My Alter Ego’s Path to Greatness

“Hey! Move that over there!”

“Careful! Don’t drop it!”

“Are the mages here yet? We can’t touch this!”

The outskirts of Tarak Castle were in ruins, and people were busily trying to clean up the mess.

The city had been hit hard by the consecutive attacks of the giant and the Immortal King, and was in a state of chaos.

It was only thanks to the Immortal King’s sudden departure that they had avoided further casualties, but the damage was still significant.

The protective barrier and other magic circles, forcibly activated and maintained by the mages, were beyond repair, the walls had crumbled, the earth was contaminated, and the loss of life and resources was substantial.

And having faced the Immortal Army, exuding the deathly aura that was anathema to living beings, most of the soldiers involved in the defense were suffering from deep fear and trauma.

So, immediately after the battle, the ones tasked with treating not only the physically wounded, but also those suffering from mental trauma, were…

“It’s good to see you again, Cardinal Donovan! You’ve worked hard today.”

“Not at all. What I’ve done is nothing compared to your efforts, Saintess and your companions. If the Immortal King hadn't left, Tarak would be in ashes.”

…The members of the Church who had come from the Picaol Temple.

Their leader, the Cardinal, had finally found the time to formally greet the hero party after dealing with the Immortal King’s appearance, the battle on the walls, and the emergency treatment of the wounded.

As Cardinal Donovan looked at Saintess Liesta with a kind, grandfatherly gaze, Heinrich spoke, his voice filled with surprise.

“You arrived very quickly. It must have been difficult to prepare such a large force in such a short time.”

“We had a feeling something might happen, so we were prepared. Ready to depart at a moment’s notice. And then we received the emergency alert from Tarak.”

He added, with a self-deprecating chuckle, that they had still been a bit late.

His massive muscles, as impressive as ever, twitched and flexed.

‘He’s still so energetic, despite his age.’

Heinrich recalled their first meeting at the Picaol Temple, when he had gone there for the holy sword trial.

Of course, back then, he had been a mere Paladin candidate, and now he was a renowned Saint… Their positions were vastly different.

“But… Hmm, it seems the vampires have already left.”

“Yes, they departed immediately after the battle. I wanted to thank them for their assistance…”

“Indeed, they were a great help. We wouldn't have lasted long without them. …To think we would receive aid from vampires. It’s a strange feeling.”

A knight, who had spent his entire life considering vampires the enemy, sighed softly.

He had been skeptical of the Saint’s policy of peace and cooperation with the vampires… but having witnessed their contribution firsthand, he couldn’t deny the results.

The Saint’s judgment had been correct.

Heinrich smiled faintly and nodded.

‘This will further accelerate the integration of vampires into society. Hubert’s Trading Company can also contribute to the city’s reconstruction, further increasing their influence. Now then…’

And at the same time.

Heinz the Second, having returned to his hideout after the battle, observed his subordinates preparing the Blood Gate and organized his thoughts.

He had returned to Auterica to finalize the situation in the eastern Republic.

And then the emergency alert had forced him to come here.

Now that the situation was resolved, he needed to return and finish the job.

Of course, there was still the matter of receiving compensation for their assistance to the Tulk Kingdom…

‘I can deal with that later. I’ve already showcased our power. They’ll have no choice but to offer us favorable terms.’

It would be beneath him, the representative of Talia, to personally handle such trivial negotiations.

That’s what subordinates were for.

Discussions about compensation and future cooperation were matters for the nations to handle. There was no reason for him to stay here any longer.

‘I also need to talk to Kayla McClair again.’

The Vice President of the Republic, who had cooperated with him to uncover the truth about her son’s disappearance.

He had just received a report that something suspicious had been discovered while investigating the Obaifo Clan members involved in the incident.

‘…Perhaps he might still be alive.’

Of course, it wasn’t certain.

The probability of a child kidnapped and missing for over twenty years still being alive was incredibly low.

‘I wanted to finish this quickly and go on a culinary tour of Northern Europe…’

Heinz licked his lips, a hint of anticipation in his eyes.

But he couldn’t just break his promise with someone who could be a valuable ally.

He glanced at the shimmering Blood Gate, slowly opening amidst the swirling blood, and tilted his head slightly.

‘It won’t take long.’

Now that the biggest obstacle, the Revolutionary, was gone.

There was no one left in this world who could defy his will.

______________________

『Fragment of the XXed XXX’s XX (27,200,000)』

“Hmm, as expected, this is related to that god imprisoned in the abyss.”

I frowned slightly, staring at the item displayed in the 『Item Purchase』 menu.

An unidentified item, initially priced at 30 million.

After the Obaifo incident, right after creating the dragon avatar, its price had decreased by 300,000 points.

And now, it had decreased by over a million.

‘…At this rate, it’s practically confirmed.’

That the item was somehow connected to the giant, the Revolutionary, and the god he worshipped.

‘A god imprisoned in the abyss.’

Naturally, after learning about it, I had mobilized all my resources to gather information.

From the intelligence networks under each avatar to the resources accessible through Heinrich’s position as Saint… but the information I had gathered from across the continent…

“This is unbelievable.”

…was practically nonexistent.

