My Alter Ego's Path to Greatness

#259

Tag (1)

A private indoor training facility, built solely for me.

Creak— Creak—

An unusual metallic sound, louder than usual, echoed from within, accompanied by intense heat.

Clang— Boom!

"Haah, haah—!"

With a heavy thud as something landed on the floor, I finished another training routine. Covered in sweat, I looked down at my steaming body and let out a low whistle of admiration.

"This is incredible! Even though this is only a small fraction of the total, it's already this strong…"

As I admired my progress, I frowned at the exercise equipment I'd just used. My grip strength was still insufficient; the handle was slightly bent and dented.

"Hmm, I'll need something sturdier."

Standard equipment wasn't suitable for a superhuman's physical training. While it was generally strong, that was only true by ordinary human standards.

'I should replace everything with Howard's custom-made products. I've been practicing using the new materials I acquired, making all sorts of things. This is perfect.'

This sudden boost to my physical capabilities was due to the 『Unique Skill Enhancement (1,300,000)』 I performed just before sending Hugo to the strengthened reality.

Initially, I hadn't intended to send Hugo there. His "Multi-talented" skill made him incredibly useful, and I planned to send a new avatar to the new dimension, to have a fresh start.

'If only the 1.3 million enhancement and the subsequent 1.4 million enhancement hadn't failed to increase the number of avatars.'

My assumptions were repeatedly proven wrong, leading me to sacrifice Hugo in exchange for two unexpected abilities.

The first was a derived ability from "Individual Projection," the one I am currently using to enhance his body. Unlike "Individual Projection," which completely overlays a single individual's information, this ability borrows a portion of an avatar's power. It lacks a clear cooldown, and if the power drain is low, like during normal times, I could maintain it all day.

'I can consider it a permanent passive skill enhancement. The most remarkable aspect is… it doesn't limit the target avatar to just one like "Individual Projection."'

It was almost overpowered, but its weakness was that the total amount of power I could borrow was drastically less than with full "Individual Projection."

'But abilities can always be improved. With further enhancement and increased proficiency, perhaps…'

Perhaps.

Perhaps it would be possible to create a horrifying hybrid—combining Hans's dark magic, Heinrich's divine power, Hari's physical abilities, blood magic, and spirit magic all at once. It would, of course, take considerable time.

'The other ability is also quite useful.'

The problem lies in the unexpectedly rapid depletion of Hugo's Karma balance. After creating the Gold Dragon Hatchling, Horus, I had around 2 million points left. After the Zepia Republic incident, it increased significantly, and thanks to various investments, it exceeded 3 million…

'Now I'm back to square one.'

The next enhancement requires 1.5 million points. Even with numerous Karma investments acting like an annuity, the constant drain of "Growth Potions" means it will take quite a while to accumulate this much unless a major event occurs.

"Well, when have I ever worried about that?"

I amassed over 10 million points when others struggled with 1 million. Karma is simply something that naturally accumulates as I do what I need to do—

'Let's see. The strengthened reality is mostly settled, so it's time to rest…'

My attention turned to Auterica, my domain.

While I focused on the strengthened reality, time in Auterica continued its steady course. My avatars trained and worked, laying a solid foundation. Among them, one showed particularly violent behavior recently.

"Ugh…"

"Gasp— I surrender! I surrender!"

"Khahhaha—! Where's the initial arrogance? Is this all you've got? Come on, the rest of you, don't hesitate! Khahaha!"

Dozens of people lay groaning on the ground, and a large man stood among them, gripping someone's head and laughing triumphantly. Those surrounding them, armed, nervously swallowed their saliva.

And rightly so. Those sprawled out like drunken vagrants were the village's best warriors. The one whose head was held by the giant was their chief and the strongest warrior in the region.

"Huh? What, no more? Don't be shy, come on! This is the most fun I've had so far. Let's see if the Robot tribe deserves to call themselves the best in Calcos!"

"It's Lubat, Hari-nim."

"Hmm? The Robot tribe seems stronger. Anyway, anyone else?"

Misty, quietly observing from a distance, gently corrected his pronunciation, but Hari, already exhilarated, ignored her.

His wild, arrogant demeanor caused those nearby to instinctively take a step back.

"Hmm, Hari-nim? Isn't that enough? Everyone else seems to have accepted."

Misty finally stepped forward, sighing. This commotion began when Hari, with Misty by his side, visited the tribe, and the chief and warriors tested whether he was worthy of being king.

The Lubat tribe, located near the southeastern rainforest, held a strong position and high pride. Faced with having to serve a stranger, they decided to make a stand.

As Hari said, this wasn't his first time doing something like this. Like the other tribes, they probably wanted to show off their strength to prevent being mistreated…

"...Khuh! My excitement is fading."

