Chapter 231

Chapter 231
## Chapter 231

Aftermath (3)

The Karma Shop served as an indispensable system for the awakened who found themselves flung into an alternate realm entirely on their own. Regardless of how incredible a person’s unique talent might be, or how rapidly their advancement was promised, a bizarre environment overflowing with lethal hazards meant that power was a resource always in short supply.

This concept had transformed into standard knowledge back on Earth, operating essentially as an unquestioned blueprint for survival.

‘Naturally, there are plenty who perish before they can even gather an adequate amount of Karma. Just like Hans, who was turned into an undead entity after a mere forty-eight hours.’

Yet that vital Karma Shop… which, despite its grandiose title, originally offered nothing more than ‘Return’, ‘Unique Skill Enhancement’, and ‘Status Enhancement’…

‘…Demanded a staggering ten million Karma points just to unlock the subsequent tier?’

This was a piece of data he had never run across until this very moment, even with the respectable information-gathering ring he had built up back on Earth. It was logical, though. Amassing such an astronomical sum of Karma was no simple feat, and even if someone managed to do so, who would willingly sit on such wealth rather than spending it instantly to grow stronger?

‘This particular instance was highly unusual, even by my standards.’

The development was entirely unpredicted, but it represented an immense windfall nonetheless. He stared at the newly modernized version of the shop… ‘Karma Shop Ver.2’, a contented grin spreading across his face.

『Karma Shop Ver.2』

『Unique Skill Enhancement (1,200,000)』

『Other Skill Enhancement – View Details』

『Status Enhancement – View Details』

『Item Purchase – View Details』

『VIP Market – View Details』

『Dimensional Barrier Weakening (5,000,000)』

In stark contrast to the previously minimalist interface, the menu was now packed with novel selections.

To begin with, there was ‘Other Skill Enhancement’. He was no longer restricted to upgrading his unique talent alone; he could now reinforce additional abilities.

‘…Though it appears restricted to the ones Han Seong-hyeon actually holds?’

The expanded directory was strictly confined to abilities he, Han Seong-hyeon, had personally unlocked. This spanned from “Mind Hub”, which branched off from “Avatar”, to “Super Regeneration” and “Clear Mind”, both secured via previous status upgrades.

‘It would have been far superior if I could upgrade the capabilities of the avatars as well. Ah, it can’t be helped.’

Brushing away his minor sense of letdown, he shifted his attention to the subsequent category, ‘Item Purchase’, which provided a means to acquire tangible goods.

‘Isn’t this precisely the identical power Hesperon claimed to possess?’

The fabricated unique capability he had invented to explain away Hesperon’s knack for materializing equipment via “Avatar Cloud”: ‘Summoning specific items by paying a price’. Now, he actually held that identical function in reality.

‘Let’s review this… Am I restricted to purchasing merchandise from Auterica at the moment?’

Spanning from battle gear like weaponry, protective armor, and enchanted implements, to raw commodities like sustenance and unrefined ores… virtually anything that could be gathered within Auterica was cataloged.

‘…It appears the valuation fluctuates depending on the difficulty I would face in trying to obtain the object normally.’

He scrutinized the register with greater attention, deducing the underlying pricing rules.

The reality that low-grade iron ore, vastly inferior to the Aonia-produced stock Howard was presently utilizing, carried a price tag more than double its worth simply because its distant source made it arduous to procure, revealed a great deal about how the mechanism operated.

Causality was fundamentally the harvest of Karma.

In basic terms, it functioned as a method to circumvent the labor and directly grasp the consequence by laying down Karma.

‘Even so, it’s not a bad feature. Frankly, it’s incredibly practical.’

The capacity to lay hands on absolutely anything, provided there was even a microscopic probability of its existence, simply by shelling out a massive sum, offered a massive tactical upper hand.

Take, for instance, the kinds of items currently displayed on the shop interface:

『… 』

『Horn containing the essence of the 14th Demon King, Lreier (5,150,000)』

『Dragon Heart of the White Dragon, Shiraionir (1,830,000)』

『Fragment of the XXed XXX’s XX (30,000,000)』

『… 』

“Good grief, those valuations are absolutely absurd.”

The efficiency-to-cost ratio was horrendously poor. The obscured artifact fragment, in particular, demanded an astronomical thirty million points.

