Chapter 158: Even the Absolute Being Is a First-Time Dad
Absolute One Is Also New to Fatherhood #158
Valhalla
This was the palace of the gods, located within the great star cluster of Asgard.
The audience hall.
Upon a massive throne sat a towering, one-eyed old man exuding an imposing presence.
Odin.
Perched on each of his shoulders were the ravens Huginn and Muninn...
With his single remaining eye wide open, he stared down at the goblin before him as if piercing through all truths.
"Raise your head."
At his command, the goblin, who had been prostrating on the floor, cautiously lifted its face.
"You say he has sent an important letter?"
"Y-yes..."
"Good. I must examine it at once."
Overwhelmed by Odin's sheer presence, the goblin approached the throne on trembling legs...
"H-here it is."
Odin stared at the words "You Are Invited" written on the envelope before murmuring softly.
"An invitation."
Having sacrificed an eye to drink from Mímir's Well and gain the "Greatest Wisdom," Odin could decipher any language at first glance.
As Odin read through the letter, all the divine beings gathered in the hall watched him with intense curiosity...
"It's an invitation for Thor."
At those words, Thor's eyes widened.
"An invitation... for me?"
Odin gave a short nod. "Indeed." He continued reading the words inscribed on the invitation.
"You are cordially invited to the birthday celebration of my beloved daughter."
The venue was the banquet hall of the Earth branch, a gathering place for the world's hidden elites, located in Dimension 129—Earth.
"And..."
The date and time were set for May 27th at 6 PM, Earth time, with a request to arrive punctually.
"If you wish to attend the banquet without delay, you should depart immediately..."
The goblin cautiously spoke up, and Thor nodded before replying in a low voice.
"Very well. You shall guide me."
Just then—
"You don't intend to attend the banquet hosted by the 'Savior of Asgard' empty-handed, do you?"
"Eh...?"
"Since you are representing all the gods of Asgard, you must bring a worthy gift."
Heimdall, the guardian of the Bifröst—the rainbow bridge that served as Asgard's gate—chimed in.
"If it were an ordinary banquet, perhaps not. But this is a celebration for the birthday of the daughter he cherishes above all else, no?"
"Then..."
"Given the immense debt we owe him, shouldn't we prepare a gift more precious than any other attendee could offer?"
Thor muttered, "A precious gift..." as his gaze flickered between his most treasured possessions.
Mjölnir.
The first thing that caught his eye was the massive, rugged hammer—Mjölnir.
"This..."
It was an indispensable weapon for him, and it seemed far too excessive for a young human girl.
Járngreipr, the iron gauntlets.
These, too, were absolutely essential.
Without Járngreipr, he couldn't wield Mjölnir properly...
Megingjörð, the belt of strength.
A mystical leather belt that doubled the wearer's strength—but gifting a sweat-stained, salt-marked belt as a birthday present was unthinkable.
"Then... what gift should I prepare?"
Thor looked around at the gods of Asgard with clear distress on his face.
"Bring water from Mímir's Well."
At Odin's suggestion, Thor flinched.
"Father, but..."
To obtain even a few sips of Mímir's Well, known to grant vast knowledge and wisdom, one had to pay a price.
For instance, Odin himself—the king who ruled all of Asgard—had sacrificed an eye to receive its waters...
"If Mímir demands a price this time as well..."
Silence fell over the hall.
"Tell him that the peace he gifted to all of Asgard should be payment enough."
Thus, the gods of Asgard decided to gift Seol a few sips from the well—water that could grant knowledge and wisdom.
"If the Savior of Asgard requires the well's waters, we should gladly offer them."
Contrary to their worries, Mímir, the guardian of the well, readily agreed without demanding any price.
"You will give the water freely?"
"My life, saved by him, is payment enough."
As Mímir poured a small amount of the water into a flask, Thor smirked and wrinkled his brow as if he had expected this.
"Such a meager amount wouldn't even quench thirst."
"Isn't the one drinking it his young daughter?"
Mímir spoke calmly.
"If a child were to gulp down the Well of Wisdom all at once, it could act as poison instead."
Excessive knowledge and wisdom might strip away her childhood innocence.
Thus...
Mímir mixed a few drops of the well's water with rare elixirs and various medicinal herbs.
"Good..."
She would be able to learn any language effortlessly...
And master ten things from being taught just one.
"Here. With this, she'll gain remarkable intelligence upon drinking it."
He declared proudly.
"Our gift from Asgard will undoubtedly be the finest. Attend the banquet with pride and return in good spirits."
Thor's chest swelled with confidence.
Meanwhile, Flower-Fruit Mountain.
"Stone Monkey, we have a problem."
As the Great Sage Equal of Heaven, the Bull Demon King, stared at the invitation, the Great Sage Who Pacifies Heaven immediately questioned him.
"According to the letter from our elder brother, it's his daughter's fourth birthday."
"Stone Monkey, are you so ignorant that you call such an occasion a 'problem'?"
"Stone Monkey, haven't we yet prepared a gift?"
At those words, the Great Sage Who Pacifies Heaven widened his eyes and groaned. "A gift!"
"Though we three brothers share no blood, didn't we swear to die on the same day if need be?"
"Yes, we certainly did."
"To fulfill our duty as sworn brothers, we must prepare a gift grander than any other attendee..."
(For the record, Kang-jun had never made such an oath with them.)
Meanwhile...
The two grew increasingly serious.
"Hey, old-timer."
