Chapter 143: Even the Absolute Being Is a First-Time Dad
Absolute Dad 143
At last, the war had ended.
"WAAAAAAAAAAH—!"
As with any battlefield, the survivors roared with unbridled triumph, their voices raw with victory.
The frenzied soldiers of 'Einherjar' trampled over the corpses of their fallen enemies. Even with no more foes left to cut down, they still gripped their swords tightly, howling like beasts.
『 The primary narrative of Gi, "Ragnarök," has reached its conclusion. 』
『 The apocalypse foretelling the fall of the Asgardian deities... 』
『 Has astonishingly transformed into a radiant and sacred myth of protection. 』
Fenrir wept for his father.
"Whimper! Whimper! Whimper!"
Sköll and Hati, too, joined in mournful howls.
The blood-red moon returned to its original hue.
Kang-jun's melted flesh and muscles regenerated.
Thud!
Odin, clad in blood-soaked armor, stood gripping his divine spear, Gungnir, which had been driven deep into the earth. He muttered under his breath.
"We have finally stopped it..."
Then, he let out a quiet laugh.
"We've stopped the predetermined day of destruction for the star cluster..."
Across the land of Muspelheim, where rivers of molten lava and sulfur flowed through cracked earth, the corpses of enemies lay scattered.
"We are victorious—!"
His declaration was met with thunderous cheers.
"WAAAAAAAAAAH!"
Amidst the celebration, Thor abruptly tossed Mjölnir aside and approached Crabsley, personally helping him to his feet.
Though Thor himself was in no better shape—his body riddled with countless deep and shallow stab wounds beyond measure. He had insisted on leading the charge, standing at the forefront, fiercely battling the Outer Entities.
"Can you stand?"
"Yes..."
"Truly valiant."
The Great Sage and the Equal of Heaven bickered as usual.
"Let's tally who won the bet, shall we?"
"Oh, come now, is there really a need for that?"
"Well, even a rough estimate would confirm my victory."
Kang-jun stepped forward, leaving the others behind.
He walked slowly, surveying the battlefield.
『 At the center of that battlefield... 』
He came to a halt and looked up at the sky.
『 '■■■' stood. 』
The crimson moon gradually faded.
Dawn approached.
A violet sunrise painted the heavens.
『 At last. 』
Everyone looked up at the sky.
Drunk on victory...
They gazed upon the vast expanse.
『 The world has transitioned into the next word: Ascension. 』
Then, in the next moment—
Ding!
Ding!
Ding!
A flurry of system messages flooded Kang-jun's vision.
[ Contribution tally for reward distribution has begun.]
[ Contribution tally for reward distribution has been completed.]
Soon after—
[ The results of the contribution tally for reward distribution have been announced.]
[ The deity who contributed the most is the unaffiliated '■■■'.]
[ Rewards will be distributed accordingly based on the tally results.]
An immense surge of divine power began seeping into Kang-jun's body, and the enemy corpses littering the ground vanished into nothingness.
Even now, Kang-jun could keenly feel his own presence growing ever larger with the passage of time...
Ding!
And yet, more rewards followed.
[ You have achieved a feat once deemed impossible.]
[ A new title, The One Who Changed the End of the Apocalypse (EX-Grade), has been granted.]
The One Who Changed the End of the Apocalypse
- Grade: EX
- Effect: From now on, deities of the Asgard Star Cluster will hold deep trust in you and extend permanent goodwill.
Kang-jun skimmed through the details of the sudden title before glancing back.
"The deities of the great Asgard Star Cluster swear this day—we shall forever remember and engrave in our hearts the grace you have shown us."
Odin, the first to express gratitude, bowed his head.
"Thank you."
One after another, the other deities followed suit, bowing deeply.
"No need for thanks."
"However..."
"I did it for myself."
Despite Kang-jun's blunt response, Odin remained undeterred, steadfastly continuing.
"Should the day come when you find yourself in peril, every deity of Asgard will rush to your aid as if it were our own cause."
Then, another Ding! rang out chaotically in his ears as more system messages appeared before him—
[Hidden Piece: The Master of the World's Core Word, Ascension.]
[ You have fulfilled all conditions to obtain the core word Ascension. ]
[ The narrative carried over from the previous word will now unfold vigorously... ]
[ You must advance with even greater determination for the next word. ]
A series of cryptic system messages followed—
[ Ragnarök has concluded. ]
[ This dimension will soon vanish. ]
Kang-jun shook his head a few times to steady himself, then surveyed everyone before speaking softly.
"It's time to return."
Then he added—
"If fate allows, we'll meet again."
Kang-jun responded quietly to the words of Odin and the other Asgardian deities.
