Hargaan made an effort to not interfere between Hades and YuWon.
Hadesâs eyes suggested that he didnât see YuWon in a favorable light. He was definitely certain of YuWonâs skills, but they werenât as impressive as he had expected.
Well, even if a clone of âThe Great Sage, Heavenâs Equalâ had helped out, YuWon was still the only player to have survived Zeusâs [Lighting Bolt.]
âDo you need to be with this guy?â
At Hadesâs question, Hargaan thought for a second.
He didnât need to be with YuWon. This was a job regarding Olympus. As an outsider, YuWon didnât need to be here with him at all. HoweverâŠ
âIf he wants to be here, then I also want him to be here.â
âSo heâs a trusted friend.â Hades pondered for a minute and then turned to YuWon. âI know you are hiding something. Although I donât know why either.â
What could he be talking about? In the fight against Cerberus just then, YuWon hadnât used many of his powers. He didnât use the lighting bolt, nor did he use demonic energy, [Sensory Field,] ăKyneÄ,ăor ăTrĂainaăâŠ
But there was only one thing that YuWon actively wanted to hide.
âHades may be looking for the Divine Dark Crystal, similar to Poseidon.â
In the previous future that hadnât been changed, he knew how Poseidon acquired the ăDivine Sea Crystal.ă Comparatively, as Hades didnât usually make moves outside of Hell, there was no way to know how he acquired the ăDivine Dark Crystal.ă
Although he wouldnât randomly attack a player due to his nature, it wasnât a bad idea to be careful anyway.
âI donât trust people who have secrets against me. I cannot trust someone who doesnât reveal themself willingly.â
It was understandable.
YuWon thought for a second.
Take the risk of showing him the ăDivine Dark Crystală here and earn his trust?
No, even if he showed him, the problem would still remain.
âThat wouldnât be the only secret heâs talking about.â
Hadesâs eyes on him weren't just looking at his outer appearance. The âsecretâ he was talking about was referring to YuWonâs entire existence in itself.
âWhat should I doâŠâ
The cooperation of one of the âBig Three Gods,â Hades⊠It would be a great boon for YuWon. It would indicate the beginning of the internal split within Olympus, and it would be the fastest path to dragging Zeus down to the bottom. HoweverâŠ
âEven though your skills are like that, you have a good person backing you.â
âPerson?â
âHephaestus. I asked that guy about you.â
Hephaestus. Although his skills werenât that impressive among rankers, his influence inside the Tower was definitely not weak.
The greatest blacksmith in the Tower. And he was also of Zeusâs bloodline.
âWhat did Ahjussi say?â
âHe didnât say much. Told me to trust you once and that I wouldnât regret it.â
Hephaestusâs guarantee.
On top of that, Hades turned to Hargaan.
âThis guy said the same thing as well.â
The two people that were fighting against Olympus had given their approval.
Hades stopped his pondering.
âFollow me.â Turning away, Hadesâs body moved as if gliding. âIâll tell you what you need to do.â
As he said that, Hades continued to go deeper into the cave.
Arriving at an unexpected situation, YuWon quietly watched Hadesâs back.
âWhy did he test me if it was going to be like this anyway?â
It looked like YuWon was going to be asked to reveal more, but Hades had just changed his mind.
In the end, relationships and connections were king.
âAnyway, I guess this is the actual beginning,â Hargaanâs hands were sweating, and he spoke with a nervous tone, âof the Destruction of Olympus.â
* * *
Knowing the future wasnât simply the ability to know of the âincidentsâ that would happen. It allowed one to make the decision to choose a âpersonâ based on each individual incident and the knowledge that everyone had.
Hades, who stood before YuWon, was such a person. He was the core individual in the âDestruction of Olympusâ incident this time.
âApologies, but I havenât much to greet you with due to the nature of this place.â
Inside the wide and dank cave, in this room that at least had a small table and a few chairs prepared, a gloomy-looking man that looked to be Hadesâs servant brought out some tea.
The opaque, black water looked like poison at first glance. YuWon smelled the tea a little and then looked at Hades.
âItâs good for your body. Itâll help with the circulation of mana and to calm your mind and body.â
Hearing that, YuWon took a sip.
The flavor wasnât to his liking. It wasnât just simply bitter, it was also oddly sour.
But as Hades had said, its effect was true.
[You have taken âGrass Grown in Hell.â]
[Your mana regeneration increases for 1 hour.]
[Your mind clears.]
It wasnât common for such effects to come from a simple tea.
ăGrass Grown in Hell.ă He had heard of it before.
âI was served some precious stuff.â
ăGrass Grown in Hellă could be exchanged for quite a considerable amount of points. The grass that grew in the barren environment of Hell was naturally very rare.
âI heard youâre the vice-lord of the Heavenly Demonic Cult?â After taking a sip himself, Hades brought out the main topic. âCan you mobilize Cheon MuJin?â
Cheon MuJin. The high-ranker that could be said to be half the combat power of the Heavenly Demonic Cult.
From Hadesâs position, YuWon was also a key that could grant him access to Cheon MuJinâs assistance. Although he was a considerably powerful player, YuWon was also someone who could mobilize the force of the Heavenly Demonic Cult.
âI am not certain.â
âNot certain?â
âThe powers I can bring forth are limited to that of the vice-lord in the end. But even that position can easily change with one word from the Heavenly Demon.â
âI see. Then youâre saying you can mobilize everyone other than Cheon MuJin?â
âIt is possible.â
ââPossible,â huhâŠâ Hadesâs eyes narrowed as he looked at YuWon. âYou sound like you have no intention of doing it.â
âIâm saying that there is no need.â
The Heavenly Demonic Cult wouldnât be intervening in this battle. There was only one reason.
