My Alter Ego’s Path to Greatness - Chapter 70

#70

Engraving (3)

The second day since the two giants visited.

Slurp—

“Whoa…”

The old woman sipped warm tea and leaned against the back of the chair.

As I met the southern warriors for the first time in a long time and prepared to engrave their engravings, I felt refreshed.

In fact, she wondered if one of them was really Southern, but she didn’t need to worry about that.

Because everyone had their own circumstances.

Isn’t it the same for you?

‘Maraki…’

It’s been over ten years since I left the South and settled here with my only son.

The son, who was a promising warrior, was making quite a name for himself as a mercenary and was well established in the city.

But one day ten years ago.

Her son, who headed to the northern mountains as usual, never returned…

and she continued to stay here alone ever since.

‘I was just planning to live here quietly and die.’

Even though I couldn’t leave Tarak because of my regrets, I had lived enough to live and I no longer had the will to live.

Also, since I live in a remote residential area within the city, I haven’t had the chance to meet people from the same neighborhood…

“Grandma! “We’re here!”

“Hahaha—! I brought you some meat to replenish your energy! Let’s eat well and be strong!”

A loud noise was heard from outside.

The old woman chuckled, got up from her seat, and headed toward the door.

Although it was a relationship with young warriors who came unexpectedly, I actually didn’t dislike it that much.

…Because it reminded me of the son I can no longer see.

“Meat is a bitch. “My teeth are weak, so chewing is not easy.”

Although she was grumbling and complaining for no reason, there was a small smile on her lips.

***

After the meat party, preparations for the engraving procedure began.

I brought the meat as soft as possible out of consideration for the health of the old woman’s teeth, but she ate more than she expected.

‘They say most Southerners are gluttons for meat…’

No matter how old he was, it seemed like his Southern blood didn’t go anywhere.

“It’s been a while since I ate meat, so I feel energized.” The meat is soft and seems to be quite a high-quality product. Heheheheul….”

“Hahahaha! “I chose it with special care to wish you well today.”

“Don’t worry, you bastard. “I will take care of your sincerity and do it for you.”

All kinds of bizarre items were prepared, including needles made from ground monster bones, magic tools, and an unidentified liquid made by mixing ogre blood with chemicals.

“You lie down on this side… I’d rather the furry one stay outside because it’s distracting. “If someone comes for treatment, I tell them to come back in half a day.”

“Don’t worry, grandma. “I will tell you well and send you back.”

The furry boy nodded trustingly and headed out the door.

“Eh… that, that. “I don’t know if they’re just scaring the locals and driving them away for no reason.”

The old woman, lightly clicking her tongue, shook her head excitedly and turned her gaze to Harley, who was lying down on the workbench.

“Huh. He really has a big body. “It will be a daunting task.”

An engraving was something that had to be engraved at a set location and at a set ratio.

The larger the body, the larger the area, so more materials were needed and the shaman had to suffer more.

Of course, the effect of the engraving becomes stronger, so warriors preferred to increase their size.

“This is my first time engraving the history of the Great War without a warrior. “Cluck, click, click…”

The positions where the two engravings were engraved were the same.

This is because the ‘Great Warrior’s Engraving’ was painted in a more complicated way on top of the ‘Warrior’s Engraving’, which is a blazing flame pattern that starts from the heart and extends to the neck.

“Then we’ll start, so hold on tight.”

“Yes? There is no need, old man. “Just get started right away!”

“Hehe… It must be quite painful, right? “Why don’t you ask now instead of regretting it later?”

“Hahaha! It’s useless to worry. “Pain is nothing to a true warrior!”

Since pain had no meaning to him in the first place, he coolly refused the piece of wood the old woman offered him.

After saying that, she immediately started the engraving procedure without making any further recommendations.

“Phew…”

With a small sigh, a subtle light began to shine from the engraving on the old woman’s face.

It was the ‘shaman’s engraving’ that he engraved while studying with his teacher.

The bone needle in her hand was deeply submerged in the dark red liquid and then came out.

And it stuck right into Harley’s heart…

“Ugh?”

The needle was still placed in his chest muscle and had not entered any part of it.

“This guy’s skin is so hard that needles can’t get stuck in it!”

“what?”

It was an unexpected difficulty.

His monster-like body could not even be scratched by attacks that did not contain more than a certain amount of energy… As

he was confused, the old woman clicked her tongue and rolled up her arms.

“done! I’ll take care of it, so just lie still. Ugh… if it wasn’t for meat, I almost wouldn’t have been able to move!”

And the old woman’s imprint began to shine more intensely, and the bone needles were overlaid with a whitish aura.

Several hours later.

The surgical operation proceeded quietly without any special events.

***

《The entity has met the conditions and achieved enlightenment. Acquire the skill “Chalcos-style Battle Engraving.”

The moment the last stitch pierced under my chin, my entire body was filled with vitality.

And Harley quickly realized what had happened.

Some of the vital force that was dormant in his muscles and bones was being sucked into the completed imprint, activating all of his physical abilities at once.

‘Amazing? It’s much more efficient than strengthening using “Biological Aura.”

In addition to this, if you give an aura to the engraving…

Harley, who has an instinct to act immediately after an idea comes to mind, immediately took action.

