Zero Fate Against the World (New Version)

Enjoy! We're rolling through the first Volume!

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"Everything is ready." 

"Remain still alright, else I can't guarantee your safety." 

If the jar could speak, it may have cursed Dae out loud, alas, it could not.

/Snap/

Dae snapped his finger as a spark of lighting left his hand and hit the room's ceiling. 

/Rom… Rom… Rom.../

A brilliant platinum disc of light suddenly appeared above the jar as the blood formation ignited with power, causing it to shake lightly as if in protest.

If you looked closely, the disc was actually made of billions of small three-dimensional constructs, intertwined to make a truly complex structure. 

Seeing this form above the jar, Dae whistled in awe as he reached for his chin, saying:

"So this is what you came to understand?... Truly… Magnificent."

"The mysteries of creation are far too complex for us to explore."

Dae paused to think before tilting his head in disappointment.

"A shame this is useless for me… But I have a use for it either way."

"But that will come later."

/Clap!/

/CLING/

Joining his hands together, Dae opened his hands as a bolt of lightning formed between them.

Upon releasing it into the air before him, the ritual circle before him flashed as one of its sections burned with energy.

And as if two pieces of glass were touching, a clear clinging echo resonated across the room as a prominent gray spire appeared before him. 

The Spire looked like a white hologram made of hundreds of moving scribbles. 

It looked as if someone had ripped out a piece of the Matrix. Alas, this was reality. 

"First, I will isolate this…"

Dae reached out for the spire, slowly pulling out its "light" from within.

"Done."

Above, the Platinum disk started to move… Tilting like a plate in balance.

This movement caused faint dark mist to seep out from inside of the Red jar, filling out the room. 

"Tsk!"

'I can feel my life being drained… Each minute in this miasma is about a year of my life!'

/Tremble…/

The Red Jar trembled as the Platinum disk rolled further and further away from it. 

Just as it was about halfway there, a small and thin line emerged from inside it and latched onto the floating disk, stopping it in place.

"Stop it. There is no point crying about this…"

/Tremble…/

"Please stop, I don t have lifeforce to spare… And if I die here and this cracks open, this place will become an ecological dead zone!"

/Treble.../

Regardless of his words, the Jar continued to tremble as if trying to convey something. It was a gentle hum, almost as if begging him to listen.

'I don't speak jar, man…'

"Look... The only thing I can say is that if you cooperate, you will end up in the possession of a great master, one much better than someone who would abandon you here for over a thousand years."

"You may lose a portion of your memories, but at the very least, your essence will remain whole. You'll essentially return to how you were when you were born, but a form of reaction is much better than eternal oblivion!"

Finally, with those words, the Jar stopped trembling. 

Dae took this chance to fully separate the disk from the Jar and lock it inside a crystal cube he took from his inventory. 

With this, he had successfully concluded the first part of his grand plan!

"Rather crude, but I managed to preserve over 99% of its integrity. I only lost some energy, so its value should still be the same."

He placed the cube aside, which was rather easy as it floated in the air beside him.

"Now, I need to secure the lost energy."

'Nothing shall be wasted!'

Dae took out a glass flask carved with unusual runic symbols crudely carved into it, and as if exposed to a vacuum, all of the dark mist flew inside it.

Once done, he quickly placed the bottle aside, fearing it might shatter.

Inside his inventory, the risks were far smaller.

"Phew… I think I lost about half a year of life just in this… Sigh."

'I can recover that later… Playing around with such high-grade stuff without the proper tools and power is such a hassle.'

If any of the high-tier mages of the continent could see what Dae was thinking, they would undoubtedly fall unconscious in either fear or shock… 

"The "meat" is secured… Next on the list..."

Dae turned his eyes directly to the Jar... Not to the Jar itself, but to something deeper... 

/Tremble.../

"You knew this was going to happen, right?"

/.../

"..."

'It went silent… Did it accept its destiny?'

'Although I am sorry for it, it is nothing but a tool destined to be used by others.'

'Its conscience is the same as a child, and in a sense, its emotions are even deeper than that of Humans, but I can't bet Philip's life on it.'

'Losing someone like him to such a minor oversight might cost this entire timeline… Or at least the lives of many.'

'Eridia has full control over its consciousness since she created it, so I need to reset it back to "factory" settings. Or the closest to that I can.'

"!*#!(@$*)!@#$%)%..."

Dae started to chant some very obscure words and move his hands in the air, creating strange symbols that slowly gathered together, forming odd shapes that slowly moved around the jar, orbiting it like satellites.

These symbols continued to fuse until they became a large and complex 3D structure. Like a dome above the center of the formation. 

"That went better than expected… Phew. I was ready to repeat this a few times."

 The symbol started to float until it fused with the Jar. 

 But nothing happened. 

"... What?... What happened?"

For the first time in a while, Dae showed immense confusion as he witnessed his first major hurdle in his journey.

