Chapter 113
Chapter 113
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 113
Chapter Title: Party Dissolution (2)
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Harley dashed through the forest at breakneck speed.
Unlike the journey there, no monsters lunged at him—it was a refreshingly smooth trek...
He had hunted down the nearby monsters earlier, but more than that, the overwhelming madness radiating from his body instilled a sense of kinship in the beasts.
"Mm! This is just my style!"
Crunch crunch—
Even as he ran, Harley chewed vigorously.
His storage capacity had greatly increased upon becoming a beastkin, so he was devouring meat to fill up on energy while he was at it.
One peculiar thing was that he wasn't using his hands at all.
"Almost there. How about one more for the finale?"
Having polished off the meat hovering before his mouth, Harley smacked his lips and pulled another hunk from his extradimensional magic tool.
Right then, a green flash streaked across his left eye.
The massive chunk of meat detached from his hand and hung motionless in midair.
Up to this point, it was no different from before, but this ability didn't end there.
Sizzle—
The dragon meat's temperature shot up rapidly, soon turning golden brown and filling the air with an appetizing aroma.
This evolved "Jewel Eye: Coercion" wasn't mere telekinesis—it linked with the "Mad Dragon’s Heart" to synchronize with ambient mana and forcibly impose phenomena.
"Uahaha—! As expected of a civilized man, meat's best cooked! Absolutely delicious!"
The savage warrior Harley grinned in satisfaction as he devoured the meat fixed in space before his mouth once more.
'Convenient in every way, as always.'
A power he could activate with will alone and scale to any output he desired.
Of course, it had its drawbacks.
It lacked the finesse of magic, limiting the phenomena it could produce to simplistic ones, and above all, its energy efficiency was poor.
In other words, Harley was burning energy to cook meat just to replenish his energy.
'...Still, gotta use it often to get the hang of it. Efficiency will improve down the line.'
Besides, his current energy situation wasn't bad at all.
Dragon meat brimmed with vitality and thus abundant energy to begin with.
Not long after finishing the latest hunk,
Harley—who had returned from the dragon battle with all his gear in tatters—finally reunited with his separated companions.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ A sprawling garden enclosed by tall walls, with a three-story house at its center.
This place on the outskirts of Seoul was my new home.
Spacious enough with plenty of rooms, I'd filled each with the necessary furnishings.
Exercise equipment, entertainment setups, and more—so I could enjoy ample leisure without stepping outside.
'I can go out freely now, but I've grown so used to this that it feels more comfortable.'
Maybe it was the effect of holing up at home for so long.
I'd indulged my long-held fantasies, decking out the place like a secret lair.
'Once a week, I can use "Individual Projection" on Harris to handle the garden with nature magic. No problem there.'
Manipulating this much greenery was child's play for an elf like Harris, no matter the garden's size.
The outskirts air wasn't as polluted as downtown, so it was tolerable too.
'Just in case, I should install tons of security measures. Everything I can think of.'
Of course, that included not just electronics but magical barriers as well.
With powerhouses like Hans, Heinz 2nd, and Heinrich at my disposal, why not use them?
I'd just pick and choose what was needed.
"Heave-ho."
I straightened up after sorting boxes from the basement storage and glanced to one side.
The setup phase had dragged on, so even after moving in, things were hectic...
But now, I had a little task.
Whoosh—
In the silence, a figure silently appeared before me.
Red eyes, pale skin, clad in a black tailcoat—a handsome man with a chilling aura.
Heinz 2nd, the vampire fresh from returning from the otherworld.
"......"
Heinz withdrew the dwarf Zaonik's cherished pickaxe, 'Elinne,' from his extradimensional bracelet and handed it over.
I took it wordlessly, examining it slowly.
The metal gleamed blue, covered in countless tiny scratches that spoke of years of heavy use, yet it didn't feel worn—well-maintained, like a prized antique.
'Sorry about this, Zaonik. But hey, think of it as payment for your life.'
Right on cue, over in outerica, Harley had just rejoined the group.
Zaonik had frantically searched for his pickaxe upon seeing Harley's ragged state, collapsing in despair—it pricked my conscience a bit...
But thanks to Harley, he'd made it back alive!
From the stories, it seemed he was slightly less attached to it than his forge gear, and without me, he'd never see those again either. Win-win.
"Ahem..."
Having rationalized it away, I averted my eyes from that scene and cleared my throat lightly.
'Alright, have Heinz help here, then send him to Heteros afterward.'
Heinz had already slipped outside, erecting barriers around the garden using "Mysteries of Blood" and "Concealment."
No needless energy leaks to attract attention—he'd prioritized utmost secrecy for security.
