Dungeon Predator (WN)

The purple veil, and by extension, Deborah's silhouette, was slowly disappearing. However, Kang Oh's sudden cry caused it to reopen in its entirety.

"What's the matter?" the Goddess of Death asked. Her voice was as stern as ever.

"I have been thinking of a way to reduce the risk of having the God of Creation's sources stolen, while also using them to lure in the Mayanes."

"And?"

"I would like to ask you a few questions. Can the God of Creation's sources be duplicated or faked?"

That was Kang Oh's first method of persuading Deborah.

"No, 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."

'As expected.'

If it had been possible, then Deborah or Gainus would've done it already.

"The Mayanes need exactly five sources to become demigods, correct?" Kang Oh asked.

"That's right."

"What if they don't have five? What if they have four and a half?"

Deborah knew what he was trying to say. "...You want to split the sources in half?"

"That's right. The sources are already fragmented, so I assume that splitting them is possible."

This was what Kang Oh thought of. Splitting the God of Creation's sources!

"If the God of Creation's sources can be split, and the Mayanes cannot become demigods with an incomplete source, then... Wouldn't using the split source as bait be worth a try?"

Although he'd said his fill, Deborah said nothing in return. Silence permeated the room for some time.

'It's not a bad idea.'

Deborah remained quiet, not yet refusing his request. She was clearly weighing her options.

At some point, the purple veil glimmered.

"Kang Oh," Deborah finally said.

"Yes?"

"Splitting the sources is possible. And the Mayanes cannot become demigods with half a source. In order to become demigods, they need five complete sources."

"Then?" Kang Oh's face brightened. Deborah seemed to be in favor of his plan.

"I accept your request."

"Thank you!" Kang Oh bowed deeply. 'Oh, yeah!'

"However, I have a task for you."

"What kind of task?"

"Only 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."

Then, a quest popped up.

[Split the God of Creation's Source]

Meet the Blacksmith God, Orgon, and ask him to split the God of Creation's source for you.

Orgon's temple is located on Mt. Helver, the highest peak of the Phamas Mountains.

Mt. Helver is extremely dangerous, so please prepare accordingly!

Difficulty: Very Hard.

Minimum Requirements: Kang Oh.

Reward: God of Creation's Half Source.

Failure: Reduced credibility, and the Goddess of Death will no longer accept your requests.

'Mt. Helver...'

The Phamas Mountains were the largest mountain range in the continent, and Mt. Helver was located at the very top.

Plus...!

It was one of the most dangerous places in Arth, like Despia, the Devil's Sea, the Great Forest's central region, etc.

'No players have gotten to the top of Mt. Helver yet.'

It wouldn't be easy for him to get to the top. However, it was worth a shot.

"Understood."

[The quest has been accepted.]

"Head to the temple by yourself," Deborah said.

"May I ask why?"

"You need a certain title to enter the temple. Helver Conqueror. In order to obtain this title, you must climb the mountain by yourself."

"I see. Is there anything else I should be aware of?" Kang Oh asked respectfully.

"Orgon doesn't work for free. Bring him a gift that'll satisfy him."

"What kind of gift should I bring him?"

"Ask the dwarves."

The dwarves, blacksmiths, and other production workers worshipped Orgon.

"Understood."

Whir.

A silver glowing object flew over to Kang Oh from Deborah's silhouette.

Kang Oh thought she'd give him the God of Creation's source. However, it looked completely different from it, which resembled a twinkling star in the night sky.

It was a black ring.

'Deborah's symbol!'

It was the same symbol that was painted on every single house in Latnia City.

"This will allow you to call me. When Orgon agrees to help you, use this to call me. That's when I'll give you the source."

"Yes, my lady."

"Now, begone. This is no place for humans."

"We'll leave immediately."

The goddess's silhouette disappeared, followed by the purple veil.

Only then did his quiet teammates begin to speak.

"Hoo."

"Are we finished now?"

"Let's go back, Mr. Kang Oh."

Cerberus Rakio growled at Kang Oh's party. However, it didn't attack them again.

Kang Oh's party ignored it and left the dungeon. What a relief.

* * *

Kang Oh came to the Black Hammer Dwarves' 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.

"Have you been well?" Randelhoff asked.

"Yes. Has anything happened as of late?"

The Dwarven Chieftain shook his head.

"I'd like to ask you something."

"What is it?"

"What kind of gift would the Blacksmith God, Orgon, like?"

"A gift that Orgon would like?"

"Yes."

"Why are you asking me that?"

"I have to ask Orgon a favor. But I can't go empty-handed, now can I?"

"Are you going to climb Mt. Helver?"

Like all dwarves, the Black Hammer Dwarves' home was the Phamas Mountains. Obviously, they knew all about Mt. Helver.

"Yes."

