Chapter 151: The Thread of Fate (2)
The Frost Trial Grounds.
A training ground where the soldiers of the Whitewolf County received military instruction and physical training.
Until recently, it had been nothing more than a simple wooden structure set up on dirt.
But now, it had completely transformed.
The wooden posts and beams were reinforced with steel.
Instead of wooden walls, massive stone walls now surrounded the Frost Trial Grounds.
The dirt floor had been replaced with sturdy stone, designed to withstand tremendous impact.
Reborn by the dwarves, the Frost Trial Grounds had become something entirely different.
BOOM─!!
A tremendous roar shook the entire trial ground.
The impact etched fine cracks across the stone floor.
The soldiers training there seemed to have cracks form on their faces as well.
“C-Crazy…”
All eyes turned toward Adrian, standing at the corner of the grounds.
Every time he applied force, the muscles in Adrian’s arms bulged like taut cords, appearing ready to burst.
“Wh-what is that…?”
It was impossible to believe.
Of course, they knew. Adrian’s training was beyond normal reasoning.
Yet, it still fell within the realm of comprehension.
He wasn’t sane, but at least he was understandable—or at least, one could try to understand him.
But now…
“Is that… a rock?”
“Y-Yeah, I think it is.”
This time, common sense itself was completely shattered.
A human lifting a rock? Impossible.
And not just any rock—it was enormous. A rock whose weight could hardly be estimated.
Yet Adrian lifted it as if it were a toy.
His upper body, bare from having removed his shirt, glistened with sweat as his muscles rippled again.
“From there… again?!”
“Agai—still in that state?!”
The soldiers’ eyes went wide, especially the recruits of the Bister unit, whose eyes seemed ready to pop out.
“How is it even possible to lift that with bare hands?!”
“Th-That’s… possible?!”
…Of course, they knew. Adrian had defeated massive monsters in Baores.
They naturally knew he was unimaginably strong.
Yet, it was still within the realm of understanding.
He wasn’t sane, but at least one could try to comprehend him.
But now…
“C-Could he… be planning to throw it?!”
“No way, there’s no way he could throw something that heavy—”
KRAANG—!
A massive rock cut through the air.
Just before it fell, Adrian moved quickly and caught it again.
THUD—!
The impact shook the entire Frost Trial Grounds.
Everyone’s mouths fell open in astonishment.
…He was not human.
He was a monster.
Not just like a monster—he was a monster!
And indeed, just look at that.
“The weight’s still not enough.”
Even after lifting it, his expression showed no satisfaction.
If that’s not a monster, then what on earth is?
“He’s totally a Gweirian!”
One soldier shouted.
“Huh?”
“…Gweirian?”
“Because he’s ‘Monster Adrian.’”
Gweirian.
A term describing a state or act in which someone achieves the impossible through transcendent strength or ability, like Adrian.
Or, a task so difficult that only someone like Adrian could accomplish it.
“Don’t even mention it—today’s training was Gweirian level.”
“Lucia! You stayed up all night yesterday, don’t go Gweirian on me and hurt yourself!”
Thus, a new term was born in the Whitewolf County.
KUUUNG—!
The Frost Trial Grounds shook again with a heavy roar.
“Waaaaah!”
“Gweirian class!!”
Cheering (or something like it) echoed across the training grounds.
Excited soldiers shouted strange phrases to each other.
“We’re going Gweirian level too!!”
“Max out training intensity!”
“We are Adrian’s soldiers!!”
Waaaaahhh─!!
Suddenly, a training craze swept across the Frost Trial Grounds.
‘What’s going on?’
I didn’t really care.
There was something far more important.
I carefully checked the state of my own body.
My body, evolved through Ogre Consumption [S+], had been reconstructed in a form beyond anything before.
Muscle fibers compressed tightly into ultra-high-density fibers [A+] could not be cut even by a steel sword.
Even with Body Conversion [U], not even an Aura Sword could leave a scratch.
