Chapter 48
Chapter 48
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 48
Chapter Title: Preliminary Preparations (2)
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Korean Returnee Association, Seoul Southern Branch.
Knock knock—click!
"Branch Chief, about the canteen installation within the branch as you instructed last time... Branch Chief?"
The secretary, who had entered the branch chief's office with approval documents in hand, froze for a moment.
Branch Chief Yoon Jiyoon was scowling fiercely, glaring holes through her computer screen.
"Ah, Secretary Kim? Bring it here."
Her eyes remained fixed on the screen.
"Branch Chief, did something happen at today's meeting?"
It was the day of the regular virtual meeting for branch chiefs and above, and Secretary Kim had come straight after hearing it had just ended.
"It's an incident, but... it's ambiguous?"
"Ambiguous...?"
"You know Blood Alliance?"
She finally tore her gaze from the screen to look at the secretary.
Secretary Kim nodded in affirmation.
"Yes, the organization of Korean vampires. I heard they haven't caused any major trouble yet... Did the hardliners finally make their move?"
"It's major trouble, but it doesn't seem bad. Probably?"
"Pardon?"
"The moderates won. They're purging the hardliner executives and absorbing the remnants. Alpha's whereabouts are unknown."
Secretary Kim looked perplexed as she stared at the branch chief.
"Is that even possible? I thought the power gap was huge."
"Exactly. No idea what upset the balance."
The Returnee Association—the Guardians—had been monitoring Blood Alliance for a long time.
It was only natural for those maintaining public order.
They had a surprisingly detailed grasp of the group, which allowed them to quickly notice this upheaval.
"We should try talking to them first. We've helped them a lot so far."
In fact, the Returnee Association had covertly supported the moderates through blood supplies via blood centers.
The government-run Ability Management Bureau wanted to control them, but for those on the front lines keeping the peace, friendly relations with the moderate ones were preferable.
It reduced potential enemies when manpower was already short and checked the radical hardliners—an effective strategy so far.
No telling what would happen next, but it was better than the hardliners gaining power.
That was all they could hope for now.
"I just hope things don't get busier here..."
"Tell me about it."
Otherwise, their already heavy workload would only grow. ◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ Heinz 2nd quietly opened his eyes.
A forest that felt both familiar and strange greeted him.
The unchanged, dense woods.
Only he was different from before.
"Nothing's changed here since then."
This was the spot where he had first arrived in Outerica.
The Monster Forest, his starting point.
'Right now, it's the best place to hide and conduct research.'
The Oath of Reverse Heaven rats had completely vanished from the area, and the vampires had lost Azant, the nearest city, leaving them no leisure to concern themselves with the forest.
The Church had ransacked it once already and left it abandoned ever since—truly a no-man's-land.
'Too vast to monitor fully. The local monsters will serve as both test subjects and natural barriers, making it ideal for quiet research.'
Heinz leaped into the air, heading deep into the forest.
The surrounding monsters couldn't even detect his presence, allowing him smooth passage.
'What a world of difference. Back then, I fought for my life against a single beast.'
That black panther, was it?
To the current Heinz, it was less than a neighborhood mutt.
After traveling for some time, he stopped before a cave and surveyed the surroundings.
"This spot should do nicely."
Hard to spot, favorable monster distribution nearby, and a spacious interior perfect for research.
Ideal for a secret lab.
"First, I should get permission from the current residents."
Heinz boldly entered the cave.
And shortly after...
He could generously install barriers using his abundant blood.
A barrier built with Mystery of Blood, infused throughout with Concealment energy.
Preliminary preparations complete.
A few days passed...
Whoosh—
Inside the cave, walls covered in bizarre blood-red patterns.
Darkness suddenly blanketed the center.
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ [Huu...] A figure in a black robe, emanating inky darkness.
It was Hans.
[Hmm, better get moving.]
As soon as the transfer completed, Hans acted immediately.
He was already wrapped in concealment fields to hide his presence, but installing barriers was surer.
Carefully channeling black magic, he carved new patterns on the floor beneath the blood-red wall inscriptions.
Swift barrier construction.
Heinz, waiting inside, joined in, layering Concealment power atop it.
Black magic concealment, spatial distortion, perception dampening, detection immunity—barriers filled the cave densely.
Proving their growth, these showed far superior effects via the Path of Black Magic.
[This should suffice. Now we wait and see the results.]
Confident in their joint effort, but unsure of the Saintess's limits, they weren't fully at ease yet.
With their top informant, they'd know soon enough.
And they did—within a day.
"Good day, Saintess? You seem out of sorts today. Is something wrong?"
"Ah... Hello, Sir Heinrich. It's... just a bit stuffy. Nothing to worry about."
Via Heinrich, they confirmed the Saintess's reaction—she couldn't pinpoint Hans's location.
She only wore a subtly frustrated expression, with no signs of mobilizing a subjugation force.
'Impressive still. Even with such thorough blocking, she senses Hans's existence itself.'
She felt his presence in Outerica but couldn't narrow it down.
Their efforts paid off.
'Anyway, now we can dive into full research. Heinrich will alert us to any changes.'
Hans promptly unpacked materials and began studying.
With time on his side, he proceeded methodically.
When first pondering 'Harli's path, there had been much deliberation.
The top priority, like the other avatars, was the path of black magic.
It naturally offered the fastest growth.
'Werewolf was a prime candidate.'
The lycanthrope—whose potential grew by devouring the hearts of personally hunted prey.
