The Novel’s Villain

63. Satan’s Unemployment (3)

Jin-woo moved to the end of Tartarus’s labyrinth, finding the connection to the abyss, the deepest part of this realm.

Its darkness welcomed him but at the same time prevented him from seeing an inch further. It was as if all the darkness in the world had gathered here, making it much blacker than the universe itself.

The moment any being entered this place, their bodies would harden since it approached and encroached on their soul. However, it had no effect on him.

Pugh!

The darkness shook, grabbed onto his body, and tried to dig deeper into his existence. However, it burst as soon as it saw his soul, proving that not even Tartarus’s abyss could handle his very core. On the contrary, it instead began a series of chain explosions.

‘I’ll have to make this mine for now.”

Jin-woo activated his powers, easily eroding and dominating Tartarus itself.

[Tartarus has succumbed to the God of Evil!]

[You can now control everything in Tartarus.]

[SSS] Tartarus

‘You who have come here, despair.’

The place where primordial darkness itself emerged.

Darkness engulfs and devours all beings that try to enter it, preventing them from moving. Once within its premises, they will no longer be able to see or hear anything, allowing them to feel nothing but their bodies being deprived of their senses and abilities while keeping their minds intact. Even the gods, known for their immortality, fear this living hell the most.

*[SSS] Ability Absorption: Use the abilities of those imprisoned in Tartarus.

‘This is a great acquisition.’

However, it was a bit flimsy.

Jin-woo took out a large number of reinforcement stones, melted all of them with his power, and strengthened Tartarus as much as possible.

Upon upgrading it to its limits, its name changed to ‘[SSS+] The God of Evil’s Tartarus.’ From this point on, no one would be able to enter or leave this place without his permission.

Paah!

He unleashed a ball of light with his mana, illuminating his surroundings. In this realm, only he was allowed to emit any form of brilliance.

Looking around, he swiftly noticed the giants bound by what seemed like thick black stones.

“The Titans.”

They all had contorted expressions, perhaps because their minds had remained intact all this time. He couldn’t even begin to guess how long they had been locked up here.

There was one that stood out among them. He was far larger, making buildings seem small, and had traces of castration on his body.

“Uranus.”

The god who ruled the sky in the past. However, according to what Jin-woo knew, Kronos castrated him using his scythe. That had to have been quite painful, which was why it was understandable how that would lead to his defeat.

I looked for the god of time, but he wasn’t in Tartarus. Only the Titans and a few other monstrosities were here.

Uranus, barely managing to look at Jin-woo, began to tear up.

“Are you okay?” He spoke warmly, causing more and more tears to flow out of the titan’s gigantic eyes. With a flick of his finger, the black stones blocking his mouth and nose fell.

“Gasp! Haa!”

He breathed deeply, finally able to do so properly after having a huge object covering half of his face for what most likely felt like an eternity.

“Ugh…”

He sobbed, not knowing how long it had been since he had seen the light. He couldn’t even remember the last time he breathed this freely. To him, he couldn’t see the man standing before him as anything else but his savior.

However, Uranus instinctively sensed Jin-woo’s soul was far darker than Tartarus. It made the latter seem like dawn itself.

‘I shouldn’t point it out.’ He thought.

“You seem to be under a lot of stress.”

“I’m really upset.”

“Really?”

“I just had a little quarrel with my wife, Gaia… But then that woman suddenly slept with our children and put me in this situation.”

As expected, their family was a mess.

According to Uranus, their conflict began when he flirted with the gods of the north. It was indeed a dastardly move, but castration was still too much of a punishment for it.

During the fight between those two primordial gods, Gaia apparently coerced her children into suppressing him.

“If you can give me the chance to take my vengeance from Gaia and Kronos, then… I’ll swear eternal loyalty to you.”

“Zeus and other gods now rule the world, and I don’t know where those two are.”

“It doesn’t matter. I’ll look for them!”

Jin-woo nodded.

Uranus, who had been imprisoned for a long time in Tartarus, was obedient to him. After all, he was the only hope that could get him out of this place.

Those who belonged to Tartarus could never escape it even after an eternity had passed since its darkness stained all the souls within it. However, now that Jin-woo had become its ruler, he could summon anyone within its premises back to the overground, which was their only means of escape from this eternal imprisonment.

On the other hand, if he rebelled against him, he could just as easily reverse-summon him.

“Great. I’ll release you.”

“Thank you.”

“I’ll also strengthen you.”

“Huh? Is that possible?”

“Probably.”

Prof. Kim Dae-jin would be able to make it possible, wouldn’t he?

Overwhelmed by emotions, he swore everlasting loyalty to him that instant.

[The Olympian gods and their armies have invaded.]

[The war has begun.]

“They came sooner than I thought.”

War.

It seemed it would bring him quite a lot of fun.

* * *

The weak Olympians had attacked, causing the city to brim with excitement.

One-Handed Swordsman was elected as the New World players’ commander in this war. Currently, he stood on top of the city walls. Lined up by his side were the Underworld Conquerors and Team Ragnarok, holding their forms.

“That’s a lot.”

