Chapter 64 – LV.? Mage Troll – [Two]

Seo Yun blinked quietly. She couldn’t understand the troll’s intentions right now.

Why on earth was he saying those things? What did it matter to him whether she became a god or not, that he would even stop time to show interest?

“In the world today, being a god is no longer as attractive a profession as it once was. After the meteorites fell, several gods died. The humans of the Mortal Realm learned then that even gods could die.”

As Seo Yun kept her mouth shut, the troll continued speaking.

“And they thought: if becoming a god doesn’t grant true immortality, what reason is there to abandon all the pleasures of the Mortal Realm and ascend to the Celestial Realm? If one becomes a god without a physical body, they wouldn’t even be able to enjoy the most trivial and vulgar pleasures.

In the old world, the god’s immortality and Authority itself would have been the reward, but not anymore. As I said before, gods die. If one simply wants to live a long life, they could just become an Undead Vampire. So now, everyone knows that if you have the ability to become a god… it’s more enjoyable and safer to stay in this Mortal Realm and wield eternal Authority with that ability.”

Seo Yun thought about the cases where beings with the ability to become a god remained in the Mortal Realm, just as he said.

In the Immortal Kingdom, strength proportional to Level is not a gameplay allowance but an actual setting. The high-Level beings of the Immortal Kingdom are those who have been reborn as transcendent beings surpassing humanity by absorbing the souls of countless powerful monsters through numerous battles.

According to the game’s setting, the formidable Combat Power of high-Level Players isn’t simply due to being experienced and skilled; it’s that their actual bodies and abilities far surpass those of ordinary people. The increase in Ability Scores with a Warrior’s Level Up proves this fact.

And if a being of a Level capable of becoming a god remained in the Mortal Realm instead of ascending to the Celestial Realm, it wouldn’t be difficult for them to be treated like a god. Especially since they even have means to avoid dying of old age, there really was no reason to become a god.

“The Ancient Lich, Champion of Beauty… the Great Khan of the Centaurs and several other infamous Vampire Lords… the Elf Prince and Elf Queen… the Crusaders’ Lifelong Commander-in-Chief… They all have sufficient Divinity and Faith. They could challenge the gods, but they simply choose not to.

In the past, they would have ascended to godhood long ago. But now, they have no intention of occupying the empty Divine Thrones. As I said, it’s because there’s no benefit to becoming a god. Both personally and for the groups they rule.”

All sorts of game settings were flying around. Seo Yun tried her best to understand.

“What do you mean there’s no benefit for the group either?”

“Because the gods of the Celestial Realm can no longer directly intervene in the Mortal Realm. If you leave the Mortal Realm, you might not be able to properly look after the friends and comrades you leave behind. If you are a king, you might not be able to sufficiently care for your people.

So, you could become more miserable after becoming a god. You must be prepared for that misfortune in advance. It would be troublesome if you became a god and then felt deceived. An unhappy god can make even beings in the Mortal Realm unhappy with their resentment.”

Finishing all that explanation, the troll asked.

“So, will you become a god?”

“Well. I haven’t decided yet.”

“That means it’s possible if you want to, right? Correct?”

After thinking for a moment, Seo Yun answered.

“If necessary.”

The troll observed Seo Yun intently. It wasn’t entirely clear because of the mask, but judging by the gaze, that seemed to be the case.

Having finished a brief observation, the troll spoke.

“From what I see, you seem to have a greater potential to become a god than anyone I’ve seen so far.”

Seo Yun guessed he had probably just used a Detection Spell. He didn’t chant a Spell, but for a troll like him, there probably was no need.

Then, he likely judged based on her Race, Ability Scores, Level, etc.

“If you decide to become a god, contact me. I will help you wholeheartedly.”

That seemed to be the troll’s true objective. Seo Yun finally asked the question she had been holding onto.

“Wait a moment. Why would you help me?”

And the troll answered.

“Because this world needs gods.”

“Why?”

“Almost all the misfortune in this world stems from the absence of gods.”

Seo Yun had the same thought she’d had several times during this conversation. What did that mean now?

Instead of explaining, the troll pulled out a book from his backpack. He held it out to her.

As Seo Yun took it absentmindedly, the troll said.

“Take it and read it. You can consider it a kind of prophecy book.”

With those words, the troll seemed to have finished his business.

The troll began walking back to where he had been standing earlier. The position where he had been facing Oh Haengbok and talking. Was he planning to return to his spot before stopping time and act as if nothing happened?

