Sovereign of the Infinite Clones [Novel] Chapter 443

My Alter Ego’S Path To Greatness Chapter 443

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The Heavenly Dragon Sword Hero (1)

In the middle of a quiet, Eastern-style room,

Hugo (Ha Seunghoon) sat silently immersed in meditation, his eyes gently closed as he breathed evenly.

Inside his mind, countless concepts of martial arts were swirling chaotically, repeatedly breaking down and reorganizing the martial techniques he had accumulated until now.

‘This is incredible.’

Once that process had reached a certain point, he slowly steadied his breathing and couldn’t help but let out a gasp of admiration.

‘In a way, this might be exactly what I need right now.’

After roughly organizing the knowledge swirling chaotically through his mind, he slowly opened his eyes.

If it were up to him, he would have liked to immediately sort through everything and make it his own.

But the sheer volume of martial knowledge lingering in his mind made that impossible.

Not only that, while his understanding of martial arts had previously been limited to everything he knew as ‘Ha Seunghoon’, this was so profound and intricate that even if he rushed himself, a few days would never be enough.

“The Black Dragon Secret Manual…”

That was the name of the proof of loyalty that Heinz II had extorted—…received as a gift—from the Black Dragon Lord, the master of the Black Dragon Society.

It was a secret manual that could proudly claim to contain the essence of martial arts from every martial-world dimension.

Of course, despite being called a secret manual, it wasn’t actually a book.

In fact, it wasn’t even something with a physical form.

It was simply the complete transfer of information through a skill possessed by the Black Dragon Lord, one that could record and manage ‘all the martial arts he knew’.

‘That old man really isn’t an ordinary person. Well, anyone capable of accomplishing a feat on Earth and obtaining a special privilege can’t exactly be ordinary.’

Even his title was [Heaven Defier].

An existence who defied the will of Heaven.

Just looking at the name alone, it was clearly not a title that could be approached by someone of mediocre ability.

‘A former branch leader of the Buncheon Society, an organization teeming with hidden powerhouses who had never revealed themselves to the world. There’s no way that inscrutable Lord would have placed some nobody in such an important position. And considering that the early Buncheon Society made conquering China their top priority, the position overseeing that region must have been one of the most important positions in the organization.’

The Black Dragon Secret Manual was essentially the culmination of the Black Dragon Lord’s insights.

He had begun compiling it from the moment he returned to Earth and had continued revising and improving it for more than twenty years, right up until recently.

It was proof that even after obtaining the special privilege of [Heaven Defier] through endless research, he had never stopped studying martial arts, even after using that power to leave the Buncheon Society and completely conceal his existence.

‘It’s not merely a collection of martial arts from a few dimensions. It records everything from what he thought and what he did to reach the Transcendent Realm, to what he believed would be necessary to reach the Mythic Realm afterward. It’s practically a research journal. At this point, I’m more curious about how he managed to acquire so much material while avoiding the Buncheon Society.’

He had heard some of it in passing.

How the Black Dragon Lord interacted and exchanged knowledge with masters who had returned from various martial-world dimensions.

Whenever he encountered something new, the Black Dragon Lord didn’t care even if the person possessing it was far weaker than him.

Nor did he hesitate to use any means necessary to obtain it.

Even when someone demanded enormous sums of money, dangerous commissions, or portions of the martial knowledge they had accumulated over the years, he usually accepted.

And when words failed completely, he was even willing to resort to force.

‘He also steadily recruited talented people into the Black Dragon Society along the way. And considering how desperately he still thirsted for growth, it was only natural that he would be so obsessed with acquiring new martial knowledge.’

No matter how extraordinary he was, there was no way one man could surpass the long and illustrious history that had been passed down for hundreds or thousands of years through countless generations.

In the martial world, martial arts were the pinnacle of mysticism-a discipline that had been passed down through the ages and continually refined by countless geniuses.

All he had done was adjust and weave together those brilliant legacies, modifying them so they would be useful to him.

He hadn’t truly created something entirely new from nothing.

‘Of course, even that alone is more than enough to earn him the title of Grandmaster.’

Naturally, his research wasn’t knowledge that just anyone could fully comprehend.

With the exception of his earliest studies, most of his research had been designed on the assumption that [Heaven Defier] existed, a power capable of twisting the laws of the world.

With countless principles of subtly different natures intricately intertwined, an ordinary martial artist who attempted to imitate them as they were would likely suffer qi deviation and end up crippled.

‘If it weren’t for me…’

A faint chuckle escaped him as he slowly rose to his feet.

He could feel a dull ache throughout the meridians in his body, but he paid it no mind.

If the Black Dragon Lord possessed [Heaven Defier], which could twist the laws of the world,

then he possessed [Savior], which allowed him to ignore all the restrictions of other dimensions.

Woooooooong—

The internal energy raging within his body gradually settled.

At the same time, fragments of martial principles incompatible with the laws of this world—the Ganghwan Realm—slowly began to take root within his body.

