‘The last Yellow Dragon, huh.’
Not only the title, but the introductory phrase as well, was extremely familiar.
It was the contents of an achievement he had already received once in Auterica under the name “The Last Gold Dragon.”
‘It seems Tam had been treated as the Yellow Dragon all this time.’
To be precise, it would be more accurate to say that all five dragons had been contained within his body through his special ability.
And with his death, they had all apparently been judged dead at once, causing the title of “last” to pass on to Horus.
An unexpected gain that had come at a completely unforeseen moment.
‘I hadn’t even been expecting anything, since no related message had popped up until now…’
The other dragons had treated Horus as the Yellow Dragon, but he had thought that was separate from being recognized as such by the system.
To think there had been another reason for it.
“Well, whatever the case, it’s a good thing for this body.”
The additional increase in karma was one thing, but the privileges gained through achievements could be called excellent special abilities in and of themselves.
Since they boasted an atrocious difficulty level, to the point that obtaining even one through ordinary means was nearly impossible, each and every one of them could be considered a separate unique skill.
‘Let’s see, the privileges I have right now are…’
First of all—
「Summon Otherworld Transfer Formation」, obtained by accomplishing the “feat” of returning to Earth by his own power.
In truth, it had been achieved through a method no different from a loophole, but this ability was the core privilege among cores that had made him who he was today.
Now that he had additionally accomplished the feat of entering a new world, reducing its cooldown by half, there was no need to waste breath mentioning its importance.
‘There’s also 「Instant Death Immunity」, obtained when I became the Immortal King; 「Spare Life」, which appeared afterward as Hans built up infamy; and conversely, 「Hero’s Footsteps」, which I acquired thanks to Heinrich…’
That was not the end of it.
「Karma Shop Ver.2 Update」, obtained after accumulating an excessive amount of karma.
「Monarch’s Authority」, which appeared when he became the Vampire King after unifying Auterica’s vampires.
And even 「Dragon Lair」, which he had acquired most recently after becoming the last Gold Dragon.
‘Seven of them before this. Now two more have been added, making nine.’
The corner of Hans’s mouth crooked upward as he quietly stroked his chin.
Now that he was organizing them again, he realized that what he had accomplished thus far was by no means small in number.
To think he had this many trophies that demanded conditions so difficult others could not even dream of meeting—truly “achievements” worthy of the word great!
‘While there are abilities I use often, there are also quite a few I’ve left unused because I’ve had almost no occasion to use them.’
Which side would the privileges he had obtained this time fall on?
He slightly narrowed his eyes and once more checked the new authorities dwelling in his soul.
「Authority of Gluttony」.
Just from the name, he could tell it was connected to “Tam,” whom he had dealt with.
The ability itself was not particularly different, either.
After all, it amounted to eating, digesting, and making something his own.
‘…It seems like it would pair well with Harley.’
That was the only thought that immediately came to mind, but since it was a privilege, that probably was not all there was to it.
Given the nature of the system, which did not provide anything so kind as an instruction manual, he would need to research and develop it on his own in order to draw out all of its possibilities.
‘It should also be quite helpful to Hugo, who has the 「Heavenly Vessel Body」 and has a stockpile of elixirs he still hasn’t digested. And for the growth of the other avatars as well… no, wait.’
As he turned his thoughts over, considering several ways to use it, his body abruptly stopped.
A new possibility for utilizing it had suddenly occurred to him.
‘Eat it and make it completely one’s own. If I apply this, even the main body on Earth could…’
Earth, a barren land for special abilities.
No energy or mystery arose naturally in that land.
The only exceptions were the handful of Awakened chosen by the system, which encompassed all dimensions, including Earth.
The fact that they could recover energy they had already used was also due to some unknown effect of the system, not a phenomenon that occurred by absorbing energy from their surroundings.
However, from the moment they left another world and returned to Earth, they had no choice but to face inevitable limitations on their growth.
Like a plant that had grown vigorously in fertile soil, only to be transplanted into a barren desert with not a single nutrient.
‘Of course, with the system’s protection, they won’t wither and die.’
They could still use the abilities they had accumulated thus far.
It was also possible to raise the proficiency of skills obtained through the system and, with luck, evolve and strengthen them.
But—
‘That alone is nowhere near enough.’
All the growth corrections that had always accompanied them disappeared.
No matter how hard they worked, change came only slowly, and even the certainty that they were growing stronger faded, leaving only a sense of deprivation.
Karma points, which had served as reliable insurance, could no longer be used either.
‘Even that is only when it comes to skills. The biggest problem, more than anything, is…’
On Earth, where no mysteries existed, no matter how much one trained, one could not accumulate energy or raise one’s realm any further.
Whether martial arts or magic, technical proficiency could increase, but the wall blocking the way ahead could never be crossed again.
