HP is short for Health Points, which represent a character's health.
It is a common gaming term used to indicate the maximum amount of damage a character or unit can withstand before being defeated.
When a character's HP falls to zero, it usually means that the character has died or lost the ability to fight, requiring some appropriate means of recovery or Resurrection.
The way HP works varies between games. Some introduce more complicated health systems, such as shields, regeneration rates, and other mechanics to enrich the gameplay experience.
Regardless of the specifics, HP remains one of the fundamental elements of gaming.
The game Yggdrasil also used an HP, or Health Points, system. There were even Tier Magic spells capable of detecting it, such as the information-type spell [Life Essence].
In the game, almost every item was closely tied to the concept of HP.
Whether it was a seemingly insignificant trinket or a powerful weapon or piece of equipment, everything followed this rule.
For weapons, Players were more accustomed to calling it "durability."
As a weapon accumulated damage and wear, its durability would gradually decrease.
Once its durability reached zero, the weapon would instantly shatter into countless fragments.
The only exception was World-Class Items.
As exceptionally special objects symbolizing the weight of a world, they had no concept of durability and possessed the property of being indestructible.
No matter how powerful an attack they endured or how harsh an environment they were exposed to, they would always remain completely intact.
Just moments ago, the Platinum Dragon Lord had informed Naohara that a strange monster existed among the ruins of a city in the Roble Holy Kingdom whose HP could not be displayed.
And according to him, it was not some lifeless object like a World-Class Item either.
The news immediately aroused Naohara's curiosity and interest.
The first thing that came to mind was a counter-detection spell called [False Data].
When an enemy used information-gathering magic, this spell could mislead them into obtaining false information.
For example, [False Data: Life] and [False Data: Mana] could cause an opponent to receive false readings regarding HP, Health Points, and MP, Mana Points.
However, false information was not the same thing as no information at all.
Generally speaking, Wild Magic possessed far greater detection capabilities than ordinary Tier Magic.
Taking the Platinum Dragon Lord's strength into account as well, it was almost certain that he had not simply made a mistake.
So what kind of existence could it be?
Given the current state of the Roble Holy Kingdom, there was only one likely possibility!
...
"My true self, you really are generous! All you asked for were a few techniques related to using the Power of Faith, and you handed Enhela over just like that."
High in the sky, an enormous dragon covered entirely in a white-gold sheen beat its wings and soared forward at astonishing speed.
Magical energy clung tightly around the dragon's body like a transparent shield, canceling out the resistance generated by its flight.
Naraku, now completely resurrected and restored to a physical body, was lazily reclining against one of the Platinum Dragon Lord's sharp, incomparably sturdy horns.
Thinking back on the deal from not long ago, his tone carried a hint of regret.
The question of who would take possession of Enhela had been settled, and in the end, he had fallen into the hands of the Six Great Gods.
If Naohara had chosen to demand an outrageous price at the time and used the opportunity to ask the Six Great Gods for a World-Class Item, there was a very good chance they would have agreed.
Yet Naohara had done nothing of the sort.
Although the Six Great Gods had been puzzled by his request, they had not refused it.
After all, sometimes thinking too much only created unnecessary trouble.
As an extension of Naohara's will, Naraku could more or less guess some of the reasoning behind the decision, but he still could not help feeling a little regretful.
"Heh. Free things are often the most expensive, and I don't think the Six Great Gods will be able to uncover anything useful."
Naohara spoke softly.
Enhela certainly possessed considerable potential value.
Actually uncovering and making use of that value, however, was another matter entirely.
If that could not be done, then all talk about his value was meaningless.
Naohara did not hold much hope that the Six Great Gods would achieve any significant results.
Wild Magic, Tier Magic, Super-Tier Magic, the Power of Faith. Naohara had already tried all of them on Enhela.
Unfortunately, no matter what he did, every attempt ended in failure without producing the slightest result.
Admittedly, the Six Great Gods might be far more knowledgeable and accomplished than he was when it came to studying faith.
But to put it plainly, that alone would never be enough to shake Kuyō's Divine Right.
And if Enhela's value could not be uncovered, all that remained were risks and hidden dangers.
His identity as a creation of Kuyō alone made him a ticking time bomb that could explode at any moment.
No one could predict when Kuyō might suddenly descend upon this world, or whether other creations of Kuyō might appear one after another.
If something like that really did happen, the Slane Theocracy would undoubtedly be the first target.
The Sorcerer Kingdom and Nazarick, which remained hidden in the shadows, would at least have some time to react.
So if the Six Great Gods wanted Enhela, Naohara was happy to accommodate them and have them owe him a favor in the process.
It might not amount to much, but something was still better than nothing.
Of course, it was not absolutely impossible for the Six Great Gods to succeed.
One should never underestimate the intelligence of others. More often than not, only fools assumed everyone else was foolish.