'I did everything right, no matter how strong it is, the conscience should've separated by now…'

"Did it have more strength than I imagined? That's a problem... I will have to drain it if that's the case."

Dae started to analyze the situation until he came to a shocking conclusion! 

"It… It sealed itself?!"

'How?!'

'As an artifact conscience, it has full control over the artifact, its body. But since another being made the artifact, it's completely subservient to it and its orders…'

"So it shouldn't be possible for it to seal itself under any circumstances since it was given a certain order!"

'And that was to understand death! Until it has completed its order, it is incapable of doing so. It may have already done so, but that's irrelevant since Eridia needs to give it a new order.'

"Did Eridia give it more freedom than I expected? That wouldn't make sense given what I know about her…"

"For it to seal itself under the current circumstances, it would have to use a little of its Core energy. And I am sure it doesn't have this level of authority."

'Core energy is the power used by its creator to make it… It constitutes the artifact's power and strength; hence, if you drain it, that's the same as crippling the artifact's power and potential.'

'It's like the battery in a motherboard or the innate energy within a Human being.'

"The issue here is that even if Eridia gave her artifact a lot of freedom, no God would ever allow their artifacts to go so far as to do this, even if it means their destruction. Since in most cases, it may be possible for a Divine to fix it with due time if they can gather its fragments."

'With how much energy the jar had left, it could only resort to its Core energy to defend itself against me, and I don't believe the Jar was THAT essential for Eridia that she'd rather have it crippled than broken…'

"There's only one possibility left then… Eridia never had full control over this artifact because… She didn't make it."

"This seems to be confirmed by the artifact's autonomy… This isn't common with such a thing."

'Normally, it would use everything in its power to punish those who profaned against its master, but I haven't seen such behavior so far. Otherwise, it may have chosen to use its Core energy to shatter me to pieces and commune with Philip all that time ago, then let itself fall into this state.'

"So far, I only saw… Self-preservation..."

Dae's confusion slowly wore off, replaced with an ever-widening smile.

"Eridia didn't make the Jar of Life… She must've found it. "

'Considering she has quite the influence over it, it's probably…'

"An Ancient relic she repaired to its current state. That is why it wasn't taken back by her, this must be one of those long lost artifacts… Of course, that's why the Judges left it untouched."

"Pfft… HAHAHAHAH!"

'This is getting better and better!'

"Alright… Plan Z… Time to improvise."

'Since it just sealed itself, I can't do much about that without completely destroying the artifact.'

"But this is good either way. Once I have Philip make a pact with it, his control over it will be higher than Eridia's… Although it won't be 100%... At least until she returns."

'However, by the time the Pact between the Gods ends, He will certainly have complete control over it.'

"... I will make sure of it."

"Even if he doesn't, by that time, if that bitch thinks she can descend and retrieve the Jar… She will be in for a very rude awakening."

Dae sat on the ground as he massaged his temples. 

He stared at his faint reflection in the smooth obsidian wall and proclaimed upon a moment of quick reflection:

"Part one is done."

'The easy part has ended… Now for the hard part…'

"I would've had to do this eventually, and it's what I feared would kill the artifact, but now, I don't need to hold back."

"Time to remove the pesky mark she left on it. Although this won't help much, I would have to do it eventually, so it's better to do it now…"

Looking at the Jar, Dae's expression brightened as he exhaled lightly…

'Sorry, Philip, but the first God-Kill achievement shall be mine.'

Dae walked through the formation and placed his hands on the Jar. 

Like before, when he first found the artifact, his right hand began to distort as if it was phasing in and out of reality. 

/Glup!/

As if placing his hand in a bucket of water, his hand entered the Jar. Not by the hole in the top, but by the sides! 

Eventually, Dae's entire arm entered the Jar. He seemed to be looking for something until his expression lit up with glee as he pulled out with all of his strength! 

/AHHHHH!/

When he did so, a terrific scream that could only come from Asian horror movies assaulted his ears. 

"Urg… My ears are ringing… For a Goddess, your scream hurts more than a Banshee."

/Growl…/

Before him, the phantom-like figure of a woman slowly materialized as light condensed above the jar. 

Over time, her features grew more and more pronounced, and it became evident that she wasn't anything ordinary…

This woman's beauty was so great, that even when veiled, she gave others the impression that there was no one in this world that could surpass her, like a mirage within a dream…

(Image?)

"You…"

And that was indeed the case as she removed her veil, revealing a beauty of unimaginable proportions. 

"... I never saw a Human as daring as you." 

Her voice was cold but angelic, smooth enough to wash away one's worries and polish a black heart…

"I saw everything." She proclaimed in a low tone as she floated gently in the air

"The boy who held untold potential… And *****..."

"Tche…"

Her voice cracked, bringing immense pain to Dae, forcing him to look away as he covered his ears.

Yet, noticing his reaction, she did not stop:

"... The boy who holds the desire to twist reality into fantasy…"

She floated next to him, placing her pale, smooth hands on his chin as she flew around him.

