Avatar (3)
Got another new skill.
This time, it seemed to be a sub-skill associated with my unique skill.
And upon checking the information, I could finally confirm that the ability I desired had emerged.
The avatar was nothing but another body for me.
While having two bodies had its perks, there were also downsides.
The doubled food expenses were merely a minor issue.
'The fact that I have no choice but to accept Avatar's senses and the emotions it conveys without filtering is fatal.'
Ignoring the senses using Avatar's dormant state was not an absolute ability but something feasible only in situations with minimal external stimuli.
'For instance... like death.'
Or when suffering a fatal injury, it would be impossible to ignore the intense emotions and sensations.
Of course, it might be fine since Avatar can be swapped in dangerous situations.
I also believed in that when I tried to send Avatar to the other world on my behalf.
'But crises can come at any time and in any way. A moment of carelessness could lead to death, and in unexpected situations, I might suffer a fatal injury.'
Even if I didn't directly experience it, I would inevitably suffer a significant mental shock if someone right in front of me suddenly died, given my weaker mental state compared to the average modern person.
In that regard, the skill I acquired this time was incredibly useful.
Through the Hub, it became possible to filter and selectively process all stimuli and emotions through Avatar.
In other words, overcoming dimensional nausea was just the beginning; it meant immunity to all mental contamination, including death.
I could go anywhere and do anything by controlling Avatar as if playing a game.
'All from the comfort of a warm and cozy corner!'
[Avatar's potential is increasing. Growth is accelerating.]
The phrase continued as if to suggest it wasn't the end.
It meant that additional adjustments were given to Avatar's growth.
'But wait, Avatar's conditions were supposed to be just like my original self. If it becomes like this...'
Doesn't it mean it becomes more superior and talented than my original self?
"Well, since Avatar will handle the dangerous stuff anyway, it's good to become stronger. It's good, but..."
A troubled expression flickered with a subtle emotion.
'Not inferior to the main body, but the brain, so it's okay. A commander doesn't need to be stronger than their subordinates. That's settled, now let's see how much Karma is left.'
[Unique Skill Enhancement (500,000)]
[Available Karma - 900,213]
That abundant Karma had decreased by more than half.
Given the increasing rate of Karma consumption, it seemed like this enhancement would be the last.
It might be greed, but I savored the feeling of regret for no reason.
After a moment's contemplation, I finally selected 'Unique Skill Enhancement' for the last time.
It was more efficient than raising other attributes, so there was no hesitation.
[Unique Skill Enhancement (600,000)]
[Available Karma - 400,213]
[Unique Skill has grown, expanding possibilities. All avatars acquire a random skill.]
The final enhancement didn't disappoint my expectations either.
Avatar's skill awakening.
In a situation where there was practically no combat ability, it was truly a godsend.
'Of course, it may not be as good as the unique skill given during the first awakening, but now even a trivial skill is welcome.'
And the change wasn't the only thing.
I became three people!
We looked at each other in turn.
With multiple enhancements and steadily strengthening multitasking and mental strength, along with the help of 'Mind Hub', there was no sense of confusion at all.
'However, with more avatars to come in the future, it might get confusing later on. There had to be a way to distinguish them separately.'
In the end, it's the naming.
"I can't keep calling them Avatar 1, Avatar 2 forever."
"I'm not confident in naming things."
"Names... it's about names..."
Mulling over it with the duplicates, I sighed and shook my head.
Although there were three heads, they all had the same sensibilities, so naming wasn't much help.
"Let's go with 'Hans.' It's easy to say and doesn't sound bad. Yeah."
I pointed to the first avatar I summoned and gave him the name that popped into my head.
What I didn't anticipate was what happened right after.
Zing—
"Huh? What suddenly...?"
A faint ripple brushed through my mind.
There was no pain or discomfort, but instinctively, I felt that something had changed.
<Individual Information>
-Name: Hans
-Common Traits: 'Mind Hub,' 'Rapid Recovery'
-Individual Trait: 'Magic Affinity'
-Special Note: First avatar of Hansung-hyun.
"...I didn't expect this."
As the 'Avatar' skill grew, Hans's information was etched into my mind.
If evolving by one was using Karma, then this growth might be around 0.1.
Compared to the Karma shop, it was very minimal.