Thud—

"Kuek!"

The chief, still in Hari's grasp, crashed to the ground with a pained groan. Though bruised and battered, he struggled to raise his head, looking up at Hari.

A muscular giant over 2.3 meters tall, his bare chest adorned with flamboyant tattoos. His features, shadowed by the backlighting, and glowing crimson and green eyes radiated an oppressive aura that suggested the might of an emperor. This man was…

'…The new Warlord. As expected.'

The chief inwardly marveled, nodding slightly. Despite his beating, his eyes held not resentment or anger, but profound awe and respect. He couldn't simply submit due to a warrior's pride, but after feeling the clear difference in strength, he understood his place.

This applied not only to the chief, but also to the elite warriors groaning on the ground and the warriors observing them.

Southern warriors, who valued only strength. The sight of a man in bare hands deflecting enchanted heavy weapons and subduing warriors like children was that of a god descending to earth.

"...To the new Warlord, Umferante, chief of Lubat, pledges his loyalty."

"We pledge our loyalty!"

"Loyalty…"

With the chief and warriors pledging allegiance after recovering somewhat, everything was concluded.

"Miss, that's the end of the southeast, right? Hmm, so about half done?"

"Oh, come on, just call me Misty. Oh, you're right. Wow! Even if we ignore the smaller villages and only visited tribes with chiefs, to cover half this quickly… Hari-nim, you're amazing!"

"Uhahaha—! Well, the magic played a big part. I guess we have great compatibility!"

"Com, compatibility…? Oh, come on, Hari-nim! Hehe—"

Misty's mind raced, imagining how many children they would have, but Hari scratched his chin, thinking about his next task.

'If it were only about the Warlord's ascension, summoning the chiefs would have sufficed.'

The problem was the dire situation in the south after the Baltheon Rebellion. There was cleanup to do, and remnants were still causing trouble. To expedite things, he had to act himself.

"Hoist! Well, let's go then? Hop on, Miss."

"Hehe, three is best… Huh? Yes, yes! Hari-nim!"

With the great shaman's help, Hari sped through the south. He managed to tour the tribal federation much faster than anticipated, becoming the true 'Warlord' recognized by all of Calcos's tribes.

Finally, the decentralized power of the south began to consolidate around him.

A blond young man in work clothes diligently cleaned the house, dusting, sweeping, and mopping with precision, exuding the aura of a professional.

Lost in his work, he noticed something and frowned.

'Oh dear! There's a stain here. Master would be furious.'

He acted immediately. He took out a small bottle and brush from his apron, carefully applying the solution and scrubbing.

Scrub, scrub, scrub—

"Huhuhu, you insolent stain. Daring to trespass on my domain. You can't escape me."

With a cruel smile, he relentlessly attacked the stain, which vanished without a trace.

"Hehehe…"

Like—his past self.

"······."

His body, on the floor, froze. Normally, he would move on to the next task, but his mind was a jumble.

After some time…

"Simon? Still cleaning?"

The voice of a woman—his master—made him tense. His body instinctively reacted, trained countless times.

"Yes, yes! Master! Did you call me! I'm coming!"

"Really. So slow. What use are you?"

He rushed over and prostrated himself. Despite this, Shiana glared at him, clicking her tongue. She stepped on the former Emperor of the Azerion Empire, Simon Carte Azerion, with her pointed heels, her voice gentle.

"Simon, have you gotten soft from the lack of punishment? Or is this what you wanted? Hmm?"

"Hick! N-no, Master! I, I…"

"Hmm~ I see. You accepted punishment as a reward. What a wicked slave. Pfft."

His face reddened, his breathing ragged. Simon trembled, his face buried in the floor, a wreck of his former imperial self.

Rumble—

As they continued their "pleasant" time, suddenly…

"...What's this?"

A slight tremor caused the Immortal Fortress to shake subtly, imperceptible to ordinary people, but not to Shiana, an officer of the immortal army.

"Is the King… happy?"

She didn't understand the reason. Shiana, gripping her whip, tilted her head.

"Ugh, M-Master…"

"Ah."

A pained moan escaped from under her feet.

'Hmm, it doesn't seem bad, so it doesn't matter.'

The King would tell her if something was wrong. There was nothing she could do, so she focused on the present. A sadistic smile graced her lips. Her whip whistled through the air.

The deepest part of the Immortal Fortress. The Immortal King's private workshop.

[Kuhhahaha— Finally.]

Hans, shrouded in darkness, chuckled lowly. The Immortal Fortress trembled in response to his emotion, but he couldn't care less. He was overjoyed.

[I've got him… this one.]

Finally, the end of this long game of tag was in sight.

Woooong—

A small metal piece in Hans's hand vibrated.