My alter ego is becoming a big shot - Episode 101
#101
northern mountains (2)
The undead unrest in the four western kingdoms of the continent was slowly calming down..
Of course, it was not because they handled it well, but because the situation turned out unexpectedly..
Immediately after the Immortal King openly showed his strength and sent a signal, the undead, who had been moving arbitrarily according to the leader's tendencies, such as attacking humans or hiding in remote areas, all showed the same movements..
The immortal army, which learned each other's locations through the reply, followed the king's orders and began to avoid fighting as much as possible and unite in groups that were close to each other..
‘Of course, in the meantime, there were conflicts with humans, or there were groups that were completely subdued..’
The army that succeeded in gathering to some extent was able to grow in size to the point where it would be burdensome to deal with only the troops of a single territory..
The kingdoms were very alert to the movements of the undead and were busy summoning troops.···.
At some point they disappeared without a trace..
The Immortal King Hans personally visited them, took care of them all, and then disappeared..
So even though the humans were free from the threat of the undead, they could not feel at ease..
It was not completely defeated by subjugation, but rather the enemy retreated after gathering his scattered troops..
How can they be at ease when they don't know when and where so many armies will target them?.
‘In such a situation, this time even the monsters started causing trouble..’
This is not just an ordinary uproar, but a continental scale tribulation is predicted..
Among them, the Kingdom of Tulk was bordering the northern mountain range, which is called the paradise of monsters, so it was even more headache-inducing..
We must do our best to defend the North, but we have no choice but to prepare for the Immortal King's raid..
The reason was to borrow the power of mercenaries in Tarak by promising them the best compensation possible..
‘Hans has no intention of stabbing anyone in the back... There's no way they know that.’
Meanwhile, a separate nomination request came to Harley, who was about to head to the Steel Fortress..
So now he had come to the central government office in Tarak to meet his client..
Of course, the lord's name was burdensome, but he was not forced to submit to power and accept it..
Just based on the information briefly provided first,···.
‘Because the region where the request was carried out was the northern mountain range,.’
Rather than simply stopping monsters like the others, there was a high possibility that he would take on a more dangerous mission, but the risks were none of his business..
‘The destination is the same, the rewards are much greater, and there is no need to look down on the ruler of this area, so it would be better to accept it. I'm curious about what's going on in this situation..’
After arriving at the government office and waiting for a while, Harley was finally able to face her client..
Of course, it wasn't the lord himself..
The lord's name was mentioned in an attempt to emphasize the importance of the request, but how would someone in such a position meet a mere mercenary in person and entrust him with the task?.
“···I heard the story well. Very, very big.”
The client he encountered was a driver in his 30s with a blunt expression..
“More than anything···. Very unique and.”
As expected, he couldn't help but say something when he saw Harley's appearance, and he expressed that impression with a shocked expression on his face..
‘Well, that kind of reaction is everyday life..’
2He is a muscular man well over a meter tall, his upper body is naked, and he wears the head of a demonic beast on his head. His body is covered in tattoos, and one eye is a glowing green odd eye..
The driver was speechless for a moment at the sight of the sight, which he could never forget, but then cleared his throat and continued speaking..
“Hmm, okay. Are you that Harley? He's a very famous mercenary.?”
“Ah ha! This is so embarrassing! Well, it's true that I'm famous!”
As befits someone who came out to fulfill a request in this city full of mercenaries, he didn't particularly care about Harley's rude words and behavior as usual..
“Let’s move on to work. The reason I nominated you is because we need someone who is familiar with the Northern Mountains..”
“Hmm... finding directions isn't really my specialty. There's nothing you can't do, but if you need guidance, it might be better to look for someone else..”
Rather than observing the mountain path and entering the mountain in a planned manner, he was closer to hunting down wherever his feet took him and returning, tearing apart the monsters that stood in his way with his incredible mobility and force..
I could at least get directions in the forest, but I wasn't at the level where I could be hired as a guide and even accept requests for names like this..
