#65
Customizing (1)
Murmur, murmur—
From the depths of the Roselia Great Temple, the wounded were carried out one after another and transported to the treatment rooms.
It was a sight she had never imagined she would see here.
Saintess Riesta watched them with a heavy expression.
Everyone had thrown themselves into the effort, yet because she herself had been lacking, it felt as though she had failed to fulfill their will.
Then the saintess’s gaze turned toward a holy knight surrounded by priests on one side of the treatment room.
It was Heinrich, whose body was still blackened in places despite having already received several rounds of purification treatment.
“Haa…”
A sigh escaped her lips yet again, one she had no idea how many times she had let out today.
“Saintess, you were still here.”
“Ah, Cardinal Cordelia…”
Just then, a cardinal whose face looked just as weary as the saintess’s approached and spoke to her.
“You overexerted yourself today as well, Saintess. You should rest now.”
“My heart feels so uneasy that even when I rest, it doesn’t feel like resting.”
She had used an excessive amount of divine power in the battle against the Immortal King, and immediately after the fight ended, she had wrung out what little strength remained to tend to the wounded, leaving her at her limit…
But seeing this scene, she simply could not rest in peace.
“And that final scene from then still won’t leave my mind.”
“By then, you mean… I see.”
Cardinal Cordelia’s gaze followed the saintess’s to one place.
“Sir Heinrich is…”
“His life is not in danger. Though I think his treatment will take some time.”
“That is a relief.”
“But…”
As the saintess herself had examined Heinrich, she knew all too well just how vicious the curse energy that had engulfed him had been.
A type of black magic that inflicted extreme pain and dealt a grave blow to the mind.
If it struck directly while one was defenseless, it was powerful enough to render even a paladin incapable of combat.
‘Normally, one would wrap their body in divine power and avoid taking that much damage, but…’
Yet Heinrich had taken it with his bare body and endured.
There was no way he, of all people, had been unaware of the danger of that curse activated right before his eyes, and yet he had withstood it through sheer will alone.
He had poured even the last drop of divine power that could have gone into defense into the tip of his sword, sharpening its edge with his resolve.
Not for his own safety, but to pierce the Immortal King’s heart, driven by an obsession to raise that chance by even the slightest bit.
For his mission… for his own faith.
That sight seemed reckless, and yet when she thought that if he had not gone that far, they would not have been able to repel the Immortal King, her chest felt tight.
“At the time, I thought there was no other way, but was that really true? If I had tried a little harder… wouldn’t there have been another possibility?”
The ability to move through space—and a blessing that could be activated instantly at the desired moment—was an exceedingly rare power.
So rare that, even among those present, Heinrich had been the only one who possessed it.
At the time, she had believed that method to be the best, but had it truly been so?
Rather than pushing someone else into danger like that, wouldn’t it have been better to proceed in a direction where she herself made the sacrifice?
If she had, then perhaps they could have dealt with the Immortal King right there…
“Saintess!”
As if cutting off the saintess’s thoughts as she sank into endless self-reproach, Cardinal Cordelia raised her voice with a firm expression.
“At that moment, that method was the best. Everyone there did their utmost for it, and he showed us more than we could have expected. There is not the slightest room for you to blame yourself here, Saintess.”
“But…”
Seeing the saintess still wavering, Cardinal Cordelia gave her a gentle smile, like a grandmother looking at her granddaughter.
“And… thanks to that, have we not gained a new hero? Now that the Immortal King has revived, a hero who can stand against him is absolutely necessary.”
A young holy knight in his early twenties who possessed bishop-level divine power equal to that of the holy knight commanders.
Since his combat ability was by no means lacking either, he was a capable man whose future was all the more promising.
“This trial will make him even stronger. He is not a man who would crumble so easily over something like this. He is a hero who has received the Main God’s full attention.”
The cardinal concluded by saying that what they had to do was help from his side so that the hero could grow faster and greater.
‘A hero…!’
