Power of Consumption (1)
‘The Last Golden Dragon.’
That title, along with the introduction, felt incredibly familiar.
It was an achievement that had been recognized once already in Auterica as the ‘Last Golden Dragon.’
‘Looks like Tam was treated like a dragon all along.’
To be precise, it should be said that all dragons had been included within his special ability.
With his death, the title of ‘Last’ seemingly passed to Horus as all were declared dead simultaneously.
An unexpected gain arrived at a completely unforeseen moment.
‘I hadn’t been expecting this at all since I hadn’t received any relevant messages until now…’
Other dragons had treated Horus as a golden dragon, but that was separate from the system’s acknowledgment.
However, it turned out there was another reason for this.
“Well, anyway, it’s a good thing for me.”
Sure, the additional karma was nice, but the bonus obtained through achievements could be considered a fantastic unique skill on its own.
Given the extreme difficulty of obtaining even one through regular means, each of these could be viewed as a separate unique skill.
‘Let’s see, the perks I currently possess…’
First up— the ability to return to Earth by my own power, acquired through the achievement of ‘The Great Feat,’ which is 「Dimensional Teleportation Circle Summon」.
In truth, it was accomplished through a trick, but this ability truly made me who I am now.
Having achieved the feat of entering a new world and with the cooldown reduced to half, mentioning its importance would be an understatement.
‘Then there’s the 「Instant Death Immunity」 obtained by becoming the Undead King, 「Extra Life」 gained from Hans’s growing infamy, and 「Hero’s Footprints」 learned from Heinrich…’
But that wasn’t the end.
The 「Karma Shop Ver.2 Update」 received from excessively stacking karma.
Becoming the Blood King, who unified the vampire clans of Auterica, granted me the power of 「Lord’s Authority」.
And most recently, I acquired the 「Dragon Lair」 by becoming the Last Golden Dragon.
‘Before, I had seven. Now, with two more, that’s nine!’
Hans, who was quietly stroking his chin, couldn’t help but smirk.
Upon reviewing, it dawned on him just how many things he had achieved.
So many trophies of ‘great feats’ that others could hardly dare to dream of!
‘While there are abilities I frequently use, there are also quite a few I’ve let gather dust since I rarely use them.’
Which category would the newly acquired perks fall into?
With partially closed eyes, he confirmed the new powers resonating within his soul.
「Power of Consumption.」
Just from the name, it’s clear it relates to what he dealt with, Tam.
This ability wasn’t any different.
It was entirely about consuming and digesting to make it his own.
‘…I think it could go well with Harley.’
That was the only thought that came to mind, but since it was a unique perk, there had to be more to it.
Given the nature of the system that didn’t provide a helpful user manual, he would need to research and develop it himself to unlock its full potential.
‘It’ll also be quite beneficial for Hugo, who has the 「Heavenly Body Technique」 and has yet to digest the elixirs stacked up.’
He pondered several potential uses, when suddenly, he halted in shock.
A new possibility regarding how to utilize this dawned on him.
‘If I can eat and fully make it my own, could I potentially do this with my body in Earth as well…?’
The barren land of Earth.
No energy or mysteries naturally arose from that soil.
The only exception was the small number of awakened ones chosen by the system across all dimensions, including Earth itself.
The ability to recover energy they had already used was a result of some unknown interaction caused by the system, not because they absorbed surrounding energies.
However, once they left this world to return to Earth, they could not escape the inevitable constraints on their growth.
Like a plant that thrived in fertile soil but was suddenly moved to a nutrient-deficient desert.
‘Of course, with the system’s blessing, I won’t wither away.’
The skills I’ve built up can still be used.
Increasing proficiency with system-acquired skills and, if lucky, evolving them for enhancement is also possible.
But—.
‘That alone isn’t enough.’
All the growth corrections that had always accompanied him would vanish entirely.
No matter how hard he tried, change would come slowly, leading to a sense of deprivation with no assurance of becoming stronger.
The reliable insurance of karma points would no longer be usable.
‘That’s only true for skills, though. More importantly, the biggest problem is…’
In a realm devoid of any mysteries like Earth, no matter how much training one did, accumulating energy or rising in level would be impossible.
Whether martial arts or magic, technical proficiency could increase, but the wall obstructing the path would forever remain unpassable.
Breaking that wall required not only enlightenment but also the assistance of surrounding energies, which was essential.
