Episode 232 A Clue
While Harley was receiving a new tattoo,
After Baltheon's death in Beorsen, while the south was busy dealing with the aftermath— the hero party quickly left.
The Immortal King Hans's retreat had stopped the relentless waves of attacks, and the continent's chaos had subsided somewhat… but they had something they couldn't postpone.
"Geos, you stubborn fool. I told you so. Why did you have to rush in like that…"
"…I prepared everything so that you could return and rest whenever you wanted, Master… but you never came back… This is truly heartbreaking, Master."
Chehai and his wife, along with the mansion's caretaker, Oliver, wiped away their tears.
A simple funeral was held at the family graveyard attached to Geos Calkin's mansion in the Lesque Kingdom's Regas Barony, in the southwestern part of the Ion Continent.
It was a hastily arranged funeral, but the attendees were far from ordinary.
The entire hero party, the Baron Regas who rushed over after hearing the news, along with the nearby nobles, and even the Lesque royal family and high priests who had made the arduous journey to this gate-less territory… were all present.A high-ranking noble and member of the expedition had died fighting the Immortal King, so he deserved a grand state funeral… but the entire continent was engulfed in war, so it couldn't be helped.
He heard they had already raised mourning flags in the capital and other major regions, and that the kingdom was planning a state funeral later…
'Geos.'
And throughout the funeral,
I, who had been pondering how to use my Karma, stopped everything and watched the scene through Heinrich and Harley.
Heinrich's sorrowful yet benevolent expression.
Through that righteous avatar, I felt pity for Geos and prayed that he would be reunited with his family in the afterlife.
Harley's regretful yet solemn expression.
Through that barbaric avatar, I felt the sorrow of losing a long-time comrade and acknowledged his heroic and dignified end.
And…
Through Hans, the negative and twisted avatar, I felt an indifference as if I had just stepped on a bug on the street.
Through Heinz the Second, the cold and cynical avatar, I felt an unconcern as if it was an inevitable event.
And then, the reactions from the other avatars, each according to their own personalities, followed.
Of course, thanks to "Mind Hub", "Persona", and my significantly enhanced mental strength, I didn't feel any confusion in the process.
Han Seong-hyeon, the main entity, simply existed at the center of all those personalities, receiving the filtered information and making objective judgments. Ꞧ𝘈ɴ𝔬𝐁Ɛᶊ
'That's the problem.'
Again, a self-deprecating bitter smile appeared on my lips.
'A connection formed only through avatars. A connection that doesn't even exist in my world.'
Since I was always objectively aware of the situation, it was inevitable that the experiences through my avatars felt like a game.
Even if it was the death of someone I knew.
'…I should go for a walk.'
I had been going outside using "Individual Projection", but it wouldn't be bad to just wander aimlessly without any purpose.
As I was lost in thought, time passed quickly,
And finally, the funeral ended, and the hero party started to prepare for their return to work.
"I heard the news. That you defeated the Immortal King…"
"As expected of the Saint! Lord Calkin must have also…"
It was also time to escape the annoying nobles who were clinging to them, waiting for this moment.
Heinrich, as planned, made various excuses and entrusted Harley with the situation in the south.
"Then I'll leave the Calcos situation to you, Harley."
"Khahaha! Leave it to me! I still have something to take care of there!"
Harley patted his chest tattoo with a rough hand, and the giant axe on his back swayed.
After achieving "Ultimate Evolved Lifeform", his already powerful body had become even stronger, to the point where he hadn't even used his weapon, Giant Killer, recently.
If he swung it with all his might, it would probably break soon.
'Howard is planning to make a new one using rare metals soon, but even then, it probably won't last long at this rate. Maybe the Fighting King's Tattoo will make a difference?'
It was a problem caused by his overwhelming physical abilities compared to his weapon reinforcement, so if the power of the tattoo, which amplified internal energy, increased, maybe there would be a solution.
'An axe is a barbarian's romance, I can't give it up!'
And so, after the rest of the hero party left,
Harley, who returned to the south alone, helped resolve the chaos as a member of the expedition, and finally, with the participation of two High Shamans and twenty other shamans, received the 'Tattoo of the Fighting King'.
And of course,
《The individual meets the conditions and grows. The skill "Calcos-style Combat Tattoos" evolves into the special skill "Tattoo of the Fighting King".》
The result was a resounding success.
____________________
Inside a spacious tent, large enough to accommodate dozens of people.
“Uggggh—.”
“Ugh!”
“Hmm…”
Thud—
Over twenty shamans, who had been standing around, collapsed to the ground, groaning.
Some even fainted.
“Khuhul— That was intense. I thought he would succeed, but I never expected him to not even make a sound.”
“…Ah, magnificent. Truly a man among men. Haaa— Such steely muscles and an even steelier will…”
“This idiot is at it again. Snap out of it!”
“Ah! G-grandmother?”
And in the center of the tent, on top of a large altar…
Harley slowly opened his eyes, listening to the bickering between the grandmother and granddaughter.
<Individual Information>
-Individual Name: Harley
-Race: ???
-Common Traits: "Mind Hub", "Persona", "Clear Mind", "Insight"
-Individual Traits: "Ultimate Evolved Lifeform", "Tyrant of Madness", "Bio-Aura", "Voracity", "Gem Eye: Coercion", "Tattoo of the Fighting King"
-Special Notes: Has achieved transcendence by pursuing the ultimate lifeform. Regenerates endlessly as long as energy remains, even if the heart or head is destroyed. Controls madness and converts it into energy. All tattoos are connected and unified. The effects of the inscribed tattoos are amplified and permanently maintained as their number increases.