To break through a wall, not only enlightenment but also the assistance of ambient energy to support it was essential.
‘There’s a reason people in the Ganghwan Realm cling to dragon veins so desperately.’
Of course, there was a slim possibility of breaking through a wall even on Earth.
If one obtained an elixir that had crossed over from one’s home dimension, then consumed it at the precise moment of enlightenment.
‘Because of the difference in energy density, most of it would scatter into the air, making the efficiency terrible. And if you ran out of energy in the middle of crossing the wall that way, you’d become a cripple.’
Perhaps an elixir on the level of a Dragon Heart would be needed to make that possible.
Rather than burn something so precious every time he trained, it would be easier on the mind to simply give up.
‘But if I use 「Authority of Gluttony」, that problem can be solved.’
Eat it, digest it, and make it one’s own.
Put simply, did that not mean the efficiency of energy absorption would become close to one hundred percent?
In that case, even the main body should be able to begin training special abilities without needing to pour in top-grade elixirs like water.
‘Until now, I haven’t taken the risk because I could draw on the energy of other avatars through the additional effect of 「Individual Projection」…’
Since things had come to this, the more power he could use, the better.
Especially in a situation where no one knew what might happen in the future.
‘I’ll have to look for elixirs more carefully from now on. As expected, Harris would be the right person for that.’
Of course, Hans and the undead would contaminate any elixir just by passing near it, so they were out of the question from the start.
For them, not going anywhere near it at all would actually be the most helpful thing they could do.
‘And next is… 「Orb of the Yellow Dragon」.’
The privilege obtained when Horus became the last Yellow Dragon.
But this was somehow different from the things he had acquired thus far.
‘…What is this? How do I use it?’
No matter how many times he checked, he could not get a sense for it at all.
No matter how unfriendly the system was, this was the first time something like this had happened, so he could not help but feel naturally flustered.
Until now, even if it had not been detailed, it had at least provided a rough amount of information.
However, there was one thing he could tell…
“It activates on its own when the time comes, huh.”
Only that suspicious sentence.
For some reason, it was such an alien method that it felt out of sync with the system he had experienced all this time.
‘…Tsk, there’s no need to cling desperately to something I can’t use right away. In any case, this was no different from a bonus.’
Since it had been provided to him as a privilege in name, it should not act to his disadvantage.
The Akasha System was truly thorough in such matters.
…Though he did not know whether this privilege had really been given according to principle, or whether some other will had intervened.
Having roughly sorted out the situation, Hans’s gaze turned once more toward the enormous dragon’s corpse.
Toward the grotesque lump of flesh lying all alone on the floor, hacked apart in various places and rotting away.
In that form, none of the majesty of the great being that had once reached the level of divinity could be found anymore.
“If I want to make proper use of this, I’ll need to clean it up to some extent.”
Since the opponent had been so formidable, it had been unavoidable that the corpse had suffered heavy damage while he did his utmost as well.
If he were going to revive it as an undead, it would not matter much, but now that he had decided to use it in another way, he could not leave it like this.
So Hans placed a hand on that lump of flesh and absorbed as much of the “death” eating into its various parts as he could—
‘Oh?’
At the energy being drawn out and collected cleanly at a speed beyond expectation, he slightly raised his brow.
Although he could not do anything about the parts already contaminated, this was far better than he had thought.
‘I see. 「Authority of Gluttony」 acted here as well.’
To Hans, who was undead to begin with, the act of eating had no meaning.
If he had to name a similar act, it would be the act of absorbing energy, just as he had done moments ago.
‘This privilege is far more versatile than I expected, isn’t it?’
If it was an ability with this much flexibility, its range of use would expand even further.
Satisfied, Hans slowly nodded his head, then…
“…What’s this?”
He turned his head sharply toward one side.
Toward the place where, just before the battle, he had made a special effort to spread a barrier.
Toward the direction where the dragon children captured as sacrifices were gathered in one place.
‘…Jegal Hyemi?’
He quickly realized who the source of the sudden abnormal phenomenon was.
Her energy was extremely familiar to him as well.
“Ho, a communication spell with the outside? This is truly quite impressive.”
Having grasped what she was doing, Hans’s eyes shone as he quietly stroked his beard.
External communication, taking advantage of the moment when those watching were in chaos.
And was it not an extremely stealthy method, to the point that he would not have noticed it easily if not for the barrier he had laid out in advance?
‘On top of that, she’s operating not only her own energy, but Ju Gangin’s as well. It seems she somehow sought his cooperation too. …Which means that in this short time since being kidnapped, she not only grasped the nature of the dragon children, but also found a way to utilize the power that had been lying dormant within herself.’
In this world, communication spells were difficult secret arts that ordinary spellcasters could not even attempt.
Their usefulness was unquestionable, yet even major powers could not use them carelessly.
Let alone activating such a high-level spell using an unknown power she had only just understood—this was not something just anyone could do.
