Dimensional Merchant (1)
Fwoooosh—
Platinum-white divine power overflowed from his entire body, filling the room.
An overwhelming aura that, merely by facing it, made reverence well up of its own accord.
The purity of the divine power he had possessed until now had already been a level rarely seen in the mortal world, but this power belonged to a realm on an entirely different plane even compared to that.
‘And if I take into account that this is Earth...’
Heinrich... no, I, who had used “Individual Projection” to don the avatar called Heinrich, quietly placed a hand over my chest.
Beyond my heart, which was pounding with powerful beats, I could feel a mighty presence.
Sensing the seed of divinity that had finally begun to sprout here as well, after the other avatars, I let out a faint chuckle.
“To be honest, I was looking forward to it a little... but this is a greater result than I expected.”
Removing my hand from my chest, I looked over my entire body with fresh eyes.
As if that weren’t enough, I stood before the full-length mirror in one corner of the room and carefully examined the figure reflected in it.
Radiant silver hair that scattered light, and golden eyes that seemed to contain the sun.
A face that was gentle and benevolent, yet carried a firm spirit that gave off a distinctly masculine impression, and a solid body trained to an extreme degree far beyond human limits.
His appearance was as steadfast as Heinrich usually was.
‘...Actually, his outward appearance itself hasn’t changed all that much.’
The man in the mirror tilted his head slightly.
At most, the light in his eyes had grown stronger, and his hair shone a little more than before.
For a change that had suddenly made him no longer human, it even felt a little underwhelming.
‘Of course, judging something like this by appearance alone is ridiculous.’
If he thought about it, it wasn’t a bad thing for him either.
Whatever else he might be, he was still a martial artist.
If the physical conditions that formed the foundation of the martial arts he had built up until now changed, his skill would inevitably decline somewhat until he adjusted to them again.
Of course, considering his abilities, that wouldn’t take very long, but there was no need to go through unnecessary trouble.
“Besides...”
A lightning-like gleam flashed in Heinrich’s eyes in the mirror.
And immediately after.
Flaaash—
Three pairs of enormous wings spread wide behind his back.
Just like before, they were “Great Blessing: Wings of Radiance,” formed of pure light.
Not only had their number increased from two to six, but they had grown larger and more beautiful as well, and each time they slowly moved, a gentle ripple spread in all directions.
‘If this house didn’t have a barrier, I would’ve been advertising to everyone that I’m here.’
It was an ultra-wide-area buff that granted positive effects to those within its domain simply by existing.
A power that contrasted in many ways with the aura of terror the Immortal King Hans naturally emitted flowed from him as easily as breathing.
-Individual Name: Heinrich
-Race: Angel
-Common Traits: “Mind Hub,” “Persona,” “Great Mind,” “Xenoglossy,” “Subspace Storage,” “Limit Break,” “Imitation”
-Individual Traits: “Sacred Baptism,” “Great Blessing: Knight of Light,” “Great Blessing: Wings of Radiance,” “Blessing: Iron Body,” “Blessing: Leap,” “Blessing: Light Sword,” “Blessing: Increase,” “Blessing: Holy Sword,” “Logia Holy Combat Art,” “Path of Martial Arts,” “Apostle of God,” “Auterica Holy Method,” “Spatial Slash”
-Special Notes: Having faced the object of his faith and received grace, he has shed the frame of his physical body and achieved ascension. Due to the effect of “Apostle of God,” all abilities have greatly increased, and he possesses absolute superiority over beings of lower rank. Due to the effect of “Apostle of God,” all activities in Auterica receive positive correction, and even when visiting the domains of other gods, the influence of other divinities is minimized. By blooming the seed of divinity, restrictions on the use of divine power have been greatly eased.
Heinrich, who from the moment of his birth until now had always climbed to the pinnacle in a human body.
That very Heinrich, with his audience with the Chief God as the opportunity, had undergone molting and become an angel—a being several steps removed from a pure “living creature.”
The absorption of skills ranging from “Super Recovery” and “Clear Mirror, Still Water” to “Underwater Breathing” into the higher trait “Apostle of God” was part of that as well.
“Well, it’s good as long as I get stronger in some way. It’s not as if I’m in any position to obsess over whether I’m human or not at this point.”
Undead, vampires, dragons, Demon Kings, and more...
I had already come far too far to worry about such things.
On top of that, obtaining the mental-type trait “Great Mind” was also a major gain.
Immunity to all mental attacks wasn’t an ability I particularly needed, but the massive increase in mental strength that came along with it was a fairly useful option.
‘Most importantly, this is a skill acquired not by Heinrich, but by the main body, so all the avatars can share it.’
In a situation like mine, where I handled multiple bodies—especially when every one of those bodies was at a high level—the stronger one’s mental strength was, the better.