The ‘Great Warrior’s Seal’, a colorful flame pattern engraved on his chest, slowly turned red and began to glow as if it were really burning.

And…

“Uooot—!”

A faint haze rose from his whole body.

As I clenched my fist, a bloody, crunching sound came out.

‘At this level, you can kill an ogre with your bare hands without using ‘Body Transformation’, right?’

Harley, who was delighted, soon came to her senses and looked back at the old woman.

As soon as the procedure was completed, she sat down and was out of breath.

“…You seem like a toxic person. I never thought I’d make a single moan. “Have you even become numb to pain?”

“Are you okay, old man?”

“I’m just exhausted from using up too much energy. “It’s been over 10 years since I had an engraving procedure, so I suddenly overexerted myself and it broke out.”

Seeing that haggard, sweaty face made Harley feel uncomfortable.

Although he was not young, it seemed like he used a lot of force to break through his hard body.

‘It would be difficult to be in a situation like this when there are still so many imprints left to engrave…’

I was convinced that I should not leave her like this.

It was necessary to improve physical strength by feeding meat three times a day and healthy foods that are good for the body, and through regular exercise and stress management.

“Old man….”

“I need to get some rest now, so go away. “I’m going to get into trouble if I keep doing this.”

The old woman walked unsteadily and fell down on the bed.

I felt like I should take the opportunity to speak up later.

When I put the bag containing the remaining balance on the workbench and went outside, I saw a furry boy dozing off on a chair outside.

“Hey~ Turaba!”

“Uh…Ugh? Harley? “Are you done?”

The hairy boy stood up, rubbing his eyes at Harley’s call, looked back at him, and opened his eyes round.

“Oh oh oh—! “That is the stamp of Daejeon Temple!”

“Hahaha!”

The southern warrior continued to look at Harley with admiration and longing eyes.

Instead of the monotonous flame pattern that warriors had, a colorful and vibrant flame started from the chest and extended to the neck, and was fully exposed through the naked upper body.

‘ah! I see!’

And Harley realized.

Why did previous generations of Southern warriors insist on wearing this style?

‘He was trying to show off not only his muscles, but also his imprint!’

It was the result of a complex application of local ecological and cultural factors, but such factors were not considered for today’s Harley.

As I straightened my shoulders and walked out with a swagger, I felt like I felt more envy than before from the gazes of those around me, perhaps due to my mood.

“Turava, the effect of engraving is so good, why do only southern warriors use this? “It doesn’t seem like the technology security is that thorough.”

This means that if a shaman with technology can leave the South at will, he can steal technology whenever he wants.

However, I have never seen people from other regions use engraving.

“Well, it’s because of the side effects. Because the conditions are strict in many ways. “More importantly, it continuously sucks out life force.”

The life force that continues to be sucked away from the moment it is engraved.

Of course, the strengthening effect is better than that, but the range that each person can handle varies.

“Southerners are born with a strong vitality. “It’s a method that works well for us.”

People in other regions say that it is more efficient to train Aurors intensively and strengthen the body when necessary.

That said, southern warriors are a bit weak in dealing with Aurors…

“I see. Well, it doesn’t really matter to me, who is a decent warrior in the south! Wahahahahaha—!”

“That’s right! My close friend is Daejeon! “Cluck!”

“Pahahaha!”

“Kkeuuuu!”

The laughter of the two men echoed through the alley.

Of course, no one complained about their appearance.

***

“oh! Sir Heinrich! Is it okay for you to wake up already?”

“Ahaha, it’s okay as long as you walk lightly. Actually, it could have happened before, but the healing priest in charge was very strict.”

“But… wouldn’t it be better to be careful until you are completely healed?”

Heinrich happily chatting with the saintly woman who seemed worried.

His condition has improved significantly and he is now allowed to go out of the treatment room.

Today was also an important day, so you could say the timing was perfect.

“Today is the day the Elven Kingdom’s delegation leaves. Since we’ve had a relationship so far, shouldn’t we at least send them off?”

After many twists and turns, the elf delegation finally returned to their home country.

Heinrich also had a lot of ties to their leader, Laforie, so it was good to show his face one last time.

If we break up like this, it will be difficult to meet again.

‘In the first place, it was unusual for a high elf to personally lead an envoy.’

Since they were clearly in a position to lead a race, they would never leave the World Tree unless it was a special case like this one.

As they were talking in front of the gate, an elf delegation entered, guided by a priest.

In addition to Laforie and the delegation, there were two additional people in the group.

High elf candidate Cecily… and even elf Harris who came after being introduced by Harley.

“Lord Heinrich. “I heard you were hurt a lot. Is it okay for you to come out like this?”

“Oh, it’s really okay. Mr. Lafouri.”

Farewells were exchanged from the church and the delegation from various places.

Since they stayed for quite a long time, there were many people who became close friends, so it took quite a while, but the moment when we had to say goodbye came.

Uuuuung—

“Then we’ll just leave. “I will not forget the kindness shown to me by the church so far.”

“I hope that the two sides will maintain a good relationship in the future. Then, goodbye…”

After greeting Saint Riesta and Lafori, the elf delegation disappeared into the blue vortex of the gate.

Now, over a period of several days, they will travel to the eastern end of the continent and from there use their own means to cross into the Enamel Continent.

With Harris.

My heart pounded like an explorer approaching a new continent.