"But you are by far the strangest of all."

"..."

Dae gazed at the ghost with a love-stricken face… It couldn't be… The woman's beauty had hypnotized Dae! 

"You know of things beyond that of a mortal, knowledge that shouldn't possibly exist."

"I feel traces of multiple different origins within your actions, but as far as I know, some of those traces have completely vanished in the rivers of time, yet at the same time, even if they returned, how come they have all gathered within you and developed into such a perfect system?"

"Through ordinary manipulation of the lowest order, you have interfered with the Divine, a feat that greatly surprises even the likes of my greatness."

"Who would believe such a sight if not experiencing it firsthand? I wouldn't… And that shakens me to my very core…"

"Although my knowledge is not all-encompassing, I believe the other possibilities are completely unlikely. This leads to a single conclusion… You must have breached the 'wall'."

"By whatever means you used to breach this world's walls… I cannot help but be… Appalled."

She looked at the hypnotized Dae in wonder. There was more than mockery to her tone. It was faint, but it held respect and even… Desire.

"I, more than many, am aware of the Human potential, but never believed such a sight would befall me… Rather than what you already took, your existence itself may be more valuable than another ten thousand years of monotonous contemplation."

Her slender fingers danced around his mouth as she thought deeply about him; eventually, as she peered deep into his eyes, she spoke:

"Why don't you tell me? Tell me who you truly are… Of the method through which you used to pierce through the barrier even the Gods fear?"

Her melodious voice echoed in Dae's ear as he nodded fervently… 

"I am..."

…

Dae told her everything… About who he was, how he came to be, what he did, and even how he turned back time using…

At the end of it all, as he shared his plans with her, Eridia couldn't help but clap her hands enthusiastically. She showed a rare, visible surprise, acknowledging his actions to be beyond her and maybe even all others' predictions.

/Clap Clap/

"... Incredible. To think that was such a thing… Humans never cease to impress."

"For once, I'm left utterly speechless at the ingenuity of mankind and their desire to succeed… It seems my old friend's words were correct, after all. I lost that bet."

"To defy the natural order and envision a world of conquest… I pale at your designs… At those that once stood before you."

She placed her hands on her cheeks as she thought even deeper, her emotions becoming a mystery as she smiled sweetly yet… Not?... 

"Perhaps this is the unpredictability of life I so dearly fought to understand? This is what the ***** was trying to protect… What it truly encompasses."

"Trully, the will of the world is beyond all of us to a degree we all couldn't even begin to imagine. No wonder those of higher order felt our actions to be… So devoid of meaning."

"... This alone surpasses what you took from me…"

"However… Something remains… Your actions are a clear violation of the pact and of the *****..."

She seemed confused. 

"How did it come to pass? Does it value your actions? It couldn't be… They were inconsequential…"

"I'm stumped. It's been ages since I felt like this… The taste of the absolute unknown…"

She tapped her lips as she rolled in the air, her bright hair spreading all around like the stars in the endless cosmos… 

"What do I do?... It's such a waste to get rid of this man… Nonetheless, there are dangers to keeping him as well… Who knows when such an opportunity will come again?"

"But on the other hand, if I act here, this projection will surely dissipate before the time comes…"

"He may have provided me with much insight, but what he took cannot be taken back. This wouldn't be a problem if that little guy hadn't sealed himself…"

After much thought, she finally concluded.: 

"Mortal, rejoice, I will give you an opportunity. Consider it as my mercy since you profaned my being."

Dae protested without hesitation, his head low, her left hand on his neck…

"You will serve me forever and help me ascend beyond this world's confines. With your assistance, I shall achieve far beyond what you experienced and encompass that which you feared, bringing peace and calm to all."

"And in exchange, I shall allow you to be my Apostle. Together, you shall rise to the realm of the Divine, beyond what many wouldn't even be able to dream of…"

"Accept my mark..."

She caressed his neck, lightly lifting his chin so he would face her… 

/Sheen…/

Her eyes glowed with the beauty of a small star as she approached Dae's lips…

/PIERCE!/

/GASP!/

But out of nowhere, the seemingly hypnotized Dae pierced the goddess' stomach with his right hand! 

"Ho… How?""

The Goddess was surprised, but no anger could be seen in her eyes, only wonder. 

She was curious as to how Dae finished her off and escaped her charm. 

/Inhale… Exhale…/

Dae took a deep breath, shaking off his unruly thoughts. His hazy eyes recovered as he looked ahead, just as bright as they had been before.

"... Even in your final moments, you still only see me as a puny being. No fear, no anger, nothing... I guess Gods sees things from another perspective."

'Even though I dealt a critical hit to her, she gazes at me the same way a child gazes at an ant… Or rather, how I would look at another being inside a dream where I am almighty.'

"Oh? I suppose you have some right. For as sharp as your words are."

"I am indeed capable of feeling emotions, but the way I comprehend and show them is on a different scale to a Mortal such as yourself…"

She seemed to shrug if ever so slightly, despite the fact Dae's heart was still inside of her chest.

