Whoosh
Platinum divine power overflowed from his body and filled the room. An overwhelming aura that evoked reverence. The purity of the divine power he possessed until now was rare even in the mortal world, but this power was on a completely different level.
'Especially considering this is Earth…'
Heinrich… no, I, wearing the Heinrich avatar using 「Avatar Projection」, quietly placed a hand on my chest. I felt a powerful presence beyond the strong beating of my heart. Sensing the seed of divinity finally sprouting here, following the other avatars, I chuckled.
"Honestly, I had some expectations… but this is more than I imagined."
I removed my hand from my chest and looked over my body with renewed interest. I even stood in front of the full-body mirror in the corner of the room and carefully examined my reflection. Radiant silver hair scattering light, and golden eyes like the sun. A gentle and benevolent yet resolute appearance, exuding masculinity, and a strong body, trained beyond human limits.
He looked as steadfast as Heinrich always did.
'…Actually, my appearance hasn't changed much.'
My reflection tilted its head slightly. The light in his eyes was stronger, and his hair shined more than before, that was all. It was a rather underwhelming change, considering he was no longer human.
'Of course, it's ridiculous to judge based on appearance alone.'
But it wasn't a bad thing. He was, after all, a martial artist. If the physical condition that formed the basis of his martial arts changed, his skills would inevitably decline until he readjusted. It wouldn't take long, considering his abilities, but there was no need to go through the trouble.
"Besides…"
A flash of light flickered in Heinrich's eyes in the mirror. And immediately after,
Whoosh
Three pairs of giant wings unfolded behind him. 「Grand Blessing: Wings of Radiance」, made of pure light, just like before. Not only had the number increased from two to six, but they were larger and more beautiful, emitting gentle waves with every movement.
'If it weren't for the barrier at home, I would be advertising my presence to everyone.'
It was a wide-area buff that had a positive effect on those within its range just by existing. A power that contrasted sharply with the aura of fear naturally emanating from Hans, the Lich King.
-Name: Heinrich
-Race: Angel
-Common Traits: 「Mind Hub」, 「Persona」, 「Great Spirit」, 「Xenoglossy」, 「Subspace Storage」, 「Limit Break」, 「Mimicry」
-Individual Traits: 「Holy Baptism」, 「Grand Blessing: Knight of Light」, 「Grand Blessing: Wings of Radiance」, 「Blessing: Fortification」, 「Blessing: Leap」, 「Blessing: Light Blade」, 「Blessing: Weight Increase」, 「Blessing: Holy Sword」, 「Logia Sacred Combat」, 「Path of the Martial Artist」, 「Messenger of God」, 「Auterica Divine Arts」, 「Spatial Slash」
-Remarks: Having faced the object of faith and received grace, transcended the physical form and achieved ascension. All abilities are greatly enhanced due to the effect of 「Messenger of God」, granting absolute advantage over lower-ranked beings. All activities in Auterica receive positive modifiers due to the effect of 「Messenger of God」, and the influence of other divinities is minimized even when visiting their domains. Limitations on holy power usage significantly reduced due to the blooming of the seed of divinity.
Heinrich, who had reached the pinnacle as a human since birth.
He had now transcended and become an angel, a being several steps removed from a pure 'lifeform', after meeting the Main God. Skills like 「Super Recovery」 and 「Clear Headed」, as well as 「Underwater Breathing」, were absorbed into the higher trait, 「Messenger of God」.
"Well, getting stronger is always good. I'm not in a position to be hung up on being human or not."
Undead, vampire, dragon, Demon King…
He was far beyond such distinctions. Gaining the mental trait 「Great Spirit」 was also a significant gain. Immunity to mental attacks wasn't necessary for him, but the greatly increased mental strength was a useful option.
'More importantly, this is a skill acquired by my main body, not Heinrich, so all avatars can share it.'
For him, who controlled multiple bodies, especially at their high levels, the stronger the mental strength, the better. He had been feeling the strain lately with the increasing number of individuals cultivating divinity.
'Their individualities are too diverse.'
Countless beings failed to cultivate even a single divinity after millennia of effort. He was collecting them indiscriminately, regardless of their attributes or nature… He would have reached his limit long ago if not for the 'diversity' cultivated by his main body, Han Sunghyun.
"This trip to the Demon Realm was quite fruitful."
I deactivated 「Avatar Projection」, returning to my original form, and stretched. With the temple in the Demon Realm completely removed, Operation Demon King's Homecoming was successfully concluded. Now all that remained was to stabilize the Demon Realm, solidify his rule, and establish a firm governing system. He had already given the necessary instructions, so there was no need to worry too much. If things went as planned, not only would the Demon Realm be stabilized, but it would also become a karma farm, beyond just being under his control.
All he needed was time.
"…Now, what about this?"
I looked at the system window, specifically, the 『Item Purchase』 tab.
『Divine Fragment of the Sealed Human God (10,120,000)』
Its name was finally revealed, perhaps because he was finally qualified. The divine fragment of the sealed god, whose price had steadily dropped after he extracted Temiran McCleare, the vampire apostle, destroyed the temple in the Demon Realm, and retrieved other divine fragments.
'The original price was 30 million, so it's about one-third now.'
It still cost over 10 million karma! But it was a significant drop from the initial price. And more importantly…
『Karma Possessed – 19,299,153』
He had enough to buy it. Of course, the source of most of these points was obvious.
'My usable karma will soon reach 20 million.'
A soft smile touched his lips as he watched his karma increase in real time.
In the central region of the Demon Realm, occupied by Helheim,
"Oink— Sniff! I brought it."
