My Alter Ego’s Path to Greatness

Episode 247 Chains of the Oath (1)

While the commotion on Earth unfolded and was being dealt with, time continued to flow in Auterica.

Even after the Immortal King retreated from the south, the attacks continued at a steady pace, and Heinrich was still busy making a name for himself across the continent.

With the situation in the Republic nearing its conclusion, things were progressing smoothly without any major incidents.

It was also a time for the avatars who had fallen behind to catch up and grow.

‘There are currently five avatars I can consider immediate combat power.’

The undisputed strongest, Immortal King Hans.

The rapidly rising newcomer, Vampire King Heinz the Second.

The knight of light, the pride of humanity, Saint Heinrich.

The High Elf who rose to prominence with the World Tree's blessing, Harris.

Others would be shocked to learn that these five were all transcendent beings, but to him, whose standards had already risen so high, it was only natural.

‘It wouldn’t be easy for others to reach their level through normal means.’

These avatars had become strong quickly thanks to a combination of complex circumstances and sheer luck.

It would be difficult for others to catch up, even with significant time investment.

‘But the Growth Elixir is more effective than I thought, so it's not entirely impossible.’

The Growth Elixir, purchased from the Karma Shop, was incredibly expensive, costing 200,000 points for just seven days… but after using it, he had to admit it was worth the price.

Once you experienced its effects, it was hard to resist buying it again, despite the cost. It was addictive.

And so, excluding Hubert and Hugo, the Earth’s errand boys, the three avatars diligently continued their training, fueled by the doping potion.

Wooong—

“Ah, damn it! Another failure!”

And among them.

Hesperon, who had tasted another bitter defeat, ruffled his hair in frustration.

The summoning circle shimmered, its vibrations slowly fading.

At the same time, the rare materials used as sacrifices crumbled into ashes.

‘…Sigh, what a waste. I’ve failed so many times, it’s starting to get embarrassing.’

Unlike Dwarf Howard, who honed his skills based on his innate racial traits, and hatchling Horus, who was practically a cheat character, he was just an ordinary human.

It was inevitable that he would fall behind in terms of growth.

So he had chosen to focus on summoning a powerful companion…

‘But I didn’t expect this penalty to be such a hindrance.’

He sighed deeply, his gaze falling on his right arm.

Wrapped in bandages covered in runes, it looked like a sealed demonic arm, ready to unleash its power… but in reality, it was just a concentrated mass of curses, slowly consuming him.

‘There’s nothing I can do about it right now.’

Even to Hans, a master of dark magic and curses, the curse afflicting his right arm was a rare case.

The Saint's holy power suppression, his unique nature as an otherworlder, the potential of being an avatar, and the treatment from the imperial hospital, the best medical facility in the world…

Normally, he would have been long dead from such a potent curse, but thanks to these factors, it had only merged with the life force in his right arm.

‘And it seems to have gained some sentience after absorbing my will in the process.’

Hesperon glared at the curse writhing within the bandages.

It thrashed about whenever he used a significant amount of magic power, as if protesting.

‘And the mental contamination from its outbursts is also a problem. Well, it’s nothing to me.’

Hans couldn’t properly diagnose it just by observing from a distance, even with his skills.

He needed to directly examine and research it… but that wasn’t possible right now.

“Ha—.”

He sighed lightly and tidied up his workspace.

He left the summoning practice room and wandered through the hallways of the imperial magic tower, lost in thought.

‘Every summon I try to contract with rejects me because of the curse. Should I lower my standards…?’

There were various types of summons.

Monsters similar to those roaming the continent, spiritual beings akin to elementals, and even creatures from other dimensions.

And the most coveted were the legendary mythical beasts, like unicorns, pegasi, and lesser dragons.

Naturally, Hesperon had focused on contracting with them… but the results were a series of failures, even with the help of the imperial summoner.

‘It’s a shame to give up now. Is there another way…?’

He entered the magic tower’s library.

He could freely access this place thanks to Riley.

Of course, he couldn’t enter the restricted sections with high-level security, but he didn’t need those right now.

‘Come to think of it, I have another checkup soon.’

He looked around the library, recalling his previous checkup.

The Growth Elixir had unexpectedly diverse effects.

Not just assisting with knowledge acquisition and training, but also promoting growth in a broader sense.

And that had been clearly demonstrated in his regular checkups after being discharged.

“This is unbelievable. Your unbalanced body is stabilizing at an abnormal rate. It seems like your weakened physical abilities have also mostly recovered. And you’ve even resumed growing…”

Even the usually composed head doctor had lost his composure while examining him.

Or to be more precise… he had looked like a scientist eager to dissect him.

As expected of someone in his position, he was also a bit… eccentric.

