Chapter 127

[Translator - Night]

[Proofreader - Gun]

Chapter 127: Odin’s Summoning

Odin taking out a loan from the SP Exchange?

Wait, identity theft on top of that…?

"What kind of god gets their identity stolen?"

"The gods of Asgard have put everything on Odin."

"But does that mean he can take out loans under other gods' names too?"

"Sigh, I’m losing my mind here."

"…You too? Are you also in debt?"

Loki nodded with a gloomy expression.

"I owe a hundred billion."

"Holy… you do realize the interest rate is 10%, right? That’s 10 billion a year to our exchange."

"10 billion…? Hah…"

Loki, who had never shown such a hopeless face before, now looked utterly devastated.

This is insane.

"I know I’m the one running the SP Exchange, but this sounds like straight-up fraud. Tell Odin to cancel it immediately."

"That’s impossible… We can’t break the covenant with Asgard."

"What kind of covenant?"

"It’s the oath Odin made with all of Asgard when he entered the infinite regression. I can’t share the details, or I’d be violating it… but essentially, we’ve entrusted our fate to him. To make him the Creator."

Loki speculated that Olympus likely had a similar arrangement.

So, he can't explain the details, but breaking it isn’t an option, huh?

"Alright, fine. Just make sure you keep up with the interest payments. Don’t end up getting debt collected."

"Debt collected?"

"Yeah. Just don’t end up going up in flames like the prophecy… Oh."

"A prophecy? What are you talking about? There was another prophecy?"

Damn it.

I accidentally mentioned the third prophecy I hadn’t told him about yet.

As I tried to avoid his gaze, Loki grabbed my shoulder tightly.

"What prophecy? Tell me."

"Aren’t you bound to Odin through the covenant? Won’t it all just end up with him anyway?"

"It’s not that kind of covenant. If it were, would I be snooping around investigating Odin? Hey, I’m your debtor too, remember? I somehow ended up owing a hundred billion…"

Loki became even more depressed at the mention of his debt.

At least it didn’t seem like he’d run off and snitch to Odin.

I took a moment to organize my thoughts.

Debt collection leading to Asgard being engulfed in flames.

Odin, with a hollow smile, swallowed by the fire.

That was the third prophecy.

Why was Odin so desperate to keep anyone from seeing it?

I couldn't figure it out on my own.

But now, I had a hint.

From what Loki just said, Odin had taken out massive loans under Asgard’s name from my SP Exchange.

These guys… Did they end up burning because they never paid it back?

For the entire Asgardian realm to be reduced to ashes… Just how much debt were they trying to dodge?

I could ask Loki for advice, but…

Can I really trust him?

"Not sure if I should be telling this to the master of backstabbing."

"Ah, I’ll stake my divine honor on it. Plus, we’re under a Soul Barrier—it’s the perfect time."

"Hmm…"

"Odin’s been acting strange, and I think it has something to do with Zeus. I’m worried we’re all just playing into Zeus’s hands."

"Fine. Then swear on your honor."

Loki grumbled, "You seriously want me to swear?" but still made the oath.

A system notification appeared.

[Do you accept Loki’s oath?]

If the system recognizes it, then it should be reliable.

Alright, he’s a smart guy.

I might as well tell him and see if he can help piece this together.

"What do you think Asgard is worth?"

"In SP terms?"

"Yeah."

"It’s worth an unimaginable amount. Why do you ask? Don’t tell me…"

"In the third prophecy, Asgard was burning."

Loki fell silent, his expression hardening in deep thought.

"Even if you take loans from the SP Exchange, could it really destroy an entire divine realm?"

"That’s what I’m asking."

"A divine realm is home to countless gods. While it’s ultimately tied to a planet, it exists as a separate world. No matter how much debt you have, it shouldn't be enough to make the entire world burn…"

The divine realm of Asgard.

A world created by gods, so its value was beyond measure.

Even with massive debt, could it really lead to complete destruction?

Loki wasn’t convinced.

"Even trillions in debt shouldn’t be enough to burn all of Asgard… unless some of the gods disappeared."

