Blood Assimilation

After Randy articulated the details of the mission to his recently conjured incarnation, he recollected the pieces of information gleaned from Brawler Randy. The crux of the pieces of information highlighted that the long-eared tribe possessed the expertise to efficiently process elemental mana cores from elemental beasts, culminating in the creation of elemental essence that was comparable to rare naturally occurring elemental essence crystals formed in areas with highly concentrated mana.

Contemplating these elemental crystals led Randy to suddenly recall his brief encounter with the unreasonable woman at the Alpheotus City auction house, who seemed to hold significance within the obscured Long-eared Tribe as even the Society Leader of the branch of the Dungeon Hunter Exploration Society was respectable when addressing her. 

Randy harbored concerns about running into her again, fearing potential reprisals for their previous encounter. He hoped to avoid another encounter with her, as it might lead to his death if she recognized him.

Despite his concerns, Randy deemed it improbable to encounter a prominent figure, who might possibly be from the noble or royal lineage, during his trip. Planning ahead to avoid any complications, he intended for his incarnation to adopt a convincing disguise before delving into the territory of the Long-eared Tribe and searching for the whereabouts of one of their cities. 

The worry that Randy was able to discover was related to identification. His concern lay in proving his identity should the tribe employ distinctive means of identification bypassing the disguise he planned on conducting using the [Myriad Species Transformation] Skill that he received when he underwent the awakening sequence in the dungeon in Alpheotus City.

The trip to locate the obscured Long-eared Tribe was guided by Crown Prince Lukkas's descriptions and the map provided. Randy didn't hope for success right away, but Lukkas's familiarity with the areas he described suggested that he had personally visited those areas. This motivated Randy to rely on the current map and descriptions to attempt to search for the hidden Long-eared Tribe at least once.

In the remote chance of success, Randy would navigate the subsequent course of action. Regardless of the outcome, he remained resolute in accessing their dungeon, even if confronted by a formidable opponent capable of seeing through his disguise. If he did not succeed due to the interference caused by his unlucky encounter, he would only risk the life of an incarnation and not his life.

Upon absorbing Randy's instructions, the incarnation responded lethargically: "The Long-eared Tribe? Elemental Essence Crystals? I understand." 

After parroting the crux of what Randy stated, a sudden lucidity flickered in its eyes as if rousing from a stupor, and it directed its attention to the proxy system projection of the Challenger's System before issuing a command.

"Transmit me to the last location... Forget that. Is it possible to transmit me to another dungeon within a different territory?"

[That is not possible, as it is against the rules, Challenger Randy…]

The Challenger's System succinctly responded with a refusal based on established rules, further citing the impossibility of such teleportation to a dungeon without registering his identity beforehand. 

"Why? I recall you said the same thing about me not being able to transmit out of a dungeon without clearing it at least once, yet you still managed to transmit me out anyway when I asked, even though I didn't clear it at that time."

The incarnation unexpectedly challenged this, recalling a prior instance where the system contradicted its own rules by transmitting his main body out of a dungeon without clearing it. It was when he was completing a request from the Dungeon Hunter Exploration Society, around the time he ran into those two cloaked demons.

[That was because of an interference from...!]

The proxy of the Challenger's System abruptly halted mid-sentence, the main system experiencing a sudden sense of oppression from a fellow inhabitant that resided deeper inside Randy's Mind Space.

[[…]]

[...]

"Hmm?" Randy sensed a disturbance in his Mind Space, momentarily diverting his attention from the eccentric incarnation.

Despite a latent tension occurring in Randy's Mind Space, the incarnation, unaware of the disturbance, continued its doubtful inquiry: "Interference? Can you do it or not? I recall you mentioning that I'm a challenger whose purpose is to get stronger by using dungeons for a meaningful cause. You even talked about my chance to succeed in some kind of trial being high. Why am I denied a simple request as a Challenger with a high chance of fulfilling a momentous trial? Why can't I enjoy a simple privilege like teleporting to the nearest dungeon to expedite my growth and achieve that purpose?"

Throughout Randy's sojourn in the Safe Room, he engaged in thoughtful conversations with his systems during meditation. Naturally, his frequent conversations all occurred in his mind so it was appropriate to call it mental dialogues conducted with his separate will that was not concentrated on meditation and instead monitoring the internal changes occurring as he used the Nameless Meditation Technique. 

