Korean Returnees Association, Southern Seoul Branch.
Knock-knockclick!
"Branch Manager, regarding the establishment of a convenience store within our branch that you instructed last time... ...Branch Manager?"
The secretary, holding approval documents, hesitated for a moment as she entered the branch manager's office.
Branch Manager Yoon Ji-yoon was frowning deeply, staring intently at the computer screen.
"Ah, Secretary Kim, you're here? Bring it here."
Her gaze remained fixed on the screen.
"Branch Manager, did something happen in todays meeting?"
Today was the day for a regular virtual meeting for branch managers and above, and Secretary Kim had just heard that it had ended and had come straight over.
"Well, it's an incident, but... its a bit complicated."
"Complicated...?"
"You know about the Blood Alliance?"
She shifted her gaze from the computer screen to the secretary.
Secretary Kim nodded in affirmation.
"Yes, the organization of vampires in Korea. I heard they haven't caused any major trouble yet... Did the hardliners finally make a move?"
"It's a major event, but it doesnt seem to be bad, perhaps?"
"Excuse me?"
"The moderates have won. They're dealing with the hardliner executives and absorbing the remnants. The whereabouts of Alpha is unknown."
Secretary Kim looked at the branch manager with a somewhat uneasy expression.
"Is that possible? I heard there was a significant difference in strength."
"That's what I am saying. Something unexpected must have happened."
The Returnees Association, or the Guardian side, had been keeping an eye on the Blood Alliance for a long time.
It was natural from their standpoint of maintaining public order.
Hence, they had a detailed understanding of them, and this sudden change was quickly noticed.
"We should try to initiate a dialogue. We have been quite supportive of them so far."
In fact, the Returnees Association had been covertly supporting the moderates through blood supply from blood centers and other means.
The governments Special Ability Management Bureau wanted to control them, but from the frontline perspective of maintaining public order, maintaining a friendly relationship with the moderate ones was preferable.
With already short-handed resources, reducing potential enemies and keeping the aggressive hardliners in check had been an effective strategy so far.
What will happen in the future was uncertain, but it seemed better than the hardliners gaining power.
That was the only hope for now.
I just hope things don't get any busier here..."
"My thoughts exactly..."
Otherwise, the already heavy workload would only increase.
***
Heinz II quietly opened his eyes.
The forest, both familiar and strange, welcomed him.
An unchanged, dense forest.
Only he was different from before.
"Nothing has changed here since that time."
This was the place where he first arrived in Outerica.
It was the forest of monsters, his starting point.
'This is now the best place to hide and conduct my research.'
The Oath of the Reversal guys had completely hidden their traces nearby, and the vampires, having lost Ajantu, the closest city to this forest, were too preoccupied to care about it.
And since the Order had already ransacked it once and left it unattended, it was truly no man's land.
'There's a limit to monitoring this vast forest. The monsters around here will not only serve as experimental subjects but also as a natural fence, making this the best place for quiet research.'
Heinz leaped and headed deep into the forest.
The nearby monsters couldn't even sense his presence, allowing him to move comfortably.
'It feels like a different era. I remember fighting for my life against a single monster when I first came here.'
Was it a black panther that I had fought then?
To the current Heinz, it was no more significant than a neighborhood dog.
After a while of moving,
He finally stopped in front of a cave and looked around.
"This seems like a suitable place."
A location not easily noticeable, the distribution of monsters in the vicinity, and a cave with ample space for research.
It was perfectly suited for setting up a secret laboratory.
"First, it seems right to seek permission from the current residents."
Heinz confidently entered the cave.
And a little while later,
He was able to use his abundant blood to freely set up a barrier.
The barrier constructed with the 'Mystery of Blood', infused with the energy of 'Concealment'.
The initial preparations were complete.
And so, several days passed...
Woosh
Inside the cave, its walls were fully covered with bizarre patterns made of blood.
Suddenly, darkness enveloped the center.
[Sigh...]
A figure draped in a black robe, emanating an aura as dark as pitch it was Hans.
[Hmm, I need to hurry.]
As soon as he was teleported, Hans immediately began to move.
He was already wrapped in a cloak of concealment to hide his presence, but setting up a barrier was more reliable.
