My Alter Ego’s Path to Greatness

Episode 233 Karma Shopping (1)

‘I have a lot to do.’

Even ten bodies wouldn't be enough.

That might be a common expression, but for me, with literally ten bodies, it was a stark reality.

No, it felt like having ten bodies made me even busier.

‘They’re all involved in major events, since they’re all in high positions.’

First, Harley, who had finally received the "Tattoo of the Fighting King."

The shamans, who valued tradition, readily acknowledged and revered him, but that didn't mean he instantly became the ruler of the south.

The system of electing a High Chieftain through mutual agreement had been established for a long time, ever since the last Fighting King appeared.

Even if it was a promise from the founding days, it wouldn't be easily accepted by the current generation… or so he thought.

But surprisingly, the situation was progressing very smoothly.

‘Well, it’s understandable.’

He was a member of the expedition that defeated the Immortal King in the south, a great warrior who saved Calcos by eliminating the traitorous former High Chieftain Baltheon.

And with the current High Chieftain unable to return quickly due to the aftereffects, the public naturally favored the young hero "Fighting King Harley" as their new leader.

‘Once the south is settled, I should visit Patrick. He kept whining about wanting me to show my face at the Mercenary Guild, I wonder how he’s doing.’

Secretary General Patrick had overcome his impending dismissal by using Harley’s name and was safely back in his position, but for things to proceed smoothly, Harley needed to be more actively involved in the Guild.

It was his duty to cooperate, since he had been entrusted with the task.

‘Hans will need some time as well.’

Immortal King Hans, currently recuperating in the Immortal Fortress.

He had entered seclusion with two major research projects.

The first was to track down the ‘Seed of Madness’ using the metal fragment from the abyssal gate and find the Revolutionary who possessed it.

‘He’s not an ordinary guy, considering he’s been able to evade detection so thoroughly. If he realizes I’m after him, who knows what he’ll do. I have to finish him off this time.’

The second was to find a way to travel to another world using Salma’s damaged memories.

‘It’s always good to have multiple Karma pipelines. Auterica has its limits, after all.’

He wasn't planning to rely on the Immortal King incident forever, so this was even more important.

Of course, he could use his avatars in high positions to exert influence, but unless he deliberately caused chaos, his income would naturally decrease as things stabilized.

‘And Ganghwange is a Murim dimension. They’re known for their exceptional martial arts, so I might be able to gain something useful.’

Hans had stolen knowledge from various Murim returnees using his mind-reading ability, but the fundamental systems of power were too different for him to fully grasp their essence. 𝖗Ἀℕ𝔬𝖇Èȿ

Of course, even the stolen techniques and principles had been a great help in developing Heinrich’s “Path of Martial Arts”, but to truly master their secrets, he needed to experience Murim firsthand.

It was impossible to even begin learning Ki on Earth, which was barren of such energies, and Auterica’s system of power was completely different.

Of course, both projects would take time to yield results.

‘I’ll worry about the rest later. I have something more important to do right now.’

And at this very moment—

I was about to embark on a major undertaking.

“Whew— Alright. Let’s begin.”

I took a deep breath, rubbed my hands together, and stared at the system window before me with anticipation.

『Karma Shop Ver.2』

Yes, it was finally time for the long-awaited shopping spree.

I had 5.3 million Karma points ready to spend.

‘First…’

I started by purchasing two 『Growth Elixirs (7 days) (200,000)』 and sending them to Howard and Hesperon.

The elixir would be invaluable to both the Dwarf craftsman sweating away in the forge and the aspiring mage immersed in his studies, saving them precious time.

‘Let’s just try it once. If it’s not effective, I won’t buy it again.’

I had initially planned to buy just one to test it out, but I decided to buy two for a more accurate comparison.

One was focused on physical skill development, and the other on accumulating knowledge and manipulating magic power, so this would allow for a clearer assessment of the elixir's effects.

Now I had 4.9 million points left.

The first digit had already changed without me even doing anything.

I felt a sudden urge to spend more and turned my attention to the next item.

『Random Other Skill Acquisition (500,000)』

Random gacha.

A familiar object of both love and hate for any gamer.

A devilish marketing tactic that endlessly drained money from consumers blinded by the allure of probability.

Normally, I wouldn't touch such a gamble…

‘But it’s actually quite profitable for me.’

「Avatar」 allowed me to share skills with my avatars.

So, technically, I wasn't just drawing one skill.

I was drawing ten skills, one for each avatar, including myself!

‘If you think about it that way, it’s only 50,000 per skill! It would be strange not to buy it! …Just this once.’

I remembered how helpful the first shared skill, “Super Recovery”, had been in the avatars’ initial stages.

Not only that, it had also played a significant role in the evolution of skills like Harley and Heinz the Second’s “Super Regeneration”.

‘Even if I get something useless like “Sturdiness”, it’s fine. Having it is better than not having it. And if I get lucky…’

I didn't expect much.

Just something like “Physical Immunity”, “Resurrection”, or “Death Gaze” would be nice.

Already captivated by the fantasy, I confidently selected the gacha—

《Activating random potential. You have acquired the skill “Xenoglossy”.》

And acquired a skill with a very impressive-sounding name.

