< Same Time, Different Place (2) >
While other avatars were steadily growing, the hatchling avatar Horus was not just idling around.
He arrived at a secret lair guided by the nearly extinct Elder Dragon Shurihaatgen.
During his stay there, he achieved remarkable growth.
With invaluable teaching materials that were priceless, and the Elder Dragon’s last teachings aimed at leaving as much as possible before resting, plus his innate talent being amplified by the ‘Potion of Growth’.
Thus, although Horus could technically still be called a hatchling by age, his practical abilities had already surpassed the juvenile stage and approached that of an adult dragon.
‘In general, as a dragon, where age and strength are directly proportional, I can only express this as irregular.’
He was a mutation that could not be explained merely as being gifted.
He was an unfathomable being who could not have been born without various system-related adjustments.
And such influences naturally reflected in the avatar’s growth.
< Individual Information >
– Entity Name: Horus
– Race: Dragon (Hatchling)
– Common Traits: 「Mind Hub」、「Persona」、「Xenoglossy」
– Entity Traits: 「Gold Dragon」、「Ruler of All」、「Polymorph」、「Dragon Speech Magic」、「Seeker of Mysteries」、「Resistor of Providence」
– Special Notes: The entity is rapidly growing due to ‘Potion of Growth’. Influenced by 「Seeker of Mysteries」, it has strong enhancements and aptitudes for all magical types. Influenced by 「Resistor of Providence」, it disregards or mitigates restraints applied to the entity. This allows it to hold powers that a hatchling’s body couldn’t contain.
With traits that strengthen the dragon’s innate characteristics like 「Gold Dragon」, and new self-enhancement skills related to mana and elemental dominion that had been added.
Horus was indeed growing quickly, just as expected.
‘In fact, it’s also because I entrusted the enchantment of the ‘Titan’s Left Arm’ to someone else.’
While Undead King Hans could also provide enchantments that grant additional effects, he didn’t consider that route at all.
And who could blame him? If Hans intervened with the massive energy contained in the Titan…
‘It would probably create cursed armor that turns the user into an undead the moment it’s worn, right?’
Hans’s power was so dangerous it could even taint the Dragon Heart.
Unless he intended to create black magical equipment that disregards the owner’s safety, the Titan he aimed to complete wasn’t meant for such a purpose.
‘Then shall I move on to the next stage?’
And now, the place where the invention acknowledged even by the Dwarf God and passed through the hands of the Dragon, the original wielder of magic—was exactly where the ‘Titan’s Left Arm’ was located.
“Hmm, it feels like it might be a bit daunting.”
It was on the two hands of Hesperon, the young man wearing a black eye patch over one eye and wrapped in a bandage marked with mysterious patterns on his right arm.
*
Who would be the most suitable user for the Titan had been a subject of concern since the early stages of its creation.
In a crisis situation where Tarak was attacked by revolutionaries, the merchant Hubert briefly used it, but there were too many issues with a non-combatant like him being the main user.
After all, he’d always been intended as a non-combat entity, much like Dwarf Howard.
‘For Hubert, I could just make a simplified version for emergencies.’
The only truly fitting candidate was Hesperon.
In fact, the fact that the left arm part was prioritized in production was also because he was kept in mind from the beginning.
“Hoo—.”
Thanks to Princess Riley, he had his own designated magical training room prepared within the Imperial Palace.
In the very center, Hesperon, holding the sleek metallic arm, took a light breath.
“…Impressive. I thought my standards were pretty high, but I’ve never seen anything like this before.”
Riley, who quietly watched from a corner of the training room, let out a small exclamation of admiration.
Having gone to the Rosellia Temple for the Pope’s funeral and a summit, she had now returned to the palace.
She had even gone out to welcome Hesperon on his return day, but as expected… nothing noteworthy happened this time.
‘Well, if there had been another problem, it would have gone beyond mere incompetence to suggest completely that the Emperor was behind it.’
Fortunately, such a worst-case scenario apparently did not occur.
Now that the crowning ceremony for the crown princess was fast approaching, it was hard to believe that anything like that would really happen.
“So, did you bring that from somewhere else? Like that artifact?”
“Ahaha— Well, sort of?”
And upon returning to the palace, the first thing she pushed for was to implant a newly cultivated eye in place of the artifact for Hesperon.
‘I’m grateful for the effort, but…’
He raised one hand to push up the eye patch covering his right eye.
As a result, an alien, softly glowing mechanical eye that couldn’t be found in this world revealed itself.
‘Well, I had intended to let Riley know in advance from the beginning.’
Human transmutation was the greatest dream and taboo for an alchemist.
Even if it was just a partial cultivation to replace a lost part, it was certainly not an easy task.
However, Riley had rejected the work she pursued with all her effort using her position, so to convince her, he had no choice but to provide a fitting reason.
“Wow, that’s amazing. I never thought I’d see magical equipment from another world in person…”
As she gazed at his exposed bionic eye, seeming enchanted, she muttered softly.
Indeed, no matter how accustomed she became to the two people from another world who accompanied her, it would be an entirely different feeling to come face-to-face with an alien civilization.
“…It does seem a little cool.”
Looking bashfully at Hesperon, who stole glances at her with a slightly flushed face, she made some soft coughs.
‘So, cyborg eyes work even on the residents of a fantasy world, huh?’
Then, while glancing at the health information such as her body temperature and heart rate that appeared in his line of sight, he returned his attention to the metallic arm in his hand.
It was significantly heavy as it appeared, but for someone with the common trait of 「Great Strength」, it was merely a suitably weighty level.
‘Let’s get started.’
He took a deep breath as he slowly inserted his left arm into it.