He looked at the army in the distance, which numbered so many it was practically impossible to accurately guess their size. In fact, they easily covered the vast field around the city.

Among them were beings visibly emitting light.

The gods of Olympus.

Zeus and Poseidon walked in front of them all, accompanied by a woman with an awkward expression.

Bread Jam.

They both wanted to show off their majesty to him. Perhaps because they were brothers, they both displayed wonderful miens.

More importantly, they had an overwhelming numerical advantage against the New World players, but none of them were afraid. Quite the contrary, they rejoiced with a smile on their lips.

This was the climax of the biggest event to date!

One-Handed Swordsman raised his weapon, and hundreds of battleships flew over the city, much to the players’ amazement.

“Woah! Oh my God.”

“Fear the power of science and technology, Olympian peasants.”

“This is surprising even for me.”

“This war’s already over before it’s even begun.”

It seemed to be unexpectedly anti-climactic.

No matter how many of their opponents there were, they wouldn’t be enough to withstand the onslaught such an armada could bring.

Doong! Doong! Doong!

The floor rang.

The warriors of Olympus, numbering tens of millions, began to advance all at the same time.

Olympus decided to go for a head-on collision. After all, they had rendered all forms of strategic moves meaningless with their numbers.

“For Olympus!”

“Charge!”

Tremoring roars echoed across the battlefield, causing powerful vibrations to erupt.

[The God of Evil’s fleet is awaiting your orders.]

One-Handed Swordsman looked at the marching warriors upon hearing those words in one of his ears. With no hesitation, he stretched out his hand in front of him.

[Begin charging mana particle cannons!]

[3. 2. 1. Fire at will!]

Boom! Boom! Boosh!

Hundreds upon hundreds of ships released destructive beams, causing the earth to crack and the clouds to disappear from the shockwaves they emitted alone.

Radiating tremendous heat, their barrage of attacks rained down upon the Olympian warriors. However, just as they were about to inflict enormous damage onto their opponents, Poseidon raised his glowing trident.

Large amounts of water gushed out from under him, turning into a thick protective barrier.

Cheeky!

The two forces collided against each other, creating a powerful explosion and a huge vapor. The Olympian warriors suffered damage as a result, but it was minimal.

The god of the seas’ power was truly admirable. He wasn’t crowned one of the three major gods of Olympus for nothing.

Zeus fired lightning at the fleet afterward, his bolt of electricity piercing through their mana shields and wrapping around hundreds of ships with ease.

Crackle! Boom!

The zap caused their mana engines to weaken and eventually turn off completely.

[Our mana engine’s been damaged!]

[We can’t restart the systems! Brace for impact!]

[Wow! This is awesome!]

The crew members inside the free-falling ships sounded happy for some reason. Soon enough, their vessels crashed to the ground, creating a crater and clouds of dust around them.

The New World players cheered.

“Wow! That was crazy!”

“Did you see Zeus’ Lightning? It scared you, didn’t it?”

“Hahaha no! This is war!”

Researching mana engines proved worthwhile, considering he managed to make them stop with the information he gained.

He was, after all, the supreme god that ruled this place. He drained the robots’ mana through his lightning, ultimately preventing them from moving.

“That balance patch is amazing!”

“The admins definitely know what they’re doing!”

“It wouldn’t have been as fun if it just ended right there and then.”

The New World players’ excitement grew to new heights.

One-Handed Swordsman nodded as well.

“God of Evil’s followers! Sweet, sweet experience is marching right in front of you! It’s time to slay them as many times as they allow! May the God of Evil be with you!”

“Graaaarghhh!”

“Let’s go!”

The city gates didn’t open.

Thud! Thud! Thud!

Instead, the city walls, firmly defending their territory, shook. Soon enough, they all collapsed, having been broken through by the New World players themselves. They smiled brightly, their weapons tightly held in their hands.

“Experience and loots are coming to us on their own!”

“Perfect. Charge!”

They stampeded towards the Olympian warriors along with the crew members manning the battleships.

Their actions made the gods’ minions nervous. They had the advantage in numbers, but the atmosphere surrounding the battlefield made them feel strange.

How could they rush towards their demise while laughing, not even bothering to maintain their formation properly?

Their charge was nothing short of ignorant and arrogant.

The Olympians raised their bows, all loaded with arrows imbued with the power of Ares.

“Loose!”

Volleys of arrows shot up, covering the sky with dark shadows. The opposing faction stopped to watch them fall, which caused the Olympians to tilt their heads at the sight.

The New World players didn’t look frightened at all. In fact, they spread their arms one by one instead.

“Hahaha!”

“Arrows are raining down on us!”

“I’ve only ever seen this scene in movies! Let me get hit! Come on!”

They didn’t even dodge the arrows. Rather, they all actively entered the volley’s range.

Swoosh! Pluck! Pluck! Pluck!

The projectiles turned the New World players into honeycombs.

Panicking, the Olympians halted their advance for a moment.

“W-what?”

“They’re insane!”

They couldn’t help but think that way. They didn’t know much about New World players, after all. Since they busied themselves researching the enemy battleships and robots, they missed out on the most important factor.

