Leveling with the Gods

C338

Boom, boom.

An enormous boar like a mountain exhaled through its nose.

Each step it took shook the ground. The hot breath turned into smoke and rose to the sky, while the surrounding air became suffocating.

All this was a change that occurred since the boar got angry.

"He's a very irascible type."

Boom!

Hercules firmly planted his two legs on the ground.

Holding the club in one hand, he observed the boar that appeared in front of him.

And YuWon, who was watching both from afar, took a peeled nut and put it in his mouth.

It was an exciting sight.

"Looking at it this way, it's like a scene from a movie."

Whoosh!

It was a shame there were no popcorn. It's a pity that something as fun as this spectacle can be enjoyed without doing anything other than watching.

The collision between the Erymanthian Boar and Hercules would probably end in an instant.

The Erymanthian Boar was as gigantic as Behemoth.

But Hercules' power was strong enough to throw it with one hand.

And it happened.

Kwaaang!

In YuWon's eyes, he saw the image of the huge boar rising into the sky.

Kweeeek!

Following the sound of the boar's snout being struck, it fell back to the ground.

Hercules, who struck the boar, hung the club back on his shoulder.

"It's hot."

Siiizzz.

The earth that had turned red gradually returned to normal.

The Erymanthian Boar was capable of igniting the earth with its breath and changing the weather.

Since that boar was defeated, it was natural for the weather to return to normal.

And this was the Fourth Labor entrusted to Hercules.

As he chewed on the nut, YuWon looked around.

"Nothing special has happened yet."

Now it was the Fourth Labor.

There were eight other Labors remaining.

At this rate, one month would be enough to complete all the Labors.

Woong.

It was at that moment that the Player Kit rang.

It was a message from Hargan.

YuWon had already informed him about his encounter with Hercules. He had no reason to communicate with him after that.

"Why is he calling me?"

Through the slightly trembling Player Kit, YuWon felt a strange unease.

"What happened?"

-Grand Uncle has passed away.

"Grand Uncle...?"

Two figures came to mind.

Poseidon and Hades.

After thinking for a moment, YuWon asked.

"Hades?"

-Yes! Grand Uncle Hades! He's dead!

Hargan's voice was tinged with malice.

A sign of the difficulty of the situation.

"Hades is dead? Suddenly?"

It was such unexpected news that he could hardly believe it.

Hades was the 51st High-Ranker in the Rankings. The fact that Hades died suddenly was shocking.

Moreover, it was known that he was recently in the center of Olympus.

"Tell me more in detail. What exactly happened?"

If Hades really died, the fight would become more difficult.

Currently, there was no one in Olympus who could continue the king's lineage. Hades was the most suitable for the position, followed by Hera.

But if Hades died, then the turn would pass to Hera.

-I don't know the details. But he was found dead in the middle of the Royal Castle all of a sudden.

"Suddenly...?"

-He was murdered, as if someone stealthily attacked him.

"Are there traces of a battle?"

-No, there's nothing. Absolutely nothing.

That meant he died in an instant, so fast that he couldn't even understand how it happened.

But that was impossible.

It was none other than Hades. Even if his opponent were Odin, Hades couldn't be easily killed.

At least, the other Rankers in the Royal Castle should have noticed something unusual.

But...

'Is it that guy?'

In YuWon's mind, there was a person.

There was someone who could have done that.

"Understood."

-Understood? What does that mean?

"Until you find the killer of Hades, the throne must remain empty. The king was murdered, so we must leave the position vacant until we find the culprit."

-Do you suspect Hera as the culprit?

Hargan quickly grasped YuWon's intention and asked curiously.

-But there's no way Hera could kill Grand Uncle. Quietly killing him like this is even more impossible.

Of course, Hera was not the culprit.

Even if she were the culprit, it was almost impossible to prove that it was her.

She didn't have the ability to do it.

"Whether Hera is the culprit or not, if it's a matter of the throne succession, it will be delayed. We'll be able to gain some time."

-Gain time, is that the point?

"Yes."

-How much time?

"As much as possible."

Originally, he hoped this was just an incident caused by Hera's ambition, but now it was no longer the case.

"You probably want to hurry up a bit from your side."

-...Understood.

The conversation with Hargan ended there.

He didn't know if the call was made in the midst of an urgent situation, but through the tone of the call, he seemed to hear the desperate voice of someone else.

"What's wrong?"

Was it because of YuWon's unusual expression?

Hercules, who had finished with the boar's breath and approached, asked.

After thinking for a moment, YuWon transmitted to Hercules the conversation he had with Hargan.

Then...

"...Something's wrong."

Hercules muttered with a serious expression.

"Hera moved first..."

"What are you going to do?"

"What do you mean?"

"I'm asking if we're going to continue with the Labors."

His concern continued.

A moment later.

"Wait."

Hercules took out his Player Kit and called someone.

The ringing tone lasted. After a quite long time, the other person answered.

