CH421 Berserk

***

Zora didn't lead Alex to Kron Belloc immediately. Instead, she brought him to a storage area just outside the Fortress castle, where the expedition party had temporarily gathered their loot.

Alex let out a wry chuckle.

With a prompt to OmniRune, most of the goods were swiftly transferred into the Sanctuary Subspace, clearing the area almost instantly.

"We also gathered the fortress's horses," Zora added. "About a hundred in total. We weren't sure whether you'd want to bring them along."

Alex fell into thought.

Horses—especially well-bred warhorses—were invaluable assets. Militarily, logistically, and politically, their worth was unquestionable.

However, travelling with such a large herd would significantly increase the risk of discovery. Speed and concealment were already challenges for the expedition party; adding a hundred horses would only complicate matters.

Still…

"We'll keep them," Alex decided after a moment. "They're too valuable to abandon. Warhorses are military assets—and beyond that, they can be sold to nobles for high prices or favours. That alone makes the risk worthwhile."

Zora nodded. "Alright. I'll inform the men."

"I'll call Dread over as well," Alex added after another thought. "He has the hallmarks of a horse king. If anyone can keep them disciplined and manageable, it's him."

Zora's eyes lit up at that. She nodded again, clearly approving of the decision.

With the important matter settled, she finally led Alex toward Kron Belloc.

The Verdantian native had adapted surprisingly well. In just over a day, he had accepted his new reality as a member of the expedition party—even though he had, in no small part, been tricked into joining it.

Perhaps his life as an adventurer had prepared him for sudden upheaval. He quickly ingratiated himself with the other members of the expedition, particularly the Fury soldiers.

Compared to Alex's followers and wives—who either radiated intimidation or felt unapproachable—the knight-soldiers were far more welcoming.

And as someone naturally curious about the world, Kron found it easy to set aside the usual Verdantian prejudices about outer-plane beings. Instead, he listened, observed, and learned.

His conversations with the soldiers opened his eyes to an entirely new reality.

A world without a Navi pantheon.

A world that not only survived without gods—but thrived.

To Kron Belloc, that realisation was nothing short of unbelievable.

What shocked Kron Belloc even more was the fact that the beasts from Alex's world were… civilised.

This was the first time in his life he had ever seen a wolf that could cook better than any chef he had eaten from—albeit with the help of an unnerving tentacle spell. A terrifying-looking eagle that refused to eat raw meat and only accepted cooked food. And a horse that marched around with authority, commanding discipline among an entire herd.

In Verdantis, beasts were savage creatures that lived only to fill their stomachs.

They would never learn civility—even if someone tried to patiently teach them.

Yet here he was, witnessing the impossible.

Alas, while the Fury soldiers wanted to clarify that Fen, Senu, and Dreed were exceptions rather than the norm, they found themselves at a loss for words. There was simply no way to explain the situation without admitting that their expedition leader had… rather peculiar tastes.

Besides, letting Kron maintain this misconception caused no harm.

If anything, it made him more cautious—and more respectful.

When Alex and Zora arrived, the expedition party had just finished enjoying chef Fen's cooking.

The wolf looked positively delighted.

His raid on the Fortress kitchens had been a resounding success, yielding an impressive haul of spices and ingredients. As a result, he had prepared a small feast for the entire group.

The moment Alex appeared, Fen immediately moved to serve him the portion he had carefully set aside.

Without question, it contained the richest ingredients and the most refined flavours the culinary canine could pack into a single serving.

Alex was about to refuse—for the time being—when his stomach suddenly growled loudly at the scent of the food.

His own body betrayed him.

He swallowed the words he was about to say, along with the saliva threatening to spill from the corners of his mouth.

Taking a seat near the fire, Alex began to eat just as Zora called Kron over.

"Tell me about Berserk stones," Alex said between mouthfuls, firing off questions in quick succession. "What kind of energy is stored inside them? Is it different from Mana?"

Despite eating surprisingly fast, Alex maintained impeccable noble etiquette without a single lapse—another habit he had picked up from Drake.

Watching him, Kron discreetly swallowed his own saliva.

At the same time, he couldn't help but lament Fen's blatant favouritism.

"Berserk Stones are solidified forms of energy," Kron explained. "However, unlike your mana stones –according to what I have heard, they also contain a Berserk property. If absorbed without proper refinement, this property almost always causes mutations in the body… and at higher quantities, it leads to death in the worst-case scenarios."

"So Berserk Stones are essentially mana stones corrupted by this Berserk property?" Alex asked.

Kron nodded. "That is the most accurate way to describe it, I believe."

He wasn't entirely certain, but judging from the soldiers' descriptions, mana stones and Berserk stones were nearly identical—save for the Berserk property. As such, Kron felt the assumption was reasonable.

"Do you know why Berserk Stones have this Berserk property?" Alex continued. "Is it something unique to these stones, or does all solidified energy on Verdantis carry it?"

"Yes," Kron replied. "All known energy stones on Verdantis possess the Berserk property. As for why it exists, we believe it is because the Berserk property exists within all energy on this plane. That is why most of our cultivation and tempering methods place heavy emphasis on refining the Berserk component before storing energy within the body."

He paused before adding, "Beasts do not have this luxury. That is why most beasts on Verdantis exist in a deranged or 'berserk' state."

'Ah!'

Alex suddenly recalled the beast tide they had encountered upon arriving in the forest.

At the time, he had wondered why most of the beasts—including supposed herbivores—appeared unnaturally aggressive and predatory. Even creatures like rabbits had sported oversized claws and fangs.

'So those deformities and mutations were caused by this Berserk property,' Alex mused.

Kron continued, "To the best of my knowledge, it remains unclear whether the Berserk property is a form of energy or a fundamental law. What is certain is that prolonged exposure affects everything. Energy items can become saturated, turning into Berserk variants. Beasts mutate, grow increasingly violent, and on top of that, Berserk Beasts reproduce rapidly, making them an even greater threat."

He drew a breath.

"A vast portion of the northern continent is occupied by the Great Berserk Beast Forest. It is both the origin and homeland of Berserk Beasts. The forest is so enormous that I've heard it borders almost—if not all—major empires on the continent. It teems with so many Berserk Beasts that even a coalition of empires, five decades ago, failed to eradicate it."

Alex's spoon froze halfway to his mouth before slowly returning to the bowl.

His experience as an avid reader in his previous life caused a familiar pattern to click into place.

"Let me guess," he said slowly. "The world's deities have a way to suppress or block the Berserk property around settlements where they are worshipped, right?"

"How did you…?" Kron Belloc stared at him in shock.

***

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