🔊 TTS Settings
Chapter 2 – Madness
This was a world filled with monsters.
And as the title EX-Class Monster Hunter suggests, the main character was a hunter of such beasts.
Some monsters were so massive that they could crush mountains or split oceans—but among them, one stood out as the most fearsome: the Black Gold Dragon, the final villain of volume 1.
“The last living Gold Emperor Dragon in the modern world.”
It was currently asleep in its lair…
But in just 3 years, it would awaken.
This was no lifeless undead like the Decay Dragon.
This was a true dragon, terrifying in both form and power.
Yet, that was just the beginning.
In volume 2, stronger beings from across the sea would begin appearing.
But for now, in volume 1, the Black Gold Dragon was the most powerful monster alive.
‘So why… is its baby here?’
According to the story, the Black Gold Dragon only had one child.
But it supposedly died long ago.
Yet here, in this territory, that very child had been mistaken for the Decay Dragon and left to suffer.
‘I don’t know why, but… what are the odds?’
Just then—
“Ugh!”
Kranol clutched his temples in pain.
It felt like his head was being split in two.
‘…The headaches are getting worse.’
His madness was progressing rapidly.
He quickly pulled out a bitter herb and began chewing it, deep in thought.
‘What now?’
He’d accidentally saved the child of the volume 1 final boss.
He looked down at the now-peacefully sleeping golden dragon.
His decision came quickly.
‘Time to run.’
Kranol knew how the story ended.
The world would face an apocalyptic crisis.
Millions would die.
But he knew where to hide.
How to survive.
Let the protagonist save the world—he had other goals.
His only goal was to cure his madness and avoid a bad ending.
Getting involved with a future catastrophe like the boss’s child?
That was the worst possible move.
He couldn’t risk angering such a creature and making enemies for no reason.
“Kyaaah?”
The little dragon stirred and stood up.
Its wide, round eyes blinked in surprise.
Its horrible pain was gone.
Its golden scales shone brightly again.
“Kryaaaang?!”
The dragon looked at Kranol, as if asking, Did you save me?
But Kranol ignored it and turned to leave.
‘Looks like there’s no Decay Dragon here after all. I’ll need to find another way.’
All his preparation had gone to waste.
If he wanted to cure his madness, he’d have to start over—completely.
Holding his pounding head, he stumbled away.
“Kryaaa?”
The baby dragon tilted its head as it watched him leave.
Then it spread its wings and—vanished.
Its entire body turned invisible as it silently began to follow Kranol.
***
Meanwhile, at the outskirts of the Birshi Territory—
A group of mercenaries leaned against a wall, chatting.
“Kranol took an A-rank request?”
“He probably just looked at it. Some guys check out jobs and don’t actually do them.”
“No, I heard he really went into the corrupted forest.”
They were talking about the latest hot topic—
The monster rookie known as Kranol.
“And we were called here for that?”
“What does his suicide mission have to do with us?”
One man clicked his tongue.
“You idiots still don’t get it, huh? This is the Mad Dog we’re talking about.”
Mad Dog Kranol.
That was the nickname he’d earned in mercenary circles.
He looked weak—no muscles, just a sickly newbie.
But his success rate was insane.
Every request he took? 100% cleared.
From retrieving a noblewoman’s lost necklace inside a monster den, to exploring cursed ruins, to chasing off a five-tailed wolf— He’d cleared jobs that most gave up on.
And not just through brains—
He took risks that seemed suicidal.
That’s why people started calling him Mad Dog.
And naturally, many mercenaries grew jealous.
This newbie was outperforming older people.
These three were especially resentful.
“He probably brought a ton of holy gear for this request. If we follow his trail and take his stuff after he dies, we’ll make a fortune.”
“Haha, yeah.”
“Let’s profit without lifting a finger.”
They grinned, thinking of the holy water, silver crosses, and angel-blessed items Kranol was rumored to have.
If he died fighting the Decay Dragon,
They could snatch it all.
“Hey, look! Over there!”
They pointed toward the city gate—
And saw someone walking toward them.
It was Kranol.
He looked terrible.
Pale, stumbling, clearly in pain.
“Hah! He came back alive?”
“Looks like the Decay Dragon chewed him up and spit him out!”