"It’s not Asgard? But Odin himself said so… He lamented that it was Asgard’s end."

I explained the vision I had seen, and Loki nodded.

"If Odin’s temple in Asgard was burning, then yeah, Asgard was finished."

"I see."

"Was that truly the future Skuld foresaw?"

"Yeah, that’s what I saw."

"Did he say anything else?"

I tried recalling the prophecy.

Did I miss anything?

Ah…!

"He mentioned confirming that I had ascended to divinity before sealing it away."

"Ah, that’s it!"

Loki immediately understood.

"You got hit by a system penalty! If a penalty is combined with debt collection… that scene could definitely happen!"

Loki seemed convinced that the system’s penalty could be that powerful.

"Is the system really that strong?"

"Of course. It stands above all other forms of order."

Now it made sense why Pollux had changed his tune the moment I reached B-rank back in the day.

If the system’s penalties are this severe…

Even with debt collection added in, if the system’s penalty alone could destroy Asgard…

"Even as an S-rank, there are penalties? Even after ascending to divinity, the system still penalizes you…? That’s extreme, even for a god of souls…"

Loki looked at me with envy.

I suspected it was because my neutral faction status screen hadn’t reached S-rank yet…

But there was no need to tell him that.

"Skuld gave Asgard the best prophecy she could. She basically warned them not to mess with you. And yet, Odin ignored it and borrowed an absurd amount under other gods’ names. That’s a serious problem."

"Right? It’s like he wants the prophecy to come true. If he didn’t take on the debt, there wouldn’t be any debt collection in the first place."

"He wants the prophecy to come true…?"

Loki’s eyes widened.

"If the prophecy happens… Odin and Asgard are destroyed. But where does all that borrowed SP go…? In the end, who benefits?"

Loki murmured in deep thought, his expression grave.

"If we disappear, the alliance between Olympus and Asgard is automatically dissolved… They won’t have to pay the price of the alliance anymore… And the covenant to support the losing faction in the Creator’s war…"

Guh!

Loki suddenly coughed up blood.

His body began turning translucent.

Wait, what?

The Soul Barrier is still intact—so why is this happening?

“W-what…? My main body is under attack… Odin…! That lunatic…!”

Loki rapidly faded away.

Just before disappearing completely, he left me with one final message.

“Kim Jiho, you must save Asgard. If not, you’ll end up being toyed with by Zeus…!”

Before he could even finish his sentence, Loki’s avatar vanished in an instant.

Did Odin get to him?

He disappeared, leaving behind words that sounded like a final will—telling me to save Asgard.

Did he decide to take care of a faction that failed to ascend to the Creator’s position?

If Zeus had become the Creator, did that mean instead of abandoning Asgard, he would still take care of it as an ally?

But if Asgard gets penalized for debt collection and goes up in flames…?

Then Zeus and Olympus wouldn’t have any reason to care for Asgard anymore.

It would just disappear on its own.

Vrrrrrrr.

As I was sorting through my thoughts one by one, the world suddenly started turning completely white.

What the…?

I hadn’t deactivated the Soul Barrier yet.

The entire living room—no, even beyond the living room—was filled with a blinding white light.

[As the representative of Asgard and the overseer of Earth, I hold you accountable for the chaos caused by the unsealing. I summon Kim Jiho, the lower deity of Earth.]

[Translator - Night]

[Proofreader - Gun]

A majestic voice echoed from within the light.

I’d heard this voice before.

It was the same voice I’d heard when Odin used his omniscience on me.

With the Soul Barrier still active, I stepped toward the window.

A massive pillar of light was shining down on my apartment from the sky.

Rumble.

The apartment began to tremble before slowly lifting off the ground.

Even with the Soul Barrier activated, I was being pulled along with it?

I hadn’t even finished organizing my thoughts, but getting dragged away like this felt wrong.

“Heimdall’s Return.”

I considered using Avatar Swap but decided to keep it as a last resort.

I set the coordinates to Kevrian and activated Heimdall’s Return.

My entire body was enveloped in light.

