Chapter 50

Predatory Instincts (1)

◆You have cleared the Sudden Quest [We Are Legion!]!

◆You have gained 959,600 quest experience!

That wasn't the message I'd been expecting.

Then again, even the dragon genetic material imprinted in the Gelu Drake had taken quite some time. How much longer would the genetic material imprinted in the Sovereign of Beasts take?

It was only a matter of time. It wasn't going anywhere, so I waited patiently. Besides, the message currently before me was enough to get me excited in its own right.

'Almost nine times as much.'

Nearly 960,000 experience.

'Clearing quests definitely gives far more experience than hunting.'

It had earned me a whopping sixteen levels. All told, I'd shot from level 30 to level 50 in an instant.

That alone was an incredible reward. But the real rewards were only just beginning.

◆EEEEEEEEEEEEEK!!!!!!

Another translucent message appeared before my eyes, looking as though it might faint at any moment.

◆You have accomplished the astonishing, downright impossible feat of not merely driving away the monster legion, but slaying its leader, the lycanthrope!!

◆Who could possibly fail to be astounded by your incredible achievement?!

◆If anyone does, tell them to step right up! Pow! Bam! I'll teach them a lesson!

◆Beyond imagination! Beyond dispute! Pure fact! Absolutely undeniable!

◆And that's not all!

◆Fearless courage! A willingness to sacrifice your very life! The people of your territory who watched you were deeply moved! Moved beyond words!

◆As a reward, your people's affinity has increased dramatically!

◆But wait, there's more! An offer like this doesn't come along every day!

◆As an additional reward, you receive [+5 to all stats]!

◆Can we really afford to give away this much?!

◆Who knows! This quest has gone craaazy!!

◆Now, who dares stand in my way?! Make way, everyone! Here comes the <Ruler of the North>!

◆Finally, we're even throwing in 'Title - <Ruler of the North>' as a bonus!

... Seriously, I'd never seen such a fuss.

The messages were blotting out my vision, carrying on all by themselves so wildly that my head was spinning.

'I swear this thing has a mind of its own.'

Judging by the messages that sometimes appeared as though they could read my thoughts, that certainly seemed to be the case.

In any case, all that fuss aside, the rewards really were insane. Though perhaps that was only natural, considering I'd slain none other than the Legion Commander of Beasts.

High risk, high return.

The payoff had more than justified the risk I'd taken.

'I'll check the people's affinity and the Additional Stat Points in a bit...'

First, I checked my newly acquired title, <Ruler of the North>.

==<Ruler of the North>==

[Acquisition Condition] - Defeat the previous <Ruler of the North>.

[Effect 1] - Enemies who attempt to challenge the player in the north suffer immense psychological pressure, reducing [all stats by 20%].

[Effect 2] - The ruler's majesty and presence greatly bolster allied morale. When fighting in the north, the player and all allies gain [+15% to all stats].

The one drawback was that it only worked within the limited region of the north. Unlike <Master of the Snowy Mountains>, which granted +5 to all stats anytime, anywhere, its effects only applied in the north.

'Still, it's good.'

Even so, it was a better title than <Master of the Snowy Mountains>. Though restricted to the north, its effects alone could create a [combined +35%] gap, and that advantage would grow exponentially as I grew stronger.

'And the stat reduction isn't limited to monsters.'

[Effect 1] of my previous title, <Master of the Snowy Mountains>, terrified 'all monsters' living in the snowy mountains and reduced the frightened monsters' stats by -15%.

It didn't apply to enemies that weren't monsters. Nor did it reduce their stats unless they were frightened.

That was why <Master of the Snowy Mountains> hadn't worked on the lycanthrope. He hadn't been afraid.

But the same had been true of me.

Judging by the acquisition condition for <Ruler of the North>, the lycanthrope seemed to have been the previous <Ruler of the North>. In other words, he'd been applying the title's effects to me.

'No wonder the monsters in the legion seemed unusually strong.'

Now I could see why: the lycanthrope had boosted all their stats by +15%.

My stats, in turn, should have been reduced by -20%. That was how <Ruler of the North> worked. Yet none of my stats had actually decreased.

'Was it thanks to Ian's ability?'

It was thanks to Ian's ability, Player's Will[EX].

The -20% stat reduction from <Ruler of the North> was based on 'psychological pressure.' But psychological pressure had no effect on me, which was why my stats hadn't decreased.

Which meant...

'Kai was fighting with his stats down by -20%.'

Even in that state, he'd driven the lycanthrope back. He'd even forced him to go Berserk.

'Crazy bastard.'

I couldn't help thinking it.

But when I thought about it, Kai was a legion commander too. The Legion Commander of Bitter Cold.

In my experience, Kai, the Legion Commander of Bitter Cold, was stronger than the lycanthrope, the Legion Commander of Beasts. Overwhelmingly so.

'Crazy bastard.'

A crazy bastard was a crazy bastard, all right.

Anyway, I invested all the additional stat points I'd gained from leveling up into Agility.

'The additional reward of +5 to all stats has already been applied automatically.'

Finally, I unequipped <Master of the Snowy Mountains> and replaced it with my new title, <Ruler of the North>, applying its effects.

==「Player Information」==

[Name] = Adrian Whitewolf

[Title] = Ruler of the North

[Level] = Level 50

[HP] = 611

[MP] = 0

[Stats] = Strength:37.95(+4.95) Agility:65(+15) Stamina:27.3(+6.3) Mana:6.9(+0.9)

[Experience] = 31.7%

My stats had increased tremendously. In particular, with Agility at 65, my senses felt almost like a form of ESP.

Another change was that the [+5 to all stats] from <Master of the Snowy Mountains> was gone, replaced by the [+15% to all stats] from <Ruler of the North>.