<Creatures of the Fantasy World, Volume 1>

<I Met My Lifelong Partner This Way! ~The Touching True Story of Summon Master Laralupi>

<How to Meet Your Desired Summon ~Advanced Summoning Circle Manipulation>

Hesperon browsed through the library, picking up various books.

They were all about summoning and contract magic.

He had a reason for his obsession with summons.

‘Now that I have Horus, the dragon, there’s no point in focusing on regular magic.’

It was better to focus on his unique strengths.

Especially the potential of “Chains of the Oath”, the ability he had gained at the cost of his right eye.

It not only strengthened the contracted target based on their bond, but also allowed him to synchronize with inanimate objects, controlling them as if they were his own body.

It would be a waste not to utilize such a useful skill.

‘Undead or demons might actually be more compatible… No, let’s not go there. I don’t want to be labeled a dark mage.’

He was receiving Riley’s full support as her close aide in the imperial palace. It would be disrespectful to abuse that privilege.

And even if he tried, he would just be a lesser version of Hans.

As he was pondering in the library…

-Heron! Are you free? I have something for you!

Riley’s cheerful voice echoed through his mind, transmitted through “Chains of the Oath”.

Even though he, the caster, had control over the connection, she could still initiate communication.

Riley, who had been hesitant at first, was now contacting him constantly.

He knew she had been stressed lately because of the conflict with the Hermanheart ducal family, so he patiently listened to her.

Just having someone to talk to could give people strength.

‘It seems like she’s doing well, though.’

He reached the Fifth Princess’s Palace.

The guards stepped aside, as if they had been expecting him.

They seemed to have gotten used to his frequent visits.

“Ah, Heron! You’re here!”

He entered Riley’s room, and she greeted him with a bright smile.

“Look at this! The Saintess personally blessed it! A new set of bandages!”

She proudly presented him with a bundle of bandages inscribed with verses from the holy scriptures.

“It took a while to gather the Holy Cloth and craft it, but it was easier than I thought, thanks to Sister Seah. Connections are everything!”

He knew how those bandages were made.

He had seen Isea, a member of the hero party, asking Saintess Liesta for a favor.

Unlike Heinrich, who focused on combat, the Saintess excelled in other areas.

She had spent a considerable amount of time meticulously crafting these bandages. They were practically priceless artifacts.

“Thank you. I appreciate you going through all this trouble.”

“Don’t mention it. It’s nothing compared to what you’ve done for me.”

She smiled warmly as she handed him the gift, then cautiously asked,

“So, did it work this time?”

“No, it’s the same as always. I think I need to try a different approach.”

“…Don’t worry! You’ll succeed soon, Heron! I’ll prepare whatever materials you need, so don’t worry about it.”

He felt a pang of guilt, knowing she was going through a lot to support him.

Unicorn horns, lesser dragon hearts… those weren’t easy materials to acquire, even for her.

They cost at least 200,000 Karma each.

He needed to find a more sustainable solution.

“Ahem, why don’t you try them out now? Maybe it’ll help you relax and come up with a better idea?”

Riley coughed lightly, her eyes full of anticipation.

Hesperon chuckled and nodded, picking up the precious gift.

He activated “Chains of the Oath”, and the holy energy within the bandages flowed into him.

It required more concentration than usual, perhaps due to the high quality of the materials.

After a few moments, the edges of the bandages began to wriggle.

He extended his right hand.

Swoosh—

The bandages that had been tightly wrapped around his arm unraveled on their own.

And beneath them,

A mottled arm, marked with strange patterns like snake trails, was revealed.

Twitch—

As the seal was broken, the curse within began to surge… but before it could fully manifest, the new bandages wrapped around his arm, suppressing it.

‘Definitely better than before. This should be able to withstand even high-level magic.’

Hesperon flexed his newly bandaged right hand.

The curse would become more volatile the more magic power he used, but with these, he shouldn’t have any problems unless he overexerted himself.

The already powerful bandages had been further enhanced by “Chains of the Oath”. They were practically holy relics now.

‘But even those can’t completely suppress it. Just how potent is this curse…?’

As he was examining his arm, a thought suddenly crossed his mind.

The ability to synchronize with and control objects, strengthening them and manipulating them as if they were his own body.

It was a very useful ability, as he had just demonstrated.

And that thought led to another idea.

‘Objects, summoning, strengthening…’

Then, did he really need to be so fixated on living mythical beasts?

It was still just an idea, but…

‘I’ve been trapped by preconceived notions.’

And then his thoughts went a step further.

He hadn’t fully explored the limits of his evolved skill.

“Chains of the Oath” allowed him to connect with not just living beings, but also inanimate objects.

Then what were the criteria?

Did it have to have a fixed form?

If not…

His gaze fell on his right hand.

What if he could directly control the curse within it?

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