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Chapter : 51. Predator’s Instinct (2)
◆ Curse of Cold [P]
: Inflicts a supernatural loss of thermal energy that gradually intensifies in strength and scope inside the cursed target. Over time, this thermal energy loss expands infinitely, triggering corresponding curse effects.
This was information about Seraphia’s “authority” as the Lord of Extreme Cold.
The measurement grade was [P], meaning Primal.
It was a rank several levels above the Epic (E) grade of Dragon’s Wrath, truly an “another level” tier.
However, the power I knew of Seraphia’s, the extreme cold, was somewhat different.
The description under Predator’s Instinct [S] was not a power but a “curse.”
In that sense, the “thermal energy loss” was a concept different from the usual idea of cold I knew.
“Come to think of it, the Grand Mage once said cold magic basically doesn’t exist.”
Once, a Grand Mage of the Allied Forces said from a magical standpoint, the concept of “cold” itself cannot exist.
It’s just that when heat moves from a hotter area to a colder one, you feel cold.
The idea of “cold heat” is a paradox in itself, so the Grand Mage added.
Therefore, the Grand Mage defined Seraphia’s power as “a force that annihilates the target’s heat and energy,” not mere cold.
Thus, the usual elemental opposition to fire was meaningless.
Fire alone could never have an advantage over Seraphia’s power.
Seraphia’s power was the ability to erase any thermal energy, no matter what kind.
It wasn’t for nothing that the Lord of Extreme Cold was called the “greatest contribution to the Allied Forces.”
Nor was it without reason that Ian had to lose his left arm.
But now, Seraphia was unable to control such power.
◆ Seraphia is currently under [curse effects].
According to Predator’s Instinct [S], Seraphia was currently afflicted with curse effects.
And those curse effects were so terrible even I was stunned.
==<Curse of Cold [P]>==
◆ [Physical Weakening] — The cursed target continuously loses maximum health due to the extreme cold. The lost health cannot be naturally recovered, and all stats decrease proportionally to the lost health.
◆ [Freezing Induction] — The cursed target is at high risk of becoming frozen. Every certain period, parts of the body freeze, restricting or disabling movement of those parts.
◆ [Mental Confusion] — The cursed target suffers constant mental trials due to the extreme cold. The victim experiences disorientation, reduced cognition, unconsciousness, hallucinations, and auditory illusions.
◆ [Sensory Paralysis] — The cursed target’s sensory nerves gradually freeze and become numb. First, tactile sense is lost, then smell and taste, followed by hearing, and finally vision, completely depriving the target of the five senses.
…I was momentarily at a loss for words.
It was hard to believe all of this was what Seraphia was currently enduring.
At this rate, surviving was nothing short of miraculous.
To be precise, it was more like “dying.”
From the explanation, the more the power was used, the heavier the curse effects became.
And this time, it seemed Seraphia had exceeded the threshold that could be withstood.
“Just a little more… please hang in there…!”
Unable to stand by, Kai lifted Seraphia in his arms and sped down the snowy mountain.
He was so fast he had already become a single dot.
It was hard to believe Seraphia was gravely injured with a ripped side.
Well, after all, living by Seraphia’s side and dying by her side was something that had to be endured.
Anyway…
“It seems she hasn’t awakened as the Lord of Extreme Cold.”
There didn’t seem to be a need to kill Seraphia right away.
By then, Kai had already vanished from sight.
Looking around, the scene was one for the history books.
The view was packed with a legion of monsters frozen like ice sculptures.
But on closer inspection, all were horribly crushed as if ground in a meat grinder.
“…What a waste.”
It was a great pity.
How much money could be made selling those?
Of course, since the monsters weren’t devoured via Predator [S+], they couldn’t be sold as meat.
However, by-products like skin and bones could be sold.
They were quite valuable.
But with those corpses completely ground up, their commercial value was zero.
“Can’t even use the lycanthrope corpses.”
The same went for the lycanthropes directly hit by Seraphia’s power.
