〈 Howard Industries (1) 〉
I opened the nearest small wooden box and looked inside.
The moment the box, which is just the size of a ring box, is opened, a clean yet spicy scent fills the room.
The unusual scent that made you feel good just by smelling it was flowing from a round object wrapped in paper and stored inside.
‘So this is the famous Shaolin Temple summoning group?’
Sniff—
I unconsciously opened my nose and savored the scent.
That was all, but the waste from my body was washed away and I felt a surge of vitality.
After fully enjoying it, I quietly closed the lid and lightly savored it.
This summoning board was a gift that Harley received as a token of gratitude when she met the head of the Shaolin Temple.
If he had not intervened in a timely manner at a critical moment, everyone present would have been in danger, so this is only natural.
Of course, in the past, it would have been enough to receive a Great Hwandan (大還丹) rather than a summons, but the situation was different now that the value of elixirs had skyrocketed.
Due to the medicinal efficacy of natural elixirs that has steadily decreased over the past twenty years, the overall art of refining has suffered a serious blow, and it has now reached a point where it is impossible to manufacture top-level elixirs, including Daehwandan.
In order to create a summoning group now, it was necessary to pour in the same level of materials and effort as the Daehwandan of the past, and as such, it was no exaggeration to say that the best elixir representing the Shaolin Temple is a summoning group.
‘The Shaolin Temple must have been quite unreasonable by giving this away.’
In addition to that, they promised various additional benefits and treatment that they could offer, so it was in fact showing the maximum sincerity that Shaolin Temple could show.
That’s why he probably thought it was important to gain the favor of Harley, who showed impressive performance against Cheonma.
‘Of course, I fully understand that feeling…’
But that didn’t mean I was satisfied with it.
I put down the case containing the summoning altar, picked up the case next to it with an antique pattern embossed on it, and opened the lid.
Wow—
that moment.
The surrounding scenery has changed.
From a modern interior that felt somewhat cold to under the shade of a tree on a sunny spring day.
No, is it a rice field about to be harvested? Maybe it’s a summer valley with a waterfall flowing through it.
‘Wow, this is amazing?’
However, soon after, as the “Bright Scenery Index” was activated and I regained my composure, I realized that it was just a momentary optical illusion and stuck out my tongue.
The energy contained within it was so extraordinary that the brain could create an illusion just by smelling it, like an exaggerated rendering of a cartoon character facing the universe after eating delicious food.
‘Indeed, this is the real Daehwandan….’
He is the best in martial arts in name and reality, and is now a treasure of no value, no less than a legendary spiritual dan in Shaolin Temple.
I don’t know how much they had secretly stored away unused, but since it could no longer be produced, its value was inestimable.
‘Yes, if it’s an elixir, it should be like this.’
It is an item that cannot be obtained even if you have money and power because it is not for sale.
But how on earth did you get your hands on such a treasure?
‘I bought it.’
Yes, I just bought it.
That’s it.
Don’t I have the ‘Product Purchase’ option at the Karma Store, which provides most of the items that exist in the world?
Since I can buy everything in the world with karma, unless it was a unique item that already had an owner, asking for an elixir was nothing.
In the meantime, Hugo, who has a “Heavenly Energy Body” that does not care about the nature of energy, had no particular meaning in refining through refinement, so he was mainly using the elixir collected by Harris…
‘I should be more careful about things that the body will use directly. .’
He was different from his alter egos, who possessed all kinds of characteristics and were able to find a way out even when problems arose.
Isn’t the main body just a special young man who is a little strong, has various abilities, is rich, is handsome, and has a good personality and body?
It was necessary to completely block even the possibility of minor problems occurring.
‘As expected, it’s hard to find good elixirs from worlds other than Auterica and Kang Hwan-gye.’
In addition to the ones seen earlier, various elixirs were lined up on the table.
The best spiritual orders of the Kanghwan world, including Taecheongdan of the Shaman faction and Jashindan of the Hwasan faction.
Outerika elixirs made by processing magic stones, including dragon hearts, with various ingredients through alchemy.
And even elixirs from other worlds collected through various means.
There was a reason why he collected so many elixirs.
‘In dealing with mystery, the existence of energy as the basis is indispensable. However, from my perspective when dealing with multiple avatars, it is not good if the balance is too lopsided.’
