Preparation of Terms (1)
After quickly tidying up matters on Earth, Hans intensified patrols at night to seek out any remnants of the Buncheon Society, while Heinz negotiated with the moderates.
“I don’t intend to issue any absurd commands. What I desire is only to maintain peace and order, and to uproot all those related to the ‘Buncheon Society.’”
“Do you not think those two goals are contradictory?”
“It depends on where you set your standards.”
In his view, punishing evil was also a part of maintaining peace and order. It was evident that strength was necessary for that.
The woman sitting across from Heinz, Aria, the leader of the Blood Alliance’s moderates, did not refute his words. She simply sat with her eyes closed, just as she did when they first met.
“Alright. I’ll help Heinz absorb the hardliners.”
Surprisingly, she accepted their proposal rather smoothly, although he had considered a bit of forceful persuasion beforehand, which was somewhat startling.
“…It’s a bit strange to say this now, but what are you believing to accept this without much thought?”
“It’s the conclusion I’ve drawn after sufficient deliberation. There’s no reason to refuse when it benefits both of us. And what do I believe? Of course, myself.”
Aria replied with a faint smile, still with her eyes closed.
“You’ll need someone to act as a bridge in the middle as you work. Take So-Ran with you. I will inform her separately. Additionally, we’ll see if there are others from our side willing to follow Heinz.”
There were limits to forcibly subjugating an organization alone. While it wouldn’t be impossible to gradually expand their power through force, it would take a significant amount of time.
That was not what he desired.
So he was thinking of slightly threatening them with their plan, yet they were more cooperative than expected, even showing the willingness to persuade Jin So-Ran, a key figure from the moderates.
‘What kind of ability does she have? Can she read thoughts? Just assess the opponent’s tendencies perhaps? Surely she cannot read the future?’
While he wanted to forcibly assert dominance over them to figure out their thoughts, it felt inappropriate to treat her, being a leader of a faction, that way. The dependency through the Refined Blood Essence did not include brainwashing effects.
She would follow the orders given to her, but it would inevitably show through, which would not help in devouring the Blood Alliance.
Since she was cooperating so willingly, he didn’t need to risk it.
“Good. Then I’ll leave the communication with the moderates to you. Now, shall we discuss the plan to absorb the remnants of the hardliners?”
“Indeed. To do that, we first need to…”
The beginning was to absorb the remnants of the hardliners and become the head of a new faction. Thus, the annexation of the Blood Alliance was proceeding smoothly.
*
To smoothly carry out Operation ‘Home Theater: Demon King and Hero,’ the more capable pawns that moved according to my will, the better.
The main roles of Hans and Heinrich, along with the supporting secondary role of Heinz, felt insufficient.
Therefore, the biggest issue at hand was how to most swiftly empower ‘Halli,’ who still hadn’t decided on her path.
[Hoo, this is very interesting.]
Just now, Hans discovered quite a good means from the precious data that the head of the Buncheon Society had treasured.
He was pulling their research data from a place far from where he resided, examining the results, and gradually absorbing them.
While he couldn’t use them directly, the concepts alone were sufficient to assist, and moreover, thanks to the head of the research, the data that was ‘in the midst of research’ remained intact from start to finish.
[So, it’s an experiment to transplant parts of an inhuman demon to another? This is akin to chimera procedures! Of course, it failed with ordinary individuals, and… the side effects are severe for the Awakened Ones as well.]
Although Hans possessed excellent insight in other areas now due to the influence of ‘The Path of Magic,’ his specialty was still black magic.
And the ‘Chimera Research’ was closely related to the black magic field as well.
‘In a way, it’s a blessing in disguise. Even if I had just dug into the “Forbidden Knowledge” from Auterica making use of my temporal advantage, I wouldn’t have been able to grow this quickly.’
Quality over quantity.
By experiencing the sorceries of various worlds and breaking out of his mold, Hans laid the groundwork to grow stronger even faster.
[…But this isn’t just a simple chimera study. It’s aiming for endless evolution by discarding deficiencies and accepting only superior elements… The final goal is to create a completely evolved being.]
Since it was still an ongoing research project, not only were the documents stored, but bodily tissues used in the experiments were also kept.
[Oh, is this dragon’s blood? It looks like melted gemstones.]
It even contained the key ingredient, ‘Dragon’s Blood.’
The small vial of purplish liquid was shimmering and refracting light beautifully as it swayed back and forth at different angles.