The dialogues deepened, particularly with the challenger's system, which had introduced the concept of a Challenger's Trial. The Challenger's System claimed Randy was eligible to participate in this trial. It expanded further by stating that after observing the changes occurring within his body due to his unique approach to strength and power acquisition, which utilized the ancient method of meditation technique, it was convinced that he not only qualified for this trial but also held a high chance in succeeding after participating in the trial held in a special dungeon within the human territory. 

Combining this insight from the Challenger's System with information gleaned from his incarnations, he surmised it to be one of the dungeons, or the singular one under strict regulation by the Royal Family, which required enlistment as a soldier for access. 

Randy contemplated the motive of the Royal Family. He wondered if this regulation conducted by the Royal Family was not only to bind soldiers to their banner. This was due to what the Challenger's System stated, which was what made Randy look forward to participating in the trial. The Challenger's system divulged that the reward for clearing this special dungeon was a peerless treasure with the potential to reshape the power dynamics in Acruxia.

The present incarnation of Randy, armed with this knowledge, decided to use it as leverage to strategically bargain with the Challenger's System, creating a dilemma for the latter. 

Acknowledging that it had indeed defied its established rule concerning dungeon clearance before teleportation, the Challenger's System's proxy within the incarnation's mind lapsed into a momentary silence before resuming communication.

[...Fine, I understand. I shall send you to your destination, but only within the vicinity of an unsupervised dungeon close to your intended destination.]

The Challenger's system reluctantly conceded as it permitted a spatial light to begin to envelop the body of Randy's new incarnation, ready to initiate transmission.

"Fair enough." The incarnation acknowledged with a nod, allowing himself to be bathed in the light of teleportation.

"Wait!" 

However, at this moment, Randy abruptly detected an oddity and voiced his concern, causing the spatial light to dissipate around the incarnation's body. 

"What is it?" The incarnation inquired. 

Randy pointed at the incarnation and replied: "You're not wearing anything." 

"Oh? You're right." The new incarnation looked down and realized it was indeed naked, with everything exposed. If it had teleported into the vicinity of the Long-eared Tribe, it would have risked being killed based on indecency alone, let alone gaining entry to their city. 

After a moment of thought, the incarnation gestured with an open hand and requested: "Can you hand me some spare clothes from storage? Also, I need a storage pouch to carry the elemental essence crystals in case I manage to obtain some during the trip." 

Observing the slightly robotic and eccentric behavior of his new incarnation, Randy wondered if something was amiss with this incarnation just like its predecessors. He pondered if his incarnations somehow embodied a part of him that he wasn't aware of until now, but these parts of him became visible through the conjured incarnations' behaviors. 

This thought arose in Randy's mind because all his incarnations displayed distinct behaviors after their creation, especially Brawler Randy, who evoked memories of his childhood days. 

Without dwelling too much on this topic, Randy handed the incarnation spare clothes and a storage pouch. 

After taking and quickly donning the spare clothes and attaching the storage pouch to its waist, the incarnation once again began to be enveloped in the spatial light, the voice of the challenger's system echoing in its mind as it stood there with a nonchalant expression. 

[Transmitting in...] 

[3] 

[2] 

[1] 

While observing the new incarnation being consumed by the spatial light, Randy noticed an unusual sense of uncanny calmness around it as it stood there bathed in the teleportation light. Before being fully enveloped, the incarnation turned its head and spoke one last time. 

"I will be back soon." 

Fwhoosh! 

As soon as it finished speaking, its figure vanished from the Safe Room, its destination being the vicinity of a dungeon near the Long-eared Tribe's territory. 

Randy stared at the disappearing incarnation with a pondering expression, but his gaze didn't linger on it for long. He returned his focus to meditation, employing the Nameless Meditation Technique, as he was soon enveloped by pure, soothing mana particles that penetrated his body through every pore on his skin and settled in his Energy Vessel for mana, which, in his home world, was known as magical energy.

In the Real World, the incarnation had already embarked on its journey a few days prior due to the time discrepancy, where the time in the Safe Room moved slower compared to the Acruxia. 

…

Back to Imperial City…

Brawler Randy pursued the fleeting black-haired girl who had briskly run away after their brief, unfriendly encounter in the dark alley. In his new transfigured state, he discovered he now possessed an enhanced vision, a perceptual perception ability being unlocked in his eyes, allowing him to see details that were typically imperceptible to his eyes. This extended to a few radii around his body, presenting a clear and vivid picture of his surroundings.