Chapter 31

# Chapter 31. <What Are You, Anyway?>

Kale gathered some items roughly into his magic bag and headed for the training ground. The basement training ground of the mansion. The Hennitus family was famous for their wealth, but their roots were in martial arts. Given that they were adjacent to the Dark Forest, which was filled with dangerous monsters, it wouldn't make sense if they were weak.

Therefore, the basement of the mansion was equipped with a training ground that was better than most dukes' and marquises' training grounds. As Kale entered the spacious underground area, he instructed Hans and Ron.

"Both of you, go out. Guard the first floor so no one can enter."

"Yes, young master."

"Understood, young master."

Ron's overly kind smile made Kale feel uneasy, but he watched the two disappear without a word. Kale then took the cats and went to a corner of the training ground. He didn't forget to wave his hand to Choi Han and Rosalyn, signaling them to stay far away.

"Both of you, to the center!"

Choi Han led Lark to the center. Rosalyn, with a serious expression, moved a bit away from Lark.

"Ugh!"

Lark was now having small convulsions. His hands and feet, his whole body, were trembling. But neither Rosalyn nor Choi Han approached him.

Lark's fingernails were growing, sharp and claw-like, like those of a wild beast.

"Roar!"

Lark's body, lying on the ground, twitched. His body, which had been writhing like an arrow, began to change gradually. Kale confirmed that the massive iron door of the training ground was well closed and then slowly moved to a corner. On and Hong also slowly moved to the corner.

'This is serious.'

Kale could see Lark, who had been tall and slender, gradually changing.

"Ugh, aah!"

Lark, with sharp fangs growing, was gradually getting up, shouting. He staggered to his feet and opened his eyes with a grimace. Then he shouted at the ceiling.

"Roar!"

At that moment, a translucent barrier appeared in front of Kale. It was a shield. When On and Hong looked around in surprise, Kale spoke indifferently.

"Dragon. You're amazing. Can you also block the sound?"

Another layer of the shield appeared. Rosalyn glanced at this place and was startled by the overlapping shields. At that moment, the voice of the black dragon, somewhere inside the shield, reached Kale's ears.

"You are very weak. That's why you need protection."

On and Hong, who knew about the black dragon, looked at Kale with sympathetic eyes, agreeing with the dragon's words. Kale ignored their gaze and replied calmly.

"Whatever."

"I don't understand why you don't use that power."

"You don't need to."

That power. The black dragon, noticing that Kale was not showing the ancient power to others, referred to it as 'that power' and raised a question. Kale shrugged, and another layer of the shield appeared, making a total of three layers.

'Your skills are improving rapidly.'

Dragons learned magic differently from humans. Dragons controlled magic with their will. Kale found it both astonishing and useful how quickly the dragon's skills were improving.

Kale sat down on the ground and watched Lark's transformation into a berserker comfortably.

Ugh, aah!

The training ground echoed. If there were no soundproofing or shock-absorbing spells, the mansion's knights would have all come down.

Every time Lark shouted, his body grew larger. Muscles that didn't exist before appeared, and his eyes turned bloodshot, a sign that he had lost his sanity.

Why did the wolf boy, Lark, go berserk?

A year later, Lark experiences his first berserk. The reason was the death of a certain being.

'Healer Pendrick'

The elf died in battle. He was a figure who reminded Lark of the deceased chief and uncle. Lark went berserk, losing his mind and wanting to kill everything in sight.

"On, Hong."

Kale looked down at the two siblings huddled inside the shield.

"You haven't experienced a berserk yet, right?"

The cats nodded.

"Do you know about berserking?"

"Not really."

"There was no adult to teach us."

I expected as much. Since On and Hong are presumed to be purebloods, their berserking would be severe. Kale continued, looking ahead.

"Wolf, tiger, bear, and whale clans lose their sanity the most when they berserk. That's why we generally consider these four clans to be closer to monsters among the beastmen."

I don't know much about the cat clan.

"I don't know much about the cat clan either. But if you feel like you're about to berserk, or if you have a fever or sudden pain, come to me immediately."