âThis fight will end if we get the king anyway.â
YuWon had no intention of going to war. This battle needed to be a âfightâ rather than a âwar.â
Ragnarok, the Gigantomachy, and even the âDestruction of Olympusâ right now. All of them needed to have the least amount of casualties to get the best results for them to have any meaning.
If the Heavenly Demonic Cult were to join the battle, it would become a war. A war between the joint forces of Hades and the Heavenly Demonic Cult against Zeusâs faction within Olympus.
âYou are greedy.â
âI will make it so.â
âDo you have the power?â
YuWon shook his head at Hadesâs question.
Even if YuWon had gotten this strong at an incredible rate, his opponent was still Olympus and Zeus.
YuWonâs abilities werenât at the level of Zeus yet. He needed much more time. HoweverâŠ
âI may not.â
âWhat are you insinuating?â
âWith the absence of one of the âBig Three Gods,â I know that the balance of power has been broken.â
Half a year ago, Zeus suppressed Poseidon and then directly took him to visit Asgard. Poseidon was imprisoned in Asgardâs underground dungeon. After being dragged away by his own younger brother, he was sentenced to five thousand years of punishment.
Even after having thrown down his [Lighting Bolt,] Zeus, for some reason, didnât have any big altercations with Asgard. They probably came to an agreement after he blamed Poseidon as the main perpetrator and handed him over.
âZeus, that guy. He already knew about it. That Poseidon and I had joined forces.â
Although together under the banner of the âBig Three Gods,â to put it bluntly, Zeus had much more overwhelming power compared to the other two. Zeus was the one who held the highest ranking among the three to begin with. But after Zeus had obtained the ăDivine Sky Crystală and gotten the [Lighting Bolt] made, his ranking had skyrocketed even higher.
There was no way of winning in a one-on-one. That was why Poseidon had reached out to Hades.
And in the end, with Poseidon being put in Asgardâs prison, their plan ended in failure. HoweverâŠ
âThe imbalance of power isnât just with Zeus, right?â
The one YuWon was talking about wasnât Poseidon or Hades.
âHercules.â
ââŠYeah. That guy is a problem.â
The hero of Olympus not even the âBig Three Godsâ could mess with. A high-ranker that climbed with âThe Great Sage, Heavenâs Equalâ and the one who cleaned up the Gigantomachy by himself. As the son of Zeus, the scales of balance wouldnât easily tip away from him.
âBut why that guy?â
âWhat would happen if we could get Hercules on our side?â
âWhat?â
Hades immediately understood what YuWon was trying to say.
The battle would end after defeating the king.
However, YuWon didnât have the strength to do that yet. But the story would change if Hercules were involved.
âYou, are you being serious right now?â
It wasnât just Hades who was surprised. Hargaan was also just as shocked.
YuWon nodded and answered, âYes.â
âWhat are the odds?â
âAbout 70%.â
ââŠThat high?â
Hargaanâs eyes went wide.
The YuWon he knew was not someone reckless. He was the YuWon that moved with utmost certainty and planning even since the Tutorial.
So if YuWon was talking about a 70% chance, this meant that chances were quite high.
âI havenât heard your response.â YuWon asked Hades who was in deep thought for a minute, âIf we bring Hercules to our side, could we win?â
* * *
Reaper Scans
Translator - Jreaming
Proofreader - BringTheRayn
* * *
Night didnât exist in Hell.
There also wasnât a set time for meals either. Sleep when you were tired, eat when you were hungry. That was a day in Hell.
After finishing their talk, YuWon went to the lodgings that Hades had given him. The place he would be staying for a couple of days was a cave deep underground.
âItâs supplied pretty well.â
A pretty large bed, a table with one candle on it, and a chair. Although that was everything in the cave, in Hell, this was practically a five-star hotel.
âIâm not planning on staying long.â
After looking around his room, YuWon went outside.
A distant sky.
No, a ceiling.
Hell existed below the world. The ground was the sky, and the underground was the floor. The unseen world under the worldâHell.
âIs it a coincidence that the name is the same?â
YuWon looked at his hand that had ăKyneÄă on it.
It had bothered him since the first time he had seen the skillâs name. A skill that had the same name as the world of the 42nd Floor.
âLetâsâŠâ
Bzzztâ
âTest it out.â
The eye of ăKyneÄă opened. The yellow eye looked out, and its black pupil saw the world.
At thatâŠ
[Summoning âHell.â]
Kwaaaaaaâ!
YuWon was released from gravity as his body was lifted up. As ăKyneÄă unleashed its power, Yuwon was dragged to an even deeper level underground below the underworld.
âWhat is thisâŠ?!â
YuWon hurriedly tried to reign in the power at the sudden event, but he was a beat too late.
Below the underworld. Deeper, even lower down he went, and soon YuWon fell into an ocean.
Bubbleâ
As he let out his breath, bubbles floated upwards.
Fortunately, he could still breathe.
YuWon opened his eyes and looked around.
It was a world where he couldnât differentiate between common trees and plants, nor could he discern the sky from the ground, nor up from down.
More than that, there was simply darkness. NoâŠ
âThis is allâŠâ YuWon felt the endless ocean that currently surrounded him. ââŠMana?â
A large reservoir of mana that felt like an ocean.
[You have encountered âHellâ for the first time.]