Chapter 240
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 240
Chapter Title: Eventually, Me Too
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In the presence of humanity's greatest pinnacle, Aiden knelt on one knee before the throne where the emperor sat.
He posed the question that had intrigued him since long ago.
"I am curious about who my mother is, Your Majesty."
"...Is that why you asked for this private audience?"
He was simply asking his father who his mother was—a perfectly ordinary question—and yet the emperor was inquiring if he would truly forfeit the chance for an imperial audience over something so mundane.
Even so, Aiden replied without the slightest hesitation.
"Yes. I am curious about that."
"Why do you wish to know?"
"..."
In truth, there was no longer any reason for Aiden to wonder about his mother's origins at this point.
As a child, he had longed every day for the embrace of a mother he never knew, but that was no longer the case.
However, a reason to know had now arisen.
"I have learned that I carry the blood of the ancient elves."
"...!"
"And within me dwells the wind spirit that accompanied those ancient elves."
"...I see. So it was no ordinary spirit."
"Yes. And to prepare for the great battle ahead, I must awaken the wind spirit residing within me."
Whether it was the firmness of his resolve that conveyed his determination, the emperor narrowed his eyes beneath the veil.
"Hoo..."
The emperor let out a heavy sigh and gazed at Aiden with somber eyes.
The story he was about to share was one Aiden was never meant to know in his lifetime, with no reason to do so.
At the same time, it was a secret of the imperial family that must never be revealed to the world.
'In the end, even I am just a human after all.'
This private audience should never have been permitted.
It had come to this due to his own selfish desires as a terrible father.
Regret came too late, but seated upon the dignified throne, he could not take back the words he had spoken.
"What I am about to tell you is something even the crown prince does not know."
Imperial audience chamber.
With the group's attention focused on him, Jun opened his mouth.
"We all felt it when the Outer Gods first appeared. Their power is on a level no human can withstand."
"Well... yeah, pretty much."
"The only one who can endure it is you, Eleanor. You're the sole exception."
"Mmm-hmm. That's right. I'm just that amazing."
Eleanor spoke playfully, boasting as if it were nothing, but it was truly impressive.
After all, even for Jun, the Outer Gods were an unknown realm.
"As you all know to some extent, most of my power comes from knowledge—utilizing what I already know in advance. But that doesn't apply to the Outer Gods."
"So, when it comes to the Outer Gods, that makes me pretty crucial, huh?"
"Exactly."
There might be related knowledge buried in his memories from his past life, but unfortunately, there was no stirring from his recollections so far.
Thus, Eleanor's presence had become immensely important. From the signs, it seemed Outer Gods would continue appearing on their journey ahead.
"So, Captain, you're planning to find something here that's perfect for handling those situations?"
"Right. But as I said earlier, I don't know much about the Outer Gods myself. So it's all theoretical."
"Half a gamble, then..."
"Yeah. Though this might not be much comfort, a good portion of the items in this audience chamber are from unknown realms themselves."
"Makes sense... The auras they give off are all insanely dangerous."
Since most of the items in the chamber had been discovered in the Blackout, many of their functions remained fully unexplored.
"Anyway, let's hear the details and decide. So, what item are you thinking of, Captain?"
"Doppleganger serum."
"...What?"
"It's not exactly blood—it's something crafted by gathering the energy within their blood."
"You're not saying I have to drink it, right? Right?"
"Unfortunately."
"..."
Eleanor's face fell instantly at the thought of drinking monster blood.
"But I've never heard of doppleganger serum before. Do those things even have blood?"
"Good point. Dopplegangers don't have blood even when they transform into humans. They're like ghosts."
"Exactly!"
"But a tiny fraction of them... the irregulars are different. They perfectly mimic even the human body structure."
And the doppleganger serum was a rare byproduct dropped by those irregulars.
"So, what does it do...?"
"Authority replication."
"What?"
"Just what it sounds like. It grants the power to replicate authorities themselves."
"Wait... You mean it can copy other people's skills too?"
"Not just skills. It can even replicate abilities from artifacts."
"That's ridiculous..."
"But only for 10 minutes."
"Ah...?"
The ability to freely wield someone else's authority for a mere 10 minutes.
In the game, it was used as a one-time toy or for tackling specific boss monsters.
However, its abysmal drop rate made it hard to obtain, and trading with NPCs was nearly impossible.
"But why drink that? To copy an Outer God's power or something?"
"Impossible."
Jun, back in his Lee Jung-jun days, had once used a hard-earned doppleganger serum.
The highest level it could replicate back then was level 8, and even that was imperfect.
'No way it could handle an Outer God's power.'
It had a different purpose.
