Chapter 71: Chapter 71

[Translator - Night][Proofreader - Gun]

Chapter 71: Father Who Disappeared from Earth

“Connect to Loki.”

[Oh, you know how to do that.]

“Yeah, I’ve done it a lot with Hermes. Is the reward already prepared?”

Since he spoke informally, I did too.

[Yep. I grabbed a few things from Asgard. Want to come now?]

“Hmm... wait a sec.”

After changing into some comfy sweatpants, I shouted to Lee Jinseong.

“Hey, I’m heading out for a bit.”

“Huh? Where to?”

“Just chill.”

I heard him grumble, but I figured he’d entertain himself and stepped out.

“Let’s go.”

[Alright. I’ll summon you.]

[‘The God of Deception, Loki’ is summoning you to the ‘Neutral Zone: Trading Area.’ Do you accept the summon?]

When I pressed ‘yes,’ my body started to glow and was pulled somewhere.

Soon, my vision returned, revealing a shimmering golden scene.

Everywhere I looked, there were treasure chests and piles of gold coins—an entire treasure vault.

And in the middle stood a single man.

He wore a white suit and looked strikingly similar to Aurelia.

His face was so delicate it could easily be mistaken for a woman’s, except for his long black hair, which replaced the golden locks.

However, his features, body frame, and overall vibe were unmistakably masculine.

So this was Loki?

“Well, welcome.”

“Is that face your real one?”

“Ah, yeah. Pretty, isn’t it? I admire it every time I see it in the mirror. You almost fell for me when I was Aurelia, didn’t you?”

“As if. Let’s see the goods.”

“Heh, fine.”

Loki spread his hands, and three treasure chests appeared before him.

With a snap of his fingers, all three chests opened simultaneously.

“I prioritized S-grade skills focused on escape and defense, just like you asked. And I added a few extras you might like.”

“Right.”

“Let me show you the ultimate escape skill first.”

He pointed to a glowing orb, and I touched it.

[Heimdall’s Return]

[Grade: S]

[Instantly teleports the user to a designated return point. Grants immunity to interference skills up to SS-grade. For every skill level increase, an additional return point can be set. At skill level 5, the user can travel between planets and gains immunity to interference skills up to SSS-grade.]

“This is too simple, isn’t it?”

“What are you saying? If you level up the skill, not even a god can stop you. Even I wouldn’t be able to catch you. Plus, it lets you jump between planets. As an escape skill, it’s unbeatable.”

It certainly was the ultimate escape skill…

If I leveled it up to 5, I’d be able to flee without any restrictions.

No more suffering if I got captured.

“But for the return point, does it automatically apply to places I’ve been to?”

“No, you have to manually set it.”

What a pity.

I was hoping to set one at the underground space of Yggdrasil.

“I’ve prepared a few more S-grade skills for you. Take a look.”

Following his suggestion, I browsed the skills:

Thor’s Strength

Odin’s Judgment

Complete Regeneration

They were all useful, but my heart was drawn to the return skill.

After what happened when I got dragged to Olympus, I needed something that could guarantee my escape.

“I’ll take the return skill.”

“Good choice. This skill was given by Heimdall, the Sentinel of Asgard. To acquire it, you’ll need to form a soul-mediation contract with him. Is that okay?”

“A sentinel, huh? Will he be watching me?”

“He can’t do that just because of a soul-mediation contract. I tested it myself back when I was Aurelia. At most, a guardian deity contract allows for some voyeurism. Heh.”

Loki laughed mischievously, sounding like a creep.

Voyeurism?

What a waste of a good face.

Are all gods perverts like this?

[Do you accept the soul-mediation contract with the great god Heimdall?]

When I accepted, the orb emitted a bright light and disappeared.

[You have acquired the S-grade active skill: Heimdall’s Return.]

[Your current rank is too low. You can acquire only one more S-grade skill in the future.]

Tsk. Sёarᴄh the ηovelFire.ηet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

I wonder if there’s a way to split my two status windows and bypass this limit.

I’ll test it later once I acquire another skill.

