MAEPG: Episode 51
Episode 51 Harley (2)
‘Come to think of it, it was strange.’
The Main God Church was one of the largest forces on the continent.
Did it make sense that they couldn’t find a single fragment for hundreds of years?
Of course, the Immortal King wouldn’t have been stupid enough to scatter the fragments without setting up difficult conditions to prevent them from falling into the Church’s hands.
That’s why the Church missed two of them.
But it was the Main God Church.
It didn’t make sense that they hadn’t found a single one.
“Of course, the Radiance Guardian doesn’t guard the inside. We only guard the passages. Those higher up will be directly managing it.”
“…I see. Then there’s no need to tell me that…”
“Because of the Blessing of Silence. And we need to know what we’re protecting to be able to defend more proactively, right? You know, Sir Landguard? Now that the Immortal King’s descendant has appeared, you know how important it is to protect the last fragment.”
I knew, I knew.
Hans, the Immortal King’s descendant, was currently racking his brains trying to find the last fragment.
‘But I don’t have to worry about that anymore.’
Instead, he had a different worry.
Heinrich knew firsthand how tight the security was, starting from the holy land and extending to the cathedral, for the past few months.
And retrieving the fragment from the innermost part of the Roselia Cathedral, under tight security… it was practically impossible, needless to say.
“And being in the Radiance Guardian means that you’re a trustworthy person. The higher-ups must think highly of you.”
“Hahaha… I’m receiving undeserved attention.”
“Well, seeing your growth rate, they can’t help but support you. Hmm, then I’ll tell you about your post. Follow me.”
Lailyn finished speaking, got up from her seat, and headed towards the door leading outside.
Heinrich hurriedly followed her out of the room.
“It’s a hassle, right? It can’t be helped because you can only speak in designated places…”
The room they were in was part of the complicated ‘procedure’ they had gone through earlier.
That place probably wasn’t an ordinary room either.
“Would you like to try speaking? Of course, you can’t write it down either.”
“I guess so. Um…”
As she said, he tried to speak just in case, but not a single word came out of his mouth.
“You can’t reveal it anyway, but be careful of your words and actions from now on. It’ll look suspicious if you suddenly stop talking. It’s better to think of it as a secret only you know. A secret you must never tell anyone!”
“…Yes! I understand. I’ll keep it to myself.”
Heinrich nodded heavily with a serious expression.
As if swearing to take the secret in his heart to the grave.
Yes, he had no intention of telling anyone else from the beginning.
Only ‘I’ needed to know this.
I would never tell anyone else.
‘Come to think of it, it was strange.’
The Main God Church was one of the largest forces on the continent.
Did it make sense that they couldn’t find a single fragment for hundreds of years?
Of course, the Immortal King wouldn’t have been stupid enough to scatter the fragments without setting up difficult conditions to prevent them from falling into the Church’s hands.
That’s why the Church missed two of them.
But it was the Main God Church.
It didn’t make sense that they hadn’t found a single one.
“Of course, the Radiance Guardian doesn’t guard the inside. We only guard the passages. Those higher up will be directly managing it.”
“…I see. Then there’s no need to tell me that…”
“Because of the Blessing of Silence. And we need to know what we’re protecting to be able to defend more proactively, right? You know, Sir Landguard? Now that the Immortal King’s descendant has appeared, you know how important it is to protect the last fragment.”
I knew, I knew.
Hans, the Immortal King’s descendant, was currently racking his brains trying to find the last fragment.
‘But I don’t have to worry about that anymore.’
Instead, he had a different worry.
Heinrich knew firsthand how tight the security was, starting from the holy land and extending to the cathedral, for the past few months.
And retrieving the fragment from the innermost part of the Roselia Cathedral, under tight security… it was practically impossible, needless to say.
“And being in the Radiance Guardian means that you’re a trustworthy person. The higher-ups must think highly of you.”
“Hahaha… I’m receiving undeserved attention.”
“Well, seeing your growth rate, they can’t help but support you. Hmm, then I’ll tell you about your post. Follow me.”