“Oh, don't worry about that. The request has been given not only to you but also to other mercenaries. We've already hired one of the best guides in Tarak..”
“Ohh! If that's the case... But in that case, you don’t really need me, do you? They alone would be enough?”
“Not only is he capable of going in and out of the northern mountains, but he is also strong enough to frequently complete high-level quests that require going deep into the depths, and single-handedly defeat high-ranking monsters that are difficult even for a party..”
At Harley's seemingly curious words, the driver spoke slowly and then looked at him quietly..
“Is there anyone else in Taraq who is more qualified than this??”
“Indeed, I guess it's just me! Hahaha—!”
Harley smiled cheerfully, but the driver seemed to have gotten used to it by now and continued to say what he wanted to say without changing his expression..
“That was a long talk. This is the main point. Location: Inside the Northern Mountains, Deadline: ASAP, Type: Rescue Factor, Target: Zaonic Steelstone.”
“Zaonic Steelstone?”
‘who is that.’
As if his feelings were conveyed, the driver paused for a moment and then slowly opened his mouth..
“As a special note, he is a blacksmith belonging to the territory. The race is... dwarf..”
***
As the client was submitted directly by the estate, the work proceeded smoothly..
All the items needed for the mission were already prepared, and colleagues to go with them began to gather one by one..
It is said that the person to be rescued was not an ordinary person, but as soon as he sensed something abnormal, he dug a hole and hid in it, and then sent a communication to Magogu to request rescue..
Although it is not an immediate emergency as there is enough emergency food, it is impossible to know when and what will happen in that dangerous area..
So, as soon as Harley was ready, he entered the northern mountains with his six companions who would carry out the mission together..
About a day passed like that.
“Kaaak—tsk! Damn it, did that guy really have to climb the mountain in this situation?.”
“Well, I guess I didn't know at the time that things would get this far. It's not a day or two that dwarves like rare minerals..”
Immediately after another battle.
When Mikel, a female mercenary armed with a crossbow, spit on the ground and became irritated, the middle-aged man who was guiding the group down the mountain path scolded her..
“But it definitely seems like something big is going on. I've been coming here for over ten years and this is the first time something like this has happened. All the monster boundary and habitat information that I had organized so far has become trash..”
Marcus, a middle-aged mercenary, sighs slightly as he leads the group again..
Even though it had only been a day since they entered the mountain range, they were keenly aware of the abnormality of the monsters..
Until now, the ecosystem was maintained with its own rules, but now there is no trace of it..
Also, to hide his body odor, he spread an unknown juice all over his body, avoided combat as much as possible, and when it was unavoidable, he dealt with it as secretly and quickly as possible, but now even that was slowly reaching its limit..
“Wait, here it comes again.”
At that time, everyone in the group held their breath as Harley muttered softly..
“some?”
“···Is it a bit much? I think I'm probably over 30... Oh my, I'm coming this way. I think I sensed traces of a previous battle..”
Everyone's brows furrowed at his words..
Even though I was so careful, it seems like it wasn't enough to fool those who had more developed senses after an unexpected incident occurred..
“I know what kind it is?”
“Hmm, it's roughly the same size as an orc..”
Everyone was suspicious of Harley at first, but now everyone trusted him..
It has no choice but to be like that..
It had already happened several times throughout the day, and his warnings had never been wrong, so it was only natural..
Grumble—
“I can't help it. I have no choice but to deal with it as quickly as possible and leave..”
Robin, a knight wearing leather armor, slowly drew his sword and opened his mouth with a blunt expression, as when conveying a request..
‘By the way, that guy is great too. I thought he would just deliver a request, but he never thought he would participate in the operation himself..’
Of course, in addition to him, a veteran ranger from the Iron Citadel also joined the group, but I had no idea that a knight-sized person would join them wearing leather armor..
For such a dangerous operation.
Monsters steeped in madness are extremely aggressive and do not die easily, and this is the northern mountain range that is their home..
Until now, I had been dealing with them as quickly as possible and avoiding the place, but···.