‘That’s why they cling to the Dragon Stream in the Ganghwan Realm.’
Of course, there was a slim chance of overcoming the wall on Earth.
If he obtained an elixir from his origin dimension and took it precisely at the moment of enlightenment…
‘Due to the density difference of energy, most would scatter into the void, leading to terrible efficiency, and if he ran out of energy while attempting to cross that wall, he would become a waste.’
That would require an elixir on the level of a Dragon Heart, wouldn’t it?
It would be easier to simply give up than keep burning such a rare resource during training.
‘But with the 「Power of Consumption」, that issue could be resolved.’
Eating and digesting to make it his own.
In simple terms, it implies energy absorption efficiency would be nearly one hundred percent!
Then, he wouldn’t need to pour top-grade elixirs like water; his main body could also start its energy training.
‘Until now, I had been able to raise the energy of other avatars through the effects of 「Entity Projection」, so I hadn’t risked doing so…’
Since it had come to this, the more strength available, the better.
Especially in unpredictable situations.
‘From now on, I should look for elixirs more carefully. That’s definitely up Harris’s alley.’
Of course, Hans and the undead would corrupt any elixirs just by being around, so they were out of the question from the start.
Avoiding being close to them would be far more helpful.
‘And next is… the 「Gem of the Golden Dragon.」’
A perk obtained by Horus when he became the Last Golden Dragon.
However, this was somehow different from those he had acquired so far.
‘…What’s this? How do I use it?’
He checked several times but couldn’t grasp what it was about.
Although the system was not particularly user-friendly, it was the first time encountering a situation like this, so naturally, he felt flustered.
Until now, even if detailed information wasn’t provided, he usually received some rough idea.
The one thing he could ascertain was…
“It will activate on its own when the time comes.”
Just that one suspicious sentence.
For some reason, it felt profoundly different from the system he had been dealing with until now.
‘…Tch, no need to cling to something that’s not happening. After all, this was more like a bonus than anything else.’
Since it was provided to him as a special perk, it wouldn’t adversely affect him.
The Akasha system was thorough in that regard.
…Whether this perk was truly granted according to principles or if some other will had intervened, who could know?
After summarizing the situation, Hans’s eyes returned to the massive dragon carcass.
Toward the ghastly, decaying hunk of flesh lying on the ground, cut and torn in various places.
The majesty of a once-great being, which had reached the peak, was nowhere to be found.
“If I want to use this properly, I need to do some tidying up.”
Since he was up against a formidable foe, he had to put in his best effort, even if it meant the carcass sustained more damage.
If he was going to resurrect it as undead, that didn’t really matter, but seeing as he decided to use it another way, he couldn’t just leave it as it was.
With that, Hans placed his hand on the hunk of meat, drawing as much of the ‘death’ that was pervading it as he could—.
‘Oh?’
His eyebrows raised slightly at the energy being smoothly extracted and stored at a speed beyond his expectations.
While he couldn’t do anything about the already tainted areas, this was far better than he had anticipated.
‘So, the 「Power of Consumption」 worked here as well.’
To begin with, as an undead, the act of feeding held no meaning for Hans.
If he were to cite a similar act, it could be considered the act of absorbing energy, like what he had just performed.
‘This perk is surprisingly versatile!’
With such a flexible ability, its range of applications only expanded.
Pleased, Hans slowly nodded his head until…
“…What’s that?”
He abruptly turned toward one side.
To the place where he had specially set up a barrier before the battle.
Toward the direction where the dragon’s kidnapped children were gathered.
‘…Je Gal Hye-mi?’
He quickly recognized the source of the sudden, strange phenomenon.
Her energy was very familiar to him.
“Oh, a communication spell from outside? This is quite impressive.”
With comprehension of what she was doing, Hans’s eyes sparkled as he stroked his beard.
Taking advantage of the moment while the watchers were confused with a subtle communication from the outside.
If it weren’t for the preemptively set barrier, this method could have easily gone unnoticed.
‘Moreover, not only is she using her own energy but also guiding that of the main administrator. Seems she managed to seek cooperation from him… Perhaps this means, within this short time of being kidnapped, she not only gathered intel on the dragon children but found a way to utilize the power sleeping within herself.’
In this world, communication spells were difficult enough that even competent practitioners often wouldn’t attempt them.
