Rogue Villain-Chapter 342: This Is Too Much

After killing and eating the gorilla and then bidding temporary farewell to Mara and Karandiel, Ackster let his presence run wild and spread through the jungle in a show of dominance. He beat the first challenger to his invasion with merciless brutality. It was time for the other fools who dared look down on Ackster to show their mettle.

Ackster didn’t need to strut around like a rooster for long before the next challenger came. It seemed to possess the opposite attributes to the gorilla.

The butterfly had wings, each as tall as Ackster and three times as wide. The pattern on the wings was hypnotic, and just looking at it would have made an ordinary man lose their mind. But Ackster was no ordinary man.

Even the butterfly’s attack, which seemed to be pheromone-based, did not affect Ackster, thanks to the Ex-rank Clear Mind. The butterfly flapped its wings and spread a cloud of purple...something that would have been invisible to most people. It wasn’t magic or any other source-based technique like magic.

Ackster didn’t know what it was, but it wasn’t the source Ackster thought the gorilla might have tried to use. And it was useless. The butterfly’s physical body was also incredibly weak. It wasn’t agile, either.

If Ackster hadn’t had Diamond Body’s resistances to, among other things, poison and the Ex-rank Clear Mind, he would have been troubled. The butterfly was clearly hyper-specialized and focused on the mist attack.

Ackster chopped down with a bare hand, cutting the butterfly in half before eating it.

"Well, that was disappointing."

After the specialized butterfly that was useless in front of Ackster was a tiny lizard the size of Ackster’s arm that specialized in speed and poison. Unfortunately, Ackster was sturdy, poison-resistant, and had superhuman reaction speed. Another beast entered Ackster’s belly.

Following the lizard’s death was a muscular goat-like creature with horns curved and pointed forwards, made for piercing and gouging its targets. It had a powerful charge—more powerful than the gorilla’s, even. The base of its skull was also stronger than the gorilla’s armor to support that charge.

However, it still wasn’t a match for Ackster’s punch. It also wasn’t a match for Ackster’s stomach.

Ackster noticed that all the beasts that attacked him did so alone. He could also tell that they weren’t the only ones of their kind or in the jungle. But they were most likely among the strongest, if not the strongest, of their kind. There were also other beasts of kinds that didn’t attack him.

The whole situation was very interesting, but Ackster couldn’t help but think that the beasts were individualistic, which didn’t align with what he knew about beasts, especially not the ones that looked like pack animals.

Some beasts acted alone. But Ackster was more used to monsters or unique monsters like the poison goblin that he faced what felt like an eternity ago acting on their own.

Ackster started to wonder what the Alchemist had planned with this secluded jungle-like ecosystem. But he couldn’t find any clues, so he continued defeating and eating the beasts that dared to think they were better than their predecessors and him.

Next up was a four-armed monkey, a head taller than the gorilla with two elbow joints on each arm. Ackster had a hard time breaking through the monkey’s fierce and fast armwork. It was like a shield of moving arms that blocked, parried, deflected, and intercepted any of Ackster’s punches or moves.

The monkey could also lash out with its own punches whenever from wherever, thanks to the incredible mobility its double joints granted it. But Ackster surpassed it in overall defense, stamina, and recovery. He could heal from the damage he took when trying to attack. But when the monkey’s defense wasn’t absolute, and it accumulated damage little by little every time Ackster struck.

Eventually, even the monkey was no more than Ackster’s food.

Ackster learned something from most of his fights, even if it was more about his own abilities and how great his defense was than something that improved his strength noticeably. However, in his current state, Ackster’s growth would either be tedious self-discovery and understanding or great leaps brought about by lethal situations, treasures, or enlightenment.

It was a nice break from the hectic life and the chatter of his party members, but Ackster started getting bored and disappointed. He wanted more. This primal miniature world had given Ackster hope for what to expect from the Alchemaze, but the world itself didn’t have what it took to continue keeping Ackster’s focus. It was time to move on.

But there was one thing left before Ackster started looking for his way out.

Well, saying that it was one thing wasn’t entirely accurate.

Ackster stopped and looked around. He spread his arms wide as he looked at all the birds perched around him, inviting them to attack.

"Isn’t it about time you stop hiding in the shadows?"

Ackster didn’t think it could speak the language. But whatever beast controlled all the birds was almost certainly clever enough to know a taunt when it heard it.

The birds hobbled slightly in place and fluttered their wings to make space for more birds that came from further away.

The birds of different colors, all with at least four wings, were deathly silent as they looked at Ackster, watching his every move.

Ackster didn’t bother picking them off one by one. They were too many, too quick, and too weak. None of them were in charge.

Ackster was curious about what kind of bird ruled its entire species and if that was all it could do. He hoped it wasn’t.

Ackster’s spine throbbed. 𝒻𝑟ℯℯ𝑤𝑒𝑏𝑛𝘰𝓋𝑒𝓁.𝒸𝑜𝘮

Instantly, Ichor flooded Ackster’s body as he turned around and bent to the side in one smooth motion. But it wasn’t smooth enough, and he wasn’t instantaneous enough.

Whatever attacked him tore away a large chunk of his body.

Ackster glanced at the left half of his torso. It was the only thing that remained of his upper body aside from his upper skull.

’Seriously?! Again?!’