< Field Study (3) >
Every time the overwhelming density and volume of muscles moved, a savage sound leaked from his entire body.
Crack— Crack!
The wild tattoos etched upon the body, which seemed like the very embodiment of violence, writhed as if alive, and a heavy energy descended upon the area, making the gravity feel several times increased.
“The air here is quite different! Hmm, not bad! Kahahat!”
Twisting this way and that, the muscular monster, the barbarian warrior Harley from another world, loosened up his body and burst into boisterous laughter.
Thud thud—
Caw— Caw—
The booming sound of his laughter spread out in waves, causing countless flocks of birds to rise up from the surrounding area, but he didn’t care one bit about that.
Slowly surveying the surroundings, he began to saunter along.
‘Harley is definitely the right choice for events like this.’
In fact, excluding Harris, there were several candidates.
Even Heinrich, who had too many incompatible traits, was excluded, yet Hans and Heinz II were not bad options either.
‘But neither can be used right away. They might be more useful later on. For example···.’
When facing off against the evil organization, the Demon Cult and Blood Cult, he had gathered information about in the Ganghwan Realm.
They were akin to the black magic users or vampire forces from Auterica, so extra caution was necessary.
‘I can’t recklessly take the lead and instill concern when the situation isn’t properly assessed yet. Those kinds of beings thrive on chaos, so I can’t guarantee where their influence extends.’
In that sense, Harley, specialized in thrashing and slaughtering, was a highly useful card.
As long as he didn’t use body mutations, he merely appeared as an martial artist who trained external power to the extreme.
‘Hmm, I wonder if my attire stands out a bit?’
Harley glanced down at his own body.
His bare upper body, revealing muscles and tattoos, along with leather bottoms and absolutely bare feet.
Hmm.
He scratched the back of his head without realizing it.
The beast leather pressed against his head was definitely a stark contrast to this world’s usual attire, but···.
“…Well, I guess it doesn’t matter!”
But what of it?
When you think about it, it was the same even in Auterica.
Initially, there were many who looked down upon him and found him repulsive, but now, no one dared to treat him like that.
The effectiveness of formal etiquette training had already been proven.
So, this Ganghwan Realm could be shaped the same way.
No, he could even lead a new trend and bring a fresh breeze to the fashion world!
‘As the true warrior’s attire!’
For that to happen, there was something he had to do first.
As Harley gradually increased his stride, the pace of his heavy body began to accelerate.
Rumble rumble—
The vibrations transmitted through the ground created a growing din.
Finally, he sliced through the wind and shot forward.
Although this did not follow the universally known style of footwork or display any trickery of lightness,—
“Kraha! Let’s spread the awesomeness of my body first!”
For someone like him, endowed with overwhelming physicality—a living embodiment of absurdity—such trivialities were inconsequential.
Thus, one predator set loose in the other world began the hunt in earnest.
And it didn’t take long for the results to manifest.
*
Clop clop— Rattle—
In a mountain, the sound of numerous hooves and carts rolling echoed softly.
A group moved systematically along a path that was poorly maintained, leaving mere traces behind.
It was nothing problematic, truly a peaceful mountain trail.
“That’s odd.”
Suddenly, one among the group, a member of the Zhuge Family with sharp eyes vigilantly scanning the surroundings, muttered quietly.
As if determined not to let his guard down even for a second, he placed a hand on the hilt of his sword and frowned.
“Why is it so quiet? Just a while ago, they charged in like mad dogs without a moment’s break, and now all of a sudden it’s dead silent. Something big must be about to happen···.”
“Whoa! Careful with that talk! They say words can become reality!”
“Huh, I’m just saying it’s better to be prepared for any situation that might arise···.”
“I get it, so keep that mouth of yours shut!”
Having expressed ominous feelings, he was prompted to close his mouth by a colleague’s rebuke, and he realized that others were on edge just like him.