The usefulness was unquestionable; nonetheless, even colossal forces would hesitate to employ them carelessly.
Let alone carrying out such high-level spells with the utilization of unidentified, mysterious powers was not something anyone could pull off.
‘They’ve claimed she has confidence in her theory regarding spells, but I didn’t expect this much.’
Je Gal Hye-mi, born into the prestigious Zhuge family, had always been frail and bedridden.
Her only hobby was memorizing theoretical tomes and dissecting them for analysis.
Once stored in her mind, she could think about it anytime, even while lying down with her eyes closed.
“This works perfectly. I can use it for my own purposes.”
As he observed the faint energy carefully moving past his barrier, Hans nodded.
Then he began to collect the dark clouds that had spread across the area, storing the dragon’s remains inside.
Although he had taken the initiative to eliminate Ya Liuhuan and seize his faction, he had no intention of halting his ongoing tasks.
This was a rehearsal for the main stage and also a pivotal part of the great flow leading to the rebirth of the Dragon Heart.
‘To conclude a single story, the narrative is of utmost importance, both for my karma and in general.’
Thus, the energy that had been moving cautiously under Hans’s approval eventually reached the edge of the barrier.
As if thinking it hadn’t been discovered yet, the actions proceeded very cautiously.
And finally.
Thud—
A small hole was poked in the barrier, allowing the faint energy to connect to the outside.
Having been continuously moving through the air, it happened to be taking a break.
At that moment, he used the newly acquired 「Power of Consumption」 to voraciously consume elixirs, giving a pleasant surprise to Ha Seung-hoon—Hugo.
*
After dispelling those who attacked the Zhuge family and sending the bodies that would provide the clues to Hans.
Harley once again embarked on the journey back to the lofty mount where the Shaolin Temple stood.
‘I hope they don’t mistreat me after saving them from disaster! By the way, I wonder if the rank one subordinate in the Ganghwan Realm is doing well? He was suitably sharp and strong, making him easy to use.’
For the upcoming rehearsal, it was essential for various factions to participate, and the Shaolin Temple, being a pillar of the martial arts world, required his direct attention.
Regardless of the damage they had sustained from the recent attack, no one could dismiss the name of the Shaolin Temple.
BOOM—!
Rumble—
“Yikes! A m-monster!”
“Ahhhh! What grievance do you hold against us to do this!”
“Please spare me! I have children like little rabbits…”
In the process, punishing the evil forces that threatened the harmony and peace of the martial world wasn’t anything extraordinary.
Having them disrupt the grand stage would only reduce the karma he could earn.
Cleaning up was always best done in advance when opportunities arose.
‘And at the same time, collecting a nice side income.’
Finishing his fulfilling community service, he strode confidently away from the now-destroyed estate.
He brandished the long black spear, said to be created from rare iron in the Ganghwan Realm, waving it around.
‘Not bad at all. There’s value in disassembling it to apply its techniques.’
Sent through the 「Avatar Cloud」 to Howard the Dwarf, Harley pondered over the new item he had received, licking his lips.
“Hmmm, this smells promising! It’s almost like aged meat.”
The suspicious hunk of flesh that dripped with blood and was visibly discolored was a part of the recently hunted Dragon Emperor.
Despite deciding to sacrifice the whole thing for rebirth of the Dragon Heart, it felt only right to at least sample the taste of such a hefty catch.
“Hehe! Of course! Given its size, this is hardly a loss. …Hmm, in that case, it might be okay to eat a bit more. Just slice off little bits here and there…”
He had once heard that meat was tastiest right before it begins to rot.
Back then, he thought it was nonsense…
‘But now that I think about it, it seems plausible?’
Drooling filled Harley’s mouth.
While he preferred fresh meat, he thought that occasionally trying such delicacies might not be so bad.
After all, it would wither away and decompose the moment he placed it next to Hans without taking long.
“Then, shall I take a bite?”
Slurp—
His mouth spread wide, stretching almost to his ear.
Activating the 「Devour」 move that overwhelmingly boosts the act of eating.
Simultaneously, the 「Power of Consumption」 was also activated.
Squish— Squelch!
The sharp teeth ripped through the flesh, releasing savory juices.
Rich meaty flavors mixed with hints of cheese.*
‘This, on its own…’
Just as Harley casually pondered his impressions.
《The entity has met the conditions to grow. The special skill 「Devour」 is evolving into 「Food God.」》
