I opened the small wooden box closest to me and peered inside.
The moment the lid of the box, no bigger than a ring box, opened, a clear yet pungent fragrance filled the room.
Just smelling it boosted my mood; that extraordinary scent wafted from a round object wrapped in paper inside.
‘So this is the famous Summoning Pill from the Shaolin Temple, huh?’
Sniff sniff—
Unintentionally, I flared my nostrils and savored the aroma.
Just that was enough to wash away the fatigue from my entire body, leaving a refreshing feeling that surged within me.
After fully enjoying it, I gently closed the box and smacked my lips.
This Summoning Pill was a gift given to Harley as a token of appreciation from the Shaolin Temple’s head monk after he intervened at a critical moment when everyone there was in danger.
Of course, had it been in the past, it would have been enough to receive the Great Pill instead, but now the value of elixirs skyrocketed; things were different.
Due to the steadily decreasing potency of naturally sourced elixirs over the past twenty years, the entire elixir refinement process faced serious setbacks, rendering the production of top-tier pills, including the Great Pill, nearly impossible.
Now, to create a Summoning Pill, one had to pour in materials and effort equivalent to that of the past Great Pill level, making it no exaggeration to say that the Summoning Pill is currently the best elixir representative of the Shaolin Temple.
‘They must have really stretched themselves thin to hand this over.’
In addition to that, they promised various benefits and treatment, showing maximum sincerity that the Shaolin Temple could offer.
It was a sign of how important it was to win Harley’s kindness after his impressive performance against the Heavenly Demon.
‘Of course, I totally understand their feelings…’
But that still didn’t satisfy me.
I put down the box containing the Summoning Pill and picked up the ornate one next to it, opening the lid.
Whoosh—
In that instant, the surrounding scenery changed.
From the somewhat cold modern interior to the warm shade of trees under the bright sun on a spring day.
Or was it a rice paddy before harvest? Perhaps it was a summer valley with a flowing waterfall.
‘Wow, this is incredible!’
But soon, as the “Mirror Calm Water” activated, I regained my composure and realized it was just a fleeting illusion.
Just by smelling it, my brain had tricked me, reminiscent of exaggerated scenes in comics where characters face the universe just from eating delicious food; the energy contained within was extraordinary.
‘Indeed, this is the real Great Pill…’
Unquestionably the highest treasure of the martial world and, by now, virtually a legendary elixir at the Shaolin Temple, a priceless treasure that they had secretly hoarded without using.
I had no idea how much they had stored away, but with no more production possible, its value was immeasurable.
‘Yes, if it’s an elixir, it ought to be this level.’
A commodity so rare that even possessing wealth and power wouldn’t guarantee its procurement.
So how exactly did I get such a treasure—?
‘I bought it.’
Right, I simply bought it.
Just like that.
After all, I had the Karma Shop’s “Item Purchase,” which provides almost everything that exists in the world, didn’t I?
Unless it was a unique item that already had an owner, it was no big deal for someone like me, who could buy anything with Karma.
For a long time, since Hugo didn’t care about the nature of energy with his “Heavenly Body Technique,” I was primarily using the elixirs collected by Harris, as refinement through the elixir arts didn’t hold much significance for him…
‘But I should take a bit more care with what I use myself.’
Unlike my clones, which had a plethora of traits and could find a way out of any issues, my main body was just a special young man who was a bit sturdier, with various abilities, money, good looks, and a great personality.
It was necessary to thoroughly eliminate the possibility of even minor problems arising.
‘Indeed, it’s hard to find good elixirs outside of Auterica and Ganghwan Realm.’
On the table, various elixirs lined up aside from what I had just seen.
The best elixirs of the Ganghwan Realm, including the Taichung Pill from the Mount Wu Sect and the Zihua Divine Pill from the Volcano Sect.
Auterica’s potions processed through alchemy using various materials, including the Dragon Heart.
Additionally, there were elixirs collected from various routes from other worlds.
There was a reason why I gathered so many elixirs.
‘In dealing with mysteries, the very presence of energy it relies on is essential. But from my standpoint of handling various avatars, if that balance tilts too much to one side, it won’t be good.’
