NOVEL NEXT Chapter 48
Preparation of the Dictionary (2)
Korean Returnee Association, Southern Branch of Seoul.
Knock— Clatter!
“Branch Head, regarding the installation of the convenience store in the branch you instructed last time···. ···Branch Head?”
The assistant, who had entered the branch head’s office with a document in hand, paused for a moment.
Branch Head Yoon Ji-yoon was furrowing her brows, glaring intently at her computer screen.
“Oh, Assistant Kim, you’re here? Bring it over.”
Her gaze remained fixed on the screen.
“Branch Head, did something happen in today’s meeting?”
Today was the day for the regular virtual meeting for those at the branch head level and above, and Assistant Kim had come right after hearing that it had concluded.
“Well, if you call it an incident, then there is one… but it’s complicated?”
“Complicated means…?”
“You know the Blood Alliance, right?”
She finally looked away from the screen to gaze at her assistant.
Assistant Kim nodded in acknowledgment.
“Yes, the organization of vampires in Korea. I heard they haven’t caused any major issues yet… Could it be that the hardliners have finally made a move?”
“It is a major issue, but it doesn’t seem to be a bad one. Probably?”
“Excuse me?”
“The moderates won. They’ve dealt with the hardliner executives and are absorbing the remnants. As for Alpha, he’s gone missing.”
Assistant Kim looked at the branch head with a puzzled expression.
“Is that even possible? I thought there was a significant power gap between them.”
“That’s what I’m wondering. What kind of anomaly has occurred?”
The Returnee Association, meaning the Guardians, had been keeping an eye on the Blood Alliance for a long time.
Naturally, this was expected for maintaining public order.
They had gathered more detailed information on the Blood Alliance than one might assume, allowing them to quickly catch onto this anomaly.
“For now, we should attempt to communicate. After all, we’ve helped them a lot in the past.”
In fact, the Returnee Association had been covertly supporting the moderates through blood supply via blood centers.
The government agency responsible for supernatural management wanted to control them, but from the perspective of maintaining public safety, it was beneficial to maintain a friendly relationship with the moderates.
With a shortage of manpower as it was, it reduced potential foes and kept the radical hardliners in check, so it seemed like an effective strategy thus far.
What would happen in the future was unknown, but it was certainly better than the hardliners gaining power.
Right now, there was nothing to do but hope.
“Please, may things not get busier from here…”
“Exactly…”
Otherwise, the already overwhelming workload would increase further.
*
Heinz II quietly opened his eyes.
A familiar yet strange forest welcomed him.
The lush forest remained unchanged.
Only he was different from before.
“This place hasn’t changed since then.”
This was where he had first arrived in Auterica.
The Forest of Monsters, his starting point.
‘This is the perfect place to hide and conduct research now.’
The Oath of Reversal had completely hidden its tail nearby, and the vampires had lost interest in the forest since losing the nearest city, Azhantu.
Moreover, the church had been in a state of neglect after disrupting things once before, making it a truly desolate area.
‘There’s a limit to surveilling this vast forest. The surrounding monsters will not only be test subjects but also serve as a natural barrier, so there’s no better place for quiet research than here.’
Heinz leaped towards the depths of the forest.
The surrounding monsters couldn’t even sense his presence, allowing him to move comfortably.
‘It feels like ages ago. I remember fighting for my life against a single monster back then.’
Wasn’t that creature a black panther?
To Heinz now, it was nothing more than a neighborhood puppy.
After traveling for quite a while, he finally stopped in front of a cave and surveyed the surroundings.
“This should be suitable.”
A location that wouldn’t be easily noticed, a distribution of monsters in the area, and a spacious enough cave for research.
It was perfect for establishing a secret laboratory.
“First, I might as well ask for permission from the current occupants.”
Heinz confidently entered the cave.
And shortly after.
He was able to set up a barrier using ample blood without holding back.
A barrier constructed with the “Blood Mystery,” infused with the energy of “Concealment.”
The initial preparations were completed.
Days passed, and···.
Hooosh—
Bizarre patterns made of blood filled the interior of the cave.
In the center of it all, darkness descended.
[Hoo···.]
A figure cloaked in black robe, exuding a pitch-black aura.
It was Hans.
[Hmm, I need to hurry.]
As soon as he teleported, Hans sprang into action.
He was already wrapped in layers of concealment to hide his presence, but setting up the barrier was still more certain.
Carefully, he manipulated dark magic to inscribe new shapes on the bloodstained walls and floors.
