Chapter 358
Chapter 358
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 358
Chapter Title: Gluttony's Authority (1)
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‘The Last Imperial Dragon.’
That name, and even the description, felt incredibly familiar.
It was an achievement he'd already received once in Outerica under the name 'Last Gold Dragon.'
'Looks like Taom was being treated as the Imperial Dragon all this time.'
To be precise, all five dragons had been contained within that body due to its special ability.
With its death, they must have all been judged deceased at once, passing the 'Last' title to Horus.
An unexpected windfall at a completely unforeseen moment.
'No related messages popped up for so long that I wasn't even hoping for it anymore...'
Other dragons had acknowledged Horus as the Imperial Dragon, but he'd thought that was separate from the system's official recognition.
Who knew there was another reason behind it.
“Well, whatever. It's good news for me.”
The extra karma was nice, but the privilege gained from the achievement was a superb ability in its own right.
Each one boasted such extreme difficulty that even acquiring a single one by normal means was nearly impossible—abilities that could be seen as unique skills in themselves.
'Let me see what privileges I have now...'
First—the Otherworld Teleportation Circle Summon earned from the feat of returning to Earth on his own.
Though achieved through what amounted to a loophole, this ability was the cornerstone that had shaped who he was today.
Now with its cooldown halved after additionally entering a new world, its importance went without saying.
'Then there's Instant Death Immunity from becoming the Immortal King, Extra Life from Hans building his infamy, Hero's Footsteps acquired thanks to Heinz...'
And it didn't end there.
Karma Shop Ver.2 Update from accumulating too much karma.
Lord's Authority from unifying Outerica's vampires as the Blood King.
And most recently, Dragon Lair from becoming the Last Gold Dragon.
'That made seven before. Now nine with these two added.'
Hans stroked his chin, his lips twisting upward.
Listing them out like this made him realize just how many monumental feats he'd accomplished.
Trophies that truly deserved the name 'great achievements,' each demanding conditions so stringent no one else could even dream of them!
'Some I use frequently, while others just sit unused since I rarely need them.'
So which category would these new ones fall into?
He half-closed his eyes and checked the new authorities embedded in his soul once more.
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ 「Gluttony's Authority」 Just the name told him it was connected to the 'Gluttony' he'd just dealt with.
And its ability was exactly as expected.
Eat and digest to make it your own—that was all there was to it.
'...This pairs well with Hari.'
That was the first thought that came to mind, but as a privilege, it was surely more than that.
Given the system's habit of not providing user manuals, he'd have to experiment and develop its potential himself.
'It'll be a huge help to Hugo too, with his Heavenly Treasure Body and stockpiled undigested spirit medicines. And for the other avatars' growth... Wait.'
As he pondered various applications, his body suddenly froze.
A new possibility had occurred to him—one where this could be put to use.
'Eat and fully assimilate it. If applied cleverly, even my main body on Earth...'
Earth, a wasteland devoid of abilities.
No energy or mysteries grew naturally there.
The sole exceptions were the few awakeners chosen by the system spanning Earth and all dimensions.
Even their ability to recover spent energy stemmed from some inexplicable system effect, not absorption from the surroundings.
But the moment they left other worlds and returned to Earth, unavoidable growth limitations set in.
Like plants thriving in fertile soil only to be transplanted to a barren desert devoid of nutrients.
'Of course, the system's blessing keeps them from withering completely.'
They could still use abilities built up over time.
They could raise skill proficiencies from the system and even evolve them for enhancement if lucky.
But—
'That's not nearly enough.'
All the growth bonuses they'd enjoyed vanished.
Progress slowed no matter the effort, confidence in getting stronger faded, leaving only frustration.
The reliable safety net of karma points became unusable too.
'That's just for skills, though. The real biggest issue is...'
On an Earth devoid of mysteries, no amount of training accumulated energy or advanced realms.
Be it martial arts or magic, technical proficiency might rise, but the walls blocking their path were insurmountable forever.
Breaking through required not just insight, but the aid of surrounding energies.
'That's why they obsess over ley lines in the Kang Hwan Realm for good reason.'
Of course, a slim chance existed even on Earth.
If one procured spirit medicines from their home dimension and consumed them precisely at the moment of insight.
'Most would dissipate into thin air due to energy density differences, yielding abysmal efficiency. And if energy ran out mid-breakthrough, they'd become crippled.'
Probably need something on the level of a Dragon Heart, right?
Better to give up than burn through such treasures every training session.
'But with Gluttony's Authority, that problem's solved.'
Eat and digest to make it your own.
In simple terms, near-100% energy absorption efficiency!
Then his main body could start ability training without wasting top-grade spirit medicines like water.
'I'd been pulling energy from other avatars via Entity Projection's side effect, so no need to risk it until now...'
But more power was always better, especially in uncertain times.
'Gotta hunt for spirit medicines more carefully from now on. Harris is perfect for that.'
Of course, Hans and the undead would corrupt them just by passing by, so they were out from the start.
Keeping them away was the real help.
'Next up... Imperial Dragon's Orb.'
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ 「Imperial Dragon's Orb」 The privilege Horus earned as the Last Imperial Dragon.
But this one felt different from the others he'd acquired.
'...What is this? How do I even use it?'
No matter how many times he checked, he couldn't grasp it.
Even for the notoriously unhelpful system, this was a first, leaving him understandably flustered.
It had always provided at least basic info before.
One thing he could tell, though...
“It activates on its own when the time comes.”
That suspiciously vague single line was all.
It felt so alien compared to the system's usual ways that a sense of disconnect washed over him.
'...Tch, no point obsessing over something that won't work right now. It was a bonus anyway.'
As an officially granted privilege, it wouldn't work against him.
