Chapter 296
Chapter 296
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 296
Chapter Title: War Preparations (3)
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Unique Skill 「Avatar」.
The ability that allowed him to create and operate clones identical to himself.
It was the power that had essentially been both the beginning and end of Han Seonghyeon—the man he was today.
'What if my Unique Skill had been something else... Even thinking about it now gives me chills.'
If that had been the case, he obviously wouldn't have earned those explosive early karma points. Thrown defenselessly into another world while still reeling from trauma and barely holding his mind together, he probably wouldn't have even made it out of the forest—let alone reached that village crawling with black wizards—before shivering alone and meeting his end.
'Who would've thought a coward like that would end up like this.'
The thought drew an involuntary chuckle from his lips.
The scaredy-cat who'd once trembled at the world beyond his door could now venture out freely—and had even become the eye of a global storm drawing worldwide attention.
No, on second thought, that was too modest a way to put it.
In the other dimension of Outerica, hadn't he become a colossal figure capable of bending the entire world to his will?
'And all while holed up safe and sound.'
He took a swig of a cold drink fresh from the fridge and shrugged.
That was the real crux of it, in fact.
Whatever mischief he'd stirred up so far or would cause in the future, his main body—Han Seonghyeon—remained absolutely safe. That certainty was the unshakable foundation of his confidence from day one.
'It helped a ton with staying cool-headed in tough spots, too.'
Thanks to that advantage, he'd charged headlong into any obstacle without flinching and seized the outcomes he wanted.
Even if an insurmountable crisis arose, he always had that final bastion to fall back on—no need to fear a thing.
"Whew, getting all sentimental for no reason."
And now, that skill was on the verge of another evolution.
It had stalled for a while after excessive growth, but the development of Heinz 2nd might have been the trigger.
Either way, with a major battle looming, it was a timely boon.
"Let's see, then..."
Shaking off his thoughts with a light sigh, he settled into his massage chair like always, letting it work its magic as he pulled up the system window.
⚙ KARMA SHOP Ver.2 ⚙ 『Unique Skill Enhancement (1,500,000)』 『Other Skill Enhancements – View Details』 『Status Enhancements – View Details』 『Item Purchases – View Details』 『VIP Market – View Details』 『Dimensional Barrier Mitigation (6,000,000)』 『Held Karma: 4,691,326』
His eyes went straight to 'Held Karma' amid the familiar list.
It had already surpassed 4 million and was nearing 5 million—a massive sum that filled his heart with abundance, leaving him nodding in satisfaction even as his stomach felt full just looking at it.
'Even with steady outflows of a not-insignificant amount, it's already this high.'
Ever since checking the effects of 「Growth Elixir (7 Days) (200,000)」 available in the VIP Market, securing them had become a fixed expense.
And now, not just latecomers like Hesperon, Howard, and Horus, but proven powerhouses like Heinz 2nd and Heinrich were using them too.
'Plus, snagging rare materials that aren't easy to obtain has added up.'
Yet thanks to the relentless karma suction tubes he'd planted across Outerica, his balance kept climbing steadily.
He'd once pulled in nearly 2 million points at once from taking down that revolutionary giant in Tar拉克.
It was a solid, reliable cash cow.
'...Yeah, I can't let that Reverse Heaven Society bastard ruin this gold mine.'
Facing that number reignited his fighting spirit like a wildfire.
Even mobilizing all of Outerica's might against the enemy, he'd have to step up personally in the endgame. Karma points for self-enhancement were the surest war chest imaginable.
'No reason to hesitate now. Time to upgrade that Unique Skill I've been waiting for.'
It cost 1.5 million points.
Chump change to him now.
Bzzzt—
Selecting it without pause triggered the familiar headache. His nerves sharpened, and his perceptual field expanded.
"Ngh."
Once the pain—too intense even for 「Mind Hub」 to fully block—passed, he took a deep breath, adjusted to the altered sensations, and checked the messages.
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ The effects of abilities derived from the Unique Skill are further enhanced, and the area in which Avatars can be summoned expands. The Unique Skill grows, unlocking new potential. Special Skill 「Entity Assembly」 acquired. The first was an upgrade to existing abilities.
From 「Mind Hub」 to 「Soul Firewall」, every auxiliary skill gained from Unique Skill enhancements saw improved efficiency and performance.
On top of that, the remote summoning range he'd recently unlocked doubled from about 30 kilometers to 60.
'...Not bad. Now even from central Seoul, I can reach Incheon International Airport and most of Gyeonggi Province.'
But that was just the appetizer.
The real star was the new skill born from the upgrade: 「Entity Assembly」.
True to its nature of evolving toward the user's needs, it perfectly fulfilled the hopes he'd harbored.
'No way... it really is Assemble!'
A skill that gathered other clones to a designated entity's location.
Simple, yet incredibly efficient for him.
