Murmurs—
Victims were carried out in a line from the depths of the Grand Temple of Rosellia, transferred to the treatment room.
A sight unimaginable to be seen here.
Saint Liesta looked upon them with a heavy expression.
Despite everyone's efforts, throwing themselves into the fray, she felt inadequate for not fulfilling their wishes.
Then, the saint's gaze shifted to a paladin surrounded by priests in one corner of the treatment room.
It was Heinrich, whose body still bore black discolorations despite undergoing several purifying treatments.
“Sigh…”
A sigh, one of many today, escaped her lips again.
“Ah, Cardinal Cordelia…”
Just then, a cardinal, looking as weary as the saint, approached her.
“You’ve overexerted yourself today as well, you should rest now.”
“It doesn’t feel like rest when my heart is uneasy.”
The saint had reached her limit, having overused her divine power in the fight against the Immortal King and then squeezing out her remaining strength to care for the injured immediately after the battle.
Yet, seeing this scene, she couldn’t bring herself to rest comfortably.
“And, I can’t forget that last scene.”
“If you mean… I see.”
Cardinal Cordelia’s gaze followed the saint’s to a specific place.
“Paladin Heinrich…”
“His life is not in danger. Though, his treatment will take some time.”
“That’s a relief.”
“But…”
The saint, having seen Heinrich firsthand, knew all too well how severe the curse afflicting him was.
A type of dark magic that causes extreme pain and significant mental damage.
A direct hit in a vulnerable state could incapacitate even a paladin.
‘Normally, one would surround themselves with divine power to avoid such damage…’
But Heinrich had borne it with his bare body.
Knowing the risk of the curse that was activated right before him, he endured it solely through his will.
He focused every drop of divine power he could spare into his sword, sharpening it with his resolve rather than defending himself.
For the sake of piercing the heart of the Immortal King, to slightly increase that probability, driven by sheer determination.
For his mission… for his belief.
It was foolish, yet had he not done so, defeating the Immortal King might have been impossible, which made her heart heavy.
“Was that really the only way at that time? Could there have been another possibility if I had tried a little harder?”
Spatial teleportation, especially the ability to activate it instantly at will, was extremely rare.
Heinrich was the only one present who had it.
At that time, it seemed like the best method, but was it really?
Would it have been better to direct things towards self-sacrifice rather than pushing others into danger?
Then maybe it would have been possible to deal with the Immortal King right there…
“Saint!”
As if cutting through the saint’s endless self-reproach, Cardinal Cordelia raised her voice sternly.
“That was the best course of action at the time. Everyone there did their utmost, and he showed us a strength beyond our expectations. There is no reason for you to blame yourself here.”
"But..."
Seeing the saint still hesitant, 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 been resurrected, it’s imperative that we have a hero to oppose him.”
A young paladin in his early twenties with the divine power of a bishop, equivalent to that of the commanders of the paladin orders.
His combat abilities were nothing short of outstanding, making him a talent with a promising future.
“This trial will only make him stronger. He’s not a man to fall easily from such an ordeal. After all, he is a hero who has garnered the attention of the divine.”
The cardinal concluded that it was their duty to support this hero so he could grow faster and stronger.
‘Hero...!’
The saint looked back at the unconscious Heinrich and clenched her fist.
That’s right, she thought.
As in all the stories she had read, hadn’t the saint always been the helper by the hero's side?
Reflecting on the countless tales of heroes she had devoured, she could not recall a single instance where the saint took the lead in defeating the Demon King.
‘Demon King, Warrior, Saint!’
The imagination of an 18-year-old girl filled with dreams swelled.
Cardinal Cordelia could only look on with a pleased smile as the saint, her expression much improved and her eyes sparkling with firm resolution, looked on.
***
Clap, clap, clap—
“Wonderful, truly wonderful.”
I couldn’t contain my admiration and stood up to give a standing ovation.
It was a compliment to myself, having taken on both the lead role and the director’s chair to produce such a fine scene.
'The first button has been properly fastened. With this, the narrative between Hans and Heinrich as adversaries is complete.'
Hans, the final boss, already complete, and Heinrich, the rapidly growing candidate for hero.
He was certainly not lacking in any way to be considered a candidate for hero.
The bishop-level divine power he had reached was something that even the commanders of the paladin orders possessed.
Of course, his actual weapon skills and experience might be far inferior to theirs, but that gap could be bridged with future efforts and the skills Heinrich possessed.
‘Getting "Blessing: Light Blade" was also fantastic. An attack of the highest purity that could slice through darkness like paper.’
Whether it was purely by Heinrich’s own strength that he came to realize this at the right moment, or if it was a dramatic support from a watcher, it no longer mattered.
‘The important thing is that this power fits perfectly with the protagonist of a heroic tale!’
Having made a strong impression on the high ranks of the order this time, I could consider the benefits reaped to the utmost.
‘Of course, the greatest benefit is something else.’
My gaze drifted to a corner of the room.
Sssss—
The floor turned black in an instant, and a dark figure slowly rose from below.
A skeleton wearing a tattered robe, the aftermath of a fierce battle.
It was Hans, now the Immortal King.
His aura was carefully concealed so it wouldn’t leak out, but just looking at him sent shivers down the spine, as if the soul itself was freezing.
