Chapter 313
Chapter 313
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 313
Chapter Title: Enemy of the World (5)
-----------------------------------------------------------------
This world is unfair.
Some are born with nearly everything handed to them on a silver platter, while others must scrape by with nothing but the clothes on their backs.
And that wasn't just true for living beings like humans.
The difference extended to the "worlds" themselves.
Some dimensions brimmed with abundant energy and diverse mysteries, others held only mundane secrets, and some overflowed with raw power but little else.
But they all shared one common thread.
Each was overseen and managed by a "god."
...Except for Earth, which possessed no mysteries at all.
The emergence of Awakened through the Akasha System's intervention and the transfers to other worlds weren't mere blessings.
They were...
"Mm."
...His hazy thoughts cleared, and his mind rocketed to full awareness.
Like bursting out of a long tunnel into the light, his senses sharpened abruptly, and he drew in a deep breath without thinking, scanning his surroundings.
A vast expanse of pure white... no, a void where not even color could be discerned.
A space that had become as familiar to him as home.
"...Tch, Earth."
A voice of indeterminate age and features scattered into the emptiness.
To be precise, it was his personal domain, constructed separately to evade Earth's causality laws, but that hardly mattered now.
'Hwaetal.'
Suddenly, the memory flashed: plunging his hand into his own chest core and unleashing a grim laugh in his final moments.
He never imagined encountering that bastard in another world.
In his desperate, unorthodox escape, he'd severed the hard-won link to Outerica entirely.
"To think such a variable would pop up out of nowhere. It's never easy."
The Bancheon Society Leader closed his eyes and slowly clenched both fists.
Unlike before, with all restrictions lifted, an unprecedented surge of power flooded his grip.
Whoooosh—
But in stark contrast, the sense of loss gnawing at his chest grew ever sharper.
No matter how prepared he'd been, it stung to see chunks of his painstaking efforts vanish into nothing.
'...Still, better to learn about him before it was too late.'
Information was always the top priority in any endeavor.
In that light, uncovering key intel on the meddlesome Hwaetal was a net positive for his grand ambitions.
It preempted potentially greater losses down the line—nothing to lose sleep over.
...Even if not, that's what he'd tell himself for now.
Digging deeper might just lead to venting on the wrong target.
He shook his head to clear the tangled thoughts and took a large step forward.
Riiip—
At the same moment, the space ahead split open.
And in the next instant, he stood somewhere entirely different.
A lavish residential area crammed with top-tier furniture, appliances, and ornate decorations.
He strode naturally to the office nook.
Back on Earth, it was time to inform his subordinates and receive reports on recent events.
The absence hadn't been long, so he expected no major changes... but.
"Hold on, Oracle. Say that again."
-...Understood, Leader.
In that brief window, the Bancheon Society forces left on Earth had faced a dire upheaval.
-Shortly after you departed, Hwaetal raided the Shanghai branch. East Asia Branch Leader Yulryeongja was killed, and...
Oracle's report flowed calmly.
The ensuing chaos in China and the loss of a few more Transcendents paled compared to what followed.
"The European branches were hit by vampires from Korea, and even a Duke fell? The Doctor too?"
-Yes, Leader.
His lips twitched at Oracle's response from the comms.
Already sour from his losses, the bad news piling up upon return was infuriating.
"And the Doctor?"
-He struggled with resurrection aftereffects for a while, then went into hibernation to remodel his body. Estimated time is about a month, but...
"Double or triple that."
-I figured as much.
The Leader closed his eyes, tapping the desk with a finger.
'Not just Hwaetal, but this Phantom guy too?'
The Doctor's failed ambush to capture the vampire called Phantom was trivial.
This was leagues beyond the Korea withdrawal or the thrashing by Hwaetal in Japan.
No longer petty frontier skirmishes—these threats encroached on their main global stage.
-And one more thing...
"...What now?"
What he'd heard already gave him a monster headache.
More?
-You should see this for yourself.
As she finished, several video files popped up on the monitor.
Chronologically earlier than the branch and Doctor incidents, but shoved aside due to their gravity.
"Ho, holy power like that on Earth?"
The footage opened with the Korean hospital attack in full and the distant holy storm.
Interest lit the Leader's face.
Weak compared to his angelic might, sure—but impressive for a human on mystery-starved Earth.
'That level... yeah, Outerica champion-tier, accounting for Earth.'
He saw why Oracle flagged it.
