Chapter 234
Chapter 234
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 234
Chapter Title: Karma Shopping (2)
-----------------------------------------------------------------
The boundary region of the abyss, where chaos and void intertwined.
"How strange."
It was a curt impression from the revolutionary, who had been observing the progress of recent events.
The assassination of the princess to fracture the empire, the sinking of the Enamel Continent by excluding the World Tree, the division of humanity spurred by the tribal alliance's northward advance, and even the awakening of the Immortal King, which he had thought successful.
All the simultaneous operations had gone awry in an unnaturally convoluted manner.
As if someone were deliberately interfering—artificial and malicious meddling was palpable.
'Well, up until now, things had been too easy, perhaps.'
The task he pursued ran counter to the intentions of the Main God, this world's creator.
He had never expected smooth sailing from the start.
That was why he had spent ages lurking in the world's shadows, meticulously preparing in advance...
Apparently, even this level of preparation fell short.
'Still, it's not like I gained nothing.'
It stung that his long efforts had come to naught, but compared to previous plans that sank before even launching, this was far better.
At the very least, he had achieved the minimum: massive casualties sowing chaos while eroding the world's strength.
'And besides...'
The recent string of events had yielded more than that.
"Ha! I suspected as much. No denying it now."
It was a certain conviction.
He had harbored half-doubts for quite some time, but now it felt nearly certain.
The Immortal King—foremost vanguard of the abyss, who should lead in shrouding the world in death—was...
...in some inexplicable honeymoon phase with the saintess of the Church of the Main God, his natural predator.
"Pff, what an absurd turn of events."
Others on the continent couldn't even suspect, let alone imagine it, but he, who knew the Immortal King better than anyone, could judge more objectively.
What he deemed impossible had come to pass.
'Main God... what have you done?'
Using the Immortal King had proceeded without issue a millennium ago, and even three centuries back.
Thanks to that, he had successfully eliminated the dragons—the greatest obstacle to the grand plan.
Yet at the final stage, this happened.
'The biggest variable lately... probably those otherworlders, highest probability.'
The revolutionary, eyes closed in thought, quickly reached a conclusion and scowled.
Impure elements from another dimension, with rapid growth and unique abilities.
After identifying them, he had captured and exploited them in various ways, even experimenting on live subjects.
Realizing they were merely humans with slightly special powers—transient foreigners who would soon depart—he hadn't paid them much mind.
Perhaps he had underestimated their potential.
'...Even so, it's hard to believe a mere mortal could overcome the abyss's death and intervene. No, it's just a hypothesis—best not to judge hastily.'
What mattered now was how to proceed.
With the optimal choice—the Immortal King—deviating from expectations and turning lukewarm, he had no option but the suboptimal one...
The problem was that even its progress was unsatisfactory.
'The madness saturation is slower than expected. How many giants have I sent to the surface, and it's still only this much?'
The revolutionary glanced at the huddled human-shaped thing beside him, then frowned.
The suboptimal plan required the world's madness concentration to surpass a critical threshold, but reaching the target from the current state would take considerable time.
'That barbarian... what the hell is he?'
This stemmed from some barbarian with the saintess devouring all the massive madness that should have spread across the world.
Recently, even ambient madness had been swirling toward him, drawn in like a vortex.
This, like the Immortal King's situation, was an incomprehensible anomaly.
'Overall saturation is steadily rising, but that one has wasted too much time. I'd love to deal with him first, but...'
Conveniently separated from the strike force, lingering alone in the south—perfect timing.
But with most of his forces dismantled, he lacked the capacity to handle such a powerhouse.
A few unawakened giants wouldn't cut it, and he himself couldn't move freely.
"...Tch. Need to buy more time after all."
The continent stabilizing too quickly before the plan fully unfolded was trouble.
Monster rampages and white giant assaults continued, but it wasn't enough.
With the Immortal King withdrawing from the south, undead army raids across the continent had also tapered off.
'In that case...'
Eventually, the revolutionary's gaze—tinged with an eerie light—turned to one of the many rifts in the warped space surrounding him.
An operation started simultaneously with others but proceeding quietly without fanfare, thanks to its secretive nature.
Toward the Zephia Republic in the eastern Ion Continent.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ "Hm."
His slight concern had been warranted.
Having used a Dragon Heart no less, he worried it might produce a disguised race like a 'draconian.'
Not that draconians were bad, but they paled vastly compared to true dragons, so needless anxiety was inevitable.
The points invested weren't trivial.
'Just groundless worry, though.'
