Leveling with the Gods - Chapter 151

Hargaan made an effort to not interfere between Hades and YuWon.

Hades’s eyes suggested that he didn’t see YuWon in a favorable light. He was definitely certain of YuWon’s skills, but they weren’t as impressive as he had expected.

Well, even if a clone of “The Great Sage, Heaven’s Equal” had helped out, YuWon was still the only player to have survived Zeus’s [Lighting Bolt.]

“Do you need to be with this guy?”

At Hades’s question, Hargaan thought for a second.

He didn’t need to be with YuWon. This was a job regarding Olympus. As an outsider, YuWon didn’t need to be here with him at all. However…

“If he wants to be here, then I also want him to be here.”

“So he’s a trusted friend.” Hades pondered for a minute and then turned to YuWon. “I know you are hiding something. Although I don’t know why either.”

What could he be talking about? In the fight against Cerberus just then, YuWon hadn’t used many of his powers. He didn’t use the lighting bolt, nor did he use demonic energy, [Sensory Field,] 「Kyneē,」or 「Tríaina」…

But there was only one thing that YuWon actively wanted to hide.

‘Hades may be looking for the Divine Dark Crystal, similar to Poseidon.’

In the previous future that hadn’t been changed, he knew how Poseidon acquired the 「Divine Sea Crystal.」 Comparatively, as Hades didn’t usually make moves outside of Hell, there was no way to know how he acquired the 「Divine Dark Crystal.」

Although he wouldn’t randomly attack a player due to his nature, it wasn’t a bad idea to be careful anyway.

“I don’t trust people who have secrets against me. I cannot trust someone who doesn’t reveal themself willingly.”

It was understandable.

YuWon thought for a second.

Take the risk of showing him the 「Divine Dark Crystal」 here and earn his trust?

No, even if he showed him, the problem would still remain.

‘That wouldn’t be the only secret he’s talking about.’

Hades’s eyes on him weren’t just looking at his outer appearance. The ‘secret’ he was talking about was referring to YuWon’s entire existence in itself.

‘What should I do…’

The cooperation of one of the “Big Three Gods,” 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. However…

“Even though your skills are like that, you have a good person backing you.”

“Person?”

“Hephaestus. I asked that guy about you.”

Hephaestus. Although his skills weren’t that impressive among rankers, his influence inside the Tower was definitely not weak.

The greatest blacksmith in the Tower. And he was also of Zeus’s bloodline.

“What did Ahjussi say?”

“He didn’t say much. Told me to trust you once and that I wouldn’t regret it.”

Hephaestus’s guarantee.

On top of that, Hades turned to Hargaan.

“This guy said the same thing as well.”

The two people that were fighting against Olympus had given their approval.

Hades stopped his pondering.

“Follow me.” Turning away, Hades’s body moved as if gliding. “I’ll tell you what you need to do.”

As he said that, Hades continued to go deeper into the cave.

Arriving at an unexpected situation, YuWon quietly watched Hades’s back.

‘Why did he test me if it was going to be like this anyway?’

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.

“Anyway, I guess this is the actual beginning,” Hargaan’s hands were sweating, and he spoke with a nervous tone, “of the Destruction of Olympus.”

* * *

Knowing the future wasn’t simply the ability to know of the ‘incidents’ that would happen. It allowed one to make the decision to choose a ‘person’ 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 ‘Destruction of Olympus’ incident this time.

“Apologies, but I haven’t much to greet you with due to the nature of this place.”

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 Hades’s 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.

“It’s good for your body. It’ll help with the circulation of mana and to calm your mind and body.”

Hearing that, YuWon took a sip.

The flavor wasn’t to his liking. It wasn’t just simply bitter, it was also oddly sour.

But as Hades had said, its effect was true.

[You have taken ‘Grass Grown in Hell.’]

[Your mana regeneration increases for 1 hour.]

[Your mind clears.]

It wasn’t common for such effects to come from a simple tea.

「Grass Grown in Hell.」 He had heard of it before.

‘I was served some precious stuff.’

「Grass Grown in Hell」 could be exchanged for quite a considerable amount of points. The grass that grew in the barren environment of Hell was naturally very rare.

“I heard you’re the vice-lord of the Heavenly Demonic Cult?” After taking a sip himself, Hades brought out the main topic. “Can you mobilize Cheon MuJin?”