[Heimdall gains 1.6 times more SP from Earth. As his broker, Kim Jiho receives 20% of this as a commission.]

[Due to your low skill level, only a portion of SP from Earth is mediated to Heimdall.]

“And I’ve prepared some equipment for you, but I wonder if you can even use S-grade items.”

He pointed to a treasure chest containing a spear, bracelet, and hammer.

But they all looked so shabby, as if they’d crumble at the slightest touch.

“These are downgraded versions of the SSS-grade equipment of the gods, made for lower-ranking deities. They’re still S-grade. If you ever become their true master, their real power will be revealed.”

I reached out to grab the spear, but it was as if an invisible wall stopped me.

“Gungnir rejected you.”

“Draupnir, too.”

“And Mjolnir as well. Looks like a B-rank can’t handle S-grade equipment.”

All three items rejected me.

So, I can’t overcome the rank barrier, huh? What a shame.

“You already have three A-grade items—your sword, full-body armor, and bow—so I focused on accessories. Here are my recommendations.”

[Freya’s Magic Recovery Ring]

[Grade: A]

[Crafted by the Goddess of Beauty, Freya. Doubles mana recovery speed and stores a portion of mana within the ring itself.]

This ring reminded me of a dragon heart—simple yet effective.

[Loki’s Protective Necklace]

[Grade: A]

[Crafted by the God of Deception, Loki, for his apostle. Automatically blocks fatal attacks. Can block strikes up to S-grade. If the attack is too strong, the necklace breaks but triggers an even stronger shield.]

Would this help me take on Hercules? It’s a strong contender.

[Odin’s Mana-Enhancing Bracelet]

[Grade: A]

[A bracelet Odin used in his human disguise. Improves mana efficiency and strengthens mana, especially for lightning-based skills.]

Though the names were straightforward, they all seemed great.

When I equipped them, I felt like my mana had been boosted to a level similar to when I was buffed on Kevrian.

Given that Earth doesn’t offer many buffs, this was a significant improvement.

[You have equipped three A-grade items from the Neutral Faction. You cannot equip more than six A-grade items.]

Tch.

I thought having two status windows might let me bypass the equipment limit for Order and Neutral factions, but I guess not.

"Can I own this equipment? Can I switch and change while using it?"

[Translator - Night]

[Proofreader - Gun]

"You can. But there'll likely be a limit, even if it's in your inventory. Maybe up to 20 items?"

Loki muttered to himself, seemingly unsure about B-rank limitations.

Looking at him suddenly reminded me of the strategy guide.

Aurelia turned out to be Loki in the end, didn’t it?

Even when I unlocked the gift, he seemed dissatisfied but still gave me the ability.

Hmm, this guy seems to know something.

“Items like this, for now, I’ll just say thanks… But seriously, what’s this strategy guide about? If it’s not even A-rank, does that mean I can’t access it?”

“Oh, that? It’s from our project—something we created to develop soul-related professions.”

Loki answered casually.

A project?

That’s odd.

[Inside the World Tree is a trace of Chronos. A brilliant rainbow-colored star-shaped jewel. Because of this trace of the god of time, I was able to send the strategy guide to myself.]

The strategy guide mentioned Chronos’s traces allowing it to be sent, but Loki says something different. Hmm…

I should probably avoid bringing up the fragments of Chronos.

“Is that so?”

“Yeah. It was actually a failed project we abandoned, but it ended up working out, which surprised us.”

“What exactly am I in the future? How did I give myself the strategy guide? And does the future end up ruined?”

“Haha, well, here’s the thing…”

Loki and even Hermes began explaining without much hesitation.

[Loki begins talking about the world’s distorted order. Your rank is insufficient to comprehend it. SP decreased by 100.]

Oh, come on, not this nonsense again.

“Hey, what did you do to make this ‘distorted order’ message pop up all the time?”

“Really? If you were B-rank, you’d probably understand.”

Loki shrugged and gave me a few encouraging pats on the shoulder.