"But it still feels like we got the short end of the deal. And do you really think what we're looking for this time is connected to Kuyō?"
"I'm not certain, but we should have a little more faith in the Platinum Dragon Lord. We've gone through a life-and-death ordeal together, after all. That makes him a comrade who's shared hardship with us."
As he spoke, Naohara raised a hand and lightly patted the Platinum Dragon Lord's enormous head.
The fellow might be calculating and deeply scheming, but at least he had not failed them when it truly mattered.
After successfully merging with Naohara's Thought Form, the Platinum Dragon Lord had benefited greatly.
Perhaps during the fusion, part of their respective spirits and Souls had subconsciously blended together.
As a result, after his Resurrection, every aspect of the Platinum Dragon Lord's abilities had improved, including his physical attributes and magical reserves.
Not only had the Dragon Blood flowing through his body become purer and richer, even his Dragon Soul had grown more refined.
His level had also risen from LV96 to LV97 in one leap.
(PS: This increase is one Racial Level.)
"I merely did what I believed was right."
The Platinum Dragon Lord's deep voice came from below.
The main reason he had chosen to fight Enhela was that Enhela had already become a serious threat to the balance of this world.
Although some of his beliefs might have undergone subtle changes over time and through everything he had experienced, his core principles remained unchanged.
He could never tolerate an existence like Enhela that disrupted the world's order and brought endless disaster.
"All right, all right. But Tsa, you really need to stop being so serious all the time. That kind of attitude makes it easy for people to dislike you."
"I preferred that proud, unruly attitude you had when we first met."
Naohara nodded perfunctorily and teased him.
[Easy for you to say. Try being a perpetual motion machine for a while and see how you do. You might not even last as long as I did!]
Hearing that, the Platinum Dragon Lord could not help complaining inwardly.
Still, the world truly was full of strange twists.
Enemies who had once fought each other to the death had become comrades, and had even died together in battle.
How was one supposed to describe such a dramatic turn of events?
The Platinum Dragon Lord did not know, but at least for now, he did not find himself particularly opposed to it.
Naohara gazed into the distance.
To him, turning a former mortal enemy into his subordinate brought an indescribable sense of satisfaction.
"Tsk. In the end, I'm still the one stuck carrying all the baggage."
The speaker was Naraku.
Because of the countless connections between him and his true self, he understood Naohara's way of thinking extremely well.
It was nothing more than winning people over with a mixture of truths and half-truths. He certainly knew how to make everything sound good.
"The capable should shoulder more responsibility. Besides, you always need to leave yourself some kind of insurance, right?"
Hearing this, Naohara raised his hand and looked at the ring on his index finger, a meaningful smile appearing on his face.
Naturally, there was no way he would leave himself without a few backup plans.
Although the Six Great Gods had already taken Enhela away, Naohara had stockpiled a vast quantity of materials beforehand.
These materials included, but were not limited to, more than ten tons of fresh flesh and crimson blood.
There were also mountains of pale human bones, freshly removed brains with their skullcaps cut open, an enormous number of Souls sufficient for the Resurrection of every person who had died in the Roble Holy Kingdom, and the equally vast amount of life energy needed to match them...
It had to be admitted that Enhela was the real perpetual motion machine.
If circumstances had allowed it, Naohara genuinely would have liked to lock him away in Nazarick and keep him there for the rest of his life.
"That's one seriously outrageous 'insurance policy'!"
Whenever Naraku remembered the jaw-dropping scene he had witnessed not long ago, he could hardly bear to think about it.
At the time, a Dragonoid and an Undead had both been working Enhela over, stripping off every piece of clothing he had.
That was right. Naohara had not stopped at taking pieces of Enhela's body. He had not even spared his clothes.
After all, those clothes automatically repaired themselves whenever Enhela revived, which meant they could be considered a type of bound equipment.
And if they were equipment, things became much easier.
All that was needed was Zesshi Zetsumei's Talent, combined with the Talent that allowed the user to wield any item or weapon regardless of its requirements.
By combining those two Talents, it would be possible to equip Enhela's gear without meeting its conditions, read the memories contained within it, and obtain information on some of Enhela's magic and skills.
From there, they could thoroughly study those stolen spells and gradually uncover the fundamental principles hidden behind them.
Once enough information had been gathered, perhaps the abilities of the [Ruler of Wisdom] class could be used to reverse-engineer the full nature of Enhela's class, reproduce it, and gain insight into the power of Kuyō.
At the very least, the logic behind the idea was sound.
Their current trip to investigate the monster mentioned by the Platinum Dragon Lord, which was suspected of being connected to Kuyō, was intended to make that plan even more feasible.
"As long as we don't give up, there'll always be more solutions than problems."
"Let's try to finish this quickly. We still have a fellow countryman waiting for us."
Naohara slowly rose to his feet and looked into the distance.
The ruins of the city came into view.
***
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