Chapter 50: Even the Absolute Being Is a First-Time Dad
Absolute Dad 50
Kang-jun's gaze fell upon his own palm.
"What in the world just happened..."
No sooner had he snapped the neck of 'Amanda'—the casino dealer who had approached him in disguise—than three goddesses from the Asgard Star Cluster appeared before him.
Divine beings known as the Nornir, the three sisters who governed the fate of Yggdrasil.
The only reason Kang-jun could immediately recognize them as "gods" was thanks to the title he had acquired after defeating Aldebaran.
[ Title: Godslayer (EX-grade) effect activated! ]
[ You will never cower before any deity. ]
And from there...
[ You have been designated as Earth's 'Guardian Deity'. ]
[ The mythos of Guardian Deity '■■■' has begun to be written. ]
Suddenly, a series of system messages appeared—messages whose meaning he couldn't begin to fathom—followed by a sequence of utterly incomprehensible events.
'My body moved on its own...'
As if his flesh had completely escaped the control of his consciousness, his body moved autonomously and tore the three goddesses apart in an instant.
'At that moment...'
A story unfolded before him.
「 ■■■, who had fought against his own destiny, barely managed to return to his home dimension, Earth. 」
「 With the sole conviction to protect the peace before his eyes, he ultimately ascended to godhood... 」
「 And proceeded to tear apart the three goddesses of fate—Skuld, Verdandi, and Urd—one after another. 」
「 Though he had now made the entire Asgard Star Cluster his enemy, he showed not the slightest concern. 」
「 Unaware of the trials that lay ahead... 」
「 ■■■ remained content with the 'temporary peace' he had successfully preserved. 」
It was a grandiose, almost mythical tale.
And yet...
This was a story about Kang-jun himself.
"Mythos writing..."
When he had asked Aldebaran, How did you become a god?, the answer had been clear:
Through achievements and narrative.
If accumulated achievements and narratives began to be recorded as myths, could the figure at their center also ascend to godhood?
"A god..."
The system message clearly stated that he had become a deity, yet nothing about him felt different.
Aldebaran had spoken as if he had realized something profound during his own ascension...
But Kang-jun had gained no new epiphanies, nor had he acquired any overwhelming power.
He had undoubtedly become a god.
His divine power had increased...
But that seemed to be all there was to it.
He still had no idea how to wield this power.
"Status window."
At Kang-jun's quiet utterance, a translucent window appeared with a ding!
[ Divine Name: The God Who Slays Gods ]
[ True Name: Lee Kang-jun (■■■) ]
[ Star Cluster: Unaffiliated ]
[ Class: Necromancer ]
[ Level: 48 ]
[ Titles: Fate Denier (EX), Godslayer (EX), Ultimate Necromancer (SS), Demon Slayer (SS), Dragon Slayer (S), Plunderer of the World Tree (S)... ]
[ Strength: ??? ]
[ Agility: ??? ]
[ Stamina: ??? ]
[ Magic Power: ??? ]
[ Divine Power: ??? ]
[ Bound Vassals: 2 ]
[ 1. Chartia von de Crabsley ]
[ 2. Sudu Ru Mardian Iriel ]
[ A new vassal summoning slot will unlock when this player reaches Level 60. ]
[ Divine Abilities ]
[ 1. Mythos Writing ]
[ Additional abilities will unlock as you absorb more divine power. ]
He hadn't paid much attention to his status window before, so he couldn't pinpoint exactly what had changed...
But it had changed.
And more importantly...
He now understood the path forward.
"When I reach Level 60, a new vassal summoning slot will unlock..."
Most likely, once he hit Level 60, he would be able to summon one of the remaining five Great Deities he had formed contracts with.
"First, I need to level up."
And then...
"Divine abilities..."
Right now, the only ability he had was [Mythos Writing], whose usage he couldn't even begin to grasp.
Furthermore...
His status window implied that he would only gain new abilities by absorbing more divine power.
"Complicated."
He didn't fully understand any of it, but...
"The God Who Slays Gods..."
If there was even the slightest possibility that someone—or something—might threaten his family or disrupt the peace he had fought so hard to secure...
Even if that threat was a god, hadn't he already resolved to tear them apart without mercy?
In that case...
He rather liked his divine name.
The next day.
"Here, you just do it like this."
After Bong-gu explained how video calls worked, Kang-jun's eyes widened in disbelief.
"So you're saying that no matter where we are on Earth, we can see each other's faces while talking?"
Bong-gu nodded several times in response to Kang-jun's skeptical question.
"Of course."
"Good heavens."
"Let's see..."
Bong-gu checked the current time, counting the time difference with Korea on his fingers.
"Right now should be around evening in Korea. Why don't we try making a video call right now?"
Kang-jun murmured, "Sure..." and immediately dialed his sister, following Bong-gu's instructions.
Beep... beep...
After a few rings, the call connected, and Lee Soo-bin's face appeared on the screen.
- Kang-jun!
Kang-jun swallowed dryly before responding.
"Noona..."
Then, a childish voice chimed in from the other end.
- Daddy?
Seol's face soon appeared on the screen as well.
"Seol-ah!"
On the screen, Seol pouted and asked:
- Daddy, why you there?
"Huh?"
- Daddy, Seol save you!
With all her might, Seol smacked Soo-bin's phone with her tiny hands.
- CRASH!
The screen went black, followed by Soo-bin's desperate scream.
- Aaah! No! The contract's still—
Apparently, Seol thought Kang-jun was trapped inside the phone.
- Daddy, how many sleeps till you come back?
"Just five more nights, and I'll be back."
- Sniffle... Seol miss Daddy...
Kang-jun answered immediately.
