing, roared in excitement again.
So, focusing on controlling him to eat his meat quietly, I organized my thoughts again.
‘Actually, I heard that culture has spread to barbarians these days, so it’s not quite like this···. Well, there are crazies everywhere.’
Halli, the barbarian warrior of the rough wilds.
Somehow, the concept felt good.
The gamer’s soul that had cooled since my school days surged again.
‘First, I need to make a helmet from demon beast hide, acquire accessories including a bone necklace, and get a giant axe.’
A getup filled with prejudice and personal desire.
Stereotypical fashion that would make the cultured modern generation of southerners shudder.
If they saw it, they’d kick up a fuss about reinforcing prejudices against southern barbarians.
Of course, I had no intention of considering their feelings.
‘It’s fortunate Heinrich learned axe techniques as well. I’ll use an axe in front of others and use [Physical Mutation] when alone.’
As long as I’m enjoying myself, isn’t that what matters?
“Hahat! How exciting! Then shall we keep moving?!”
Halli tossed away the bone of the finished leg, his leg muscles swelled, and he immediately kicked off the ground and tore through the forest.
His eyes had become sharp like those of a beast, and his nose and ears twitched incessantly, scanning the surroundings.
Before moving to another area, he had to acquire the genes of the demon beasts inhabiting this place as much as possible first.
And so, for about a month.
It was the time when Halli, aided by the undead, had hunted all kinds of demon beasts in the vicinity to acquire their genetic information and completed preparations to head elsewhere.