‘I did hear her say she was more confident than anyone when it came to the theory of spells, but I never imagined it would be to this extent.’
Jegal Hyemi, who had been born as the precious jewel of the Jegal Clan, yet had always been confined to a sickbed due to her weak body.
Her only hobby had been memorizing theoretical texts in their entirety, dissecting them one by one, and analyzing them.
Once she had put them into her head, she could think as much as she liked even while lying down with her eyes closed.
“This works out nicely. I can use this in its own way.”
Hans narrowed his eyes at the faint energy carefully piercing through his barrier and nodded.
Then he withdrew the dark clouds spread across the Demon Realm area and stored Tam’s corpse away.
Although he had beaten them to the punch by disposing of Yaryul Hwan first and taking the troops under his command into his hands, he had no intention of stopping what had already been set in motion.
This was both a rehearsal for the home theater and part of a great flow that would lead all the way to the reconstruction of the Dragon Heart.
‘In bringing one story to a close, narrative is more important than anything. In terms of the karma that will be accumulated for me as well.’
Thus, under Hans’s tacit consent, the energy that had been advancing slowly finally reached the edge of the barrier.
The work proceeded extremely cautiously, as though she believed she had not yet been discovered.
And at last—
Tap.
—A small hole opened in the barrier, and that faint energy connected directly to the outside.
To Ha Seunghun—
Hugo, who had been traveling with lightness skill all along and happened to be taking a rest.
And who, while he was at it, had been using the newly obtained 「Authority of Gluttony」 to force down elixirs one after another.
***
After wiping out those who had attacked the Jegal Clan and sending the corpses that would serve as clues to Hans,
Harley resumed his journey toward Mount Song, where Shaolin Temple was located.
‘Surely they won’t treat this body, who saved them from danger, coldly! Come to think of it, I wonder if Ganghwan Realm subordinate No. 1 is doing well? He was reasonably clever and sturdy, so he was easy to work to the bone.’
A variety of forces had to participate in the rehearsal that was to unfold, and the role of Shaolin Temple, the foremost authority of the martial world, would be great in it, so he had decided to go personally and take care of it.
No matter how much damage they had suffered in this raid, no one could ignore the weight of the name Shaolin Temple.
Kwa-aaaang—!
Rumble.
“Eeek! M-monster!”
“Uwaaah! What grudge could you possibly hold against us to do this!”
“S-spare me! I have children as numerous as rabbits….”
In that process, punishing the evil forces that would obstruct the harmony and peace of Murim was not such a great feat.
If the scene shrank for no reason because of these bastards, wouldn’t the amount of Karma he could earn decrease by just as much?
Clean-up was something that had to be done early when the opportunity arose.
‘And while I was at it, I could earn a decent bit of side income too.’
Having finished another rewarding day of volunteer work, he walked away from the ruined estate with bold, dignified steps.
Twirling this way and that a long black spear said to be forged from precious Cloudsteel, a material rare even in the Ganghwan Realm.
‘Pretty nice. It’ll be worth dismantling to uncover the applied techniques.’
Harley sent it to Dwarf Howard via the 「Avatar Cloud」.
Right after, having received another item, he stared at it quietly and smacked his lips.
“Sniff, sniff. The smell seems decent? It feels like aged meat or something.”
An unidentified chunk of meat, freshly slaughtered with blood dripping from it, yet slightly discolored.
It was a part of the Tamryong he had finished hunting only moments ago.
Although he had decided to use the entire thing as an offering for the reconstruction of the Dragon Heart, having gone through the trouble of catching such magnificent prey, surely he could afford to sample its taste?
“Kahahat! Yes, of course! Considering its volume, this much is truly nothing. …Hmm, in that sense, maybe I can eat a bit more. Just a little from each part….”
He had once heard that meat on the verge of rotting was the most delicious.
At the time, he had thought it was utter nonsense….
‘But looking at it now, it seems pretty good?’
Saliva trickled down from Harley’s mouth.
He tended to prefer fresh meat, but occasionally, a delicacy like this didn’t seem bad.
If he placed it beside Hans for even the briefest moment, it would rot away instantly, so it wouldn’t take too long to prepare.
“Then shall I take a bite?”
Chomp.
The corners of his mouth tore all the way to beneath his ears and opened wide.
「Gluttony」 activated, applying overwhelming corrections to the act of eating automatically.
At the same time, the 「Authority of Gluttony」 activated.
Crunch.
—Crack!
Flesh tore on sharp teeth, and juices leaked out.
A cheese-like flavor accompanying a rich, dense meat aroma.
‘This, in its own way…’
In that moment, as Harley calmly composed his review in his mind.
《The entity has met the conditions for growth. The special skill 「Gluttony」 evolves into 「Food God」.》
The notification he had been inwardly expecting appeared.