Carefully manipulating dark magic, he engraved new patterns on the floor of the wall marked with blood-red designs.
The barrier construction was rapidly progressing.
Heinz, who was waiting inside the cave, joined in to overlay the power of Concealment.
Various barriers filled the interior of the cave - concealment through dark magic, spatial distortion, cognitive degradation, and undetectability.
These barriers, much more effective than before thanks to their growth along the Path of Magic, were proof of their progress.
[This should be enough for now. We'll have to wait and see how it turns out.]
Though Hans and Heinz were confident in their joint effort, the limits of the Saintess were still unknown, so it was too early to relax.
However, I had the best source of information, so I would quickly understand the effectiveness.
***
It only took a day to find out the results.
"Good day, Saintess. You seem to be in a bit of a mood today. Is something troubling you?"
"Ah... Hello, Sir Heinrich. Just some frustrating matters, but it's nothing. Please don't worry about it."
Through Heinrich, I confirmed the Saintess's reaction; she was unable to locate Hans.
She only showed a slightly frustrated expression, without any signs of summoning a punitive force.
It's still remarkable. Despite the thorough efforts to block it, she seems to have sensed Hans's presence.
She only felt Hans was in Outerica but couldn't pinpoint his exact location.
Their efforts had paid off.
Anyway, now we can dive into our research. If anything changes, we'll know through Heinrich.
Hans immediately pulled out his materials and started his research.
With time on his side, he carefully examined everything without rushing.
There had been a lot of consideration when initially deciding on 'Halli's' path.
The foremost priority, like the other two avatars, was to follow the path of the mage.
It was a natural choice, as that path promised the fastest growth.
'The primary consideration had been the werewolves.'
Werewolves, or Lycans as they were officially called here, grew in potential by consuming the hearts of their prey.
But even with the requirement of 'direct' consumption, there were ways to circumvent it, making it not a bad choice.
There were excellent seniors who could somehow help.
'But the growth in potential was just that, not as dramatic as with vampires. And it seemed too similar in nature. That's why it was put on hold for the time being.'
Moreover, in Outerica, Lycans were a minority race shunned for their ferocious nature, unlike the Beastmen, which could have limited their activities.
Amidst these considerations, the current research material was discovered.
It was colloquially known as the 'Complete Evolution Creature Project.'
While it shared some similarities with Chimera research, its goal was on a different level.
Instead of forcibly attaching the flesh of different species, the aim was to absorb only superior genes to continually evolve one's body.
'And like werewolves, it even allows for transformation in emergencies!'
No matter how it was considered, transformation was an element too good to miss.
This romantic... no, this advantage, while retaining the strengths of the Lycans, eliminated their drawbacks, a groundbreaking discovery.
'The basis of it all is this 'Dragon Blood'.'
Hans shook a glass bottle containing a liquid that shimmered like a purple gem.
The blood of the Predatory Dragon from the Raubeda dimension.
In Raubeda, where numerous dragons and dragon hunters existed, the Predatory Dragon was among the top-tier beings.
The worst kind of dragon that evolves continually by manifesting the traits of its devoured foes.
Surviving over time, it evolves to become a top predator with no natural enemies.
'...as was written in the research report.'
The Abyssal Conclave began research using this blood to harness the Predatory Dragon's traits.
[The quantity of blood is a bit low, but the important thing is the traits it contains, so it shouldnt matter.]
When I had searched the mind of the research director, there had been mentions of competition with other branches, so it seemed they had distributed the blood among several branches for simultaneous research.
The question now was whether Hans alone could achieve what even the well-versed Abyssal Conclave couldnt.
Completing this research was a difficult task, even for Hans with all his skills.
[Heh... Of course, I have no intention of completing the research, so its not a problem.]
Right, he didn't need to 'complete' the research perfectly.
His only goal was to enhance Halli, so as long as he could make use of it, that was enough.
The various magical techniques they used in conjunction were impressive.
However, Hans had access to the research journals they had gone through, and his Forbidden Knowledgecontained all sorts of information unknown even to the Abyssal Conclave.
And crucially...
Thud, thud
Halli suddenly appeared from a corner of the cave and walked over.
The cooldown period had passed, and he was able to use the teleportation circle again.
