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HELHEIM SCANS
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Chapter 72: Soul Smuggling
As soon as the call connected, Loki's face appeared.
Unlike his usual confident demeanor, he seemed flustered.
[I can’t find Kim Sejun anywhere. If he’s already dead, there should at least be a trace of his soul, but there’s nothing. It’s strange.]
"Is it because Heimdall’s authority isn’t sufficient...?"
[Loki: "What are you talking about? If that idiot’s authority wasn’t enough, I’d have been caught every single time. I’ve already searched multiple times."]
Loki firmly denied it, looking as if he couldn’t believe what he was hearing.
[Your father isn’t even at the level of a deity, so there’s no way he’d escape Heimdall’s sight. I’ve thought of three possibilities.]
"What are they?"
[First, his soul has been completely destroyed. That means his existence is completely erased, so he wouldn’t show up in any search. But there’s no one on Earth capable of doing that—except maybe you, with your soul energy emission.]
"That’s not something I’d do... so what’s the next possibility?"
[Second, he might be on another planet. Third, if a deity used an SSS-level concealment skill on him, Heimdall wouldn’t be able to find him. But why would anyone bother concealing a single human soul?]
Seriously, where did he go?
This was so absurd that I even started wondering if Loki was lying to me.
Isn’t he the god of trickery?
"Hey, you’re not scamming me or holding my dad’s soul hostage, are you?"
[Wow. I’m a deity, okay? Sure, I’m the god of trickery, but why would I scam someone over a single human soul? I swear I’m not lying.]
Loki jumped in protest.
He seemed sincere.
"Hmm…"
[If we were holding him, we’d have given you his soul already and taken all 12 seats as payment. Why would we bother with just one human soul?]
"Aphrodite and others keep trying to get offspring from me. Isn’t it possible that someone would target my father for soul-related research?"
[That might work for offspring, but it doesn’t apply to parents. We’ve experimented on that multiple times to confirm it.]
It didn’t seem like a lie.
What the heck.
Where did he go?
"Could it be that my father’s name was a pseudonym all along?"
[Nope. Heimdall reads genetic and soul wavelengths to search. Even if the name were fake, he’d still be found. For now, Heimdall says he’ll expand the search range to the solar system.]
"Alright. Thanks... I’ll give you three seats as a mediator fee. Decide who’ll take them and let me know."
Those three seats were ones I had already considered neutral, so I handed them over as a gesture to encourage a more thorough search.
[Alright. I’ll bring good news.]
With that, Loki ended the call.
Sigh.
Frustrated, I pulled out the strategy guide.
Was there any new content after clearing the Kevrian challenge?
To my surprise, the guide’s contents had updated.
[Did I actually beat Kevrian? Or am I facing another end of the world? Did I get the fragment of Chronos? I’m curious... From here on, I don’t know either. The five Lords that descended on Earth are too strong for me to gather any information. But the note I left behind... Check it again at level 200.]
That was the end of the strategy guide.
It seemed there would be no more updates.
Hmm.
A note?
When I pulled it out, it was still covered in unreadable characters, just like before.
I also took out the mysterious black rod that I couldn’t figure out before.
It didn’t react either.
Should I have asked Loki about this, too?
Hmm... No, better not trust him too much.
For now, I decided to hold onto it until I reached A-rank.
"Hey, I’m heading out now."
Lee Jinseong, who had been treating my house like his own for the past week, drinking endlessly, stood there in a dress shirt.
He even brought clothes from his place to hang out here.
"Ah. Alright."
"Looks like my vacation is over. The guild’s calling me back for a discussion on clearing a C-rank dungeon."
"Hmm… Alright. Before you go, take this."
I took out the Orb of Replication that Loki had given me and used it.
A bracelet with a blue gemstone embedded in it materialized in my hand.
[Temporary B-Rank Weapon Summoning Bracelet]
[A bracelet that can summon a B-rank weapon. The weapon type is automatically selected based on the user’s most desired melee weapon.]
I also had an A-rank item from Hermes that was similar to Loki’s.
