Chapter 267
Chapter 267
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 267
Chapter Title: Evil God Ialdagols
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A soul that raises the grade of equipment or tools.
It was vastly different from the concept of enhancement that had appeared so far.
Enhancement typically boosted an item's stats or potential.
'...So even a normal-grade item can be made zero-grade.'
It meant transcending limits entirely.
The common wisdom was that once an item's level and grade were set, they couldn't be changed.
Unless it was something special like 'Arhat's Golden Mystery,' which raised levels using coins up to a certain point, or 'Immortal's Crest,' which boosted all equipment levels based on rank, it was impossible.
Even those were tied to 'levels,' though.
He'd never heard of anything that raised grades by several tiers.
'Zero-grade isn't just about high stats on equipment or tools. It factors in materials, rarity of options, lore, and more.'
Among his possessions, he had three zero-grade sacred treasures.
Baal's sword, Baal's belt, and the Staff of the Luminous Constellation.
Just looking at their names screamed uniqueness.
Baal's items even came with the description: 'One of the four beasts wielded by the Creation God.'
The Staff of the Luminous Constellation was born from the fusion of the World Tree Staff and a trace left by the transcendent Lyl.
In short, they had a different 'aura.'
Normal-grade equipment or tools, on the other hand?
'Normal-grade has no aura. So this creates one where there was none.'
Was that even possible?
Doubts were inevitable.
For example, take a plain 'iron sword.'
Would a cheap normal-grade iron sword made from low-purity iron suddenly gain better materials or lore just by becoming zero-grade?
Option enhancements alone could at best reach 'Ancient' grade.
The story of who made it and wielded it was that crucial.
So then.
Unless it overlaid someone else's 'aura'...
'My feat of destroying over 300 Creative Abysses gets imprinted on it.'
...His own lore might birth a zero-grade item.
He slowly stroked his chin.
There was a reason for all this contemplation.
'I need to use it on the item most suited to me.'
All his current equipment was 'Legendary' grade or higher.
At best, it would rise one or two tiers.
That alone would enable massive growth, but it felt a bit lacking.
Why not aim for maximum efficiency since he'd use it anyway? As the saying goes, the deeper the red, the better the skirt.
"Dagon."
Boom!
The demon merchant Dagon was summoned before him.
Sharp eyes.
Disheveled hair.
Dagon, dazedly scanning his surroundings, spotted him and his pupils dilated.
"C-Contractor?"
"It's been a while."
"My god! I-Is that really you, Contractor? Th-This isn't a dream, right? No matter how tired I am...!"
"Does it seem like it?"
"Haaaaah! Thank goodness!"
Dagon let out a huge sigh of relief and plopped down on the spot.
He'd initially been confused between dream and reality, but there was no mistaking it.
All his tension melted away, leaving him limp.
"Did something happen while I was away?"
"Not exactly an incident, but... I couldn't track your location at all. I was worried something major had happened."
He and Dagon had an exclusive contract.
Park Chan-woo could summon Dagon anytime, anywhere, and Dagon could roughly sense Park Chan-woo's position in return.
But after heading to the Practitioner's Mountain, Dagon had lost all track of him.
Not even summoning him had heightened his anxiety that something was wrong.
"Anyway, I'm truly relieved you're back safe!"
Dagon flashed a toothy grin.
Park Chan-woo shrugged.
"Seems like you stepped up and helped with the territory while I was gone."
He'd heard Dagon had procured supplies needed for creating Creative Abysses and materials for golems.
Thanks to that, 'Valhalla's Land' had grown even more solid.
Without Dagon, it wouldn't have developed this quickly.
"This land will soon be yours, Contractor. Helping it prosper was only natural. And it wasn't for free, of course."
Dagon had simply done his job as a merchant.
In fact, these deals had boosted his standing in the merchant guild tremendously.
He was exhausted from the nonstop work.
"I'll rely on you going forward too."
"O-Of course! The pleasure's mine."
Dagon bowed deeply as Park Chan-woo asked,
"Actually, I called you for a favor."
"Yes! Anything you need."
"Can you get me 'Verdant Root'?"
"...Verdant Root?"
Dagon tilted his head.
Even as a merchant dealing in all things, it was unfamiliar.
Park Chan-woo nodded.
"They say the fragments of root left when a World Tree dies are called Verdant Root."
"...I've never even heard that World Trees leave roots behind when they die."
A World Tree dying meant the world dying.
Dead worlds naturally vanished, so finding any remaining roots would be impossible.
Besides...
'Were there any World Trees left in the Abyss?'
Equipment made from World Trees existed, but the trees themselves were said to be extinct.
They were such prime materials that all races and demons hunted them.
The dragons were especially involved in their extinction.
'I heard they were ordered to uproot every last one.'
The culprit? None other than Dragon God Sepiro.
At his command, the dragons uprooted even the few remaining World Trees.
All those trees died as a result.
World Trees die instantly when uprooted.
Transplanting was impossible.
And now the one who caused their extinction was being asked for the roots?
"I'll look into it anyway."
"I'm not asking you to do it alone."
"Then...?"
"Spend as many coins as needed."
Clatter!
Dagon's eyes bulged.
Over a thousand coins had dropped before him.
"Use as many as you need."
"Th-This is way more than necessary."
Dagon's mind raced.
100 coins could procure anything in the Abyss.
1,000? It could conjure the nonexistent.
His risen status in the guild meant other merchants' help wouldn't be hard to get.
"I'll take 300 as an advance. With the condition that I return any unused amount once I find it."
"I leave it to you."
"Yes, sir!"
It might be unfound, but he'd used the word 'favor' twice.
'I'll definitely find it.'
Dagon steeled himself for the first time in ages and returned to the guild with 300 coins.
'Dagon's reliable now.'
Trust had built up.
Past-self wouldn't have let him take coins freely.
He had that much leeway now.
But he desperately wanted the Verdant Root.
'A dead root useless for anything. No one would keep it.'
Past mages had found it by chance, tried to find a use, but deemed it trash.
Dead, it was classified as an item or material, not a living thing.
Obviously upgradable with Zero Soul.
If things went as planned...
'I might revive a World Tree.'
Exciting, right?
Of course, past attempts had failed.
No one revived an extinct World Tree.
But Zero Soul was different.
It might spark life beyond mere equipment or tools.
The description was that absurd.
So just find it.
Coins be damned.
...Exactly three days later.
"I-I found it! Verdant Root!"
Dagon appeared with the good news.
The Verdant Root was parched and shriveled.
It looked utterly worthless.
Grand name aside, it was rankless trash.
If graded, it might even be 'negative' grade.
'Below zero-grade. Upgrading all below elevates this root too.'
Conversely, it might yield nothing.
Just a useless root remnant.
A gamble and challenge.
Park Chan-woo didn't care.
Ding!
Rumble rumble rumble!
In an instant, Valhalla's Land began shaking violently.
It was hard to stay standing.
The ground and sky trembled, roaring thunderously.
Soon, bursting through the earth.
Shaaaaaa!
A 'black tree' grew amid dark shadows.
A tree utterly unlike the World Tree he'd imagined.
World Trees upheld and protected worlds, true to their name.
But this tree didn't seem like it would protect Valhalla's Land.
If anything, it felt ominous, as if polluting the ground.
The problem wasn't just its appearance.
Unfathomable.
An impossible, nonexistent tree had appeared.