"I am not depreciating you, though, since this is just how things are… There is no need to be angry about it."

"Would you be angry at the sun just because it rose and shone light onto your face in the morning? You may curse it once or twice, but the sun, in its endless splendor, will never complain nor react to your achievements."

"It is just there, forever, eternally."

She truly wasn't angry, nor did she show any other emotion. She was utterly uncaring for her death and defeat. 

"Life and death, two parts of the same coin… Or not." She said with an uncanny mischievous smile

"This projection may have met its end and, with it, more than a millennium of effort and a shocking truth about the world. But this is all part of life."

"If there is one thing I learned with Humans is that persevering through hardships can cause growth. I need to accept this loss to progress, although it is a shame that I won't be able to convey such revelations to my main body."

"In the end, what I learned today shall end like it came to be… A mere fickle moment."

"..."

However, Dae seemed livid. Anger could be seen in his eyes. 

"This is what I hate so much about you all…"

"You all act as if you could understand and empathize with us… But you are wrong."

"Being all high and lofty, you speak as if you did nothing wrong. Tell me, just how many died so you could understand death?"

"Did you even comprehend what you wanted? What about your promises and lofty goals your followers once preached? Where are they all now?!"

"What a redundant question. You ask something you already know the answer for."

"You are trying to apply ethics to something completely beyond a Human's understanding. It's clear that no proper answer will ever be achieved if you try to blame me for something beyond my control."

"And even so, you would have to go through each and every one of my followers' deaths. Some were deserving, others weren't. Many were saved through my teaching while many were condemned."

"My lack of visible emotions does not represent the lack of care for all of those who once followed me. In this very moment, rather than me being the villain, it is you who distorts reality to fit your ideas and beliefs, for it is the easier thing to do, isn't that right?"

"Yet… You don't care about any such subtleties… But I guess this was expected. Humans can only see as far as their eyes allow them to. Or what their heart can bear to take"

"Human Hypocrisy is famed across multiple dimensions after all."

"It is all… A very "Human" thing to do…"

"..."

Dae's anger did not increase or decrease. He remained solemn as he gazed at the goddess. 

He knew she was right, but he refused to accept it. 

Because she was also wrong. 

… There was a saying… Gods can't mix with a Mortal since they are eternal…

 And this is the reason why.

"You may only speak the truth, but this is from your perspective."

'In the future, how many would be exterminated only for the growth of such Gods?'

'No matter how right they are, how beautiful is the future they promise… What does it matter?'

'I am mortal, and what I care for are the things before me.'

'The green hills, the sandy rivers, the colorful fishes, the hay houses, the metal castles. And all of the people in between.'

'It may be a curse waiting to gnaw at me a hundred, thousand, or even more years in the future, but I'll deal with it when the time comes.'

'Right now, what I want to do is to prevent their sickening plans from coming to fruition!'

"Right… I will destroy everything."\

'People should be allowed to walk the path they feel is right to them and not be condemned to die just because that's the "Natural way" of things.'

"Destruction is also a common Human answer, but yours seem oddly oriented with those once proclaimed by your own kind as Demonic... Is that the path you wish to follow?"

"I won't… Since I will kill them all as well."

"Is mass genocide the grand answer you came up with? Disappointing, you are nothing but a follower of Chaos. I expected more from a being like you."

Dae smiled. 

"I don't… I won't follow chaos... You can't even begin to understand what I have planned... "

'You might be a Goddess of knowledge but you're far from predicting the future.'

'What I told you was nothing but the tip of the iceberg. Or rather, you only heard what you wanted to hear, just like how I only see what I want to.'

'But there's something you're wrong about me. Before coming here, I was forced to take all of that which I neglected, to accept this cruel reality so I may judge it myself.'

'I am not a God, nor a dower of rights, but I refuse to stare down at the world through such narrow lenses!'

/Splurge/

Dae pulled his hand from inside her stomach, taking out a white orb as white blood fell on the ground, dissipating soon after as if never there.

"Interesting… I wonder how my true self will react to your future plans. How amusing…"

"But you didn't answer my question. How did you kill me?" She asked as she tilted her head

"... I used a useless Skill… One that you would never imagine."

"Hm?... I wonder… I might be weak, but that doesn't mean a Mortal can just resist my charm. Even a Demi-God would find it hard to do so..."

"The only way to get away from this is to… Be immune from it… Ah! I see."

She seemed to have an Eureka moment as she smiled gently. 

"It was during that time when you were playing with those dolls, right?"

"..."

Dae smiled. 

"Who knows?" He said with a sly smile

"Wait!"

/Crack!/

Dae crushed the white Orb, making the phantom disappear into smoke. 

[DING!]

At the same time, he received a message window, but he brushed it off for now. 

"Phew… What a pain in the ass."

'Although she seemed fine on the outside, I am sure she was planning to take me down as soon as I let my guard down.'

