My Alter Ego’s Path to Greatness

I quickly wrapped up my affairs on Earth. Hans strengthened the nightly patrols to search for any remnants of the Abyssal Conclave, while Heinz negotiated with the moderates.

"I have no intention of issuing any unreasonable orders. All I want is to maintain peace and order, and to completely root out those involved with the 'Abyssal Conclave'."

"Don't you think those two goals are contradictory?"

"It depends on where you set your standards."

In my view, punishing evil was also a way of maintaining peace and order. And it was self-evident that power was needed for that purpose.

The woman sitting opposite Heinz in conversation, Aria, the leader of the Blood Alliance moderates, did not counter his statement. She just sat in the chair with her eyes closed, just as she had when they first met.

"Alright. I will help Heinz absorb the hardliners."

She accepted the proposal more readily than expected. I was slightly puzzled by this development, as I had been considering a bit of forceful coercion.

"...It's a bit late to say this, but why do you accept it so readily without much deliberation?"

"After thorough contemplation, I've reached my conclusion. Why refuse something that is mutually beneficial? And as for what I believe in... it's obviously myself." Aria replied with a slight smile, her eyes still closed.

"To get the job done, you'll need someone to act as a mediator. Take Jinsol with you. I'll talk to her separately. Let's also see if there are others on our side who wish to follow Heinz."

There's a limit to forcibly subjugating an organization alone. It's not impossible to slowly build up power through force, but it would take a lot of time, which wasn't what I wanted. Therefore, I was planning to reveal my plans and slightly threaten them, but they were more cooperative than I expected, even showing the willingness to personally persuade Jinsol, a senior member of the moderates.

'What kind of ability does she have? Can she read minds? Just assess the disposition of the opponent? Surely she can't read the future?'

I wanted to subjugate her by force if necessary to find out what she was thinking, but that was impractical given her status as the leader of a faction. The subjugation didn't include brainwashing to the extent of controlling one's mind. They would follow orders, but it would be obvious, and that wouldn’t help in swallowing the Blood Alliance. There was no need to be hostile when she was being so cooperative.

"Good. Then I'll leave the task of spreading the word to the moderates to you. Shall we talk about the plan to absorb the remnants of the hardliners?"

"Let's do that. To achieve this, we first need to start with the neutral faction..."

The beginning involved absorbing the remnants of the hardliners to become the leader of a new faction. The takeover of the Blood Alliance was proceeding smoothly.

***

In order to smoothly carry out Operation 'Home Theater: Demon King and Hero', the more competent pawns that moved according to my will, the better. It was true that just having Hans and Heinrich as the main roles, and Heinz in a supporting role, felt insufficient. Therefore, the biggest issue at hand was how to quickly strengthen 'Halli', who had yet to decide on a direction.

[Ho-ho, this is quite interesting.]

And just now, I discovered a fairly decent method in the materials that the research director of the Abyssal Conclave had been treasuring. Hans was busy absorbing the research materials of those guys from a location far from my residence, scrutinizing the outcomes.

Even if I couldn’t use them directly, just the concepts alone were helpful, and most importantly, thanks to the research director, the materials that were 'in the midst of research' were completely intact from beginning to end.

[An experiment to transplant parts of a non-human species, Ma-In, into others. Isn't this practically the same as Chimera surgery? Naturally, it failed in normal people, and even in the awakened ones, the side effects were severe.]

With the influence of 'The Path of Magic', Hans, who now exhibited exceptional insight in various fields, was, after all, primarily skilled in black magic. And 'Chimera research' was a field very closely related to black magic.

[It's a blessing in disguise, in a way. Even if I had focused solely on 'Forbidden Knowledge' while in Outerica, taking advantage of the time superiority, I wouldn’t have grown this fast.]

Quality over quantity. By experiencing the sorcery of various worlds and breaking his own mold, Hans laid the foundation for becoming stronger more quickly.

[...But this isn't just simple Chimera research. It's about discarding what's lacking and continuously evolving by embracing only superior elements... Creating a fully evolved creature is the ultimate goal, huh.]

Because it was still a project under research, not only the materials but also the bodily tissues used in the experiments were stored.

[Ho-ho, is this dragon blood? It looks like melted gems.]

