Chapter 38: From Mortal to Immortal: The Path Forward (Updated)

[Five Months After the Auction]

Five months had passed since the auction day. Though I'd initially planned to leave after one month, I decided to extend my stay to strengthen the foundations of the Hestia familia. Leaving too soon would have been like abandoning a sandcastle—fragile and vulnerable. During this time, much had transpired. Let's start with the aftermath of the auction.

What others didn't see was that I not only burned the bodies of the dead members but also absorbed the origin energy within them, leaving their souls untouched—except for Ishtar's. Despite her mortal body at the time, this was still the soul of the goddess of beauty, war, justice, and political power. While I couldn't claim the physical skills tied to her divine powers (since her body was mortal), absorbing her soul granted me significant benefits. My charm ability improved drastically—I could now compel obedience without resistance.

It infuriated me how weak these so-called gods truly were compared to real deities. Even with all the power my family once wielded, we never dared call ourselves gods. Yet these ants, weaker than insects compared to true gods, flaunted their titles as if they deserved them. But I digress. The gains from Ishtar's absorption were immense, unlocking parts of my bloodline and boosting my stats significantly.

These rewards led me to another decision: absorbing the Freya familia. They weren't good people to begin with, and Freya brought this fate upon herself. After the auction, while other familias wisely chose to avoid us, Freya approached me like a woman in heat, demanding I abandon Hestia and join her. She promised to give me everything I'd ever need—and even tried to charm me. Things escalated quickly, and now our familias were enemies.

But that wasn't what occupied my mind at the moment. What troubled me was why I hadn't advanced to the Immortal realm yet, despite exceeding the limits of the P.Legend realm. Such a breach should've triggered an automatic advancement to maintain balance. After some reflection, I realized the truth: my father, using my wish for the Gamer body as camouflage, had secretly given me the Origin body—a crime punishable by at least 100 million years in the void.

The Origin body wasn't something one was born with; it was an artifact passed down through heirs. It defied the natural limits of realms, causing unrest among other creations. To restore peace, our family agreed to keep our bloodline but relinquish the Origin body's limitless potential. This left us with only a slight edge in advancement speed and peak performance when reaching the Titan realm. Still, we remained far weaker than our original potential.

To understand this, you must know how realm advancement works. From Mortal to P.Legend, each new realm adds a fixed amount of power to all beings. Skills determine individual strength differences. However, advancing from Immortal to Titan is vastly different. Each realm grants a multiplier to your base stats (n = 2, 3, 4...7 for each realm, and 1.5 for every "P" tier). Exceeding the limit of a realm makes you exponentially stronger—and dangerously unstable.

Originally, we were created to act as creators and protectors of worlds, wielding immense power to maintain universal balance. But over time, newer creations opposed this plan, seeking shared responsibility. Our powers were nerfed, and the lazy heir of that era allowed it to happen, ignoring signs until it was too late. By the time he acted, we retained only our bloodline—a miracle in itself.

Now, back to the present. The only way to save my father is through sheer power—to reclaim the Counselor position stolen from our family. Due to the nerf, every heir since that lazy ancestor failed to regain the throne. The current Counselor's son betrayed me, fearing my talent might succeed where others had failed. With his son banished for the crime, I must challenge the current master—a daunting task.

My new plan is to exceed the original stat limit of each realm by at least 50% before advancing. There are two reasons for this restraint. First, possessing the Origin body is a grave crime. If exposed, my father will face the void, and by the time I reach him, he may already be dead. Second, holding back advancement requires tremendous effort. Pushing beyond the limit risks death unless managed carefully. Thus, I'll maximize each realm's potential before moving on. Fortunately, my father couldn't hide this from God, which reassures me that He isn't taking sides. Even if the current Counselor discovers my unnatural growth, he won't suspect the Origin body—it's impossible for anyone else to possess.

Today, I'm ending the Freya familia. Everything is set. Using my current power, I secured their assets and absorbed select members. It didn't take long. All my familia members are now Level 8 or 7, so I didn't send my Shadows this time. Instead, I led the familia personally and headed straight for Freya.

Reaching her room, I found Otto guarding the door. My power far surpassed his, and he couldn't even parry before I cut him in half and absorbed his origin energy. Inside, I found Freya in bed, naked, inviting me to join her. Disgusted by the used goods of a whore, I ended her life and absorbed her soul along with her origin power. My charm ability upgraded further, gaining the power to plant memories and manipulate minds.