'Even if not, I feel a bit better knowing she vanished with some anguish, even if very little.'

"I had to keep her occupied by making use of her curiosity… I almost spoke too much."

'It seems that deep down… What I want most is someone to speak to… Sigh…'

"… The easiest part was getting out of her charm… Well, I didn't."

If you looked closely, Dae's eyes were still a little unfocused. 

"Deactivate… Puppeteering."

[The Skill, Puppeteering Lv2 has been deactivated]

Dae's unfocused eyes suddenly regained their clarity and brilliance. 

/Sheen…/

Small strings of energy suddenly appeared in the air as a phantom copy of Dae materialized and fused with his body. 

"Haaa… That was uncomfortable… Hopefully, never again."

What he did was pretty simple, Dae used puppeteering on himself to control his body from a 3rd person perspective.

'The way it works is quite complex since this isn't the normal use for this Skill.'

"But it was the perfect and most optimal way to evade her charm… I thank those boring days and those funny guys for teaching me these tricks."

'Yes, this is nothing but a trick… Those with the proper Skills and Abilities could easily take me out if I tried something like this again.'

"However... As expected, she noticed pretty quickly when I mentioned… I had to risk myself to have her lose her guard, and it was worth it."

'To think a God wouldn't even detect that I was using such a Skill… She was just as weak as I had imagined.'

"But in the end, it was a gamble with the little information I gathered in the last few weeks. Had it failed…"

He shook his gaze as he pushed aside those thoughts.

Dae gazed at the gray mist floating in the room, it was the remaining energy from Eridia's alter ego and Divine within the Artifact. 

Prismatic light seemed to exude from inside it, like golden rays shining through the ocean's surface. 

"I can t let this go to waste as well, right?"

Just like when he absorbed the dark mist, this gray mist was also absorbed into a small flask. 

"Parts one and two are done..."

"Now that I removed her divinity and dealt with the Jar… It's time to make a deal..."

/Grab…/

"If I knew you were like this, I wouldn't have forced you this much, little fella…"

'Either way, I don't think he'll enjoy being with me, so I guess I'll just leave him to Philip, he'll have an easier time fixing and making use of it than me in either case.'

Dae stored the Jar inside his inventory as he took out the crystal cube. 

"It's time…"

'I had to collect all of these quickly, so I don't have many chances… It's not even plural, I have only one.'

/Inhale… Exhale…/

"Activate Skill..."

'Trade Offer.'

[DING]

[You have used the Temporary Skill, Trade Offer LvMax]

[The target has been set, sealed *****]

[Processing… Error]

[The item value surpasses Skill Level]

"Use Skill, Economic Balance."

[You have used the Temporary Skill, Economic Balance LvMax]

[For every product, there is a buyer]

[Processing…]

[A possible client has been found]

[Error, the value of the item surpasses Skill Level]

"I want to use my previous reward right now."

'A bit of a waste for what I just did, but this has to be done, I'm thankful I can clear this out of my to-do list so soon.'

'Compared to what I'd have to do, letting go of this much is little. And it won't change much anyway since in the first place, the original plans never accounted for such rewards to begin with.'

[Processing...]

{Request Accepted}

The notification seemed different this time, the color of the window went from a healthy green to complete, utter dark. 

But that message, as quickly as it came, rapidly vanished under the flurry of notifications:

[Changes are in progress...]

[Additional parameters are being accounted for…]

[According to the level of the trade, to protect both sides, Trade Offer has merged with the Skill Economic Balance]

[The Temporary Skill, The Price of All Things Lv??? has been created]

[The previous client has refused to trade]

[Please name a client]

"..."

'Phew, I was worried someone would actually accept it… I only have one shot at this.'

'Thankfully, those guys are too prideful and busy to accept something so sketchy, brushing it off like a bunch of fools.'

'It wouldn't take much to realize something is odd, but before they notice anything's out of the ordinary…'

"This will be embarrassing… Thankfully, none are around."

"Ahem…"

Dae cleared his throat, deepening his voice:

"I want to make an offer to the one who watches frogs jump out of their wells, the one who strolls down the mountain to gaze at the shapes left by the wind."

"His domain comes from above, but he also loves that which comes from below."

"To hold Gold is to honor him, to exchange is to speak of him, to barter is to pray for his blessing."

"His first name is Mih, symbolizing his desire for change."

"His second name is Jyr, given to him by his birth mother."

"God of Humans and Animals, he is Mihjyr God of Trade and all that can be exchanged and has value."

'Urg… That was awkward… Hold it in, the customer is coming…'

'There's no way he'll ever refuse.'

[A trade offer has been made]

…

The seconds passed as Dae waited, if he didn't manage to sell the item today, he would have some trouble. 

Going around with such objects is too dangerous, he might as well destroy it. 

After all, none of this was in his initial plans. He could very well live without it. Albeit the thought of throwing it aside would haunt him for many days…

Dae truly wasn't willing to lose such an opportunity. 

