Chapter 4
Chapter 4
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 4
Chapter Title: Avatar (3)
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Another new skill had been acquired.
This time, it seemed to be a sub-skill linked to my unique skill.
And when I checked the details, I finally saw the ability I'd been hoping for.
An Avatar was no different from another body of my own.
Having two bodies came with plenty of upsides, of course, but it wasn't without its downsides.
The fact that food costs doubled was a minor issue by comparison.
'The problem is that I have no choice but to take in the Avatar's sensations—and the emotions they bring—completely unfiltered. That's fatal.'
Ignoring an Avatar's sensations during its dormant state only worked in environments with minimal external stimuli; it wasn't a foolproof ability.
'For example... death.'
Or even a grievous wound—the intense emotions and sensations from those would be impossible to ignore.
Of course, since it was an Avatar that could be reverse-summoned in danger, it might be fine.
That was what I'd trusted when sending it to that other world in my place.
'But crises can strike at any moment, in any way. A moment of carelessness could lead to death, or an unexpected situation might inflict a mortal wound.'
Or even if it didn't happen to me directly, if someone right in front of me suddenly died, my fragile modern-day mind—more delicate than most—would suffer massive mental trauma.
In that regard, this new skill was incredibly useful.
Through the Hub—a relay—it became possible to filter and selectively process all stimuli and emotions coming through the Avatar.
In other words, not only had I overcome dimensional motion sickness, but I was now immune to all mental contamination, including death.
I could control the Avatar like a game character, going anywhere and doing anything.
"All from the warm, cozy comfort of my room!"
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ Avatar potential has increased. Growth acceleration enhanced. As if that weren't enough, another message followed.
This meant additional growth bonuses for the Avatar.
'Wait, the Avatar originally had the same conditions as me... but now...'
Didn't this mean it would end up superior and more talented than my main body?
'Well, the Avatar's the one handling all the dangerous stuff anyway, so stronger is better. It is good, but...'
A subtle mix of emotions left me with a complicated expression.
My main body weaker than a clone? Unthinkable.
'No! I'm the brains, so it's fine. A commander doesn't need to be stronger than the troops. Anyway, let's check remaining Karma.'
Unique Skill Enhancement (500,000) Held Karma: 900,213 My vast Karma reserves had dwindled by more than half.
Judging by the escalating cost, this reinforcement would likely be the last.
I knew it was greed, but I couldn't help smacking my lips in regret.
After a brief moment of thought, I selected Unique Skill Enhancement one final time.
It was far more efficient than boosting other stats, so there was no hesitation.
Unique Skill Enhancement (600,000) Held Karma: 400,213 ⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ Unique Skill has grown, unlocking new potential. All Avatars acquire one random skill. The final reinforcement didn't disappoint.
Skill awakening for the Avatars.
In my current state with basically no combat ability, this was like rain in a drought.
'Of course, it won't match the unique skill from the first awakening, but even a minor skill is precious right now.'
And the changes didn't stop there.
I now had three of me!
We looked at each other in turn.
Repeated reinforcements had steadily strengthened my multitasking and mental fortitude, and with Mind Hub's help, there was no confusion at all.
'Avatars will keep increasing from here, though. Eventually, it might get confusing. I need a way to distinguish them...'
Simply put, names.
"Can't keep calling them Avatar 1, Avatar 2 forever."
"Naming's not my strong suit."
"Names... names..."
After huddling with my clones and racking our brains for a while, I sighed and shook my head.
Three heads, same senses—no help there for naming.
"Han... Hans. Let's go with 'Hans.' Easy to say, and it has a nice ring. Yeah."
I pointed to my first-summoned Avatar and assigned the name that popped into my head.
The unexpected came right after.
Zing—
"Huh? What's this all of a sudden...?"
A faint resonance brushed my mind.
No pain, no discomfort, but I instinctively felt something had changed.
⚔ STATUS ⚔ 👤 Entity Name: Hans 🔗 Common Traits: Mind Hub, Super Recovery ✨ Entity Trait: Mana Affinity 📝 Notes: Han Seonghyeon's first Avatar "...Didn't see that coming."
The Avatar skill had grown, imprinting 'Hans''s info in my mind.
If using Karma was a full 1-point evolution, this growth was maybe 0.1 at best.
Negligible compared to the Karma Shop method.
'This is probably the standard way to grow abilities, though.'
Skill growth follows the user's intent.
Naming the Avatar must have triggered it this time.
'Funny how the Avatars get status screens when I don't even have one.'
Without the original info-viewing unique skill, no status window appears.
This new info panel was likely the Avatar skill evolving to better manage my entities.
'"Entity" makes it sound lame. Should've picked a cooler name. Gotta think harder for the next ones. And "Mana Affinity," huh.'
A skill that helps sense mana more easily and wield it better.
Useful for growth, but no immediate combat boost.
The second Avatar's skill was even Toughness, boosting physical durability.
"Feels like I drew blanks... Oh well. Now for the last thing..."
There was something I absolutely had to do.
Something I needed to confirm.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ "Hoo... hoo..."
I stood at my front door, trash bag in hand, taking deep breaths.
Throwing out even a single trash bag had been a huge ordeal before.
I had to go in the dead of night when no one was around, eyes on the ground, hurry back.
Stumbling out on shaking legs, I'd collapse inside, drenched in cold sweat, bedridden for a while.
Now it was time to test Mind Hub.
I'd confirmed the ability countless times—it should be fine—but stepping out in broad daylight still tensed me up.
