Chapter 314: Random Other Skills

Strictly speaking, acquiring a random other skill was the most rational choice. While it cost a hefty 500,000 points, the acquired skill applied to all avatars, including the main body, offering unparalleled efficiency.

'A new skill for less than 50,000 points per avatar? It would be a loss not to do it!'

The previously acquired 「Xenoglossy」 had proven incredibly useful. Of course, the most recent acquisition, 「Robustness」, had been instantly absorbed by higher-tier skills like Harley's 「Ultimate Evolved Lifeform」, Heinz II's 「Blood Sovereign」, and Horus's 「Gold Dragon」…

…but it served as nourishment, strengthening those abilities. The difference in tiers was too significant to cause any noticeable change, though. Still, considering the rapidly accumulating Karma Points, it wasn't a bad choice.

'So, it's not my fault. It's more like…'

…an accident.

Having convinced himself, he stared at the newly displayed message.

"Forcibly unlocking random potential. Acquired Skill 「Underwater Breathing」."

「Underwater Breathing」. A survival skill that prevented drowning. Analyzing the knowledge imprinted in his mind, it seemed to allow him to extract oxygen from water through cutaneous respiration.

"Ah…"

He closed his eyes and tilted his head back. It wasn't a useless skill. It eliminated the risk of drowning and offered an affinity with the water element, which could be useful. But was it a game-changer? Not really.

'Hans, being undead, doesn't need it.'

And his other Transcendent avatars were far beyond being affected by such limitations. The same applied to Horus, the dragon, who used mana.

'That leaves me, the merchant Hubert, the dwarf Howard, Hesperon in the Imperial Palace, and Hugo in Ganghwange… Five in total.'

That meant the effective cost of the skill jumped from less than 50,000 to 100,000 points per avatar. And the problem was that his other avatars weren't in situations where 「Underwater Breathing」 would be necessary.

'…The owner of a massive trading company, a craftsman obsessed with his work, a guest in the safest Imperial Palace on the continent… drowning? Well, I guess I don't have to worry about slipping in the bathtub anymore.'

Perhaps Hugo, alone in Ganghwange, was the most likely to use it? It could be helpful against the pirates operating in the rivers and lakes.

'Though Harris already cleaned up that area.'

He shook his head, wondering what had become of the pirate territories after Harris's rampage. He couldn't even clearly recall the faces of the pirate leaders of Dongjeongshippalchae and the Yangtze River waterway. They were insignificant.

He had a more pressing concern.

'This is the last time. Just one more.'

His win-loss record had just dropped below zero. He couldn't back down now!

'I still have over 5 million points. …I can easily recover from a couple of draws.'

And the rewards for driving out the Society Master weren't fully calculated yet. Like before, additional Karma would steadily accumulate based on the aftermath of this incident. So now—

'Just one useful skill, and I'll stop.'

This much 'investment' was justifiable. He stared intensely at 『Acquire Random Other Skill』, a strange glint in his eyes.

Honestly…

…he was obsessed.

A while later…

"Hmm. I almost lost control."

Fortunately, Han Sunghyun regained his senses before squandering all his points. No, he even considered himself to have stopped relatively early. After all, including the first draw that yielded 「Underwater Breathing」, he had only drawn four times!

'That's quite moderate.'

Naturally, the memory of repeatedly telling himself 'one last time' had vanished.

"Not bad, though."

He wasn't just saying that. He stretched out his hand, and his fingertips vanished into thin air as if they were digitally erased.

Swoosh—

A heat haze shimmered where his hand had disappeared, up to his wrist. And when he pulled his hand back, it was perfectly intact, holding a pen that hadn't been there before. A phenomenon caused by subspace manipulation.

'I can't believe I actually got an inventory.'

He chuckled, tossing the pen onto the table. The official name of the skill he acquired on his second draw was 「Subspace Storage」, nicknamed 'Inventory' for convenience. He had gained the ability to manipulate subspace.

But despite acquiring this incredibly useful ability, he wasn't satisfied.

'I haven't had any problems without an inventory so far.'

「Avatar Cloud」, which allowed his avatars to share items, and his ample funds for acquiring magic tools had served as a perfect substitute. Even this amazing skill was merely a convenient addition.

'Still, it will be quite useful. Having each avatar access subspace directly will give me more flexibility.'

He considered 「Subspace Storage」 a slight improvement. But he was too greedy to be satisfied with just that.