“Oh—! Oh…?”

Xenoglossy.

It was definitely a powerful ability.

The supernatural power to freely use languages you’ve never learned.

Reading, writing, listening, speaking… all aspects of language were mastered to a native level, regardless of race or even species.

Just like—

How I was currently using Auterican Common and Elven fluently in Auterica.

It was an ability all Earthlings awakened with as a base skill.

“…No, no. Don’t jump to conclusions. There must be a use for it.”

If you thought about it, it was quite useful on Earth.

I remembered how much trouble Hans had with language when he first started operating in Japan.

He had to spend a considerable amount of time reading memories related to language and learning Japanese.

…Which meant, it was an ability Hans could easily replace if he just invested the time.

“Well, Hans is a high-level asset. It’s a good skill, since he won’t have to waste time on language anymore.”

He could use that time for more efficient information gathering, and the fact that he could skip the tedious process was a huge advantage.

Having desperately rationalized it, I closed my eyes and turned away.

…Vowing to never gamble again.

Now I had 4.4 million Karma points left.

I almost lost heart, but seeing the still abundant points, I calmly composed myself.

‘The safest bet is always unique skill enhancement.’

The foundation of my current power and a choice I've never regretted, like a hearty bowl of gukbap.

I selected the 1.2 million ‘Unique Skill Enhancement’.

《The avatar’s potential has increased. Learning ability has been enhanced.》

《The unique skill has grown and its potential has expanded. Related sub-skills have been strengthened.》

I didn’t gain any special abilities this time, but the avatar count increased, so it was fine.

And then, my gaze fell on the next item.

『Dragon Heart of the Gold Dragon Hatchling Hureione (910,000)』

A race born with immense power, breathing magic like air, transcending mastery and reaching even higher levels simply by aging…

It was the perfect catalyst for creating a dragon avatar.

‘Now that I can transform into other races, I have to try a dragon, the strongest race, right?’

Of course, that was part of the reason, but it wasn’t the only reason.

I had already raised avatars from ordinary races to the pinnacle of their respective fields.

Then what would happen if I, with all my experience and knowledge, raised a dragon, a race with inherently superior potential?

‘Maybe I can even surpass Hans, the Immortal King?’

And it would be a great help in dealing with the Master of Heaven’s Turn Society.

Hans was at a disadvantage against that angel, so a dragon would be a perfect counter!

So, since I was going to use it as a catalyst anyway, I searched the item list and chose the cheapest Dragon Heart.

It was less than half the price of the first one I saw, which was 1.83 million.

It was terrifying that even a hatchling’s Dragon Heart cost 910,000… but it was still a manageable price.

‘Dragons were hunted to near extinction during the two Great Wars. Most of their hearts were either corrupted by the Immortal King or used as war materials.’

In a war that determined the survival of an entire species, there was no room for sentimentality.

Of course, there were still a few artifacts made with Dragon Hearts that had survived…

‘But a fragmented and processed Dragon Heart wouldn’t be enough.’

Even without Hans, Heinrich or Heinz the Second could easily acquire such magic tools with their influence.

But those were just powerful magic tools, not suitable catalysts for 「Customization」.

‘I need an intact heart. One that’s uncorrupted and unprocessed.’

It was different from creating humans, Elves, or Dwarves.

And naturally, such high-quality materials wouldn’t be easily found.

That’s why even a hatchling’s heart cost 910,000.

‘It seems like these unique items have special conditions, their prices fluctuating in real time. I’m not even sure if they actually exist in Auterica right now.’

If you thought about it, searching for a rare item with an uncertain location was incredibly inefficient. It would be better to use that time to raise avatars and earn Karma.

Having reached that conclusion, I stopped my lengthy deliberation and decisively purchased the item.

Wooong—

And at the same time,

A fist-sized golden crystal appeared, seemingly tearing through space, and landed softly on my palm, emitting a faint golden glow.

‘This is a real Dragon Heart.’

It was much smaller than the one Harley had seen when he burrowed into Heratos’s chest, but the energy it emitted was overwhelmingly pure.

“But… is this enough?”

However, the moment I saw it, I instinctively knew.

This was a suitable catalyst, but my current level wasn’t high enough to use 「Customization」 on it.

‘Not enough? Then I’ll just enhance it!’

I couldn’t back down now.

I still had 2.29 million Karma points left.

I used ‘Other Skill Enhancement’ and spent 100,000 points to enhance 「Customization」.

“Still not enough?”

But it still wasn’t enough.

Suppressing my twitching lips, I spent another 200,000 points to enhance it again.

Now I had 1.99 million points left.

I felt a pang of sadness as the first digit changed… but then the remaining points filled up, and the balance returned to 2 million.

And at the same time, 「Customization」 became available, doubling my satisfaction.

‘No time to hesitate.’

Even though the energy it emitted was stable and my house was protected by countless barriers, I couldn’t leave such a powerful object lying around.

Swoosh—

And as soon as I activated the skill,

The golden Dragon Heart in my hand slowly crumbled into dust.

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