Chapter 217

Maybe it was because he cared too much about his beloved daughter's safety.

Or maybe he hoped Helen would help him persuade Gwen to keep her distance from Eren for now, just in case she got caught up in the chaos.

Whatever the reason, this time George didn't hide anything from Helen. Instead, he directly told her about the madman who attacked Tony Stark the night before, and his suspicion that Eren might be the attacker's next target.

But contrary to George's expectations—

Helen didn't seem as worried as he thought she would be.

Instead, she smiled and hugged Gwen, then leaned close and whispered into her ear, "If it's Eren, I believe he'll protect you. But with certain matters... I hope you two stay safe. Don't go overboard and cause any... accidents."

Clearly—

The "safety" Helen referred to and the "safety" George meant were completely different things.

Realizing what her mother meant, Gwen's face instantly turned bright red.

"Moooom!"

With a flustered stomp, Gwen skipped dinner and fled straight to her room.

·····················

Chinatown.

Inside Eren's increasingly eerie old house—

Back in his sanctuary, Eren took out the Ring of Greed he had just retrieved from his clone and initiated a spiritual jump.

Using that mysterious connection,

He projected his spiritual body into a deeper layer of the Balance Space.

Upon entering, Eren didn't linger—he went straight toward the Scales of Fate.

Once near them—

Eren took out one fragment after another of the Destroyer armor from the Ring of Greed and spoke softly toward the massive scales above the River of Destiny:

"Exchange."

As soon as the words left his lips, a miniature version of the giant scales—countless times smaller—appeared as a projection before him.

Eren pushed all the Destroyer fragments onto one side of this projected scale.

Then, a faint voice, or thought, or concept appeared deep within his mind, as if asking him what he wanted to trade for.

What to exchange—

Eren had already decided. Ever since his trump card, the [Angel's Scepter]—which summoned a six-winged angel—had been used, he had been feeling insecure without a backup life-saving tool.

The [Angel's Scepter] had a three-month cooldown.

In the meantime, Eren felt it was necessary to obtain something else to fill that gap.

This time—

If possible, he hoped to exchange the Destroyer fragments for a life-saving trump card.

Or perhaps an item with powerful offensive capabilities.

Compared to Magicians with their endless survival tricks, what Eren truly lacked was raw firepower.

However—

What worried Eren was whether these shattered pieces of Destroyer armor were enough to get him what he wanted.

If he had the complete armor, he'd have no doubts.

But now—

All he had were fragments.

As he considered his options—

Three phantom projections began forming on the other side of the scale.

The first was a translucent, blood-red crystal.

[Blood Core: The only relic left behind after the death of Count Dracula from another world. When placed in the heart and melted with one's own blood, it grants the ability to resurrect from death—even if the body is shattered into a thousand pieces, as long as a single drop of blood remains, the body can reform under mysterious laws.]

[Note: "Unless I no longer wish to live, no one can truly kill me." — Dracula]

[Tip: After melting the Blood Core, the user will unknowingly absorb a portion of Dracula's blood and gradually begin to transform into a vampire. The longer time passes, the more severe the transformation. Upon using the Blood Core to resurrect, the user will become a vampire.]

A vampire?

Though tempted by the Blood Core's terrifying resurrection ability, Eren didn't want to become a vampire.

Not to mention—

Vampires had way too many weaknesses.

Sunlight, crosses, silver...

He wasn't about to give his enemies that many obvious openings.

So his eyes quickly moved past the Blood Core and settled on the second phantom.

[Pacifist - Modified Version: An advanced technological creation from a world surrounded by oceans. After that world was devoured by an eldritch entity, it underwent a terrifying mutation, becoming significantly stronger.]

[Note: That encounter seems to have imbued it with unique traits. To become its master, you must share its... peculiar tastes.]

[Quote: "Master, let's go on a trip together." — Pacifist Unit 666]

[Tip: After being consumed by an unknowable being, Pacifist Unit 666 developed a love for danger. It enjoys traveling to perilous places. Fail to meet its demands, and it may 'go on strike' in protest.]

Eren blinked.