-What's up?

"Hera, have you heard the news?"

The voice sounded quite indifferent, as if she hadn't heard of the death of the King of Olympus yet.

That person was Hera.

The wife of Zeus, the former King of Olympus, and High-Ranker at position 97.

-What news?

"Haven't you heard yet?"

A brief silence.

The response came with a tardy rhythm.

-Do you think it was me?

"Wasn't it?"

-Impossible. I don't have that power.

Hera's excuse was virtually invincible. Indeed, it was almost impossible for her to have killed Hades with her own abilities.

Naturally, Hercules didn't expect her to easily confess to what she had done.

Instead, what Hercules wanted to hear was something else.

"Is the deal still valid?"

-Of course.

"Keep that in mind."

There was a crunch.

Hercules clenched his teeth.

A voice full of contained anger escaped his throat.

"If you don't keep your promise, I'll break your neck first."

-I promise, she replied.

"I'll end the call."

Click.

Hercules hung up.

YuWon, who had been listening to the conversation, looked at Hercules' back.

He didn't need to see his expression to know.

He knew exactly what Hercules was thinking and how much fury he harbored at the moment.

"Tell me," said Hercules without turning around.

"How much time do you think we have?" He referred to the time until the ceremony of the vacant throne succession.

YuWon briefly reflected and recalled his conversation with Hargan before answering.

"Short term, about ten days. Long term, around two weeks."

"Ten days..."

It wasn't much time at all.

There were eight Labors left to fulfill.

Each Labor was not easy at all. In fact, the time they had was insufficient to carry out all the Labors.

Hercules quickly dialed another number.

The ringing tone was brief.

-Hey, what's up? I couldn't reach you all this time!

"Sorry, Brother Apollo."

Hercules hurriedly apologized along with his apologies.

"Could you lend me the Sun Chariot?"

Not many years had passed since Zeus disappeared and the King changed.

But right now, Olympus had lost another King.

They couldn't leave the King's throne vacant. Olympus heard two voices at the same time: the need to choose a new King and the need to avenge the former King.

And among those voices...

Tick-.

The center of Hera's temple.

Hera, sitting at the long round table, turned her Player Kit.

"Arrogant brat!"

Hera muttered in irritation, her face full of nervousness.

"How dare he, a nobody like him, speak to me that way?"

In the years past, she was the Queen of Olympus.

A being just below the mighty Zeus.

Even Poseidon and Hades, the Three Gods, couldn't mock her lightly.

No.

They couldn't even look her directly in the eyes.

But Hercules was an exception.

"Where are you, Hera?!" (Hercules)

At some point, she seemed to hear the voice of the one who stormed into her temple and shouted at her.

She wasn't in the temple, but she had seen the situation through the records.

Since then and until now, Hera had never tolerated Hercules' existence.

"That son of a concubine..."

"But his ability is really impressive."

A voice sounded without warning.

Hera startled but tried to maintain composure as she turned her head without showing her surprise.

"Have you come?"

"Yes."

Beside her, a man dressed in a tunic bowed courteously in greeting.

Although she had never seen his face, she could clearly sense how grand the existence of this person was through this incident.

"I hope you don't let your emotions get the better of you, and the Labor progresses smoothly."

"...I only trust you."

He called himself "Foolish Chaos" and approached without revealing his face or identity.

She had no intention of accepting someone who approached without showing their face from the beginning.

However, from this incident onwards, she came to trust him completely.

Or rather, she began to fear him.

"If I kill Hades, will you believe me?" (Foolish Chaos)

She thought it was something unimaginable.

How could someone without any Rank do that?

But she accepted the proposal with the thought of "well, what else do I have to lose?"

But it turned out he really proved his words.

He was not only superior in intelligence but also in power.

'Hercules is distracted, and Hades is dead.'

When Hera started this affair, she thought of two main obstacles.

Hades and Hercules.

However, one died, and the other accepted an absurd bet and was wasting time outside of Olympus.

"It's almost complete."

"We shouldn't jump to conclusions."

Extremely high expectations mixed with cold water.

Hera, who had been slowly raising the corner of her mouth, returned to her original position and asked.

"What else is left?"

"If he's involved, the outcome might change."

"Who do you mean by he?"

Foolish Chaos, who had been observing by her side, was confident in all cases.

However... this same person said the outcome might change.

Hera had never imagined those words would come out of his mouth.

"Who are you talking about?"

"Kim YuWon."

"Kim YuWon?"

She had heard that name many times.

No.

She didn't just hear it in passing.

Perhaps it was this individual who caused her to be in this situation.

The main culprit behind triggering the Destruction of Olympus, instigating Hades and Hercules.

That individual was Kim YuWon.

"Are you saying that guy will get involved again?"

"There's a high probability."

Under the tight tunic.

Hera noticed how the corner of Foolish Chaos' lips slightly lifted.

"If that happens, this fight will turn into a battle between him and me."