Episode 148 Hero Party (2)
"Sigh—"
Isea threw herself onto the bed, sighing, after returning to her room following the interview.
Fortunately, the Saint understood her and readily accepted her apology after she honestly explained her situation.
He was so understanding that she even felt guilty.
'And that man… well, there's no way the Saint wouldn't have noticed what I noticed.'
She had also received confirmation that she didn't have to worry about the barbarian 'Harley', who had been subtly bothering her, so she should be able to return to the imperial palace with a light heart…
But her mind was even more confused than before she came to the cathedral.
"Was that… really Hahoe Mask?"
Because of the mask design that the Saint had drawn and shown her right before the conversation ended.
'Or was it just similar because I saw it in a drawing? Is it just a coincidence? If it's really Hahoe Mask, why is it in this world?'
No, actually, it wasn't strange for it to exist here.
She wasn't the only one who came to this world— Auterica.
She had been safely growing under the princess's protection for the past eight years, but the survival rate in another world was only about 20%.
And she had already met the conditions to return, so it meant that at least four people would have died here, based on simple calculations.
'Of course, probability is independent, so it doesn't necessarily mean that, but there's still the expected value.'
And whether they were alive or dead, if there was a Korean among them, it wasn't strange for the Hahoe Mask to have been introduced to this world.
They might have brought it with them to remember their homeland and then lost it, or they might have sculpted it themselves out of nostalgia.
Or maybe they gave it to someone as a gift or sold it.
'…That person might be related to the Immortal King. Someone like him wouldn't just wear any mask.'
He must have chosen that mask for a reason.
Maybe he killed someone who opposed him and took it, or someone who helped him resurrect might have given it to him.
Or… maybe 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 now."
She had been shaken by the traces of someone from her homeland, but it was a useless worry.
And it wasn't a pleasant fact to dwell on.
'Come to think of it, I wonder what the other Earthlings in this world are doing?'
She hadn't had a chance to encounter them because she hadn't traveled much, but they might have met and not even realized it.
There was no way to recognize each other unless someone revealed it first, and she wasn't the type to do that.
'I want to at least have a conversation with them before I go back. It would be even better if they were from the same country.'
She put aside her complicated thoughts and closed her eyes, entering a state of meditation.
To calm her troubled mind.
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At the same time that Isea was lost in thought,
Harley, a part of another Korean… transferred to Auterica, was stroking his chin with a serious expression, lost in thought.
'Enemy of the world… Was there even an achievement like this?'
The achievement Hans had just unlocked was extraordinary just from the description.
After all, it wasn't easy to become the enemy of over half of the living intelligent beings in a dimension.
It was definitely worthy of being an achievement.
And the perk, "Extra Life", must have also been given considering that.
'Well, someone who achieved this condition probably wouldn't die easily, and they would have accumulated enough Karma to return, so I wonder what the point is.'
But all the perks given so far were like that.
"Interdimensional Transfer Formation Summon" if you returned to your original dimension on your own.
"Instant Death Immunity" by becoming the Immortal King, the pinnacle of the undead.
They were definitely good, but they would have been awkward to apply if it wasn't for a special case like him.
'It doesn't matter to me, it's helpful either way.'
The perk "Extra Life" was literally a skill that allowed you to come back to life even if you died.
It wasn't like "Instant Death Immunity", which only prevented death under certain conditions, it was an incredible miracle that allowed you to resurrect in perfect condition if you died.
Of course, he couldn't use such an ability indefinitely.
'The cooldown is very long. Once a year. But considering its effect, it's actually quite generous?'
It was once every ten years in Earth time because the original body was on Earth, but it would be useful as insurance for his avatars, who wouldn't die easily.
'Okay, that's enough. Then next is…'
Harley, snapping out of his thoughts, looked up, and…
Heinrich also turned his gaze and looked at him.
…And so, their gazes met.
"······."
"······."
A strange silence filled the reception room.
The two avatars just smiled at each other without saying a word.
Heinrich with a benevolent smile that warmed the heart just by looking at it, and Harley with a menacing smile that sent chills down the spine.
They had scheduled separate interviews because of the others' gazes, but there was no one watching now, so there was no need to talk to themselves, so they were just spacing out like this.
'Hmm?'
And then Heinrich's gaze landed on Harley's bare upper body, covered in colorful tattoos.
His overwhelming physique, including those bulging muscles, had a density beyond what was visible, and to Harley, who handled life force, that was practically his combat power.
'Come to think of it, there haven't been any fights between avatars except for Heinrich and Hans? These two are both martial types, what would happen if they clashed?'
It was a sudden curiosity, but it was also a good opportunity.
It was a waste of time to just sit here blankly, and seeing each other's abilities could be considered part of the interview.
Thud!
The moment they decided that, they both stood up and went outside.
And after crossing the cathedral, their steps stopped…
At a sparring facility on one side of the training ground.
"Oh! Greetings, Saint. But what brings you here…?"
The holy knight in charge of the training ground was surprised to see Heinrich suddenly appear and greeted him.
This sparring arena, surrounded by a high-level protective barrier, was designed to prevent shockwaves from leaking outside, so it was a useful place where even Paladins could have realistic training sessions at full power.
Naturally, there was no better place for Heinrich and Harley's fight.
"Ah— Good work. I'd like to use the training facility for a moment. I'm planning to have a sparring session with this gentleman."