Lailyn finished speaking, got up from her seat, and headed towards the door leading outside.
Heinrich hurriedly followed her out of the room.
“It’s a hassle, right? It can’t be helped because you can only speak in designated places…”
The room they were in was part of the complicated ‘procedure’ they had gone through earlier.
That place probably wasn’t an ordinary room either.
“Would you like to try speaking? Of course, you can’t write it down either.”
“I guess so. Um…”
As she said, he tried to speak just in case, but not a single word came out of his mouth.
“You can’t reveal it anyway, but be careful of your words and actions from now on. It’ll look suspicious if you suddenly stop talking. It’s better to think of it as a secret only you know. A secret you must never tell anyone!”
“…Yes! I understand. I’ll keep it to myself.”
Heinrich nodded heavily with a serious expression.
As if swearing to take the secret in his heart to the grave.
Yes, he had no intention of telling anyone else from the beginning.
Only ‘I’ needed to know this.
I would never tell anyone else.
_______________________
[The inner sanctum of the Roselia Cathedral… I would never have found it if I had just tried to look for it.]
A secret research facility located deep in the monster forest.
An Arch-Lich muttered in the eerie place.
He was the one the Church was desperately trying to track down, the one whose information about the last fragment absolutely couldn’t be known.
Hans, the descendant of the Immortal King.
He had entered free research after finishing Harley’s enhancement research and was lost in thought after encountering unexpected information.
[This is a headache. It doesn’t seem like there’s anything I can do right now.]
No matter how strong Hans currently was, it was still impossible to just barge into the heart of the Church.
He didn’t even know what kind of defenses they had inside.
[Actually, there’s no need to do that. It’ll be resolved on its own if I wait. The opportunity will come soon. Hehehe…]
He wasn’t alone.
Now that he knew the location of the last fragment, he just had to wait for the right time and build his foundation.
The research he was currently conducting was also important in many ways.
[This is also part of preparing for that time. First, I need to find a way to completely evade the Saintess’s tracking. It’s frustrating that I can’t do anything properly because I’m stuck inside the barrier.]
He had already grasped the general idea.
It still needed more time, but he had plenty of time, so there was no need to rush.
Harley’s enhancement, which was his immediate goal, was progressing smoothly.
[The inner sanctum of the Roselia Cathedral… I would never have found it if I had just tried to look for it.]
A secret research facility located deep in the monster forest.
An Arch-Lich muttered in the eerie place.
He was the one the Church was desperately trying to track down, the one whose information about the last fragment absolutely couldn’t be known.
Hans, the descendant of the Immortal King.
He had entered free research after finishing Harley’s enhancement research and was lost in thought after encountering unexpected information.
[This is a headache. It doesn’t seem like there’s anything I can do right now.]
No matter how strong Hans currently was, it was still impossible to just barge into the heart of the Church.
He didn’t even know what kind of defenses they had inside.
[Actually, there’s no need to do that. It’ll be resolved on its own if I wait. The opportunity will come soon. Hehehe…]
He wasn’t alone.
Now that he knew the location of the last fragment, he just had to wait for the right time and build his foundation.
The research he was currently conducting was also important in many ways.
[This is also part of preparing for that time. First, I need to find a way to completely evade the Saintess’s tracking. It’s frustrating that I can’t do anything properly because I’m stuck inside the barrier.]
He had already grasped the general idea.
It still needed more time, but he had plenty of time, so there was no need to rush.
Harley’s enhancement, which was his immediate goal, was progressing smoothly.
___________________
In the forest, some distance away from Hans’s secret research facility.
Rustle—
A black panther leaped down from a lush tree like lightning.
Its target was a foolish human standing alone.
He seemed to be unaware of the panther’s attack, not reacting at all to the surprise attack.
Or so it seemed…
“Haha! Not a chance!”
The moment the panther landed on top of him,
The human, Harley, had already turned around and was facing the panther.
With his pointed ears twitching.
The black panther, sensing that its surprise attack had failed, quickly extended its front paws, but he just smiled ferociously, baring his teeth.
