My Alter Ego’s Path to Greatness

Episode 235 Karma Shopping (3)

In a remote mountain village, some distance from the capital of the Zepia Republic.

The Main God Church, being the largest religion on the continent, had established prayer rooms even in small villages like this one, with its meager population.

Of course, the facilities were rudimentary, staffed by a single trainee priest on assignment and a couple of local monks. But the villagers held the prayer room in high regard.

Even the weak divine power of a trainee priest was enough for emergency treatment, and they had easy access to its benefits.

Regardless of faith, no one would refuse such practical help.

But now, within this sacred prayer room—

A clandestine meeting was taking place, far from pious or devout.

“How does it feel to receive His grace, Obaifo? As a vampire, your compatibility should be quite good.”

“Kuh, indeed… not bad at all… When you suddenly appeared, I wondered what kind of trick you were planning…”

“I’m a bit hurt. I thought we had built some trust after all this time.”

An irreverent conversation within the prayer room adorned with symbols of the Main God Church.

The Lord of the Obaifo Clan, the Sacred Blood vampire Obaifo, and…

“You were the first to betray that trust, Revolutionary. You can't deny your involvement in the deaths of the Enamel Clown and the Southern Barbarian King…”

“I apologize for that. There was an urgent matter, and I had to cut off contact.”

The mastermind behind the continent’s chaos, the founder of Oath of Heaven’s Defiance, the Revolutionary.

“And that's why I’m here to help you now. With that power, you won’t be easily defeated like the others.”

“Kuh huh… I’ve already eliminated the biggest obstacle, the Zepia Commander… I wanted to make him my subordinate, but it’s not easy to subdue a transcendent warrior… A shame…”

A shocking revelation that even the Republic’s strongest warrior had fallen.

And with the hero, another potential obstacle, having already accepted the vampires’ rule of the Talia Kingdom, it would be difficult for him to interfere in the Republic’s internal affairs.

The series of incidents had also diverted public attention, creating a favorable situation for Obaifo.

“What about the Vice President? She’s practically the leader of the opposition.”

“Hmm, that woman…? She’s outlived her usefulness. I was planning to dispose of her soon… She can’t do much anyway, with her hands and feet tied…”

They had kept the vampire-hating Vice President alive to gather information about the opposition.

They had been manipulating her for a long time, making preparations…

“You seem very confident. You know she’s already contacted the western Hybrid, right?”

“Kuh, that self-proclaimed King of Vampires…? How laughable… He knows nothing about the true origin of blood, acting all high and mighty…”

Of course, he was already aware of the Vice President and Hybrid’s movements.

But he wasn’t concerned, even with the imminent clash.

He had something he believed in.

“No matter how strong he is… as long as he has vampire blood flowing through him, he can’t defeat me… the one closest to the original power… I should be thanking him for taking care of the troublesome tasks…” ŔåꞐỐ฿ĚṦ

He even seemed to be anticipating it.

He was hoping for the self-proclaimed King of Vampires to come to him.

The moment he subdued him would be the day he gained control of all the vampires on the continent.

“Once I have the essence of Brokoslack and Ufersh… all the lost bloodlines of the beginning will be gathered… And then, this world will finally face the true King of Vampires…!”

Obaifo, who had been collecting the lost legacies of the ‘original bloodlines’ for a long time.

He was ecstatic, dreaming of completing the perfect bloodline and ruling over it.

He had no idea that the two bloodlines he coveted, as well as all those under Hybrid, had long since lost their purity, contaminated by the blood of another dimension.

__________________

I stared at the numbers representing the item’s price, my arms crossed.

“Hmm.”

It was a mere 300,000 point decrease compared to the overwhelming 30 million, a mere 1% change, but…

It was the first time I had seen the price actually change, so it naturally piqued my interest.

‘What is that? Why did the price suddenly… Did one of my subordinates find a clue?’

I had assumed the price was determined by the item’s value and acquisition difficulty, but of course, that wasn’t a certainty.

However, judging by the prices of other items, it seemed like the most plausible explanation.

‘If I can figure out what caused the price change, I might be able to identify the item. First, let’s check if any related information has been acquired…’

But as I was analyzing the situation,

I realized it wasn’t that simple.

‘Just the information channels I have access to…’

The ghost intelligence unit, scattered across the continent under Olivia’s control.

The Hybrid vampires, infiltrated into the shadows of society, and the dark organizations under their command.

The Main God Church’s intelligence analysis team, gathering and providing information from all over the continent.

Hubert’s Trading Company’s informants, collecting information related to commerce and tracking the flow of goods.

