Chapter 296: < War Preparations (3) >

< War Preparations (3) >

The Unique Skill 「Avatar」.

The ability to create and control perfect copies of oneself.

It was the ability that made him who he was now, the beginning and the end of Han Sunghyun.

'If my Unique Skill had been different… Just thinking about it makes me shudder.'

He wouldn't have gained the explosive amount of Karma Points in the beginning, and he would have been thrown into another world defenseless, unable to cope with the trauma.

He probably wouldn't have even made it out of the forest, let alone reached the village of black mages, and would have died trembling in fear.

'And to think I've come this far.'

A chuckle escaped his lips. The coward who feared the outside world could now not only venture out freely but had become the center of a global storm. No, even that was an understatement. In the other dimension, Auterica, he had become a powerful figure who could control the entire world according to his will.

'And I did it all while safely tucked away.'

He shrugged, taking a refreshing gulp of a cold drink from the refrigerator. That was the most crucial part.

No matter what he did or what trouble he caused, his main body, Han Sunghyun, would remain absolutely safe. That was the source of his unwavering confidence.

'It also helped me to objectively assess the situations I faced.'

Thanks to this advantage, he could overcome any obstacle and achieve his desired results. He didn't have to fear anything, knowing he always had a last resort.

"Sigh, I'm getting sentimental."

This skill was about to evolve again. It had been blocked for a while due to excessive growth, but the growth of his Heinz II persona might have triggered it. In any case, it was a welcome boon, especially with a big fight coming up.

"Let's see…"

Composing himself, he sat in his massage chair and opened the system window, a familiar routine. The familiar entries appeared before him.

『Karma Shop Ver.2』

『Unique Skill Enhancement (1,500,000)』

『Other Skill Enhancement – See Details』

『Status Enhancement – See Details』

『Item Purchase – See Details』

『VIP Market – See Details』

『Dimensional Barrier Weakening (6,000,000)』

『Karma Points - 4,691,326』

The first thing he checked, as always, was his Karma Points balance. A substantial amount, well over 4 million and approaching 5 million. The ample balance filled him with satisfaction.

'It's already this much, even though a significant amount is regularly being withdrawn.'

After confirming the effects of the 『Growth Elixir (7 days) (200,000)』 available in the VIP Market, its cost had become a fixed expense. Moreover, not only latecomers like Hesperon, Howard, and Horus, but also established powerhouses like Heinz II and Heinrich were using it regularly.

'And acquiring rare materials has also contributed to the expenses.'

Nevertheless, his efforts to establish various income streams in Auterica were paying off. Karma continuously flowed in, steadily increasing his balance. He had gained close to 2 million points at once after defeating the revolutionary giant in Tarak.

It was a truly reliable source of income.

'…I can't let that Heavenly Wealth Society Master ruin this gold mine.'

His motivation surged. He would have to confront the Society Master himself eventually, even if he mobilized all of Auterica's forces, so Karma Points, which could strengthen him, were his most valuable asset.

'No time for hesitation. First, the long-awaited Unique Skill Enhancement.'

It cost 1.5 million points, but it was a small price to pay.

Zing—

He selected the option without hesitation. A familiar headache hit him, his nerves becoming acutely sensitive as his perception expanded.

"Mmm."

After the wave of pain, which even 「Mind Herb」 couldn't completely block, subsided, he took a deep breath, adjusted to his altered senses, and checked the message.

"The effects of abilities derived from the Unique Skill are further increased, and the range for summoning avatars is expanded."

"The Unique Skill has grown and unlocked new potential. Acquired Special Skill 「Individual Convergence」."

The first was the enhancement of existing abilities. The efficiency and performance of all the sub-skills obtained through Unique Skill Enhancement, from 「Mind Herb」 to 「Soul Firewall」, had improved. And the range of the recently acquired remote summoning had doubled, from about 30 kilometers to 60 kilometers.

'…Not bad. Now I can cover most of Gyeonggi Province, as well as Incheon International Airport, even from the center of Seoul.'

But that was just the beginning. The real prize was the new skill acquired through the enhancement, 「Individual Convergence」.

As expected of a skill that evolved according to the user's needs, it possessed the perfect ability he had hoped for.

'I can't believe it, it's actually Assemble!'

A skill that gathered other avatars to a specific individual. A simple yet incredibly efficient ability.

With this skill, he no longer needed to waste time and effort moving his avatars around using various methods. As long as one avatar was present, a 1v1 situation could instantly turn into a 1vMany!

'…The perfect ability for the current situation. Now I can utilize my avatars more freely. Although there's still a cooldown…'

That could be solved by increasing his proficiency. There were other ways if he wanted to save time.

