The purple veil, and by extension, Deborahâs silhouette, was slowly disappearing. However, Kang Ohâs sudden cry caused it to reopen in its entirety.
âWhatâs the matter?â the Goddess of Death asked. Her voice was as stern as ever.
âI have been thinking of a way to reduce the risk of having the God of Creationâs sources stolen, while also using them to lure in the Mayanes.â
âI would like to ask you a few questions. Can the God of Creationâs sources be duplicated or faked?â
That was Kang Ohâs first method of persuading Deborah.
âNo, they cannot. The sources come from the God of Creation, Maya, himself. Do you think yourself capable of duplicating or forging a god? You would have to recreate one of the Primordial Gods at that.â
If it had been possible, then Deborah or Gainus wouldâve done it already.
âThe Mayanes need exactly five sources to become demigods, correct?â Kang Oh asked.
âWhat if they donât have five? What if they have four and a half?â
Deborah knew what he was trying to say. ââŠYou want to split the sources in half?â
âThatâs right. The sources are already fragmented, so I assume that splitting them is possible.â
This was what Kang Oh thought of. Splitting the God of Creationâs sources!
âIf the God of Creationâs sources can be split, and the Mayanes cannot become demigods with an incomplete source, then⊠Wouldnât using the split source as bait be worth a try?â
Although heâd said his fill, Deborah said nothing in return. Silence permeated the room for some time.
âItâs not a bad idea.â
Deborah remained quiet, not yet refusing his request. She was clearly weighing her options.
At some point, the purple veil glimmered.
âKang Oh,â Deborah finally said.
âSplitting the sources is possible. And the Mayanes cannot become demigods with half a source. In order to become demigods, they need five complete sources.â
âThen?â Kang Ohâs face brightened. Deborah seemed to be in favor of his plan.
âI accept your request.â
âThank you!â Kang Oh bowed deeply. âOh, yeah!â
âHowever, I have a task for you.â
âOnly the God of Creation himself and the Blacksmith God, Orgon, are capable of splitting the sources. You will need to meet Orgon and ask him to split the sources.â
[Split the God of Creationâs Source]
Meet the Blacksmith God, Orgon, and ask him to split the God of Creationâs source for you.
Orgonâs temple is located on Mt. Helver, the highest peak of the Phamas Mountains.
Mt. Helver is extremely dangerous, so please prepare accordingly!
Minimum Requirements: Kang Oh.
Reward: God of Creationâs Half Source.
Failure: Reduced credibility, and the Goddess of Death will no longer accept your requests.
The Phamas Mountains were the largest mountain range in the continent, and Mt. Helver was located at the very top.
It was one of the most dangerous places in Arth, like Despia, the Devilâs Sea, the Great Forestâs central region, etc.
âNo players have gotten to the top of Mt. Helver yet.â
It wouldnât be easy for him to get to the top. However, it was worth a shot.
[The quest has been accepted.]
âHead to the temple by yourself,â Deborah said.
âYou need a certain title to enter the temple. Helver Conqueror. In order to obtain this title, you must climb the mountain by yourself.â
âI see. Is there anything else I should be aware of?â Kang Oh asked respectfully.
âOrgon doesnât work for free. Bring him a gift thatâll satisfy him.â
âWhat kind of gift should I bring him?â
The dwarves, blacksmiths, and other production workers worshipped Orgon.
A silver glowing object flew over to Kang Oh from Deborahâs silhouette.
Kang Oh thought sheâd give him the God of Creationâs source. However, it looked completely different from it, which resembled a twinkling star in the night sky.
âDeborahâs symbol!â
It was the same symbol that was painted on every single house in Latnia City.
âThis will allow you to call me. When Orgon agrees to help you, use this to call me. Thatâs when Iâll give you the source.â
âNow, begone. This is no place for humans.â
âWeâll leave immediately.â
The goddessâs silhouette disappeared, followed by the purple veil.
Only then did his quiet teammates begin to speak.
âAre we finished now?â
âLetâs go back, Mr. Kang Oh.â
Cerberus Rakio growled at Kang Ohâs party. However, it didnât attack them again.
Kang Ohâs party ignored it and left the dungeon. What a relief.
Kang Oh came to the Black Hammer Dwarvesâ Hideout. He needed to ask them what would be an appropriate gift for Orgon.
Chieftain Randelhoff, whose face was embedded with tough rocks, greeted him. Like a needle and thread, Book was, as always, by his side.
âHave you been well?â Randelhoff asked.
âYes. Has anything happened as of late?â
The Dwarven Chieftain shook his head.
âIâd like to ask you something.â
âWhat kind of gift would the Blacksmith God, Orgon, like?â
âA gift that Orgon would like?â
âWhy are you asking me that?â
âI have to ask Orgon a favor. But I canât go empty-handed, now can I?â
âAre you going to climb Mt. Helver?â
Like all dwarves, the Black Hammer Dwarvesâ home was the Phamas Mountains. Obviously, they knew all about Mt. Helver.
âItâs a dangerous place, but I suppose youâll be fine. Anyhow, a gift for OrgonâŠâ Randelhoff stroked his beard and stared at Book.
âOrgon likes rare metals,â Book said.