‘It’s highly unlikely that I can simply rip these away from whoever currently holds them… ’

He remained uncertain whether these objects were physically sitting somewhere in Auterica or if they merely represented data regarding vanished relics, nor did he know how the valuation was calculated in the latter scenario… but he elected to push those puzzles aside for the time being.

‘…I still possess an abundance of points. I should analyze this with greater care and focus on what gives the best return.’

Stifling his impulse to go on a reckless shopping spree, he glided further down the menu, evaluating the next option.

『VIP Market – View Details』

‘VIP, is it? That has a nice ring to it.’

He gave a small nod of approval. It felt like a proper designation for a patron carrying an account balance of ten million Karma points.

Yet, upon opening the expanded index, he quickly grasped that within this system, a VIP was viewed as little more than a prime target to be fleeced.

『Growth Elixir (7 days) (200,000)』

『Random Other Skill Acquisition (500,000)』

『Interdimensional Transfer Formation Summon (1 time) (Auterica) (1,000,000)』

『… 』

‘So the Growth Elixir functions essentially as a boost to experience accumulation? Two hundred thousand points for a single week… that equates to nearly thirty thousand every single day.’

A spectacular potion that could permit a standard awakened person to completely deplete a million Karma points—a sum that would typically require a decade of grueling effort to amass—in just a bit over a month.

Even so, this particular commodity was somewhat justifiable.

The price tag was steep, but the assured outcome made it something worth mulling over. After all, he had successfully gathered ten million Karma in under a month’s time.

The true issue lay with the listings that followed.

“A random… ability lottery?”

Random Other Skill Acquisition.

This implied he might end up stuck with an utterly worthless trait like “Sturdiness”, which the genuine Heinz had originally possessed. And it demanded half a million points for the gamble.

‘It required a mere 310,000 points for me to secure “Super Regeneration”. And that arrived as a supplementary reward for boosting my attributes.’

Furthermore, the subsequent listing, “Interdimensional Transfer Formation Summon”, was identical to the exact feature he had been employing as an innate benefit.

Charging a full million points for a single activation, meant solely for critical situations when his standard benefit was locked behind a cooldown period. He checked to see if any transit gateways existed for realms outside of Auterica, but regrettably, that remained the solitary option listed.

He did uncover the fact that a solitary activation of “Extra Life” carried a price of ten million.

‘…Very well, I will keep these options in reserve. Now for the final entry. Dimensional Barrier Weakening… five million points?’

In contrast to ‘Other Skill Enhancement’ and ‘Item Purchase’, which were perfectly transparent in their functions, the precise utility of ‘Dimensional Barrier Weakening’ was not instantly obvious.

What’s more, it demanded five million points without providing even a basic clarifying note.

‘Dimensional barrier… the boundary layer that isolates different realms. So this dilutes that boundary? But I am already capable of moving between worlds without restriction… ’

He focused his gaze on the line of text, turning its implications over in his mind, until the true importance of the option dawned on him.

‘The limitations imposed on holy power and the abyss… those constraints will be diluted.’

Consequently, the performance drop experienced during summonings would almost certainly be minimized as well.

Reflecting on the steep price, there were bound to be additional concealed advantages tied to it.

‘This presents a golden opportunity to eliminate the limitations weighing down Hans, Heinrich… and Harris.’

He experienced an unusual internal tug, a powerful prompting to purchase it immediately.

‘…Alright, let’s commit to it.’

Five million represented an incredibly steep expenditure, but this was a foundational upgrade to the mechanism, a novel function unlocked only after achieving VIP status.

Moreover, it wasn’t tucked away inside the standard ‘VIP Market’ list; it stood alone as an independent, extraordinary item.

‘A price that massive guarantees there must be a valid justification behind it.’

The architecture of the system wouldn’t simply swindle its operators, would it?

Propelled by that peculiar sense of certainty, he made the final decision and surrendered the points.

And the immediate consequence of that sudden expenditure—.

“Oh?”

He caught a peculiar sensation in the surrounding air, as though the fabric of reality itself was subtly shifting place.

Yet the feeling was incredibly brief. The impression dissipated in a flash.

‘An alteration definitely occurred… ’

And then silence returned.

He hadn’t anticipated a world-shaking spectacle, but the outcome still felt slightly underwhelming given that he had just parted with five million Karma.

‘I will need to deploy “Individual Projection” to properly evaluate the precise transformations. Now, regarding the points I have left… ’

Roughly 5.3 million remained, factoring in the extra points granted by his latest accomplishment.

