Leveling with the Gods
chapter-340

C340

"Perhaps they are also preparing," Foolish Chaos thought, warning Hera about the danger.

With a fairly high probability, Olympus would be getting ready to stop her.

"Get in touch with Apollo and his sister. Tell them I don't want to kill my own blood. Under no circumstances. They must not raise their voices or try to coerce me," he said.

Upon hearing those words, Hera immediately contacted Apollo and Artemis.

How could a mother fight against her own children?

How could they leave her with such a terrible memory?

Thus, appealing to their compassion, Apollo and his sister finally gave up on fighting her.

It was just as Foolish Chaos had said.

"Once you take care of Apollo and his sister, there will be no more obstacles. Even if Athena is present, she won't be able to stop venerable Hera," he asserted.

After hearing Foolish Chaos' response, Hera couldn't contain her excitement any longer.

She wished to return quickly to her home, the majestic Olympus.

So, Hera began to prepare her forces.

Foolish Chaos didn't try to stop her.

Hera took it as a sign of permission.

But...

Why exactly...

"Why the hell is she here?"

A woman with hair as red as blood, whose beauty was unforgettable at first sight.

She used to be an ordinary Ranker who received a box from Zeus a long time ago.

Pandora was as beautiful as Tsukuyomi of the Three Precious Children, making her popular even in Olympus. Many men adored her, and many women envied her.

Hera was one of them too.

That's why...

Hera chose Pandora as the owner of the "box."

She had heard rumors, but...

Her head throbbed as she saw Pandora appear in front of her.

'How can she be so well?'

Surely, she should have been disabled in exchange for obtaining great power.

It was hard to understand.

The fact that she was here.

And her appearance so perfect in Hera's eyes.

Everything about her displeased Hera.

"Well..."

Hargan smiled at Hera's hesitation.

"What will you do now?"

The situation had just changed.

Hera couldn't answer immediately.

Pandora was someone who couldn't be judged by her rank. Even the Rank Management Office couldn't properly assess her.

The reason was simple.

She had not been active for a long time.

After opening the box, Olympus imprisoned her as Pandora couldn't be controlled.

As a result, she was relegated outside the Top 200 Rankings. With time passing without any activity, her influence and power were underestimated by the Rank Management Office.

But Hera, no one else but her, knew.

What kind of power was inside that "box."

"If this turns into a total battle, I can't predict who will win or lose."

Hera, she was also a High-Ranker within the top 100, but her opponent wasn't easy to handle.

Athena and Pandora, the Heroines of the Gigantomachy War. Even Hera couldn't be sure of victory against the two of them.

Chak~

Hera's teeth gritted.

The moment she had been waiting for so long had finally come.

Hera: "After the king's funeral..."

Did she have to leave like this?

Hera: "At that time, I'll come back again."

Woosh...

Hera turned her body, and the soldiers began to retreat following her signal.

Hargan didn't let his guard down until they were all gone. Athena was ready to draw her sword at any moment, and Pandora also stared intently at Hera's back with her shining eyes.

However, fortunately, nothing special happened.

Hera left.

For now.

"Huah..."

Hargan, whose tension had eased, let out a frustrated sigh.

And then, immediately...

He took out his Player Kit and called YuWon.

"...Ah, she just left, but she'll be back."

-...Ah, she just left, but she'll be back.

From the first sentence, YuWon could understand.

Fortunately, it seems everything went well.

-She says she'll come after the funeral. Will she really come at that time?

"I don't think she'll wait that long. It'll just take some time to prepare."

-I suspected so, but I didn't think she would move so fast. How much time has passed since my Great Uncle left? Seriously, this is too much.

Hargan anxiously mumbled, then spoke in a hurried voice.

-Anyway, it looks like we've overcome that obstacle. Thanks to that, we gained some time. And I'm sorry. I'm busy over here too.

-YuWon, when are you coming?

-Just wait a moment, Pandora... Hey, I'll contact you later.

The call ended abruptly.

YuWon stared at the Player Kit he held in his hands for a moment and asked, "What happened?"

He put the Player Kit back into his inventory due to the sudden and noisy disconnection.

Right in front of him, Hercules was carrying out his Ninth Labor.

Hercules was fighting against the Amazon warriors alone.

Observing that scene, YuWon recalled Pandora's face.

'Even if it's just a part, if she possesses the power of an Outer God...'

When they first met, YuWon felt like he had found a treasure.

If he could win her over to his side, she would have value beyond simply being a source of power.

'She is one of the few existences that elude the gaze of Foolish Chaos.'

Foolish Chaos had special eyes.

Because of those eyes, YuWon and his colleagues had lost many things. It seemed like he could see everything in the palm of his hand within this tower.

Using that ability, Foolish Chaos had planned many things.

The goal was to plunge the Tower into chaos and destroy it.

Pandora was the only one capable of evading Foolish Chaos' eyes.