He could feel the power of the tattoos, which had been scattered throughout his body, converging and flowing through him.
‘This is amazing. The effects of each individual tattoo seem to have increased at least fivefold.’
The amplified “Bio-Aura” was also noticeable.
Even this was just the passively maintained base effect. He could enhance it even further by actively channeling energy.
He wondered how much it would help now that he had reached transcendence, but this would definitely be a significant boost.
“Hmm, refreshing.”
Swoosh—
As Harley slowly sat up,
His muscles shifted, and the strange flame patterns inscribed on his body writhed, as if showing off their presence.
“Ah…”
“…!”
It was just a simple movement, but the shamans who had collapsed on the ground, along with the two High Shamans who had performed the tattooing, stared at him, speechless.
“Huh? What’s up?”
Harley tilted his head, sensing their unusual attention.
As a transcendent being, he naturally emanated a powerful presence.
An overwhelming, violent pressure that forced others to acknowledge his existence, as if he was imposing his will on the world…
But if his previous presence had felt like a ‘dangerously unknown monster’, now there was an indescribable charisma mixed with it.
The energy pulsating through his tattoos, as if they were alive, and the strange aura emanating from them.
It was like— the majesty of a king.
The aura of a conqueror.
“…King.”
“Oh, King…”
The shamans, who had been groaning on the ground, struggled to their feet and bowed before him.
The two High Shamans also knelt.
‘…Oh, right. I remember hearing something like that.’
Harley, blinking in surprise at the sudden change in their attitude, recalled something the shaman who had given him his first tattoo had said.
The name ‘Tattoo of the Fighting King’ wasn’t just a random title.
It had become a forgotten fact, lost to time, but the shamans were more sensitive to tradition than anyone.
In that barren land, where survival was determined by constant battles…
A legend and a pact passed down since the early days of the Calcos Tribal Federation, when it was formed through the agreement of various tribes to end the endless wars.
<One who proves their qualifications as the Fighting King shall be crowned as King.>
This was the proof of that kingship.
____________________
Inside the dark and gloomy grand hall.
[…Then I shall take my leave… Rest well, my King…]
The translucent figure of the noblewoman slowly faded away, and silence descended upon the hall.
[Hmm.]
But the quiet was soon broken by a low murmur.
Immortal King Hans, sitting on the massive bone throne, overlooking the hall, let out a soft sound.
He slowly raised a hand and touched his chest, where the holy sword had pierced him.
The external wound had already completely healed, but the holy energy that lingered within continued to gnaw at him.
‘I should have dodged that last attack.’
It wasn't a serious problem, but it was still a nuisance.
Of course, it was thanks to that desperate attack that Heinrich had reached transcendence.
Hans leaned back against his throne, relaxing.
This place, the heart of the death-filled Immortal Fortress, was the most effective location for his recovery.
It would probably take about a month to completely purge the holy energy… but that was only about three days in Earth time.
‘Now, about the Seed of Madness… I thought he would have hidden it somewhere, but that Revolutionary bastard stole it.’
The largest fragment of 'madness' that emerged from the abyssal gate— the source and core of all the madness currently spreading across the continent.
That was the tool Baltheon had used to break the mental barriers of even transcendent warriors and brainwash them.
Hans took out a small metal fragment from his subspace and examined it.
He had retrieved this from the location where the abyssal gate had opened. It was the only impurity remaining in that otherwise perfectly clean area.
He had kept it, thinking it might be a clue…
[Khehehe— So this was the key all along?]
Tracking, curses, summoning…
He had tried various methods using this fragment as a catalyst, but they had all failed. He had almost given up…
But after obtaining information about the abyssal gate from Baltheon, he finally understood its true nature.
The one who had opened the abyssal gate after 30 years of preparation.
A great mage who was a step away from transcendence, but ultimately failed due to the inner demons that plagued him.
And also, the host of the Seed of Madness that had emerged into the world.
This fragment was a part of the object he had held when he sacrificed himself to open the abyss.
And that meant…
‘The outcome of a spell depends on how well you understand the origin and history of the catalyst.’
He could now use this fragment to track down the Revolutionary.
He had failed before when he tried to vaguely track something related to it, even with his power as the Immortal King… but now that he had a clear direction, the situation was different.
He finally had the key to catching that bastard.
‘And I even have the Orb of Mind.’
The treasure that amplified mental abilities.
It would be a great help in performing the large-scale ritual needed to track him down.
As Hans was examining the orb with a satisfied smile, manipulating it with his bony fingers…
He suddenly realized a certain possibility, as various conditions aligned in his mind.
More precisely,
It was the synergy between the orb and the 'Dimensional Barrier Weakening' he had invested five million Karma points in.
‘This… could actually work…’
Hans had collected countless memories and thoughts while reading the minds of those he had executed.
It was an overwhelming amount, even for a transcendent being like the Immortal King.
But among the thoughts accumulated in his unconscious mind, there was one that was particularly special.
‘Salma.’
The thought information he had extracted from the body and soul of Salma, the transcendent master of martial arts, the Heavenly Demon Emperor, while injecting him with abyssal energy.
The Orb of Mind, amplified by the weakened dimensional barrier, allowed him to see that thought with unprecedented clarity.
It was just a fragment, a damaged piece of memory… but it felt as vivid as if he had experienced it himself.
‘It’s still incomplete… but this might actually be possible.’
As a result of the three elements combining,
He found a clue to another world.
A path to 'Ganghwange', the dimension where Salma originated.
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