The Akasha System was thorough in that regard.
...Whether it truly followed the rules or some other will intervened, he couldn't say.
Having sorted things out, Hans turned his gaze back to the massive dragon corpse.
To the grotesque mass of rotting, hacked-up flesh sprawled on the ground.
No trace remained of the majestic being that had once touched the divine.
“To make proper use of this, I'll need to tidy it up some.”
Given the formidable foe, full effort had inevitably damaged the body badly.
Fine if raising as undead, but since he planned another use, he couldn't leave it like this.
Hans placed his hand on the meat chunk, swiftly sucking out the encroaching 'death' energies—
'Oh?'
He raised an eyebrow at how cleanly and quickly the energy was extracted and stored.
Couldn't save the already corrupted parts, but this was far better than expected.
'I see. So Gluttony's Authority worked here too.'
For an undead like Hans, eating held no meaning.
The closest equivalent was absorbing energy, like he'd just done.
'This privilege has way more versatility than I thought.'
Such flexibility expanded its applications immensely.
Satisfied, Hans nodded slowly, then...
“...This is?”
He whipped his head toward one direction.
The spot where he'd specially layered barriers before the fight.
Toward the huddled dragon hatchlings captured as sacrifices.
'...Zhuge Hyemi?'
He instantly identified the source of the sudden anomaly.
Her energy was quite familiar to him.
“Ho, a communication spell with the outside? That's impressive.”
Realizing what she was doing, Hans's eyes gleamed as he stroked his chin beard.
Slipping a covert external link through the chaos of distracted watchers.
A method so secretive it might have evaded notice without his pre-laid barriers.
'She's even incorporating Joo Kang-in's energy too. Must have convinced him somehow. Meaning in that short captivity, she not only grasped the dragon hatchlings' situation but figured out how to wield her latent power.'
Communication spells in this world were forbidden arts even most sorcerers wouldn't attempt.
Despite their undeniable utility, even massive factions hesitated to use them.
Much less activating a high-level one using freshly discovered power.
'Heard she was confident in theory above all, but I didn't expect this level.'
Born the precious pearl of the Zhuge family yet bedridden due to frailty, Zhuge Hyemi's sole hobby had been memorizing entire theory tomes, dissecting and analyzing them piece by piece.
Once committed to memory, pondering was effortless even lying down with eyes closed.
“Perfect timing. I can use this to my advantage.”
Eyes narrowing at the faint energy cautiously piercing his barrier, Hans nodded.
Then he recalled the dark clouds blanketing the demon realm vicinity, stashing Taom's corpse inside.
He'd preemptively taken out Ya Hulhwan and claimed his forces, but he had no intention of halting ongoing plans.
This was rehearsal for his home turf play and part of the grand flow toward Yongsim's reconstruction.
'Narrative is crucial to properly conclude a story. Same for the karma it'll earn me.'
Under Hans's tacit approval, the energy slowly reached the barrier's edge.
Proceeding with utmost caution, as if undetected.
And finally.
Pop—
A small hole pierced the barrier, linking the faint energy to the outside.
To Ha Seung-hoon—Hugo—who'd been flying via lightness skill and paused for a break.
Stuffing himself with spirit medicines using his new Gluttony's Authority.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ After wiping out the attackers on Zhuge family and sending the clue-bearing corpses to Hans,
Hari resumed his journey to Song Mountain and Shaolin Temple.
'No way they'll mistreat the one who saved them in their crisis! Come to think of it, how's my Kang Hwan Realm subordinate No.1 doing? He was smart enough and sturdy—easy to boss around.'
Various factions were essential for the upcoming rehearsal, and Shaolin—the North Star of murim—played a big role, so he'd handle it personally.
No matter the damages from the raid, no one could ignore Shaolin's name.
Kwaaaang—!
Kururung—
“Eek! M-Monster!”
“Uwaaa! What grudge do you have against us?!”
“P-Please spare me! I have rabbit-like kids at home...”
In the process, punishing evil forces disrupting murim harmony and peace was no big deal.
If they shrank the board, his karma haul would shrink too, right?
Cleaning was best done preemptively when opportunity knocked.
'And snag some nice side income along the way.'
Having wrapped up another fulfilling volunteer service, he strode away proudly from the ruined estate.
Twirling the long black spear—made of rare Earth 운철—here and there.
'Not bad at all. Worth dissecting the applied tech.'
Hari sent it to Dwarf Howard via Avatar Cloud.
Immediately receiving another item in exchange, he eyed it hungrily.
“Sniff sniff, smells promising. Like aged meat or something.”
A fresh-slaughtered mystery hunk dripping blood, slightly discolored.
Part of the Gluttony Dragon he'd just hunted.
He planned to use the whole as sacrifice for Yongsim reconstruction, but surely a taste wouldn't hurt after such a catch?
“Kahaha! Of course! Given the volume, this is nothing. ...Hmm, might as well eat more by part. Slice a bit from each...”
He'd once heard meat was best just before rotting.
Back then he'd thought it nonsense, but...
'Actually looks good now?'
Drool trickled from Hari's mouth.
He preferred fresh, but occasional delicacies like this were fine.
Just leave it by Hans briefly and it'd rot in seconds—no long wait.
“Alright, first bite then?”
Creeeak—
His mouth split to his ears.
Gluttony activated, overwhelmingly boosting the act of eating.
And simultaneously, Gluttony's Authority triggered.
Kwajik— Kwajijik!
Sharp teeth tore flesh, juice spilling out.
Rich meaty aroma with a cheesy savor.
'This one's decent in its own way...'
As Hari casually savored it,
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ The entity has met the conditions and grown. Special Skill 「Gluttony」 has evolved into 「Food God」. The notification he'd inwardly hoped for appeared.