That included the key material, 'Dragon Blood'. The small bottle containing the purple liquid shimmered and scattered light beautifully as it swirled, changing with the angle.

[Keh... If I mix these materials with my skill knowledge, it seems like I could get a usable result... Evolution through 'adaptation' to external tissues.]

Now that things have come to this point, I feel impatient, as if time is being wasted. I’ve obtained enough from Earth, so it would be great if I could now focus on research at leisure in Outerica.

"But the problem lies with the Order..."

More precisely, it was because of the Saintess who was still diligently searching every day for the successor to the Immortal King.

"Still, I managed to find some useful clues."

It took Hans about three weeks holed up in a remote mountain to complete the "Contagious Demon Magic Final Version_Modified_2nd_FINAL(3)_The Real Last". During the same period, the Order began sensing Hans' presence and embarked on a search.

"Hans' presence was detected right away, but thanks to various concealment barriers, they couldn't pinpoint his exact location. This means even the Saintess' detection isn't perfect."

Moreover, Hans had since become more adept at concealing his identity, and his magical achievements had grown, especially with the acquisition of 'The Path of Magic'.

"If that's still not reassuring enough, I can use Heinz's 'Concealment' and 'Blood Mysteries'."

I was able to monitor the movements of the Order in real-time through Heinrich, so I was confident enough that we could deceive the Order's eyes. However, that was only possible once Heinz's takeover of the Blood Alliance was somewhat settled.

"Preparations can start now anyway."

***

[The transfer to the Outerica dimension has been completed.]

After the transfer, Halli cautiously surveyed the surroundings. It was a dark corner in an alley adjacent to a main road, an area that didn’t receive much light due to its structure.

It was one of the cities that Heinrich had passed through on his way to the holy land, located in the western part of the Ion continent, in the grand city of the Tulke Kingdom.

"Whoa! You startled me! When did this gentleman come here?"

As Halli stepped out of the corner, a shabby man squatting in the alley smoking a cigarette jumped in surprise. Halli blinked at him but ignored him and walked out onto the main road.

"The northern part of Tulke Kingdom, the Aonia County of Count Tarak. Luckily, it’s still daytime."

The sun was shining brightly, so it seemed there was no need to wait until the next day. Tarak was a place that Heinrich had found impressive during his reconnaissance.

Mercenaries walking the streets with weapons, occasionally seen mages in robes. Traders moving large carts packed with various items. It was the very embodiment of an ideal fantasy world.

"It was a fantasy world before, but this place is more stereotypical."

This city, which seemed like a manifestation of fixed fantasy stereotypes, thrived with a mercenary industry due to the variety of monsters in the northern mountains. A prosperous metropolis with a temple, despite being close to the kingdom's border.

It was the last place to make preparations before heading to the 'Steel Fortress', guarding the northwest foothills of the vast Northern Mountains that stretched across the entire northern part of the continent. The city had a mercenary guild for monster hunting missions, a traders' guild for transporting corpses, and even a Magic Tower branch for research.

Thanks to this, the city was bustling and vibrant with all sorts of people.

"It seems even busier than I thought."

It looked like there wouldn't be much trouble acquiring goods. Of course, I would probably need to hire some protection later on. Rare materials, magical monster by-products, and other magical tools that could aid in research were all available. I was going to spend a considerable amount of money.

"Now that I can make as much money as needed, saving time is the priority. I did bring as many precious metals as possible in the void space I brought, but I wonder if it's enough."

It seemed like I needed to head to the Magic Tower branch first to acquire more void magic tools.

"Welcome~ This is the Rocafelli Magic Tower Tarak branch's magic tool shop. Are you looking for anything specific?"

The man greeting customers at the shop attached to the Magic Tower branch seemed more like a merchant than a mage.

"Looking for void magic tools? You've come to the right place! Our Rocafelli Magic Tower products are premium items, with a space efficiency twenty percent better than other towers'..."

"Indeed, that's great to hear."

I deliberately chose a well-reputed Magic Tower, intending to use their products for a long time. Since the monster industry was well-developed, mercenaries often used void magic tools on their hunts, and various specifications were available.

"This particular product even has a preservative effect on the items inside, allowing for longer-term storage..."

"That feature does seem necessary."

Of course, the prices were steep, so they were often used communally by large mercenary groups or high-ranking mercenary parties.