‘It’s still far from complete, and there’s much lacking…’

But now that he had found the path he needed to take and the means to walk it, it was only a matter of time.

After taking a deep breath, he opened the door and strode outside.

‘I’ve seen the wall. Now all that’s left is to break through it.’

Brilliant sunlight pierced through his eyelids.

He had begun meditating before dawn, yet before he knew it, the sun had climbed high into the sky, scattering its bright light across the world.

Unlike before, when the atmosphere had always been gloomy throughout the year, the sky was now clear and blue without a single cloud in sight.

“Ah! Big Brother! You’re out?”

Namgung Soran, who had been squatting in the courtyard outside the room, turned her head and smiled brightly.

She held a long stalk of foxtail grass in her hand, gently waving it back and forth.

While she was briefly distracted—

“Meow!”

“Myaaow!”

“Ah! Got you.”

Two small creatures that had been crouching in front of her, watching the swaying tip of the grass, suddenly pounced like lightning and snatched it.

They then happily purred and eagerly chewed on the grass with their tiny mouths, apparently proud of their victory.

At first glance, they looked like ordinary kittens. But they were by no means ordinary cats.

After all, there was no way an ordinary cat’s entire body could be made of flames or shadows.

“Lady Namgung, have you had a comfortable rest?”

“Come on, you’re doing it again. You can speak casually with me, Big Brother. I’m younger than you, too.”

“Hahaha, I’ll gradually get used to it. But where is Miss Jegal…?”

“Sis went outside earlier because she had something to ask the Taoist priests. She looked really excited.”

“Ah, right. This place is one of the two great centers of sorcery, alongside the Jegal Clan.”

Namgung Soran tossed the completely shredded stalk of foxtail grass aside and pulled out a new one, waving it gently once more.

The two monster cats immediately rose into hunting positions again.

Of course, those cats weren’t the only monsters living here.

“Still, this place really is… It’s no wonder people call it a world apart. Even saying it looks like something out of a fairy tale doesn’t quite do it justice.”

Namgung Soran clicked her tongue in amazement as she looked around.

Beyond the guest area where they were staying, all sorts of monsters could be seen freely roaming about.

There were beastfolk with animal heads and human bodies, as well as strange creatures that didn’t retain even the slightest trace of a human appearance.

All of them freely wandered around, chatting noisily without a care in the world.

“Well, this place serves as an entrance to the outside world and a buffer zone for them. Those who haven’t experienced the outside world yet would do well to gradually learn about it starting here.”

This was the Mosan Sect, located in Jiangsu Province in the eastern part of the continent.

It was their first destination on this journey, and the home of the monsters who had begun revealing themselves to the world in earnest following the final war against the Demon Cult.

“Haah… Monsters. I haven’t even imagined such things since I was a child. It’s quite fascinating.”

“As you know, you must be careful when dealing with them. If a conflict were to arise at a time like this, the peace we’ve only just regained could be shaken.”

“Of course! I was just a little nervous, so don’t worry.”

Naturally, minor mistakes wouldn’t matter much.

Thanks to the reputation he had earned as the Heavenly Dragon Sword Hero through his exploits in the war, their group had been welcomed as honored guests.

There was no doubt that the monsters held some goodwill toward them.

‘Still, it would be best to minimize any friction as much as possible, considering why I’ve come all the way here.’

The journey of Ha Seunghoon, the Heavenly Dragon Sword Hero, had begun with two primary objectives.

First, to stabilize the world by eliminating the dissidents who continued to cause trouble without realizing that the world had changed.

And second, to find a clue that would allow him to improve his own abilities and break through the wall of the Transcendent Realm.

The visit to the Mosan Sect was related to the second objective.

‘The martial arts of the monsters that I encountered through Mok Ingwang before. Perhaps they could help me break through the wall of the Transcendent Realm.’

Of course, he had unexpectedly obtained the Black Dragon Secret Manual along the way, which could be considered a guidebook of sorts.

But when it came to possibilities, the more, the better.

That way, he could not only choose whichever method proved superior, but also combine the strengths of both approaches to achieve an even better result.

‘I am a hero whose name is known even on Geumo Island. If I request a friendly spar under the pretext of exchanging martial knowledge…’

But things didn’t go entirely according to his wishes.

A figure suddenly came rushing toward him at high speed and collapsed in front of him.

A woman with a pale face and blood trickling from the corner of her mouth.

She was one of the hidden martial artists assigned as Jegal Hyemi’s escort.

“G-Great Hero! We have a serious problem! The young lady…!”

More precisely,

he had momentarily overlooked the fact that troublesome problems weren’t limited to just one side.

A body standing over five meters tall, resembling a tiger standing on two legs, with a long tail.

A gaping mouth filled with sharp teeth due to the absence of lips, and a pair of boar-like tusks protruding between them.

And eyes blazing with ghostly flames.

“Lord Taotie! She is a guest of the Mosan Sect! Please, you mustn’t—cough!”

