My Alter Ego’s Path to Greatness

The new avatar that could be summoned was named 'Hubert'.

There was endless agony and conflict before settling on that name.

Since naming with only the 'Ha' sound like before was limiting, this time, the decision was made to break that pattern and expand the possibilities by using 'H'.

...This was the name that came out after pointless worries that no one else would care about.

In fact, the important thing was the skill I acquired.

Hubert's initial skill was "Appraisal".

It was an amazing ability to see information about objects.

'It even feels like I'm playing a real game.'

However, perhaps due to the low proficiency in the skill, he couldn't see very accurate information yet.

The level of detail he could confirm now was only the general information about an object.

'Of course, I've just acquired the ability, so there's plenty of room for growth.'

The first mission of Hubert, the future merchant, was to prepare items for Halli to use while he was wrestling in the Forest of Beasts.

Traveling to movable cities, he selected suitable weapons for Halli using "Appraisal", and entrusted a leather craftsman to process the head of a beast.

<Black Steel Double-Edged Two-Handed Ax>

-A two-handed ax made by a skilled artisan who hammered heavy and hard black steel alloy. It's sturdy and not easily damaged, but very heavy and can't be lifted by ordinary strength.

<Black Panther Head Helmet>

-A helmet made by an average artisan processing the head of a beastly black panther. Focused on shaping, it's better not to expect defense beyond the material.

In addition, Hubert put a lot of effort into preparing for Halli's formal activities.

Reflecting my personal taste generously.

And the result of that.

Was standing right here.

In the heart of Tarak, in the Northern Aionia Countship of the Tulc Kingdom, located in the western part of the continent.

Murmurs—

"My goodness, what is that?"

"Is that a southern barbarian? What's he doing here in the west?"

"Mommy— what is that?"

"Shh, don't look! Let's go home quickly."

The eyes of the passersby were focused on Halli.

The same kind of gaze he had received from the guards at the city gate.

'Heh, I do look quite splendid.'

The envious gazes poured upon Halli.

His appearance had a power to draw in the gazes of those around him.

He was a giant, over two meters tall, with fierce eyes like a wild beast.

Leather connected to the head of a black panther he wore covered his shoulders and back like a cloak.

Around his neck hung a string of beast teeth, and on his bare upper body, intimidating muscles twitched.

His face and body were marked with red dye in indecipherable patterns, and the handles of a large double-edged ax jutted out over both shoulders, slung across his back.

As for armor, he only had leather pieces reinforced with metal plates on a few vital areas.

He was like a barbarian warrior out of a story, a sight not seen these days.

“Hehehe.”

He laughed softly, squared his shoulders, and walked out confidently.

Those overwhelmed by Halli's magnificent muscles quickly averted their gaze and stepped aside from his path.

In fact, there was a valid reason for his flamboyant attire, beyond personal taste.

His goal was to become a hero influential across the continent.

To be a hero, fame is as important as one's abilities.

A strong person known only to a few versus one known by everyone.

It's needless to say which is closer to being a hero.

Making an unforgettable, strong impression was also a crucial issue for Halli, an aspiring hero.

'Yep, that's right. This isn't just for my personal satisfaction.'

With that self-justification, Halli, the hearty barbarian warrior, garnered all the attention around him as he crossed the main road toward the mercenary guild.

***

Boom—!

The guild's door swung open forcefully as if it would break.

All eyes instantly focused on the entrance.

'I just meant to push it lightly, but I forgot about Halli's strength.'

Feeling a bit embarrassed internally, but as a true man, Halli didn't bother with such trivial issues.

He strode confidently across the lobby to the counter.

"What's that?"

"A barbarian?"

Perhaps because it was a city with a developed mercenary industry, the inside of the guild had a neat and somewhat sophisticated ambiance.

There were counters set up like in a bank, with people lined up waiting their turn.

Halli, tough but not without manners, quietly stood at the end of the shortest line and waited.

With some time to spare, he thought he might as well distract himself with something; the time would pass quickly.

"Huff, puff."

The rough breath that unintentionally escaped made the person standing in front of him flinch.

“Hem hem…, now that I think about it, I have some urgent business…”

Muttering this, they cautiously made their way out of the guild, constantly glancing back at him.

“Ah, I haven't eaten and I'm hungry, I should go eat first and then come back.”

“I can't believe I forgot, I had an appointment.”

One by one, the people in front of him stepped aside, and the line quickly shortened, bringing Halli's turn.

“Tsk tsk tsk, people these days forget things so easily.”

He clicked his tongue lightly, shaking his head at the unfortunate reality.

But if they had urgent matters, what could be done?

During the wait, Halli released the barbell squat position he had been holding with the two ax handles and stood up.

'With axes on both sides, the weight balances well, and it's good since the handles are long for a two-handed ax.'

Even so, such weight barely made him sweat.

He neatly arranged the axes and slung them back over his shoulder, heading towards the counter.

“What brings you to this place…”

As the over two-meter-tall muscle mass stood in front, the female clerk asked cautiously.

“Hahahaha! Obviously, I am here to hunt in the Steel Fortress! Isn’t that what this city is for?”

His laughter burst out heartily.

This was the reason Halli specifically came to Tarak.

To hunt the various monsters that appear in the mountain ranges above the Steel Fortress, to acquire more genetic information and become stronger.

In fact, I didn't know much about the Southern Tribal Federation and the barbarian tribes, so it would be risky to head there directly.

It's better to impersonate when there are no locals around.