I don't want to deal with the aftermath. Who would clean up the mess? Kale himself would have to. He took responsibility for what he had gathered within his domain.

When he received no response, he turned his gaze to the side. The two pairs of golden eyes of the cats were fixed on him, and they approached, rubbing against his legs.

'Why are you doing this?'

Kale, feeling uncomfortable with their affectionate behavior, moved slightly to the side while sitting. At that moment, a chilling voice came from the air.

"Does a dragon not berserk?"

"No."

How could a dragon berserk? If a dragon berserked, mountains would fly away. It's a terrifying thought. Kale's expression was stiffer than ever as he stared straight ahead, indicating he didn't want to hear more.

"Tch."

The sound of a tongue clicking came from the air. Why is this dragon acting like this? While Kale was pondering the unpredictable dragon, the berserk began to manifest properly.

Boom. When the wolf-human stood on two legs and stomped, the training ground floor shook.

The blue wolf clan had fur that was dark blue. The wolf-human, no longer a boy, was covered in dark blue fur. With sharp claws and arms made of muscles that Choi Han couldn't compare to, he swung his arms.

"Lark!"

"Lark, snap out of it!"

Choi Han and Rosalyn called out to him desperately, but to the berserk Lark, they were just targets to attack.

"Growl."

A rough, animal-like sound came from Lark's mouth. The wolf, about 1.5 times the size of Choi Han, lunged at him.

"Lark, snap out of it! It's me, Choi Han!"

Choi Han couldn't attack and just defended against the wolf's attacks while repeatedly calling out to Lark desperately. Would that bring back his sanity? Kale shook his head and watched the scene.

"The quickest way is to knock him out by hitting his head."

Huh. The cats took a deep breath and moved away from Kale.

But Kale had no intention of doing that. A berserked beastman who was knocked out would lose his sanity again when he berserked again.

"Hey."

The attack power of the berserked wolf-human was beyond imagination. Even though he was just moving on instinct, the way he used his muscles was different.

"On, Hong."

Kale called the cat siblings. There was a reason he brought them here.

"Watch the movements of that wolf clan boy."

He pointed to Lark, the wolf-human, so On and Hong could see him clearly. Lark kept charging at Choi Han and Rosalyn relentlessly. It was a fight without a retreat, typical of the wolf clan. Kale whispered to the cats.

"That's the movement of a beastman driven by instinct. Unlike humans, they can move based on instinct. That's the beauty and greatness of beastmen."

Bang! Lark's fist hit the ground, shattering the stone floor. It was an incredible force.

"Berserking is not something to be feared or scared of. It's when they are the strongest."

Tap. Kale's hand tapped the heads of the two cats.

"You are different from the wolf clan, but you are also beastmen. Watch his movements and learn the instinctive, wild movements. So—"

The two pairs of golden eyes met Kale's.

"Make it your own. Or think of a way to bite the necks of bears, tigers, and wolves."

The cat clan children immediately turned their gaze from Kale to Lark. The cats, now standing, observed Lark sharply. Silver, red. Their fur stood up, and a sense of tension began to surround their bodies.

Compared to the fierce beasts, the cat clan was a weaker race. Being secretive, they understood exactly what Kale meant. Kale watched the cats for a while and then called the dragon.

"Hey."

The black dragon appeared in the air. Rosalyn and Choi Han were completely focused on Lark and didn't even notice this side. Kale pointed to the two people.

"Watch how Rosalyn uses magic to protect her opponent without hurting them. Watch how Choi Han uses aura to protect the wolf boy without attacking him."

Bang, bang, bang! Lark's mercilessly fast fists tried to break Rosalyn's shield. Despite this, Rosalyn called out to Lark desperately.

"Lark, do you remember me? You said you're part of my family now. Snap out of it!"

Choi Han drew Lark's attention to himself, not Rosalyn. He deliberately exuded a killing aura.

"Attack me, Lark. I'm the one who will protect you."

Reacting to the killing aura, Lark swung his claws at Choi Han. It was a physical strength that didn't need aura.

Kale watched the