Because she didn't fully belong to this Tower.

"Moo..."

YuWon looked up at the sound of cows mooing.

It seemed that the task was being resolved satisfactorily.

"What's happening?"

Hercules, who was sweating profusely as if under a shower of sweat, approached.

He held the Belt of the Amazon warriors in his hand.

'It was a success.'

The Amazon warriors were one of the most dangerous tribes in this Tower.

Each warrior was a battle-obsessed Ranker, and the tribe had strength comparable to a Great Guild.

And this task was precisely to retrieve the belts of those warriors.

Naturally, conflict was inevitable, and Hercules emerged victorious against them.

Of course...

'For a while, the Amazon warriors will become enemies of Olympus.'

Well, that's something Olympus will deal with later.

"It seems that Hera went to Olympus."

YuWon responded with a slight delay, and Hercules, who was wiping his sweat with a towel, stopped.

"Hera?"

"Yes."

"Why did she go there?"

"The reason is obvious."

Hercules let out a deep sigh.

It's not that he hadn't expected this to happen, but it was still too fast.

"Anyway, it looks like the other side managed to get past her somehow."

"Confronting Pandora is also a burden for Hera."

"That's fortunate."

They overcame that obstacle.

Though they gained some time, they didn't know how much.

Hera began to move.

Just with that fact, Hercules couldn't help but feel anxious.

"We'll have to hurry a little more."

"No need to rush."

Boom!

Hercules exploded at YuWon's response.

When he punched one of the rocks YuWon was leaning against, the rock shattered into pieces, turning into sand and falling down in a steady stream.

"Sometimes, that about you annoys me."

Crunch!

A vein appeared on his forehead.

Hercules, unable to hide his emotions to this point. It was not a common sight at all.

"I get it. You're clever. You can always anticipate a few moves ahead, as if you even know the future."

Crack!

The rock he held in his hand turned into sand and spilled from Hercules' hand.

"But I'm going crazy. Because I'm impatient. Fearing that the ground we've built in Olympus will collapse. Fearing it will vanish into the blood-stained history."

Plop!

Hercules wasn't undertaking these Twelve Labors for no reason.

He was doing it to end this fight with the least damage possible.

Although he knew what was happening in Olympus, he was still present in this place.

"Great Uncle Hades is dead."

The death of Hades.

That lit the already hurried heart of Hercules.

He hadn't seen him many times.

But he was his relative and his family.

"The situation has become uncontrollable. You also know..."

"He's alive."

Hercules' eyes widened.

Unable to complete what he was going to say, Hercules repeated the same phrase with surprised eyes.

"What...?"

What did he just hear?

As he stopped his words and fell silent, the sound of the approaching Amazon warriors could be heard from afar.

And only then...

"He is... alive?"

Hercules understood the meaning of YuWon's words and asked.

"What do you mean by that?"

"Just that it might be a possibility."

"I can't just take it as a casual word if it comes from your mouth."

Surely.

It wasn't just a casual word.

To say that Hades was not dead even after hearing that he was dead, especially in front of someone with a blood relationship with Hades like Hercules, was a statement that had to be treated with more care.

Though he knew that, YuWon spoke those words for two reasons, probably.

"To gain confidence and calm down, isn't it?"

'You're perceptive.'

However, there was nothing to say.

This situation was different from when Pandora was moving.

He just hoped it was a repetition of what had happened once.

That's why YuWon couldn't respond in detail to Hercules' words.

"Let's go. There's not much time left."

"Don't you have any intention of saying anything?"

"I have nothing to say."

"...Although it's frustrating, I feel a little more relieved."

Perhaps Hades is still alive.

With just that hope, more than half of the impatience building up in Hercules disappeared.

"Here he is!"

"Hercules is here!"

"He's stolen the symbol of the Amazon warriors!"

Chased by the fierce warriors, Hercules began to move.

"We must hurry now. Let's go."

Hercules headed back towards the Sun Chariot.

Now, there were only three Labors left.

YuWon followed behind Hercules. At the same time, he reflected on Hargan's contact and remembered the situation there.

'It's faster than I thought.'

He had already encountered an obstacle.

Hera couldn't give up this easily. Everyone knew how obsessive she was about the throne.

Once she started a wave, it couldn't be stopped.

Hera would move once again.

This time, worrying about Pandora as well. She would probably consider other ways.

"Although it would be easier if Hades is alive, but..."

Tump-.

"I don't know when or how he will come back."

YuWon regretted not being able to give Hercules a proper answer, but at this moment, there were no words he could say.

Cause, process, result.

Of the three, the only thing YuWon knew was the result.

In this situation, he couldn't deal with Hades.

He had to think about it, setting Hades aside for now.

However, he still had faith.

"It's no one else but Hades."

Hades, the God of Death.

A name given to him because of his closeness to death.

And also for being a High-Ranker who has even defeated death and come back.