Chapter 9: The Berserk Beast

‘That little girl is an alchemist!’ Votila thought, a sharp pang of irony striking him. ‘How utterly cynical, that I felt such an affinity for her.’

He had witnessed the atrocities committed by these alchemists, who treated life as mere fodder, toying with it wantonly.

It was one thing to experiment on other races, but to use dragon blood and flesh for alchemical research? That was an absolute taboo for dragons.

To have one’s own flesh and blood taken by humans, mixed with various inferior bloodlines—this was something no dragon could ever tolerate.

No, it wasn’t just dragons. This was intolerable for any race.

‘This abomination must be destroyed. Such a thing should not exist in this world.’

However, Votila knew that he was merely a small cat now. Having scratched the monster’s eye earlier was already the absolute limit of his current capabilities.

Staring at the monster before him, Votila felt a surge of doubt. Dragons were the strongest creatures on the continent; how could their bloodline so easily merge with those of other races?

Furthermore, how could an alchemical product infused with dragon blood possess such limited abilities?

As if responding to Votila’s unspoken questions, the green-furred monster suddenly froze, then its entire body began to swell.

Its physique expanded by more than double, its green fur transforming into a vivid blood-red. Beneath its coat, muscles coiled and bulged, and every single wound vanished, restoring it to its original state.

The red-furred monster roared towards the sky, sending waves of sound reverberating outwards. Houses trembled, and tree shadows swayed violently.

Everyone covered their ears, yet the shockwaves still caused them intense pain.

“W-w-what kind of monster is this?!”

“What’s wrong with it?! Why did it turn red?!”

“Could this be… a berserk state?”

Votila’s claws dug tightly into the ground, preventing himself from being blown away by the sound waves.

After a brief moment, the area grew still, and an inexplicable pressure rippled through the air.

The monster, its eyes blazing red, scanned its surroundings.

“This… thing…” As the monster’s gaze swept over him, Gusede felt his legs tremble. It was like a lower-tier creature facing a higher-tier one, an innate terror rising from his very core—a suppression from the bloodline itself. Or perhaps, it was as if he had encountered his natural predator.

Yet, the monster seemed to pay no mind to the humans around it. Its gaze finally settled on the black cat crouching on the ground. Its mouth opened, and viscous liquid oozed from the corners, emitting an unintelligible babble. “Fath…”

‘It’s targeted me?!’

Votila’s heart tightened, a sense of danger surging within him. He immediately leaped sideways.

His jumping ability, far exceeding that of an ordinary cat, propelled him several meters away in an instant.

*Thud!*

The blood-red monster’s fleshy paw slammed precisely where Votila had been moments before, leaving a deep indentation in the ground.

“Watch out!” Gusede exclaimed, only then noticing the black cat that had darted a short distance away. “Mulee Hua’s little cat… it’s not afraid of magic beasts? How is that possible?”

“Meow!” Votila glared at the monster. Though he yearned to charge and tear the creature to shreds, reality told him that in his current state, he would be no match for it.

From the force of the previous strike, Votila could roughly estimate that the monster’s strength had increased by about fifty percent after entering its berserk state, and its speed by roughly thirty percent. In terms of augmentation, it was indeed worthy of a monster infused with a diluted dragon bloodline.

The monster slowly turned its head, glancing at Votila with a hint of confusion. It then pulled its paw from the ground, brought it to what appeared to be its nose, sniffed, and then numbly extended its tongue for a lick. Immediately, it erupted in a furious roar, lunging towards Votila. “Fath…!!”

It possessed so little intelligence to begin with. Had its berserk state stripped it of even the ability to determine if it had hit its target? It was worse than a wild beast, merely a moving mountain of flesh.

Votila sighed inwardly, then turned and leaped, nimbly scrambling up the trunk of a nearby tree to its canopy.

*Crackle!*

The monster crashed into the tree trunk, which snapped instantly. However, Votila had already used the tree canopy as a spring, leaping to another tree before the monster even made impact.

Perched on the treetop, Votila looked down at the disoriented monster below, his golden eyes filled with cold indifference. He then cast a glance at the humans in the distance.

‘This group of humans likely won’t be able to handle this monster. Letting them continue to wander in front of it will only make them a burden.’

With that thought, Votila waited until the monster below had gotten back on its feet, then turned and bolted deeper into the forest. These humans had not actively provoked Votila, and Votila would not intentionally lead them to their deaths—this was a principle he adhered to as a wise dragon.

*Roar!!* The monster bellowed, seemingly fixated on the black cat, and charged after it.

Watching Votila seemingly toy with the monster and lead it away, Gusede’s expression flickered. He wanted to pursue them; if he could eliminate this monster, removing a major threat to the town, he would become a hero.

But he dared not. The monster’s berserk ferocity still echoed in his mind, and the hands that had once wounded it now throbbed faintly. Even though the monster was no longer in sight, he still felt a lingering fear.

‘What hero? I’m just an ordinary person who gets scared.’ He couldn’t help but mock himself.

“Gusede! Are you alright?” Someone nearby, having recovered from the monster’s intimidation, called out.

“I’m fine,” Gusede replied, then suddenly remembered something and asked, “Why haven’t Captain Odur and his team arrived?”

“I’m not sure. Apparently, there were magic beasts on the west side of town.”

“The west side? Are there other monsters like this?”

“No, it was just direwolves over there.” The person also sounded puzzled. “We’ve never seen a monster like this before today.”

“What in the world is this monster…?”

“But that black cat was amazing! It actually managed to lure the monster away.”

“Yeah! I’ve never seen such a powerful cat.”

One person, after a long moment of recollection, suddenly spoke up: “Wait! I think a monster like this appeared before!”

“Appeared before?” Gusede felt strange. He was a member of the militia, but he had never received any such intelligence.

“Yes! I remember now, it was five years ago! A similar monster appeared in the forest five years ago!”

‘Five years ago? Wasn’t that when the previous captain met his demise? A monster like the one back then? Mulee Hua’s father?’

Gusede pondered for a moment, suppressing his doubts, and then said, “Let’s go. Everyone, head back to town first. It’s not safe here. We need to get the villagers to safety.”

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