Three days later.
"Ah~ what a short vacation."
"The Guild Master is really something!"
"Let's just go, stop complaining."
The three walked down the street, beginning to purchase supplies for entering the forest.
Just then, a familiar voice came from behind them.
"Ah, we meet again, Eren, Kabaru, Gido."
The three turned their heads to look at the familiar woman.
"Miss Shizu!?" Eren said in surprise.
"Are you preparing to head to the forest?"
"Mhm!" The three nodded quickly. "We've received a new mission and are planning to buy some items!"
"I happen to be going that way. If it's convenient, let's go together."
"That would be wonderful."
"With Miss Shizu around, it should be much easier."
"It looks like this mission will be quite simple."
The four chatted as they headed to the market... To the south of the Jura Forest, there was a vast, barren wasteland.
That was the territory of the Hogheads.
The wasteland was vast, home to over a dozen Hoghead tribes.
Their total number was at least two hundred thousand.
Corpses littered the wasteland, and skeletons could be seen everywhere, exposed to the scorching sun.
Due to a once-in-a-century drought, there was essentially no harvest of food.
Massive scenes of cannibalism had already appeared among the Hogheads.
As long as a companion died of starvation, the survivors would inevitably devour the corpse without hesitation.
But even in such harsh conditions...
...the number of Hoghead newborns was actually increasing.
That was the instinct of weak monsters, or rather, a stress response.
The more difficult the environment for survival, the more monsters would frantically breed to ensure their race wouldn't go extinct and to guarantee the continuation of their lineage.
This was an uncontrollable means of racial protection.
This made the already destitute families even worse off.
But the appearance of a demon caused this situation to take a distorted turn.
Looking at the Hoghead collapsed before him, Gelmud crouched down.
"Oh my, oh my, it seems you need help."
"Hungry... so hungry..."
Gelmud pulled a piece of bloody meat from his robes.
"Do you want food?"
"Do you want to gain great power?"
Like a demonic whisper, the Hoghead struggled to lift its head.
"I want... food...!"
Gelmud smiled with satisfaction and handed over the meat.
"From now on, I am your father."
"I shall bestow upon you the name Kruut..."
...Above the wasteland.
Demiurge and Mare were quietly watching everything below.
"Mare, what do you think will happen next?"
Mare rubbed his head in distress and finally gave a sigh.
"Don't test me anymore; I can't possibly guess Lord Draco's thoughts."
"I always feel like something isn't quite right..."
"Are you sure it's not just you overthinking it?"
"No, perhaps I already know the answer."
"Oh?"
As if to prove Demiurge's thoughts...
...Below, the instant after Gelmud finished the naming.
A powerful sense of pressure suddenly descended, enveloping the entire wasteland.
At the moment that pressure appeared, all the Hogheads felt a calling and fell to their knees one after another.
["Confirmation complete. Individual name: Kruut. Acquired Unique Skill: 'Hungerer'. Evolution into Pig-Headed Emperor beginning... Success!"]
voice of the world echoed in the minds of everyone on the wasteland.
The Pig-Headed Emperor, Kruut, was born!
A Pig-Headed Emperor was something that only had a chance of appearing once a century.
Gelmud was merely a High-ranking Demons; his strength was at most A-rank.
But the Pig-Headed Emperor's current strength was ten times his, already reaching A+ rank.
This wasn't power granted by Gelmud's naming; he didn't have that much ability.
The birth of a Pig-Headed Emperor requires a catalyst, and Gelmud was that catalyst.
Upon being given a name, Kruut unexpectedly obtained the skill Hungerer, which was an extremely terrifying racial skill.
Its effect allowed him to turn the abilities of the prey he consumed into his own power.
Furthermore, the skill's effect covered the entire Hoghead race.
The appearance of the Pig-Headed Emperor directly established a Soul Corridor among everyone in the race.
That was one of the Hungerer's abilities—Food Chain.
As long as a single clansman devoured the flesh of another race, every Hoghead would receive a boost.
The boost applied to ability, not to the Magical Essence inside their bodies.
For example, if one of them ate a Scale-Armored Lizard, the entire Hoghead race would, through the Food Chain skill, gain that lizard's armored scales.
The race's overall defense would rise.
And the individual who ate the lizard would also absorb its Magical Essence, growing even stronger.
Hungerer had another effect: Hogheads would never feel fear—only endless hunger.
The Pig-Headed Emperor could devour the fear of his subordinates to gain tremendous power.
With the terror of two hundred thousand soldiers fueling him, Kruut's strength soared explosively.
Because of that unending hunger, the Hogheads could only keep marching, devouring everything in their path.
Guy had once said,
"If no one stops the Pig-Headed Emperor after he's born, his growth has no upper limit."
Truly terrifying… "Oh—Demiurge, he suddenly got stronger. Is this your answer?"
Mare pointed at the Pig-Headed Emperor below, whose body had swelled to colossal size.
Demiurge shrugged. "If you hadn't come, I might never have realized."
"Why is that?"
"Since His Majesty sent you to collect experience, he must have guessed—no, planned—that massive deaths would occur, which is why you're here."
"I was a bit puzzled earlier; that crow-masked fellow seemed too weak to possess such power."
"I never expected this was Lord Draco's true target."
Mare nodded in sudden understanding. "As expected of Lord Draco!"
"Ahh, my body is trembling—such unfathomable schemes are simply breathtaking!"
Demiurge spread his arms toward the sky in an embrace, excitement written all over his face.
(Draco: Would I tell you I've read the script!?)
Running low on images.
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