The Great Sage Who Pacifies Heaven singled out the eldest monkey on Flower-Fruit Mountain.
"What gift would be best?"
The old monkey pondered before answering.
"Isn't food the best gift for children?"
"Food?"
"The young monkeys here eagerly await their birthdays just for the feast..."
The Great Sage pressed further.
"What food do the young monkeys love most?"
After a moment of thought, the old monkey suddenly recalled something and murmured, "Ah..."
"They adore honey rice cakes—made from glutinous and non-glutinous rice, pounded and sweetened with sugar."
"Oh-ho..."
"If we mix in rare herbs found only on Flower-Fruit Mountain and craft them with care, wouldn't that make for a truly precious gift?"
Though human children and monkey offspring weren't the same, he doubted there'd be much difference.
"Good. We shall make honey rice cakes."
The Great Sage Who Pacifies Heaven issued the command...
"Gather the mountain's medicinal herbs."
The monkeys of Flower-Fruit Mountain swiftly began collecting various fruits and rare herbs from the mountain.
Starting with the Polygonum multiflorum, a herb that had grown for over ten thousand years on the steep cliffs...
The Golden Spirit Fruit, the secret behind the monkeys' immense strength...
The White Immortal Peach, a snow-white peach said to be favored by immortals...
And even the Frost Crystal and Flame Crystal, red and blue fruits that enhanced cold and heat resistance.
They considered not just the benefits but also potential side effects, carefully selecting the ingredients.
"If we make rice cakes with all these, she'll never fall ill."
In fact, she wouldn't just avoid illness—she'd enjoy a long, healthy life.
The Great Sage Who Pacifies Heaven packed the herbs into a bundle, tied it securely, and lifted it with his staff.
"Little Bull, let's go at once!"
"Where?"
"To make rice cakes, of course!"
The Bull Demon King hesitated.
"Do you know how to make them?"
The Great Sage replied nonchalantly.
"We'll learn!"
With a nod, the Bull Demon King stood up...
The two rulers of Flower-Fruit Mountain set off without delay.
Their destination: Earth.
They planned to arrive a few days early, seek out a master rice cake maker, learn the craft, and personally prepare the gift.
Meanwhile...
"This is a problem..."
Dibald muttered as he looked down at the shopping bags in his hands after a full day of browsing luxury stores.
"I was so busy indulging in shopping that I forgot to pick a gift for Her Highness's birthday..."
Only now remembering his oversight, he wandered through the backstreets of Yeoksam-dong, deep in thought.
"Hmm..."
As he passed a stationery store, he suddenly stopped.
A group of children had gathered around an arcade machine.
When faced with a problem, consulting experts was the way to go.
He decided to ask the children for advice on birthday gifts.
"Hey, kid."
An elementary schooler looked up sullenly.
"Me?"
"Yes."
"What?"
Dibald tilted his head slightly.
"I have a small question for you."
"What is it?"
"What kind of gifts do you usually give for a friend's birthday?"
One of the children asked in return.
"A close friend?"
Dibald hesitated.
'I want to be close, but our relationship isn't that deep yet...'
He shook his head.
"Not close."
The child immediately replied.
"Then a stationery set."
"A stationery set?"
"Yeah, that's good if you're not close."
So, a stationery set was the way to build a friendship?
"Where do I buy one?"
The child gestured vaguely toward the store.
"They sell them in here."
Dibald purchased a stationery set...
"That'll be 2,000 won."
"Here."
"Cash..."
As he paid, he pondered.
A gift to build friendship costs only 2,000 won? Earth's economy is truly baffling.
Arriving home, he hesitated.
If his lord found out about his shopping spree, he'd be in deep trouble.
"Creation. Space. Preservation."
With a few quick incantations, he conjured a pocket dimension...
And stored both his shopping bags and the stationery set inside before sealing it away.
"Good..."
Just as he stepped inside—
"Did you buy a gift?"
Kang-jun, dressed and ready to leave, asked quietly.
Dibald flinched and stammered.
"Y-yes, I consulted experts and prepared an excellent gift..."
Kang-jun raised an eyebrow. "Oh? Really?" Then his expression hardened.
"How impressive is it?"
"Well..."
"You spent billions, didn't you?"
He pressed further.
"Show me this billion-won gift."
Kang-jun beckoned him closer.
"Bring it out."
"Uh, well..."
"I said bring it."
Dibald reluctantly chanted the incantation again...
"Open..."
As the pocket dimension appeared, he reached inside and pulled out the stationery set.
"A stationery set?"
"Y-yes..."
"You spent billions on a stationery set?"
Kang-jun stared at the box, where the words "2,000 WON" were printed boldly, fueling his anger.
"I started school at eight. If I had a hundred friends back then, only a handful remain now."
"Huh?"
"You know how I got here? By cutting off anyone who gave me a stationery set for my birthday."
With that, Kang-jun stepped into the pocket dimension Dibald had created...
"My lord...?"
A moment later, a hand reached out, grabbed Dibald, and dragged him inside.
"Tsk."
Crabsley, who had been silently watching, shook his head.
"Even a few million was hard to handle, but..."
He muttered again.
"Lord Dibald will have to repay billions with his body. We may never see him again."
Clicking his tongue, he picked up the abandoned stationery set.
"Well, if not for him, I might've suffered instead."
He headed back to the store for a refund, his steps light.
"What can you do, Lord Dibald?"
"The living must live on..."
Everyone was busy preparing for Seol's birthday.