He was already prepared for battle.
Crack—
His right arm swelled up in an instant, and five claw-like nails protruded from his fingertips.
“Haa!”
“Kraaagh—!”
The battle cries of human and beast crossed.
The panther’s front paw swung towards Harley’s head, but he ducked, dodging it, and deflected its trajectory with his left arm, where his muscles were tightly packed.
It was a body technique included in Heinrich’s “Holy Warrior Combat Arts”, which he was using in various ways.
And he grabbed the panther’s nape, which was exposed, with his massive swollen hand.
Grab! Stab—!
“Gah!”
The five claw-like nails on his large hand didn’t just pierce the panther’s nape.
Crack—
The nails dug into the flesh and scraped the neck bone.
Thud!
The battle was decided in a single exchange.
Unlike the black panther, which had collapsed with its nape completely torn off, Harley’s body was unscathed.
“Kya~! This is exhilarating!”
To think that the opponent he had once fought for his life was now crushed with a single grab.
Heinz the Second had a big part in Harley’s rapid growth.
The blood he left behind became Harley’s nutritious supplement.
Of course, Harley couldn’t obtain the blood magic power that was the source of Heinz’s power or his various abilities, but Heinz’s body, strengthened by “Hybrid Evolution”, was definitely not at an ordinary level.
“Then let’s get started!”
The muscles in his swollen right arm contracted, reducing its size and becoming more agile.
And the arm immediately dug into the black panther’s heart.
Stab— Rip!
The black panther’s magic stone came out along with his hand, which had sharp nails.
He roughly wiped off the blood on it and then chewed on the fist-sized crystal with his teeth, which had become sharp like a shark’s.
Crunch! Crunch— Crunch!
‘It seems like black panthers aren’t very effective anymore.’
“Mutation” was the characteristic of evolving by acquiring various types of genes.
As he repeatedly consumed the same species, the efficiency naturally decreased.
The reason he ate magic stones was simple.
It was the most efficient way to satisfy the conditions of “Mutation”.
‘It would be perfect if I could get a dragon heart.’
Dragon heart, the ultimate magic stone.
Naturally, there was no information about its whereabouts, let alone any for sale.
Someone might be holding onto one somewhere, but there was no way he could know.
《The individual gains enlightenment through repeated actions. You have acquired the skill “Gluttony”.》
As he was finishing the black panther’s magic stone, a familiar notification window appeared before his eyes.
“Oh? That’s a perfect skill for me.”
“Gluttony” was a useful skill that allowed him to eat anything more easily, quickly, and in larger quantities.
It wasn’t bad because it also had the useful effect of speeding up digestion and helping with energy supply.
‘…’
But there was one thing that had been bothering him lately…
“Wahahaha—!”
A hearty laugh burst out of him unconsciously.
It wasn’t even funny, but he couldn’t help but laugh.
‘It seems like Harley’s personality has become a bit strange after getting “Mutation”…’
Should he call it hearty or tough…
“Pfft… Hahaha!”
‘To put it bluntly, he’s a psycho.’
He was usually fine, but he would inevitably change like this after a fight or seeing blood.
The repeated human experiments and the skills he gained from them must have had a significant impact on the avatar’s personality.
It was self-inflicted, so he couldn’t blame anyone else.
‘Hmm… As I keep doing this, I think it might be okay in its own way.’
He felt refreshed after laughing heartily.
…Maybe it was okay like this?
-Individual Name: Harley
-Common Traits: “Mind Hub”, “Persona”, “Clear Mind”
-Individual Traits: “Mutation”, “Physical Transformation”, “Regeneration”, “Gluttony”
-Special Notes: Body has adapted to mutation through various experiments. Evolves into the optimal combination whenever new genes are acquired and transforms the body based on that information. Adapts to the surroundings by transforming into a suitable form even in extreme environments.
“Physical Transformation” was a wonderful ability that allowed him to change his body with various combinations of the genes he possessed.
The only downside was that calories were consumed rapidly every time he used it.