'Good thing I didn't stop there. The next one was the real prize.'

Han Sunghyun smiled and nodded, recalling the previous draw. The result of his 'really, truly last' gamble, driven by the mixed feelings from the previous result.

"Forcibly unlocking random potential. Acquired Skill 「Limit Break」."

「Limit Break」, his third skill, after 「Underwater Breathing」 and 「Subspace Storage」.

It was a self-buff, a type of awakening skill, usable by all avatars regardless of their level. A trump card that allowed them to temporarily transcend their limits. While the aftereffects were severe, preventing frequent use, it was a lifesaver in critical situations.

"Good, good. Excellent."

And as everything seemed to be going well…

…he reached for another draw, his 'really, truly, absolutely last' gamble, not for any particular reason…

'I'm on a winning streak. I feel lucky today. Is this the final jackpot?'

…but simply because he couldn't control his greed.

And like a gambler possessed, riding high on the winning streak…

"Ahem, I'll stop here."

…he snapped back to reality after receiving another underwhelming skill, as if to balance things out.

That was how he managed to escape the clutches of the 'random draw' after his fourth skill. Having somewhat recovered from the influx of new abilities, he stared at his Karma Points balance.

『Karma Points - 3,641,965』

The first digit had dropped significantly. While still a substantial amount, it seemed paltry compared to the over 5 million he had just moments ago.

"…"

While it was better than losing everything, he had gotten carried away and burned through more Karma than he'd intended. 500,000 points per draw, four times, amounted to 2 million!

'It can't be helped. 3.6 million Karma remaining… Not bad.'

Even as he was focused on this, time flowed rapidly in the other worlds, and his Karma Points steadily increased. At this rate, it wouldn't be long before he reached 6 million again.

'But…'

If there was a way to accelerate the process, he had to utilize it. Especially considering the Heavenly Wealth Society, infiltrating Earth, and their leader, who must be furious after being driven out of Auterica.

"I need more Karma. No matter how much I earn, it's never enough."

He sighed, lamenting his situation. He was already extracting Karma from Auterica, his traditional cash cow, at near maximum capacity. It was difficult to do anything more there, with the aftermath of the 'Apostle of the Outer God invasion' still being dealt with.

'I need to take a breather. Should I look at other places? It's time to sow some seeds…'

With that thought, his consciousness shifted, not to Auterica, where most of his avatars were gathered, but to a single, isolated individual.

Hugo, the pioneer dispatched to a new land to cultivate a new source of income.

To Ganghwange, where he, using the alias Ha Seunghoon, was spending his time alone.

The Zhuge Clan's estate in Mount Yongzhong, Hubei Province.

While the mountain wasn't particularly tall, the ancient buildings, including the main hall, exuded an overwhelming aura. It was the authority of the ruling power, amplified by the concentrated energy from the formations and spells woven into its foundation.

An unknown master had once destroyed the formations around the estate, but now, after a considerable amount of time, there was no trace of the damage. The Zhuge Clan's main estate had been transformed into an even more formidable fortress, having thoroughly analyzed the cause of the previous breach and implemented countermeasures.

"Oh, this could be quite useful."

Inside the impregnable fortress, in a private training ground…

…Hugo, a young man wielding a sword, frowned and stroked his chin. As an avatar, he had received the new skills. 「Underwater Breathing」, which seemed useful for fighting near water; 「Subspace Storage」, which would make his daily life more convenient; and 「Limit Break」, a lifesaver in critical situations.

And the fourth skill…

'「Mimicry」. This might be quite useful. It might be more effective than the other skills, especially in Ganghwange.'

「Mimicry」 allowed him to copy techniques he had witnessed. While it sounded overpowered, there were limitations.

'To mimic magic, I need to be a mage and have the necessary understanding and level to cast it.'

While skills were special abilities that bordered on the supernatural, 「Mimicry」 couldn't overcome the user's limitations. He couldn't even dream of copying techniques from races with different physical structures, and he couldn't replicate other mysteries without the necessary training.

'I can only mimic techniques from those with similar conditions.'

In that sense, Ganghwange was different from Auterica, where various races and mysteries coexisted. Non-human races were practically non-existent here, and 'martial arts' dominated the mystical landscape. Even the Zhuge Clan, renowned for their formations and spells, considered martial arts a necessity, not a choice.

'So…'

Assuming he had sufficient understanding of martial arts…

'All the martial arts in this world…'

…he could steal them just by watching.