Chapter 233
Chapter 233
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 233
Chapter Title: Karma Shopping (1)
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'So much to do.'
Ten bodies wouldn't even be enough.
For most people, that was just a figure of speech, but for me—with literally ten bodies—it was an all too real problem.
If anything, having ten made me even busier.
'They're all tangled up in major events after playing in the big leagues.'
First, there was Harley, who had finally received the "Seal of the War King."
The tradition-bound shamans accepted him without much resistance and showed their respect, but that didn't make him the ruler of the south overnight.
After all, it had been ages since the last War King appeared, and the tribal chiefs were elected by mutual agreement in the meantime.
No matter if it dated back to the founding era, the current generation wouldn't accept it easily...
But things were progressing surprisingly smoothly.
'Well, it makes sense.'
He was a member of the strike team that defeated the Immortal King in the south, and the great warrior who slew the treacherous former Grand Chieftain Balteon, saving Kalkos in the process.
With the current Grand Chieftain sidelined by aftereffects and unable to return anytime soon, the people had no choice but to warmly welcome their new young hero, the "War King Harley," as their focal point.
'Once the south settles down a bit, I should check on Patrick too. He kept whining about showing my face at the mercenary guild sometime, but I wonder how he's doing now.'
Secretary-General Patrick had weathered the crisis using his name and held onto his position in the guild, but for solid results, Harley needed to get more involved.
It was only right to cooperate since he'd been entrusted with the task.
'Hans... will need some time off too, for the time being.'
It just so happened that Immortal King Hans was planning to recuperate in the Immortal Fortress for a while.
He had secluded himself with two major research projects.
The first was using the metal fragment from the Abyss Gate to track the "Seed of Madness" and locate the revolutionary carrying it.
'That guy's no ordinary foe—he's shaken off every pursuit so far. If I make a sloppy move and he catches on, who knows what he'll pull next. This time, we'll finish it for good.'
The second was perfecting a way to travel to other worlds using the damaged lingering thoughts of the Demon God.
'The more sources for karma, the better. No matter how much we stir things up in Outerica, there are limits.'
He had no intention of endlessly milking the Immortal King war.
Of course, he could exert influence through the avatars in key positions across factions, but unless he deliberately stirred up chaos, income would inevitably drop as things stabilized.
'Plus, the Qianghuan Realm is a martial world. It's renowned as one of the top dimensions for interpersonal combat, so maybe I can snag something useful there.'
Hans's ability to read memories had stolen knowledge from various Qianghuan returners, but the fundamentally different power systems prevented fully awakening their essences.
The stolen techniques and principles had greatly aided Heinrich's "Path of Martial Arts," but to truly grasp the profound secrets, he needed to go there and train directly.
Earth lacked ether entirely, making even entry-level training impossible, and Outerica's energy laws were different anyway.
Either way, results would take time.
'The rest isn't urgent, so I'll think about it later. What needs attention right now is something else.'
True to his word, right at that moment—
I faced my biggest task yet.
"Phew— alright. Let's get started."
Taking a deep breath amid the tension, I rubbed my hands together and glared sharply at the system window before me.
⚙ KARMA SHOP VER.2 ⚙ [Shop Interface] Yes, it was finally time for the long-awaited shopping spree.
Ammo ready: 5.3 million points.
'To start with...'
First, on a whim, I bought two Growth Elixirs (7 Days) (200,000) and sent them to Howard and Hesperon.
For the dwarf artisan sweating it out daily at the forge, and for Hesperon immersed in magic tomes and training, these time-savers were invaluable.
'Just this once, treat it like getting duped. If the effect sucks, never again.'
I'd planned to buy just one to test, but for a solid comparison, I went all-in.
One for physical skill training, the other for knowledge and mana handling—perfect for gauging performance.
Remaining: 4.9 million points.
Nothing done yet, and the first digit already changed. It made me antsy for no reason, so I eyed the next target.
🛒 ITEM: Random Miscellaneous Skill Acquisition (500,000) Gacha pull. A love-hate staple for gamers. A gacha pull.
The devilish sales tactic that sucked endless cash from probability-blinded consumers.
Normally, I'd never touch such a gamble...
'But on second thought, it's a steal for me.'
Avatar shares skills with the main body.
In other words, I wasn't drawing one skill—I was drawing for all ten: main body plus nine avatars!
'Real cost per skill? Just 50k! It's practically unreasonable not to. ...Just once, for real.'
How much had the first shared skill, Super Recovery, from the avatars' early days helped?
Not just helpful—it paved the way for evolutions like Harley's and Heinz 2nd's Super Regeneration.