The saintess looked back at the unconscious Heinrich and clenched her fist tightly.
When she thought about it, that was how it had always been.
Just like in all the storybooks she had read until now, was the saintess not the helper who aided the hero at his side?
Even when she thought back on her experience devouring countless heroic tales, she had never once seen a story where the saintess took the lead and beat the Demon King down herself.
‘The Demon King, the Hero, and the Saintess!’
The imagination of an 18-year-old girl full of dreams swelled.
Cardinal Cordelia merely looked on with a satisfied expression as the saintess’s face, now much improved, sparkled with eyes filled with firm resolve.
***
Clap, clap, clap—
“Excellent. Truly excellent.”
Unable to contain my admiration, I rose from my seat and gave a standing ovation.
It was praise directed at myself, who had taken on both the leading role and the director’s seat to produce such a splendid scene.
“The first button has been fastened well enough. With this, the narrative of Hans and Heinrich as opponents has been completed.”
Hans, the already completed final boss, and Heinrich, the hero candidate who was growing rapidly.
As he was now, he was absolutely not lacking as a hero candidate.
The bishop-level divine power he had reached this time was a level possessed only by the holy knight commanders.
Of course, his actual weapon skills and experience inevitably fell far short of theirs, but that could somehow be made up for later through effort and the skills Heinrich possessed.
‘It’s also great that he obtained “Blessing: Light Sword.” An extreme counterattack that can cut through the darkness attribute like paper.’
Whether that was truly something Heinrich had realized at just the right timing through his own pure power alone, or whether the sponsor watching over him had supported him for dramatic effect, no longer mattered.
‘What matters is that the power suits the protagonist of a heroic tale perfectly!’
Since he had succeeded in leaving a strong impression on the higher-ups of the Order this time as well, it was fair to say he had squeezed out every last bit of benefit he could get.
‘Of course, the greatest benefit lies elsewhere.’
My gaze turned toward the floor in the corner of the room.
Sssss—
The floor instantly darkened, and a black silhouette slowly rose from below.
A skeleton wearing a robe that had been reduced to rags after a fierce battle.
It was Hans, who had now become the Immortal King.
Thanks to his aura being thoroughly concealed, it did not leak outside, but merely looking at his existence sent a chill through me, as though my very soul were freezing.
‘His atmosphere alone is no joke.’
In truth, the abilities he possessed were even more outrageous.
-Individual Name: Hans
-Race: Undead (Immortal King)
-Common Traits: “Mind Hub,” “Persona,” “Clear Mirror, Still Water”
-Individual Traits: “Undying Heart,” “Evil Wisdom,” “Forbidden Knowledge,” “Path of Magic,” “Abyssal Eye,” “Magic Power Dominion”
-Special Notes: Having fully inherited the “Immortal King’s Heart,” he has become the calamity of the Auterica dimension, the Third Immortal King. Dark magic power is supplied infinitely through the heart. As long as the heart is not destroyed, he regenerates endlessly. Transcending death, he has become the king of all the dead and the enemy of all the living.
“Abyssal Eye,” which I had already used once, was not an ability that could be used without limit, but its effect was extremely satisfying.
“Undying Heart” went beyond merely strengthening his existing abilities and had the effect of enhancing all the skills he possessed, such as “Evil Wisdom” and “Forbidden Knowledge.”
On top of that, with “Magic Power Dominion,” not only had his basic magic power control become stronger, he was now able to seize a portion of his opponent’s control as well…
‘He’s the final evolutionary form of a spellcasting class.’
He was truly the Demon King himself.
Moreover, unless one directly struck the heart in the subspace, even if he took damage, it meant nothing, so he was no different from an immortal.
‘That’s why this play could succeed, too.’
Hans looked far too intact for someone whose core had been pierced through and seared by divine power.
Since “Blessing: Light Sword” did not have the power to cut through space, it had naturally already been restored long ago.