Fortunately, the created race was definitively a dragon.
'However...'
And now.
He was arms-crossed, intently watching the finally born avatar.
Gaze slightly lowered.
The dragon avatar stared back at its main body.
Gaze slightly raised.
'I had a hunch.'
An obvious difference in eye level, no need for comparison.
He peered at the golden creature before him—large-dog-sized dragon—its scales glimmering under the fluorescent light.
The majestic, dignified head he had meticulously customized was gone; instead, a small, round-faced, cute baby dragon gazed up with a sulky expression.
'Well, not hatching from an egg is a small mercy.'
Unlike elves or dwarves with lifespans of mere centuries despite outliving humans, dragons were said to live nearly ten millennia.
At twenty years old, even with 「Customization」 covering some ground, birthing a full adult dragon from the start would have been impossible.
Dragons grew stronger proportionally with age, after all.
Early-stage avatars had power limits, so this result was natural.
"Karr-ung!"
Its oral structure wasn't suited for human speech yet, but once accustomed to the new body, it could use mana to communicate.
Examining the new dragon avatar Horus's entity info, he nodded in satisfaction.
⚔ ENTITY INFO ⚔ 📛 Entity Name: Horus 🧬 Race: Dragon (Hatchling) 🔗 Common Traits: 「Mind Hub」, 「Persona」, 「Xenoglossy」 ⭐ Entity Traits: 「Gold Dragon」, 「Lord of All Things」, 「Polymorph」, 「Draconic Speech Magic」 📝 Notes: Han Seonghyeon's eleventh avatar. Created using a Gold Dragon Hatchling's Dragon Heart as medium. Merely a hatchling now, but its growth potential is unparalleled. 'As expected from an expensive medium.'
No less than four initial skills.
He had only selected 「Draconic Speech Magic」; the other three were innate from creation.
Notably, skills from stat-boosting like 「Super Recovery」 to 「慧眼」 had merged into 「Gold Dragon」 upon avatar creation.
「Gold Dragon」 enhanced draconic racial traits: physical prowess, senses, magic resistance, etc.
「Lord of All Things」 bolstered affinities and resistances to mana and all attributes.
「Polymorph」 allowed dragons to shapeshift and blend as other races.
'Worth the investment. Plus, securing 「Draconic Speech Magic」—impossible for a mere hatchling otherwise.'
Draconic Speech manifested phenomena through words, akin to word-spirit arts, one of dragons' signature abilities alongside breath.
Neither was accessible to hatchlings, but the 'choose one of three random skills' let him claim one.
'Lucky. No guarantee of learning it later, and even if possible, it'd take ages.'
Skimming the activation knowledge post-acquisition confirmed it.
Mastering it purely through learning, even with buffs, would take at least a decade.
Its difficulty and complexity dwarfed Hesferon's 「Magic Theory」.
'Hatchling form is a hitch, but I'll operate in human guise anyway, so no issue short-term. Horus has 「Polymorph」.'
Time to test it.
His gaze shifted to Horus, scampering around the living room checking its body.
"Kkwaaang!"
With an adorable roar from its maw.
Fwaaah—
Golden scales enveloped in soft light, form gradually shifting.
In an instant, it stood on two legs as a human.
An irresistibly captivating one at that.
Lustrous golden hair cascading, golden eyes shimmering with intellect.
Smooth porcelain skin, plump cheeks—strikingly handsome and cute.
...If not for appearing only five or six years old.
"Ang? Why this?"
Chub! Horus pinched its cheeks with both hands, wiggling fingers in displeasure.
Intended as a frown, but to the main body, it was endlessly adorable.
'Ah, I see.'
「Polymorph」 wasn't mere illusion; it was a divine power to become the imitated race fully.
Theoretically unrestricted by race, gender, age...
'Lack of proficiency.'
Less than an hour since creation.
No way to master a fresh skill instantly.
Given its potential, mastery might take longer than expected.
'Can't enhance avatar-specific skills with 'Other Skill Enhancement' either.'
Only time would hone it.
But ample capital could hasten even time.
Without hesitation, he reopened the Karma Shop and bought a 'Growth Elixir.'
Hesperon and Howard's tests weren't complete, but with two million points left, it was worth it.
'Should test it on Horus too. Beyond skills, might accelerate growth.'
Right after acquiring it, idly scanning the menu for point allocation—
He spotted a change.
"Huh?"
That unforgettable, striking item.
『XX된 XXX의 XX 파편 (29,700,000)』
The enigmatic 30 million-point item had a price adjustment.