Essentially, unless it was an Aura Blade, it was impossible to pierce my skin.
However, my strength output didn’t yet match an ogre.
I couldn’t wield natural-disaster-level power like an ogre.
There were two main reasons.
The first was that I hadn’t received the amplification effect from Unassailable [S-].
And the second—
‘Did the ability expend itself enhancing the density of my fibers?’
Strength scales with the cross-sectional area of muscles.
The larger the muscle, the stronger the force it can produce.
Ogre-level power was possible because of its massive 20m body.
But I was not like that.
Not even 2m tall—I stood precisely 177cm.
My build wasn’t bulky.
My Consumption [S+] recognized this limitation.
Thus, I used the ogre’s ultra-high-density muscle [A+] genes to increase density rather than size.
It was similar to brain evolution.
A bigger brain improves ability, but skull space is limited.
So, instead of enlarging the brain, the surface folds were increased to maximize density.
The result:
Within limited space, the brain becomes far more precise and efficient.
Similarly, Consumption [S+] improved muscle fiber arrangement and nervous system efficiency instead of size.
This allowed my limited body to output power with much greater precision and strength.
In short:
‘Have I hit a new growth peak?’
I had surpassed the stat cap of 99, gaining the potential to grow stronger than an ogre.
For now, I was weaker than an ogre, but with continuous training, I could surpass one.
Not only that.
Thanks to the Multilayer Neural Network of Sensory-Motor Control [A-], I could now improve agility, which had been hard to train before.
I could even invest my Solo Level-Up [EX] stat points into mana.
‘This means…’
Maintaining Predator [M] constantly was no longer a dream.
I could withstand body overload.
I had grown beyond anything from my previous life—and the path for further growth was open.
Perhaps that was why.
‘The weight’s still not enough.’
The rocks from the snowy mountains didn’t provide enough resistance to truly challenge my muscles.
‘I need new equipment.’
But ordinary equipment wouldn’t do—the rock itself was insufficient.
‘Hmm.’
I wondered what I should train with when—
“Ah, there you are!”
A voice called from the entrance of the Frost Trial Grounds.
“Monster-Au!!”
Steelmaster, Srandul.
He approached me quickly with his short legs.
“Already training just days after awakening? That’s our Monster-Au for you!”
Srandul gave a thumbs-up. Looking at the soldiers’ training fervor, he added:
“They all have your energy, Monster-Au!”
Srandul laughed heartily.
I cleared my thoughts and asked:
“What brings you here?”
“Ah! It’s about the ogre corpse.”
While I had been unconscious, the dwarves had carefully brought the ogre corpse.
The Lycanthrope was useless, torn apart by Seraphia, but the ogre was intact.
“Do you have a use for it?”
“Not exactly planned yet.”
“Then can I work on it?”
“By work on it, you mean…”
“I want to make some things.”
Srandul’s eyes sparkled.
The ogre, a perfect example of biological evolution, was the highest-grade material.
Even the byproducts of its 20m body were enormous.
Srandul, a master of supreme forging, rivaled Brumbar in skill.
“If it’s useless, why not let me make equipment for Monster-Au’s brothers?”
“Excellent.”
There was no reason to refuse—this was exactly what I wanted.
“I also saw some bluewood—may I use that too?”
The best wood in the current Whitewolf County.
“Use as much as you need.”
Even so, Srandul didn’t cut recklessly.
Dwarves respected nature—they only took what was necessary and gave back.
“Hahaha! I’ll make my greatest masterpiece!”
The soldiers, equipped with ogre gear, were effectively a knightly order, exceeding ordinary orders.
“As for compensation—”
“Compensation? Nonsense!”
Srandul interrupted in a loud voice:
“I should be the one honored! I get to make equipment from ogre materials!”
Steelmaster, Srandul—unchanged since the allied forces days.
“Without you, we’d all be dead! We couldn’t have protected Peractum!”
He thumped his chest.