[Orb of Replication – Leonidas’s Armor]
[Rank: A]
[Replicates the armor of Leonidas, King of Sparta, at one rank lower. The replicated armor disappears after one month. The number of replications depends on the user’s mana, with a maximum of 100.]
I thought Leonidas fought in just a loincloth, but it turned out he wore full armor.
I mean, if it were just a loincloth, how would he survive arrows?
Replicating this also created a bracelet with a blue gemstone.
"Whoa, what’s this?"
"It’s a special gift from me. A B-rank weapon and armor."
"Whoa! I’ll serve you as my master!"
"Ah. But they’ll disappear in a month."
"Eh, still, thanks! Let me try it out."
Jinseong took the bracelet and summoned a weapon.
With a flash of light, his appearance changed.
He now stood in golden armor, holding the Green Dragon Crescent Blade.
He jumped in front of a mirror, ecstatic.
"Wow. This is amazing! Are you sure I can have this?"
"Yeah. I can replicate up to 100, so I gave you one. Take good care of it."
"Yay~"
Jinseong exaggeratedly bowed to me, speaking in a courtier-like tone.
Then, after removing the gear, his eyes lit up.
"Hey, what if we start a weapon rental business with this?"
"A weapon rental business?"
"Yeah. I’ve never even heard of B-rank gear. High-ranking guilds would probably rent it no matter the cost."
"That's not bad. I’ll have to think about it."
Sounds just like Loki.
I really need to do this.
Leveling up the top guilds quickly and earning money at the same time—two birds with one stone.
If they rent weapons, they'll hunt hard just to make the most of it.
Hmm, but managing it myself sounds like a hassle...
I should call our secretary.
[Oh my, Jiho. I saw the news. You looked great in that suit!]
“Thank you. Everything’s been moving so fast, I hardly had time to catch my breath.”
As soon as I called, Kang Shia hit me with a compliment.
When I brought up weapon rentals, she got excited and immediately suggested we meet.
[Have you had lunch? Let’s talk over a meal. I’ll send a car.]
“Oh. Sure.”
I lazed around for about 30 minutes, chuckling while watching the news featuring me.
Even after a week, the Kim Jiho news kept rolling in.
They kept showing shots of presidents bowing their heads to me.
When that segment ended, they brought in experts for interviews.
[Just how significant is Hunter Kim Jiho’s influence?]
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HELHEIM SCANS
[Translator - Night]
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[Now that the elves have retreated, the only one capable of handling B-rank dungeons is Hunter Kim Jiho. Thanks to him, many hunters have leveled up, but the highest level is still only 64. Without Hunter Kim Jiho, B-rank dungeons simply cannot be cleared.]
[So, without Hunter Kim Jiho, it’s impossible? He’s the only one in the world?]
[Yes. Monsters from lower-rank dungeons can be subdued with modern weapons, but monsters from higher-rank dungeons can turn ethereal. At that point, modern weapons are useless. Also, as you can see from the expedition footage, attacks don’t land effectively if there’s a level disparity. If the B-rank dungeon portals remain open, B-rank monsters will spill out, and there’ll be no one to stop them.]
The hunter industry expert passionately explained the potential damage B-rank monsters could cause.
A charming anchor added exclamations, visibly impressed.
It was both cringy and amusing.
[The Kim Jiho phenomenon around the globe?]
Kids were running around cosplaying as me in Hephaestus armor from Olympus.
In one country, they were even worshiping me as a god and placing my figure at a shrine meant for the Olympian gods.
Oh, come on... why there, of all places?
Anyway, since it’s all about me, watching the news has become pretty entertaining.
Still, I guess I’ll need to use polymorph magic when I go outside.
I was so engrossed in my news segments that I lost track of time.
When the call came saying the car had arrived, I hurriedly got dressed, polymorphed, and headed to the parking lot to get in.
And then we arrived at the restaurant.
The restaurant was a fancy one with private rooms, but unlike last time, I didn’t feel nervous.
I’ve been treated like royalty enough times now to get used to it.
“You’re here?”
Kang Shia greeted me, dressed in a figure-hugging gown.
We shared a meal before diving into the topic of weapon rentals.
