#148
Hero Party (2)
“Haa—.”
After the interview ended, I Se-a returned to the room where she was staying and threw herself onto the bed with a sigh.
Fortunately, when she honestly explained her circumstances and asked for his understanding, the Saint accepted it with an all-embracing smile.
So readily, in fact, that it made her feel guilty.
‘And that man, too… Well, if I noticed it, there’s no way the Saint didn’t.’
She had even received a firm assurance that there was no need to worry about the barbarian man “Harley,” who had been subtly bothering her, so all that was left was to return to the imperial palace with a light heart…
But her mind was in an even greater state of confusion than before she had come to the Great Temple.
“That… was it really a Hahoe mask?”
Because of the mask design the Saint had drawn and shown her right before their conversation ended.
‘Or did it only seem similar because I saw it as a drawing? Is it just a coincidence? If it really is a Hahoe mask, why is it in this world?’
No, in truth, if she thought about it, the fact that it existed here wasn’t strange in itself.
Because she wouldn’t be the only one who had come to this world—Auterica.
She had spent the past eight years growing up safely under the protection of the princess, but originally, the survival rate in another world was only around twenty percent.
On top of that, she had already met the conditions for returning, so by the simplest calculation, that meant about four people should have died here by now.
‘Of course, probability is an independent trial, so it doesn’t necessarily have to be that way, but still, there’s such a thing as expected value.’
And whether they had lived or died, if there had been a Korean among them, it wasn’t all that unusual for the design of a Hahoe mask to have spread here.
They might have brought one with them so as not to forget their homeland and then lost it, or they might have carved one themselves out of homesickness.
Perhaps they had gifted or sold the mask they made to someone.
‘…That person might even have something to do with the Immortal King. A being of that caliber wouldn’t simply go around wearing just any mask.’
There had to be some meaning behind his choice of that mask.
Perhaps he had killed and stolen it from someone who opposed him, or perhaps someone who had helped him resurrect had recommended it.
If not that… then perhaps the Immortal King’s true identity was…
“Whew— It’s not certain yet. And whether it’s true or not, it has nothing to do with me at this point.”
She had been shaken because it was the first trace she had encountered of someone from her homeland, but in truth, no matter how much she agonized over it now, it was a completely useless matter.
It was also not a particularly pleasant fact to keep clinging to.
‘Come to think of it, where are the other Earthlings in this world, and what are they doing right now?’
She hadn’t traveled to many places, so she hadn’t had much chance to encounter them, but perhaps they had passed each other without recognizing one another.
There was no particular way to identify them unless someone revealed it first, and she wasn’t the type to go around showing it either.
‘I’d like to at least have one conversation before I go back. It’d be even better if they were from the same country.’
With that brief thought as the last, she set aside her complicated thoughts for a moment, quietly closed her eyes, and sank into meditation.
To calm her mind, which had been disturbed by an unexpected event.
***
At the time when I Se-a was in the midst of continuing her solitary anguish.
Harley, another Korean who had been sent to Auterica… or rather, a part of one, was stroking his chin with a serious expression, lost in thought.
‘Enemy of the world, huh… Was there an achievement like this too?’
The achievement Hans had accomplished this time was extraordinary from the wording alone.
Well, earning the hostility of more than half the intelligent beings living in a single dimension was certainly no easy feat.
This much was more than enough to be called an achievement.
And the special privilege, 「Extra Life」, must have been granted with that in mind as well.
‘Though I wonder what meaning it has when someone who achieved those conditions would already have the ability to not die so easily, and would also have earned enough karma to return.’
However, all the special privileges granted so far had originally been like that.
If one returned by crossing dimensions on their own, they received 「Summon Otherworld Transfer Circle」.
By becoming the Immortal King, the pinnacle of undead, one received 「Instant Death Immunity」.
They were undoubtedly good, but if not for a special case like his, they would have been ambiguous to apply.
‘Well, either way, they help me, so it doesn’t matter.’
This time’s special privilege, 「Extra Life」, was literally a skill that allowed one to come back to life even after dying.
It wasn’t something like 「Instant Death Immunity」 that kept one’s lifeline attached only under certain conditions, but a tremendous miracle that allowed one to revive in optimal condition if they simply died.
Naturally, such an ability couldn’t be used indefinitely.