In a suffocatingly tense atmosphere, the elite of the Zhuge Family moved quietly onward.
Just two days prior, they were dizzy from a relentless flurry of attacks, but for some time now, such large-scale assaults had completely stopped.
It wasn’t that there were no checks from those who held some strength in the area, but the large-scale offensives that would trouble them had entirely ceased.
The pattern had changed without warning and continued, leaving them with no choice but to wonder if it was a setup to make them let their guard down before an unexpected onslaught.
Indeed, while their bodies felt at ease, their minds were more troubled than ever.
And while everyone took this storm before the calm atmosphere seriously,
Swoosh, Hoo—.
Unlike others, Hugo, who was holed up in the cart as usual, had completely relaxed and was deep in meditation.
‘Finally a bit of peace. I should’ve done this earlier.’
It was no wonder Hugo felt so carefree.
After all, he was the one who had brought about this current peace.
If that annoying bunch bothered him, he could simply ensure they couldn’t even think about coming at him in the first place.
While Harley took care of the troublesome foes in advance, he immersed himself fully into his inner self, solely concentrating on the topic at hand.
‘I already know the method.’
As his mind zeroed in, the surrounding time began to stretch.
His senses sharpened as he became acutely aware of every hair on his skin, and the flow of energy surrounding him felt almost within his grasp.
‘Come here.’
Unlike the energy being drawn in through his breath, the energy near his skin remained still, but he didn’t give up and continued his work.
Having already nurtured several transcendents, he was sure he wouldn’t fail to pass through this minor threshold.
‘Come here.’
The energy he sought to manipulate, the laws that compose the world, and the environment and body given to him were all different.
But given just a slight trigger···.
His mind, already soaring high, was prepared to seize it at any moment.
Twitch—
The energy grazing the tips of his skin responded weakly.
Although the cart he was on continued to joltingly shake, that alone couldn’t disturb his concentration.
‘Come.’
Thanks to asking his companions for prior understanding, he skipped meals and continued the training.
How long had it been?
The realization that had been just barely grazing his fingertips began to slowly roll into his grasp.
Recalling the sensation he’d had when Harris leaped over a wall with martial arts, he firmly grasped the one that had submerged beneath the surface.
‘…It’s here.’
And at last—.
《The entity has met the conditions and attained enlightenment. Skills “Energy Regulation” and “Water Breathing,” “Clarity of Mind,” and “Strong Bones” have merged into the special skill “Heavenly Body Technique.”》
A sense of liberation cascaded from head to toe.
He could feel the energies of this world flowing through his entire body.
A mysterious sensation of transformation coursed through his bones and muscles.
With that exhilarating feeling, Hugo slowly opened his eyelids, a faint smile crossing his lips.
“This is quite—.”
*
“—Exhilarating! Kraha!”
Boom—
With a loud roar shaking the space, a lavish building on one side of the estate collapsed.
As the dust rose upwards, spreading everywhere, not a single soul anymore cared about it.
The destruction of a single building felt trivial compared to the surrounding chaos, as there was hardly anything intact here anymore.
Including people.
“C-Cough! This monster…!”
A middle-aged man with broken bones crawled on the ground, spitting blood and shouting.
Then real blood began to pour out like a waterfall, but in the face of the current situation, that was far from significant.
Struggling to cough up blood, he turned his head, surveying the ruined bodies around him.
Dozens of corpses, now motionless and soaked in blood, included the chief elder among them, the pillars of the Suramuun sect.
They shouldn’t be in such a pitiful state!
“Cough··· You! Why are you doing this···!”
Gazing with tear-blurred vision at the outlaw who was responsible for this horrific scene, the leader of the Suramuun sect, the hegemon of the borders of Hubei and Han, scowled.
Even in his blurred state, it was not hard to distinguish his opponent.
That giant-like figure was not easily forgotten.
‘At least on the brink of the realm··· no, this must certainly be the Current Realm. But someone with such a striking appearance shouldn’t remain unknown up to now···.’
