#235
Karma Shopping (3)
A mountain village located slightly away from the capital of the Zepia Republic.
The Church of the Lord God was the largest religion on the continent, so even in a small village with hardly any population, a prayer house for the residents had been established.
Of course, the conditions were so poor that the only residents were a single apprentice priest on a training mission and two monks native to the village, but none of the villagers looked down on the place.
Even the feeble divine power of an apprentice priest was sufficient for emergency treatment, and thanks to that, they were in a position to receive its benefits at any time.
Leaving faith aside, there was hardly anyone who could hate something that practically helped with daily life.
But right now, inside this prayer house that should have been more sacred than anywhere else—
A secret meeting of those utterly bereft of permission and even a single grain of faith was taking place.
“How does it feel to have received that one’s grace, Obaipo? As a vampire, your compatibility should be quite excellent.”
“Kuh, as expected… it is not bad at all… Though when you came suddenly, I wondered what trick you were trying to pull…”
“How hurtful. I thought we had built up a fair amount of trust after associating for quite a long time.”
A blasphemous conversation exchanged inside the prayer house where symbols of the Church of the Lord God were engraved everywhere.
The Lord of the Obaipo Clan, who had established themselves in the east, the Sacred Blood vampire Obaipo, and…
“Was it not you who first broke that trust, Revolutionary…? You will not say you bear no responsibility for the deaths of Enamel’s Clown and the Southern Barbarian King, will you…?”
“I must apologize for that. An urgent matter came up, and I had no choice but to cut off contact.”
He was the Revolutionary, the founder of the Oath of Defying Heaven, the greatest culprit behind the world falling into such chaos.
“That is why I have come now to offer my assistance. With that power, you will not fall as easily as the others did, will you?”
“Kuhuhu… The Supreme Commander of Zepia, who would have been the greatest obstacle, was eliminated long ago… I had wanted to make him my kin as well, but subduing a martial artist who has reached Transcendence is no easy task… It is a pity…”
It was a shocking tale that even this man, called the strongest in the Republic, had fallen.
Moreover, the Hero, who could be called another obstacle, had already tacitly approved the Hybrid’s domination of the Kingdom of Talia, so it would not be easy to intervene in the Republic’s internal secret affairs now.
On top of that, the world’s attention was scattered due to incidents breaking out everywhere in succession, creating a situation favorable to Obaipo in many ways.
“Can we leave the Vice President alone? She is practically the leader of the opposition faction.”
“Hmm, that woman…? Her usefulness has run its course, so I was planning to dispose of her soon anyway… Her hands and feet have already been cut off, so there is nothing she can do…”
He had kept her alive despite her great hostility toward vampires in order to more easily obtain information about those who opposed them.
He had also spent considerable time laying various schemes and arrangements on her side for that purpose.
“You are quite at ease. Even though you know that woman has already made contact with the Hybrid in the west.”
“Kuh, that self-proclaimed Vampire King…? Ridiculous… The sight of one who knows nothing of the Origin of Blood strutting about calling himself a king…”
Naturally, he had already grasped the movements of the Vice President and the Hybrid long ago.
But having something to believe in, he did not worry about them at all even now, with the situation flowing toward an imminent clash.
“No matter what power he possesses… so long as vampire blood flows in that body, he cannot defeat me, who has obtained the power closest to the Origin… I rather feel like praising him for handling troublesome matters in my stead…”
He showed not worry but anticipation.
He truly wished for the so-called Hybrid King to come to him.
For the moment he subjugated him would be the day he seized all the vampires of the continent in his hand.
“Now, if only I can obtain the essences of Brocoslak and Yupershi… all the severed Bloodlines of the Beginning that had been lost to time will finally gather in one place… Then the world shall truly face the true Vampire King…!”
Obaipo, who had gathered the disconnected legacies of the ‘Bloodline of the Beginning’ that had failed to be passed down for ages.
He reveled in ecstasy, dreaming of completing the perfect bloodline and reigning supreme over it.
Never even imagining that the two bloodlines he targeted, as well as all those who had fallen under the Hybrid’s command, had long since lost their purity and been contaminated by vampiric factors from another dimension.
***
I crossed my arms and glared at the number indicating the item’s price.
“Hmm.”
Compared to the overwhelming figure of 30 million, a mere 300 thousand was a change of barely one percent.
But since it was the first time I had actually seen the value change, my interest was naturally drawn to it.
‘What is it? What is that thing, changing all of a sudden…? Did one of my subordinates obtain a clue related to it?’
In fact, I had been speculating that the pricing was based on the item’s value and the difficulty of acquisition, but of course, that was not one hundred percent certain.
However, looking at the price trends of other ordinary items, it was indeed the most plausible theory.
So it was only natural to think that, triggered by something, I had grown a bit closer to ‘it.’
‘Then if I can identify the cause, I can learn its identity as well. So first, I should check whether any related information has been obtained…’
But as I was quickly analyzing the situation, the moment my thoughts reached what I should do next, I realized anew that it was not as easy as it sounded.
‘Even just the channels through which I can obtain information right now…’
The Ghost Intelligence Corps, scattered across the entire continent under the control of Olivia, the chief intelligence officer of the Undead Army.
The vampires belonging to Hybrid and the dark organizations that had come under his command, infiltrating the world’s shadows.
The Church of the Lord God’s intelligence analysis team, exerting influence across the continent to gather and provide necessary information.
The informants of the Hubert Company, organized to collect information related to the Upper Realms and track the flow of goods.
‘And that’s not all. There are indirect routes for acquiring information as well.’
