Chapter 269: Going Out (1)

"Hey! Move that over there!"

"Whoa! Be careful not to drop it!"

"Are the mages here yet? We can't touch this on our own!"

A chaotic scene and people bustling about to clean up the aftermath.

Having suffered the double whammy of the giant's sudden attack and the Undead King's invasion, Tarak was in a state of utter chaos.

The fact that the Undead King left midway prevented further casualties, but the damage Tarak suffered was by no means insignificant.

The protective barriers and magic circles, forcibly activated by the mages' desperate efforts, had long been damaged beyond repair, the collapsed walls and contaminated earth were in a dire state, and the loss of life and property was substantial.

Moreover, most of the soldiers who participated in the defense suffered deep fear and trauma from facing the Undead Army, reeking of death aura, in such extreme conditions.

Therefore, immediately after the battle ended, those who took charge of treating not only the wounded but also the mentally scarred soldiers were…

"Haha, it's been a while. Saintess, Saint. I apologize for the late greeting due to the sudden string of events."

"It really has been a while, Cardinal Donovan! You've worked hard today."

"Not at all. What could this old man have done compared to the feats of the Saintess and her companions? If the Undead King himself had participated in this battle, Tarak would have been reduced to ashes in an instant."

The people from the Church who had come from the Picaol Grand Temple.

Their representative, the Cardinal, was finally able to formally greet the Hero's party only after the Undead King's appearance, the defense of Tarak, and the emergency treatment of the urgent patients were all taken care of.

As Cardinal Donovan looked at Saintess Riestta with a kind gaze, like a grandfather looking at his granddaughter, Heinrich spoke up, sounding surprised.

"You arrived remarkably quickly. It couldn't have been easy to prepare such a large support force."

"Since those fiends have been strangely quiet lately, I prepared for every possibility, just in case. So that we could depart immediately if an emergency occurred. And then, as if on cue, we received an urgent message from Tarak."

And since this was his first emergency dispatch, he clicked his tongue in disappointment, lamenting that he had been slower than he thought.

His ridiculously large muscles, as formidable as ever, twitched constantly.

'He's quite something for his age.'

Seeing that reminded Heinrich of the time he first met him at the Picaol Grand Temple for the Holy Sword trial.

Of course, there was a world of difference between his position back then as a mere paladin candidate for Hero and his current status as a renowned Saint.

"But… hmm, the vampires have already left. Haha."

"Ah, it seems they left immediately after the battle ended. I was planning to thank them for their help…"

"Hmm, indeed, they were of great assistance. Without their help, we probably wouldn't have lasted long and would have crumbled. …Huh, the day would come when we'd receive help from vampires. It's a complicated feeling."

The cardinal, who had lived his long life considering vampires as enemies, let out a short sigh.

He hadn't been pleased with the peace policy pushed by the Saint, but after receiving such significant help, he had no choice but to acknowledge it.

That the Saint's judgment had been correct.

Seeing this, Heinrich nodded with a faint smile on his lips.

'This will further accelerate the vampires' integration into society. As for the damage to the city, Hubert Trading Company can make additional investments to increase their influence. Now then…'

And at the same time.

Heinz II, who had slipped back to his safe house immediately after the battle, organized his thoughts while watching his subordinates prepare the Blood Gate.

He had returned to Auterica from Earth to properly conclude the aftermath in the Eastern Republic, which was nearing its end.

He had then rushed over here due to the emergency.

Now that all the problems were resolved, he needed to hurry back and finish things up.

Of course, there was still the matter of reciprocating the Tulke Kingdom for their cooperation—

'Such negotiations can be done anytime. I've clearly demonstrated our power this time. Considering what will happen in the future, they'll have no choice but to come to us first.'

It would only damage his prestige if Heinz II, the representative of the Talia Kingdom, had to personally handle such trivial matters.

That was what subordinates were for.

Since the reward for this support, as well as future matters, would be discussed at the national level, there was nothing more for him to do here.

'I also need to talk to Kayla McCleary again.'

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

He had just received a report that suspicious circumstances had been discovered during the investigation of the Obaipo Clan members to find out what had happened to her son.

'…Perhaps he might still be alive.'

Of course, nothing was certain yet.

The probability of a child kidnapped and missing for over twenty years still being alive wasn't very high.

'I was planning to finish things here quickly and go on a Northern European gourmet tour…'

Heinz stealthily stuck out his tongue and licked his lips.

But he couldn't just break a promise with someone who would be of great help in the future.

He looked at the Blood Gate that was slowly opening within the swirling blood and tilted his head slightly.

'Well, it won't take that long.'

Now that the Revolutionary, the biggest obstacle, had been eliminated.

There would be no one left in this world to oppose his will.

『XX Fragment of the XXed XXX (28,500,000)』

"Hmm, as expected, that's related to the god trapped in the abyss, right?"

I frowned slightly as I looked at an item that appeared in the 『Item Purchase』 list.

An unknown item that was initially priced at a whopping 30 million.

The one that had suddenly decreased by 300,000 points right after creating the Dragon Avatar, before dealing with the Obaipo vampires hiding in the East.

This time, it had decreased by over 1 million.

'As expected… With this much fluctuation, I can be certain.'

That the item was somehow related to the giant, the Revolutionary, and the god of the abyss that he worshipped.

'A god sealed in the abyss.'

Naturally, I had been using all sorts of methods to gather related information ever since I learned about it.

Not only did I utilize the intelligence agencies under each avatar, but I also didn't hesitate to use my position as a Saint, and the information I gathered from all over the continent…

"It's surprisingly scarce."