The case was different from High Elf Harris and Gwangma Harley, who had already reached transcendence and overcome their limitations.
While they learned martial arts, they had the ability to improve and acquire it in their own way, but if the main body, which is a blank slate, determines which path to take, wouldn’t it be inevitable that there would be restrictions on the paths of the alter egos created in the future?
I didn’t know what would happen in the future or what kind of alter ego I would be able to create, but I couldn’t put restrictions on myself.
So this is the method I chose.
‘Collect as much energy as possible without losing balance and convert it into pure energy that can be used for any mystery.’
If others knew his thoughts, they would laugh at him and say he was dreaming nonsense.
Because that was something that was simply impossible according to common sense.
As the laws applied to each world were different, naturally the nature of the energy contained therein was also different.
Even in the same world, where the foundation is the same, a knight’s aura cannot replace a wizard’s magic, and a warrior’s inner power cannot use a wizard’s magic, so what if the world itself is completely different?
‘But I know. A power that can be used in any world that is on top of all energies that exist in the world.’
Is it just that I know?
Not only had I already encountered it several times, but I also had a clearer understanding of its structure and principles than anyone else.
‘divinity.’
Even now, I continue to borrow it, analyze it thoroughly to fight against the enemy, and finally, the infinite possibilities that I have been able to embrace within myself.
I quietly closed my eyes and contemplated my inner self.
“Whoa—.”
There were more than one avatar who already contained the seeds of divinity.
Immortal King Hans Vampire King Heinz II Fighting King Harley.
It was felt that the possibility was slowly rising not only for them, but also for Heinrich, who represented the power of the main god and carried its majesty on his back, and Harris, who received the grace of the World Tree.
Yes, this is the situation.
But couldn’t it have no effect on you, the owner of those avatars?
‘No matter how separate the bodies are, those avatars are also me. They say that something that comes from a state cannot but be greatly influenced by the body that formed the foundation…’
His soul had already grown to match that level for a long time.
Of course, in order to properly operate the transcendental entities, which accounted for the majority of the ten avatars, most of the statuses were divided and assigned, so it was not usually noticeable.
I opened my eyes again and looked at the elixirs on the table.
Most avatars have already moved to as safe a place as possible and have long since entered a dormant state.
For the first time in a long time, I was able to focus solely on my own body, so I moved my arm, which felt a little foreign, and picked up an elixir.
‘Let’s do this first.’
The first Shaolin temple summons I saw.
and.
Without hesitation, I poured it into my mouth and used the “Power of Gluttony.”
***
“Haaa—.”
A pure white energy that mixes with exhaled breath, flutters through the air like breath, and then disappears.
That wasn’t all.
The entire indoor space was already filled with haze seeping from all over the body.
I slowly opened my eyes and looked down to take a quick look at my body.
The waste that was initially excreted with sweat was no longer visible as a speck of dust as the process was repeated several times.
‘Well, it’s even weirder that the elixir was poured to such an extent that waste products still remain.’
Numerous elixirs piled up on the table.
Now all that was left there was the empty packaging left over after the contents had been used.
Thanks to the “Power of Gluttony,” even though the time it took was not that long, I ended up using up all of them.
And most importantly.
The result of using a lot of those precious things is—.
‘It’s not enough.’
It was half a success.
I quenched my appetite and repeatedly clenched and unclenched my fists.
The reason for failure was no other.
At first, I was planning to match the energies of Kang Hwan-gye and Outerica to make them two strong by matching them, and then tie all the other energies into one to create a more stable three-way match
… It’s a line.’
The problem was that the quality of the elixirs obtained from the other world was very poor compared to the items obtained from both worlds.
Perhaps they had underestimated the power of the top-class elixir obtained through karma, and even if the quantity was similar, they could not compete in terms of quality.
‘But for proper sanctification, we cannot compromise on quality. That was the minimum Maginot Line…’
In the end, due to lack of stability, a proper transition to divinity was not achieved, but it was still not that bad as it was half a success.
Uuuuung—
a haze-like energy rose from my hand.
An auror processed based on mana.
Soon, it changed into a completely different energy, refined and polished internal energy.
Next, the energy that changes the ever-changing nature of magic, sword power, and natural power.
Actually, that in itself wasn’t that great.