"It's a dangerous place, but I suppose you'll be fine. Anyhow, a gift for Orgon..." Randelhoff stroked his beard and stared at Book.

"Orgon likes rare metals," Book said.

"Metals like adamantium or mithril?"

"No, metals that are even rarer. After all, Orgon possesses every metal that can be found in the continent."

Orgon wasn't called the Blacksmith God for no reason!

"A metal rarer than adamantium or mithril?" Kang Oh asked.

"Yes."

"What is it?"

"A metal that falls from the sky." Book pointed a finger at the sky.

Kang Oh tilted his head. 'What are you talking about?'

"He's referring to a meteorite," Randelhoff said.

"Aha." Kang Oh tapped his palm with a fist.

"Some meteorites are mixed with ore. That'll be an appropriate gift for Orgon."

"Thank you for telling me. Hehe." Kang Oh bowed his head and rubbed his hands together. "...So do you have any on you?"

* * *

"Tch."

Unfortunately, the Black Hammer Dwarves didn't 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.

"Uwah."

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 one's clothes too. Players all wore different equipment.

Thus, Tasha's red dress or Sara's white fur clothes didn't draw much attention. They were like two stars in the entire galaxy.

Of course, it wasn't like they didn't 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 Oh's sleeve.

"What's the matter?"

"That." Sara pointed at a shop selling chicken skewers. The smell of its seasoning stimulated her appetite. "I want to try it."

Sara stared at him passionately.

"Me too," Tasha said, thinking this was the best time to butt in.

"Wait a sec." Kang Oh bought two chicken skewers, which were more than 30 centimeters long, and passed them to the two ladies.

"Thanks."

They ate it immediately. The two were quite gluttonous.

Sara's 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, "No more!"

"Bad human."

"How cheap."

Kang Oh flat out ignored them and walked quickly.

Sometime later...

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.

"Welcome, customers." One of Gold Dragon's female employees greeted them.

"I came to see Mr. Man Bok."

"Do you have an appointment?"

"Yes."

"Ah, are you Mr. Kang Oh?"

It seemed like he had told her about him already.

Kang Oh slightly pulled off his smile mask and showed his face.

"I'll take you to him." The employee smiled and led him to Man Bok's room at the topmost floor.

"Welcome," Man Bok said happily.

"Is business good lately?"

"Of course. It's going well. But who are they?" Man Bok stared at Tasha and Sara.

Kang Oh briefly explained who they were.

"Ah, is that so? Hello, my name is Man Bok. As you can see, I'm a merchant." Man Bok slapped his pudgy stomach.

"Sara."

"Tasha."

"It's a pleasure, haha." Man Bok gave that good-natured smile of his.

"Now then, let's talk business," Kang Oh said.

"Yes."

"How much is it?" Kang Oh suddenly asked.

"Please see for yourself." Man Bok pulled out a shining gold scroll from his inventory.

Kang Oh opened the scroll, his heart pounding all the while.

"Heop." Kang Oh gaped.

The gold scroll was worth 300,000 gold! In other words, it was worth 900 million won ($900,000 USD).

"I-Is this real?"

This was Kang Oh's share of the profits from Man Bok's business.

"Yes. It was actually 299,000 gold, but I rounded it up to 300,000 for good measure." Man Bok beamed.

"You were only open for two months, but you already made this much?"

"Isn't dragon equipment usually expensive? Some of them are worth 10,000 gold. But people can't sell them because there's not enough supply."

Man Bok was raking in the dough, and Kang Oh was profiting off his success.

"Hoo, so this is why people start businesses."

Kang Oh thought he'd made quite a large sum clearing dungeons, but the amount Man Bok gave him was on another level.

"Business is risky though. If you're not careful, then you can lose everything in a single moment."

"Indeed."

There were way more people who fail than succeed in business.

"We're at a critical stage. Gold Dragon, which has a monopoly on dragon equipment, has become the continent's best luxury goods store. We have to further promote this image from now on."

As expected of Man Bok. He sure was trustworthy.

Kang Oh clasped his hands. "Let's work together forever!"

"Haha." Man Bok laughed heartily.

Kang Oh carefully placed the gold scroll into his inventory. He'd never felt so full before!

As expected, the more money you had, the better.

"But didn't you have something you needed from me?" Man Bok asked.

'Ah, that's right!' Kang Oh struck his palm.

"Please get me some meteorite ore. I searched the auction house, but they didn't have it."

"Meteorite ore... That's not something that you would find in the auction house. After all, it's something that blacksmiths actively look for."

Production workers bought rare materials regardless of cost. It was similar to how battle-oriented players bought the best of equipment.

"Will you be able to get it for me?"

"Of course."

"As expected." Kang Oh gave him a thumbs up. 'You're awesome!'

"I'll let you know when I find it."

"Thank you."

Everything was going smoothly.