My Alter Ego’s Path to Greatness

Episode 217 Lycanthropes (2)

They were launching an operation of this scale.

It was impossible that this was the only group.

More Lycanthropes were probably scattered throughout the Elven Kingdom, or even across the entire continent.

‘I can’t handle the entire continent… but…’

Maybe he could at least take care of the ones within the Elven Kingdom?

His original plan had been to return immediately after reporting the incident… but his thoughts had changed.

[This is Harris. I’ve discovered a group of Lycanthropes creating an abyssal crack in the northern mountains…]

After finishing the cleanup, he focused his mind and used “Stargazer” to contact the other High Elves and report the situation.

He continued to float through the air on the Wind Spirit Pascal’s air cushion, following his senses.

[…Thank you for your hard work. We’ll declare a state of emergency and strengthen security immediately. Just in case, we’ll also contact the neighboring countries.]

With a worried sigh from the Elf Queen, the High Elves who were connected to the World Tree network in Drasha started chattering.

[Hahaha! I honestly thought you would just slack off and come back, but you’re taking the initiative! You really know how to get things done when you need to! I feel relieved now.]

[Horut! Even if you’re retired, Harris is still chosen by the World Tree. Please use honorifics.]

[…Ahem, ahem. So, should we also start searching the outer regions?]

There were only four of them left, including the Queen and Cecily.

[Three of us are already away… The World Tree’s safety is our top priority. We can’t leave this place so easily. We’ll leave the additional search to the others.]

Currently, there were eight High Elves in the Elven Kingdom.

Before Cecily and Harris awakened, there were only six, and one of them had already retired from external affairs.

And now, Rapori, Lydia, and another High Elf were away in the Ion Continent for the reinforcement dispatch and temple construction!

‘They were complacent, thinking Enamel was safe… and now they’ve been caught off guard.’

Of course, it wasn’t a major problem.

Even excluding the four High Elves in Drasha, the Elven Kingdom still had many strong individuals.

They might be weaker in potential, but even ordinary Elves could become strong through individual training.

“Haaaam—”

After finishing the discussion through the World Tree network and disconnecting, Harris buried himself in his air cushion.

A comfortable, fast, and convenient personal transportation method.

He closed his eyes, enjoying the gentle breeze that enveloped him.

‘Well then, shall I resume the search…?’

He had solved the immediate problem, received a reward from the World Tree, and even gained prestige in Elf society.

It was a pretty good outing, all things considered.

…Although it was still quite annoying.

______________________

Crunch, crunch—

Harley nodded with satisfaction as he chewed and swallowed something.

New, yet familiar, genetic information was being inscribed into his body.

‘It’s because there’s a general-level one in the mix, right? I haven’t had a chance to encounter anything decent lately, this is better than I expected! It’s a perfect match for me.’

The Lycanthrope crystals that Harris had sent him.

Unlike other non-human races, they were practically half-monster, so their hearts contained crystals similar to magic stones…

And those crystals were doing more than just enhancing his physical abilities and skills. They were being inscribed into each of his cells, granting him new possibilities.

‘Maybe it’s because we’re similar. It’s a weird feeling… And I think I finally understand what I’ve been lacking.’

A race that was almost monster, that devoured hearts to grow stronger, that possessed extreme physical abilities and even the ability to transform…

Lycanthropes shared many similarities with him.

‘I’m clearly the superior one, though.’

That wasn’t a lie.

Except for the one thing he had finally realized after hitting a wall for so long… the fact that there was a limit he couldn’t overcome.

He had stolen genetic information from countless monsters, including dragons, and devoured the hearts of many giants, yet he couldn’t go any further.

The reason why he was stuck, despite all his efforts, was because he, a chimera created by Hans using information from other researchers…

Had a fatal flaw in his design as a living being.

Unlike Lycanthropes, who were ‘God’s’ creation.

‘That was before!’

Harley grinned ferociously, licking his lips after devouring all the Lycanthrope crystals.

He couldn’t help but laugh.

He had just peeked at ‘God’s’ blueprint!

Now, the last piece of the puzzle was in place, completing his path towards becoming the ultimate being!

‘Time for a celebratory feast!’

As Harley was enjoying his personal celebration with a mountain of meat…

“Well, this is interesting. It seems like this giant isn’t just a mindless servant of madness.”

He heard a familiar voice and turned his head slightly.

It seemed like Saintess Liesta had finally finished her business.

“It must have been summoned with madness, so it came out with only that. It’s regaining its original power by absorbing other negative energies… Like it’s trying to fill a void.”

She was examining the giant’s core, holding it in a hand enveloped in holy power.

“…We already have so much to worry about with the madness spreading everywhere. I’m worried that more countries might fall.”

The concentration of madness that had spread throughout the continent was already at a critical level.

Even those with weak mental fortitude were starting to be affected.

The initial amount of madness was limited, but it had been growing steadily by parasitizing monsters and stimulating their instincts.

Even if the host died, the madness would either spread to the atmosphere or be absorbed by a stronger predator, so the situation was only getting worse.

“Grrr! Can I eat this now? It’ll disperse if we wait any longer!”

“…Here you go. But are you really sure it’s okay?”

“Of course! I’ve eaten so many of these! Hahaha!”

But then, an unexpected variable appeared: Harley, who could devour and control madness!

Since his existence might be the key to ending the madness crisis, she reluctantly agreed, despite her reservations.

As Liesta watched him devour the core with a frown…

Twitch!

She suddenly sensed something and turned her head with a startled expression.