[The client has accepted to trade]

"!!!"

Space tore in the middle of the room above the dried-out formation as a middle-aged man passed through it.

He looked old and tired, but he carried the dignity of a noble, despite his old coat and white slippers. 

He faintly looked around the place, but after a quick glance, his eyes fell on Dae, and from there on, they never left.

Golden irises brimming with power scanned his every being as a faint but gargantuan pressure befell his entire being.

He knew, deep down, that what he was facing was nature incarnate. This was how it felt to be before a being of ultimate power…

To stand before a God… In the flesh.

"... Oh my… What a surprise! This is a story to tell for ages! How others would envy such an exchange!"

Although he looked serious, his voice and way of speaking were very... 

Odd and jovial? 

Saying such, Mihjyr stopped smiling, soon gazing back at Dae as he spoke his thoughts out loud. 

(Image?)

"Hum… The Pact has not been broken; what an interesting way to make contact!"

"Never have I expected to witness such in the thousand… Two thousand… Five thousand?... Erm… Whatever many times this world has circled the golden resplendence of the Sun!"

"How about it, young man? Are you willing to sell me the method? I'd pay Premium, multiple times even. Whatever it is that you want, I shall procure it, for there is little that I…"

"Cannot acquire."

"..."

Dae, however, did not smile, maintaining his poker face as his eyes sharpened.

'Don't let yourself be fooled by his charisma…'

'Things just got super dangerous… From here on out… It's a battle.'

"I am indeed willing to sell it, but… That's not the target for today's trade. I would be punished if I did not stick to the rules."

"And in any case, selling it to you might end up in a breach of the pact. Which is essentially the same, but several magnitudes worse."

"I'd say the gains more than compensate for the dangers, hoho… But… You are right, a merchant fears only two things in this world!..."

"Taxes!... And those who enforce it…"

His smile deepened.

"When in Rome, do as Romans do… Isn't that right, friend?"

"..."

A bead of sweat fell from Dae's forehead as he did not show any reaction to his statement.

The old man immediately brushed past his statement, saying: 

"Show me what you got then. Although, I doubt it is as good as this information… I'm expectant of a surprise and open for more! Any less would be… Disappointing."

"This… Is what I wish to trade with."

Dae did not beat around the bush as he removed the cube from his inventory.

It was the crystal cube, a small Platinum disk shinned from within. 

Just moments before, he hid it within his inventory, and as expected…

"THAT?! HOW DID YOU?... Cough! Apologies… Please, proceed."

The surprise factor worked.

"..."

'Interested now, are you?'

"Are you willing to trade now?" 

"It depends on the price." The old man replied as she fidgeted with his beard 

"..."

'Heh… I will give you a reasonable price, alright…'

'Old man... I am going to take even your slippers with me today!'

"There are two ways of doing this." Dae said as he raised his fingers 

"I have a list with everything I want; you just need to give those to me, and this is yours."

"Certainly I can do such, you just need to hand it to me, and I'll…"

"The condition is that you cannot see its contents."

Mihjyr's smile vanished completely as he realized what was going on.

"Hmmm… Quite daring to use it as the intermediary… Bold for certain!"

"But my emotions aside, for me to accept before even looking at it? How can I guarantee you aren't going to rip me off?"

"It does not quite account for market value, does it?"

Dae smiled.

"The rules of this trade will make sure that both sides win in some sense, even if one considers himself to have lost some wealth, the trade will make sure that both sides win on a fundamental level."

"The other is to simply leave it to be completed automatically… But that has a higher chance of displeasing both of us at the same time."

"Your statement is thus… Incorrect."

Mihjyr thought for a moment before saying: 

"I know very well how this works… Which only makes me more curious as to how you pulled it off in the first place."

Dae… Shrugged.

"So be it, we are going with this method."

"Good then..."

"However… I will not trade anything related to my existence and Divinity. Nor anything in my private collection."

It was Dae's turn to grow serious as his smile vanished.

"That's a problem… Old man, you have no valuable items that can match this outside of your private collection. So stop trying to go for numbers over quality."

"You know what this is, right? Don't be petty now."

Dae shook around the cube, prompting the old man to scoff as he crossed his arms.

"There are too many sentimental and important things in the vault for me… I can't just part over with them..."

"..."

'He is so stubborn.'

'Keep trying, I will never reveal what I am looking for.'

'Not without a price…'

"If that's the case, I am only forced to trade with someone else. I may incur a loss, but I'm sure someone would come if I tried again!"

"Hm? Aren't you afraid of offending me? A Divine, in the flesh?"

His voice became deeper as an invisible pressure began to weight down on Dae. 

But he did not back down, saying with an even stronger voice:

"Aren't you cheeky old fart. I will tell you the same: you should be afraid of us instead."

"I took the Divinity of a God, I can take it from another, much less a minor one like you. Especially when you're crossing over to this side!"

"Cough…"

Mihjyr started to sweat a little as he covered his face with his fist.

