NOVEL NEXT Chapter 11
‘Wait a minute…’
What exactly did the church do to justify taking a 50% fee? This was outright extortion! Was Bael subjected to the same thing? If so, it made perfect sense why that charlatan priest was so obsessed with making money. He must have been shaking with anger as the church took half of his hard-earned income.
Clicking my tongue at the church’s ruthlessness, I swiped to the next part of the message.
〈Heavenly Market〉
A special store for 〈Reincarnation〉 subscription holders.
Discover a variety of items available exclusively for purchase with Heaven Coins, including limited-time offers!
You can open the store anytime, anywhere by invoking ‘Heavenly Market.’
‘Limited-time items?’
I couldn’t resist checking it out. Without hesitation, I invoked the command.
‘Heavenly Market!’
A new window flashed before my eyes, revealing the store.
‘Ooh…’
Just as described, the Heavenly Market had an array of items available. Shopping is always exciting, right? But as I eagerly browsed through the options, my enthusiasm quickly waned.
‘Why is everything so expensive?’
Items were priced at 2 million, 5 million coins—some of the limited-edition items even exceeded 10 million coins! The cheapest item was still in the hundreds of thousands.
‘Are these prices even reasonable?’
The monthly subscription for reincarnation is only 10,000 coins! Even if you paid for an entire year, it would only cost 120,000 coins!
In other words, to buy anything from this store, I’d have to sacrifice at least a year of my life. For someone like me, with less than four months left, these items were completely out of reach.
As if responding to my grumbling, the item list in the Heavenly Market suddenly glowed, and a new product appeared at the top of the list.
A limited-time offer with a whopping 99.9% discount! It was a special 30-minute deal, with the timer visibly counting down in real-time. I hurriedly checked the item.
〈Limited Hotline (Hermote)〉
An esteemed product that allows direct communication with the ‘Chief God Hermote,’ one of the many gods overseeing the continent!
Original Price: 50,000,000
Discounted Price: 50,000
The continent is polytheistic, recognizing and worshiping many gods, but none are as revered as the Chief God Hermote. As the leader of the pantheon, becoming one of Hermote’s followers could bring the favor of other gods as well. The Central Church, where Bael served, was a congregation of priests devoted to Hermote.
‘Bael once mentioned that it’s rare for priests to have direct conversations with the gods.’
So, if I bought this item, the people who mocked Reshia as a fake saint wouldn’t be able to say that anymore…
‘Wait, no!’
I almost fell into the trap of purchasing the item, dazzled by the 99.9% discount and the rapidly ticking countdown. But then I double-checked the price:
Discounted Price: 50,000
Even with such a massive discount, it was still 50,000 coins—my entire fortune! That’s five months of my life! The price was so precisely aligned with my balance that I couldn’t help but suspect that “Heaven” was deliberately trying to empty my pockets.
“Ugh…”
‘It’s probably safer to focus on extending my lifespan rather than buying something like this…’
With my limited funds, it was hard to justify splurging on such a luxurious item.
‘As much as it pains me, I’ll have to pass on this one. Maybe it’ll go on sale again later.’
Typically, once an item is discounted, it tends to show up on sale lists more frequently. As I reluctantly moved to close the Heavenly Market, another limited-time offer suddenly appeared at the top of the list.
‘Wait, this one’s… free?’
〈Quest Log〉
A practical book containing a wide range of tasks from various gods that reward Heaven Coins. Small and lightweight, it’s easy to carry. You can open it anytime, anywhere to check available quests and additional information. While quests can be taken on freely, be aware that some requests from impatient gods might disappear if left unresolved for too long. A must-have for subscribers looking to increase their Heaven Coins! Free for first-time subscribers!
Original Price: 5,000,000
Discounted Price: Free
A product originally priced at 5 million coins being offered for free?
‘Who wouldn’t take this?’
Only a fool would refuse something being offered for free! Without hesitation, I confirmed the purchase of the “Quest Log” before the limited time ran out.
[A Message from Heaven]
(Notification) You have purchased the 〈Quest Log〉. Would you like to receive it now?
[Yes/No]
‘Yes!’
As soon as I answered, the book dropped from the air, just like when I received the Heaven Coins.
It looked like an ordinary book with a leather cover, as described. It was small and light, making it easy to hold, even in my current small, childlike body.
I immediately closed the Heavenly Market and opened the book. To my amazement, it was filled with an overwhelming number of quests spanning dozens of pages. The quests I had already completed were clearly marked with a line through them, making them easy to distinguish.
◈Quest◈
Punish the foolish one who doubts the saint and demonstrate the dignity of the chosen by God.
– Requester: God of Judgment / Resa
– Objective: Noah Elpinard’s Tears
– Reward: 50,000 Heaven Coins
– Hidden Reward: Resa’s Favor
I was about to casually flip past the completed quest when I noticed the “Requester” and “Hidden Reward” sections, causing me to pause. The original message I received when the quest was assigned hadn’t mentioned which god was behind it.
‘So this must be the additional information that the product description mentioned.’
As I examined the other quests, I realized that each one now clearly stated who the requester was. For instance, the Goddess of Love typically left tasks that were romantic in nature, like “Give a Kiss,” “Hear Someone Say ‘I Love You,’” or “Go on a Date.” In contrast, the God of Judgment, who had given me my first quest, seemed to prefer more severe tasks, like “Punish the Maid Who Ignored You.”
Interestingly, different gods could give quests that addressed the same situation but in opposite ways. For example, while the God of Judgment wanted to punish the disrespectful maid, the Goddess of Peace issued a quest to “Forgive the Maid Who Ignored You and Promote the Saint’s Reputation.”
The “Hidden Reward” section indicated that completing these tasks could increase the requester’s favor, but I wasn’t entirely sure how this favor would manifest.
‘But gaining favor with the gods can only be a good thing.’
After all, if winning the favor of ordinary people is beneficial, then earning the favor of higher beings with immense power could only help in navigating this precarious, subscription-based life.
I closed the book and placed it beside the piggy bank before sprawling out on the bed again.
‘I’ll have to visit the temple tomorrow.’
I needed to donate the Heaven Coins to the church to extend my life. While it wouldn’t be as grand as the central temple in Kydsha, the Imperial Capital’s temple was still relatively large and well-known across the continent.
Although I wasn’t particularly knowledgeable about the temple, I had visited it in my previous life, so I remembered it well. Before embarking on the mission to slay the Mad Dragon, my companions and I had received the gods’ blessings there.
‘Though, to be honest, the blessing was more symbolic than anything…’
All that really happened was that the quack priest Bael spent a long time praying at the altar while the rest of us stood around awkwardly, watching him.