Surprisingly, there was absolutely nothing.

There wasn't even a single mention of anything similar, not even in local legends or folktales.

And it was the same within the Church of the Lord, specifically among the Inquisitors who also handled information analysis.

When I subtly brought it up, I could sense their bewilderment even though their faces were concealed by masks and hoods, revealing only their eyes.

With the look in their eyes that seemed to question if the Saint had lost his mind, Heinrich had no choice but to give up on gathering further information.

Of course, at that point, the lack of information itself became a piece of information.

'It means that its existence has been completely erased from the entire dimension of Auterica.'

A world-wide erasure of records concerning a divine being.

There was only one being capable of such a feat.

'Now I understand. Why the Lord has been supporting me so much.'

The Undead King was the first blade and the most threatening weapon unleashed by the god in the abyss.

But an outsider with no connection to this world had casually removed it.

In a situation where a bug that had been eliminated for some reason kept trying to reappear, it wasn't strange that the Lord, who governs the order of the world, used him as an antivirus.

"Well, it was a win-win, so I have no complaints."

I shrugged and looked away from the unidentified item.

I had opened the system window to check my accumulated Karma points, but I got sidetracked after checking the price change.

'Anyway, the points from hunting a big shot are quite substantial.'

My Karma gain had slowed down a bit due to continuously strengthening Unique Skills and using Growth Elixirs, but eliminating the Revolutionary had caused my reserves to explode.

Nearly 2 million points had come in at once from this single incident.

'I should save these points for now. I don't know when I might need them. More importantly, I don't think I can strengthen my Unique Skills right away.'

I had already strengthened them 12 times using points.

And at this stage, I could instinctively feel it.

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

'Well, I expected to reach a limit eventually.'

Frankly, I had grown too rapidly in such a short period and hadn't reached the minimum proficiency required for the next stage.

Perhaps the fact that I had strengthened two skills consecutively in the last upgrade had a significant impact.

'It doesn't matter since I'm not in a hurry for a while. I have plenty of time left, so let's focus on building a solid foundation.'

Although I couldn't really feel it due to living in multiple bodies in worlds with much faster time flows, it had been less than six months since I became an Awakened and obtained the 「Avatar」 ability.

This was an abnormal growth rate by anyone's standards, so being impatient here would be excessive greed.

Ring—♪

Just as I was looking at the system window, the alarm on my smartphone went off.

"Ah, it's already this late."

It was almost noon.

I quickly checked the time on my phone, put on my jacket, and headed out into the bright sunlight.

'The weather is ridiculously good.'

I frowned slightly, shielding my eyes with my hand, and quickened my pace.

I was now able to go outside without any problems, but perhaps due to having been cooped up inside for so long, I still didn't particularly enjoy going out.

I had all the necessary exercise and leisure facilities installed at home, so I didn't feel the need to go out.

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

But that was precisely why I needed to make an effort to go out, even if I had to force myself.

Besides, they weren't complete strangers to me.

I couldn't ignore what little human connections I had left for mere convenience.

-Me: I'm going. Already on the bus.

-Kang Tae-san: Okay, then be careful.

A trip to Seoul in my original body, something I felt like I hadn't done in a while.

Today was the day my only friend, Kang Tae-san's grandmother, was being discharged from the hospital.

After luckily transferring buses several times without much waiting and heading towards downtown Seoul, I realized that I needed to get my driver's license as soon as possible.

I hadn't realized it because I had been using teleportation so freely, but traveling in my original, ordinary body state was incredibly inconvenient. Even with well-timed transfers, it was a hassle.

'I could use 「Projection」 to travel, but… I can't go that far just for a simple outing.'

It was often through such minor carelessness that one's true nature was revealed.

For the long-term alibi of my original body's external activities, I needed to use normal methods as much as possible.

"Oh, Sunghyun is here? Why did you come all this way? You must be tired."

"Ahaha— It's fine. I'm getting some fresh air."

"Ah, that's true. He needs to get out more, especially on occasions like this. Grandma, do you know what his house is like? He has a gym, a swimming pool, and even a movie theater inside!"

And when I finally arrived at the hospital and saw Grandma, who was just finishing her discharge procedures.

I felt a strange, heartwarming feeling.

'The holy power's effect is quite something.'

Seeing Grandma, who hadn't been well, finally being discharged reminded me of the holy magic treatment I had performed as Heinrich.

'I can't do anything about old age itself, but restoring stamina and resistance helps a lot.'

Was my holy power at the bishop level back then?

Compared to my current Saint level, it was lacking, but a bishop was still a high-ranking individual.

Equivalent to a count among nobles, a high-ranking clergyman who could manage a diocese along with a temple.

'It took some time, but Grandma was completely healed.'

As expected, holy power and holy magic were quite useful abilities.

It was no wonder that various minor religions proliferated in modern society.

If the output on Earth hadn't been severely reduced as a penalty, wouldn't the clergy have even greater influence than they do now?

"Done! Let's go."

I followed Kang Tae-san, who finished all the discharge procedures and pushed Grandma's wheelchair.

Just as we were about to leave the hospital.

"Pfft… Heh!"

A small chuckle reached my ears, enhanced by my overwhelming stats and the constant buffs from my strengthened Unique Skills.

An ominous laugh that only I could hear.

A chill ran down my spine, and my senses sharpened.

I reflexively turned my head to look where the laughter came from—

And I instinctively knew.

'…No wonder I felt so lucky!'

That home was indeed the safest place.

And.

Kwaaang—!

A massive explosion erupted in the hospital lobby.