My Alter Ego's Path to Greatness

Horus, the blond boy who looked about six or seven years old, scratched the back of his head.

'The last Gold Dragon.'

While he already knew, it felt strange to have it confirmed by the system. He had wondered if Shuri Hartgen might have missed other surviving members of their clan.

'They even count this as an achievement.'

Horus tilted his head. He had been involved in several major incidents, but the system hadn't reacted until now, after he became the last survivor of a fallen dragon clan.

Was it because dragons were that significant, or was the keyword 'last survivor' the key?

'Should I be grateful it's 'last Gold Dragon', not 'last dragon'?'

He already knew from Shuri Hartgen that other dragon clans, unlike the Gold Dragons, had managed to survive, albeit barely.

'I'd like to meet them someday.'

But not now. He would contact them after settling his current affairs. He couldn't afford to appear weak before them, even if they were fellow dragons in dire straits.

'I can't do that, for his sake. Now, let's check what I just received.'

Horus squinted, looking at the list of messages. There were three main things to check.

'Perk 「Dragon Lair」. The ability to create a dragon's lair. The special feature is… it's located in a subspace, not the physical world.'

That meant the lair wasn't tied to a specific location and could serve as a perfect hideout. A worthy reward for an achievement.

'Next.'

He nodded in satisfaction and turned his attention to 「Elder Dragon's Heart」.

Shuri Hartgen's parting gift, crafted from his very being, for Horus, the last hatchling left alone in this world. A gift imbued with the essence of an Elder Dragon. He couldn't help but be excited.

'It's incredible.'

Horus closed his eyes, awestruck by the immense energy pulsing within his chest. He had seen a significant portion of the energy dissipate during the process, and yet, the remaining energy far surpassed his own total magic capacity. While he couldn't control it completely yet, that wasn't the main point. The increased potential and accelerated growth were merely side effects.

'…Now, let's begin. Using this…'

He focused on the energy within him, immersing himself deeper.

Thump—! Rumble—!

The energy pulsed, resisting his attempts to control it. After several attempts, he couldn't endure it any longer and used 「Polymorph」 to revert to his dragon form. He couldn't withstand the pressure in his human child form.

"Grrr—!"

The small dragon, the size of a calf, roared. A small storm swirled around him, the surrounding energy fluctuating. His power was close to that of an adult dragon, but physical growth required time. His size was limited.

While he was much larger than before, when he was only the size of a large dog…

…he wasn't satisfied.

'「Elder Dragon's Heart」 isn't just a dragon heart.'

It was the culmination of Shuri Hartgen's long and eventful life, the proof of his accumulated power, a black box containing all his physical information, including his muscles, bones, and scales. And if he used it…

Fwoosh—

Light erupted from Horus as he spread his wings and raised his head. Just like Shuri Hartgen before his demise. But the reaction was different. Unlike Shuri Hartgen, who shrunk as he transformed into light, Horus's body began to grow.

5 meters… 10 meters… 15 meters…

His limbs, wings, horns… every part of his body rapidly expanded.

And finally…

[*Roar—!]

Flap— Flap—!

A Gold Dragon, its wings beating powerfully, appeared in the empty cavern, letting out a mighty roar.

[Pant… Pant… This is my limit…]

A golden creature, its tongue lolling out, lay on the ground, gasping for breath. The once majestic dragon had reverted to the size of a calf, its previous might gone.

'It's not as easy as I thought.'

There was a limit to the rapid growth granted by 「Elder Dragon's Heart」.

About 10 minutes.

That was the maximum duration he could maintain his transformed state in his first attempt. And the power he could wield was far less than he'd theorized.

'I wasn't expecting Elder Dragon level, but I thought I could reach just below that!'

But it was impossible. The highest level he could reach in his transformed state was mid-level adult dragon. Considering his usual state was just below adult dragon level, it wasn't a dramatic increase.

'Still, it's better than nothing. The difference in physical abilities is overwhelming.'

Horus groaned and rolled on the ground. The reason for his current exhaustion was the disparity in physical abilities. Even with all the buffs enhancing his combat power, he was still a hatchling. There was an insurmountable difference between his body and that of an adult dragon.