It was time to meticulously plan his subsequent move.

—

Beorsen, the arid metropolis situated in the southern territory, had endured catastrophic devastation due to the violent onslaught of the Immortal King.

A myriad of lives had been snuffed out during the chaotic event, yet the population of those who endured was far from negligible. This outcome was due to the fact that Hans, while maintaining a intense focus on the Berserkers, had not actively gone out of his way to butcher the common townsfolk, viewing them as beneath his notice.

Naturally, had rescue forces delayed their arrival by even a small margin, the miasma of death energy settling over the streets would have drastically thinned the ranks of the living.

Mercifully, the prompt intervention of the hero’s companions stopped the worst imaginable outcome from unfolding.

“Hey there! Old-timer! You managed to pull through!”

“Hehehe— Your timing was impeccable. Had you lingered a moment longer, you would have been gathering my bones instead.”

“Grandmother! Are you holding up alright? Do you have any injuries?”

“Ah, Misty. My survival is entirely due to your efforts. You have truly pushed yourself to the limit.”

High Shaman Morna, the designated leader of the Calcos Tribal Federation, had gathered as many townspeople as her arms could reach the instant the disaster struck, shielding them inside a defensive boundary.

Setting aside the warmth of their survival celebrations, she immediately redirected her focus toward restoring order.

Aided by the combatants who had hurried into the settlement, Beorsen steadily entered a phase of reconstruction, while the surviving insurgents were systematically tracked down across neighboring sectors through unified operations.

“High Shaman! The Berserkers are starting to clear their heads!”

“Hehehe, that is excellent tidings.”

“Be that as it may, a great number of them are wrestling with severe lingering trauma from the frenzy. Most notably the ones subjected to the mental conditioning for the longest duration.”

“Isolate those particular fighters. Resolving this will surpass the limits of conventional shamanistic remedies, but with Harley providing assistance, it ought to be manageable.”

An array of complications still demanded attention, but none of them exceeded their collective resources. The crisis plaguing the southern lands was effectively brought under control.

And as that transpired…

As the initial panic began to wane, a peculiar transformation commenced spreading across the limits of Beorsen.

“Did you catch sight of that?”

“Naturally! Who could possibly overlook a display of that magnitude?”

“Never in my days have I witnessed such a figure.”

“The same goes for me! I was under the impression that champions of that caliber belonged solely to ancient fables!”

The townspeople who had fallen for Baltheon’s deceptions and offered him their allegiance felt profoundly misled. Consequently, they shifted their deep admiration toward Harley, the individual who had brought down the pretender and granted them liberation.

This shift was entirely predictable. After all, paying homage to legendary combatants was a foundational pillar of southern culture.

“Is that the motivation behind your current outfit? Attempting to replicate the appearance of the champion Harley? I found it highly peculiar to see you parading around in tattered fabric.”

“Hmph, tattered fabric?! This happens to be the authentic garb of a legitimate Southern Warrior, a token of our glorious bloodline!”

“If your frame actually suited the attire, I would hold my tongue. But you are merely an elderly fellow sporting a prominent gut, display some self-control.”

“…Insolence! Let us settle this with a brawl! My strength eclipses yours!”

“Is that so? You truly believe wrapping yourself in that cloth transforms you into Harley? Step forward then!”

Even so, no observer could have anticipated the sudden resurgence of the ‘Barbarian Warrior Look’, a sartorial custom that had faded away following the prior generation and was typically reserved for historical galas.

Fueled by the emergence of the idolized icon Harley, a wave of cultural nostalgia washed over Beorsen.

For the moment, the phenomenon remained confined to the city walls, but it was merely a matter of time before the trend engulfed the entire southern region.

“The tales regarding his prowess are endless; I am desperate to glimpse him with my own eyes. Word has it he is so monstrously proportioned that Baltheon appears dwarfed beside him.”

“The legendary champion Harley, who waged war within Beorsen…”

“Harley…”

Accounts detailing his exploits circulated like an unstoppable wildfire…

《The entity fulfills the necessary parameters and undergoes advancement. The skill “Calcos-style Combat Tattoos” transforms into the specialized capability “Tattoo of the Fighting King”.》

…And thus, Harley ascended as the fresh Fighting King of Calcos, a title that had remained vacant for centuries.