Cheon MuJin. The high-ranker that could be said to be half the combat power of the Heavenly Demonic Cult.

From Hades’s position, YuWon was also a key that could grant him access to Cheon MuJin’s assistance. Although he was a considerably powerful player, YuWon was also someone who could mobilize the force of the Heavenly Demonic Cult.

“I am not certain.”

“Not certain?”

“The 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.”

“I see. Then you’re saying you can mobilize everyone other than Cheon MuJin?”

“It is possible.”

“‘Possible,’ huh…” Hades’s eyes narrowed as he looked at YuWon. “You sound like you have no intention of doing it.”

“I’m saying that there is no need.”

The Heavenly Demonic Cult wouldn’t be intervening in this battle. There was only one reason.

“This fight will end if we get the king anyway.”

YuWon had no intention of going to war. This battle needed to be a ‘fight’ rather than a ‘war.’

Ragnarok, the Gigantomachy, and even the ‘Destruction of Olympus’ 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 Zeus’s faction within Olympus.

“You are greedy.”

“I will make it so.”

“Do you have the power?”

YuWon shook his head at Hades’s question.

Even if YuWon had gotten this strong at an incredible rate, his opponent was still Olympus and Zeus.

YuWon’s abilities weren’t at the level of Zeus yet. He needed much more time. However…

“I may not.”

“What are you insinuating?”

“With the absence of one of the ‘Big Three Gods,’ I know that the balance of power has been broken.”

Half a year ago, Zeus suppressed Poseidon and then directly took him to visit Asgard. Poseidon was imprisoned in Asgard’s 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, didn’t have any big altercations with Asgard. They probably came to an agreement after he blamed Poseidon as the main perpetrator and handed him over.

“Zeus, that guy. He already knew about it. That Poseidon and I had joined forces.”

Although together under the banner of the ‘Big Three Gods,’ 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 「Divine Sky Crystal」 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 Asgard’s prison, their plan ended in failure. However…

“The imbalance of power isn’t just with Zeus, right?”

The one YuWon was talking about wasn’t Poseidon or Hades.

“Hercules.”

“…Yeah. That guy is a problem.”

The hero of Olympus not even the “Big Three Gods” could mess with. A high-ranker that climbed with “The Great Sage, Heaven’s Equal” and the one who cleaned up the Gigantomachy by himself. As the son of Zeus, the scales of balance wouldn’t easily tip away from him.

“But why that guy?”

“What would happen if we could get Hercules on our side?”

“What?”

Hades immediately understood what YuWon was trying to say.

The battle would end after defeating the king.

However, YuWon didn’t have the strength to do that yet. But the story would change if Hercules were involved.

“You, are you being serious right now?”

It wasn’t just Hades who was surprised. Hargaan was also just as shocked.

YuWon nodded and answered, “Yes.”

“What are the odds?”

“About 70%.”

“…That high?”

Hargaan’s 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.

“I haven’t heard your response.” YuWon asked Hades who was in deep thought for a minute, “If we bring Hercules to our side, could we win?”

* *

Night didn’t exist in Hell.

There also wasn’t 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.

‘It’s supplied pretty well.’

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.

‘I’m not planning on staying long.’

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 world—Hell.

‘Is it a coincidence that the name is the same?’

YuWon looked at his hand that had 「Kyneē」 on it.

It had bothered him since the first time he had seen the skill’s name. A skill that had the same name as the world of the 42nd Floor.

‘Let’s…’

Bzzzt—

‘Test it out.’

The eye of 「Kyneē」 opened. The yellow eye looked out, and its black pupil saw the world.

At that…

[Summoning ‘Hell.’]

Kwaaaaaa—!

YuWon was released from gravity as his body was lifted up. As 「Kyneē」 unleashed its power, Yuwon was dragged to an even deeper level underground below the underworld.

‘What is this…?!’

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.

Bubble—

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 couldn’t 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. No…

‘This is all…’ YuWon felt the endless ocean that currently surrounded him. ‘…Mana?’

A large reservoir of mana that felt like an ocean.

[You have encountered ‘Hell’ for the first time.]

[‘King of the Dead’ greets his own world.]

Here, YuWon…

[The dead worship you.]

…Saw death in its multitudes.