"But that's not all! It's specially processed to withstand extreme conditions, so no matter where you go..."

"Oh, how much is that?"

Caught up in the merchant's persuasive speech, I found myself nodding along. Before I knew it, all the precious metals I had brought in my existing void space were gone, and I was left holding only a few magic tools.

"Thank you for your business~! If you need anything else, please come back to Charlton at the Rocafelli Magic Tower Tarak branch's magic tool shop!"

I walked out of the shop in a daze, feeling as if I had been enchanted. Large bag-type void magic tools with all sorts of features.

I looked at my new purchases and shrugged.

"They were necessary items anyway. Even if I just resold them on Earth, I'd make several times the profit."

Though I felt a bit like I'd made an impulse purchase, considering their value, it wasn't a bad deal. The items were also cheaper here due to the city's characteristics.

"But now that I've almost spent all my funds, I'll need to make another trip to Earth."

However, the only inconvenience was having to return to Earth to replenish the depleted funds.

"I should consider building wealth through trade with Earth. What could be profitable to import into this world? Maybe spices or something like that?"

This thought gave rise to a new business idea, making the transaction feel satisfying in many ways.

***

Crack— Snap!

"Ugh, haah..."

With the sound of bones twisting, a sigh escaped from Jinsol's lips. The vampire factor within her began to evolve gradually due to the catalyst introduced from the outside. Her muscles became tougher and more flexible, her bones stronger, and her senses sharper. Although the amount of blood magic didn’t increase, its operational efficiency and maximum output did, allowing her to wield her power more stably.

"My body feels so different! It's like I've been reborn!"

After the physical transformation ceased, Jinsol looked over her body in amazement. She felt her strength bubbling, as if her combat abilities had multiplied several times.

"Hmm, this level of 'Refined Blood Essence' seems to be the limit. I’ll need to increase the dosage to see how far the evolution can go."

Of course, it was just a feeling. The 'Refined Blood Essence' administered to her didn't have such an effect. According to my 'Perception' check, the enhancement effect was at best about 30%.

'Still, a 30% increase in strength for a level 6 like Jinsol isn't something to be taken lightly.'

Jinsol had willingly joined under Heinz's command, following Aria's suggestion. Technically, it was a dual role to bridge the moderates, but by accepting the 'Refined Blood Essence', she became subjugated to Heinz. Having experienced the friction between factions, she seemed to feel the need for someone to mediate and prevent such issues from arising again.

"It's convenient for me to have someone to handle matters autonomously. With the right constraints, there's no worry of betrayal."

Heinz waited until Jinsol had somewhat regained her composure before speaking.

"If you're adapted, let's move immediately. We have a lot to do ahead."

"Yes! Understood, Lord!"

"...Lord?"

"Yes? Yes, Lord. You're essentially the new 'King' of the clan, aren't you? Or do you not like the title?"

Come to think of it, in Jinsol's original dimension of Nocturnia, vampires classified their ranks using chess pieces. By accepting the blood, a new hierarchical bond was formed, and she was treating Heinz as the progenitor, the clan lord, of her bloodline.

"Hmm... No, it's fine."

I didn't mind it, actually. It felt nice to be treated with respect.

"So, Lord, now that things have come to this, it's like we have a new lineage on Earth, right? Then we should have a suitable new name for it. Have you thought of anything?"

She asked with a lively smile. Even addressing me as 'Lord', her spirited personality hadn’t changed.

"A name..."

It was unexpected, so I hadn’t thought of any specific names. However, considering the sense of belonging and loyalty, it would be good to have a fitting name.

"Maybe something that highlights our distinctive feature..."

The enhancement through 'Refined Blood Essence' was a process of mutating other vampires using the vampire factor in Heinz's body as a catalyst. It involved influencing 'hybrids' who had already evolved as much as possible by accepting dominant factors from various worlds.

The degree of mutation varied depending on the quality and quantity of the 'Refined Blood Essence' administered, but the fact that any change would be a significant improvement remained constant.

As I pondered this, a term came to mind.

"...Let’s call it Heterosis."

"Heterosis! I don't quite get the meaning, but it sounds good!"

And so, the birth of Heterosis, destined to be the elite combat group within the Blood Alliance, was marked.

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