My Alter Ego’s Path to Greatness

Having created a warm and friendly atmosphere with his sincere smile and gentle pat on the back, Harley nodded with satisfaction.

‘I made the right choice coming here. And this guy, Patrick, he’s quite resourceful.’

His visit here wasn't a coincidence.

Even though Harley had been traveling through the remote southern regions, his eyes and ears were everywhere.

He had naturally been keeping tabs on the Mercenary Guild.

‘And the situation in the south is mostly settled now.’

Thanks to that, he had been able to schedule his visit without delay, and the Guild had avoided a potentially disastrous conflict.

A win-win situation.

‘It’s good for both of us.’

They had avoided a bloody conflict, and he had saved himself some trouble.

A perfect happy ending.

‘Of course, I’ll have to keep an eye on them, just in case they try something.’

Prevention was better than cure.

It wouldn't be bad to remind them of his overwhelming power.

“Hahaha—! A day like this calls for a feast! I’m buying, so let’s all go out for dinner! Where’s the best place for meat around here?”

He declared cheerfully, like a manager treating his team to a 회식.

Sharing a meal was the best way to build relationships!

“Ahem.”

“Well, about that…”

“We still have training today…”

“…I’m on a diet.”

But as expected, their reactions weren’t very enthusiastic.

The Guild executives, excluding Patrick, avoided his gaze, their expressions troubled.

Like employees wanting to leave work early.

It was a clear rejection, but Harley, oblivious to their subtle cues, frowned and crossed his arms.

“Huh? You don’t like meat?”

His arm muscles twitched and bulged, as if they had a mind of their own.

As if such a person couldn’t possibly exist.

And even if they did, he wouldn’t tolerate it.

“…Of course not. I was just thinking about the best place for meat in Dracal. I know a place with high-quality meat and generous portions. I’ll guide you there.”

“Hahaha, I can’t leave my subordinates behind. I’ll have them roast a few pigs for themselves.”

“Ahem, a true warrior never refuses meat. Eating well is also part of training…”

“Hohoho! A healthy diet requires occasional meat consumption.”

Thanks to Harley’s efforts, the atmosphere warmed up again.

He nodded with satisfaction and then, leading the way, confidently strode out of the Guild building.

Patrick, bowing and scraping, followed closely behind, and the Guild executives, exchanging glances, reluctantly trailed after them.

It might seem like they had surrendered too easily, considering their status as high-ranking members of the Guild… but they had their reasons.

‘…I’ll submit for now. There’s still a chance. Even the first Mercenary King, who reached transcendence, died fighting the Immortal King. If he dies…’

‘This is bad. Clayven has already submitted. Should I switch sides?’

‘Damn it, what is that?! Is he even human? A Dragonborn, they said? He feels like a giant monster!’

‘Tsk, I shouldn’t have come. I should have just sent my subordinates… But a Dragonborn… and he even killed dragons? What kind of monster is the Immortal King?’

Harley, now used to it, didn’t even notice, but he had been steadily absorbing the ambient madness ever since acquiring the “Seed of Madness” from the Revolutionary.

It was the essence of an unholy power, like the Immortal King Hans’s “Immortal Heart”, drawn from the abyss.

Even though madness was weaker than death, it was still a force beyond human comprehension.

It wasn’t strange for those with heightened senses to react strongly to his presence.

“Hey, friend! You said you’d take us to a good place! Lead the way!”

“Ah— Yes, this way.”

In short, those who had survived in the harsh world of mercenaries valued their lives more than their pride or competitive spirit.

“Oops! I forgot to bring money! What should I do…”

“…Allow me to treat you today. It’s an honor to meet a hero like you, Harley-nim.”

“Oh! You have a noble heart! Let’s be friends! Hahaha!”

“Ha… Hahaha…”

They couldn’t even retort to the man they had just been mocking.

That day, “Ogre’s Table”, a meat specialty restaurant in Dracal, had its highest sales ever, selling out of all its meat.

And Clayven, who had dreamed of becoming the Mercenary King, stared at the exorbitant bill, trying to rationalize his expenses.

It was a small price to pay for his life.

______________________

A place filled with clean, fresh air.

A refreshing energy swirled around him, its power overwhelming.

Whoosh—

But like the eye of a storm, the figure at the center remained motionless, his eyes half-closed in concentration.

His golden hair swayed gently in the breeze, his emerald eyes, partially hidden by long lashes, gleaming with a golden light, his skin smooth and radiant like white jade.

His perfectly sculpted features, as if crafted by a master artisan, only enhanced his otherworldly beauty.

And then,

The swirling storm of energy subsided, and his long, pointed ears twitched slightly.

His eyelids slowly opened, revealing star-shaped pupils.

“…Done.”

A soft, almost languid voice, a faint smile playing on his lips—.

Harris Granwood, the High Elf of the Elven Kingdom, looked up at the being that had materialized before him.

Ripple— Splash—

A formless being, radiating a soft blue light, its body twisting and shifting, accompanied by the gentle sound of flowing water.

Harris watched it for a moment, then slowly extended a hand.

And after a brief moment of contact and communion…

“…From now on, your name is Liter.”