“Uugh—Shut up! How dare you speak back to me!”

Taotie, an existence radiating tremendous pressure befitting his fearsome appearance, casually swung his arm and sent the last remaining Taoist flying.

A satisfied smile spread across his face as he grabbed Jegal Hyemi, who was frozen stiff, with his enormous hand.

‘What luck! To think I’d encounter a Child of the Dragon here! And not just any one of them, but the one with the highest rank!’

Taotie.

He had once been one of the great monsters belonging to the anti-Geumo Island faction.

But after losing his brothers, who had been known alongside him as the ‘Four Fiends,’ End during the Demon Cult’s rise, he had fled beneath the shadow of Geumo Island as a defeated remnant.

Of course, even in such a state, there weren’t many who could treat a great monster like him carelessly.

Geumo Island had also suffered enormous losses during the war, so gaining a fighter of his caliber was, if anything, something they welcomed.

As expected, he had distinguished himself considerably against the Demon Cult and established a position of his own.

But that was only true before peace returned.

After the final war ended, Taotie became nothing more than a troublesome nuisance.

His very nature stood at the far end of evil, and in an era of peace, he was nothing more or less than a source of conflict.

During an age of chaos, the uses of his overwhelming strength had been obvious enough to justify tolerating its side effects, and he had little reason to become frustrated by his own desires.

But now, he was nothing but a troublemaker who contributed nothing and caused problems at every turn.

The leadership of Geumo Island had even begun seriously considering whether they could leave him like this, or whether he should be sealed away.

And Taotie, who had survived even the Age of Turmoil thanks to his uncanny instincts, couldn’t possibly have failed to notice the change in their attitude.

‘I don’t think I’ll let them take me down that easily!’

But no matter how he thought about it, escaping on his own seemed difficult.

He possessed enough strength to crush even an average Transcendent Realm master, but there was an old saying that no one could overcome overwhelming numbers.

In such a situation, encountering a Child of the Dragon—an apostle of the Dragon God and one of the pillars supporting the salvation of the world—was an enormous opportunity for him.

‘The Child of the Dragon is undoubtedly one of the keys to saving this world. If I offer such a creature, burdened with such tremendous merit, as a burnt sacrifice…!’

It was no wonder that his train of thought ended up following the exact same path as that of the Demon Cultists.

With the same glint in his eyes as those he had slaughtered countless times before, Taotie clutched Jegal Hyemi in his enormous hand and leaped away.

He wanted nothing more than to devour her right there and then, but for the ritual to be performed properly, he would need to follow at least a simplified version of the necessary procedures.

“Khaaahahaha!! I’m free! Go ahead and spend the rest of your lives chasing after me!”

As befitted a great monster, he raced through the forest at a tremendous speed that belied his enormous size.

Yet even then, he left behind not a single trace, just like a skilled hunter.

Like a leopard silently closing in on its prey before tearing out its throat.

‘Maybe I’ll even catch a dragon while I’m at it. If I want to repay all the humiliation I’ve suffered, I need to make those bastards pay…’

Perhaps it was because he had become so intoxicated with his own arrogance.

Swoosh—

He was a beat too late in noticing the black shadow approaching him.

‘Oh?’

‘Not bad!

Of course, that wasn’t much of a problem.

Even with the brief delay, the gap between him and his attacker was so enormous that he was still several moves ahead.

Flaaaaash—!

The problem was that brief instant.

As though it had been planned beforehand, a golden flash erupted from the hand clutching the Child of the Dragon.

The moment he tore apart the dark dragon that had lunged at him like a snake, completely concealing its presence as though it had merged with the shadows of the forest,

was the same moment he felt his hand suddenly empty.

“Huh?”

Taotie stared blankly at his empty hand for a moment.

Then he slowly scanned his surroundings.

No matter how carefully he searched, there was nothing.

It was as though she had simply evaporated from the spot.

“How dare you!”

But Taotie was a great monster who had reached the realm of Transcendence.

His senses expanded in an instant, encompassing the entire forest, and immediately detected the offering rapidly moving away.

Along with the presence of the one who had just ambushed him and distracted his attention.

[Graaaaargh——!]

His furious roar unleashed a storm, sending tremors throughout the entire mountain.

At this point, stealth was no longer an option.

All that remained was to finish the job and leave before the spiritual beasts capable of confronting him were dispatched from Geumo Island.

The moment he made up his mind—

BOOM—!

The movements of his five-meter frame, traveling at supersonic speeds, instantly destroyed everything lying in a straight line between him and his target.

‘Ah, just my luck. My cooldown had to hit right now.’

Ha Seunghoon frowned as he raced away, Jegal Hyemi held tightly in his arms.

Who could have imagined that something like this would happen while they were staying at the supposedly safe Mosan Sect?

He quickly came to a stop, turned around, and drew his sword.

There was no point in running any farther.

BOOM!

[I will kill you! You filthy insects!]

The monster that had torn a massive road through the forest had already closed the distance and was reaching out toward him from behind.