"I swear upon the achievements and narratives I've built—I will not forget this kindness."
"If ever you require our aid, come to the star cluster at any time."
Kang-jun gave a brief, "Thank you," before Thor approached, clasping his hands firmly and adding in his usual cheerful tone—
"I'll come visit again soon."
"Well..."
"Just make sure to pay for the carriage fare next time."
Next, the Great Sage and the Equal of Heaven approached.
"Brother, we too shall soon determine who is the elder and who is the younger before paying you another visit."
"Though, if I had to guess, I'll likely be the 'elder' and this stone monkey will be the 'younger'..."
"Ohoho, what nonsense are you spouting? I will be the elder, and you, little monkey, will be the younger."
Kang-jun waved them off dismissively.
"Sort it out yourselves."
Then, he added quietly—
"Thank you, regardless."
At that, the two deities immediately started another bet.
"A race to see who reaches Flower-Fruit Mountain first!"
"You, slowpoke, dare challenge me in speed?"
"The stone monkey is desperate to avoid defeat!"
And so, the two deities departed...
"Thank you for your help."
Next, Kang-jun gently stroked Ouroboros in gratitude.
『 The mightiest serpent in the world, Ouroboros, is pleased. 』
Then, he turned to Fenrir and his two children.
Once his enemies, now his allies.
It was the Lunar Eclipse they had brought forth that secured their victory.
So, he had no intention of dwelling on past grudges.
"You've worked hard too."
The three giant wolves howled in response.
『 The three wolves of the Asgard Star Cluster pledge their loyalty to '■■■'. 』
『 They swear to summon the Lunar Eclipse whenever he is in need. 』
Kang-jun gave a quiet, "Good," before the three wolves promptly departed the dimension of Muspelheim.
"Let's go."
Just as Kang-jun moved to support Crabsley—
Ding!
More system messages appeared before him.
[ All conditions have been met. The 'lock' on the level system has begun to lift. ]
[ Condition: Complete the altered narrative of the Asgard Star Cluster. ]
The content immediately caught Kang-jun's attention.
[ Your level has increased. ]
After being stagnant for so long, his level finally rose, and a long-awaited system message appeared.
[ Having reached level 60, you may now summon a new vassal. ]
This meant he could now summon one of the five Imperial Ministers who had governed the core departments of the Anux Imperial Court.
"Lord Crabsley."
At Kang-jun's call, Crabsley—still supported by Thor—painfully made his way over.
"You summoned me?"
Kang-jun spoke quietly.
"I can now summon a new 'Imperial Minister.'"
"Then..."
"We should prepare to welcome an old comrade."
As soon as those words left his lips, a massive rift began forming in the air before them—
Crack... crackle...
Crabsley, clutching his heavily bleeding wounds with one hand, asked with barely contained anticipation—
"Who will be arriving?"
"I don't know yet."
"Is there someone you hope for?"
Kang-jun answered shortly.
"Nazgul."
He wished to summon Nazgul.
"I share the same hope, Your Majesty."
Nazgul, who had served as the head of the Imperial Military Department, was among the most reliable and capable of the five ministers.
"Well, at the very least..."
Kang-jun muttered under his breath.
"Just not that guy."
"By 'that guy,' you mean..."
"You know, the walking disaster?"
Crabsley sighed.
"Indeed, if he were to arrive in the Earth dimension, the havoc he'd wreak is beyond imagination..."
Just then, the rift before them began expanding uncontrollably—
Whoooooosh!
A torrent of magical energy surged forth as a man stepped out from beyond the rift—
Dressed neatly in a pitch-black robe, his hood pulled low over his face...
The moment his foot touched the ground, he immediately dropped to his knees in a deep bow, shouting with fervor—
"M-My liege—!"
As he lifted his head, the hood slipped off naturally—
Swoosh...
Revealing the face of a young man with deathly pale skin and strikingly red lips.
"Dibald, Minister of the Magic Department, greets his liege..."
The youth, who looked like a sickly pretty boy, was one of the five Imperial Ministers who had overseen the Magic Department of the Anux Imperial Court.
Kang-jun and Crabsley exchanged a glance before muttering under their breaths.
"My liege, it seems we've hit the dud."
"Yeah... a real dud."
"Of all people, it had to be him."
Dibald blinked in confusion.
"A dud?"
Then, with tears welling in his eyes, he cried out—
"I just wanted to see you again—!"
He immediately bowed his head once more—
"Sigh."
Kang-jun pressed a hand to his throbbing forehead and exhaled a long, weary sigh.
'Of all people, Dibald...'
No matter what...
What they had fought so desperately to protect—
Their ordinary lives.
It was time to return.