As we entered the interior of the mountain range and the density of monsters increased, there was bound to be a limit..
“We will spread a curtain of shielding around us. Once they're fully inside, deal with them as quickly as possible..”
Mercenary wizard Fabiella frowned, as if the frequent use of magic was starting to put a strain on her magic power..
Although he was a wizard, he had trained his body to a considerable level and was quite famous in Tarak, and he was quite capable of going on rough hikes to live up to his reputation..
“···come!”
Harley's warning continues again.
But this time, everyone knew without him saying anything..
Doo doo doo doo—!
“Kuwook—!”
“Hehehe!”
Without even trying to hide the sound, I heard the vibrations of the ground and the cries of monsters who had lost their senses..
As soon as the orcs steeped in madness entered the realm of the veil, the fight began immediately..
Hissing—puffing.!
It started with bolts and arrows flying from behind..
And Harley, standing on the vanguard with knight Robin and taciturn swordsman Flora, is just like usual.···.
“Hahaha! Let's have some fun!”
Kwaaang!
I burst out laughing, which I had been suppressing for a while, kicked the ground, and rushed towards them with my bare hands..
The explosive power emanating from the luminous imprint and the continuously writhing muscles instantly brought his body in front of the orcs engulfed in madness.···.
Crunchy!
Tduduk!
That mighty power was enough to cut off the heads of those guys..
The sight of him continuing to fight while avoiding the weapons of the orcs that are frantically rushing at him, and carefully breaking each and every head, almost looks like a scene of sacred labor... Is there any sense to it?.
“Hahahaha!”
The act of the vicious barbarian laughing viciously was nothing more than a scene of one-sided violence..
“···I don't know who the monster is. Is that possible??”
“No matter how many times I see it, I still can't get used to it..”
Even his comrades who were fighting together looked fed up when they saw him..
Harley was showing with his whole body why he was a ‘person who should never be touched’ in the Tarak mercenary world..
At first, it was a fighting method that was started to avoid the smell of blood as much as possible, but when combined with Harley's monstrous body, this became no better than fighting with a weapon..
Orcs who are running at him get hit and their neck joints are out of range of motion..
But he wasn't just fighting mindlessly..
‘That's strange. For a while now, whenever I fight a monster, I feel something itchy..’
Even though he strengthened his senses with biological auras and imprints, he was still bothered by the feeling of something scratching him that he could not sense even with the wildness engraved in his instincts..
Powok—!
“Wow!”
Even as Harley continued to think, he continued to hit the orc's head, kick him in the stomach, and return his jaw with his elbow..
Then at some point.
Was the problem that I was too preoccupied?.
Puuk—!
His fingertips suddenly became sharper and dug into the heart of an orc..
“ah.”
I was intentionally fighting with my bare hands to prevent blood spilling, but perhaps because of the "wild nature" I activated unconsciously, I instinctively made the most lethal attack..
Fortunately, I had at least some sense left, and only the tips of my fingernails became slightly sharp, so my "physical transformation" was not noticed by those around me, but my efforts were for naught and my arm was covered in blood..
“Tsk—.”
Harley clicked her tongue lightly and pulled out her hand..
In his hand, he was suddenly holding a magic stone embedded in the heart of an orc..
‘There's nothing you can do about what's already been done. It's a matter of just wiping away the blood..’
Rather, my energy was running out little by little..
Now that I have it, I guess I should put it to good use..
Harley poured the magic stone into his mouth without thinking..
Crackling!
That moment.
Exciting—!
My heart is beating violently.
Blood flow throughout the body began to flow roughly..
The tingly energy I had been feeling felt even clearer the moment I consumed the orc magic stone..
‘What is it all of a sudden?’
As my senses expanded, I was able to understand things I had never known before..
‘···no way? This···.’
Something that spreads across the world and covers the sky, something that melts into the air and surrounds them, something that dwells in the orcs who rush towards them with bright red eyes..
And... now it's starting to sprout inside Harley's body..
yes it is.
‘It was ‘madness’..
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