Halli in the south and Harris of the Enamel Continent were each, in their own way, inseparably connected to incidents occurring in their territories, and the influence of Hesperon, who enjoyed the Imperial Princess’s favor, could not be ignored either.
In fact, other than Howard, who was cooped up in his room doing nothing but swinging a hammer, everyone was an excellent information-gathering channel.
‘…Just the information constantly flowing in from all directions every moment is overwhelming; how could I possibly single out something related to an entity whose identity I don’t even know?’
Lost in thought over this for a moment, I soon shook my head and cleanly cast aside my worries.
Honestly, while I was indeed interested in it, clinging longer to a matter that would yield no conclusion no matter what I did was also a waste of mental energy.
‘After all, a change of about one percent isn’t that significant.’
Whatever it was, seeing that number meant it was still dreadfully far away.
If a decisive change occurred, I would find out one way or another.
Right now, what was important to me was not such a vague problem.
Gulp, gulp—
I turned my gaze to a child wearing an oversized T-shirt like a dress, holding a glass bottle with her tiny hands and drinking a potion.
“Kyaha—!”
The little one removed her mouth from the empty bottle and let out a refreshing exclamation, then smacked her lips and rubbed the corners of her mouth with her palm.
Every single action was devastatingly cute.
‘Is her behavior being influenced because her body has grown younger?’
Or perhaps it was just an ordinary action, and she only felt that way because of her appearance.
Of course, whichever it was, there was no need to worry about it now.
It was not as if the Avatar’s unique personality was anything new.
‘Anyway, for rapid growth, Auterica is more efficient than Earth. But I can’t just send Horus, in his child form, anywhere alone. There should at least be a nominal guardian.’
While I was lost in such thoughts, Hugo quietly opened the door and entered, approaching Horus to dress him in children’s clothing from the other world received via Avatar Cloud.
It was clothing that Hubert, in charge of miscellaneous tasks and supplies, had urgently prepared and sent.
‘…Right, that place would indeed be best.’
And watching this, I was able to decide on Horus’s destination after some deliberation.
Someone who was not too big a shot to attract attention, yet who could bring a child along under all sorts of pretexts without it seeming strange.
‘Tarak, where the Hubert Company is located.’
It was the moment when child-rearing was added to Hubert’s workload, alongside miscellaneous tasks and supply management.
***
“Drakarion gazes upon you.”
This was the message that appeared before Horus’s eyes immediately after he crossed over to the other world.
‘The Dragon God?’
Having seen it more than once or twice, it was now an annual event, nothing particularly new.
‘Now, on the contrary, I’d feel disappointed if there wasn’t this kind of attention.’
Life receiving the attention of the gods, at least in this other world.
Of course, he had received satisfactory sponsorship alongside such attention, so he had no particular complaints.
If they watched long enough and found something they liked, they would occasionally toss him a gift or two.
“Huuup— Haa—!”
Horus took a deep breath right there and smiled in satisfaction.
‘Still, it is certainly different now that I’ve come to a world with mana.’
Unlike Earth, a barren land of supernatural powers where no energy could be felt, the mana filling this place rapidly gathered into his Dragonheart with every breath he took, making him stronger and stronger.
Indeed, whether it was the growth correction or the expensive potions working overtime, he was improving at a speed so fast that even Horus himself was surprised.
‘On Earth, I could only recover lost energy, but it could not lead to actual growth.’
Therefore, an Awakener who returned to Earth could become more skilled through training, but their fundamental capacity could not increase.
In essence, the moment they returned, their limit was set in stone.
‘Though that problem does not concern me…’
Moreover, while he already possessed several powerful Avatars, that was still somewhat insufficient.
He needed power stronger than before, more overwhelming strength.
To overthrow that angel… that Buncheonhoeju bastard, back then.
And the most promising talent he had been looking forward to the most recently was this little dragon right here.
Horus clenched his chubby hands and steeled his resolve.
‘Of course, regardless, it is not yet time to do something directly. First, I need to take some time to get used to the dragon’s body and abilities.’
The place where he took his first step in this world was Hubert’s personal quarters.
Since hired staff handled most of his daily necessities, it was an optimal environment where he could focus solely on what he wanted without needing to do anything else.
‘Alright, let’s begin.’
And Horus flopped down onto the bed inside his quarters to begin his full-fledged training.
“Huuu— Haa—.”
Deep breathing and meditation followed.
He slowly observed his own body.
He remained like that in human form for a while, then Polymorphed back into a dragon and repeated the same process.
From a distance, one might wonder what he was doing, but Horus was quite seriously carrying out his routine.
Operation Name: Crouching Dragon.
An infant dragon cooped up in a luxurious house, crouching its body as it dreamed of the day it would soar into the sky.
***
Somewhere in Auterica.
Inside a small cave where all manner of physical and magical concealment measures had been taken, so that not a single ray of light could enter.
Rumble—
With a loud stirring that broke centuries of silence, a pair of eyes slowly ignited in the darkness.
The being quietly blinked its eyes to survey its surroundings, tilting its head for a moment…
[Hmm? What is this…]
Soon, it let out a low exclamation upon sensing something.
An unfamiliar presence of a kin that had appeared out of nowhere, impossible to tell from where—
[…Drakarion.]
It was an energy so young that it was questionable how it had been born in this day and age, akin to a newborn by their standards.
But now that she had sensed it, she could no longer remain still.
[As you will it.]
It was an event that occurred in a cave on a remote, uninhabited island, removed from the chaotic situation descending upon the continent.