They looked even worse than the monster legion.
Their steel-like muscles were all torn apart.
Every blood vessel was ripped and burst.
The lycanthropes were too damaged to salvage any by-products.
“At least they’d have been worth tens of millions of gold.”
That huge sum had been crushed in a grinder.
Still, I didn’t blame Seraphia.
Had she not used her power, the lycanthropes would have escaped.
“It was a huge relief to at least recover the heart.”
For me, the heart was more important than the corpse itself.
The genetic material of the beast lord’s bestowed power.
This wasn’t worth tens of millions of gold, but hundreds of billions.
I could confidently say it held astronomical value impossible to put a price on.
Thus, this was not “because of” Seraphia, but “thanks to” Seraphia.
“Can’t be helped.”
I swallowed my regret and headed down the snowy mountain.
Right after the lycanthropes were exterminated,
The news turned the entire county upside down.
The first to hear were the soldiers of the count’s fortress.
“Killing Gelu Drake wasn’t just luck.”
“But honestly, I didn’t believe it.”
“Same here. I thought Sir Kai just took credit for the kill.”
“Yeah. That wasn’t the first time, either.”
Adrian, the count family’s rogue,
Had been notorious for his abuses and misdeeds.
“But did you see Adrian fight the monster legion this time?”
“Yeah, I did.”
“Is there anyone here who didn’t see it?”
All soldiers had gone out to fight,
So they knew firsthand.
The monster legion rushed like an avalanche.
They experienced the overwhelming terror of its numbers and force.
Thus, they understood better than anyone how Adrian felt running headlong into the middle without faltering.
“Do you know what I thought then?”
“What?”
“I thought… if it’s someone like Adrian, I’d risk my life to follow him.”
“Since when did you get loyal?”
“I don’t know. I didn’t expect this either.”
“Same here, honestly.”
That was because it wasn’t just once.
Adrian had withdrawn soldiers behind during the Gelu Drake fight.
Both then and during the legion battle,
Adrian never hesitated to sacrifice himself for the soldiers.
And it was no reckless bravado.
“His movements were insane.”
“…I couldn’t believe he was human.”
“Is he really human? Or a monster?”
Especially the fiery flames he unleashed at the end.
The Dragon’s Wrath that burned the scenery was really—
“…Insane, seriously.”
“I couldn’t believe my own eyes.”
“Is he really human? Or a dragon?”
So now they could believe.
Adrian had killed the legion’s leader, the lycanthrope.
There was no doubt this time.
Furthermore,
Even immediately after slaying the lycanthrope, over there,
Huff! Huff! Huff!
Adrian was out in the Frost Trial grounds, training his body.
“How is he a rogue?”
“Nowadays all rogues are like that.”
“Right?”
“Exactly. If Adrian’s the minimum standard for rogues… wow, what kind of world is that?”
With that, the image of “rogue” disappeared from soldiers’ minds completely.
“Instructor Leverton.”
“…Huh?”
“How strong is Adrian in the mercenary world?”
“Oh right, Instructor Leverton was a mercenary.”
“What do you think? Adrian’s level?”
There are seven ranks in mercenary classification.
Iron — Just received the mercenary license.
Bronze — Can be called a mercenary.
Silver — Has been active over a year.
Gold — Starting to be called a veteran.
These were generally the limits.
Those without talent or skill could only rise through effort up to here.
Leverton was a Gold rank mercenary.
He had hit the Platinum limit, then accepted the previous count’s offer to become a training instructor in the White Wolf county.
“Well… I don’t know?”
He couldn’t give an assessment.
Leverton’s experience ended at Gold.
Platinum, Emerald, Diamond—
He had never seen or experienced those worlds.
To Leverton, they were all “another level.”
“I… don’t know.”
So he didn’t know.
But if he had to guess—
Though he’d never seen or experienced it—
By intuition or the training experience gained from soldiers—
Adrian seemed like someone who could surpass Platinum, Emerald, and Diamond,
And become a “Master Mercenary.”