The process of constructing the barrier was swift.
Heinz, who had been waiting inside the cave, joined in and reinforced the area with the power of “Concealment.”
The cave’s interior was densely packed with various barriers like dark magic concealment, spatial distortion, cognitive degradation, and detection nullification.
The evidence of their growth was apparent, as the effects were far superior thanks to the “Path of Magic.”
[This should be enough. Now let’s see what the results will be.]
Hans was confident since this was a collaborative piece between him and Heinz, yet he couldn’t know the limits of the Saint, so it wasn’t time to relax yet.
They had the best informant, making it easy to gauge the effectiveness quickly.
However, knowing the results would only take a day.
“Greetings, Saint? You don’t seem to be in a good mood today. Is something the matter?”
“Oh… hello, Heinrich. I… have a bit of a frustrating situation. It’s nothing to worry about, really.”
Through Heinrich, Hans noticed the Saint’s reaction and understood she had not perceived his presence.
She was wearing a slightly frustrated expression but showed no signs of summoning a purge squad.
‘Still impressive. Even with such thorough barriers, she seems to have sensed Hans’s mere existence.’
While she sensed that Hans was in Auterica, she did not have a clue about his general location.
It was rewarding in many ways.
‘Anyway, I can now begin the serious research. If anything changes, I can learn through Heinrich.’
Hans immediately took out materials and began his research.
With some extra time on his hands, he leisurely examined everything.
When he first considered ‘Hally’s’ path, there were many concerns.
Among them, the most prioritized option was to walk the path of the Demon.
Naturally, it was the most obvious choice since growth would be faster in that direction.
‘The priority target was surely the Lycanthrope.’
The Lycanthrope, who grows potential by eating the heart of its prey.
However, there were always ways to bypass even ‘direct’ approaches, so it wasn’t a bad choice.
Outstanding predecessors were bound to lend a hand somehow.
‘But while potential increases, it’s not as dramatic as with vampires. Also, the traits seem too overlapping. That’s why it was put on hold for now.’
Moreover, in Auterica, Lycanthropes were a minority race rejected due to their brutal nature, so there would definitely be activity restrictions.
While pondering, he stumbled upon his current research material.
Commonly referred to as the ‘Complete Evolutionary Organism Project.’
Though it had significant similarities to Chimera research, the goals pursued were on a completely different level.
Rather than simply forcing different bodies to stick together, the aim was continuous evolution by absorbing superior genes.
‘And also capable of transforming like a Lycanthrope in times of need!’
No matter how he thought about it, transformation was an element too valuable to miss.
That romance… or rather, that advantage was a groundbreaking discovery allowing him to retain the benefits of a Lycanthrope while eliminating its downsides.
‘The foundation for that is this ‘Draconic Blood.’’
Hans pulled out a vial filled with a purplish liquid that resembled a gemstone.
The blood of the Devouring Dragon existing in the Raubeda dimension.
The Devouring Dragon was among the top tier entities in Raubeda, a dimension filled to the brim with countless dragons and dragon hunters.
The worst kind of dragon, one that continually evolves while manifesting the traits of its devoured opponents.
Continuing to evolve for as long as it survives, eventually becoming a top-tier predator with no natural enemies.
‘It was mentioned in the research report.’
The Buncheon Society commenced research to utilize the traits of the Devouring Dragon’s blood.
[The amount of blood is a bit small, but what’s important is the trait contained in it, so it shouldn’t matter.]
While digging around the director’s mind, he also found content about competition with other branches, indicating that they had likely divided the blood across multiple branches and were conducting simultaneous research.
The issue was whether Hans, despite possessing various skills, could achieve a goal even the Buncheon Society couldn’t reach.
It was a daunting task to complete this research even for Hans.
[Of course, I have no intention of perfecting the research, so it’s not a concern.]
Right, there was no need for him to perfectly ‘complete’ the research.
What he desired was merely to enhance Hally, so as long as he could make it usable, that was sufficient.
He acknowledged their goal of connecting various spells.
However, he had research logs on this side as well, and his “Forbidden Knowledge” contained manifold information the Buncheon Society did not know.
And critically···.
Stomp, stomp—
Hally appeared suddenly from one side of the cave.
The cooldown period had passed, and she was able to use the transmission circle again.
A huge backpack and crossbag covered her body, along with various spatial magical tools like necklaces and bracelets.
Inside were numerous materials collected from Tarak.