"I was just joking… It's been so long since I had such an interaction that I went overboard…"

"But do tell me, what is that you want from my private collection?"

"You think I am dumb? If I tell you, wouldn't you just refuse to sell it?"

"And what would I gain if I did that? Self-satisfaction?"

"If I tell you, I want double the amount of the material items. Information has a price."

'I need to have a backup plan in case I can't get that… So, open up old man… Urg... That was kind of strange…'

"What an absurdity! You are putting a price on something that's mine?! You are the biggest fraud customer I have ever seen!... To double it from nowhere…"

"10%."

"You truly are a God of Trade! You butcher those values like a swordsman! 90% or nothing."

"Do you want to kill this old man?! I have a family to provide! You must know of them if you're aware of my name! Think of all of the centuries it took me to gather my current hoard! 25%!"

"Tche!"

'Family?! Don't be cheeky! You are famous for being a weak-ass man! Can't even woo an angel, and you dare speak of family?! For all I know, you'd sell your paradise with your followers to a Demon if it had a high enough price!'

/CHATTER!/

Dae and God continued to discuss for a few more minutes until they reached a common ground:

"5-5-50%!" 

"Barely what I wanted, 55%, and I will accept."

"My soul... It's as if my soul has been taken out of me!" Mihjyr said in an overly dramatic tone as he reached for his chest

Either way, he had successfully slashed the price from double to half, but what he didn't know was that the information… Had zero value to begin with.

[Ding]

[The deal has been updated]

"Great… Great... Now tell me!" He quickly demanded as he cast aside his dramatic act aside

"Humph… I want the Nameless Crown."

"...?"

Mihjyr seemed to think for a moment as he scratched his chin in wonder. 

"Hum… That old thing? There isn't anything special about it..."

'There was a time when I tried finding out what it did, but the only thing I ever found out was that the Crown was incomplete.'

'I never had a clue as to how to finish it though. So I threw it in my collection as a reminder of Human ingenuity… And failures.'

"Stop trying. Nothing more will leave my lips unless you want to raise that percentage past 100%."

"Tsk, I was just being curious."

Mihjyr snapped his fingers, and a large translucent portal appeared behind him. Immediately after, a beautiful angel with twelve pairs of wings stepped from the other side of the portal, bowing as she arrived at the mortal realm. 

Meanwhile, Dae's focus fell on the world behind, the environment seemed to be a golden vault with an untold amount of riches, a world of utter gold and more... 

"..."

'That's… A 12Th Class Angel… How utterly ridiculous.'

'Angels gain a pair of wings every time they rank up… And he is using one with twelve pairs as a vault guard? That Angel is even stronger than him.'

'I guess he is one wealthy God… Even though he is weak, his troops are well fed and trained.'

/Flicker!/

/Lightning…/

"OUCH?!"

Mihjyr suddenly flicked Dae's forehead, sending him recoiling back as he almost lost his balance.

"... Humph, that's for being rude to your trade partner…"

"Get me these items." He said as a translucent paper appeared on his hand

It was a copy of everything he had read from Dae's notes, word by word, space by space, punctuation… By punctuation.

"As you command."

The angel nodded, and within a second, it gathered all of the items into a large bag before Dae could even process it, leaving it on the ground next to the portal. 

Her voice was a little deeper than expected; however, he still felt the angel was female, despite the possibility of the opposite being possible as well.

Angels were said to be inhumanly beautiful, after all… 

"Done... Everything you want is in there." He said lightly as he smacked his lips

"Alright, then the deal is..."

"Wait." 

"Is there anything more?"

Mihjyr took a Golden coin from a small pocket in his plain robes and threw it at Dae. 

"I can see you are a valuable customer. If you have any interesting items to sell in the future, come to me."

"I can see you still have some valuable things with you, but… It doesn't seem like you want to trade them now."

"Next time, there will be a price for our meeting. And unless whatever you want to trade is as excellent as this one, then it shall be up to you to bear the cost of this privilege."

And with that, the old man stepped on the portal and left. Leaving behind nothing but a tale to be spread generations after. 

Soon after he left, Dae relaxed, this time for real, as he fell onto the ground.

"...Mihjyr… You look so young."

'In the future, he would lose a bet against another God and lose his Divine status, being forced to walk the land of mortals as one even though the Gods' pact had already ended.'

'Because of this, he would age at a swift pace as time would start to take away his frail life.'

'It was an utter humiliation for him, even more, when the bet was fraudulent, to begin with… So he spent a lot of time and resources training new and powerful warriors to participate in the…'

"In a sense, I owe him my current circumstances, even though I never directly met with him."

'As a merchant, a God even. He has no sense of right or wrong. Money is all that matters, and he is going to favor the one with the most money… Until he suffers some losses.'

"The reason why he was targeted was exactly because of that."

'Most of the Gods didn't care much about the Mortal world's fate, but Mihjyr had a slightly different opinion about it.'