Crack—
At the same time, a unique sensation of the lining squeezing around his arm.
It started from his fingertips and gradually engulfed up to his shoulder as the insides of the Titan started to meld with his muscles and nerves, bit by bit.
But even in this smoothly progressing situation, his slightly furrowed brows showed no signs of relaxing.
‘…Indeed. Despite the improvements, this much…’
The time taken from the donning through synchronization to activation was over 10 seconds.
While it might not be considered excessively long compared to other armor, it was utterly insufficient for quickly responding to emergencies.
‘It’s not just any armor that ends with simply putting it on, so it can’t be helped. But then again, it’s also frustrating to reduce output just to speed up the reaction.’
Moreover, it was a problem that he had to take this out of the spatial dimension magical equipment one by one and wear them individually.
If attaching even the comparatively simple arm piece was this much of a hassle, how about for the torso and other parts?
‘Indeed, the one who could make the best use of this is surely Hesperon.’
As he slowly moved the Titan-encased left finger, he casually turned his gaze to a message that popped up.
< High-energy Detection. >
– Estimated Energy: 12,257,225
– Estimated Danger Level: B
– Detected energy response corresponding to a kiloton-class ship’s reactor. The current state is stable, but handle with care.
< A new device has been discovered. Attempting to connect. >
< Automatic synchronization in progress... >
< Connection failed. >
< Device is not compatible. Please perform an additional update. >
‘I’ve put considerable effort into mana concealment, but it ended up like this… I wonder if the mechanical eye’s performance is that good or if the energy is simply too large to hide.’
In either case, the one thing he had to do now was straightforward.
After staring at the messages for a moment, he unhesitatingly used 「Chain of Pact」 towards the Titan.
Wooong—
Thus, the connection began, accompanied by a sharp headache as his metallic left arm started to vibrate loudly.
A rough response matching the amount of energy contained within.
It seemed it was bound to be a challenging process, but there was one thing he firmly believed at that moment.
‘Come on now, be nice to me, okay?’
「Chain of Pact」 was a skill that forged bonds and contracts through mutual understanding between entities.
And Hesperon was—
‘Understanding comes from knowledge.’
…The person who knew more about the Titan than anyone else.
From the tiniest bits of metal to every intricately engraved mana circuit.
No one could deny that this creation was entirely made by him, from start to finish.
Geee—!
< Checking new device update. Attempting to connect. >
< Automatic synchronization in progress... >
The results came quickly.
< Connection successful. >
As detailed information regarding ‘Titan’s Left Arm’ streamed in through the mechanical eye, his senses expanded, and the range of his body extended.
At this moment, what enveloped his arm was not mere metallic armor, but his skin and arm itself.
The Titan’s complex structure embedded itself in his mind in one go, instilling confidence that he could use all of its functions as if managing his own body.
Whiiing— clank!
Clatter—
Blades protruding from the back of his hand and sharp spines erupting from the fist, a barrel opened on his palm, and boosters appeared from various spots on his arm as Hesperon checked the auxiliary functions with a satisfied nod.
‘…Done.’
Finishing a preliminary inspection, he deactivated the Titan’s attachment.
He organized it and placed it back into the spatial dimension magical equipment before looking straight ahead.
“Oh? Is it all done, Heron?”
“No, there’s still one last thing left.”
He casually answered Riley’s question, her sparkling eyes observing with interest, as he slowly raised his empty left hand.
Now it was time to confirm the most important aspect.
‘Just like before.’
With his left hand extended, he focused his mind.
Quietly, he spoke.
“Titan.”
As Hesperon called its name, it responded to his summons.
Wooong—
The empty space of his left arm filled with a sleek metallic armor imbued with a dark glow that emerged from the rift.
Geee—!
The moment it appeared, lines of light ran through the circuits of his body, completing the activation almost instantly.
In less than a second, he had fully readied his enhanced left hand, moving it around while smiling in satisfaction.
“…Not bad.”
By summoning it straight onto his arm, he skipped the donning time and utilized the state of the contract for constant synchronization, ignoring subsequent processes.
It was a method only he, possessing 「Chain of Pact」, could execute.
‘It’s fine now, but I’m looking forward to when all the body parts are complete later. …Transforming into a hero, huh, what a concept…’
While he smiled contentedly, tightening his powerful left fist, nostalgia washed over him.
“Uh… Ahem…”
A subtle cough echoed from behind.
…For some reason, the back of his head felt prickly.
With a strange sense of déjà vu, he felt peculiar gazes poking at him.
“Oh.”
Slowly turning his head, he locked eyes with Isea, who was smiling awkwardly beside Riley.
Instantly, his fluttering emotions settled, allowing him to reflect objectively on his actions.
“Uh, I was going to help if you were struggling… I heard Riley was here too, so… um…”
She murmured, seeming a bit apologetic yet awkward, unable to meet his gaze.
After hesitating for a moment, she soon seemed to resolve something, lifting her head straight as if she understood everything, sending a warm nod.
“Your abilities are wonderful. They suit Heron really well.”
“Ah! I think the same as Sister Isea! It was really impressive!”
Clap clap clap clap—
Riley, clapping like a seal in agreement with Isea’s warm compliment, made their response hit even harder.
“…”
But Hesperon, suddenly becoming aware of reality, could only stare down at his own hands without saying a word.
His futuristic metallic gloves wrapped in occult bandages.
‘…Uh, that’s weird? The middle school syndrome traits should’ve all been taken by Hans.’
Why was he being treated like this?
Swallowing the unresolved question within, he gently closed his eyes.
Of course, the mechanical eye automatically peering under the eyelids had no effect.
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