Using various energies is something that has been possible before thanks to the additional effect of “Object Projection.”
The important thing is that the amount of energy that can be used is now on a completely different level than before, as it is now possible to draw on and use the energy that is latent in the body.
‘That alone is an encouraging achievement. Before, there was a limit to the power that could be drawn like this.’
Of course, as there are still differences in retention characteristics, etc., it cannot reach the level of full use of “object projection.”
However, it is also true that now that energy constraints have disappeared, the force has become incomparably stronger than before.
‘Even if it’s not even close to transcendence at this level, it’s enough to deal with someone at the extreme level.’
Of course, I had no intention of being satisfied here, as I was able to get a clear glimpse of the possibility through this attempt.
‘If I can complete this…’
I unconsciously placed my hand on my chest.
The heart is pounding more vigorously than ever before.
I gently closed my eyes, feeling ‘something’ residing within me.
The possibility of an indefinite form with no known personality or characteristics.
The power to be whatever you need to be and whatever you want.
That was the divinity that he would blossom into.
“To do that, we first need to obtain elixirs from other worlds.”
Not only quantity but also quality was very important.
Even if it’s not up to the level of the Great Hwandan, it would be helpful to at least be at the level of the Summoning Team…
‘The problem is that it’s not that easy to get something like that.’
It is no secret that the effectiveness of elixirs on Earth is at its lowest.
Most of the awakened people who were sent to the other world would also know this during the process of researching the data in advance.
So, even if they get that precious thing, they will think about eating it before they come to Earth.
‘Is Hans pioneering a new dimension?’
It’s not bad.
Of course, in order to maintain balance while embracing the energy of various worlds as much as possible, it will be necessary to travel through not just one or two dimensions, but quite a few dimensions, but as Hans has grown considerably and 『Dimension Barrier Relaxation』 has been strengthened, the process will be easier than before. .
‘But it’s not something you can just try. It’s the same as capturing a transcendental powerhouse who will become a medium…’ That
excludes transcendental people of the divine power system whose memories cannot be read properly, as well as those from a dimension where there is no such thing as elixirs.
Above all, the biggest problem was that in order to pioneer another dimension, a considerable research period was needed for synchronization.
‘…Okay, let’s proceed with that step by step. Let’s try other methods first.’
Luckily for me, there was one more thing I could start doing right away.
It is more efficient, broader, and has the scalability to be used for other purposes in the future.
My eyes turned to the items placed in a corner, especially the magic tools that I had recently recovered.
Isn’t that a precious luxury item that can’t be easily obtained even if you have money in this world, where, depending on its value, it is treated as more precious than something like an elixir?
‘I was feeling the need for an organization that could have a global impact, so it worked out well.’
The difficulty in obtaining rare items was not only money, but also finding the seller.
The so-called lack of infrastructure.
Moreover, even if a seller was found, the chances of them taking the money were slim.
If you have what you want, you will already have the ability to make enough money.
‘Then all you have to do is present something that will entice them.’
If he brought such an elixir, his sense of improvement would be needless to say.
If so, let’s satisfy that desire.
Not as a gamble with elixirs, but as a means to become stronger more reliably.
Unlike elixirs, there were no special restrictions on using magic tools on Earth.
What if we announced that we would pay something like that?
What if they are tempted by offering jaw-dropping magical tools as a reward, and it is not a product that is generally easily available, but is of a level that would have been difficult to come across even in their original world?
‘If this is used well, it will be a great help in uniting the opposing forces of the Buncheon Society on Earth, right? If you go further and even custom-make it according to the other person’s wishes…’
the game is over.
Making the necessary bait was no problem.
Not only did he have a dwarf artisan and a dragon enchanter, but he also had a demon king-level warlock and a saintly vampire high elf spiritist.
‘Let’s increase the supply of ready-made magic tools that were being carried out in the shadows and increase their scale. After spreading the name around the world, special products are used as bait to attract people to awaken.’
Humans only move actively when it is beneficial to them.
And as long as the profits continue, they will not betray easily.
‘I guess I can leave the troublesome stuff to Jin So-ran and the clan. So far, the supply of magic tools has been going well without a hitch. So, in Europe, we can just leave it to Thermidor, Gomorrah, and Drakul…’
A so-called company specializing in magic tools from another world.
This was the launch of ‘Howard Industries’.