“Renting out B-rank weapons and armor? That’s a great idea. Jiho, are you looking to profit from this, or...?”
“Money? I get plenty through sponsorships.”
“I see. But we’re getting swamped with inquiries. People are desperate to find out how to support you. Some even deposit money into my account, begging me to pass it on to you.”
She handed me a neatly organized list.
From famous American corporations to Korea’s conglomerates, everyone was scrambling to get close to me.
“Wow. I’ve been away from Earth so much, I had no idea this was happening.”
“What should we do?”
“If they’re offering, we might as well take it.”
“Should I handle it or tell them to send it directly?”
“Hmm. Just organize it and send it to me.”
Managing money isn’t as important as managing SP.
“Well, since money isn’t an issue, I’d like to focus weapon rentals on areas with many high-level hunters.”
“High-level hunters?”
“Yes. I’m curious to see if, at a certain level, they can clear C-rank dungeons without fatalities, even without B-rank weapons. Let’s charge a reasonable fee and help them level up.”
“If I were in your position, I’d hesitate to do that. It’s not ideal to help competitors rise. You have such a generous heart.”
Generous?
Not really.
The faster hunters level up, the more experience points they’ll offer me.
I kept my thoughts to myself and leisurely sipped my coffee.
“So, we’ll limit rentals to high levels and distribute them fairly among the guilds. We’ll charge a reasonable price...”
Kang Shia pulled out her phone and started calculating.
“Let’s set the minimum monthly rental fee for high-level hunters at 5 billion won. Including armor, that’d be 10 billion.”
“Five billion?”
“Yes. It’s cheap, but it’s meant to increase accessibility.”
So, with 100 sets, that’s 1 trillion won a month?
It sounded like a lot, but I felt strangely indifferent.
It’s like money doesn’t mean much anymore.
I don’t even know how much is in my account; I just care about my SP count.
“Hmm. Should we set up a company for distribution?”
“Ugh. Too much hassle. I’d prefer to handle it through the Hunter Association and pay them a commission.”
“Oh, come on. Who would dare charge Jiho a commission? They should be paying you! I’ll contact the association.”
She sipped her coffee, and I started to feel a bit guilty for making her handle everything.
“I feel bad dumping all this work on you. Should I offer you an incentive?”
“Haha. Jiho, being your representative is an honor—I should be paying you. If you really feel guilty, then maybe lend me some gear?”
“Planning to challenge a C-rank dungeon? You know death there is permanent, right?”
“Yes. Even though peace has supposedly returned, I feel the need to get stronger. I can’t shake the memories of being helpless against regular monsters in the shattered world.”
Her fiery determination made me reflect on myself.
Hearing people call me the strongest on Earth had made me complacent lately.
Even if I can’t be overtaken, given how much experience points others feed me as they grow, I shouldn’t slack off.
Plus, I still don’t fully understand what the gods are plotting.
Back home, I checked my status screen.
It’s been a week since I returned to Earth.
With Hermes sending me 100,000 SP daily and the SP earned through soul mediation, I now had 720,000 SP.
I was earning so much more through mediation than reaping.
I should upgrade my soul mediation skill.
[Would you like to upgrade the Soul Mediation skill? 100,000 SP will be used.]
Yes.
[Would you like to upgrade the Soul Mediation skill? 500,000 SP will be used.]
Yes.
I immediately confirmed both upgrades, raising Soul Mediation to Level 5.
At Level 1, I could manage 3 souls, Level 2 allowed 6, and Level 3 handled 12.
I expected it to jump to 24 or 48, but the results were disappointing.
[Soul Mediation Skill has been upgraded to Level 4. One additional soul slot has been unlocked. The range of soul mediation has increased.]
[Soul Mediation Skill has been upgraded to Level 5. One additional soul slot has been unlocked. The range of soul mediation has increased.]
Seriously?
Only one extra slot per level?
I just dumped 650,000 SP into this!
But my anger disappeared when I saw the next message.
[Soul Mediation Skill has reached Level 5. You can now mediate souls with gods from other planets.]
[At Level 7, the skill ‘Smuggling’ will become available.]
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HELHEIM SCANS
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