[Here, I have a perfect test subject!]
Even if issues arise during the experiment, her tenacious life force bolstered by “Adaptation” and “Super Recovery” will withstand it, and no matter how harsh the experiment, she would cooperate unconditionally without going mad.
There was also a mental connection between the tester and the subject, allowing for instant perception and reflection on even subtle changes in the subject’s body.
‘There’s no need to produce generalized results. As long as it can be used solely on Hally, that’s all that matters.’
The ability to swipe their research results for his own use was also an immensely delightful opportunity.
[Now, shall we get started?]
Thus, Hans and Hally entered a collaborative endeavor as researcher and subject.
*
A sunny afternoon at the Rosellia Temple.
“······You are the sword and shield that protect the believers, and thus, I appoint Heinrich Landguard as a Knight of the Holy Church Order.”
In one of the chapels there, Heinrich’s knightly appointment ceremony was taking place.
During the process, he received the surname ‘Landguard’ from the church, becoming ‘Sir Heinrich Landguard.’
Beautiful sunlight refracted through stained glass in various colors, framing an atmosphere of reverent sanctity in the solemn chapel.
With a gentle smile, the archbishop bestowed upon him the holy symbol signifying a knight.
It was a scene so sacred it felt as if it could be painted.
《The individual has achieved the conditions and attained enlightenment. Special skill “Blessing: Leap” has been acquired.》
An unexpected system window appeared, blocking his view.
“Hmm? Oh—! What a blessing! To receive a blessing during the appointment ceremony! Truly, the Holy God is watching over us!”
At that moment, holy power erupted from Heinrich’s body.
The archbishop who had hung the holy symbol around his neck gasped in admiration upon witnessing it.
Then, right there, he raised his eyes to the heavens and began to pray.
Naturally, those in attendance at the ceremony joined in, and within moments, a spontaneous prayer meeting was held.
Except for him.
‘…When will I get up?’
It was great to be appointed a knight and receive the new blessing, but with the order disrupted, he was unsure how to respond.
Yet, staying still felt awkward, so he timidly clasped his hands in prayer position.
“…The Holy God gazes upon the earth, guiding the unfortunate souls…”
And while he used the archbishop’s prayer as a backdrop, he organized his thoughts.
There was one especially unique point regarding this blessing.
‘For a brief moment, I truly felt the will of the Holy God.’
Not only was he surprised that God Himself had bestowed a blessing at the appointment ceremony, but just like during his baptism, he felt a direct connection to the Holy God.
It was much shorter than before but still significant.
Thanks to that, he realized that the Holy God still found him interesting.
‘Why? Is it because I’m someone from another world? It can’t be mere curiosity. I didn’t sense any human-like emotions.’
In fact, the very sense of ‘interest’ was nothing more than an interpretative emotion he felt.
That vast will was so overwhelming it could make one feel distant just from touching fragments of it.
<Individual Information>
– Name: Heinrich
– Common Traits: “Mind Hub,” “Persona,” “Super Recovery,” “Clarity of Mind”
– Individual Traits: “Holy Baptism,” “Blessing: Strong Body,” “Blessing: Leap,” “Mugol,” “Paladin Combat Technique,” “Auterica Holy Law”
– Special Remarks: Holy power has surpassed that of a high priest and is continuously growing. He has become adept at using various Holy Laws. As a result of the blessing, his physical body has become even more resilient, granting him the ability to leap across dimensions.
However…
Distracted by the will of the Holy God, he realized the effects only belatedly, but the newly acquired blessing was anything but ordinary.
‘Wait a moment! Leaping across dimensions? That’s teleportation!’
He had no idea how many times it could be used a day or the distance limitations, but teleportation was undeniably one of the highest-tier abilities!
Moreover, with the ability to grow through training, it was exactly what Heinrich needed for future endeavors.
‘To be given such an ability as a gift. The Holy God truly is remarkable! No wonder the people of the continent worship Him!’
It was a swift shift in attitude.
Heinrich, determined to show his gratitude, straightened his posture and earnestly prayed to the Holy God.
He infused his prayer with a desire for more blessings.
And in that moment.
As the archbishop opened his eyes to conclude the prayer session, he smiled warmly upon seeing Heinrich’s fervent prayer filled with desire.
‘Hohoho, indeed a sincere young man. His abilities are excellent, and he will become a pillar of our church.’
Thus, the knightly appointment ceremony, which satisfied everyone, concluded successfully.