‘The cooldown is incredibly long. Once a year, huh. Still, considering the effect, should I say that’s actually decent?’
Since his main body was on Earth, in terms of this other world’s time, it would be once every ten years. But since his avatars were unlikely to die under most circumstances, it would be useful as insurance just in case.
‘Good, that’s settled. Then next is…’
Suddenly emerging from his thoughts, Harley raised his head and looked forward.
At the same time, Heinrich also turned his gaze and looked at him.
…And so, in one place, the two men’s gazes intertwined.
“……”
“……”
A strange silence lingered inside the reception room.
The two avatars simply looked at each other, without saying a single word, only smiling.
Heinrich wore a benevolent smile that warmed the heart just by looking at it, while Harley wore a vicious smile that made one’s knees go weak just by seeing it.
Because of other people’s attention, they had set aside a separate interview time, but with no one around to watch them, there was no need to go through the trouble of talking to himself, so they were simply idling away the time like this.
‘Hm?’
Then suddenly, Heinrich’s gaze caught Harley’s bare upper body, covered in ornate tattoos.
That overwhelming body, including those rugged muscles, possessed a density beyond what it appeared to have, and for Harley, who handled bio-energy, that was no different from combat power.
‘Come to think of it, aside from Heinrich and Hans, there hasn’t been a fight between avatars, has there? These two are both martial types, so what would happen if they clashed directly?’
It was a curiosity that had suddenly occurred to him, but it was also a good opportunity.
It would be a waste to keep blankly sitting around like this, and observing each other’s abilities could also be called part of the interview process, couldn’t it?
Thud!
The moment he made up his mind, the two of them rose from their seats at the same time and went outside.
And the place where their footsteps stopped after crossing the Great Temple was a sparring facility set up on one side of the training ground.
“Huh! Greetings, Saint. But what brings you here…”
When Heinrich suddenly appeared, the holy knight in charge of the training ground was startled and greeted him.
This sparring ground, surrounded by the highest level of protective barriers, was designed so that shockwaves from inside would not leak out, making it a useful place where even opponents at the level of paladins could engage in practical training with all their strength.
Naturally, there was no better place for Heinrich and Harley’s fight.
“Ah— thank you for your hard work. I’d like to use the training facility for a moment. I intend to have a brief spar with this gentleman here.”
“Kahahahat! A collision that mobilizes all one’s strength and soul is the true exchange between men! This is a necessary procedure! Hahahah!”
Since the attention of those around them had gathered, lines fully immersed in character immediately came out.
At the rude words and behavior carried out in the presence of the Saint, the holy knight’s brow twitched, but when Heinrich, who was right beside him, said nothing, he too stepped back without showing anything further.
While quietly lowering his gaze and scanning Harley’s muscles with his eyes.
And—
“Oh! The Saint is sparring!”
“Who is his opponent? A warrior from Kalkos? What an impressive body.”
“Hmm… He’s someone recommended as a member of the punitive force. Then is this the Saint’s test? I wonder if that man can show skill equal to those muscles.”
Holy knights and paladins who had heard the news immediately gathered and began surrounding the sparring ground.
Since merely watching a spar between those who had reached a high level was helpful, this sparring ground was also well equipped with facilities for observation from the surroundings.
Of course, if Heinrich, as the Saint, wished it, he could have sent them all away, but…
‘There’s no need to go that far.’
This would also be a good opportunity to show off their strength before the elites of the Main God Church.
It was time to show these believers in weight training that Harley’s splendid muscles weren’t just for show!
‘Now then, shall we begin?’
It was called a spar, but since he was controlling both of them, a battle of wits was impossible.
No matter what he did, it would inevitably become a situation where they traded attacks as if everything had been arranged in advance, so all he could do was simply compare their respective capabilities.
But that alone would still be a fairly meaningful measurement.
And so, the Hero who was the Saint of the Main God and the adversary of the Immortal King, the Knight of Light Heinrich.
And the barbarian warrior who had never even been to the south, the chimera dragonkin, the berserker Harley, clashed head-on.
***
Though it was a practical spar, since there were eyes around them, Harley did not use his complete form mode or “Madness.”
No matter how much Heinrich vouched for him, openly using that would be a bit much.