'In fact, this is probably the usual way abilities grow.'
The growth of abilities happens in the direction the user desires.
This time, naming the avatar seemed to be the condition for it.
'But the avatar got a status bar that I don't even have.'
If there's no unique skill to view the original information, a separate status bar won't be displayed.
The newly appeared information panel seemed to be the result of the 'Avatar' growing to manage entities belonging to me.
'I should have given him a cooler name if I knew it would be displayed like that. I'll have to think harder about the next one's name. But 'Magic Affinity,' huh.'
A skill that makes it easier to sense and handle magic.
It would be helpful for growth, but it meant immediate combat prowess wasn't to be expected.
Even the second avatar's skill was 'Sturdiness,' increasing the body's endurance.
'It feels like I drew the short straw... Well, can't be helped. So now, finally...'
There was something I had to do without fail.
I had to make sure of it.
***
"Phew... Phew..."
I stood in front of the front door, holding a garbage bag in one hand, taking deep breaths.
It had been a struggle even to throw away a single garbage bag.
With no one around in the early morning, I had to quickly make trips while looking at the ground.
If I managed to go out and come back with shaky legs and the feeling of almost collapsing, I would have to endure sweating and suffering for a while.
Now, it was time to test 'Mind Hub.'
The abilities I had checked multiple times assured me that there was nothing abnormal, but venturing out in broad daylight inevitably made me nervous.
"Alright, let's go for it!"
I took a deep breath and grasped the doorknob, swinging the door wide open.
As soon as I stepped outside, my reflexively trembling body gradually settled down.
I breathed in the outdoor air, passing through the hallway and descending the stairs.
The urge to escape that haunted me every time I went out didn't seem to be there now.
I walked casually in the sunshine to the garbage collection point and sorted the waste.
After finishing the garbage sorting, I looked around.
Cigarette butts on the floor of the collection point, the chattering of grandmothers on the other side, and the laughter of children from the playground in the distance.
Closing my eyes and taking a deep breath, the smell of garbage stung my nostrils.
"Hey, student, what are you doing here? Don't block the way, move aside to throw away your trash."
"Oh, sorry."
I hung my head in embarrassment, walking slowly back home and looking around again.
My heart swelled at the sight of the surroundings near my home, a view I hadn't seen in a long time.
And I watched it as if enjoying a movie from inside the house. Without a doubt, what was outside was myself.
Moving my body and thinking and speaking were all things I did personally.
But there was no usual sense of dread, no trembling, no sweating. I could have a normal conversation.
All kinds of emotions, including fear and confusion.
It was as if all the sensations felt through the avatar had gone through a filter, leaving no impact on me.
Beep-beep-click.
With the sound of the front door opening, Hans came in casually, having washed his hands in the bathroom.
The verification was over.
'Mind Hub' had more than met my expectations, and now I could do anything.
'Now, I can go to the other world as well.'
And as I got more accustomed to the outside world like this, eventually, I would be able to go outside with my real body as well.
***
For several days, I had a preparation period before heading to the other world.
Despite the many benefits I could gain from the venture, as my safety was assured, there was no longer any reason not to go.
Setting aside my personal desire to explore other worlds, faster growth was also possible.
Apart from the temporal advantage, there was also an additional growth adjustment given to the awakened in this other world.
Considering my avatar's accelerated growth benefit, I could become stronger at a much faster rate.
'In this tumultuous society, power is everything.'
I clenched my trembling hands, trying to suppress the memories of 'that day.'
I didn't want to feel the powerless despair ever again.
Through the preparations for this other world, I could keenly feel the true value of 'Rapid Recovery.'
Even if I pushed too hard, a moment's rest would lead to perfect recovery, thus maximizing its effect.
I trained continuously without rest.
It was somewhat regretful that the effects of the rigorous training only applied to the specific avatar and not to the main body.
But since it was created as a separate entity from the beginning, it couldn't be helped.
'Well, it's just the avatar going to the other world, so it doesn't matter. Plus, the acceleration of growth applies. Besides, it seems like the status enhancement effects from the Karma Store are shared when I resummon the avatar.'
Unlike myself, whose home training had its limits, the avatar could go outside, allowing me to exercise more efficiently.