At the exact moment I attempted to break away from the space—

[It’s useless.]

Thud!

I was repelled, barrier and all.

Damn…!

Was it because this skill came from Asgard?

If so, the only option left was Avatar Swap.

I could escape with that, but… was it really the best choice?

This skill was my last resort.

And the cooldown was long.

A strong premonition told me that using Avatar Swap here would be a mistake.

Was this the upgraded Danger Detection kicking in?

Fine.

I’ll go see what Odin’s up to with my own two eyes.

If things get too dangerous, I can always use Avatar Swap to bail.

My body kept floating upward.

After failing to escape with Heimdall’s Return, I was the only one being pulled into the sky.

My apartment had already crashed to the ground and shattered into pieces.

Ah, my house…

Just like the last one, none of my homes on Earth ever seem to last.

Like being sucked into a UFO’s beam, my body continued soaring higher and higher.

My final destination was a massive purple portal.

As soon as I entered, I recognized the place.

It was the same space I’d seen in my prophecy.

An endless staircase leading up to a massive hall.

There was no ceiling—only an open sky, surrounded by raging storms.

A temple engulfed in a tempest.

It was fitting for the Storm God Odin.

“It has been a while. Is this the first time you’re seeing me in this form?”

A towering figure with one eye covered by a black eyepatch.

Long white hair and a beard cascading down to the ground, along with a flowing white robe—just like in the prophecy.

He also held a staff.

His crimson eyes gleamed as he gazed at me.

“You… are you Odin?”

“Yes.”

“Why did you summon me so forcefully?”

“Because you released the gods, Asgard’s expected SP gain in this cycle has drastically decreased. You must take responsibility for that.”

Odin extended the tip of his staff toward me.

At that moment, Valkyries began appearing one by one, walking down the staircase.

Not just the staircase—Valkyries with wings of light were descending from the sky, surrounding me.

There were already hundreds of them.

And their power felt incredibly strong—at least A-rank, with the occasional S-rank mixed in.

Why the hell are there so many lower deities swarming around…?

“You’ve kindly given me a reason to intervene. Of course, even if you hadn’t, I would’ve summoned you soon enough—but having some justification is always useful.”

“Aren’t you afraid of the system’s penalties?”

“Heh… I’ve never heard of the system protecting those who ascend to divinity.”

This bastard.

He saw Skuld’s prophecy with his own eyes, yet he’s pretending not to know?

Something is seriously wrong with this Odin.

“What happened to Loki?”

“Loki? That traitor is none of your concern.”

Odin slammed his staff against the ground.

Suddenly, crimson threads wrapped around my body.

Like ropes, they tightly bound me.

I tried to move, but I was completely immobilized.

“Hand over your shares of the SP Exchange. Since we’ve suffered a major loss in SP this time, I’ll take 20%. Then, I’ll release you.”

20%?

That’s daylight robbery.

Has he lost his mind?

“No way.”

As if waiting for that answer, Odin’s lips curled into a grin.

It was a smile that welcomed my defiance.

“Then be sealed.”

What?

That quickly?!

The crimson threads tightened around me.

Searing pain cut through my flesh.

Gah…

I wanted to keep talking and figure out what the hell was up with Odin, but this wasn’t going to work.

I needed to get out of here.

Now…

Now was the perfect time to use Avatar Swap!

Avatar Swap.

Without uttering a word, I activated it in my mind.

Immediately, my vision turned pitch black.

“…Hmm? His spiritual form… seems to be fading slightly, Odin.”

“Pay no mind to it.”

Right before my spirit was fully transferred into my avatar stored in Kevrian, I heard their voices.

The Valkyrie sounded worried, but Odin dismissed her concerns.

His voice was as calm as ever.

“Damn it… that hurt like hell.”

I could move again.

I looked around.

A cave?

Did Elprian prepare this hideout for me?

I survived.

That crimson thread…

I don’t know what it was, but it hurt like hell.

Even after switching bodies, my entire body still tingled.

As I massaged my aching limbs, a system message appeared before me.

[Translator - Night]

[Proofreader - Gun]