âMetals like adamantium or mithril?â
âNo, metals that are even rarer. After all, Orgon possesses every metal that can be found in the continent.â
Orgon wasnât called the Blacksmith God for no reason!
âA metal rarer than adamantium or mithril?â Kang Oh asked.
âA metal that falls from the sky.â Book pointed a finger at the sky.
Kang Oh tilted his head. âWhat are you talking about?â
âHeâs referring to a meteorite,â Randelhoff said.
âAha.â Kang Oh tapped his palm with a fist.
âSome meteorites are mixed with ore. Thatâll be an appropriate gift for Orgon.â
âThank you for telling me. Hehe.â Kang Oh bowed his head and rubbed his hands together. ââŠSo do you have any on you?â
Unfortunately, the Black Hammer Dwarves didnât have any.
Kang Oh passed through the crowded streets of Altein. He wore plain clothing and his face was covered, so no one noticed him.
Tasha and Sara followed him through the street, taking a look at everything along the way like meerkats.
Their beauty surpassed most celebrities. However, there was an abundance of beautiful women in Arth. Players could build their character however they wished, after all.
That included oneâs clothes too. Players all wore different equipment.
Thus, Tashaâs red dress or Saraâs white fur clothes didnât draw much attention. They were like two stars in the entire galaxy.
Of course, it wasnât like they didnât draw any attention. They gave off a unique vibe, after all.
Tasha and Sara gave off a proud vibe, as if they were queens in their own right. If they kept their mouths shut, that is.
All of a sudden, Sara grabbed Kang Ohâs sleeve.
âWhatâs the matter?â
âThat.â Sara pointed at a shop selling chicken skewers. The smell of its seasoning stimulated her appetite. âI want to try it.â
Sara stared at him passionately.
âMe too,â Tasha said, thinking this was the best time to butt in.
âWait a sec.â Kang Oh bought two chicken skewers, which were more than 30 centimeters long, and passed them to the two ladies.
They ate it immediately. The two were quite gluttonous.
Saraâs eyes gleamed once more. It looked like she was searching for new prey. She then pointed someplace else.
Kang Oh furrowed his brow. At this rate, they would eat everything in the street.
So he said decisively, âNo more!â
Kang Oh flat out ignored them and walked quickly.
He saw a gold dragon with a black hammer in its mouth. Ah, of course, he was referring to the sign, not an actual dragon.
âWelcome, customers.â One of Gold Dragonâs female employees greeted them.
âI came to see Mr. Man Bok.â
âDo you have an appointment?â
âAh, are you Mr. Kang Oh?â
It seemed like he had told her about him already.
Kang Oh slightly pulled off his smile mask and showed his face.
âIâll take you to him.â The employee smiled and led him to Man Bokâs room at the topmost floor.
âWelcome,â Man Bok said happily.
âIs business good lately?â
âOf course. Itâs going well. But who are they?â Man Bok stared at Tasha and Sara.
Kang Oh briefly explained who they were.
âAh, is that so? Hello, my name is Man Bok. As you can see, Iâm a merchant.â Man Bok slapped his pudgy stomach.
âItâs a pleasure, haha.â Man Bok gave that good-natured smile of his.
âNow then, letâs talk business,â Kang Oh said.
âHow much is it?â Kang Oh suddenly asked.
âPlease see for yourself.â Man Bok pulled out a shining gold scroll from his inventory.
Kang Oh opened the scroll, his heart pounding all the while.
âHeop.â Kang Oh gaped.
The gold scroll was worth 300,000 gold! In other words, it was worth 900 million won ($900,000 USD).
This was Kang Ohâs share of the profits from Man Bokâs business.
âYes. It was actually 299,000 gold, but I rounded it up to 300,000 for good measure.â Man Bok beamed.
âYou were only open for two months, but you already made this much?â
âIsnât dragon equipment usually expensive? Some of them are worth 10,000 gold. But people canât sell them because thereâs not enough supply.â
Man Bok was raking in the dough, and Kang Oh was profiting off his success.
âHoo, so this is why people start businesses.â
Kang Oh thought heâd made quite a large sum clearing dungeons, but the amount Man Bok gave him was on another level.
âBusiness is risky though. If youâre not careful, then you can lose everything in a single moment.â
There were way more people who fail than succeed in business.
âWeâre at a critical stage. Gold Dragon, which has a monopoly on dragon equipment, has become the continentâs best luxury goods store. We have to further promote this image from now on.â
As expected of Man Bok. He sure was trustworthy.
Kang Oh clasped his hands. âLetâs work together forever!â
âHaha.â Man Bok laughed heartily.
Kang Oh carefully placed the gold scroll into his inventory. Heâd never felt so full before!
As expected, the more money you had, the better.
âBut didnât you have something you needed from me?â Man Bok asked.
âAh, thatâs right!â Kang Oh struck his palm.
âPlease get me some meteorite ore. I searched the auction house, but they didnât have it.â
âMeteorite ore⊠Thatâs not something that you would find in the auction house. After all, itâs something that blacksmiths actively look for.â
Production workers bought rare materials regardless of cost. It was similar to how battle-oriented players bought the best of equipment.
âWill you be able to get it for me?â
âAs expected.â Kang Oh gave him a thumbs up. âYouâre awesome!â
âIâll let you know when I find it.â
Everything was going smoothly.