'Strength has dropped a little.'

Since the increase was a percentage rather than a flat value, the bonus was smaller. But the reduction was negligible. Agility and Stamina had increased markedly, so my total stats had definitely risen.

'And if I raise Strength and Stamina through physical training, the amplification will grow even greater.'

On top of that, it could reduce the stats of every target, monsters included, by -20%.

It might be restricted to the north, but within the north, there was no better title than <Ruler of the North>.

With that...

'Good.'

I had surpassed my previous self once again.

As I looked around, the cold that had engulfed the world was gradually fading. I pulled my briefly relaxed nerves taut again.

The lycanthrope was undeniably dead. But there was still one more being I absolutely had to kill.

I had to kill Seraphia... No, the Sovereign of Bitter Cold.

Until now, Seraphia had shown no signs of being the Sovereign of Bitter Cold. But today had changed everything. She had finally awakened as the Sovereign of Bitter Cold.

There was no more waiting for Ian to arrive. I had to kill her right now.

... But could I do it?

That question didn't matter. I had to do it now.

I took oil from my Inventory to replenish my calories. Sharpening my nails, I readied myself fully for battle.

And then...

"Huh...?"

I froze, even more bewildered than when the lycanthrope had fled.

* * *

The cold blanketing the world faded.

As frozen space and time returned to normal, Kai was also permitted to move again. Yet he couldn't move easily.

Faced with Adrian, fear surged from deep within his instincts.

It felt as though he were facing a natural predator. A terror greater than anything he'd experienced from Dragon Fear weighed down his entire body, leaving him barely able to move.

Even drawing on his aura was useless. More precisely, he couldn't draw on it at all.

His mind was filled with Adrian's laughter, steeped in hatred and madness.

What brought Kai back to his senses was a small voice.

"I'm... sorry. Sir Kai..."

Seraphia's weak voice came from behind him.

"For not keeping... my promise..."

Secured to his back, Seraphia crumpled to the ground.

* * *

THUD.

Seraphia fell like a petal drifting on the wind. The straps that had held her firmly in place had frozen and shattered like glass.

"Huh...?"

The tension I'd drawn taut loosened of its own accord. Before I knew it, a dumbfounded expression had settled over my face.

"Lady Seraphia!!!"

Kai hurried to check her condition. I followed him and checked on her as well.

Seraphia's face was beyond pale. It was deathly white, an icy chill hanging over every inch of it. The beads of cold sweat on her forehead had frozen into ice crystals.

Her silvery hair, holding the glow of moonlight, lay scattered across the ground like snow.

Her barely open eyes were dim, their red light faded and lifeless. Her small lips trembled faintly, tinged with blue. Only her sighlike breaths told me she was still alive.

... This wasn't the Sovereign of Bitter Cold.

Only moments ago, Seraphia had displayed the Authority of that Sovereign. A Sovereign on another level entirely, sweeping away the monster legion along with the lycanthrope.

I'd thought she'd finally awakened as the Sovereign of Bitter Cold. But seeing her now, that wasn't the case at all.

Cold and helpless, like a doll trapped inside transparent ice, Seraphia was still a small, weak, impossibly frail young woman.

"Lady Seraphia!! Please, wake up!!"

Kai called to her urgently, but she didn't so much as stir. Desperate, he called to her as though begging.

"Please...! Please...!!"

Yet she still couldn't properly regain consciousness.

It was as though...

'She can't control her Authority.'

Far from controlling it, she was being consumed by it. Just as I had been devoured by the Madness of Predation[S+].

'She wasn't like this in my previous life, though?'

She hadn't been like this at all. Seraphia had wielded her Authority freely. That was what had made her a Sovereign in a league of her own, known as the Allied Army's Greatest Enemy.

'Why is she like this now...?'

It happened just as that question crossed my mind.

◆You have devoured the genetic material of the entity 'Lycanthrope'!

◆You have acquired the skill 'Predatory Instincts[S]'!

A message appeared before my eyes announcing that Predation[S+] had finished. It was soon followed by a description of Predatory Instincts[S].

◆Predatory Instincts[S]

: Using this skill awakens the predatory instincts imprinted in the player. The player can know information about any target [a priori], without learning or conditioning.

Predatory Instincts[S], a skill that let me know information about a target 'a priori.'

A priori.

It was a term that meant the opposite of knowledge acquired through experience or learning. In other words, it referred to knowledge and information gained through innate intuition rather than experience or study.

Without any conscious effort, information I could gather through my five senses—Seraphia's appearance, build, scent, and so on—naturally came together.

Knowledge I could grasp a priori, without studying it or being taught by anyone, unfolded and combined within my mind.

It identified Seraphia's current condition, then naturally became new knowledge etched into my instincts.

Finally, I could see the information about her displayed before my eyes.

==<Character Information>==

Name : Seraphia Whitewolf

Classification : Kingdom Animalia, Class Mammalia, Family Hominidae, Human

Sex : Female

Age : 15

Traits : Curse of Bitter Cold[P]

Seraphia's information appeared in a clear, orderly display.

"..."

For a moment, I was at a loss for words.

An absurdly overpowered ability that let me grasp everything about a target.

And it wasn't limited to information about people. I could know information about every living thing and environment in this world [a priori].

Truly an Authority worthy of the Legion Commander of Beasts and the Sovereign of Beasts.

It wasn't ranked [S], just below Predation[S+], for nothing.

One detail in Seraphia's information stood out in particular.

'Curse of Bitter Cold?'

The instant I wondered about it, Predatory Instincts[S] activated again, and information about Curse of Bitter Cold[P] appeared before my eyes.