A hatchling's scales, muscles, blood vessels, and magic circuits were all weaker than an adult dragon's. They were vulnerable to powerful attacks and could be injured by their own magic backfiring. They were like glass cannons without the necessary defenses. Unlike adult dragons, who could withstand most attacks with their tough bodies and powerful magic circuits, capable of unleashing magic endlessly.

Rustle—

The hatchling reverted to his human child form. He fidgeted on the ground for a moment, then stood up, stretching.

"Ugh… There."

He was exhausted, despite only maintaining the transformation for ten minutes. While he could rest in his dragon form, he was more comfortable in his human form, since his main body was human.

'Skills improve with proficiency, so it's too early to be disappointed.'

With constant practice and research, he could increase both the duration and the effectiveness of the transformation. And his size would also increase.

'Even for an irregular like Horus, bigger is better.'

He had experienced it firsthand. Size, age, and power were directly proportional for dragons. And a massive body was more impactful and impressive!

"Ah, I need to check that too."

Horus wiped the sweat from his forehead, remembering something. He had been so preoccupied with 「Elder Dragon's Heart」 that he had almost forgotten.

「Golden Treasury」.

The ancient treasury of the Gold Dragon clan, passed down through generations.

'Of course, I heard they used up most of their treasures during the two Immortal King invasions.'

But a rich family could survive for three years even after going bankrupt. No one knew what mysteries lay hidden within the treasury of an ancient and prestigious clan like the Gold Dragons.

'Let's go.'

Horus moved to the side of the cavern.

"Open, 「Golden Treasury」."

And as soon as he finished speaking…

…a massive golden gate appeared, as if splitting space.

Creak—

It slowly opened, welcoming its new owner.

In the Undead Castle, the perpetually dark lair of evil…

"Aaah— Mm— Aaah—!"

…an unfamiliar voice echoed from a laboratory. The voice, practicing unfamiliar scales, chuckled in satisfaction.

"Heh heh— This should be enough."

The voice, with a hint of suppressed darkness, cleared its throat and looked at a mirror on the wall.

A cold, middle-aged man with dark hair, dark eyes, and a short, dark beard stared back. As he grinned, his reflection…

Wiggle—

…twisted grotesquely. His mouth shifted to his right cheek, his nose moved below his chin, his right eye rose to his forehead, and his left eye rotated 180 degrees.

"…"

But the man just stared at the mirror, unfazed.

"…Tsk, needs more adjustments."

He muttered, his mouth now on the back of his neck.

Rip—!

Then, he reached up and tore off his own face. His entire face, including his eyes, scalp, and even his Adam's apple, came off cleanly, leaving only a skull behind.

Wiggle— Wiggle—

"Ah… Uh… Eh…"

The detached face… no, the face-shaped chimera, blinked its eyes and made strange gurgling noises.

[I thought it would work this time. How troublesome.]

Hans, the Immortal King, shook his head, his fiery gaze fixated on the experiment in his hand. He tossed it into a metal bin in the corner and began examining his research notes.

'…This should be almost complete. A few more days.'

He was preparing for his trip to Ganghwange. To disguise himself as a perfect human, concealing his undead nature. As Hugo had experienced with Elder Unyeongjin of the Wudang Sect, the Qi sense of Murim experts was extraordinary. Even the most elaborate mask would be useless. To them, Hans would be nothing more than a sentient jiangshi.

'I could just barge in and threaten them, but I should at least try.'

For the success of his plan, he had to minimize his otherworldliness and blend in. He would already stand out due to his aura and abilities. If they realized he wasn't even human, but a jiangshi, there would be no room for excuses.

So, he decided to graft a meticulously crafted chimera, a 'true living being', onto his body, to deceive the Murim experts. A chimera that not only reacted to external stimuli but also performed all bodily functions like breathing and digestion, just like a human.

[I should combine E-3 and G-2N. To reduce variables and enhance responsiveness…]

Creating a lifeform with enough vitality to survive being grafted onto the body of the Immortal King, the embodiment of death, with perfect obedience and human-like bodily functions, was no easy task. And since non-Awakened beings couldn't cross dimensions, he had to transport the materials in an inert state and complete the process in Ganghwange. Even creating a simple, non-sentient chimera was incredibly difficult.

But his persistent efforts finally bore fruit.

Just a day later…

"Heh heh— Good."

A cold-looking, middle-aged man with dark hair and dark eyes smiled, his lips curling into a sinister grin.

A chillingly natural smile.

End