But thanks to that, he could also do this.
Crack, crack—!
The muscles in his entire body expanded, and his skeleton thickened.
His shoulders broadened, and his field of vision became wider.
After a while,
Harley had become a muscular giant over two meters tall.
“A large physique is advantageous in fights. I need to be at least this big!”
He ripped off his constricting shirt and laughed heartily again.
‘I’ve adjusted and experimented in various ways, but it’s definitely advantageous for Harley to be bigger to fully utilize his abilities.’
Monsters, including magical beasts, transformed the mana in their bodies into their tenacious life force, exhibiting destructive power that exceeded physical limits.
Power that a human body couldn’t use.
And although Harley still maintained a human appearance on the outside, his bones, muscles, and other internal structures were no different from those of a magical beast.
Their bodies, specialized for slaughter, boasted superior performance compared to humans.
Growl—
The downside was that the energy consumption efficiency was terrible, but he could now handle it with “Gluttony”.
‘Ah, but the aftereffects of “Physical Transformation” are also overlapping, so I’m incredibly hungry.’
Drool—
Drool was dripping from Harley’s mouth.
His gaze was already fixed on the black panther lying on the ground.
‘…It’ll be okay with “Gluttony”, right?’
He could digest anything without getting sick.
And there was food here to satisfy his hunger.
Rip—!
Harley tore off one of the black panther’s front legs, roughly peeled off the skin, and brought it to his mouth, devouring it.
The monster’s raw meat was torn apart by his sharpened teeth.
Blood dripped.
Harley’s mouth and chest were already covered in blood.
‘…No, this is crazy.’
I had been trying not to interfere with the personalities of each avatar, but it seemed like Harley needed special management.
It would be more tiring to constantly pay attention to his words and actions, but there was no way he could build normal relationships with his current personality.
He wasn’t a barbarian, what the…
‘Huh? Barbarian?’
The Auterica Dimension, where various races and species lived together.
Naturally, barbarians also existed here.
And they even formed a fairly large force.
In the barren land of barbarians in the south of the continent, there was even a tribal federation state established by the barbarian tribes.
‘Barbarian… barbarian warrior… I think it would be okay.’
A large physique and tattoos all over his body.
He would laugh heartily, smash the enemy’s skull with a large axe, and quench his thirst with the blood of his prey.
“Oh! Nice!”
Harley, who was chewing with his mouth full, roared excitedly again.
As I focused on controlling him so that he would just eat his meat quietly, I organized my thoughts again.
‘Actually, I heard that even barbarians have become civilized these days… Well, there are crazy people everywhere.’
Harley, the wild barbarian warrior.
I liked the feeling.
My gamer soul, which had cooled down since my school days, was boiling again.
‘First, I need to make a helmet out of a monster’s head, get a bone necklace and other accessories, and a large axe.’
It was an outfit full of prejudice and personal preference.
A stereotypical fashion that would make civilized modern southerners cringe.
If they saw it, they would make a fuss, saying it would reinforce prejudices against all southern barbarians.
Of course, I had no intention of considering their feelings.
‘It’s a good thing Heinrich learned axe techniques. He can use an axe in front of others and use “Physical Transformation” when he’s alone.’
As long as I was having fun, it didn’t matter.
“Haha! This is exciting! Then let’s keep moving!”
Harley threw away the bone of the front leg he had finished eating, his leg muscles expanded, and he dashed off, crossing the forest.
His eyes had become sharp like a beast’s, and his nose and ears twitched ceaselessly, searching for information about the surroundings.
He had to acquire as many genes as possible from the monsters in this area before moving to another region.
About a month passed like that.
It was the time Harley, with the help of the undead, had hunted down all kinds of monsters in the vicinity, acquired their genetic information, and prepared to move to another place.
In the forest, some distance away from Hans’s secret research facility.
Rustle—
A black panther leaped down from a lush tree like lightning.
Its target was a foolish human standing alone.
He seemed to be unaware of the panther’s attack, not reacting at all to the surprise attack.