The troll stood there, swept his gaze over the floor a few times, then looked back at Seo Yun and asked.

“Was I standing in this position?”

“A bit further back.”

“Thank you.”

Soon, the stopped time began to flow again. Oh Haengbok, finally able to move, flinched upon seeing the troll in front of him.

“What, why did you suddenly move back?”

Meanwhile, Seo Yun examined the book she had received. A prophecy book?

Looking closely, it didn’t seem to be such a thing. The cover alone had a large title and cover illustration visible.

To anyone, this looked closer to a modern book than a medieval prophecy book. Although the cover was made of parchment and the illustration had a medieval, hand-painted feel…

Indeed, the book was no prophecy book.

Seeing the English written on it, Seo Yun blinked several times.

The cover read: Ascension of the Angel.

Then she looked at the corner of the cover. There, it was also written:

Immortal Kingdom Campaign Book.

Negotiations continued for a while longer afterwards.

The Troll Mage, for some reason, showed eccentric behavior as if he had suddenly Teleported two steps back in the middle of talking, but throughout the trade, he was dignified and didn’t even give the feeling of trying to take excessive profit from the deal.

The prices the troll offered for the items were reasonable from Happy Village’s perspective.

No, they even seemed excessively cheap. That was true even considering that the world was half-ruined and the value of all items had changed.

“You’ll give fifty gold per crate of potatoes?”

In response to Oh Haengbok’s question, the troll nodded.

“To be precise, I’ll give you Magic Items worth that price.”Whether by real-world market standards or in-game market standards, it was something incomprehensible.

Game economies are inherently detached from reality. Especially the prices of magic items are set outrageously high, so even considering the world of Immortal Kingdom where provisions are precious, being able to purchase magic items with just a few crates of potatoes didn’t make sense.

“He’s being incredibly generous, more than I thought…”

“Distribution costs are almost non-existent. If you can move with just one cast of a spell, why charge high prices? So, do you have anything else to sell besides provisions?”

It seemed they believed selling as much as possible was beneficial. Now appearing completely at ease, having even removed his helm, Oh Haengbok scratched his head and asked.

“By any chance, do you buy clothes or miscellaneous goods too?”

“Of course, we buy. Is the quantity large?”

“Considerably.”

Oh Haengbok headed towards a warehouse with the troll.

Seo Yun remembered that the items she had brought from the underground mall she discovered were piled up in that warehouse.

While the troll and orc moved away, Oh Haengun spoke up.

“Seo Yun, it looks like we can sell off all the stuff we brought from the underground mall back then, right? Can we handle selling those ourselves?”

“Please do.”

“Thanks, really! Wow, there was so much that even if the whole village used it, there’d be leftovers, and I was wondering how to dispose of it, but it all has a use now? Anyway, the top contributor’s points will never be caught up with from now on. No wonder she’s the goddess’s chosen one…”

Seo Yun gave a slight nod and headed towards her tent.

Upon entering the tent, she raised one eyebrow.

Gaeulbi was visible, wrapped in a blanket as if trying to hide herself. The girl poked only her face out from the blanket and asked worriedly.

“Did you meet the troll?”

“Just now. It seemed incredibly impressive.”

It truly was impressive. One could even describe it as unnecessarily fantastical. Seo Yun had experienced several shocking events since being born into this body, but the situation just now ranked among the top.

‘They said Epic Level, and it really is…’

How did this chimpanzee escape from that impressive beast tamer? Or, perhaps she believes she escaped, but was she actually released? Lost in doubt, Seo Yun asked.

“But that guy seemed like a good person. Why on earth did you run away?”

Han Siwoo didn’t object to the ‘good person’ assessment, but Gaeulbi did. The girl rolled her eyes.

“He’s not a good person.”

“Why?”

“There’s a reason. Anyway, Seo Yun, you be careful too!”

Seo Yun asked for the reason, but Gaeulbi ultimately didn’t tell her.

The troll left about two hours later.

Oh Haengbok spread out the traded goods on a mat and gathered the Players of Happy Village. Pointing at Seo Yun and Kim Ak’s Party Members, he declared in a hearty voice.

“Our kids, you get to pick first!”

Lee Jongho’s eyes widened.

“Us?”

“Yeah, we couldn’t properly reward you for bringing back all that stuff from Anyang Station last time, right? Since these items are from selling that stuff, you should get first pick! Ah, Seo Yun should take first, okay? Didn’t she bring back half of that stuff alone? Moreover, the merit of going that far and discovering the underground mall in the first place is huge… Is there anyone who opposes?”