Such a cleric warranted close scrutiny...
"Hold on."
But as the video progressed to White Knight details, his expression hardened.
Silence blanketed the office, broken only by the low video audio.
-"Yes, I come from what you call the Outerica dimension. More precisely, I'm an otherworlder, not from Earth."
Just hours ago.
How could he forget the one who'd stabbed his chest?
The deep helmet had hidden the face, but...
-"By the will of the Main God, to eradicate the evil shadowing Outerica and all dimensions."
Trifles like that didn't matter.
He stared at the youthful man in the interview, then barked a hollow laugh at the familiar white armor.
"...Ha, haha! This is ridiculous."
Absurdity was all he could muster.
He'd pegged it as Outerica champion level, not the real deal.
An otherworlder on Earth?
Plausible, given his own case and Hwaetal's.
Personally skeptical—he didn't grasp all cosmic laws—but possible.
'But from Outerica of all places... coincidence?'
No way.
Maybe alone, but add Hwaetal? No dismissing as chance.
Repeated coincidences were inevitability.
That conviction solidified after the call ended and Oracle sent Phantom's file.
The masked figure felt oddly familiar, like the White Knight.
His identity was obvious.
'Where did it all go wrong? There must be a reason things derailed this far.'
Still seated, the Leader brooded.
He'd steered world changes from the start, but hadn't foreseen such pivotal twists.
Such events needed intricate conditions aligning.
Wasn't Oracle constantly checking branches to prevent exactly this?
'...No, there were signs. Hwaetal's emergence was off from the start.'
A black mage from observation-blind Korea, hostile like a blood enemy.
His appearance kicked off all variables.
Maybe a real grudge.
Given what he and the Bancheon Society had done.
'These incidents all started in Korea too.'
Indirect control via China and Japan to handle Korean uncertainty? Mistake.
Should've crushed it early, even if delayed plans.
"Tch, water under the bridge."
Earth's Akasha System seemed to have drawn its blade for aggressive response.
Causality alone wasn't cutting it.
'Even if I'd sealed causes early, it'd erupt somehow.'
Fate's destined nemesis.
Hwaetal, Phantom, Heinrich.
Which was real—or all?
Tzzt—
Rising, he stepped forward; his body vanished into a rift back to the void.
Minimizing Earth time to dodge causality, for the critical moment.
'But I won't just take it lying down.'
Variables kept disrupting, but his path remained.
Expand Earth's forces, devour other dimensions' potential, amass divinity.
If they were world's saviors,
he was the rebel defying fate.
The enemy of the world.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ The word that perfectly captured my current mood was one.
'Full.'
Not physical satiety.
More a spiritual fulfillment.
And for good reason...
⚔ STATUS ⚔ Held Karma: 5,520,398 My wallet, slim just recently, was now stuffed to bursting—what a feeling.
'Scraped every last point before facing the Bancheon Leader.'
No holding back against that foe.
To eke out any edge, I'd dumped nearly all karma into stat boosts and skill upgrades.
'Left just enough for 「Entity Rally」 and 『Skill Cooldown Reset』.'
Yet post-wrap-up, over five million had piled up in that short span!
No wonder I felt stuffed just looking.
Grinning ear to ear, I soon got serious, pondering this bounty.
'Unique skill upgrade... nope, not yet. Just got 「Entity Rally」 recently.'
Two million needed now.
Points aplenty, but more time required.
'Then...'
What really tempted me: 『Dimensional Barrier Mitigation (6,000,000)』.
From buying the five-million version: it eased interdimensional gaps.
Holy power, abyss mana, summon limits—all basic perks.
'Without it, couldn't even hit the Return Realm.'
Not solely it—various conditions—but absent, impossible from the start.
'One more upgrade...'
Definitely looser restrictions on holy power etc.
Smoother world transitions via memories, maybe.
Plus extras?
'Best to buy and see.'
Won't be long—karma ticking up now.
Then, another item caught my eye.
🎲 RANDOM ACQUISITION 🎲 Miscellaneous Skill (500,000) A gamble of a random skill.
Gulp—
I swallowed hard.
Past pulls: 「Xenoglossy」 and 「Toughness」.
「Xenoglossy」: solid win.
「Toughness」: meh... straight dud.
'Net zero.'
Yeah, zero.
Meaning—now the real game begins!
'Just one more.'
The absolute last round.
...Gotta at least break even, right?