Or so it seemed…
“Haha! Not a chance!”
The moment the panther landed on top of him,
The human, Harley, had already turned around and was facing the panther.
With his pointed ears twitching.
The black panther, sensing that its surprise attack had failed, quickly extended its front paws, but he just smiled ferociously, baring his teeth.
He was already prepared for battle.
Crack—
His right arm swelled up in an instant, and five claw-like nails protruded from his fingertips.
“Haa!”
“Kraaagh—!”
The battle cries of human and beast crossed.
The panther’s front paw swung towards Harley’s head, but he ducked, dodging it, and deflected its trajectory with his left arm, where his muscles were tightly packed.
It was a body technique included in Heinrich’s “Holy Warrior Combat Arts”, which he was using in various ways.
And he grabbed the panther’s nape, which was exposed, with his massive swollen hand.
Grab! Stab—!
“Gah!”
The five claw-like nails on his large hand didn’t just pierce the panther’s nape.
Crack—
The nails dug into the flesh and scraped the neck bone.
Thud!
The battle was decided in a single exchange.
Unlike the black panther, which had collapsed with its nape completely torn off, Harley’s body was unscathed.
“Kya~! This is exhilarating!”
To think that the opponent he had once fought for his life was now crushed with a single grab.
Heinz the Second had a big part in Harley’s rapid growth.
The blood he left behind became Harley’s nutritious supplement.
Of course, Harley couldn’t obtain the blood magic power that was the source of Heinz’s power or his various abilities, but Heinz’s body, strengthened by “Hybrid Evolution”, was definitely not at an ordinary level.
“Then let’s get started!”
The muscles in his swollen right arm contracted, reducing its size and becoming more agile.
And the arm immediately dug into the black panther’s heart.
Stab— Rip!
The black panther’s magic stone came out along with his hand, which had sharp nails.
He roughly wiped off the blood on it and then chewed on the fist-sized crystal with his teeth, which had become sharp like a shark’s.
Crunch! Crunch— Crunch!
‘It seems like black panthers aren’t very effective anymore.’
“Mutation” was the characteristic of evolving by acquiring various types of genes.
As he repeatedly consumed the same species, the efficiency naturally decreased.
The reason he ate magic stones was simple.
It was the most efficient way to satisfy the conditions of “Mutation”.
‘It would be perfect if I could get a dragon heart.’
Dragon heart, the ultimate magic stone.
Naturally, there was no information about its whereabouts, let alone any for sale.
Someone might be holding onto one somewhere, but there was no way he could know.
《The individual gains enlightenment through repeated actions. You have acquired the skill “Gluttony”.》
As he was finishing the black panther’s magic stone, a familiar notification window appeared before his eyes.
“Oh? That’s a perfect skill for me.”
“Gluttony” was a useful skill that allowed him to eat anything more easily, quickly, and in larger quantities.
It wasn’t bad because it also had the useful effect of speeding up digestion and helping with energy supply.
‘…’
But there was one thing that had been bothering him lately…
“Wahahaha—!”
A hearty laugh burst out of him unconsciously.
It wasn’t even funny, but he couldn’t help but laugh.
‘It seems like Harley’s personality has become a bit strange after getting “Mutation”…’
Should he call it hearty or tough…
“Pfft… Hahaha!”
‘To put it bluntly, he’s a psycho.’
He was usually fine, but he would inevitably change like this after a fight or seeing blood.
The repeated human experiments and the skills he gained from them must have had a significant impact on the avatar’s personality.
It was self-inflicted, so he couldn’t blame anyone else.
‘Hmm… As I keep doing this, I think it might be okay in its own way.’
He felt refreshed after laughing heartily.
…Maybe it was okay like this?
-Individual Name: Harley
-Common Traits: “Mind Hub”, “Persona”, “Clear Mind”
-Individual Traits: “Mutation”, “Physical Transformation”, “Regeneration”, “Gluttony”
-Special Notes: Body has adapted to mutation through various experiments. Evolves into the optimal combination whenever new genes are acquired and transforms the body based on that information. Adapts to the surroundings by transforming into a suitable form even in extreme environments.