His gaze, pondering how best to use 「Individual Convergence」, shifted towards 『Other Skill Enhancement』.

'I can enhance other skills with that.'

He could enhance not only avatar-related sub-skills like 「Mind Herb」 and the newly acquired 「Individual Convergence」, but also general skills like 「Super Regeneration」 and 「Xenoglossy」.

'I've only dabbled in it so far because it doesn't apply to the skills possessed by individual avatars…'

Now wasn't the time to conserve Karma. He had to use everything he could to improve his odds. He still had 3.2 million points left, so he could expect significant effects regardless of how he invested them.

'Further enhancing my stats isn't a bad choice either… Hmm?'

As he was browsing the system window…

He noticed a change he couldn't ignore.

『Unique Skill Enhancement (2,000,000)』

The cost, which had been steadily increasing in increments of 100,000, had suddenly jumped by 500,000. From 1.5 million to 2 million?

'Are they price gouging because it's popular?'

Such sudden inflation! What audacity!

He couldn't use it right now anyway due to the enhancement restriction, but the sharp price increase still stung.

'…Tsk, it can't be helped. There's nothing I can do about it.'

He shook his head and forced himself to look away. There were still other ways to use his remaining points. Status Enhancement, Other Skill Enhancement, purchasing high-priced items, or…

『Acquire Random Other Skill (500,000)』

He could test his luck.

"…Hmm, should I try it again?"

Unlike the initial regret he felt after acquiring 「Xenoglossy」, it had proven to be surprisingly useful. Without it, his activities would have been significantly hampered. It was a truly prescient decision.

'So, one more time!'

With renewed faith, he selected the option without hesitation—

"Forcibly unlocking random potential. Acquired Skill 「Robustness」."

—and immediately closed his eyes at the message that appeared, feeling defeated.

'Come to think of it…'

Before using the random skill draw for the first time after the Karma Shop upgraded to Ver.2, he had thought…

Since multiple avatars shared the skills, the effective cost was less than 50,000, and even if he got a skill like 「Robustness」, it would still be helpful in some way.

And right after acquiring 「Xenoglossy」, he had vowed to never gamble again.

'…Is this foreshadowing?'

He opened his eyes, feeling several of his avatars absorb 「Robustness」. It wasn't a bad thing, as it served as nourishment for avatars with higher-level durability-enhancing abilities, but…

'It feels a bit underwhelming.'

He had about 2.7 million points left. He should invest them in Status and Other Skill Enhancement.

'Today's not my lucky day. I'll try again next time. Next time…'

Sadly, he couldn't bring himself to say he wouldn't do it again. He had to recoup his losses.

Bucharest, Romania.

A private room that was once elegantly decorated but was now a mess of clutter after just a few days.

"Hmm hmm~ It seems he absorbed Gomorrah without killing that beast, just like with the tyrant before. This is very interesting!"

Doctor, having just finished reading the report, stroked his messy beard and tilted his head.

While the Duke hadn't taken Phantom seriously, he, as a researcher sensitive to even minor variables, had been receiving and analyzing real-time information about Phantom since his appearance in Europe. He was particularly sensitive because nothing had gone according to plan.

"There's a limit to how much things can deviate from expectations… He crossed all the way to Europe, and instead of enjoying the feast I prepared, he's playing power games. And I can't understand why those two are following Phantom."

Phantom should have indulged in a feast and walked right into his trap by now.

Unaware of Heinz II's 「Refined Blood Crystal」 and 「Hybrid Evolution」, he couldn't understand his actions and their results.

"Hmm? Aha! Well, I chose him as a test subject because he was special! If everything went according to plan, he wouldn't be worth experimenting on! Uhyaha—!"

Doctor muttered to himself, then slapped his forehead and burst into laughter. As he said, this operation was planned right after he learned that Phantom… No, the vampire Heinz, was perfectly fine after consuming his own kind. He had even gone to the trouble of luring his target to Europe, where Hahoe Mask's meddling hands couldn't reach, to minimize variables.

"If only I had gotten more blood from the Duke back then, this would have been more certain! Stingy bastard."

Doctor's laughter abruptly stopped, and he pouted. He could only do this much thanks to the Duke sharing some of his blood, but he didn't care about such things. He was the embodiment of selfish greed.

"Ah~ I can't wait for him to come! I've prepared so many surprises! When will he come~ Come quickly~!"

The middle-aged man with brownish-gray hair whined like a child. Surprisingly, this messy, insane man was one of the top leaders of the Heavenly Wealth Society, the largest secret organization on Earth.

Did his wish reach the heavens?

Inside a plane that had just entered Romanian airspace…

…there was a stowaway.

The very next day after taking over Gomorrah, the Italian vampire clan…

…Heinz II—Phantom—entered Romania.