Heinrich would need a considerable recovery period due to the aftereffects of the curse used for a more dramatic production, but that too was a hero’s trial, so it could not be helped.
Thus, the opening act of Operation “Home Theater: Demon King and Hero” had smoothly come to a close.
In keeping with the setting, Hans, who had sustained damage, would have to be active on Earth for the time being, but I could use this chance to take care of the cleaning that had piled up.
Then what remained now was…
‘Collection! It’s time to settle the admission fees.’
It had been a play staged for the entire continent.
Of course, it would take time for the aftershocks of this incident to spread elsewhere.
For now, its direct influence remained only within the Order, but since there was also an achievement reward, the karma I had been given immediately should not be all that small.
『Karma Shop』
『Unique Skill Enhancement (800,000)』
『Stat Enhancement – View Details』
『Karma Possessed - 1,641,132』
‘Oho, did it go up by roughly a million?’
Enough points for an awakened person sent to another world to return to Earth in one go.
That was the karma I had gained from a single incident.
‘Though the scale of that single incident was rather large.’
In any case, it was good news for me.
Without hesitation, I immediately chose to enhance my unique skill.
I felt the headache I had experienced so many times before, and realized that I was now able to create another avatar.
And then…
《Your unique skill has grown and blossomed with possibility. You have acquired the special skill “Customizing.”》
I became able to change various settings once for each avatar.
‘This is…!’
Wasn’t this the custom creation service said to make people agonize for hours before creating a character in a game?
My hands itched to try using it right away.
And just then, Hans, who was standing blankly in front of me, caught my eye.
Since the other avatars were busy with their respective tasks, Hans was the only avatar I could test it on right away.
Also, if “Customizing” could change appearance, he might even be able to return to a human form!
With those expectations, I immediately used “Customizing” through Hans, and…
I was immediately rendered speechless.
-Smooth skull, protruding skull, cracked skull…
-Round eye sockets, upturned eye sockets, drooping eye sockets…
-Neat teeth, sharp teeth, vampire teeth…
A detailed list floated before my eyes.
And not only that—through additional fine adjustments, I could even sculpt my very own skeleton however I wanted!
‘…So it can’t surpass the limits of race, huh.’
In truth, since Hans usually went around wearing a mask and could not form human relationships anyway, changing his appearance was not an especially useful ability.
‘If I really need to, I can just overlay illusion magic. Now that my level of magic has risen even further, I probably won’t be found out unless something unusual happens.’
I rationalized it to myself that way and looked through the other functions, but unfortunately, the only thing Hans could use was appearance alteration.
The “initial stat settings” included in “Customizing” was an ability limited only to avatars that were just being created.
‘Still, this is something! Does that mean I can adjust their abilities in advance according to their future profession now?’
At present, my abilities boasted evenly high values overall through point distribution.
I could adapt quickly in any field, but it was still an unavoidable fact that the efficiency was lacking.
But now I had become able to specialize those ordinary abilities in one direction.
Like intelligence and magic power for a mage, and strength and stamina for a warrior.
‘Since I can create a new avatar this time anyway, let’s test it right away. What direction should I go in this time…?’
Just as I was about to use “Customizing” to create an avatar…
“Huh?”
A piece of information suddenly flashed through my mind.
Skills do not tell you everything from the beginning.
Information about specific functions is unlocked when you realize it yourself or fulfill certain conditions, which was why the work of raising proficiency in a new skill was important.
‘No! That’s not what’s important right now!’
The function I had just newly realized had a ridiculous amount of potential.
‘To think I can create an avatar as a related race through a medium!’
The word “medium” was extremely vague, but I naturally understood what it meant.
I headed toward the flowerpot in the corner of the living room.
The eco-friendly air purifier Cecily had given me… no, the “Branch of the Withered World Tree” was there.
‘I’d grown rather fond of it all this time, though.’
It was a shame, but there was nothing to be done. I grabbed it and pulled it out of the pot.
Because this was the medium that would allow me to create an avatar as an “elf.”