"Ohhhh! You're finally here!"
As a boar-headed demon appeared in front of a building, carrying a large box on his shoulder, a humanoid demon with goat legs, horns, and rectangular pupils rushed over and received it.
"This is, this is excellent!"
He excitedly opened the box, his eyes filled with admiration for its contents. As if it was a long-awaited delivery. Perhaps a spatial expansion spell was cast on the box, as items kept pouring out endlessly.
"Sniff— Gulp! The smell is amazing. This meat is…"
"Hmm, it seems to be pork. And in excellent condition. You've worked hard, Daloon, so why don't you have a taste…"
"Thank you!"
Munch, munch
A large piece of meat, still in its packaging, disappeared into the boar demon's mouth before he could finish his sentence. Raw and unwrapped.
"Ohhhh! It's so tender! And the faint scent of blood is sweet. Oink— Is this meat from the outside world? It's incomparable to the monster meat of the Demon Realm!"
Baron Dalun, savoring the tender meat and crunching even the bones like crackers, exclaimed in admiration. It was a taste worth seeking out, even for demons who didn't need to eat. As he savored the aftertaste, eyeing the other pieces of meat,
Cromwell, a Viscount-class demon and a spatial magic expert, who had been following Hela since her arrival in the Demon Realm and had made significant contributions thanks to his excellent social skills, sorted through the artifacts from the box and nodded with satisfaction. Following her was the right choice, he reaffirmed.
"Hey! What are you doing? Hands off! How much more are you going to eat?"
"Oink— There's plenty, just a little more…"
"No. These are products. I'll pay you for your work later, so be patient. Or buy it after work. I'll give you an employee discount."
"Ugh…"
Baron Dalun groaned at the firm words of Cromwell, appointed by Hela, the Demon King, as the head of distribution for goods from the continent. He was only involved in this because he was one of the first to join Hela. Incompetent in anything other than fighting, he couldn't disobey Cromwell. Not only was there a significant difference in their rank, but he could lose even this small privilege.
"Let's see, these items should be sent to the Coatl family. Those go to Dream Walker…"
While Dalun and his subordinates busily carried the boxes, Cromwell, the ever-energetic demon, continued to supervise and inspect the goods. He was so enthusiastic that he seemed to radiate passion.
"Good, the preparations are almost complete. We can start soon!"
After some time,
Cromwell wiped the sweat from his brow and nodded, looking at the grand building. The best location in this central region of the Demon Realm.
-Hubert Company Demon Realm Headquarters
He straightened his clothes, checked the large sign on the main entrance, and strode inside. His name tag, 'Hubert Company Demon Realm General Manager', glittered in the light.
And soon after,
A unique organization in Auterica, trading various goods from the continent and specialties of the Demon Realm,
The Hubert Company officially opened branches throughout the Demon Realm.
Even though conflict was commonplace in the Demon Realm, there was an economic system. There was always demand for various materials, including rare minerals and plants, demon essences, and monster byproducts. Even demons, who didn't have many necessities, needed trade for a stable supply of materials to craft equipment or use as catalysts for rituals.
"What? A bottle of this amazing liquor only costs 12 adamantium coins? Where, where can I buy it?!"
"I-I have to buy this! Before it's sold out!"
"Hmm, the smell is amazing. How much is this meat, paid with a hell scorpion's magic stone…? What? Not enough?"
Demons weren't ignorant of the abundance of goods from the surface. They simply gave up due to the difficult conditions and high resource costs of travel. Even noble demons, considered strong in this land of conflict, rarely left the Demon Realm. Unless summoned by a human black mage who paid the price, or during the rare 'continental invasion' led by the Demon King using the Demon God's power.
In such a situation, the goods offered by the Hubert Company were revolutionary.
"Stop! You, did you just steal something?"
"Gah—! N-no… I'm s-sorry…"
"How dare you commit such a blasphemous act at Lady Hela's event, protected by the Coatl family. You knew this was treason, didn't you?"
"Eek! N-no, never! I'm so sorry…!"
"Shut up!"
Although it caused quite a commotion, not many dared to interfere with the first official business venture of Hela, the 16th Demon King and ruler of Helheim, who had practically conquered the entire Demon Realm. Not only those who had sided with Hela from the beginning, but even those who defected from enemy factions were desperately trying to gain her favor.
'Hmm, everything's going smoothly.'
Hubert nodded with satisfaction, practically drowning in money. Just as goods from the continent were valuable in the Demon Realm, specialties from the Demon Realm were valuable on the continent. The most representative example was the adamantium coin, a common currency in the Demon Realm. Adamantium, born in the harsh environment of the Demon Realm, possessed unmatched durability and high magic resistance, making it incredibly valuable on the continent. It was a material that could only be obtained by hunting the occasional demon that appeared.
'On the other hand, its value is much lower in the Demon Realm.'
It wasn't treated poorly, as it was an essential component in most equipment, but its supply was plentiful. It was so abundant that processed coins were used as common currency. Hubert felt no remorse for making hundreds of times the profit through trade and also acquiring a massive amount of karma in the process. The value of a product was determined by supply and demand. Wasn't it natural for there to be a price difference between materials overflowing in the Demon Realm and those exclusively available through the Hubert Company?
'And we're not just maintaining this trade route…'
Hubert's gaze shifted to the warehouse filled with traded goods. To a purple gate in the corner, connected to a conveyor belt operating like a factory.
Hum
This was the world's only interdimensional trade portal, created by combining Hela's power over the Demon Realm and the newly acquired perk, 「World Invasion」.