“Monster-Au, Wolf-Au, and Frost-Nui are our brothers!”
Dwarves trusted deeply—they rarely called anyone brother, but once they did, it was forever.
If betrayed, they’d crush your head with a pickaxe.
“The land of brothers is ours! No compensation needed!”
Hence, the Frost Trial Grounds had completely changed.
The entire county had transformed under dwarf craftsmanship.
Technologies worth millions were freely applied, leading to unprecedented growth.
“If it’s a brotherly cause, we dwarves will move mountains!”
We would maintain strong relations with the dwarves, something I greatly desired.
At that moment, I had a personal request.
“May I ask for a favor?”
“A favor? Speak!”
“Could you make training equipment for me?”
“Training equipment… like workout gear?”
I nodded, and Srandul tilted his head, but then glanced at the rock next to me and laughed.
“Haha! Monster-Au, who fought ogres, cannot train with that rock!”
He pounded his chest, as if to say ‘leave it to me.’
“I’ll make you gear perfect for Monster-Au—don’t worry!”
Dwarf technology was more than hammering metal—it was Arcane Engineering.
A combination of magic and craftsmanship, usable even without manipulating mana directly, designed to create heavy-load environments for muscle training.
Perfect timing for physical training—no better solution existed.
“Your muscles will scream, Monster-Au! Prepare yourself! Hahaha!”
Kai is Wolf-Au, so why am I Monster-Au? Well, Ian did call me “Crazy-Au.”
“…Ah! By the way, is Frost-Nui okay?”
This referred to Seraphia.
Dwarves addressed female siblings with respect and closeness—~Nui, ~Nunim. Males were ~Au, ~Hyungnim.
Iliana was Starlight-Nui, Isolde was Gold Thread-Nui, and the Spirit Mage… ‘Leafy’?
Dwarves did not consider the Spirit Mage a sibling—Elves and Dwarves differed in their view of nature.
“…If you mean Seraphia, she’ll be fine.”
Not fine yet, but soon.
“By the way, is Chief Brumbar okay?”
“He’ll be fine soon.”
Considering his Iron Fortress [A+], naturally.
“An incredible chief,” I agreed.
Despite his injuries, he could move—a feat astonishing given the severity.
Not exaggerated—the state was worse than Predator [M] body overload.
“…How’s the repair of Arcanoheart?”
“Almost done. Still needs stabilization for full operation, but soon it’ll run.”
“Do you need my help?”
“Not for now. I might need help digging a tunnel.”
Srandul’s eyes sparkled strangely—more than when seeing the ogre.
“Digging 11km is tough for us too.”
I understood a bit why he called me Monster-Au.
“Understood. Let me know when ready.”
“Ha! Then I’ll count on you, Monster-Au!”
He left abruptly, as always. Srandul was Srandul.
Anyway, I had business with the ogre.
‘Time to go to Freche.’
There was no better moment. The upcoming rune iron mining and luring the emperor required attention.
Many tasks awaited in Freche.
Beneath the vast high ceiling of the Law King’s Hall, hundreds of candles flickered, casting a dim light.
Below, countless worshipers prepared for the Holy Communion.
A sacred ritual honoring the grace of God and reflecting His will.
Performed daily, but the weight of the ritual was not light.
Only those with pure faith could preside.
Before the ritual, the attending priest hurried to find Isolde, who was purifying her mind with prayer.
The chapel was quiet and solemn, candles lining the walls illuminating the path.
The priest stopped at the door and bowed slightly.
“Your Highness, the communion is about to begin.”
…but—
“…Your Highness?”
No response.
Was she too absorbed in prayer to hear?
The priest stepped closer.
“Your Highness, the communion is about to begin.”
A slightly louder voice—still no reply.
“Your Highness, excuse me.”
Opening the door cautiously—
“Huh?”
Isolde wasn’t there.
The chapel was empty.
Where she should have been, there was only a note:
[I’m going to get my homework checked.]
…Nothing else, just a meaningless message left behind.
