My Alter Ego's Path to Greatness

In a serene, meticulously maintained garden…

Two women sat facing each other at a small pavilion, a table with refreshments between them.

"…Red Dragon, was it you?"

One of them, a woman with long, neatly styled blue hair, set down her teacup and sighed softly.

"What are you talking about?"

"Don't play coy. Do you think it's a coincidence that Dool is over there right now?"

"How would I know what that brute is thinking?"

"Red Dragon."

The woman with short, red hair frowned and clicked her tongue at the calm accusation. The blue-haired woman, seeing her practically admit it, took a deep breath and shook her head.

"Why? You know this isn't just about the Golden Island, but the entire world. He's an important key."

"Precisely. I can't proceed with such an important matter based solely on his word. This is a necessary test."

"A test…? This is the Dragon God's will. You know that…"

Crash!

The table shattered, interrupting her. Silence fell.

Red Dragon calmly swept the debris aside and spoke.

"The Dragon God… Yes, the Dragon God. The one who ignored our plight as our brethren died protecting this world's crumbling balance, only to offer a few condescending words now."

"…That's not all. The Dragon God has been watching over the 'Dragon Children'…"

"Ha! Dragon Children. What a joke. They're sacrifices. Or does the Dragon God have a taste for devouring his own children? How impressive."

"Sarin!"

"Stop. Don't call me by that name. I am Red Dragon now. You are Azure Dragon."

The blue-haired woman, Azure Dragon, closed her eyes at the firm words.

The titles representing each clan were bestowed only upon their leaders. And now, with their predecessors gone, they had inherited those titles.

"…Red Dragon. I can't allow this conflict to escalate. I've already sent others to stop them."

"I don't care. Prolonging this commotion won't do any good. Well, Dool is quite strong, so if he can hold his own against him, perhaps…"

Red Dragon trailed off mid-sentence. Azure Dragon, opening her eyes at the unnatural silence, tilted her head.

"Red Dragon?"

"…"

She didn't answer, her gaze fixed on something in the distance, a strange mix of confusion and something else in her eyes. Realizing where she was looking, Azure Dragon shifted her consciousness, focusing her vision on the entrance to the island. Where their guest and Dool, the island's troublemaker, were located.

'…What?'

The first thing she saw was a massive, muscular back. Thinking it was a magnification error, she adjusted her vision…

…and realized that wasn't the problem. The surrounding scenery was at its normal scale.

Except for one person.

The owner of the massive back that had filled her vision.

"What is that…?"

Red Dragon's bewildered voice echoed in her mind. But Azure Dragon, speechless at the sight before her, couldn't respond. To be precise, it wasn't just one person who was massive. Dool, facing him, was also large, a familiar figure to Azure Dragon.

But the situation wasn't what she had expected.

KABOOM—!

What she saw was…

…a large, adult man relentlessly pummeling a furry figure that barely reached his chest.

'Well, it's not entirely one-sided…'

But the difference in size was so overwhelming that Dool's resistance seemed pathetic.

A display of pure, overwhelming violence.

Azure Dragon muttered involuntarily,

"…We need to send more people to stop this."

"Hmm…"

Naturally, Red Dragon agreed.

"Graaah—! I'll kill you!"

"Stop! That's enough!"

"Get back! Grab him!"

"Form a defensive formation!"

The fight was stopped before it could escalate further by the sudden arrival of others. And amidst the chaos, as the enraged Dool was forcibly restrained, Harley calmly stepped back, his body shrinking back to its normal size.

'It's strange that they only just arrived.'

This was their home turf, and he was a guest. There shouldn't have been a fight in the first place.

'Either they were slow to react because it was Dool's fault, or…'

…their superiors had tacitly approved it. But he didn't mind. Thanks to their attack…

Munch— Gulp!

…he had enjoyed a satisfying 'bite.'

'Good thing I enlarged myself.'

He patted his stomach, back to its normal size, a satisfied smile on his face. Dool was still rampaging because of that. The size difference was so great that a single bite had nearly torn off his thick arm. While it quickly regenerated, thanks to his yokai resilience, Harley's 「Gluttony」 devoured even mystical energy. It must have taken a toll on him.

'Not my problem. It's natural for yokai to bite each other during a fight.'

He was lucky it ended there. The most efficient method would have been to take his core, the yokai equivalent of a mana stone, but he couldn't do that now. The new genetic material was enough for now. He patted his stomach and observed the changes in his 「Ultimate Evolved Lifeform」, which had finally reacted.

'Interesting. The yokai of Ganghwange are a new type. Similar to demihumans, but also like monsters. And a bit like elementals…'

Unlike monsters, whose cells were optimized for maximizing bio-energy, their energy circulation pathways, originating from their core, were prominent. It was probably the basis of their martial arts system, the yokai equivalent of human acupoints.