'He believed that if the Mortal world was destroyed, his profits would plummet, and that only through a balanced realm could he make the most profit… And thus, he accused the other Gods of being short-sighted.

"In the end… He was cut down. A fool that couldn't read the collective will of the heavens."

Dae looked at the sack of items on the ground. People would wage wars to get some of those, yet he looked at them uninterestedly.

"Barely enough for three, but that's enough, I suppose..."

'I thought it would be impossible to get that last achievement without immense sacrifices, much less for three to get it, but…'

'It might be possible. And not barely at that.'

Dae picked the gold crown on top of the pile of items and checked it 

[Gold Crown of ******

Description: Just a Gold crown

Effects: Just a Gold crown

]

"... It's clearly censored... The fucking judges… Their hands spread everywhere."

I wonder if they ever expected someone to go this far... Hehehe...'

The crown was rather plain, and aside from the 33 slots on its side, it had little to no details.

One thing to note was that they were all empty. 

"I finally got it… In the first month to boot."

Dae reached for his temples, massaging them as he tried to deal with his headache.

"This is escalating way too quickly… I… Freeda, you were right. Being a reincarnated being is a little too… OP."

Dae didn't lose any more time and started processing all his items. 

He had a few hours to prepare them and clean the room of all the mess he had made. 

Who would have expected that two Gods had made their appearances in this inconspicuous place? 

As he began his experiments, Dae took this time to also take a look at his System windows:

[DING!]

[You have destroyed a fragment of a God's Divinity while being nothing but an initial state Mortal!]

[You have made an achievement never recorded in History!]

[Your name shall be remembered through generations]

[Through thick and thin, you have killed the aspect of a God, gaining the Title, Divine Slayer]

[You may choose from a set of rewards]

'Heh, it was easier than I thought.'

'Level 1 "God" kill, let me see those options… I feel like I am speedrunning life…'

"The choices are… I will have to think a bit later."

"But I only got Divine Slayer?... What a shame, the Divinity fragment was truly on its last legs. Otherwise…"

'Better for me either way, too much trouble would've followed with an even higher profile Title.'

From here, it took a few minutes until the next one appeared…

[You have made a trade with a God!]

[You have been blessed by Mihjyr]

[The Temporary Skill, The Price of All Things Lv?, has been changed into, The Price of All Things Lv1 (3/3)]

[You have gained the Title, Divine Trader]

[DING!]

[The trade has been completed, and the processing fee shall be collected soon!]

[According to the rules, the seller shall pay the tax]

"..."

'That won't do…'

Dae smiled like never before, a portion of his future self seeping into his younger self…

"Activate Skill, Tax evasion."

[The Temporary Skill, Tax Evasion LvMax, has activated]

[The price of the tax is being recalculated...]

Then, the black system window appeared:

{Someone has to pay, according to the *****, the client shall pay in the seller's stead}

[Collecting Payment]

…

/Somewhere beyond the world.../

"What a surprise… Truly… What a SURPRISE!"

"Who would think that bitch would leave such a precious thing behind? And for a Human to get it..."

'I got something I needed and dealt a blow to that hateful woman… Two birds in one stone.'

'Although I may have lost a precious item from my collection, I couldn't be more satisfied. It did little to me either way.'

"With this, I might as well surpass my understanding of Life… Or just tell it for an exorbitant price… Ohohohoh… How much could I take from someone?... I…"

"No… I'm letting my habits get the best of me, I know full well how such things would go."

"... How long did it take me to reach this point? To think a Human would help me advance..."

"Hahaha! Fate can be such an interesting thing..."

[DING!]

{COLLECTING FEE!}

"What?"

As Mihjyr was distracted with his new item, a lot of gold and gems were suddenly sucked into a large black hole that had spontaneously formed in the ceiling. 

"N-No… It can't… AHHHH! MY GOODIES?!"

'WHAT IS HAPPENING?!!'

"Fee? Fee from… No… NOOO!!! IT CAN'T BE?!"

'DAMN YOU HUMAN! TO THINK HE WOULD DARE…'

"AHHHHHH!! N-Not that! I can pay with anything but… Not those either!! Let's discuss things, please!!!!"

...

"Phew, I did it..."

'All of that preparation was for this moment…'

"And everything went perfectly."

'Although I had to abandon some developments, in the end, this was worth it.'

"The month is almost ending… It's time to let Philip go on his journey… Things will only get harder from here on out."

'With everything we've done and he's likely done, there won't be that much time left for him to leave. The window of opportunity will be rather short.'

/Bubble…/

Dae continued to mix and prepare the materials, mixing several potions on the ground like a mad alchemist. 

The first month of our heroes' adventurers may be ending, but their adventures were only starting…1

…

.

.

.

Notes

This time, it was the entire chapter without any cuts.

An entire chapter about Dae's POV, quite rare in the grand scheme of things but maybe something I should make more off in the future, especially as I tried to close the gaps in the story I left behind.

See ya around, peace!