It was different from Harris, the High Elf, who had surpassed limits or the Mad Demon Harley.
They had the capability to learn and modify martial arts in their own ways, but if my main body determined its path, the trajectory of the clones created afterward would be restricted.
I couldn’t impose limits on myself, especially not knowing what might happen in the future or what kinds of avatars I could create.
So, I chose this method.
‘I’ll gather as much energy as possible without breaking the balance, turning it into pure energy that can be utilized as any kind of mystery.’
If others knew of his thoughts, they would scoff, thinking it was a foolish dream.
It was something that was utterly impossible by conventional wisdom.
Since the principles applied across worlds are different, the properties of energy native to those worlds would naturally vary as well.
In the same world, a knight’s aura cannot replace a wizard’s magic power, and a martial artist cannot use sorcery with their energy; how much more so if the worlds themselves are different?
‘But I know. I know a power that exists above all energy in this world, a power that is universally applicable in any realm.’
Did I merely know?
I had experienced it several times, and I understood its structure and principles more clearly than anyone else.
‘Holy Power.’
A seemingly limitless potential that I had analyzed thoroughly in preparation to face formidable foes and had ultimately managed to internalize.
I gently closed my eyes and reflected inwardly.
Hoo—.
There were already several avatars that bore the seed of holy power.
Undead King Hans, Vampire King Heinz II, and Tam the Monarch.
Not only them but also Heinrich, who represented the strength of the Holy God, and Harris, blessed by the World Tree, had begun to develop that ability too.
Yes, that was the situation.
But wouldn’t the owner of those avatars be affected in some way?
‘No matter how separate the bodies are, those avatars are still me. The rank derives from the level of the base body; it will be significantly influenced by it…’
My soul had long since matured accordingly.
Of course, with dozens of avatars, more than half of which were transcendent beings, I had divided and allocated most of that rank to operate them effectively, so I hadn’t noticed it much.
I opened my eyes again and gazed at the elixirs on the table.
Most of my avatars had already moved to the safest locations and entered a dormant state.
Finally able to focus solely on my true physical form for the first time in a while, I moved my arm, which now felt somewhat foreign, and picked up one elixir.
‘Shall I start with this?’
The Summoning Pill from the Shaolin Temple.
And without hesitation, I tossed it into my mouth and activated the “Power of Consumption.”
*
Haaah—.
The white energy mixed with my breath, shimmering before dissipating into the air.
It wasn’t just that.
The entire indoor space was filled with the vapor that seeped from my body.
Slowly opening my eyes, I glanced down to inspect my body.
The waste that had poured out at first along with the sweat was now barely visible after that process had repeated several times.
‘Well, considering I chugged down an elixir of that caliber, it’d be weird to still have any waste left.’
Countless elixirs piled high on the table.
Now, all that was left was the empty wrappers from using the contents.
Thanks to “Power of Consumption,” even though the time spent wasn’t long, I had managed to use every single one of them.
And most importantly.
The result after using up those precious items was—
‘Not enough.’
It was a half success.
I smacked my lips, repeatedly clenching and unclenching my fist.
The reason for the failure wasn’t anything special.
Initially, I had planned to align the energies of the Ganghwan Realm and Auterica similarly to create a dual energy structure and bundle all other energies into a more stable tri-part one…
‘Who knew that gathering all those different energies would still be inadequate?’
The quality of the elixirs sourced from other worlds was far too inferior compared to those obtained from the Ganghwan Realm and Auterica.
Perhaps I had underestimated the potential of high-grade elixirs obtained through Karma; even with a large quantity, their quality simply couldn’t compete.
‘But for proper sanctification, I can’t compromise on quality. That was the bare minimum line…’
Despite failing to transform it into proper holy energy due to lack of stability, it wasn’t all bad since I had achieved half a success.
Wooo—
A vapor-like energy emanated from my hand.
Aura processed from mana.
Then it transformed into a different kind of energy, refined and polished inner energy.
Next, it morphed into magic power, martial energy, and natural power—energies that changed their properties in a kaleidoscopic manner.
This wasn’t particularly impressive.