‘The atmosphere is really something else.’
His actual abilities were no joke either.
<Individual Information>
- Name: Hans
- Race: Undead (Immortal King)
- Common Traits: "Mind Hub," "Persona," "Mirror of Clear Thought"
- Individual Traits: "Immortal Heart," "Evil Wisdom," "Forbidden Knowledge," "Path of Sorcery," "Abyssal Eye," "Magic Domination"
- Special Note: Fully inherited the "Heart of the Immortal King" to become the third Immortal King of the Outerika dimension, a disaster. The heart continuously supplies dark magic power. As long as the heart is not destroyed, it regenerates endlessly. It transcends death, becoming the king of all the dead and the enemy of all the living.
Although "Abyssal Eye," already used, was not an ability with unlimited use, its effects were very satisfying.
"Immortal Heart" not only enhanced existing abilities but also amplified all skills he possessed, such as "Evil Wisdom" and "Forbidden Knowledge."
Moreover, "Magic Domination" significantly strengthened his basic magic control, allowing him to seize some control from his opponents…
'It's the ultimate evolution of a spellcasting profession.'
He was truly the embodiment of a Demon King.
Additionally, since damage is meaningless unless the heart in the subspace is directly hit, he was virtually an immortal god.
'That’s why this play succeeded.'
The appearance of Hans, too intact for someone whose heart was pierced and scorched by divine power.
Since "Blessing: Light Blade" lacked the power to cleave space, it was naturally restored long ago.
Heinrich needed a considerable recovery period due to the aftermath of a curse for a more dramatic production, but that was an unavoidable part of a hero's trial.
Thus, the curtain closed smoothly on Operation 'Home Theater: Demon King and Hero.'
Since Hans took damage in the scenario, he would have to operate on Earth for a while, but this was an opportunity to catch up on cleaning that had been neglected.
Now, what remained was…
'Time to collect! It’s time to settle the viewing fees.'
It was a play staged for an entire continent.
Of course, it would take time for the aftermath of this event to spread elsewhere.
While its direct influence remained confined within the order for now, the achievement rewards meant that the karma received wouldn’t be insignificant.
[Karma Shop]
[Unique Skill Enhancement (800,000)]
[Status Enhancement – View Details]
[Owned Karma - 1,641,132]
'Hmm, it went up by about a million, didn’t it?'
A point that allows awakened individuals transferred to another world to return to Earth in a single move.
The karma gained from just one event.
'The scale of that one event was quite large, though.'
In any case, it was good news for me.
Without hesitation, I chose to enhance my unique skill.
Feeling the headache I had experienced several times before, I realized I could now create another avatar.
And…
[Your unique skill has grown, unlocking potential. You have acquired the special skill 'Customizing.']
I could now change various settings of each avatar once.
"This is…!"
Wasn’t this like the character customization service that makes one ponder for hours before creating a character in a game!
Eager to try it out right away, my hands itched with anticipation.
And just then, Hans, standing idly in front, caught my eye.
Since the other avatars were busy with their respective tasks, Hans was the only avatar available for immediate testing.
Moreover, if "Customizing" could change appearances, he might be able to return to a human form!
With that expectation, I immediately used "Customizing" on Hans...
And was at a loss for words right away.
- Smooth skull, round-shaped skull, cracked skull...
- Round eye sockets, lifted eye sockets, drooping eye sockets...
- Neat teeth, sharp teeth, vampire teeth...
A detailed list appeared before my eyes.
Not only that, through additional fine adjustments, one could sculpt their own unique skeleton as desired!
"...Was it impossible to transcend the racial limits?"
In reality, since Hans always wore a mask and couldn't form human relationships, changing appearances wasn't exactly a useful ability.
'If necessary, I could just overlay an illusion spell. Now that his magic level has increased, it's unlikely he'll be caught.'
Rationalizing thus, I explored other features, but unfortunately, the only thing Hans could use was appearance modification.
The 'initial status setting' included in "Customizing" was a capability limited only to newly created avatars.
'But still, this is something! Can I now pre-adjust the stats according to future professions?'
Currently, the stats boasted high numbers across the board through point distribution.
I could adapt quickly in any field, but efficiency was inevitably lost.
However, now it was possible to specialize those average stats in one area.
Like intelligence and magic power for a mage, strength and stamina for a warrior.
'Just as I can now create a new avatar, let's test it immediately. Which direction should I go this time...'
Just as I was about to use "Customizing" for avatar creation.
"Huh?"
Suddenly, a piece of information flitted through my mind.
Skills don't reveal all their information from the start.
Understanding on one's own or fulfilling certain conditions to unlock information about specific functions is why it's important to work on increasing a new skill's proficiency.
'No! That's not what's important right now!'
The newly realized function had unimaginably vast potential.
'To be able to create avatars of related races through a medium!'
The term 'medium' was quite vague, but I naturally understood what it meant.
I headed towards a plant pot in the corner of the living room.
The eco-friendly air purifier given by Cecily... no, the 'Dryad World Tree Branch' was there.
'I rather liked it until now.'
Regrettably, it was unavoidable, so I grabbed it and pulled it out of the pot.
This was the medium that would allow me to create an 'Elf' avatar.