He smiled gently, watching the water flow around his arm, enveloping his body like a serpent.

This was the third new spirit he had contracted since returning from Ganghwange, and the seventh overall, including his existing spirits. He couldn’t help but feel satisfied.

‘It’s incredibly effective.’

The unexpected harvest from Ganghwange, 「Gentle Eight Trigrams Secret Art (Modified)」 and 「Natural Body」, had greatly expanded his affinity with nature.

Even among High Elves, individuals had their own elemental affinities… but the Gentle Eight Trigrams Secret Art, which sought harmony with all things, had allowed him to overcome that limitation.

‘The aggressive tendencies I developed in Ganghwange have also disappeared after returning to Auterica. …But I’m even lazier now.’

It was an unavoidable side effect of his increased assimilation with nature.

Anyway, thanks to his new skills, he could now control not just Watt the Lightning Spirit, Callie the Fire Spirit, Pascal the Wind Spirit, and Decibel the Sound Spirit—

…but also Hectare the Earth Spirit, Lumen the Light Spirit, and Liter the Water Spirit. He had become an all-around spirit summoner.

‘And the new spirits are growing quickly. They all evolved to Intermediate-rank upon contracting, and Hectare, the first one I contracted, is already close to Advanced-rank.’

Normally, spirits and their summoners grew together… but such common sense didn’t apply to him, an anomaly, a being defined by exceptions.

“…You did it again. How are you even doing this?”

As Harris was lost in thought, a woman’s voice, filled with admiration, echoed from behind.

Shapiron, a young Elf with blue eyes and blue hair, sat crouched on the ground, holding a basket of snacks woven from tree bark.

“Hmm, I guess you could say I had a… sudden realization. I can’t really explain it. It just happened.”

“…The world is so unfair…”

She pouted, muttering her dissatisfaction.

When Harris first arrived in the Elven Kingdom, he was just a beginner spirit summoner, barely able to control a single Low-rank Lightning Spirit.

And she had already been an honor student, capable of summoning Intermediate-rank spirits.

‘But now…’

His spirits had evolved rapidly, as if they had been fed some kind of miracle grow, and he had even formed contracts with Fire, Wind, and Sound spirits.

Even her father, Rapori, a High Elf, could only control three elements!

‘And now he has seven?’

Even the current Queen, who controlled five elements, was considered an exceptional case… but seven was practically unheard of.

And it didn't seem like he was planning to stop there!

‘I still only have one Advanced-rank spirit…’

Even that was considered a sign of genius at her age.

The Forest Guardians, master-level experts, only had Highest-rank spirits.

Of course, being limited to a single element was a weakness… but she was still a valuable asset, strong enough to be considered an elite even after graduating.

‘…What’s the point?’

But it wasn’t enough for her.

Her standards had become too high, thanks to a certain someone.

She had once considered him a rival.

‘Will I ever become a High Elf?’

She sighed inwardly, a sense of despair washing over her.

And as she wallowed in self-pity…

Pat—

…A hand gently rested on her head.

Startled, she looked up and blinked, seeing Harris’s face above her.

She hadn’t expected such a gesture from him. He usually avoided physical contact and spent most of his time in a state of languid indifference.

But Harris was even more flustered.

‘…What am I supposed to say?’

He had reached out to comfort her, seeing her dejected expression… but he wasn’t used to such social interactions.

He had lived a life far removed from comforting others.

And in this situation, anything he said would sound condescending.

‘Wait, I heard women don’t like it when you touch their hair.’

He froze for a moment, then, recalling a random piece of information he had picked up somewhere, quickly retracted his hand, realizing his mistake.

His hand awkwardly raised, his eyes darting around, an awkward smile on his face as he tried to defuse the situation.

He looked nothing like an otherworldly being, an untouchable transcendent.

He was just an awkward young man, unsure of how to interact with others.

“Pfft!”

Shapiron, who had been looking up at him, couldn’t help but giggle.

‘…He’s become kind of… silly.’

It seemed pointless to wallow in self-pity any longer.

It didn't solve her problems, but it did lighten her mood.

She put down the basket of snacks she had been holding and looked at Harris.

“…I brought snacks. Would you like some?”

“…Sure.”

She wasn’t very good at social interactions either.

____________________

A deserted mountain area.

Crack—

A strange sound echoed through the quiet air.

A thin crack, appearing out of nowhere in the empty space.

It slowly expanded, accompanied by a faint crackling sound—.

Crackle!

…And then a small piece broke off, creating a tiny hole in the air.

And from that point, the crack rapidly grew in size.

Crack—!

But it didn’t last long. The expanding crack suddenly stopped, then began to shrink.

Wooong—

As if being repaired in real time, the distorted space returned to normal.

The thin, hairline cracks vanished, and the thicker ones faded away.

Only a coin-sized hole remained at the center.

And even that was slowly shrinking.

“…A shame. It was close.”

A voice echoed from beyond the shrinking hole.

A strange voice, both clear and faint, strong yet weak, impossible to pin down.

“But still…”

It continued, its voice barely audible,

“This is the last one.”

…And then, with a single, final word, the crack vanished completely, and silence returned.

The quiet mountain, as if nothing had happened.

The calm before the storm was ending.

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