Chapter 247
Chapter 247
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 247
Chapter Title: Chains of the Blood Oath (1)
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Even as commotions arose on Earth and were swiftly resolved, time in Outerica continued to flow relentlessly.
The aerial assaults persisted at a steady, moderate pace even after the Immortal King withdrew from the south, and Heinrich was still making a name for himself across the continent.
Once matters in the Republic reached the wrap-up stage, the situation proceeded smoothly without any major incidents.
This period also served as precious time for the avatars, who had somewhat fallen behind, to catch up in their growth.
'Right now, the avatars who can be considered immediate combat assets number five in total.'
The undisputed powerhouse of tradition, Immortal King Hans.
The rising star surging ahead rapidly, Vampire King Heinz 2nd.
The pride of humanity, the Knight of Light and Saint Heinrich.
The monstrous being who only appeared human on the outside, Barbarian King Harley.
The high elf Harris, who skyrocketed to prominence with the World Tree's full backing.
Anyone else would be dumbfounded that the benchmark for this lineup was at the transcendent level, but to him, whose standards had risen sky-high, it was simply par for the course.
'Truth be told, reaching the same level as those five through normal means won't be easy.'
Those avatars had grown rapidly due to a tangled web of circumstances and sheer luck.
No matter the method, catching up to them would likely take an immense amount of time.
'Still, the Growth Elixir is proving more effective than expected, so it's not entirely hopeless.'
The Growth Elixir purchased from the Karma Shop boasted a killer price of 200,000 points for just seven days, but having used it himself, he could confirm it was worth every penny.
Once you'd experienced its effects firsthand, it became addictively easy to grumble about the cost yet repurchase anyway.
Thus, the three avatars—excluding Hubert and Hugo, who handled miscellaneous tasks across worlds—rode the elixir's high and threw themselves into relentless training.
Woooong—
"Argh, damn it! Failed again!"
One of them, Hesperon, ruffled his hair in frustration after yet another failure.
The summoning circle, prepared for the ritual, flickered with light before the vibrations gradually died down.
At the same time, the rare catalysts used as offerings turned to ash and vanished before he could do anything about it.
'...Sigh, what a waste. I've blown through so many that I'm starting to feel eyes on me.'
Dwarf Howard, honing his skills with innate racial traits, and hatchling Horus, blessed with talent tantamount to cheating.
Compared to them, he was just an utterly ordinary human, inevitably falling behind in growth.
That was why he'd chosen the path of commanding powerful familiars separate from his main body...
'Who would've thought this penalty would hold me back this much.'
Letting out a deep sigh, his gaze shifted to his right arm.
Wrapped in bandages etched with all manner of runes, it had the ominous look of a sealed black flame dragon ready to burst forth—but in truth, it was merely a cursed mass constantly hungering to devour his body.
'No way to deal with it right now.'
Even in the eyes of Hans, a black magic master and curse specialist, the curse dwelling in that right arm was an exceedingly rare case.
Suppression via the Saint's holy power, his uniqueness as an otherworld awakener, the potential of an avatar as a split body, treatments from the world's foremost medical institution, the imperial hospital...
Normally, he should have died long ago from an overdose of curse, but thanks to those measures, it had only progressed to merging with his right arm's vitality.
'And in the process, it seems to have absorbed some yeon essence, gaining a touch of spirituality.'
Hesperon glared fixedly at the curse writhing within the sealing runes on his arm.
Having expended a hefty amount of mana on the summoning ritual, it was now rampaging as if protesting the stimulation.
'The mental corruption it generates every time it flares up is no joke either. Not that it can affect me.'
With so many peculiarities, even Hans couldn't render a precise diagnosis from mere remote observation.
Unless he dissected and studied it personally—which wasn't feasible right now, of course.
"Haa—."
With a light sigh, he tidied up and exited his personal magic training room, strolling the corridors of the imperial magic tower deep in thought.
'Every matching familiar rejects the contract because of the curse. Might have to lower my standards a bit.'
Familiars came in far more varieties than the blanket term suggested.
From magical beasts little different from worldly monsters, to spirit-like entities akin to elementals, to lifeforms from other dimensions.
And the pinnacle among them were the mythical species, represented by unicorns, pegasi, and sub-dragons.
Naturally, Hesperon had focused on contracting those... only to face repeated failures, even with the aid of the imperial summoning mages.
'Giving up now feels like a waste. Maybe I should look for alternative methods.'
As he walked the corridors, he headed straight for the magic tower's archive.
His guest status allowing free access to the archive was all thanks to Princess Riley.
Of course, he still couldn't enter high-security sections, but he didn't need those yet anyway.
'Come to think of it, there's another health checkup coming up soon.'
As he browsed the shelves, a past memory surfaced.
The Growth Elixir offered more benefits than anticipated.
Beyond aiding knowledge acquisition and training, it encompassed 'growth' in a broader sense.
This became evident in the periodic exams even after his discharge.
"Remarkable. Your imbalanced body is stabilizing at an abnormal rate. Your diminished physical abilities have mostly recovered. Even your halted growth has resumed..."
Even the ever-composed hospital director lost his poise while examining him.
To be precise... he wore the eager expression of a scientist itching for a dissection.
Fitting for someone who'd reached that position—he wasn't exactly normal either.