Even as the sect’s top masters gathered and used their full strength on him, none of their attacks landed.
The traces of energy generated by him and the chief elder vanished in the blink of an eye, and any weaker attacks simply failed to pierce at all.
This was clearly the so-called Diamond Body.
A distant realm that only those who perfected external power could reach.
Furthermore, his power was enough to punch through a building just from the pressure of a single strike, so it was only natural they’d end up like this.
“Ugh···, you—! Who the hell are you! What grudge do you hold that you come bashing in here for such atrocious acts?!”
He yelled out, filled with boiling indignation.
In most cases, a normal person would have died long ago in such a state, but as a master of the Huakai realm, he clung to life with tenacity even in this situation.
Though at this rate, that wouldn’t last long either.
“Eh? Oh dear, is this what they call hypocrisy? They don’t even think about the things they’ve done. Tsk tsk.”
“My… hypocrisy?”
“Huh? Wasn’t that a four-character idiom? Whatever, it’s fine! Let’s move on! What is there to argue about? Kahahat!”
At the start of the battle, he had only laughed and attacked relentlessly, but after everything was said and done, the response he showed now was playful banter.
The Suramuun leader, eyes shut tightly, struggled to steady his breath and glared sharply at the opponent once more.
Nevertheless, through context, he grasped the meaning.
Was it not as if he attacked recklessly because he couldn’t stand injustice?
“…So, that means you didn’t like our actions? But did you know? Your actions here are not just—”
“Ah, enough already. I have zero interest in any reflections. I’m just going to do whatever I feel like.”
“…Huuuh! You… you! Reveal your identity! Surely, you wouldn’t hide in a situation like this?!”
With each casual interruption, the leader’s blood pressure skyrocketed again, and he gritted his teeth, pressing to ascertain the opponent’s identity.
He had to know who the outlaw was, even if it cost him his life.
Perhaps sensing his desperate fervor, the behemoth who single-handedly annihilated the sect finally responded.
“Well, it’s pointless to ramble on, just call me the Mad Devil! Oh, but maybe you can’t even call me that anymore? Uwahaha!”
Though it was more mockery than an answer.
Yet, regardless, the leader of the Suramuun could not find satisfaction in hearing that answer.
And it was easy to understand why···.
“…The Mad Devil? The Mad Devil? Don’t spout nonsense! Do you think I, as the Suramuun leader, wouldn’t recognize his face? To ridicule me even now?!”
The title ‘Mad Devil’ was already a separate alias used by someone else.
Moreover, it was one that had been actively operating and gaining renown recently.
Feeling humiliated, the leader began to spew forth blood once more.
“Ah, really? Someone else was using it already?”
Harley only displayed a plainly nonchalant reaction.
He scratched his chin with a wistful air.
“Well, I guess I have to talk to him separately. That’s officially mine now, so tell him to use something else. If he seems like a problem, just snap his neck.”
Then, without a care, he uttered a terrifying line.
“…Huh, what is that supposed to mean?!”
“Wow, you really talk a lot. Either way, given the conversation we’ve had, I’ve paid my dues now, right? My time is precious!”
“…Dues?”
The sudden comment made the Suramuun leader furrow his brows.
What on earth did that mean all of a sudden···.
“Well, it might be a bit rough since I’m pulling it out, but the important stuff should be in the vault, so it should be okay. It’s tiring to pick up all the little things.”
“…Wait a minute···!”
“Then, farewell, friend. Be kinder in your next life.”
“You bastard…!”
Thud!
As the noisy one fell silent, Harley began rummaging through the collapsed building.
The debris floating aimlessly under the “Gem Eye: Suppression” resembled a sight of void gathering, but not a single soul was left to witness that astonishing scene.
“Oh! Found it! Wow, how bountiful?”
The small fry and innocent people whom Harley hadn’t hunted had already fled far from the scene.
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