Chapter 340
Chapter 340
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 340
Chapter Title: A New Patch (1)
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Kreeeak— Thud!
The heavy sound of something massive hitting the floor echoed through the air.
It was a spacious gym packed with all sorts of exercise equipment.
The place could easily accommodate dozens of people training at once, yet only a single person was using it.
And that was only natural.
This was a private space built exclusively for one person from the start.
"Hoo."
I set down the massive custom-made barbell and wiped the sweat from my face with the towel draped around my neck. Then I reached for a bottle of sports drink nearby.
Gulp— gulp—
"Kaaah!"
The cool, refreshing sensation quenched my thirst in an instant.
Beyond that, fresh energy seeped into every overworked cell in my body, rapidly restoring my stamina that had nearly hit rock bottom.
"Talk about reliable results."
It was a mystical effect that would shock anyone else, but at this point, it was nothing special to me.
This was just another routine part of my everyday life, after all.
'World Tree leaves live up to the hype. No wonder they're used as ingredients for elixirs.'
I set down the drink—made with World Tree leaves as the main ingredient—and lightly twisted my body this way and that.
They were a staple in the highest-grade potions crafted by elves, not just elixirs, so their restorative powers went without saying.
'Of course, I dialed back the concentration a bit to moderate the potency.'
No matter how beneficial the ingredients, over-relying on drugs for physical refinement wasn't ideal.
Just enough to boost my innate Toughness and maximally activate Super Recovery was plenty to support my training.
"If this isn't extravagance, I don't know what is."
A chuckle escaped me unbidden.
Using precious World Tree leaves to make a mere sports drink for workouts...
If the elves of the Elven Kingdom found out, they'd probably clutch their necks and faint.
'Pfft, after all I've done for them? They won't complain over a little thing like this.'
By that logic, raiding their entire warehouse of World Tree byproducts still wouldn't be enough.
Though to be fair, I was already grabbing bundles whenever I picked up my commissioned items, so maybe it wasn't much different.
I ignored the imagined groans of the World Tree gardeners echoing in my ears and scanned the indoor gym.
Truth be told, my indulgences for training went beyond just that.
"Mm, perfect."
This vast space was filled with exercise machines that boasted not only practicality but aesthetic appeal as well.
Every single one was a handmade masterpiece crafted with care by the dwarf Howard.
Designed to his custom specs based on modern equipment principles, forged with lavish rare materials and his personal hammer strikes—these were one-of-a-kind luxury items found nowhere else in the world.
This place was the ultimate paradise dreamed of by every hardcore fitness fanatic.
'And the training effects are even better than before.'
I nodded slowly, a satisfied warmth in my chest.
And it wasn't just my imagination.
Howard's Artisan's Soul was a dwarven secret that maximized an item's potential through pure craftsmanship, elevating it to the realm of magical artifacts.
Equipment made with his full effort naturally outclassed mass-produced junk.
"That's it for today."
With my daily routine complete, I stepped in front of the full-length mirror off to the side.
My bare upper body was etched with sculpted muscles like a statue.
With low body fat, the striations flexed vividly, asserting their presence.
'Of course, this is nothing compared to our sturdy Harley or Heinrich.'
Those two were exceptions from the start—not fair comparisons.
How could I pit my home-trained physique against a mutant born with monstrous physicality or the pinnacle of holy knight fitness?
Still, my current body was no longer one to dismiss lightly.
Combined with immense karma-based enhancements and relentless hard training since acquiring Super Recovery in my early awakening days, I'd long surpassed ordinary human limits.
Layer on skills like Monstrous Strength and Hyper Sensitivity, and I could flatten low-tier returnees barehanded.
'But there's still a ceiling to that.'
Returnees weren't just unique skill holders—they embodied the accumulated mysteries of their worlds.
Conversely, never having crossed to another world, I lacked even a speck of internal energy, making it normal that I couldn't wield any specific 'aura'...
Squeeze!
I clenched my fist.
A tremendous power surged in my grip.
And it wasn't mere physical force.
Vmmm—
Dark red flames erupted along my fist.
This was the ability Bio-Aura, incinerating vital energy within for explosive destructive power.
But I didn't stop there.
As the dark red flames faded, dazzling platinum divine power shimmered in my palm.
Then, pitch-black black magic aura rose like haze,
followed by blood-scented blood demon energy,
gentle natural forces enveloping the surroundings,
and finally, heavy internal energy radiating presence.
In just a few breaths, I'd cycled through displaying various powers, and I nodded in satisfaction.
'Excellent.'
The fruits of diligently training the constant reinforcement from Entity Projection's side effect.
It couldn't match an avatar wielding it directly, of course, but pulling up any desired energy on demand was a huge merit.
Plus, since I wasn't accumulating actual energy internally, no one could detect I was an awakener until I unleashed it.