“Guess even the Mad Dog couldn’t handle this one.”
They laughed.
But Kranol didn’t even notice them.
His eyes were sunken, dark circles under them, nose bleeding.
‘Damn it…’
His head was killing him.
This was the first time he’d started bleeding from the symptoms.
His madness was accelerating.
‘Out of herbs… nearly out of time…’
He had to act fast.
He needed the Decay Dragon.
He needed something, anything.
Just then, he stopped.
“Hey.”
He didn’t even turn around—
But the three mercs froze.
“You don’t know this, but I’m not in my right mind right now.”
His voice was low. Tired. Flat.
“So get lost. Before I stop being polite.”
But the mercs just sneered and drew their weapons.
“Look at this loser talk big while falling apart.”
“Even if you die, we’ll just dump your body in the forest and say the Decay Dragon got you.”
They weren’t bluffing.
Saying this meant they planned to kill him.
The mercs charged.
Kranol didn’t move.
He just flicked one finger.
“Huh?”
Two things happened at once—
One man’s sword snapped in half.
And the arm of another exploded.
“AAAAAH!”
“MY ARM! MY ARM!!”
Their ambush had just failed in the worst way possible.
“Shit, what the hell?! Wasn’t this guy supposed to be weak?!”
He was weak.
But right now, his magical power was flaring up abnormally.
That was the effect of Kranol’s madness.
“The deeper the madness, the stronger the magic.”
When Kranol’s madness worsens, his magic becomes incredibly powerful.
But the trade-off?
The headaches become unbearable. His body suffers.
And worse—he loses control and becomes dangerously violent.
Covered in blood, Kranol blankly looked at the man whose arm had exploded and muttered:
“I wonder… could I blow up someone’s dick too?”
“W-What?! Y-You psycho—AAAGH!!”
That day, the three mercenaries learned
why people called him Mad Dog Kranol.
***
Kranol stood there, gasping for air.
Now, three bodies lay in front of him.
Or rather—what used to be bodies.
“Huff… huff…”
Their limbs were shredded, their flesh crushed into unrecognizable chunks.
Just blood, meat, and pulp. No trace of them as humans.
“I… didn’t mean to go this far…”
He clutched his face, sickened.
It had only been three months since he was reincarnated into this world.
Even if he was cold, he was still a modern human.
But this madness was slowly disappearing that.
“Ah… my head… it hurts so much.”
He staggered, dripping with blood.
The taste of blood had only made the madness worse.
His heart pounded with an urge to kill. His eyes filled with tears from the pain.
And then—his vision began to fade.
‘Damn it…’
Kranol collapsed.
He knew that if he lost consciousness now,
he might wake up and kill again.
Once the madness fully took over, he’d follow the original story’s doomed path.
‘So this is it… after all that effort…’
With trembling hands, he pulled something from his pocket.
Not a healing herb—
But a reddish-brown poison.
A deadly plant he’d kept for suicide, just in case.
Swallowing a handful would be fatal.
‘Better to die now than become a monster who slaughters millions later…’
Of course, he hesitated.
But in the end, he chose to release himself from the pain.
He stuffed the poison into his mouth and chewed.
“Kugh… kuhh…”
It burned like hell.
His body began to weaken. The pain slowly faded…
His vision turned red, then black.
His breath began to fade—
“Kyaaaah!!”
Suddenly, a familiar cry echoed.
Kranol, barely conscious, blinked in confusion.
A flash of golden light rushed at him.
“Cough! Hrk!”
The tiny golden dragon crashed into his chest,
causing him to cough out the poison.
Staring at the dragon who’d ruined his suicide attempt, Kranol scowled.
However, the small creature did not retreat.
It buried its head in his chest, trembling.
It was trying to stop him.
Then—a message appeared before his eyes.
[The Golden Emperor Dragon submits to you.]
[Hidden trait conditions have been unlocked.]
[New power acquired: “Calamity Affinity.”]
“…What the hell?”
Kranol’s blood- and tear-streaked face twisted in disbelief.
This was a trait that should’ve only awakened at the very end of the story.
This was the reason Kranol Wizard would one day become as powerful as the final boss.
And that power—
had just awakened now.