And maybe,
Become a “Mercenary King” beyond Master.
…But is that even possible?
Who would have imagined it?
A complete idiot who can’t even use a pinch of mana becoming a Mercenary King?
If you told that to a mercenary guild, you’d get your mouth smashed.
But Adrian had killed Gelu Drake, held off the monster legion alone,
And finally exterminated the legion’s leader.
Huff! Huff! Huff!
Especially seeing his unprecedented training made me even more sure of that thought.
“Wow… amazing, really.”
“The more I see him, the more I’m impressed.”
The soldiers’ eyes toward Adrian had changed distinctly.
As the soldiers’ gaze toward Adrian changed,
The maids of the lord’s castle also viewed him differently.
The maids huddled on one side of the Frost Trial grounds.
“Wow, carrying that much and running!”
“I don’t think I could even lift those iron gears once.”
All the maids couldn’t help but admire Adrian.
Especially the sweat pouring down like rain.
One maid whispered quietly as she looked at Adrian drenched in sweat.
“Will he bathe after training?”
“Of course, he’s all sweaty and covered in dirt.”
“Then…”
The maid leaned forward and whispered.
“Wouldn’t he need someone to help with his bath?”
A brief silence.
The other maids blushed.
“W-what are you saying!”
“You’re crazy!”
“No, I was just thinking out loud. Adrian never had anyone help him with a bath before.”
“R-right…”
“Even during his wild days, he never had bath help.”
Specifically, he avoided any situation that might lead to sexual involvement.
Though he changed a lot now, a month ago he was still called a rogue.
Adrian, who lived in gambling and indulgence daily.
Yet he never had intimacy with women.
He might slap maids’ faces,
Or tease women,
But never actually touched them.
For some unknown reason, he never crossed that line.
…Of course, he crossed the line in every other way quite freely.
Anyway.
“But…”
A younger maid added quietly.
“What if he really needs it?”
“What?”
“If he trains that hard, he’d have no strength left. And he even kept us waiting today…”
…Now that I think about it, that was true.
Everyone blushed deeply.
“S-stop it! Don’t make me imagine weird things!”
The maids hurriedly bowed their heads.
But their fingers nervously twisted their skirts.
“…Should I just say it first?”
“Say what?”
“Tell him I’ll help with his bath.”
“What?!”
“You’re crazy!”
“If something bad happens, what will you do?!”
“Come on, he didn’t have help even when he was a rogue, why now?”
“W-well… still…”
“You never know what can happen.”
“Yeah! Who’d have thought Adrian would change so much?”
“Well then… ahem.”
The maid cleared her throat, blushing slightly.
Then glanced sideways at Adrian.
“Maybe once… even if something bad happens, it might be okay?”
“Kyaa! Look at her!!”
“Crazy! Really crazy!!”
“She just blushed after saying that! Totally imagined it, didn’t she?”
“I didn’t!!”
“No way! You’re totally red!”
“I don’t know! Maybe once or twice, she had that thought!”
“Once or twice? You look like you’ve thought about it a hundred times!”
“Kyaaaah──!”
The maids’ cheeks were all flushed as they screamed.
“But… Adrian isn’t listening to us, right?”
“Oh no!”
“What if he’s really listening?!”
The maids suddenly covered their mouths,
And all stared at Adrian in unison.
“…He’s so focused on training, he probably can’t hear us.”
“Y-yeah… probably.”
The maids sighed with relief but whispered quietly among themselves.
Like this,
Adrian was no longer a rogue to soldiers or maids.
A lord worthy of risking their lives for.
And a name that made hearts flutter without reason.
Their gaze toward Adrian was now full of “respect and admiration.”
“But, about Seraphia…”
“Yeah.”
“I heard she got badly hurt this time. Is she okay?”
“…No, she still hasn’t woken up.”
“I worry this might lead to something serious.”
Along with “worry and anxiety” for Seraphia.