"I'll be back soon."
- Promise?
"Yeah, promise."
Then he added:
"I'll buy a plane to come back."
Bong-gu, who had been watching the exchange, gasped.
'He really meant it...'
Meanwhile, Soo-bin and Seol on the other end seemed to assume Kang-jun was talking about a toy plane.
*- Seol-ah, Daddy said he's bringing a plane when he comes back!
*- Yay! Daddy buy Seol plane!
*- You're gonna have your own plane! Aren't you excited?
Soon after, the call ended—it was Seol's bedtime.
"That was too short..."
Bong-gu smiled faintly at Kang-jun's lament.
"You can call again tomorrow."
Then he asked:
"By the way, where did you go early this morning?"
"Huh?"
"I woke up for a bit, and you weren't in the room."
Kang-jun shrugged.
"Went to the casino."
Bong-gu muttered, "Ah..." and tilted his head.
"Win anything?"
"Yeah, a little."
"Nice, congrats."
Then he added:
"Guess the 'beginner's luck' thing is real, huh?"
He asked again:
"How much did you win?"
Kang-jun tilted his head slightly.
"After exchange fees, about 300 billion won, give or take..."
Bong-gu shook his head, wondering if he'd misheard.
"H-how much?"
"300 billion."
"Not 3,000 won?"
"Yeah, 300 billion."
Kang-jun shrugged casually.
"Gonna buy Seol a plane and use the rest to help you get that Elixir."
As Kang-jun spoke so nonchalantly, Bong-gu's face went completely blank.
Knock knock.
At the sudden sound, Bong-gu turned toward the door. Kang-jun motioned with his chin.
"Open it."
A moment later...
"Good evening."
A goblin in a tuxedo bowed deeply to them with utmost courtesy.
"Who...?"
The goblin cleared his throat.
Ahem.
Straightening his attire, he replied:
"I am 'Kagon,' a professional auction proxy representing the Secret Society of Wealth. I've been assigned to assist you both in this auction."
He glanced between them before continuing in a measured tone.
"I understand you wish to bid for the Elixir..."
Kang-jun nodded.
"Correct. Money is no object—I will win that Elixir."
Bong-gu looked at Kang-jun again.
Hyung-nim...
His hyung's presence was nothing short of reassuring.
"Given the Immortal's vast resources, securing the Elixir should pose no significant challenge..."
The goblin trailed off, then asked:
"However, to familiarize yourselves with the auction rules and atmosphere, would you care to attend the preliminary auction this evening?"
Kang-jun raised an eyebrow.
"Preliminary auction?"
Kagon explained:
"It primarily features items that fall just short of qualifying for the main auction."
He smirked slightly.
"It's also an opportunity to scout potential competitors."
After a brief pause, Kang-jun shrugged.
"Sure. I was getting bored anyway."
Soon after, Kang-jun and Bong-gu followed Kagon to the hotel's auction hall where the preliminary event would be held.
"This way."
Their assigned seats were in a VVIP private room on the second floor, enclosed in glass.
Not only did it provide a clear view of the entire venue, but it also offered an unobstructed sightline to the auction stage.
"On the day of the main auction, you'll also be seated here in the VVIP private room."
Kagon, who had been carefully reviewing the auction catalog, suddenly murmured:
"Ah."
Then he added:
"It seems the most formidable bidders are beginning to arrive."
Following his gaze, Kang-jun and Bong-gu spotted an elderly gentleman entering the hall.
"That is Mayer Rothschild—currently regarded as Earth's wealthiest individual."
Bong-gu gulped.
"R-Rothschild?"
The Rothschild family had been renowned for their immense wealth even before the Gates appeared.
"Other likely competitors include John D. Rockefeller of the Rockefeller family and Cosfield Bearing of the Bearing family..."
Just then, signs of the auction's commencement began to appear...
And Bong-gu couldn't help but feel a surge of anxiety.
Even if Hyung-nim's wealth is vast, going head-to-head with the world's richest families can't be easy...
Kang-jun, however, remained utterly unfazed.
"How cute."
And so, the preliminary auction began.
- The first item is an artifact acquired by the Alteon Guild during the suppression of the New Delhi Gate in India...
True to Kagon's words, the items up for bid were of slightly lower caliber than those in the main auction.
Still, each was clearly worth at least hundreds of millions of won.
- The 'Spirit's Water Bottle'!
The first item was an artifact that transformed clean water into a weak potion.
- Bidding for the A-grade artifact 'Spirit's Water Bottle' will now commence. Starting bid: $100,000.
The opening bid was roughly 100 million won.
But the moment bidding began, the price skyrocketed.
- $500,000!
- Double, $1 million.
- $1.5 million!
- Double, $3 million.
- Wow, $4 million!
The auctioneer scanned the room.
- If no further bids are placed by the count of three, this item will be sold to Mayer Rothschild for $4 million!
At that moment, Kang-jun glanced at Kagon.
"Double it."
Bong-gu jolted.
"Double? That's $8 million!"
$8 million was a staggering 9 billion won.
"Hyung-nim, if it's not something you really need, maybe it's better to hold back...?"
Kang-jun shrugged.
"Good to crush their spirits early."
Then he added:
"Besides, I do need it."
"For what?"
Kang-jun replied:
"Seol's starting kindergarten soon, right?"
"Yeah...?"
"Seems perfect for her school water bottle."
As Kagon entered the doubled bid...
- Our proxy for the bidder under the alias 'Immortal,' Kagon, has placed a bid of $8 million!
- What an intense start to the auction!
- If no further bids are placed by the count of three, this item will be sold for $8 million!
The unexpected emergence of a new tycoon sent murmurs rippling through the hall.