'Personally' could be circumvented easily enough—not a bad option.
His excellent predecessors could assist.
'But potential grows steadily, not as dramatically as vampires. And temperaments overlap too much. So, on hold.'
Plus, lycanthropes were ostracized minority beastkin in Outerica due to their ferocity, limiting activity.
Amid the deliberations, he found this research material.
Dubbed the 'Complete Evolution Creature Project.'
Similar to chimera research, but aimed far higher.
Not forcibly grafting alien flesh, but continuously evolving the body by absorbing superior genes.
'And like lycanthropes, transformation on demand!'
Transformation was too valuable to pass up.
A breakthrough: keep the romance... er, advantages, ditch the drawbacks.
'Its foundation is this 'dragon blood.'
Hans shook a vial of gem-like purple liquid.
Predator dragon blood from the Raubeda dimension.
Even in Raubeda—full of dragons and dragon hunters—a top predator.
The worst dragon: manifests traits of devoured foes, evolving endlessly.
Survival breeds evolution, ultimately without natural enemies.
'...per the research report.'
The Heavenreach Society had begun research using its blood to harness those traits.
[Quantity is low, but the traits within matter—not an issue.]
From raiding the director's mind, he recalled inter-branch competition; likely distributed for parallel research.
The issue: Could Hans alone achieve what even the spellmasters of Heavenreach couldn't?
Even with his myriad skills, completing it was daunting.
[Kuhuhu... No intent to perfect it anyway. Irrelevant.]
Indeed, no need for perfection.
Just make it usable for Harli's enhancement.
He acknowledged their linked spells.
But their process-documented research journal was now his, and his Forbidden Knowledge held secrets beyond Heavenreach.
And crucially...
Thud thud—
Harli emerged from a corner of the cave.
Cooldown over, ready for another transfer circle use.
Harli bore a large backpack, crossbag, necklace, bracelets—all spatial magic tools stuffed with Tarak-sourced materials.
[And here, the perfect test subject.]
Even if experiments failed, Adaptation and Super Recovery ensured survival; unwavering cooperation through any ordeal, no madness.
Mental link allowed instant grasp of subtle changes for real-time adjustments...
'No need for universality. Tailored to Harli alone is fine.'
Snatching and utilizing their research first? Utterly delightful.
[Well then, shall we begin?]
Thus, Hans and Harli commenced joint work as researcher and subject. ◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ Sunny afternoon at the Roselia Main Temple, bathed in sunlight.
"......The sword and shield guarding the flock, hereby I appoint Heinrich Landgard as a Holy Knight of the Church of the Main God."
In one chapel, Heinrich's Holy Knight ordination ceremony concluded.
Receiving the surname 'Landgard' from the Church, he was now 'Sir Heinrich Landgard.'
Beautiful sunlight shattering through stained glass, the chapel's solemn, benevolent air.
Even the kindly archbishop smiling as he hung the Holy Knight's holy emblem around his neck.
A divinely picturesque scene.
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ The entity has met the conditions and attained enlightenment. Acquired special skill Blessing: Leap. Until an uninvited system window blocked his view.
"Hm? Oh—! A blessing! During the ordination! The Main God looks upon you!"
Holy power burst from Heinrich momentarily.
The archbishop, who had hung the emblem on the kneeling Heinrich, exclaimed in awe.
He then gazed heavenward, eyes closed in prayer.
Naturally, other attendees joined, swelling the ceremony into an impromptu prayer meeting.
Everyone but me.
'...When do I get up?'
Ordination and new blessing were great, but the disrupted proceedings left him unsure how to proceed.
Not wanting to stand out idle, he subtly clasped hands in prayer.
"...The Main God watches the earth and guides the pitiful..."
Using the archbishop-led prayer as backdrop, he sorted his thoughts.
This blessing had one very special trait.
'Very briefly, but I felt the Main God's will distinctly.'
Astonishing that the Main God bestowed it personally for the ordination—like his baptism, a momentary link.
Shorter than before, but it confirmed the Main God's continued interest.
'Why? Because I'm from another world? Not mere curiosity. No human-like emotions.'
'Interest' was his subjective interpretation of what he sensed.
That vast will was dizzying even in fragments. ⚔ STATUS ⚔ 📋 Entity Name: Heinrich 🔗 Common Traits: Mind Hub, Persona, Super Recovery, Clear Mirror Still Water 🌟 Entity Traits: Holy Baptism, Blessing: Fortification, Blessing: Leap, Sinew, Holy Warrior Combat Arts, Outerica Holy Magic 📝 Notes: Holy power surpasses High Priest level and continues growing. Can now use a wider variety of holy spells proficiently. Body further fortified by blessing; can leap through space. However...
Distracted by the Main God's will, he belatedly realized the new blessing's potency.
'Wait—leap through space? That's spatial translocation!'
No clue on daily uses or distance limits yet.
But spatial movement was top-tier!
Trainable too—perfect for Heinrich's future.
'Gifting such power outright. No wonder He's the Main God. The continentals have reason to worship.'
Swift change of attitude.
Gratitude demands reciprocation; he properly adjusted his pose and prayed sincerely.
Laden with desire for more.
At that moment.
The archbishop, opening his eyes to conclude, saw Heinrich's fervent prayer brimming with zeal and smiled warmly.
'Hoho, a truly devout youth. Talented too—a pillar for our Church.'
The satisfying Holy Knight ordination ended triumphantly.