'And with Heinz 2nd's Existence Denial to mask any odd vibes, no one will suspect a thing.'
No detectable energy, no weird sensations?
Even the Heavenly Demon, who'd instantly seen through Hugo's identity, wouldn't notice me.
'And if needed, I can always tap into Entity Projection itself.'
No real danger for this body anyway.
Not that my personality would take me to such places to begin with.
After showering off the sweat, I reclined in my massage chair as usual.
"Hoo."
Savoring the latest model's full-body knead, I calmly sorted through the thoughts bubbling up.
Even now, things were progressing smoothly elsewhere.
In my established patch of Outerica, and especially in the Kanghwan world I'd been focusing on lately.
I turned my attention to the one that had just wrapped up.
'The Demonic Cult's more or less wrapped up. Sure, remnants linger, but with their main base secured, cleaning them won't take long.'
Hans, striking solo, had finally devoured the Demonic Cult completely.
Brutal black magic density paired with overwhelming force for a brute-force takeover.
The cultists resisted, naturally, but their leadership was gutted—no one left to coordinate.
'The ones who raided Shaolin with the Heavenly Demon haven't returned.'
Not just them—the elite squads dispatched continent-wide for dragon children were out too.
Even the second-in-command, Strategist Heavenly Mechanism Immortal, was absent, leaving it a true empty house.
Sure, they had妖怪 reinforced corpses and defensive arrays aplenty, showing some effort on base security—
'But that's only useful against normal foes.'
Unfortunately, the otherworld Demon King descended on Kanghwan, Hans, was anything but normal.
Quite the opposite—thanks to them, all their prepared undead, formations, and spells fell straight into his hands intact.
"Mm, whatever—leave that side to Hans now. The vibe's a bit different, but Demonic Cultists are still demonic scum."
Dealing with them was right in the wheelhouse of Hans, ruler of undeath!
He was a veteran newbie with years leading an undead army flawlessly under his belt.
He'd likely mop up the scattered remnants before they caught wind.
'Geum Odo's not bad either... Horus is actively supporting them, probably due to the Demonic Cult's rampage.'
Horus's current fixation: linking the Yeouiju and Dragon Heart for use.
Using those two powerhouse cores separately was inefficient.
'Total energy's plenty. Dual-core setup's the most efficient.'
But his spell knowledge lagged behind magic, hindering a quick fix.
Balancing the two fields was key.
It'd take time.
'...Time's fine. With Hans holding the Demonic Cult base, we've got more breathing room than expected. Securing dragon children comes first anyway.'
As suspected, no live dragon children at the Heavenly Demon Cult's main altar.
They'd been hunting and kidnapping them steadily beforehand, but those opposing Dragon Heart revival sacrificed every one as burnt offerings to boost their power.
That explained the Heavenly Demon's lossless holy power use and the unnatural internal energy drains on martial artists.
'They were placed to rebuild Kanghwan's greatest mystery, the Dragon Heart. Perfect sacrifices for alternative uses.'
I clicked my tongue and furrowed my brow.
Grasping the situation revealed it was trickier than thought.
Dragon children born frail—most from poor families died before adulthood.
Survivors were few, and Demonic Cult interference whittled them further...
I didn't know how many were needed for the Dragon Heart ritual.
But more was always better before deciding.
Finding a workaround only to lack numbers would ruin everything.
'Need to get more proactive. Their policy's hauling them to base for sacrifice, but some might change plans en route.'
That's where idle Harley touring Geum Odo could step in.
She'd been itching for yokai scraps, fabricating excuses, but after crushing Do-ol, rumors spread—everyone avoided her, no gains.
Natural, given her 10-meter rampage.
'Whatever now. Found heaps of yokai-factor-packed inner cores in the Demonic Cult labs.'
These groups had hunted each other relentlessly.
Their main base overflowed with byproducts, including top-tier divine beast parts.
'Black Tortoise shell, Kirin horn, even Dragon Yeouiju... Jackpot.'
No hesitation now.
I directed Harley while checking my last Kanghwan avatar.
Hugo, rushing home with the Jeonmyeong household.
Harley's prior demolitions cleared most hostile sects en route—surprisingly smooth return.
Without that, hasty travel would've left them vulnerable to ambushes.
"At this pace, arrival's imminent."
A bit late already, but intel from them would aid tracking.
I focused there briefly, then shifted away.
Current status check done—only one thing left.
The most crucial, really.
'Settlement.'
My lips twitched upward.
Outerica's karma flowed steadily as ever, but Kanghwan's recent big events promised juicy extras.
"...Oh?"
Pre-Murim Alliance, post-gacha with Mimicry and skills, karma was around 3.6 million...
⚔ STATUS ⚔ Held Karma: 6,212,830 Indeed, opening a new patch had been a resounding success.