[Hmm… If I mix this data with the knowledge of my skills, I feel I could yield useful results… Evolution through ‘Adaptation’ to external tissues.]
With things progressing to this point, time felt wasted.
Having gathered enough on Earth, he wished he could now leisurely dedicate himself to research in Auterica.
‘But the cult is a problem…’
More accurately, it was due to the saintess who was still making efforts every single day to find the Undead King’s descendant.
‘Still, I managed to obtain clues that might be helpful.’
It took Hans about three weeks to complete ‘Final Version of Infectious Familiar Magic FINAL(3) – The Real Last One’ while holed away in a small mountain.
And during that same period, the cult had sensed Hans’ presence and begun searching.
‘They sensed Hans’ presence right away, but thanks to all the concealment barriers, they couldn’t pinpoint his exact location. This means the saintess’s search isn’t perfect.’
On top of that, Hans had grown adept at hiding his identity since then, including his magical achievements and ‘The Path of Magic.’
‘If that’s still not enough, I can also use Heinz’s ‘Concealment’ and ‘Blood Mystery.’’
With Heinrich, Hans could also grasp the cult’s movements in real-time, instilling confidence that he could deceive their gaze sufficiently.
However, that could only be done once Heinz’s annexation of the Blood Alliance reached a noticeable conclusion.
‘Preparations can still be made from now on.’
*
《Transmission to the Auterica Dimension has been completed.》
Once the transmission was complete, Halli cautiously surveyed her surroundings.
Though in an alley adjacent to the main road, due to the structure, light did not enter this dim corner.
It was a large city in the Kingdom of Tulke, located in the western part of the Ion Continent, one of the cities Heinrich had passed through on his way to the holy land.
“Whoa! That startled me! When did this guy come here?”
As she stepped out from the corner, a shabby man squatting and smoking leaped in shock.
Halli ignored him with her eyes blinking and headed straight towards the main road.
‘Tarak, in the northern territory of the Tulke Kingdom. Thankfully, it’s still daytime.’
The sun was shining brightly, so there was no need to move the next day.
Tarak was a place Heinrich had found impressive during his prior reconnaissance.
Mercenaries adorned with weapons wandered the roads, and wizards in robes were spotted intermittently. Merchants transporting large carts loaded with something were also present.
It was the very embodiment of an ideal fantasy world.
‘Although it had been a fantasy world until now… This place feels even more typical.’
This place, as if personifying stereotypes, was a city vibrant due to the various monsters of the Northern Mountain Range.
Located near the kingdom’s border and even having a shrine, it was a prosperous large city.
The city was the last place to make final preparations before heading to the ‘Steel Fortress,’ guarding the northwestern foothills of the massive Northern Mountain Range, stretching across the entire north of the continent.
There were mercenary guilds that accepted monster-hunting requests, and merchants’ guilds that transported corpses — even branches of magic towers conducting research.
Thanks to that, the city was buzzing with a plethora of characters and vitality.
‘It looks even more active in trading than I expected.’
It seemed there wouldn’t be significant difficulties in procuring items.
Of course, later on, he would need to hire escorts for safety, but there appeared to be no shortage of rare materials, magical monster by-products, and magical equipment likely to aid his research.
He would soon be spending substantial amounts of money.
‘Now that money is no longer a problem, saving time is the priority. I managed to bring as many precious metals into the Spatial Dimension as possible, but I wonder if that will be enough.’
It seemed he needed to head to the magic tower branch to additionally acquire spatial dimension magical equipment.
“Welcome~~! This is the magical equipment shop of the Lokapelli Magic Tower, Tarak Branch! Is there something you are looking for~~?”
A man who looked more like a merchant than a wizard was serving customers next to the magic tower branch.
“You’re looking for spatial dimension magical equipment? You’ve come to the right place! Our products from Lokapelli Magic Tower have a twenty percent greater efficiency in space compared to other towers…”
“Indeed, I see.”
Since he intended to use them for a long time, he deliberately sought a well-reputed magic tower.
With the monster industry thriving, mercenaries often utilized spatial dimension magical equipment when going on hunts, allowing for trading of various specifications of products.
“This product here grants a preservative effect to the items inside, allowing for a more prolonged…”
“That function does indeed seem necessary.”
Of course, given its exorbitant price, it was often utilized by larger mercenary groups or high-rank mercenary parties.