“Just hurry and reach A-rank. You’ve got to do it in three years. I’ve already been feeding you extra experience.”

“Why three years?”

“You have to take advantage of the buffs. Oh, right, I’ve got another item prepared for you.”

Loki redirected the conversation as he pulled something out of a treasure chest.

What happens in three years?

He’s making it way too obvious that he’s changing the topic.

“Ta-da.”

The item he pulled out was a crimson orb, about the size of my head.

Loki handed it to me.

[Orb of Replication - Weapon]

[Grade: A]

[Replicates a B-rank weapon. Replicated weapons will disappear after one month, and the number of replications depends on the user’s mana. Up to 100 weapons can be replicated.]

An Orb of Replication?

Seems kind of useless.

What can I even do with B-rank weapons?

Seeing my unimpressed expression, Loki immediately explained.

“This isn’t for you to use. It’s for the Earthlings.”

“Earthlings?”

“Yeah. They’re way too weak. Even with buffs, a lot of them will die early in C-rank dungeons. If you lend them these replicated weapons, you can reduce casualties and clear dungeons faster. When they grow stronger, you’ll gain experience faster, too.”

“Hmm…”

“On top of that, if you charge rental fees, you’ll rake in money. Sounds useful, doesn’t it?”

“Rentals, huh… Well, since you’re giving it to me, I’ll take it.”

I stored the Orb of Replication in my inventory.

As I gathered items, Loki looked at me with hopeful eyes.

“Well? Do you think we deserve six seats at the table?”

“I’ll need to meet other gods first. Let’s start by mediation contracts with two. Who should I pick?”

“For now, me and the supreme god, Odin.”

After forming brokerage contracts with Odin, Loki, and Heimdall, Loki clapped his hands.

“Great. Let’s do our best going forward, partner.”

“By the way, setting aside the strategy guide for now, do you know anything about my father’s whereabouts? His name is Kim Sejun.”

The strategy guide mentioned meeting my father, but it never said anything after that.

Asking Loki, who’s tied to the guide, seemed like a good idea.

“I don’t know about that, but maybe ask Heimdall. With his abilities, he could search every inch of Earth.”

“Oh. Please do. If you bring good news, I’ll give you three more seats.”

“Hahaha, now I have to do it. Well then, it’s time to return.”

The golden space began to collapse.

Loki waved at me as my body turned into light.

As I returned home, I hoped for good news.

The next day, both Order and Chaos reached out to me for contact.

Order sent Hermes, while Chaos sent a lich in place of Hades.

For skills, I chose defensive ones.

[Aegis Shield]

[Grade: S]

[A skill that temporarily manifests Athena’s shield. Normally, a small shield hovers around, automatically blocking attacks. When activated, it transforms into a massive shield that encases the user. It can withstand even SS-grade strikes. Defense increases as the skill level rises.]

Since I couldn’t obtain more than three S-rank skills, I received two A-rank skills from Chaos and an S-rank item as compensation.

[Spring Water of Eden]

[Grade: S]

[Water from the Paradise of Eden. Dramatically increases all the user’s stats. The effect can only be used once.]

Spring water from a lich?

Isn’t Eden supposed to be God’s paradise?

I planned to save it for later, but the lich warned me the effect would vanish if I didn’t drink it immediately.

So, I drank it.

+20 to all stats.

Amazing.

The rewards were huge.

With six A-rank pieces of equipment equipped and six more stored in my inventory, I felt prepared.

Skills ensured I could escape and defend myself.

Brokerage positions were distributed.

Order: Zeus, Hermes, Athena.

Chaos: Hades, the Smiling Devil, the Lone Titan.

The remaining three positions were reserved for neutrality.

Finding my father would also tilt my support toward the neutral side.

Order and Chaos had too much history with each other.

A few days later, Loki contacted me.

[The Trickster God, Loki, said: "I couldn’t find your father, Kim Sejun. He’s neither dead nor alive. It’s as if he doesn’t exist. At least not on Earth."]

What?

What does that mean?

My father isn’t on Earth?

[Translator - Night]

[Proofreader - Gun]