No more wasting time and effort shuttling Avatars around with elaborate methods.
With just one on-site, a 1v1 turned into 1vMany in the blink of an eye—like magic!
'...Perfect for the current situation. This lets me operate Avatars way more freely. The cooldown's a bit long, but...'
That would resolve with proficiency.
And if he wanted to save time, there were other ways.
As he pondered optimal uses for 「Entity Assembly」, his gaze drifted to 「Other Skill Enhancements」.
'I can upgrade other skills with that.'
Avatar-related derivatives from 「Mind Hub」 to the new 「Entity Assembly」, plus general skills like 「Super Recovery」 and 「Xenoglossy」.
'Individual skills unique to each entity don't count, so I've only dipped in lightly so far...'
This wasn't the time to skimp on karma.
To boost his odds even a little, he had to pour everything in.
With 3.2 million left, any investment would yield big returns.
'Beefing up Stats is solid too... Huh?'
But as he scrolled, something impossible to ignore made him frown.
⚙ KARMA SHOP UPDATE ⚙ 『Unique Skill Enhancement (2,000,000)』 The cost, which had risen steadily in 100,000 increments, had suddenly jumped by 500,000.
From 1.5 million just moments ago to 2 million?
'Price gouging because it's popular?'
This inflation was outrageous!
He couldn't use it right away due to upgrade limits anyway, but seeing the price spike still stung.
'...Tch, nothing I can do about it.'
He glared briefly, then shook his head and looked away.
Plenty of other uses for the remaining points: Status enhancements, other skills, premium items, or...
⚙ KARMA SHOP OPTION ⚙ 『Random Other Skill Acquisition (500,000)』 A gamble on luck.
"...Suck it up. Might as well try once more."
「Xenoglossy」 from his first pull had proven way more useful than its initial disappointment suggested.
Without it, his activities would've hit serious snags.
Pulling it that day had been sheer foresight.
'One more time!'
With faith and trust, he selected it—
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ Forces random potential to bloom. Skill 「Toughness」 acquired. He squeezed his eyes shut at the popup, bracing for the worst.
'Come to think of it...'
Right before his first random pull after the Karma Shop upgraded to Ver.2.
He'd thought: With skill-sharing across multiple Avatars, the effective cost was under 50,000. Even something like 「Toughness」 would be useful just to hold onto somehow.
Then he'd drawn 「Xenoglossy」 and sworn off gambling forever.
'...Payback foreshadowing, huh.'
He felt several Avatars absorb the shared 「Toughness」 and opened his eyes.
It nourished even those with superior durability traits—not a total loss, but...
'Feels kinda meh.'
Remaining points: about 2.7 million.
Best to invest in Status and other skill enhancements.
'Not my day. Save it for later...'
Sadly, he couldn't even fib about never doing it again.
Once started, he had to break even.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ Bucharest, Romania.
A private room once elegantly appointed, now a chaotic mess of junk after just a few days.
"Hmm hmm~ Looks like he absorbed Gomorrah without killing that beast this time too, just like with the Tyrant before. How fascinating!"
The Doctor finished his report, stroking his scruffy beard as he tilted his head.
The Duke dismissed the foe lightly, but as a researcher hypersensitive to variables, he'd been monitoring Phantom's European activities in real-time since they began.
This incident had defied his expectations from start to finish, demanding extra scrutiny.
"There's a limit to how much you can deviate from predictions... Crossing to Europe only to skip the feast and play power games? And why are those two following Phantom?"
They should've come crawling here stuffed from feasting by now.
Unaware of Heinz 2nd's 「Purified Blood Essence」 and 「Hybrid Evolution」, he couldn't make sense of the actions or results.
"Ah? Oh! Right, we targeted him as a subject precisely because he's special! If he acted predictably, he wouldn't be worth experimenting on! Haha—!"
Muttering to himself, he slapped his forehead and burst into laughter.
As he'd said, this plan formed right after learning Phantom—no, this vampire Heinz—could cannibalize kin unscathed.
They'd even lured the target to Europe, out of reach of that meddlesome Hwetal.
"Still, if we'd gotten more blood from the Duke then, we could've sealed it. Tch, such a cheapskate."
His laughter cut off abruptly, lips pursing in dissatisfaction.
The Duke's blood was power incarnate, and his grudging contribution had made this possible—but to this egomaniacal glutton, excuses meant nothing.
"Ah~ Hurry up and come! I've got tons of surprises ready! When will you get here~ Come on already~!"
The graying middle-aged man whined like a child.
Incredibly, this slovenly lunatic was one of Earth’s largest secret society's top brass: the Reverse Heaven Society.
Was his wish granted by the heavens?
Right then, a plane entered Romanian airspace.
Unknown to all aboard, one stowaway hid within.
The day after taking over Italy's vampire clan Gomorrah.
Heinz 2nd—Phantom—had entered Romania.