Chapter 101
Chapter 101
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 101
Chapter Title: Deal
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“What…… did you say?”
I don’t know when the King of Ten Thousand Gold first came to see himself as such, but this might be the first real insult he’s ever heard since he started thinking of himself that way.
But this was a body destined to die anyway. No intention of backing down now.
“Bragging with all those ridiculous modifiers tacked on! What are you gonna do with that pipe dream of yours? You’re just gonna forget all about it once you wake up anyway!”
“A pipe dream, am I?”
“Yeah! You think you’re hot stuff just because humans crawl in here and bring you whatever? Follow the established rules, take the curse I brought you, and hand over my compensation!”
Endless cosmic void, devouring emptiness, menacingly blazing colossal planet.
And the absolute will that had expanded to blanket the universe.
All of it vanished.
We were back in the initial dark room.
Stars smaller than water droplets formed a mist, and the ceiling held a vast sea.
The little old man before my eyes burst out laughing in delight.
“Kekekeke… A puny little thing like you, with talents I never imagined. Truly, too fine a specimen to hand over to those crawling in from beyond the veil.”
Those crawling in from beyond the veil—that’s what they called the abyssal beings. The King of Ten Thousand Gold was the great will opposing them.
An elder god.
An ancient, hoary deity that had existed on this land before the first dawn.
Or maybe they were the same as the abyssal beings, just called by different names.
The pointless demonstration seemed to be over.
I wiped the sweat from my damp nape and spoke.
“One of the abyssal beings asked me something similar before.”
“What did you tell it?”
“That I didn’t need it, so just stay put.”
“And what would you say to me?”
“I don’t need it. Don’t drink anything and just stay still.”
“I’m different from them.”
“No, you’re the same. As the master of Thousand Gold Hall, take only what you’re meant to receive from me, and give only what you’re meant to give me. I want nothing from the being lurking beyond the form I see before me now.”
“Why? If I helped you, you could know what you don’t know and do what you can’t do.”
Know everything, do everything… In other words, omniscient and omnipotent.
Impressive words. I don’t know if he could actually deliver, but at least he could make it feel that way.
“I want nothing from superior beings. I already have knowledge I never sought and power beyond my station. I wish to remain in a world where I know only what I know and do only what I can do.”
“Wouldn’t such a world be boring? This place is soft—push and it yields, pull and it tears. No need to bow your waist or kneel your knee. I could even craft a world fitted to your body.”
“I don’t want that.”
I’d beaten around the bush, but this was exactly what I desired.
A mundane, static world without Cthulhu this or that, without magic or superpowers.
That’s where I came from.
Even borrowing the power of a cosmic entity ruling the dream realm was already straying from my wishes.
The King of Ten Thousand Gold stared off into the distance with a pensive expression, as if lost in thought.
After so long I wondered if he’d stay like that forever, his mouth finally opened.
“Very well, I understand.”
Phew, nailed it. I convinced him!
No need to recklessly push away like with the [King in Yellow Raiment] or show off power. Lucky.
But the King of Ten Thousand Gold continued with a delighted smile.
“Then, let’s make a deal instead.”
“A deal?”
The King of Ten Thousand Gold suddenly leaped back with a whoosh.
Where he landed stood a dais that definitely hadn’t been there moments ago.
An extravagantly ornate dais decorated with dozens of gold dragons.
The King struck a haughty pose atop it and declared in an overly dramatic voice.
“Indeed! A deal! By the name of the master of Thousand Gold Hall, built upon glittering gold and the dreams of ten thousand souls, the King of Ten Thousand Gold who sits upon a thousand gold and wields myriad gold—let us conduct a fair and honest transaction as per our ancient promise!”
“…Back to Thousand Gold Hall now?”
“Wasn’t that why you came in the first place?”
“Sure. Before Your Majesty summoned me for no reason, toyed with me, tested me, and played pranks, I planned to wrap it up quick and leave.”
“When a great one shows interest, you should be at a loss for where to put yourself, not nitpick like some cheeky brat.”
With that, the King of Ten Thousand Gold roared with laughter.
Sigh… Yeah. I half-expected it’d end up like this.
The [Ruler of Ancient Dreams] was a god so far above that proper conversation was impossible, but one of his avatars, the King of Ten Thousand Gold, had this kind of personality. Like the goblins he ruled, he loved pranks and was fickle.
“The items I brought…”
“Yes, these.”
Rumble rumble rumble.
Suddenly, the cursed gems I’d brought poured out between me and the King of Ten Thousand Gold.
“Treasures reeking of that yellow one. Enough here to build a new pavilion in Thousand Gold Hall. What do you desire?”
This wasn’t like the wish-granting time with that guy.
But it still felt fishy somehow.
“I need the Shoes of Silent Steps.”
“Not enough.”
“Pardon?”
“The Shoes of Silent Steps are one of Thousand Gold Hall’s treasures. You thought to buy it with this paltry sum?”
Ugh, damn it. Is he messing with me?