“Physical Transformation” was a wonderful ability that allowed him to change his body with various combinations of the genes he possessed.
The only downside was that calories were consumed rapidly every time he used it.
But thanks to that, he could also do this.
Crack, crack—!
The muscles in his entire body expanded, and his skeleton thickened.
His shoulders broadened, and his field of vision became wider.
After a while,
Harley had become a muscular giant over two meters tall.
“A large physique is advantageous in fights. I need to be at least this big!”
He ripped off his constricting shirt and laughed heartily again.
‘I’ve adjusted and experimented in various ways, but it’s definitely advantageous for Harley to be bigger to fully utilize his abilities.’
Monsters, including magical beasts, transformed the mana in their bodies into their tenacious life force, exhibiting destructive power that exceeded physical limits.
Power that a human body couldn’t use.
And although Harley still maintained a human appearance on the outside, his bones, muscles, and other internal structures were no different from those of a magical beast.
Their bodies, specialized for slaughter, boasted superior performance compared to humans.
Growl—
The downside was that the energy consumption efficiency was terrible, but he could now handle it with “Gluttony”.
‘Ah, but the aftereffects of “Physical Transformation” are also overlapping, so I’m incredibly hungry.’
Drool—
Drool was dripping from Harley’s mouth.
His gaze was already fixed on the black panther lying on the ground.
‘…It’ll be okay with “Gluttony”, right?’
He could digest anything without getting sick.
And there was food here to satisfy his hunger.
Rip—!
Harley tore off one of the black panther’s front legs, roughly peeled off the skin, and brought it to his mouth, devouring it.
The monster’s raw meat was torn apart by his sharpened teeth.
Blood dripped.
Harley’s mouth and chest were already covered in blood.
‘…No, this is crazy.’
I had been trying not to interfere with the personalities of each avatar, but it seemed like Harley needed special management.
It would be more tiring to constantly pay attention to his words and actions, but there was no way he could build normal relationships with his current personality.
He wasn’t a barbarian, what the…
‘Huh? Barbarian?’
The Auterica Dimension, where various races and species lived together.
Naturally, barbarians also existed here.
And they even formed a fairly large force.
In the barren land of barbarians in the south of the continent, there was even a tribal federation state established by the barbarian tribes.
‘Barbarian… barbarian warrior… I think it would be okay.’
A large physique and tattoos all over his body.
He would laugh heartily, smash the enemy’s skull with a large axe, and quench his thirst with the blood of his prey.
“Oh! Nice!”
Harley, who was chewing with his mouth full, roared excitedly again.
As I focused on controlling him so that he would just eat his meat quietly, I organized my thoughts again.
‘Actually, I heard that even barbarians have become civilized these days… Well, there are crazy people everywhere.’
Harley, the wild barbarian warrior.
I liked the feeling.
My gamer soul, which had cooled down since my school days, was boiling again.
‘First, I need to make a helmet out of a monster’s head, get a bone necklace and other accessories, and a large axe.’
It was an outfit full of prejudice and personal preference.
A stereotypical fashion that would make civilized modern southerners cringe.
If they saw it, they would make a fuss, saying it would reinforce prejudices against all southern barbarians.
Of course, I had no intention of considering their feelings.
‘It’s a good thing Heinrich learned axe techniques. He can use an axe in front of others and use “Physical Transformation” when he’s alone.’
As long as I was having fun, it didn’t matter.
“Haha! This is exciting! Then let’s keep moving!”
Harley threw away the bone of the front leg he had finished eating, his leg muscles expanded, and he dashed off, crossing the forest.
His eyes had become sharp like a beast’s, and his nose and ears twitched ceaselessly, searching for information about the surroundings.
He had to acquire as many genes as possible from the monsters in this area before moving to another region.
About a month passed like that.
It was the time Harley, with the help of the undead, had hunted down all kinds of monsters in the vicinity, acquired their genetic information, and prepared to move to another place.
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