Hadn’t I been starting to feel the strain lately as more and more individuals sprouted divinity one after another?
‘After all, the individuality each of them pursues is far too diverse.’
There were countless beings who could strive for thousands of years and still fail to harbor even a single divinity.
And yet I was gathering those things indiscriminately, regardless of attributes or tendencies...
If not for the “diversity” sprouted by the main body, Han Seonghyeon, I would have reached my limit long ago and then some.
“Mm, this trip to the Demon Realm was beneficial in many ways.”
Canceling “Individual Projection” and returning to my original form, I stretched lightly.
With the complete removal of the temple embedded in the Demon Realm, the “Grand Return of the Returned Demon King” that I had initially planned had also been brought to a smooth conclusion.
All that remained now was to clean up the lingering chaos in the Demon Realm, properly lay the groundwork, and solidify the governing system.
Of course, I had already given the necessary instructions for that side as well, so there was no need to worry too much.
If things went according to plan, not only would the Demon Realm stabilize quickly, it would become a farm that continuously supplied karma, going beyond the simple level of domination.
All that was needed now was time.
“...Now then, what should I do about this?”
Having roughly finished organizing my thoughts, my gaze turned toward the system window floating before my eyes.
More precisely, to one item listed in the “Item Purchase” section.
“Divine Fragment of the Imprisoned Human God (10,120,000)”
Perhaps because I had finally met the qualifications, its name had been fully revealed.
It was the divinity of the imprisoned god, whose price had steadily dropped after I not only spirited away Temiran McClair, the vampire apostle, but also destroyed the temple in the Demon Realm and consecutively recovered the divine fragments.
‘The original price was thirty million, so now it’s about a third of that.’
And yet it still demanded over ten million points!
However, even this much was no different from a repeated crash compared to the beginning.
And above all...
“Owned Karma - 19,299,153”
Didn’t I now have the ability to purchase even that?
Of course, there was no need to ask where most of those points had come from.
‘My usable points will soon reach twenty million.’
A gentle smile formed at the corners of my mouth.
As I watched, with a satisfied expression, the karma that was increasing in real time even at this very moment.
***
The central region of the Demon Realm occupied by Helheim.
“Khrng— Sniff! I brought it here.”
“Ooooh! It has finally arrived!”
When a boar-headed demon appeared in front of one of the buildings there, carrying a large box on his shoulder, a humanoid demon with the lower body and horns of a goat and rectangular pupils hurried over on two legs and swiftly received it.
“As expected, this is—this is truly excellent!”
Then, as though he had received a delivery he had been waiting for, he tore open the box and gazed in admiration at the things that came out from within.
As though the box had space-expansion magic cast on it, no matter how much he took out, things continued to pop out endlessly.
“Sniff, sniff— Gulp! The smell alone is certainly amazing. This meat is...”
“Mm, that seems to be pork. It looks to be in good condition, too. Dallun, you’ve worked hard as well, so why don’t you have a taste—”
“I’ll eat well!”
Crunch, crunch—
Before he could even finish speaking, one of the large chunks of meat, which had been tightly packaged, vanished into the boar demon’s mouth in an instant.
Not only uncooked, but without even removing the packaging.
“Ooooh! It is indeed tender! Even the faint scent of blood is sweet. Khrng— Is this the meat of the outside world? It has a flavor that cannot even be compared to the magical beast meat of the Demon Realm!”
Baron-class demon Dallun, who swallowed the melt-in-your-mouth tender flesh and even chewed the bones like crackers, repeatedly exclaimed in admiration.
Indeed, at this level, it was a taste even the demon race, who did not need to eat anything, would find worth seeking out deliberately.
As he finished his tasting, smacking his lips and opportunistically eyeing another chunk of meat...
Cromwell, a viscount-class demon, a master of spatial magic who had achieved quite a few merits by following Hella from the early days of her entry into the Demon Realm thanks to his outstanding sociability, was nodding in satisfaction as he sorted the artworks that came out of the box.
He praised himself, thinking that deciding to follow her had been the right choice a hundred times over.
“Ahem! What are you doing? Take your hands off! How many more are you planning to eat?”
“Khrhrng— There’s so much of it, so if I eat just a little more...”
“No. These are goods. I’ll settle your share later according to the work you’ve done, so hold yourself back for now. Or buy some after work. I’ll give you an employee discount.”
“Grrng...”
At Cromwell’s firm words—he who had been appointed by the Demon King, ruler of the Demon Realm, as the person in charge of distributing continental goods—Dallun let out a groan.
In truth, the only reason he had been able to get involved in this work was that he had luckily been among the first to come under Hella. Having no special ability besides fighting, he could not defy Cromwell’s words.
The difference in their levels was one thing, but if he made a wrong move, even the small benefit he had been granted might disappear.