'This will help me complete the Mad Conquest Technique faster.'

He grinned, feeling his cells adapt for more efficient energy circulation. As expected, exchanging genetic material was the shortcut to evolution! As he flexed his hands, a satisfied smile on his face…

"Um, Lord Mad Demon? Are you alright?"

…Cheonggwan, who had been hiding during the fight, approached him cautiously.

"Of course! I just had a light workout; I feel great! Hahaha!"

"Phew, that's good. So…"

He sighed in relief and went straight to the point. He didn't want to stay near this man any longer.

"If you're ready, I can take you to the Azure Dragon now. She wishes to formally apologize for this incident."

The message from his superiors was a convenient excuse to get away from the eye of the storm.

The hidden realm, a separate phase of existence, detached from the human world…

…was where the Golden Island, a gathering of various yokai, was located.

'Yokai in this world is a broad term encompassing all non-human races.'

It included not only gumiho and goblins, but also divine beasts like kirin and haetae. And at the top of the yokai hierarchy were the dragons.

"…This is unsettling."

The red-haired woman with a frown, staring at Harley, was one of them. After hearing Azure Dragon's apology for the commotion, Red Dragon, sitting next to her, glared at Harley with her reptilian eyes, as if seeing through him.

And—

"You're a dragon slayer."

—a clear hostility, mixed with disappointment, filled her gaze.

"…Red Dragon."

"I know, Azure Dragon. But this is different."

"But he…"

"Yes, he's strong, but that's it. It would have been better if he were human. He can't even enter the Dragon God's shrine. This is impossible from the start."

"Sigh—"

"This is absurd. I had some hope. I thought the Dragon God had some conscience! But the key is a monster who devours dragons and steals their power? Is this a joke?"

Azure Dragon, the blue-haired woman, closed her eyes with a sigh, and Red Dragon continued venting her anger, as if betrayed. The surrounding Qi fluctuated, a tense atmosphere filling the air.

'What's wrong with them?'

Harley didn't care. It seemed complicated, but he couldn't be bothered with their problems. He had enough on his mind.

"Sniff!"

He crossed his arms, looked at them with a bored expression, and cracked his neck.

"Save the chatter for later. You called me here; let's get to the point."

"What…?"

Red Dragon glared at him, her face contorted in anger, but Harley continued, unfazed.

"I'm busy, you know? I didn't come here for nothing. So, let's get this over with."

"Huh!"

Both Red Dragon and Azure Dragon stared at him in disbelief. What gave him the right to be so arrogant? But Harley, always eager for a fight, simply stared back, his head held high.

"…I'm sorry, but this conversation is over. We called you here, so we'll allow you to stay for a few days. Enjoy your stay, and we'll give you a parting gift. But that's it."

Red Dragon's tone softened. Azure Dragon, her shoulders slumped in disappointment, didn't object. It seemed she agreed with Red Dragon after seeing him in person.

"Tsk."

Harley frowned, scratching the back of his head, trying to understand their reaction.

'So, the problem is that I ate a dragon and stole its power?'

The Grand Spellcaster in Auterica had also noticed it immediately. It hadn't been a problem so far, as he had pretended to be a dragonkin, but things were different here.

'Ah, I haven't met a real dragon in Auterica.'

Shuri Hartgen, the only dragon he knew, had remained hidden in his lair, observing the outside world through magic. The other remaining dragons were probably similar. It was surprising that such karma applied even in a different dimension. Weren't dragons and Korean dragons different species?

'No, there are countless similar races in different dimensions.'

It seemed like the gods shared resources when creating their creatures, as there were many similar, unoriginal elements. It wasn't strange for there to be a connection between dragons and Korean dragons.

'…Should I just destroy everything?'

He was getting annoyed. He had come here for information, not to deal with their problems. While he had been cooperating to gain their assistance, he could still obtain what he wanted by force.

'I'm working hard to restore Ganghwange, how long do I have to play nice? I'll just do it and deal with the consequences later…'

Just as his thoughts turned violent…

…a different idea crossed his mind.

'Wait, the problem is that Harley ate a dragon?'

They wanted something from him. But Harley didn't meet their requirements. Then, what if someone who met their requirements… no, someone who perfectly fit their preferences, appeared instead?

'I have nothing to lose. One last time.'

He didn't hesitate.

"Huh?"

Red Dragon stared, dumbfounded.

"Ah…"

Azure Dragon was equally speechless.

Their gazes were fixed on…

…a small, blond boy, twisting his body shyly under their scrutiny, twirling his hair with his tiny fingers, a harmless smile on his face…

…standing before Harley, who was nodding in satisfaction with his arms crossed.

"Heehee—"

""Golden Dragon?""

Horus, the young Gold Dragon from Auterica, had arrived in Ganghwange.