There wasn’t a single mention of it, not even in local folklore or legends.

And the Heresy Inquisitors, the information specialists within the Main God Church, were just as clueless.

When I subtly brought up the topic, even with my face mostly concealed by a mask and hood, their bewildered reactions were palpable.

Heinrich couldn’t push it any further. He had to give up on gathering information from them.

Of course, their reaction itself was a piece of information.

‘It means its existence has been completely erased from this dimension.’

A divine being’s records erased from an entire world.

Only one being was capable of such a feat.

‘Now I understand why the Main God has been so supportive.’

The Immortal King was the first blade, the most dangerous weapon, unleashed by the god imprisoned in the abyss.

And an outsider, unrelated to this world, had stolen it.

With the world’s order threatened by a recurring bug, the Main God had used him, Han Seong-hyeon, as an antivirus.

“Well, it was a win-win situation, so I’m not complaining.”

I shrugged and turned my attention away from the unidentified item.

I had opened the system window to check my Karma balance, but I had gotten sidetracked.

‘Anyway, hunting down a major player like that was quite profitable.’

I had been steadily enhancing my unique skill and using the Growth Elixir, so my Karma gain rate had slowed down somewhat… but eliminating the Revolutionary had resulted in a massive influx of points.

Almost 2 million from a single incident.

‘I should save these for now. I might need them later. And I can’t enhance my unique skill yet anyway.’

I had already enhanced it twelve times.

And at this level, I could instinctively feel it.

That I wasn’t ready for the next stage yet.

‘Well, I knew there would be a limit eventually.’

I had grown too quickly, and my proficiency hadn’t caught up with my level.

The double enhancement from the previous upgrade had probably also played a role.

‘It’s not urgent, so there’s no need to rush. I have plenty of time. I should focus on consolidating my foundation.’

It was hard to grasp the passage of time, living in multiple bodies in a world with accelerated time… but I had only been an awakened individual, the owner of 「Avatar」, for less than six months.

It was an abnormal growth rate, even by otherworlder standards.

There was no need to be greedy.

Ring—♪

As I was pondering my next move, the alarm on my smartphone rang.

“Ah, it’s already this late.”

It was almost noon.

I quickly grabbed my jacket and headed out into the bright sunlight.

‘The weather is perfect.’

I shielded my eyes with my hand, a slight frown on my face, and quickened my pace.

I could go outside without any problems now, but having spent years as a shut-in, I still wasn’t fond of leaving the house.

I had all the necessary facilities, for exercise and leisure, within my home.

-Kang Tae-san: Hey, are you really coming? Grandma also said you shouldn’t push yourself.

But that was why I had to make an effort to go out, especially for important occasions.

And they weren't complete strangers.

I couldn’t just ignore my few remaining human connections for the sake of convenience.

-Me: I’m on my way. I’m already on the bus.

-Kang Tae-san: Okay, be careful.

It felt like ages since I had last ventured into Seoul as my main body.

Today was the day Kang Tae-san’s grandmother was being discharged from the hospital.

______________________

As I made my way to Seoul, transferring buses several times without any delays, I made a firm decision to get my driver’s license as soon as possible.

Having gotten used to the convenience of instant teleportation, I hadn’t realized how inconvenient public transportation was. Even with perfect transfer timings, it was still a hassle.

‘I could use “Individual Projection” to teleport, but… I can’t do that for every outing.’

It was easy to slip up and reveal his secrets when he was careless.

He needed to maintain a normal routine for his main body's alibi.

“Oh, Seong-hyeon! What brings you here? You didn’t have to come all this way.”

“Ahaha— It’s fine. I needed some fresh air anyway.”

“That’s right, he needs to get out more. Grandma, do you know what his house is like? He has a gym, a swimming pool, and even a movie theater!”

And when I finally arrived at the hospital and met his grandmother, who was just finishing her discharge procedures,

A strange feeling washed over me.

‘The holy power is really effective.’

Seeing his grandmother, who had been so ill, finally recovered enough to be discharged, I recalled the holy power treatment Heinrich had performed.

‘I can’t cure old age, but restoring her vitality and strengthening her resistance helped a lot.’

Heinrich’s holy power had been at the Archbishop level back then.

It was weaker compared to his current Saint level, but even an Archbishop was a high-ranking figure.

Equivalent to an Earl, a high-ranking cleric responsible for an entire diocese.

‘It took some time, but she’s fully recovered.’

Holy power and divine spells were truly useful abilities.

It was no wonder so many minor religions were thriving in modern society.

If the power of holy magic wasn’t so severely restricted on Earth, perhaps the Church would have even greater influence.

“Alright, let’s go.”

I followed Kang Tae-san, who was pushing his grandmother’s wheelchair.

And just as we were about to leave the hospital,

“Pfft… Hehehe…”

A faint chuckle reached my ears, amplified by my transcendental stats and the passive buff from my enhanced unique skill.

An ominous laughter, audible only to me.

A chill ran down my spine, my senses sharpening.

I instinctively turned my head towards the source of the sound—.

And I knew.

‘…I shouldn’t have gotten my hopes up!’

There was no place safer than home.

And then.

Kaboom—!

A massive explosion ripped through the hospital lobby.

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