Halli was equipped with various kinds of spatial magic tools: a large backpack, a crossbody bag, a necklace, a bracelet.
They contained numerous materials gathered from Talak.
[We have the perfect test subject right here.]
Even if there were problems during the experiment, Halli could endure with his Adaptationand Super Recovery, and he would always cooperate in any harsh experiment without losing his sanity.
Since the experimenter and the subject were mentally connected, even subtle physical changes in the test subject could be immediately detected and reflected in the experiment.
'Theres no need to produce universally applicable results. As long as it works for Halli, that's all that matters.'
It was also very pleasing to be able to snatch the results of their research and use them first.
[Well, shall we get started?]
And so, Hans and Halli began their joint work as researcher and test subject.
***
In the sunny afternoon at the Rosellia Grand Temple,
"......as the sword and shield that protect us, I hereby appoint Heinrich Landguard as a Paladin of the Divine Order."
There, in one of the chapels, Heinrich's Paladin appointment ceremony was being held.
Through this process, he received the surname 'Landguard' from the Order and became 'Sir Heinrich Landguard.'
Beautiful sunlight streaming through the colorful stained glass, the solemn atmosphere of the chapel radiating kindness.
The archbishop, with a benevolent smile, hanging the symbol of a Paladin around his neck, created a scene that looked like it was out of a painting.
[The individual has achieved the conditions for enlightenment. Special Skill Blessing: Leap acquired.]
That is, until an unexpected system window popped up in front of him.
"Hm? Oh! Grace be upon us! A blessing during the appointment ceremony! The Lord is truly watching over us!"
The sudden surge of sacred power emanating from Heinrich as he knelt.
The archbishop who had hung the symbol around Heinrich's neck exclaimed in admiration.
Then, he looked up to the sky, closed his eyes, and began to pray.
Naturally, the other attendees of the ceremony joined in, and in no time, what was a simple appointment ceremony turned into an impromptu prayer meeting.
Everyone except me.
'...When will I stand up?'
Being appointed as a Paladin and receiving a new blessing was great, but the ceremony deviating from the plan left me unsure how to react. Staying still seemed awkward, so I discreetly joined my hands in prayer.
"...The Lord watches over the earth and guides the needy..."
I used the archbishop's leading prayer as a backdrop to organize my thoughts. There was something very special about this blessing.
'For a brief moment, I definitely felt the will of the Lord.'
It was astonishing that the Lord himself bestowed a blessing coinciding with the ceremony, connecting me to Him, albeit briefly, just like at my first baptism.
This connection to the divine will was shorter than before, but it confirmed the Lord's continued interest in me.
'Why? Because I'm from another world? Its not mere curiosity. I didnt sense such human emotions.'
In truth, my interpretation of 'interest' might be subjective. The sheer magnitude of that will was overwhelming, just by touching a fraction of it.
<Entity Information>
- Name: Heinrich
- Common Traits: Mind Hub, Persona, Super Recovery, Clairvoyance
- Unique Traits: Holy Baptism, Blessing: Strengthening, Blessing: Leap, Boneless, Holy Warrior Combat Technique, Outerican Holy Laws
- Note: His sacred power is growing beyond the level of a high priest. He has become more adept at various holy laws. The blessing has further strengthened his body and granted him the ability to transcend space.
But...
Distracted by the Lord's will, I belatedly realized the power of my new blessing.
'Wait a minute! Transcend space? That's spatial teleportation!'
I didn't know yet how many times I could use it per day or what the distance limitations were. But spatial teleportation was a top-tier ability in itself!
Moreover, I could improve this ability through training, making it an invaluable skill for Heinrich's future endeavors.
'Such a power given as a gift. The Lord is truly great, isnt He? Now I understand why the people of this continent follow Him!'
It was a swift change of attitude.
As one should show gratitude for what they receive, Heinrich corrected his posture from just for show to genuine prayer, full of desire for more blessings.
In that moment...
As the archbishop, about to conclude, opened his eyes, he saw Heinrich's passionate prayer filled with longing and smiled contentedly.
'Ha ha ha, truly a devout young man. With such outstanding abilities, he will be a pillar of our Order.'
Thus, the ceremony appointing Heinrich as a Paladin ended successfully to everyone's satisfaction.