Light came down towards those who had succumbed to death. The moment it hit them, they woke up with a refreshed smile.

“Wow! That was fun!”

“One of the arrows struck someone’s eyes. Was it fun? Wait, Billion, don’t eat that!”

“No, it’s yummy! I bet it’ll be even better with vinegar.”

They were filled with delight.

Witnessing their resurrections perplexed the Olympian warriors, and it made them wonder if they, too, drank Nectar.

Either way, now that their arrows proved useless against them, they were forced to draw their melee weapons instead and fight their opponents upfront as they charged ever so recklessly at them.

Swoosh!

“Oh! You sliced it right off. That must be a good sword.” A New World player said in admiration, staring at his arm on the ground.

“Please just die!”

His opponent stabbed him in the stomach, but he just blinked, looked at his wound, then shifted his gaze at the warrior.

He then smiled brightly. His enemy panicked and tried to pull away from him, but he just clung to him even harder. Moving even closer to him, he thrust his dagger into his neck.

“Argh!”

The warrior fell but immediately returned to life thanks to the Nectar’s power. However, the New World player was still clinging to him when he got revived.

Laughing, he thrust the dagger into his body repeatedly.

“Hahaha! Your resurrection speed is quite fast!”

“You’re insane! Take him off of me! Help!” The warriors around him struck the New World player when he called for aid, but their target remained unfazed.

It horrified the Olympians.

It was just outright terrible. He didn’t even fall a bit.

“Agh! N-no! Arghh!”

Remaining attached to the warrior, the New World player killed him several times until his body swelled up, turning into a wolf-shaped monster. The transformation did nothing but make him cheer, however.

“Finally! Guys! I made a monster come out!”

“Oh! Awesome!”

“Take it down and collect its parts! Hurry!”

The nearby New World players ran to it.

Swoosh! Plick! Crack!

They pulled out all of its fangs and peeled its teeth. Afterward, they joyously brought out its intestines.

“It tastes so good! It’s even better than beef giblets!”

“Its raw liver was amazing, too.”

“Dip it in oil sauce. It amplifies the flavor.”

The New World players rolled up the intestines they gathered and shoved them into their pockets, horrifying the Olympian warriors.

“I-insane…”

“How is that possible…”

Their pupils shook wildly. Their opponents were not human. They were evil monsters in human bodies filled with malice they never had before experienced, seen, or even dared to imagine.

“We sell beer and dried Krakens!”

“Oh! One order, please!”

Merchants wandered around amid the chaotic battlefield, casually selling food and beverages.

“This is painful…”

“Do you want me to kill you?”

“I guess suicide is a bit like this, huh…”

“Well, maybe?”

The New World player shoved a dagger into the warrior’s neck, who had been looking quite exhausted. However, like the others, he got revived as soon as he died.

It was an incomprehensible sight, astonishing even Poseidon, Zeus, and the other Olympian gods. Only Bread Jam, next to them, didn’t look surprised.

‘This is New World as usual.’

To him, it was an all too familiar sight.

Poseidon looked at Zeus.

“Brother, what the hell are those crazy abominations…”

“Their madness… Their malevolence… They can’t be human! We need to push them back!”

“Got it!”

Poseidon lifted his trident once more, this time summoning a huge tsunami that swept the New World players away. It tore their bodies apart, but they all soon got resurrected.

“Woah! That was way more entertaining than water parks!”

“It was funny.”

“And cool!”

The New World players looked at Poseidon in admiration.

“Once more!”

“Once more! Once more!”

“Do it one more time!”

“Spawn a tidal wave, Poseidon!”

Their chants confused the god of the seas. He summoned yet another tsunami, ensuring it would be far bigger and more destructive than the last.

As a result, not only did it sweep away the players, it also affected the city behind them.

“Wow!”

“Guys, look! I’m surfing.”

“Oh, teach me!”

“Pick up your shield and ride it!”

However, they merely played with it. Once it passed, those who fell victim to its raging waters rose again and began chanting “One more time!” again as they rushed towards Poseidon.

“No, what… These guys…”

The way they moved left him baffled. Even Zeus’ bolts of lightning couldn’t destroy their morale. Rather, the sight only made them cheer even harder and their actions even crazier.

One-Handed Swordsman simply watched the battlefield’s situation unfold. The waves prevented them from carrying out their charge properly, but he had already prepared a contingency plan for such an occurrence.

“I’ll have to use that, then.”

With a gesture from him, Princess Sena Pink and several other players appeared, all of them carrying gigantic shields.

“Ahhhhh!”

“S-save me!”

“Father! Help me! Please!”

Amphitrite and her children screamed, all of them attached to the weapons’ surfaces.

The queen of the seas screamed even louder when Princess Sena Pink struck her shield with a fishy laugh.

One-Handed Swordsman’s lips curved into a dark smile.

“Behold, the Poseidon Family Shield.”

A barrier made specifically to stop the god of the seas’ tsunamis!

Princess Sena Pink and her subordinates began to advance with their aegis held in front of them.

Poseidon blanked out upon bearing witness to his family’s current state.

“Ah…”

Clink!

His trident fell to the floor.