'Alright, let's do this for real!'
I took a deep breath, gripped the handle, and flung the door wide.
The moment I stepped out, my reflexively trembling body gradually settled.
I breathed the outside air, walked the hall, descended the stairs.
The usual urge to flee that tormented me every time was absent now.
I casually strolled into the sunlit outdoors to the trash collection area and sorted the waste.
Finished, I looked around.
Cigarette butts on the ground, chatting ajummas across the way, kids' laughter from the distant playground.
Closing my eyes and inhaling, the stench of trash stung my nose.
"Kid, what're you doing here? Don't block the way—move so I can dump my trash."
"Ah, sorry."
I bowed awkwardly and slowly walked home, scanning my surroundings again.
The long-familiar neighborhood scenery swelled my chest with emotion.
And I watched it all from inside, like viewing a movie.
The one outside was undeniably me.
I controlled the body, thought, spoke—directly.
But the usual terror was gone. No shaking, no cold sweat.
I could even converse normally.
Fear, confusion, all those emotions.
All stimuli through the Avatar passed through a filter, leaving me unaffected.
Beep beep—clunk
The front door opened, and Hans entered calmly, washed his hands in the bathroom, and approached.
Test complete.
Mind Hub exceeded expectations. Now, I could do anything.
'Even head to that other world.'
And as I grew accustomed to the outside this way, someday I'd step out with my real body.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ I spent the next few days preparing before heading to the other world.
The risks were high, but so were the gains—and with my body's safety assured, there was no reason not to go.
Setting aside my personal desire to escape my room and explore another world, faster growth was possible too.
Benefits from time dilation aside, there were extra growth bonuses for awakeners in that world.
Combined with my Avatar growth acceleration perk, I'd grow much faster.
'In this chaotic society, power is everything.'
I suppressed the memory of 'that day' and clenched my trembling hands.
...I never wanted to feel that powerless despair again.
Training for the other world let me fully appreciate Super Recovery's value.
Even overexertion recovered perfectly with a short rest, maximizing gains as I pushed nonstop.
It was a shame the benefits only applied to that Avatar, not my main body.
But since it was a separate body from creation, that was inevitable.
'Doesn't matter—the Avatar's the one going, and growth acceleration applies. Plus, Karma Shop stat boosts seem to carry over on resummon.'
Unlike my home workout limits, Avatars could train outside, far more efficiently.
With transcendent recovery, I used the empty complex gym to brutalize the body, then ran far when noticed, building stamina.
Extreme training pain filtered through Mind Hub made grueling workouts mere routine.
Of course, my main body was giggling online at home, so no real boredom.
Uneasy about sending out two identical-faced Avatars at once, I focused training on Hans for the other world, while the other did home workouts and leisure.
"Whoa—stage boss cleared already!"
"Nice! Keep going!"
In perfect sync for two-player mode, the door opened—sweaty Hans heading to the bath.
Seeing him return from ascetic torment felt oddly guilty, like I was slacking.
'Kinda uncomfortable, but focusing one arm while resting the body wouldn't be fair to the arm either.'
I set the table before Hans finished washing.
Minor issue maybe, but food costs were skyrocketing.
Three grown men exercising beyond normal— one in near-martyrdom—burned insane calories.
Thinking of the expense brought tears, but I saw it as investment.
Just bring back valuables from the other world via Avatar, and it'd pay off.
'Selling discreetly? We'll figure it out. Current Avatars are optimized for crime anyway.'
Of course, no harming innocents for profit.
I've been a victim too.
I'll always act honorably, no shame to my family.
'That's why the other world is essential.'
Not strong like other returnees, hard to earn on Earth.
Manual labor was all that came to mind.
"No info on the 'Outerica Dimension,' huh."
"First place I went? Or no one's returned yet. Disappointing either way."
Somehow, organizing thoughts felt like chatting with Avatars now.
Made sense—lacked conversation partners before...
Interacting with others would improve it in time.
And soon after.
I final-checked the fully geared Avatar, like my first time.
Not my original gear—newly acquired items.
Couldn't send my parents' prepared emergency supplies to an unpredictable other world.
Probably wouldn't need them anymore.
"Phew... seems all set."
Could go anytime, but repeated checks eased tension.
Knew it was safe, but another world? Still nerve-wracking.
"Alright, for real. Otherworld Teleportation Circle."
The circle from before reappeared.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ ⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ Transfer to Outerica Dimension complete. The process was simple.
Summon Otherworld Teleportation Circle, have Avatar step on, activate.
Anticlimactically easy, belying all that tension.
Opening my eyes post-transfer, the forest from before stretched ahead.
Or strictly speaking, it was different.
Towering trees looked familiar, but surroundings were dim.
"It's night..."
Alone in the dark forest heart.
Time flowed ten times faster there, so inevitable—but disappointing.
Aimed for my first arrival time, but drift occurred.
Survival in a nighttime forest right off the bat? Even daylight lacked confidence.
After brief thought, I decided to move.
'Normally, wandering a night forest carelessly is bad, but...'
Short deliberation, then stepped forward without hesitation.
Trusted my awakened Enhanced Physique and Super Recovery, but lacking a sense of crisis was key.
No dimensional sickness thanks to Mind Hub; feeling utterly safe turned perilous night hiking into thrilling adventure.
Thus, lighthearted and immersed in otherworld romance, I looked up at the night sky.
The first thing I saw wasn't stars, but glowing yellow beast eyes.