Using different types of energies had been possible thanks to the added effect of “Entity Projection” long before.
What mattered now was that I could finally draw upon the latent energy within me, increasing the amount of energy at my disposal beyond dimensions.
‘That’s already an encouraging result. Before, I had limits on how much strength I could pull up like this.’
Though there were still differences in retaining traits, I wasn’t able to reach the complete level of using “Entity Projection.”
However, there was no doubt that my combat strength had drastically increased, surpassing previous limits.
‘With this level, while it may not be transcendence, I should be able to hold my own at extreme levels.’
Of course, having gotten a glimpse of the possibilities through this attempt, I had no intention of feeling satisfied here.
‘If I can complete this…’
Unknowingly, I placed my hand on my chest.
My heart was thumping wildly, far more lively than ever.
As I felt the “something” nested within, I gently closed my eyes.
A shapeless potential, devoid of any individual characteristics or properties.
A power that could become anything as needed and achieve whatever I desired.
That was the holy power I was destined to awaken.
“To do that, I first need to gather elixirs from other worlds.”
Both quality and quantity were extremely important.
At least on the level of the Summoning Pill, even if not the Great Pill, would be helpful…
‘The problem is, acquiring such things isn’t that easy.’
It was no secret that the efficiency of elixirs on Earth was plummeting.
Those awakened who had been transported to another dimension would most likely be aware of this through their preliminary research.
And so, even if they managed to procure such a precious item, they’d be thinking to devour it before it even got to Earth.
‘What about Hans pioneering new dimensions?’
Not a bad idea.
Of course, to maintain a balance while encompassing the energies of as many diverse worlds as possible, it would require visiting multiple dimensions rather than just one or two, but Hans had grown significantly, and with the reinforcement of “Dimension Barrier Mitigation,” that process should be smoother than before.
‘But that’s not something you can just try recklessly. Capturing a transcendent being to act as a medium is one thing…’
Not to mention, excluding those from dimensions where even holy power transcendents had trouble accessing.
The biggest issue was that pioneering even one dimension required considerable research time for synchronization.
‘…Alright, I’ll proceed with that gradually. For now, let’s try another method first.’
Fortunately, I had another option ready to start without delay.
A method that was more efficient, extensive, and had the potential for further application.
My gaze shifted towards some items in one corner, particularly the recently retrieved magical equipment.
Those were items that, depending on their value, were regarded as far more precious than elixirs and were rare enough that even with money, they couldn’t be easily procured in this world.
‘Just in time; I was looking for an organization that could influence globally.’
It wasn’t just about money in acquiring rare items; finding the seller was a hurdle.
The so-called lack of infrastructure.
And even if I found a seller, the likelihood of them being swayed by money was slim.
If they possessed items of my interest, they must have already earned enough money to not need it.
‘So, I just need to offer something they’d desire.’
For someone who could gather such elixirs, their ambition must be through the roof.
If I offered to satisfy that desire…
Instead of relying on the meager gamble of elixirs, I could present a more reliable means to grow stronger.
Unlike elixirs, magical equipment could be used without any special restrictions here on Earth.
What if I publicly declared something would be paid for with that?
And if I dangled the promise of a piece of magical equipment that was extremely hard to come by in their original world as a reward?
‘If I leverage this properly, it’ll significantly help to unite a resistance against the Buncheon Society in Earth. And if I take it a step further and offer to customize it to their wish…’
Game over.
Creating the necessary bait wasn’t a problem at all.
I had dwarven artisans, dragon enchanters, even a demon king-level black mage, saints, pureblood vampires, and high elf spirit masters at my disposal.
Let’s draw out the previously underground supply of magical equipment to the surface, build it up, then spread its name globally, finally luring awakened ones with custom products.
Humans tend to act only when they stand to gain.
And as long as that benefit is consistent, they aren’t easily betrayed.
‘For the bothersome parts, I can leave it to Jin So-Ran and the Blood Alliance. They’ve been doing well with the magical supplies. For Europe, I just need to let Termidor, Gomorrah, and Dracul handle it…’
It was the launch of an interdimensional magical equipment corporation.
The establishment of “Howard Industry.”