A battle mech… that was a travel addict?

Shaking his head, he moved on.

Then came the third option—a phantom projection of an inverted magical ritual array.

[Byron's Conversion Array: Created by a battle mage in another world, this array, once set up, can draw power from the void and convert it into energy that nourishes the physical body.]

[Note: Using this, Byron eventually became the strongest melee mage in his world. Of course, he also ended up hunted by various Void Lords, and was eventually slain by a Hell Duke whose power he had drained.]

[Tip: When drawing and converting power from the void, be careful of the Void Lords. If discovered, they won't hesitate to crush you like an ant.]

Eren's eyes lit up the moment he read this.

Perfect.

An array that converts dimensional energy into physical strength—this was exactly what he needed.

With Byron's Conversion Array, he could use his [Cosmic Brain Meditation Technique] to temper both mind and body—no longer just barely surviving, but genuinely powerful.

Compared to the other two—

He didn't hesitate long.

Eren selected [Byron's Conversion Array].

Give a man a fish, and you feed him for a day. Teach him to fish…

Both the Blood Core and Pacifist Unit could offer immediate boosts, but they were tainted with side effects and dependence on external power.

Byron's Array, however, offered power that became his own.

····························

Once chosen, a small array phantom appeared in Eren's palm.

It was a solidified version of Byron's Conversion Array.

As soon as he exited the Balance Space, he could pick a location and cast it—marking the world with this array and converting void energy into physical enhancement.

Eren stared at the densely packed runes on the miniature array, feeling a bit dizzy.

Returning to the real world—

He asked Oddball to clear a room on the third floor for training.

As the spirit of the house, that kind of thing was easy for it.

In seconds—

Oddball had created a spotless, semi-sealed room.

"Go."

Once the room was ready, Eren flicked the array out of his hand.

Immediately, the array expanded hundreds of times over.

At its center, the countless runes transformed into golden rune chains that embedded themselves into the void, anchoring Byron's Conversion Array to space itself.

Eren's eyes glinted with intensity as he activated his Spirit Vision to the max.

Unfortunately—

He didn't know enough about magical rituals or arrays.

Otherwise, he might have learned even more from it.

Crack… crack…

As the rune chains burrowed into the void,

The magical core of Byron's Array embedded itself in the ceiling.

The void around it rippled and distorted—

Then the array vanished into golden light.

"Did it work?"

Feeling the brief surge of radiant gold, Eren's eyes flickered with curiosity.

According to the records left within the array—

The golden glow marked a successful installation.

Which meant—

Even if he did nothing now,

Byron's Conversion Array would begin drawing power from nearby void dimensions and transforming it into energy that enhanced his body.

Thinking this—

Eren grabbed a nearby cushion and sat in the center of the now-invisible array.

He closed his eyes and began meditating with his [Cosmic Brain Technique].

As the array activated—

Eren could feel his Spirit Vision becoming clearer.

Soon—

Threads of dark energy flowed through the golden rune chains toward the array's core.

A massive golden millstone suddenly manifested from the center.

As it rotated, the black energy was drawn in and ground apart—

Again and again.

With each revolution—

The dark energy became more refined until it transformed into shimmering strands of pale golden brilliance.

··································

Using Spirit Vision, Eren "saw" the golden energy form.

He took a deep breath—

And drew it toward him.

"This is the energy transformed by Byron's Array?"

After a few seconds of observation, he used [Cosmic Brain] to "swallow" the golden energy.

The moment it entered him—

A searing heat erupted from his head, surging throughout his entire body.

His mind became extraordinarily clear.

Immediately, Eren centered himself, formed seals with his hands, and guided the energy into every corner of his body.

His hands moved rapidly, forming one seal after another like dancing butterflies.

Soon—

White mist escaped his pores, along with strands of foul-smelling black sludge.

Half an hour later.

After absorbing another round of golden energy from the rotating millstone,

Eren finally opened his eyes and emerged from deep meditation.

With a thought—

He unleashed a burst of explosive power from every part of his body.

Not just power.

After swallowing the golden energy, his cells themselves felt more alive.

(End of Chapter)

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