My Alter Ego's Path to Greatness

< Same Time, Different Place (4) >

Harley, having fostered a warm atmosphere with a sincere, kind smile and a gentle pat on the back, nodded in satisfaction.

'Good thing I came. This guy's pretty good at handling situations.'

His visit here was no accident. Even though Harley had been wandering around the south, where communication with the outside world was limited, his eyes and ears were everywhere on the continent. Naturally, he had been keeping tabs on the mercenary guild.

'And the situation in the south has been more or less settled.'

Thanks to this, Harley was able to schedule his visit without further delay, and the guild avoided a potentially disastrous internal conflict.

A win-win situation!

'Good for both sides. Indeed.'

They avoided a destructive and bloody incident, and he saved himself some trouble. A picture-perfect happy ending.

'Of course, I'll need to keep checking in case they try something behind my back.'

Prevention was always better than cure. Taking this opportunity to firmly establish his dominance over them wouldn't be a bad idea.

"Pahahaha! Gotta have some meat on a day like this! I'm treating, so let's all go out to eat! Where's a good meat place around here?"

Harley exclaimed, like a department head suggesting a team dinner for bonding. Sharing a meal was the best way to build relationships!

"Ahem."

"Um, about that…"

"We still have training today…"

"…I'm on a diet."

But as expected, the response wasn't very positive. The guild executives, except for Patrick, avoided his gaze with awkward expressions. Like employees wanting to leave work early.

It was a clear rejection, but Harley, oblivious to their cues, frowned and slowly crossed his arms.

"Huh? You don't like meat?"

The muscles in his arms rippled menacingly, as if they were separate living beings. As if such people couldn't exist in this world. Or even if they did, he wouldn't tolerate them.

"…Of course not. I was just thinking about the best place for meat in Drakal. I just remembered a place with good quality and large portions. I'll guide you."

"Heheh, I feel bad leaving my subordinates out. I'll have a few pigs slaughtered and sent to them."

"Ahem, you're not a warrior if you don't like meat. Eating well is also part of training…"

"Hohoho! You need to eat meat sometimes for a healthy diet."

Thanks to Harley's efforts, the atmosphere warmed up again. Nodding in satisfaction, he walked out of the guild building.

Patrick, bowing and scraping, followed closely behind him, and the guild executives, exchanging glances, reluctantly trailed after them.

It might seem like these top-tier powerhouses of the continent had surrendered too easily after a simple meeting, but there was a good reason for their reaction.

'…Bow down for now. There's still a chance. Even the first Mercenary King, who reached the Transcendent Realm, died in the final battle against the Immortal King. If he dies too…'

'This is over. Clayven is completely smitten. Should I switch sides?'

'What the hell is that? Is he even human? No, they said he's a dragonkin, right? It's like facing a giant monster!'

'Tsk, I shouldn't have come. I should have just sent my subordinates… But to think he wiped out even dragons… What kind of monster is the Immortal King?'

Harley wasn't even aware of it anymore, but he had been constantly absorbing the madness that had spread throughout the world ever since he acquired the 「Seed of Madness」 from the revolutionary.

It was the essence of an unholy power rising from the abyss, just like the 「Heart of Immortality」, the source of the Immortal King Hans's power. Even though madness was less potent than death, it was still a power that shouldn't be trifled with. It was no wonder that powerful individuals with heightened senses reacted so strongly.

"Buddy! You said you'd take us to a good place? Lead the way!"

"Ah— Yes. This way, please."

In short, these individuals, who had survived and thrived in the harsh mercenary world, valued their survival instincts more than their pride or competitive spirit.

"Oh! I forgot to bring money! What should I do…"

"…I'll treat you today. It's a great honor to meet Harley-nim, the hero representing all mercenaries."

"Oh! What a great attitude! Let's be friends! Hahaha!"

"Ha, hahaha…"

They were so intimidated that they couldn't even protest being called barbarians by someone they had just been looking down on, only managing awkward laughter.

That day, 'Ogre's Table,' a meat specialty restaurant in Drakal, achieved record sales, selling out all its meat.

Clayven, who had dreamed of becoming the mercenary king, stared at the bill, which was far too high for a single meal, and closed his eyes. Trying to rationalize that it was a small price to pay.

A place filled with clear air.

A refreshing energy surged through the surroundings.

Fwoosh—

But at the center, like the eye of a storm, someone remained motionless, eyes half-open, focused on something.

Blond hair swaying gently like a breeze, emerald irises and golden pupils partially hidden by long eyelashes, and smooth, radiant skin like white jade.

These elements, combined with harmoniously sculpted features, further emphasized the individual's mystical aura.

Then, suddenly…

The storm surrounding him ceased, and his long ears twitched. His eyelids slowly opened, revealing distinct star-shaped pupils.

"…Done."

With a languid voice like a whisper, he—Harris Greenwood, a High Elf of the Elven Kingdom—smiled slightly. Gazing at the entity floating before him.

Splash— Swish—

A clear, watery sound echoed each time the blue, amorphous being twisted its body.