With the Freya familia absorbed, my familia now boasted several hundred members—a manageable number, thanks to our resources. We stood unrivaled in every department: weapon crafting, dungeon diving, potion-making, and more. Members with developmental skills learned under masters, and we sold our creations through alliances forged with other familias, just as I did with Hephaestus. Every member I personally trained became a captain under a new rank system I introduced: Commanders. The quest board at our new headquarters was always full.

Additionally, Mikoto, Daphne, and Cassandra joined us. Mikoto requested to join voluntarily, while Apollo handed over Daphne and Cassandra as reparations for peace after my actions against the Ishtar, Soma, and Freya familias.

I admired my work, then called for my captains and vice-captains:

Finn and TioneAis and BellRiveria and AliciaGareth and BeteAisha and TionaLili and ChandraHaruhime and MikotoDaphne and Cassandra

Today, I was taking these strongest members of my familia to face their final challenge: killing the boss of the final floor.

[Back to the Present]

Standing before the magical circle I'd created, I reflected on its creation. Though none of my mages could craft one alone, groups of fifteen could collaborate to make them. Regardless, they were ready.

Behind me stood the full might of my familia, prepared for their graduation challenge. I was confident they'd succeed, but I wouldn't witness it. Instead, I'd absorb the real Black Dragon beneath the floor.

We teleported through the circle and arrived at the gate of the final floor. I summoned the captains and instructed Finne and Aisha to take command in my absence. They nodded and advanced, while I teleported to the Black Dragon's seal.

Sora: "Long time no see, Black Dragon."

Startled by my voice, the Black Dragon turned to me. "You! How dare you return here? If not for those seals, I'd have killed you, damn mortal!"

By this point, I was already done playing games. Though strong enough to defeat him solo, I summoned my Shadows to end things quickly. Together, they held 90% of my total stats and wielded dragon-slaying weapons. Without effort, they dismantled the seals, rendering them unnecessary. Drawing my dragon-slayer sword, I aimed for the head while my Shadows launched their attacks.

Three minutes later, the Black Dragon lay impaled beneath my feet, surrounded by swords and spears.

Sora: "Arise."

With that command, I gained a giant Immortal-realm dragon as a Shadow.

I sat down and began absorbing the origin energy used to create him, leaving his soul intact since I needed him as a Shadow. Once finished, I felt my body brimming with power—but not in a good way. Advancing to the Immortal realm was no longer optional; my body couldn't handle the strain any longer.

Teleporting to my cave in the forest to avoid attracting attention, I let my body advance. Two hours and immense pain later, I emerged transformed.

Sora: "Jarvis, show me my status and reward my main mission."

[Quests:]

Main Quest: Completed. Rewarding 100,000 WP.

The main quest has been updated.

[Status Updated: All skills advanced to Immortal Realm.]

Status:

Name: Sora OriginRace: The Origin (Immortal Realm)Bloodline: Origin 25%Magical Core: Tier 5 → Tier 7Job: Shadow Emperor → Immortal Shadow EmperorLevel: 35 → 80EXP: 1000/1000000HP: 100%MP: 100%Total Stats: 316,800

Skills (Passive):

{The Origin (P.Titan Realm): Whether living or not, magical or not, formless or not—everything belongs to and is part of you.}{Magic & Swordsman Grandmaster (P.Legend Realm)} → {Magic & Swordsman Sage (Immortal Realm)}{World Defier (P.Legend Realm)} → {Chain Breaker (Immortal Realm)}{Warlock Might (P.Legend Realm)} → {Dragon Might (Immortal Realm): +3000 to all stats.}{Magic and Sword Domain (P.Legend Realm)} → {Magic and Sword Domain (Immortal Realm)}{Spear Grandmaster (P.Legend Realm)} → {Spear Sage (Immortal Realm)}{Potion Maker (Legend Realm)} → {Potion Maker (Immortal Realm)}{Ghost (Legend Realm)} → {Shadow (Immortal Realm): Stealth attacks deal +300% damage (works on all life forms except undead ones).}

Abilities (Active):

{Judgment (Legend Realm)} → {Judgment (Immortal Realm)}{Teleport (Legend Realm)} → {Teleport (Immortal Realm)}{Death Dealer (Legend Realm)} → {Death Dealer (Immortal Realm)}{DRAGON ROAR (Immortal Realm): Stuns all weaker enemies for 10 seconds. Stronger foes are stunned for 2 seconds.}{Hell Flames (Immortal Realm): Sacrifice your life force to summon hellfire and drag your enemies into the afterlife with you.}{Charm (Immortal Realm)}

Sora: "Now, let's say goodbye to everyone and leave for the next world. I'll return someday to claim this one for myself. Until then, farewell."