‘And that’s not all. There are also indirect channels.’

Harley in the south and Harris in the Enamel Continent were inevitably involved in the events occurring in their respective regions, and Hesperon’s influence as the princess’s favorite couldn’t be ignored either.

Except for Howard, who was practically locked in his workshop, all my avatars were excellent sources of information.

‘…With so much information pouring in every moment, how can I pinpoint something related to an unidentified item?’

I pondered for a moment, then shook my head, giving up.

I was curious about the item, but it was a waste of energy to dwell on something that wouldn’t yield any immediate results.

‘A 1% change isn’t that significant anyway.’

Whatever it was, it was still far beyond my reach, judging by the price.

I would find out eventually if something significant happened.

What mattered to me right now wasn’t such a vague issue.

Gulp, gulp—

I turned my gaze to the small child, dressed in an oversized t-shirt like a dress, drinking an elixir from a glass bottle with his tiny hands.

“Kyaa—!”

He let out a refreshing sigh after finishing the bottle and smacked his lips, wiping his mouth with his hand.

Every gesture was fatally cute.

‘Is his behavior also affected by his younger body?’

Or maybe it was just a normal action, but his appearance made it seem especially endearing.

Either way, it wasn’t something I needed to worry about.

Unique avatar personalities were nothing new.

‘Auterica is more efficient for rapid growth. But I can’t just send Horus, a child, out on his own. He needs a guardian, at least nominally.’

As I was lost in thought, Hugo entered the room and started dressing Horus in the children’s clothes he had received through “Avatar Cloud”.

Hubert, in charge of miscellaneous tasks and item supply, had hurriedly arranged it.

‘…Yes, that’s the best option.’

Seeing that, I finally made a decision about Horus’s destination.

Someone not too influential, to avoid unnecessary attention, but also someone who could plausibly take care of a child.

‘Tarak, where Hubert’s Trading Company is located.’

Another task was added to Hubert’s to-do list: childcare.

__________________

《Dracarion gazes upon you.》

That was the message that appeared before Horus as soon as he arrived in Auterica.

‘The Dragon God?’

It wasn’t his first time receiving such attention, so it was nothing new.

‘I’d be disappointed if I didn’t get any attention these days.’

Being noticed by gods, even if it was limited to another world.

And I was receiving generous support along with that attention, so I had no complaints.

They would occasionally send gifts if they liked what they saw.

“Huu— Pa—!”

Horus took a deep breath and smiled with satisfaction.

‘This is different. I can actually feel the mana here.’

Unlike Earth, which was barren of such energies, the abundant mana in Auterica flowed into his Dragon Heart, strengthening him just by breathing.

Thanks to the growth bonus and the expensive elixir, he was growing at an incredible rate, even surprising himself.

‘On Earth, I could only recover lost energy, not actually grow.’

That’s why returnees could only improve their skills through training, not their inherent potential.

Their limits were practically set the moment they returned.

‘That’s not a problem for me…’

I already had several powerful avatars, but it still wasn’t enough.

I needed even greater, more overwhelming power.

To defeat that angel… the Master of Heaven’s Turn Society.

And my most promising prospect was this little dragon, Horus.

He clenched his tiny fists with determination.

‘Of course, he’s not ready to do anything yet. He needs time to get used to his dragon body and abilities.’

His first destination in this world was Hubert’s personal residence.

Hired servants took care of all his needs, so he could focus entirely on his training.

‘Alright, let’s begin.’

And so, Horus lay down on the bed in his room, ready for his training.

“Huu— Ha—.”

Deep breaths and meditation.

He calmly observed his own body.

After a while, he transformed into a human using “Polymorph” and repeated the process.

It might seem pointless to an outsider, but Horus was diligently following his routine.

Operation: Sleeping Dragon.

The small dragon, nestled in his luxurious residence, dreamed of the day he would soar through the skies.

__________________

Somewhere in Auterica.

In a small, dark cave, hidden from all light and sound by various physical and magical means.

Rumble—

A loud rumble broke the silence that had lasted for hundreds of years.

A pair of eyes glowed in the darkness, slowly flickering to life.

The being observed its surroundings, tilting its head in confusion…

[Hmm? This is…]

And then let out a soft gasp as it sensed something.

A familiar, yet unfamiliar presence— a fellow dragon.

[…Dracarion.]

It was a very young presence, practically a newborn by their standards.

But now that he had sensed it, he couldn’t ignore it.

[As you will.]

Something stirred in the remote cave on a deserted island, far from the chaos engulfing the continent.

Visit and read more novel to help us update chapter quickly. Thank you so much!