“This isn’t the end! It undergoes special processing to ensure it won’t break even in extreme conditions, allowing you to take it anywhere…”
“Ooh, how much is that?”
As Hans nodded absentmindedly to the merchant’s words, he suddenly realized that all the precious metals he had brought were gone, replaced only by a few magical equipment in his hands.
“Thank you for the great deal~~! Should you need anything in the future, please feel free to visit the Lokapelli Magic Tower Tarak Branch’s Charlton!”
With a deep bow, the merchant’s words faded as Hans vacantly exited the shop.
He felt like he was possessed by a ghost.
With a range of magical equipment featuring numerous functions, including a hefty bag-like spacious one.
He stared at the new items quietly and shrugged.
‘Well, they were things I needed anyway. At the very least, if I resell them on Earth, I’ll make several times the profit.’
Despite feeling somewhat of an impulse purchase, it wasn’t a bad deal considering their value.
Given the city’s characteristics, prices here were also cheaper than elsewhere.
‘More importantly, since I’ve spent almost all my funds, I guess I need to make another trip back to Earth.’
The only annoying part was that he needed to return to Earth to replenish his depleted funds.
‘I should think about accumulating wealth through trade with Earth. What could I bring to this world that would sell to generate money? Perhaps spices?’
Thus, he came up with a new business idea, and it remained a satisfying transaction overall.
*
Crack— Snap!
“Ugh, haah…”
With the sound of bones twisting, a sigh escaped Jin So-Ran’s lips.
Triggered by a catalyst from outside, her blood-absorbing factors began evolving slowly within her body.
Her muscles became tougher and more flexible, her bones hardened, and her senses sharpened.
While the amount of blood magic did not increase, her operational ability and maximum output rose, enabling her to exert power more stably.
‘This doesn’t feel like my body! I feel like I’ve been reborn!’
As her physical changes ceased, Jin So-Ran looked around herself in awe at her own body. The surge of power made her feel that her combat strength had increased severalfold.
“Hmm, with this level of Refined Blood Essence, is this the limit? I should observe how much more evolution is possible if I increase the quantity.”
Of course, her feelings were indeed just feelings. The Refined Blood Essence she had received didn’t have that much effect.
According to her Insight, at best, the enhancement effect was around 30%.
‘Though, an enhancement of 30% for a level 6 Jin So-Ran is not something to take lightly.’
Jin So-Ran accepted Aria’s proposal and willingly joined Heinz’s ranks. Though her role was primarily to bridge with the moderates, having succumbed to Heinz after accepting the Refined Blood Essence.
Given that she had personally experienced the conflicts between factions, it seemed she felt the need for someone to negotiate in between to prevent such things from happening again.
‘If there’s someone to mediate, things become easier. If I lay down some appropriate restrictions, there’s little worry of betrayal.’
Heinz waited until Jin So-Ran had stabilized her power before speaking.
“If you’re adapted, we should move right away. We’ve got a lot to do.”
“Yes! Understood, Lord!”
“…Lord?”
“Yes? Yes! Lord. You are now like the ‘King’ of this new clan. Do you dislike the title?”
Come to think of it, the dimension where Jin So-Ran originated, Nocturnia, was said to categorize vampire ranks by chess pieces.
Since a new bond of subjugation had formed through blood, it was a sign that she regarded Heinz as the clan’s progenitor.
“Hm… no, I have no issue with that.”
He didn’t feel particularly discomforted. It actually felt rewarding.
“So, about that. Lord! This means a new family tree has sprouted in Earth, doesn’t it? Therefore, it seems a fitting new name is necessary, have you thought of one?”
She said cheerfully with a bright smile, her previous nature still intact despite addressing him as Lord.
“A name…”
Caught off guard by the unexpected query, he didn’t have a name prepared.
However, considering the sense of belonging and allegiance, having a decent name would be good.
‘It feels like I could take a distinctive feature and form a name around that.’
The enhancement through Refined Blood Essence was a process that mutated other vampires using the blood-absorbing factors within Heinz.
Receiving the superior genes from various worlds and influencing the ‘mixed breed’ that had evolved to its limits, depending on the quality and quantity of the Refined Blood Essence administered, the degree of mutation varied, but regardless of change, it constantly progressed more than before.
Musing over that thought, a word suddenly came to mind.
“…Let’s call it Heterosis.”
“Heterosis! I don’t quite know its meaning, but it sounds good!”
Thus, the moment the elite combat unit within the Blood Alliance, Heterosis, was born.
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