Chapter 102: Knowledge Merged Into the Body (13)

“What kind of ‘Saya no Uta’…?”

Herbert wandered through a world forged of flesh, curiously examining its structure.

He uprooted the flower that had been staring at him, strolling idly as he dismantled its anatomy piece by piece.

【This chunk is the tendon of the thigh, this one is a heart valve, this spike is a lumbar osteophyte…】

Herbert didn’t know why he understood such obscure, arcane knowledge—but one glance was enough for him to effortlessly identify the nature of these tissues.

In moments, he had fully disassembled the flower, leaving only its eyeball, which he pinched and rolled between his fingers.

After playing awhile, he tore apart two more flowers and gathered three eyeballs in his palm, spinning them around.

Just as he was about to seek a fourth, he suddenly realized something was wrong.

Huh?

He looked down at the eyeballs in his hand; the three eyes stared back at him in confusion.

Five eyes met, all blank with bewilderment.

Herbert: “Hey, what’s going on?”

The three eyes: “Kid, what’s going on with you?”

With a flick of his finger, Herbert tossed the three eyeballs onto the roadside; the flesh on the ground devoured them, then quickly sprouted three new little flowers.

A bizarre scene—but after witnessing it, Herbert felt no surprise, as if this were perfectly natural, the very baseline of his mind’s understanding.

Herbert squinted, silently analyzing: “...This place is off. My spirit isn’t nearly this ‘healthy’!”

“Am I being altered?”

He scanned the ground and walls around him, and his mind rapidly analyzed their composition—even faster than before.

Faster and faster!

Vast quantities of unfamiliar knowledge surged into his brain like a storm.

【Riverbeds of brain matter, walls of gastric lining, bricks of the diaphragm, sphincters…】

“Huh? Sphincter? Are you serious using this as a doorframe?”

Simultaneously, as these knowledge flooded his mind, Herbert’s spirit was gradually being mutated.

It was clear: the longer he stayed in this world, the deeper his mutation would become.

He was being assimilated by this world.

A mysterious force was eroding his spirit.

Once he realized this, Herbert stopped his aimless wandering.

This world was too vast—endless. Continuing forward held no meaning.

He entered a house by the roadside and sat down on a chair assembled from piled bones.

【Scapula, clavicle, sternum, ribs, spine…】

Unconsciously analyzing the room’s composition, Herbert frowned under the silent gaze of every object within.

What does Svan Ni's flesh contain?

Freyme’s scales held ancient mermaid bloodlines, Valentina’s hair carried dragon lineage, Elisa’s blood contained memories of her ‘father’…

Then... Svan Ni, what does your flesh contain?

He had expected to uncover ancient dark elf legends, perhaps even their origins—but instead, he found only this grotesque world.

“This damn place has nothing but flesh… I can’t seriously be expected to find Saya here…”

【Peripheral nerves, pituitary gland, pancreas, prostate…】

“Damn, this thing is made of prostate?! Wait—”

Herbert recoiled from the grotesque fleshy handle, then his expression changed—he finally recognized the problem he’d unconsciously ignored.

“This world isn’t empty…”

“It’s full of knowledge.”

He stepped out of the house, surveyed his surroundings, and squinted.

【—】

The once-quiet world now roared in his vision; the knowledge screamed like wailing voices, shouting their names.

Knowledge was chasing him.

No.

Herbert felt these knowledge were beating his brain…

Trying to kill him, then trap him utterly within this world, making him part of it.

“….”

Herbert fell silent for a moment, then bent down and removed his boots, stepping barefoot onto the muddy, rotting flesh.

The slimy sensation made him squint, instinctively wanting to slip his boots back on.

But soon, another sensation surged into his heart.

He “heard” the pulse of the earth, the whispers of the flesh-flowers, felt the breathing of the buildings, the gaze of the blood moon above—all excruciatingly clear.

Simultaneously, the knowledge flooded his mind at an even more astonishing speed.

But it wasn’t enough.

Herbert unbuttoned his clothes, stripped them off, and stood naked at the world’s center—then fell straight backward.

Plop.

His back felt no impact—only sinking into soft, yielding flesh.

Gently enveloped, smoothly consumed.

Herbert sank slowly, becoming one with this world.

【————】

Knowledge poured into his body at ten, a hundred, a thousand times the previous speed.

He was merging with this world.

No…

Herbert was making this world merge into him.

The fading Herbert within the flesh suddenly opened his eyes and thrust his right hand upward.

BOOM!

A colossal fleshy hand erupted from the ground, slamming down and pressing hard.

BOOM BOOM BOOM…

Amidst the thunderous roar, a giant formed entirely of flesh rose from the earth.

It staggered forward, stomping heavily on the ground.

It collapsed several times, then slowly rose again, finally walking steadily.

Each step absorbed and assimilated surrounding flesh into its body, fueling its growth.

The giant grew larger, moved faster, yet became increasingly agile.

BOOM BOOM BOOM!

Amidst the deafening roar that threatened to destroy the world, it finally began to run!

White skin sprouted across the giant’s body, snowy hair spread and grew, until it took on a handsome form—identical to Herbert’s.

When the last trace of flesh completed Herbert’s body, his form rapidly shifted again—flesh surged and spread, transforming him within moments into a colossal crimson dragon.

ROAR!!!

The dragon flared its wings, leapt with immense force, and shot straight toward the “blood moon” above.

In mere breaths, it pierced the sky and reached the “blood moon”—a scarlet eyeball many times larger than the dragon itself.

The instant it touched the massive eyeball, the dragon whipped its tail and slammed it hard against the eye.

【—God’s Eye!】

“Look! Look! Look!”

“I told you to stop sneaking peeks!”

Plop!

The eyeball burst instantly, showering the air with streams of radiant light.

The dragon bathed in the golden light streaked with blood, roaring to the heavens within the flesh-world!!!

(End of Chapter)