…As expected, multiple giants were emerging from the abyss.

And there were more than just a few…?

“Saintess?”

Liesta, who had frozen for a moment, came back to her senses after Heinrich called her name several times. She slowly opened her mouth.

“…Giants appeared. And many of them… Five? No… Maybe even more.”

Her words made the other party members, who had been relaxing, freeze with serious expressions.

A single giant was enough to threaten a small country.

But if five or more of them appeared at once, it was a crisis that even the Empire would have to mobilize all its forces to deal with.

They had to eliminate those monsters before they grew any stronger, or even their country might collapse.

“Saintess! Please tell us the coordinates of the most vulnerable location! We need to get there and eliminate them as quickly as possible…!”

Isea urged Liesta, who was still focusing on something, but she just shook her head, holding her holy symbol and closing her eyes.

“It seems like we can’t intervene this time… Even Lady Isea wouldn’t be able to cross the continent so quickly, would you?”

“Huh? Well, that’s true, but… Are you saying…?”

“Whew, I need to contact the temple and have Rapori inform them. Why is this happening again…”

White Giants were appearing in Enamel, which had been relatively peaceful until now.

And it was a simultaneous invasion of five or more individuals.

If they couldn’t respond in time, the damage would snowball.

-Harris: Ah, what is this…

Unfortunately, they were too far away, so even Liesta couldn’t pinpoint the exact locations, but at least she could sense the general area. It would still be a great help.

As Harris, who had been flying around the outskirts of the Elven Kingdom, urgently contacted the other High Elves…

“Ugh— I feel bloated.”

Harley, who had just swallowed the giant’s core, frowned and rubbed his stomach, seemingly indifferent to the serious atmosphere.

Of course, he wasn’t actually suffering from indigestion. He could digest even steel.

“Ugh! Buuurp—!”

A loud burp erupted from his mouth, accompanied by a cloud of steam.

At the same time, a drastic change began to occur in his body.

Steam billowed from his seven orifices and pores, his body turned red-hot like heated steel, and the surrounding air instantly became scorching.

“Harley? What’s happening…?”

“Step back! It’s dangerous!”

《The individual meets the conditions and grows. The special skills “Frenzied Beast”, “Mad Dragon’s Heart”, and “Madness Control” have merged and evolved into “Tyrant of Madness”.》

It was something that was bound to happen, just happening a bit earlier than expected.

He hadn’t thought that the brief moment of joy he had felt before would come back to bite him so quickly…

As the ‘void’ within him was filled, the madness that had been growing aimlessly in size was compressed, exceeding a certain concentration.

His skills evolved, his physical abilities skyrocketed, and—.

Finally, his body broke through its limits and reached a new level.

《The individual meets the conditions and grows. The special skills “Mutation”, “Physical Transformation”, and “Gigantification” have merged and evolved into “Ultimate Evolved Lifeform”.》

Harley didn’t have any deep understanding of martial arts or enlightenment about the truth.

His goals were the contradictory concepts of ‘becoming the ultimate lifeform’ and ‘infinite evolution’.

《The special skill “Ultimate Evolved Lifeform” has absorbed and enhanced its sub-skills “Super Regeneration”, “Super Strength”, and “Hypersensitivity”.》

But he had tenaciously collected information and potential from countless lifeforms.

He analyzed and adjusted each of his cells to maximize their efficiency.

And the obsessive dedication he had poured into that process…

…was enough to push his body beyond its limits and achieve ‘transcendence’.

“Get back! It’s dangerous to be near him!”

“W-what’s happening? Maybe there was something wrong with that giant’s core…?”

The party members hurriedly retreated, alarmed by the sudden change in Harley, who was absorbing all the surrounding energy, including madness.

They couldn’t help but be concerned, as the sound of bones cracking and shifting echoed from within the thick steam.

Heinrich, who was observing the situation in real time, calmly reassured his worried companions with a smile.

“No, it’s not that. This is just…”

But before he could even finish his sentence,

“KHAHAHAHAHA——!”

A thunderous laughter, as if to shake the very space itself, echoed in all directions.

______________________

Harley pondered his current situation.

‘Ah, this feels good and refreshing… but I’m so hungry it’s annoying! I need to eat something… but…’

His gaze fell on the tattoos covering his body.

The intricate and mysterious patterns etched on his artistic muscles.

“Tsk, these aren’t good enough.”

He was the ultimate, the strongest lifeform.

Naturally, everything that represented him had to be the best!

‘What did that old woman say? She promised to give me something amazing…’

He remembered.

She had promised to give him the ‘Tattoo of the Fighting King’ if he solved the problem in the Tribal Federation.

But now, multiple problems were occurring across the continent, and communication with the south was cut off, so he couldn’t just go there.

The Church was trying to negotiate with them, and if he barged in and caused a scene, it would only escalate the situation.

‘…Wait, why am I even concerned about that?’

He could just destroy everything!

After all, the former High Chieftain was the cause of everything, wasn’t he? If he just took care of that guy, the diplomatic relations and everything else would be resolved!

‘That’s it! Let’s go, right now!’

Harley, impressed by his own intelligence and decisiveness, jumped to his feet.

While chewing on a large chunk of meat he had shoved into his mouth.

And Heinrich, who was observing everything, quietly placed a hand on his forehead.

“…Saint? Are you alright?”

His companions, relieved to see Harley get up and act normally, asked him with concerned expressions.

But he didn’t have the time to answer.

‘Oh, God…’

Another lunatic had just been added to the list.

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