'Hans's true dragon's no issue either.'
I'd worried a bit since true dragons needed a dragon heart as their core, but nothing was impossible for our Hans.
"Undying Heart," "Wicked Wisdom," "Forbidden Knowledge," "Path of the Archmage," "Eyes of the Abyss," "Mana Dominion"...
With every skill tied directly or indirectly to black magic, dabbling in necromancy was trivial for him.
Inspired by liches remotely channeling black mana from extracted cores, he'd tightly linked himself to the true dragon Herathos.
Supplying it energy in place of a dragon heart.
In simple terms, Hans himself had become Herathos's core.
'They can't stray far now, limiting solo ops, but just send others for that. No big deal.'
Herathos could replace Entracchio as Hans's personal ride.
"Alright, time for the reckoning!"
To create a new avatar, I needed to upgrade my unique skill and increase the avatar limit.
That required massive karma, but I wasn't worried.
We'd racked up some major deeds lately.
'Not even a week since getting "Individual Projection" in Earth time...'
First, Harris had successfully planted seeds of change in the Elven Kingdom.
The new music and instruments he'd showcased at the festival inspired elves steeped in stagnation, spurring fresh attempts.
Like a pebble rippling a still lake, the influence grew, permeating their culture.
And that returned as his karma.
'Still modest, but the steady growth is encouraging.'
Heinrich had claimed the holy sword through trials, received the grand blessing, and been recognized as a saint.
Becoming a saint of the Church of the Main God—one of the continent's top powers—was historic, ample for a grand achievement.
'Hans clashed with the Church after the Abyss opened, reasserting his name... then gathered the Immortal King's legacy appearing across the continent.'
Plus, the resulting chaos pinned on him—his influence was undeniable.
Most recently, Harley's northern expedition and the slaying of dragon Herathos.
Hunting a mad dragon was achievement enough, naturally.
'So, the karma accumulated so far...!'
⚙ KARMA SHOP ⚙ Unique Skill Reinforcement (1,000,000) Status Reinforcement –Detailed View Possessed Karma: 1,608,961 "Whoa!"
In less than a week Earth time since acquiring "Individual Projection," over a million karma had piled up.
'Numbers make all the difference with big events.'
With multiple bodies stirring up major incidents everywhere, we were scooping up that elusive karma like this.
'Sigh, how could one body navigate this brutal world? No wonder they say ten bodies aren't enough.'
In that sense, my seven were still short—I needed ten ASAP.
More would be better.
And this was the key to my eighth body.
I stared intently at the pickaxe, Elinne, gripped in my hand.
"Customizing" was reacting strongly, signaling I could make a new avatar with it.
"No way it skips 'Avatar Count Increase' again."
"Individual Projection" from last time was fine, but no avatar slot meant deep disappointment.
Not that I could complain to anyone.
"Here goes... reinforce."
Thus began the million-point upgrade.
The result:
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ The potential of Avatars increases. The learning ability of individuals is further enhanced. The unique skill grows and unlocks its potential. Acquire special skill "Avatar Cloud". A headache hit, along with a sensation of something unlocking in my mind.
And the long-awaited avatar count increase...
"Yes!"
It stood proudly in a corner of my mind.
Ready anytime to create a new clone.
Mental power, cognition—all surged exponentially.
Even accounting for the extra avatar, each would get more mental allocation than before.
'Good so far. Now, the extras...'
With the desired result in hand, my focus shifted to the system messages.
Avatar potential boosts were old news by now.
'If my clones fought me, I'd lose every time.'
Even compared to combat-weak Hubert.
Granted, with "Individual Projection," prioritizing avatar growth over main body made sense...
'Eh, what’s the point now? How often was I ever stronger than them?'
Maybe right after initial otherworld entry and avatar creation.
Now, they were climbing peaks in their realms—I couldn't compare.
'Anyway, check the new skill: "Avatar Cloud."'
Cloud meant an internet-accessible database from anywhere.
And "Avatar Cloud," named after it...
Via a small shared extradimensional space, avatars could exchange items regardless of distance.
'Oh! I was just thinking this would be perfect. Upgrades don't mess around.'
No more needing face-to-face handoffs.
'Finally, I can send Heinrich's Arc Lich Dwelle core to Hans.'
Gift prepped, but their positions made meetings tricky.
Teleport cooldowns limited proxies too.
'Perfect timing for this.'
Merchants like Hubert could supply most goods instantly too—no worries in the boonies!
'Test how much Earth stuff Heinz can send Hubert. Limits on volume, surely.'
A thoroughly satisfying upgrade.
Though the main event remained.
I gripped the pickaxe and activated "Customizing."
Time to make a real dwarf.