“Kahahahaha—!”
Kwaaang—!
However, even excluding that, the pressure Harley displayed in combat was beyond imagination.
His muscles, even more swollen than before, the dark red scales sprouting all over his body, and the light streaming from both eyes.
His right hand, with sharp claws protruding from it, was like a dragon’s foreleg, and the enormous black axe in his left hand was covered in 「Bio-Aura」, exuding a fierce energy as if it could split even a giant in half.
In addition, the bio-energy surging from that superior body burned the energy stored within him and activated the marks across his entire body, while the mana storm swirling around him supported every action he took.
“Huh… Is that a dragonkin?”
“…They’re such a rare race that I can’t really say. But if all dragonkin possessed abilities like that, there’s no way they would be on the verge of extinction as they are now…”
“As expected, muscles do not lie.”
“Mm-hmm!”
Those watching the spar were awed by his majesty and kept nodding.
Harley’s movements, which drove forward violently, contained unconventionality and irregularity, yet within them lay systematically trained regularity and fundamentals.
Kooong—!
The moment the axe covered in deep dark-red aura collided with the holy sword, the claws of his right hand swept toward Heinrich’s lower body.
As Heinrich deflected the axe and lightly took a step back, Harley followed after him and smoothly swung the weapon in his left hand once more.
It was a terrifying combat power that anyone would have no choice but to acknowledge, possessing not only raw strength but technique as well.
And the person facing Harley was no exception in acknowledging it.
‘I thought wrong. I assumed it would just become a completely staged exchange, but experiencing it directly like this, Harley’s fighting style is even more…’
Unpredictable.
Even though he was personally controlling the body, he could not easily anticipate its movements.
The skill 「Frenzied Beast」, which had evolved from 「Wildness」, the skill that made instinctive combat possible for Harley, did not merely allow him to handle madness more efficiently.
Almost all of his movements were carried out in the realm of the unconscious, beyond reason’s grasp, and he instinctively attacked by piercing Heinrich’s openings.
Because they shared thoughts, it instead exploited that fact, persistently digging only into the parts he himself was not conscious of.
‘…This is an incredibly efficient training method, isn’t it?’
Wasn’t it perfect training for overcoming openings that he himself could not perceive?
It was an extremely radical method, but its effectiveness was guaranteed. Enchanted by it, Heinrich soon forgot his original purpose and focused on his battle against himself, gradually sinking into a state of selflessness.
Kwajik!
Kwaaaang—!
Thus the fierce battle continued, and Harley poured out increasingly violent attacks as though he intended to burn through all the energy he had stored.
But.
Even so.
Those attacks, in the end, did not reach Heinrich.
The axe blade that flew in from a fatal angle was deflected by the holy sword.
The tip of a foot that suddenly shot up, aiming for an opening, lost its target before it could even arrive.
A hand covered in holy sword energy and divine power knocked away sharp claws.
And the blade wrapped in a sword of light cut through hard scales, splitting them open and leaving his body drenched in blood.
“…The movement of his sword is beautiful. I’ve never seen anything like that before…”
“But isn’t the Saint going a little too far? Shouldn’t we stop them now?”
“It’s still all right. That southern warrior may be covered in blood on the outside, but all his wounds have already recovered. Hmm, is that because he’s a dragonkin too?”
In terms of pure physical specs alone, Harley had an overwhelming advantage.
His body felt as if a gigantic monster had been compressed into human form, and the violent energy pouring from that body amplified his already outstanding destructive power even further.
Fast, strong, and irregularly linked offense.
And that—mercilessly stimulated something that had been sleeping within Heinrich.
‘Ah, so this is what it was.’
「Great Blessing: Knight of Light」 and all kinds of growth corrections supported his enlightenment.
The 「Logia Sacred Combat Method」, which had been improved over a long period of time through the hands of countless geniuses while dealing with all manner of monsters, was rapidly absorbed.
He was able to instantly master techniques he had known as knowledge but had never been able to imitate, and that led to yet another stage of growth.
And finally.
《The individual has gained enlightenment through repeated training. The skill 「Martial Bone」 evolves into the special skill 「Path of Martial Arts」.》
「Martial Bone」, which had remained stagnant ever since he obtained the holy sword and reached a certain level, finally crossed the wall.