[World-Dwellers of Fantasy 1]
How I Met My Lifelong Companion! ~Summoner Master Lalarupe's Touching True Story>
The Method to Encounter Your Desired Familiar ~Advanced Summoning Circle Manipulation>
Hesperon spent a good while wandering the archive, perusing book after book.
The common thread: all were tomes on contracting and summoning magic.
Truth be told, his fixation on familiars had a rational basis.
'With Horus the dragon around anyway, delving into orthodox magic offers little merit.'
Better to focus on his unique strengths.
Especially the potential of his ability, Chains of the Blood Oath, acquired at the cost of one eye through evolution.
A skill that strengthened contract targets based on bond strength and even synchronized with inanimate objects, allowing control as if they were extensions of his body.
Wouldn't it be a shame to let such a power gather dust?
'Undead or demons might love it even more... Nah, forget it. I'd just get labeled a black mage.'
As Riley's closest confidant, receiving full imperial support, pulling such stunts would be inconsiderate.
Besides, it'd just end up as a lesser version of Hans's capabilities.
As he pondered deeply in the archive—
-Heron! Got a moment? I have something to ask!
Princess Riley's lively intent transmitted through the Chains of the Blood Oath connection.
Though he held control as the ability's wielder, basic communication could initiate from her side anytime.
Riley, once awkward about it, now contacted him at all hours.
Knowing she'd been under considerable stress from her feud with the stagnant Hermanhart ducal house, he readily obliged.
Humans could draw strength just from having someone to vent to.
'Rumors say things are going well, though.'
Crossing the palace, he entered the princess's residence.
The guarding knights, already briefed, stepped aside without obstructing.
With how frequent these visits were, they now handled it routinely.
"Ah, Heron! You're here?"
Entering the waiting room after knocking, he was greeted by her bright smile, wagging toward him like an excited puppy.
"Hee hee hee, take a look at this! It's a new sealing tool personally blessed by the Saintess herself?"
Riley proudly presented the gift.
It was a bundle of bandages inscribed with scripture verses on the surface.
"Getting the holy cloth as the main material was tricky, and it took time to craft carefully, but thanks to Sister Sea, it wasn't too bad. Connections are the best, right?"
He knew exactly how it was made.
He'd witnessed Isea from the hero party pleading with her comrade, Saintess Riesta, right beside them.
Unlike Saint Heinrich, whose talents centered on combat, the Saintess shone in non-combat roles.
Given her substantial investment of time and effort, this sealing tool was undoubtedly a priceless treasure.
"Thank you. It's incredibly thoughtful."
"No need. Compared to what you've done for me, Heron, this is nothing."
With a warm smile, she handed over the gift, then cautiously gauged his reaction before speaking.
"So, how did it go this time? Any success?"
"No, same as always. Feels like I need to change direction."
"...Don't worry! You'll succeed soon, Heron! I'll prepare whatever materials you need, so don't stress about it."
Knowing she was already pushing her limits made him feel guilty.
Ingredients like unicorn horns or sub-dragon hearts were burdensome even for her to supply continuously.
They cost at least 200,000 points in the Karma Shop, after all.
It was high time for a new approach.
"Ahem, anyway, why not try it out first? It might ease your mind and spark better ideas?"
Riley cleared her throat, peeking at him expectantly.
Chuckling at her demeanor, Hesperon nodded and picked up the hard-won gift, closing his eyes.
Activating Chains of the Blood Oath, the mana-infused sealing tool extended unfamiliar sensations, initiating communion.
Though used several times before, its superior quality demanded greater focus than usual.
After a brief moment, the end of the sealing bandage began to twitch slowly.
Opening his eyes, he extended his right hand deliberately.
Sarrrk—
Without touching it, the existing bandages unraveled on their own.
And beneath them.
His forearm emerged, marred by snake-like streaks.
Krrm—
As the seal released, the latent curse began to seep out slyly, but before anything major could unfold, the new sealing bandage unfurled smoothly, wrapping and tightening around his arm in an instant.
Merely extending his arm had seamlessly swapped the seal.
'Definitely better than before. Should hold up even to intense mana use now.'
Hesperon repeatedly clenched and unclenched his securely bound right hand, nodding slowly.
The deeper the mana expenditure, the higher the risk of curse rampage—but with this, moderate exertion posed no issue.
The already excellent sealing tool, further enhanced by Chains of the Blood Oath, now rivaled a true holy relic.
'Even something like this can't fully suppress it. Just how vicious is this curse?'
Tsking at his right arm, a sudden thought flashed through his mind.
Reinforcement of objects, summoning them, and synchronized control as if part of his body.
It was an immensely practical ability, as just demonstrated.
And from there, his thoughts branched out.
To an entirely different approach.
'Objects, summoning, reinforcement...'
Then, did he really need to fixate on living mythical beings?
Still just an inkling, his ideas weren't fully formed yet...
'I've been trapped by preconceptions.'
His train of thought advanced another step.
The limits of this evolved skill weren't yet clearly defined.
Chains of the Blood Oath enabled bonds through communion not just with living beings, but with objects too.
So, where exactly was the boundary?
Did it even require a fixed form?
If so...
His gaze turned to his right hand.
What if he could directly wield the curse embedded in this hand?