Harris admired it for a moment, then slowly extended a hand. And after making contact and establishing a connection…

"…From today onwards, your name is 'Liter.'"

He smiled softly, watching the stream of water wrap around his arm like a snake.

This was the third new contract since his return from Ganghwange, and the seventh including his existing elemental, so he couldn't help but feel satisfied.

'It's really effective.'

The unexpected gains, 「Mooyoo Palgwae Bigong (Modified)」 and 「Nature's Embodiment」, significantly broadened his affinity with nature. Even among High Elves, individuals had specific affinities, but Mooyoo Palgwae Bigong, which pursued harmony with all things, had helped him overcome those limitations.

'The aggressive tendencies, a side effect from Ganghwange, disappeared after returning to Auterica. …Though I've become even more sensitive to nature.'

That was a price he had to pay for his heightened attunement with nature. Thanks to it, he could now control the lightning elemental Watt, the fire elemental Kali, the wind elemental Pascal, the sound elemental Decibel, and—

The earth elemental Hectare, the light elemental Lumen, and the water elemental Liter. He had become an all-around elemental summoner.

'The new elementals are growing quickly too. Not only did they evolve to Low Grade upon contracting, but Hectare, the first one I contracted, is already close to becoming Mid Grade.'

Normally, elementals and summoners grew together, but that common sense didn't apply in his exceptional situation. He was an anomaly, after all.

"…You succeeded again. How do you do it?"

As Harris was lost in thought, a woman's admiring voice came from behind.

Shaphiron, an elven girl with blue eyes and hair, was sitting on the ground, holding a picnic basket woven from tree bark.

"Well, I gained some enlightenment… I can't explain it. It just happened."

"…The world is so unfair…"

She pouted and grumbled at his vague answer.

When Harris first arrived in the Elven Kingdom, he was just a beginner summoner, barely able to control a single Low-Grade lightning elemental.

She was already an elite student capable of handling Mid-Grade elementals.

'And yet…'

His elementals were evolving rapidly, and he had successfully formed contracts with fire, wind, and sound elementals. Even her father, Lapori, like most High Elves, only controlled three elemental attributes!

'And now he has seven?'

He had heard that even the current Queen, who controlled five attributes, was an exceptional case, but seven was unprecedented. And judging by what he said, it didn't seem like he would stop there!

'I still only have one Mid-Grade elemental…'

Being a Mid-Grade summoner at her age was already enough to be called a genius. The Peak Masters, the Forest Keepers, were just one step above, at High Grade.

Although having only one controllable attribute was a weakness, she was already considered a valuable asset, ready to graduate and join the elite ranks.

'…But what good is it?'

It wasn't enough for her. Her standard of comparison was so overwhelmingly high that even this felt insufficient. She had once considered him a rival, after all.

'Will I ever become a true High Elf?'

A sigh escaped her lips.

As Shaphiron wallowed in self-pity…

Tap—

A hand gently landed on her head. Startled, she looked up and blinked at Harris, who was subtly averting his gaze. She hadn't expected such a gesture from him, who rarely approached others and spent most of his time listlessly.

But Harris was even more flustered.

'…What should I say?'

He had reached out to comfort her, seeing her dejected after comparing herself to his exceptional case, but having lived a life far removed from comforting others, he didn't know what to do next.

Anything he said now would just sound condescending.

'Wait, I heard women don't like it when you touch their hair.'

After a moment of awkward silence, he remembered something he'd heard somewhere and quickly retracted his hand from her head.

His awkwardly raised hand, his darting eyes, and the forced smile on his face… He looked less like an unapproachable, absolute being and more like a young man, awkward in social situations.

"Pfft!"

Shaphiron, crouching and looking up at him, couldn't help but giggle at his awkwardness.

'…He's become kind of silly.'

She somehow felt that continuing to wallow in self-pity was pointless. This hadn't solved her problems, but she felt lighter.

She placed the basket she was holding on the ground and looked at Harris again.

"…I brought snacks. Want some?"

"…Sure."

In truth, she was also awkward in social situations.

A deserted mountain area.

Crack—

A strange noise echoed from somewhere.

The source was a thin crack that appeared in empty air.

It widened with a small popping sound—

Crackle!

—and a small hole formed in the air.

Starting from there, the crack rapidly grew in size.

Crackle, crackle—

But it stopped momentarily, then ceased moving altogether.

Woooong—

It slowly began to shrink, as if under the influence of some external force.

The space began to restore itself, like a bug being fixed in real time. The thin, hairline cracks disappeared, and the thicker, blurred lines soon vanished as well.

All that remained was a coin-sized hole at the center. Even that was shrinking as it closed in from all sides.

And in this situation—

"…Too bad. I was a little short."

A voice echoed from beyond the crack.

A man's voice, both hazy and clear, strong yet fragile, difficult to pin down.

"But…"

It continued, emanating from beyond the now pinhole-sized opening.

"This is the last one."

With those final words, the crack completely disappeared, and silence returned. The mountain, as if nothing had happened, became tranquil.

—The calm before the storm was coming to an end.