"Hahaha! A clash of strength and soul is the true exchange between men! This is a natural process! Hahaha!"
He immediately immersed himself in his character, speaking loudly because of the surrounding gazes.
The holy knight's brow twitched at his rude behavior in front of the Saint, but he didn't say anything and just stepped back as Heinrich, who was right next to him, remained silent.
He subtly glanced down at Harley's muscles.
And—.
"Oh! The Saint is sparring?!"
"Who's his opponent? A warrior from Calcos? What a magnificent physique."
"Hmm… He's someone recommended for the expedition. Then is this a test by the Saint? I wonder if he can show skills that match those muscles."
Holy knights and holy warriors started to gather and surround the sparring arena.
Since observing a spar between those at a high level was helpful, this sparring arena was well-equipped for observation.
Of course, Heinrich, the Saint, could have sent them all away if he wanted…
'But there's no need for that.'
This was a good opportunity to show off their strength in front of the Main God Church's elites.
It was time to show these weight training fanatics that Harley's amazing muscles weren't just for show!
'Now then, shall we begin?'
It was a sparring session, but since they were both controlled by him, mind games were impossible.
They couldn't help but exchange blows as if it was pre-arranged, so all they could do was compare their abilities.
But even that would be a meaningful measurement.
And so, Heinrich, the Saint of the Main God and the hero who would oppose the Immortal King, the knight of light,
And Harley, the barbarian warrior and chimeric Dragonborn, the berserker who had never been to the south, clashed head-on.
____________________
It was a real sparring session, but since there were people watching, Harley didn't use his complete form or 'madness'.
It was a bit much to openly use them, even with Heinrich's guarantee.
"Hahaha—!"
Boom—!
But even without them, Harley's presence in battle was beyond imagination.
His muscles, which had bulged even more than before, the dark red scales covering his entire body, the ghost fires emanating from his eyes.
His right hand, with sharp claws extended, was like a dragon's forepaw, and the giant black axe in his left hand, enveloped in "Bio-Aura", emitted a sharp energy as if it could split even a giant in half.
And the life force emanating from his superior body burned the energy accumulated inside, activating the tattoos all over his body, and the mana storm swirling around him supported his every action.
"Huh… Is that… a Dragonborn?"
"…It's hard to say because it's such a rare race. But if all Dragonborns had that kind of ability, they wouldn't be on the verge of extinction…"
"As expected, muscles don't lie."
"Hmm!"
Those watching nodded repeatedly, impressed by his majesty.
Harley's violent movements were unconventional and unpredictable, but they were backed by a systematically trained regularity and fundamentals.
Boom—!
The axe, enveloped in a thick, dark red aura, clashed with the holy sword, and at the same time, the claws on his right hand swept towards Heinrich's lower body.
Harley swung his left hand gracefully, following Heinrich, who dodged the axe and lightly stepped back.
It was an overwhelming combat power, possessing not only strength but also skill, that no one could deny, and…
Even the one facing him couldn't help but acknowledge it.
'I was wrong. I thought it would just be a pre-arranged spar, but experiencing it firsthand, Harley's fighting style is more…'
Unpredictable.
He couldn't easily predict his movements even though he was controlling his body.
"Frenzied Beast", the evolved skill of "Wildness", which allowed Harley to fight instinctively, wasn't just about handling madness more efficiently.
He was performing almost all his movements in the realm of the unconscious, where his reason couldn't grasp them, and instinctively attacking Heinrich's weaknesses.
Since they shared thoughts, he was exploiting the very openings that he wasn't even aware of.
'…This is a very efficient training method.'
Wasn't it perfect for training to overcome the weaknesses he wasn't even aware of?
It was a radical method, but its effectiveness was guaranteed, and Heinrich, captivated by it, gradually entered a trance, focusing on the fight against himself, forgetting about his original purpose.
Crackle!
Boom—!
The fierce battle continued, and Harley unleashed increasingly aggressive attacks as if he was going to burn all his stored energy.
But…
Despite that…
His attacks never reached Heinrich.
The axe blade, flying in from a fatal angle, was deflected by the holy sword.
His toes, which suddenly shot up, aiming for an opening, missed their target before they could even reach it.
A hand, enveloped in holy sword ki and holy power, parried the sharp claws.
And the sword blade, enveloped in holy light, cut through the tough scales, covering his body in blood.
"…The sword's movements, they're beautiful. I've never seen anything like it…"
"But isn't the Saint going a bit too far? Should we stop them?"
"It's still okay. That southern warrior, he's covered in blood, but his wounds are already healed. Hmm, is that also because he's a Dragonborn?"
Harley had an overwhelming advantage in terms of pure physical specs.
His body felt like a compressed giant monster, and the violent energy emanating from it further amplified his already extraordinary destructive power.
His attacks were fast, strong, and unconventional.
And it— relentlessly stimulated something dormant within Heinrich.
'Ah, so this is it.'
"Grand Blessing: Knight of Light" and all sorts of growth bonuses aided his enlightenment.
And "Logia Holy Combat", which had been improved by countless geniuses over a long time, facing various monsters, was rapidly absorbed.
He was able to instantly master techniques he knew but couldn't replicate, and it led to further growth.
And finally,
《The individual gains enlightenment through repeated training. The skill "Martial Bones" evolves into the special skill "Path of Martial Arts".》
Heinrich's "Martial Bones", which had been stagnant since he obtained the holy sword and reached a certain level, finally broke through the wall.