I wasn’t a Thousand Gold Hall newbie—I’d already calculated the value before coming.
The Shoes of Silent Steps were a fine artifact, but closer to cost-effective gear.
What I brought was cursed treasure and body parts from twelve Golden Dancers. Loaded with the mana and curses of the [King in Yellow Raiment], whom the King despised.
This amount should buy five pairs of those shoes with change left over.
Rather than argue pointlessly, I tried another tack.
“Isn’t there one more thing I brought?”
“This, you mean?”
A bag appeared in midair—the one Tudor had handed me.
Truth be told, I didn’t even know what was inside, but the scale of the wards on it was no joke. Whatever it was, it wasn’t cheap.
“There’s a nasty-tempered tiger inside that bag.”
‘A tiger? What…?’
No items linked to Tudor matched that keyword.
If not linked to Tudor… too many possibilities to pinpoint.
“But even this isn’t enough.”
“Your Majesty, isn’t this a bit much?”
“Hey now, you calling the master of Thousand Gold Hall a joker who’d banter with the likes of you?”
A smug smile crept across the King of Ten Thousand Gold’s face.
Leave it like this, and he’d prank all night.
“Then forget it. I’ll just boil these up and eat them for my health.”
“Ah, come on. A green sprout like you with no patience.”
“Not funny at all.”
But it probably wasn’t pure prank. He had something he wanted to say deep down. To cut short the time-wasting, I said flatly.
“Just make the offer you originally planned. What do you want from me?”
“Catch a tiger.”
“A tiger? What, like some mountain tiger from Jangsan?”
“No, not that. Here, look at this.”
With a gesture, the lock on Tudor’s bag clicked open.
‘He opened that so easily…’
Of course, the wards weren’t made expecting someone of the King’s caliber.
But it was double-locked with my magic over Tudor’s… and he undid it effortlessly. Sigh.
“Open it.”
The bag floated slowly toward me.
“Understood.”
Click.
The moment the bag opened…
Boom!!
A massive—
Truly massive—jet-black tiger burst out.
-Grrrrr…
No, “tiger” wasn’t quite right.
It was an unreal existence with a body of hazy shadow, as if sliced from the night sky and kneaded together.
Inside its glossy black translucent flesh, specks of starlight twinkled like constellations.
“Handsome beast, isn’t he? Take him with you.”
“But Your Majesty, this…”
“Yes, a curse of purest strain. But I’ve twisted its direction, so it won’t harm you directly.”
“That’s a relief, but what am I supposed to do with this half-formed phantasm of a tiger?”
“Kekekeke… I can see what you’re thinking. Listen well. That one has a mortal enemy.”
“A mortal enemy…?”
“Yes. The nemesis of the jet-black tiger—likely a snow-white one. Defeat it.”
That white tiger was probably tied to the abyssal beings somehow.
Different method, but ultimately forcing me to borrow power to achieve his goals.
A deal, my foot—did he expect me to do that chore for some Shoes of Silent Steps?
“Your Majesty, I’d be happy to handle this, but just now…”
“In exchange, I’ll give you the Wings of the Night Shroud right now.”
“Pardon?”
“Need me to repeat it?”
“No, the Wings of the Night Shroud? For real?”
“Indeed.”
“You’ll give it to me right now? Really?”
“Yes. Right this instant. You’ll receive the reward upfront and set off. Having accepted the prize already, by causality, you’ll fulfill the task I’ve set someday.”
Well, that changed things.
He’d made such a fuss over some Shoes of Silent Steps, but it was the Wings of the Night Shroud?
The Wings of the Night Shroud weren’t even comparable to the Shoes of Silent Steps.
It was a true treasure of Thousand Gold Hall.
“Very well.”
“Good. Take that tiger and be off.”
At the King’s gesture, the massive tiger looked down at me.
-Grrrrrr…
A beast with a shoulder height of 3 meters, easy. I’m really supposed to drag this around?
I glanced back at the King, who smiled delightedly and subtly nodded toward the ceiling.
What’s up there? Shifting my gaze, I saw the earlier sea. Unreal waters swimming with jellyfish and whales.
Ah, right.
This is a dream. Like the crane from the professor’s bundle earlier, this tiger was just a curse given conceptual form.
Probably different outside. At least something bag-sized.
“I see. Understood.”
The King of Ten Thousand Gold nodded with a laugh.
He’d dragged me here on a whim, grilled and tested me, but for a being of his stature, he’d conceded and accommodated a ton.
Considering that—and honestly, hoping he wouldn’t get more capricious—I bowed to him in respect.
As I finished the bow and raised my head, the King’s voice came.
“Kim Shin-hwa.”
“Yes.”
“What if you submitted to me?”
“Submitted…?”
An archaic term, but it meant becoming a follower, serving and devoting to the King of Ten Thousand Gold.
“This is a different offer from before. If you don’t want to join Thousand Gold Hall, I’ll make a special seat or domain just for you. Or even just a name would suffice. Otherwise, do as you originally planned.”