"I'm planning to drink it and replicate the authority held by the World Tree's essence. Then, Eleanor, you'll implant that power into End of Lament."
"...Ah!"
Realizing what Jun meant, Eleanor stared at him as if he were a genius.
"End of Lament's ability is 'conversion.' But even that has conditions."
"It can only convert absorbed energies."
"Right. If you use the doppleganger serum to convert the World Tree essence's authority—'Soul Link'—into End of Lament even once."
Even after the replicated power fades, End of Lament would then be able to use the World Tree essence's authority: Soul Link.
"You could then bestow holy power upon us in whatever form you desire."
"No way..."
Of course, this was purely theoretical.
It was a gamble Jun had never even attempted in the game.
"The choice is yours, Eleanor. There are plenty of other options if not."
"Like what?"
"Equipment or artifacts, probably. Like Tears of Teya that summons golems or spirits to protect you in emergencies, or daggers with long cooldowns but capable of inflicting fatal wounds on giant monsters in one strike. Lots of possibilities."
They were tantalizing just to hear about.
Even so, Eleanor looked up with a serious expression.
"In the end, I'm tangled up with those Outer God bastards. Our mercenary corps will inevitably face them along the way."
"So?"
"Why state the obvious? You said it yourself, Captain. Mages are explorers. Give me that doppleganger serum or whatever. Let's experiment."
"...Alright."
With the decision made, Jun turned to the spirit, which floated leisurely through the air, guiding them with its eyebrows piled high like snowdrifts.
"So, now it's my turn, right?"
After Eleanor obtained the doppleganger serum.
Maya, who hadn't fully grasped their conversation, sparkled with curiosity as she asked Jun.
"Maya, in your case, you lack sustainability despite your powerful bursts."
"Mm. Hard to deny that."
Maya, who accumulated mana in her head, consumed it at a high rate by nature.
Moreover, the backlash from depleting her mana was far more severe than for others.
There was nothing more dangerous than being left powerless in the middle of a battlefield.
"You've managed with mana fluidics so far... but even that's reaching its limit."
With her total mana pool insufficient, she tired quickly even using mana fluidics.
Now that the empire was gearing up for full-scale war with the Heavenly Church, Maya needed to bolster her mana reserves.
"But won't that take time? I'm already using mana every day."
"True. You're doing great as is. But time won't wait for us."
Maya's weakness could be overcome with just a few years.
But war with the Heavenly Church was imminent.
They couldn't afford to wait leisurely.
"Some elixir or something?"
"Not quite. Unless you're accumulating mana in your dantian like Aiden, it's best not to experiment recklessly."
"Then what should I do?"
"I'm giving you reserve mana."
"Reserve mana...?"
"I'll explain when we get there."
Jun asked the spirit about the item he had in mind, and fortunately, it nodded.
"There it is."
"We're... using that?"
"Feel anything?"
"I do. It's a soul. A terribly... withered one."
Guided by the spirit, they arrived at a pendant.
It was framed in gold encasing a central purple gem.
"It's an artifact called 'Mirath's Overambition.' Perfect for someone like you, Maya, who accumulates mana in the head."
"The feeling... it's unpleasant."
"Yeah, it would be. It'll absorb your mana when you're not using it."
"What do you mean?"
Her mana was already scarce, and now an artifact that absorbed it?
It felt cursed.
"There's a reason. It can't use the mana it absorbs. It just holds onto it. You can reclaim it anytime you want."
"So it's literally reserve mana?"
"Exactly. And no side effects—that's the best part."
Unlike mages who store mana internally, those like Maya had their own mana.
Filling it with mana fluidics took time and risked internal injuries if overused.
But Mirath's Overambition had no such drawbacks.
Though in the game, it wasn't used much.
By the time players reached the imperial audience chamber, mana shortages were a non-issue.
"Well, one side effect... In your case, you'd have to keep seeing that soul."
It slightly drained the wearer's mental strength in the game, but it was negligible for Maya.
"I'm used to seeing old souls every day. One more won't make a difference."
"Right?"
It was a perfect fit for Maya.
"So, now it's the captain's turn?"
"What will the leader pick?"
"For me..."
Truth be told, he had plenty of dilemmas here.
Jun was the most versatile in the mercenary corps, so his options were vast.
'Lately, using the golem has been getting tougher.'
It was a growth-type artifact, but it couldn't keep up with his pace.
An elixir for it would be a solid choice.
'Dream Phantom might want something too.'
He could give a nice gift to Dream Phantom, who'd been helping a lot lately.
'But that item can't be found anywhere else.'
After much deliberation, he settled on something unique to this place.
"It's about time to upgrade this to its final stage."
Jun pointed to his gloves, Predator.
Being a Mage in the Hero Party 241