Due to its transcendent recuperative power, I exercised my body to the limit in the empty gym, avoiding unnecessary attention.
And when I felt like it was getting suspicious, I went out and ran far, increasing my stamina.
The pain from the extreme training could be filtered out through 'Mind Hub,' making the grueling exercises nothing more than mundane repetitive tasks.
Of course, as my main body was comfortably browsing the internet at home, it wasn't actually boring, but having two avatars with the same face made me uneasy.
So, I intensively trained Hans, who was scheduled to go to the other world, and simultaneously engaged in home training and leisure activities with the other avatar.
"Oh! Already cleared the stage boss!"
"Great, keep going!"
With a fantastic breath, while playing two-player mode, Hans, drenched in sweat, entered through the front door and headed to the bathroom.
Seeing him, who had returned from an extreme feat, made me feel a little strange, as if I was doing something wrong.
'It's a bit uncomfortable, but it's not like I'm focusing on one arm and neglecting the rest of my body, feeling sorry for the arm.'
Before Hans came out of the shower, I set the table.
It might have been a trivial problem, but the cost of food was skyrocketing.
With the three of us exercising more than usual people, and one of us almost torturing the body, the calories being burned were beyond imagination.
Thinking about the soaring food expenses brought tears to my eyes, but I decided to consider it an investment.
Bringing back useful items from this other world through the avatar would be enough to make a good sum of money.
'Selling secretly is an issue, but it'll work out somehow later on. After all, the current avatar is optimized for crime.'
Of course, I had no intention of earning money by harming innocent people.
After all, I was in a position to have suffered from such individuals.
I would act in a way that would not embarrass my family in any way.
'That's why there's even more of a need to go to this other world.'
I wasn't particularly strong compared to other returnees, so there wasn't an obvious way to make money on Earth.
Physical labor was the only thing that came to mind right away.
"There's no information about the Outerica Dimension, huh?"
"Is this a place no one went? Or maybe no one has returned yet. Anyway, it's a shame."
It had become a habit to organize my thoughts as if I were having a conversation with the avatar.
Since I had lacked conversation partners for a while...
From now on, as I interact with other people, things will gradually improve.
And some time later.
I checked the heavily armored avatar, just like I did in the beginning.
It wasn't the equipment I had used before; these were newly acquired items.
Going to an unpredictable other world, I couldn't send the items my parents had prepared, although they were prepared for emergencies, they might not be needed in the future.
"Phew... I think everything's done now."
Actually, there was no need to check so many times since I could go back and forth at any time, but I did several checks to relieve the tension.
I knew it was safe, but just the thought of going to another world made me inevitably nervous.
"Well then, shall we go for real? 'Dimensional Transfer Gate Summon.'"
And before my eyes, the transfer gate that I had seen a short while ago reappeared.
***
[The transfer to the Outerica Dimension is complete.]
The process was simple.
I summoned the dimensional transfer gate, stood on it with my avatar, and activated it.
It was so simple that the tension I had felt just moments before seemed completely futile in the face of this straightforward journey to the other world.
When the transfer was complete and I opened my eyes, the landscape of the forest I had seen a while ago was right in front of me.
Or, strictly speaking, it was different from what I had seen before.
The towering trees were familiar, but the surroundings were not clearly visible.
"It's night..."
I was left alone in the middle of a forest at night.
With a time difference of about tenfold, it was an unavoidable issue, but there was nothing I could do about the regret.
I deliberately tried to match the time of the initial transfer, but over time, an error must have occurred.
To think I had to start survival in the nighttime forest immediately.
Even in a well-lit forest, I wouldn't have felt confident.
I pondered for a moment before deciding to move for the time being.
"Generally, recklessly moving in a nighttime forest isn't a good choice, but..."
After a brief hesitation, I confidently took a step forward.
I had confidence in my strengthened physical abilities and 'Rapid Recovery,' but the lack of a sense of crisis was probably the biggest reason.
The dimension sickness I had worried about was also perfectly fine thanks to 'Mind Hub.'
I considered even this risky night hike as an exciting adventure.
With such a light-hearted mindset, as I immersed myself in the romance of this adventure in another world, I looked up at the night sky.
And what I saw first were not the stars, but the yellow-glowing eyes of a fierce beast.