In response to Oh Haengbok’s words, the Players gathered here only answered that they had no intention of opposing. In fact, several adult Players looked at Seo Yun with eyes of respect, so Seo Yun had to make an effort to maintain a cool expression.

As Oh Haengbok grinned, Seo Yun looked at the items laid out here.

Mage Oh Haengun had written simple descriptions under the items. Many items looked useful at a glance.

A halberd enchanted with the Sharpness spell… a spear enchanted with a lightning spell… a shock-absorbing shield… items one couldn’t obtain no matter how skilled they were. Just distributing these items roughly among the village Players would significantly enhance their combat strength.

‘Warriors are the class most affected by equipment, and since equipment acquisition wasn’t going well, Kim Jongil, even at Level 7, could be easily defeated by me… Furthermore, just wielding a magic weapon greatly expands the range of monsters one can hunt.’

The other Players also couldn’t take their eyes off the items.

Seo Yun scanned the various items and their descriptions and suddenly asked.

“What about explosive arrows? Even if not those, I asked you to request some kind of magic arrows.”

Oh Haengun answered somewhat awkwardly.

“Well, there weren’t any.”

“Why?”

“The troll said they made a lot of magic arrows as practice for crafting magic items, but they aren’t making them now, and the cost-effectiveness is low so they don’t produce them additionally? They said they could make them if we really wanted, but they’d charge the proper price. And if we bought and shot them at the proper price, we’d have to waste half a crate of potatoes per arrow, which seems a bit difficult, doesn’t it?”

“Then there’s no choice.”

Oh Haengun whispered in a small voice.

“What about Gaeulbi now? She said she can’t hunt without them.”

“I wonder.”

As Seo Yun pondered how to teach farming to the chimpanzee, Oh Haengbok cleared his throat and spoke.

“Couldn’t buy everything we wanted, but the village itself gained tremendously. Especially coal, we could buy a lot of coal. Thinking about it, Korea also has a lot of coal, so we could have obtained it before too. It just didn’t make sense to go far away to get it. Since coal stoves aren’t hard to make or obtain, village life should improve a bit now.”

One Player beamed. He was in a situation where during cold seasons, fire was precious, and he had to huddle with others.

“Then this winter, everyone might be able to light fires in their personal tents?”

“If we can buy coal regularly from now on… That troll bastard, since he handles distribution and selling alone, he could really sell at high prices if he wanted, but the items were all not very expensive.”

“That’s how it seemed to me too.”

Just looking at the magic items and coal laid out here seemed to make them happy. As the Players chuckled, Oh Haengbok suddenly muttered in a serious voice.

“But was that guy really a pushover who gave them cheaply? I can’t figure that out.”

“What do you mean, Sir?””That guy’s proposal wasn’t just about a trade. You know about Dimensional Gates, right? The ones they were planning to build in the neighboring village. He says he wants to build one in our village.”

“You mean the Dimensional Gate that leads to Brittany, France?”

“Yes. He said we don’t all need to move there, just that Players could go in periodically and come back.”

Oh Haengun also chimed in with a serious voice, muttering.

“It seems they’re determined to send Korean Players to foreign lands somehow. What on earth are they thinking?”

“Well, he said there are a lot of Monsters in foreign lands.”

“How many?”

“A ton. Just from the description, it sounded like they’re as plentiful as stray cats and pigeons used to be? He said it would be good if we could go through the Dimensional Gate and hunt them.”

“Why?”

“Well, he said if we defeat Monsters and bring back magic materials, he would buy them, process them, and then make and sell magic items? I suspect he might have some other ulterior motive, but anyway…”

“At least it’s a proposal that benefits us too.”

That was true. Even though it’s summer, Monsters aren’t descending to the southern part of the Korean Peninsula. Because of that, Players in Happy Village have found it difficult to hunt Monsters to earn Experience Points or collect Souls for farming.

In this situation, that Troll essentially proposed sending Players, who are short on Prey, to a ‘hunting ground.’

“But it must be dangerous. That Troll didn’t seem to try to hide it either; he said if we’re going to go through the Dimensional Gate, we should be firmly prepared. He said other lands are much more dangerous than here and survival isn’t guaranteed?”

Seo Yun recalled the Orangutan’s words. ‘Other lands are Hell, and compared to other places, this land is Heaven.’ Oh Haengbok continued speaking.

“So, if we’re going to open the Dimensional Gate, a vanguard should go first to check how dangerous it is… Any volunteers?”