“Let’s see, then these goods can be sent to the Coatl family. Those should go to the Dream Walkers...”
In the end, while Dallun and his subordinates withdrew while smacking their lips and diligently carried the boxes, Cromwell, who had stepped to the front lines, continued to inspect and direct the goods personally, putting forward the tireless stamina befitting a demon.
He moved so energetically that one could even feel a burning passion from him.
“Good, this much should mean preparations are more or less complete. We can start soon!”
After quite some time had passed.
Wiping the sweat from his forehead, Cromwell nodded broadly and looked around at the splendidly constructed building.
A building located on the finest site even in this central region of the Demon Realm.
-Hubert Trading Company Demon Realm General Branch
Looking at the large sign hanging above the main entrance, he straightened his clothes and strode into the building.
The nameplate pinned to his chest, which read “Hubert Trading Company Demon Realm General Branch Manager,” glittered in the light.
And not long after that.
The one and only organization in Auterica that traded various continental cultures and goods with the Demon Realm’s specialties.
Branches of the Hubert Trading Company officially opened throughout the Demon Realm.
***
No matter how much struggle was a part of daily life in the Demon Realm, it still had an economic system of its own.
There was demand everywhere for various materials, including rare minerals and plants, the essence of the demon race, and byproducts that could be harvested from magical beasts.
Though the demon race had no real daily necessities to speak of, commerce was essential for a smooth supply, whether to make equipment needed for battle or to use as catalysts for certain rituals.
“What? One barrel of this incredible liquor is only twelve adamantium coins? Where, where are they selling it?!”
“I-I have to buy this! Before it runs out!”
“Sssip, haa— What an amazing smell. With a hell scorpion’s magic stone, how much of this meat can I... What? That’s not enough?”
The demon race wasn’t unaware that the surface world’s culture and goods were abundant.
It was just that going back and forth required extremely difficult conditions, and the resources consumed were beyond what an ordinary level could handle, so most had given up.
Even noble-class demons, who were treated as powerful in this land of struggle, were like that, so the ordinary demonfolk who made up the overwhelming majority of the Demon Realm generally had no occasion to leave it at all.
Unless a black magician from the continent performed a ritual to summon them by paying the price on their behalf, or unless the massive event known as a “Continental Invasion,” personally led by a Demon King using the authority of a Demon God, occurred once every few thousand years.
In such circumstances, the goods introduced by the Hubert Company were nothing short of a revolution.
“Stop! You there, did you just steal something?”
“Kugh—! N-no... I, I’m sorry...”
“To think you would dare commit such an impure act at Lady Hella’s event, guarded by our House Coatl. You knew full well that this was tantamount to treason when you did it, didn’t you?”
“Eek! N-no, absolutely not! I’m truly sorry...!”
“Silence!”
Because of that, all manner of disturbances broke out, but in truth, there were not many bold enough to interfere with the first official business venture of Hella, master of Helheim, which had effectively swallowed the entire Demon Realm, and the 16th Demon King.
Not only the forces that had fought on Hella’s side from the beginning, but even those who had belonged to hostile factions and switched sides with the tide were desperately moving to catch her eye somehow.
‘Mm, everything is going very smoothly.’
Thanks to that, Hubert, who had literally been struck by a windfall, nodded in satisfaction.
Just as goods from the continent were precious in the Demon Realm, the Demon Realm’s specialties were equally precious here.
The prime example was adamantium coins, used as common currency in the Demon Realm.
Adamantium, born from the atrociously harsh environment of the Demon Realm, possessed top-class durability and strong resistance to magic, making it so valuable on the continent that it was practically worth whatever price one named.
That was only natural, since there was effectively no way to obtain it except by hunting the occasional demon that appeared.
‘By contrast, its treatment in the Demon Realm falls far short of that.’
It was not treated poorly, since it was almost essential in all kinds of equipment, but that was because the supply was sufficient.
After all, processed coins made from it were common currency.
In reality, he was making exorbitant profits hundreds of times over through trade between the two sides, and also reaping the enormous karma that came with the process, but Hubert did not feel even the slightest pang of guilt.
From the beginning, the value of goods was determined by supply and demand.
Was it not only natural that there would be a price difference between materials overflowing in the Demon Realm and goods that could be obtained solely through the Hubert Company?
‘It’s not as if maintaining the passage for trade is free on our end, either.’
Hubert’s gaze turned toward the interior of the warehouse, piled high with trade goods.
Among them, toward one corner where a purple gate had formed, connected to conveyor belts moving like those in a factory.
Wooooong—
That was the creation born from the fusion of Hella’s ability to wield the power of the Demon Realm and her newly acquired privilege, “World Invasion.”
The one and only interdimensional trade portal in the world.