'Even something niche like Toughness is fine. It'll help somehow. And if it's a jackpot...'
I didn't expect much.
Just something modest like Physical Immunity, Resurrection, or Instant Death Evil Eye would be nice.
Already hooked on illusions, I eagerly selected the gacha—
⚔ SKILL ACQUIRED ⚔ Forcing random potential to bloom. You have acquired the skill Xenoglossy. And just like that, I gained a skill with a cool, impressive name.
"Ooh—! Oh...?"
Xenoglossy.
Definitely an amazing ability.
The superpower to fluently speak any language never learned.
Reading, writing, listening, speaking—all at native or better level, regardless of race or species.
Just like—
How I freely used the continental common tongue, Elvish, and more in Outerica.
In short, it was a standard ability for otherworld transferees.
"...No, wait. Don't judge hastily. It'll be useful somewhere."
On Earth, it was plenty handy.
Remember the headaches with language when Hawalt first operated in Japan?
He'd had to painstakingly read memories to learn Japanese.
...In other words, something Hans could replicate with time investment.
"Ahem, Hans is high-value personnel. No more wasting his time on that—solid ability."
More time for real intel gathering, skipping tedious steps—a big win.
Having desperately rationalized it, I squeezed my eyes shut and turned away.
...Vowing never to gamble again.
Remaining karma: 4.4 million.
Nearly buckled my resolve, but with ammo still plentiful, I calmed down.
'Stick to the safe bet: unique skill enhancement.'
The foundation that got me here—a reliable choice that never disappointed.
I selected the 1.2 million "Unique Skill Enhancement."
⚔ UPGRADE COMPLETE ⚔ Avatar potential has increased. Individual learning ability is further enhanced. Unique skill has grown, expanding possibilities. Related sub-skills are further strengthened. No flashy new power this time, but with more avatars, it was fine.
And next up:
🛒 ITEM: Gold Dragon Hatchling Hureione's Dragon Heart (910,000) The irrational race born with immense power, wielding mana like breath, transcending extremes simply by aging. The unreasonable race born with immense power, wielding mana like breath, reaching transcendence just by aging.
The medium needed to mimic such a being.
'Now that I can transform into other races, why not try the strongest—dragons?'
True, but not the only reason.
I'd elevated avatars from ordinary races to continental peaks.
With a dragon's vastly superior potential, fully raised...?
'Maybe even surpass Immortal King Hans for real?'
It'd help against that angel revolutionary leader too.
Top asset Hans was disadvantaged; a dragon would balance it!
So, for a medium anyway, I searched the list and picked the cheapest dragon heart.
Half the price of the first 1.83 million one I saw.
Hatchling or not, 910k for the cheapest was brutal, but bearable.
'Dragons hunted to extinction in two great wars. Most hearts corrupted by the Immortal King or used as war materials by the continent.'
No skimping in a war of that scale for a whole species' survival.
Some intact gear from processed hearts survived...
'But split and refined ones don't meet conditions.'
Saint Heinrich or ruler Heinz 2nd could snag magic tools easily.
But those were just fine artifacts—not suitable for Customizing.
'Needs an intact one for medium. Pure, untainted, unprocessed.'
Unlike standard races like humans, elves, dwarves.
Obviously, such prime goods weren't lying around.
Hence the 910k for a hatchling's.
'These unique items seem fixed-price, no real-time fluctuations. Wonder if they even exist on the continent now.'
Frankly, hunting for deals endlessly was less efficient than earning karma while growing avatars.
Wrapping up those thoughts, I forced an end to my growing hesitation and bought it decisively before second-guessing.
Bzzz—
And with that,
A fist-sized golden crystal tore through space, landing softly in my palm, emanating a soft golden glow.
'The real dragon heart.'
Much smaller than what Harley saw in Herathos's heart, but its energy was overwhelmingly pure.
"But... is it a bit lacking?"
Yet, facing it, instinct told me:
This qualified as a medium, but my level was still insufficient for Customizing.
'Lacking? Then enhance it!'
No backing out now.
Ammo left: 2.29 million.
I used "Miscellaneous Skill Enhancement" for 100k to boost Customizing once.
"Still?"
Not enough.
Forcing down twitching lips, I spent 200k more for another boost.
Remaining: 1.99 million.
As the first digit hit 1, units filled up, bumping it back to 2 million.
And Customizing became usable—doubling my satisfaction.
'No hesitation.'
Ultra-secure room with barriers everywhere, minimal energy leak—but no leaving a power-packed item sitting long.
Shrr—
Activating the skill instantly,
the golden dragon heart in my hand began crumbling into powder and scattering.