‘Once I become stronger and famous, a way will naturally present itself.’

Now that the other avatars were also busy, they couldn’t help Halli anymore, but since he was already on the right track, he was sufficient by himself.

And for fame, it was better to follow the official procedures, so he intentionally came to Tarak first to enter the mountains as a mercenary.

Halli had two plans in mind.

Either become a big figure who could move the Southern Tribal Federation as a barbarian, or build his reputation in the mercenary world and become the Mercenary King.

‘I could become both.’

That was, in fact, his goal.

“Pahahaha—!”

He was still a newcomer, just having become a mercenary...

And so, the barbarian warrior Halli became a mercenary and headed towards the northern mountain range.

***

Heinrich was standing guard leisurely inside the Rosellia Grand Temple again today.

As expected, the last period of duty had been utterly peaceful.

‘What are the chances that an emergency situation would occur within this temple?’

Probably infinitely close to zero.

While pondering this, he was distributing his spare mental energy to my other avatars.

“Hmm?”

He sensed some bustle inside the temple, from the path leading to where the high priests resided.

It seemed like something had happened within the order.

Curious as he was, he thought if it was something he needed to know, he would find out eventually, and was about to dismiss it when...

“Oh! Sir Heinrich, hello! The weather is so nice today!”

The saintess appeared from the inner corridor.

To add, the current weather was actually a steady drizzle.

“When it rains, worms come out. They are so adorably wriggly, don’t you think?”

He couldn’t quite grasp her sentiment, but personal preferences ought to be respected.

“Yes… Those long, shiny, wriggling... very cute. Yes.”

“You get it, Sir Heinrich! You understand the cuteness of worms, how these tiny creatures wriggle so endearingly!”

“Hahaha... But, is something happening within the order? You seem a bit excited…”

He hurriedly changed the subject before the conversation drifted in an unbearable direction.

If it was something Heinrich shouldn't know, the conversation would end here, which wouldn't be too bad...

“Oh! We’ve just decided on a collaboration with another faction.”

It seemed it was something he was allowed to know.

Even if the saintess seemed somewhat scatterbrained, as a saintess, she would certainly keep confidential what needed to be kept confidential.

...Right?

“The Elven Kingdom from the Enamel Continent has agreed to send a High Elf. They might help in tracking down the descendant of the Immortal King.”

The Enamel Continent was a small continent, only a quarter of the size of the Ion Continent they were currently on.

Most of its inhabitants were non-human races, other than humans.

In fact, the Enamel Continent was almost like a coalition of non-human races.

“High Elves are quite high-ranking in the Elven Kingdom, as far as I know... Are you saying they are crossing the sea to come here to help us?”

Given that the Enamel Continent, where the elves predominantly resided, had never been invaded by the Immortal King, and the fact that the elves were a minority sect worshiping the World Tree in Outerica, it was even more perplexing.

"Of course, they have their own interests in collaborating with us. The Elven Kingdom might not be fond of humans, but they have a friendly relationship with our Main God Order!"

It wasn't that the elves who worshiped the World Tree denied the existence of the Main God. Acknowledging and respecting the existence of the Main God was one thing, but choosing a subject of worship was another matter.

Since the Main God Order did not reject other religions, they mutually respected each other and had periodic exchanges.

"But is it okay for me to know about this? It seems like a decision that was made very recently."

"It's going to be announced soon anyway. We have to prepare to welcome the envoy from the Elven Kingdom."

Luckily, it seemed the saintess had carefully considered what could be disclosed to him.

"And someone of your stature, Sir Heinrich, should be in the know! It’s remarkable that in less than a year since your baptism, you are already close to a bishop’s level of sacred power. Perhaps you could even reach the level of a saint!"

...She must have properly judged what to tell him, right?

From my experience, the saintess had always shown an unusual favor towards Heinrich.

Although it was said that those with strong sacred power are warmly regarded, her behavior was notably different compared to how she treated others.

'It’s not exactly bad news for me. If the saintess herself told me, nobody can complain.'

Still, I was quite worried that this naive lady might be deceived by some villain and inadvertently spill important information.

'I’ll have to stay close and make sure that doesn’t happen.'

No way could I allow our kind saintess to be exploited!

"Ah! My break time is over! I didn’t realize how quickly time passed talking with Sir Heinrich. I have to go watch the worms now! Take care~!"

And with that one-sided farewell, the saintess vanished like the wind.

"...To think she uses her abilities to observe worms."

I recalled encountering the saintess on a rainy day.

While Heinrich was drenched despite holding an umbrella, the saintess, sitting in a garden observing worms, remained completely dry, as if raindrops couldn't penetrate an invisible shield around her.

'She even blessed and healed the worms with her holy power.'

The idea of worms blessed by a saintess was something I found quite startling when I first witnessed it.

It was a luxury not even easily accessible to the faithful.

Further pondering on her seemed pointless.

I sighed lightly and shifted my thoughts.

'Now, about the High Elves from the Elven Kingdom...'

Their involvement was an unknown variable.

Lacking any concrete information about them, I wondered what impact they would have.

'Hopefully, they won’t discover anything.'

Though I had eluded the saintess's scrutiny, the addition of the High Elves, with their unknown capabilities, added an element of unpredictability.

'...Maybe I should reinforce the barriers.'

I considered mixing in more other-dimensional magic to make the wards stronger.

***

And just a few days later.

When about half of Heinrich's duty days with the Glorious Guardian Knights were left, the envoy from the Elven Kingdom arrived at the temple's gate.