Chapter 463
Sizzle!
Ten minutes had passed, and everything had changed.
The barrier shattered, revealing the figures inside.
“H-How…?”
Paris stammered.
The Golden Apple’s trial, which should have led to ruin, had ended, yet Jinhyuk stood completely unscathed.
By all logic, the two rejected goddesses should be raging right now.
Paris himself was living proof of what happened to those who failed this choice.
“Like I said—you and I are different.”
Jinhyuk walked past Paris, whose fighting spirit had crumbled.
There was no need to finish him off.
He wasn’t a threat anymore.
More importantly—
Paris still had a role to play.
“…….”
As expected, Paris didn’t even move a finger.
His bow fell to his side, and he just muttered blankly.
However, not everyone had given up.
“My trap is still in effect!”
Balseter’s shrill scream echoed through the sewer.
Over time, the toxic gas had accumulated, enough to blow up the entire underground passage.
“Oh, that smoke you mentioned earlier?”
“Yes! Now you’ll be roasted alive!”
“…Oh no. What should we do, Goddess? I’m terrified.”
“What a nuisance.”
At that moment—
Whoosh!
The toxic smoke vanished instantly.
“Huh? …What?”
Balseter’s voice cracked vertically.
⁕⁕⁕
The sewer beneath Guntafer’s fortress was enormous.
Its labyrinth-like tunnels were so complex even the demons living here couldn’t fully grasp them.
It was filled with countless traps and controlled by an administrator.
That’s why Balseter had accepted this role—he was certain he could settle the humiliation of the past.
But now—
“Uhh…”
What the hell was happening?
[25th trap bypassed.]
Beyond the screen, Balseter’s face looked like he was about to cry.
His masterpiece of traps was being shattered one by one.
Boom!
All the poisons and arrows—blocked by Athena.
All the illusions and mental attacks—nullified by Hera.
And the monsters?
Under Aphrodite’s presence, they turned into obedient puppies.
At this point, the game was already over.
“Hmm. You still lack creativity. Did you design this yourself?”
Jinhyuk glanced at the execution device on the table.
It was a metal contraption meant to be placed in someone’s mouth—when the timer expired, it would forcibly pry the jaw open.
“Y-Yes! The time limit is 60 seconds. After that, you’ll suffer a horrific death!”
“Wow, you really put effort into this. It’s quite detailed. Even includes a mana-suppressing mechanism.”
“Fuhaha! For once, you’re making sense! No one has ever survived this! Now, try it if you dare!”
“No.”
“…What?”
“Why would I willingly put that thing on? I’ll just leave.”
There was no need to entertain this nonsense.
“Also, could you clear the door? It’s really in the way.”
“Haa… Fine.”
Since three of Olympus’ strongest goddesses were right here, desperately seeking the Golden Apple—
BOOM!
Athena hurled her golden spear.
[26th trap bypassed.]
With one strike, the door disintegrated.
No matter how elaborate the defenses, they weren’t designed to handle Olympian gods.
“S-Still, you could at least humor my hard work….”
“If you have something really impressive, I’ll consider it. Got anything special?”
“Haha… O-Of course! Behold! Even dragons have fallen to this! The greatest invention of Balseter—!”
[27th trap bypassed.]
[Congratulations on achieving the fastest clear time.]
System messages blinked rapidly.
“……”
“……”
A strange silence filled the air.
Like a frozen frame in a game.
As if time itself had fossilized.
“Goddammit. I told you I quit.”
Bzzt!
The screen shut off.
With that, every trap in the sewer was disabled.
Chun Yoosung and Teresa exchanged looks.
“…So, did you get through last time by pissing him off?”
“That guy looked like a mid-tier administrator, and you still did this… Jinhyuk, you’re insane. But why go this far?”
The answer was obvious.
“Isn’t it fun? Watching some cocky idiot crumble into despair? That moment when everything turns to dust, and they realize the futility of their existence—that’s true entertainment.”
‘Jinhyuk is worse than Guntafer.’
‘No, Yoosung. Guntafer might actually be the nicer one.’
They had been with Jinhyuk for a long time, yet somehow, every time they thought they understood him—
He still managed to surprise them.
At least they were on his side.
If he were their enemy, the thought alone was terrifying.
“More importantly, Kang Gongja… Are you really okay with this?”
Chuhon Sayoung cast a worried glance toward the three goddesses.
Hera, Athena, and Aphrodite.
Even though only partial projections of their divine forms had manifested—
Their presence alone made them unpredictable.
“Don’t worry. I’ve got this.”
Jinhyuk stepped forward.
The goddesses had helped clear the sewer, so it was time to fulfill his promise—
To choose who would receive the Golden Apple.
‘Of course, it will be me.’
‘I played the biggest role in clearing the traps.’
‘Hmph. He was watching me the most. They don’t even realize.’
Each goddess swallowed nervously.
Jinhyuk pulled out the Golden Apple.
If this were Berial, he could just bluff and stall—
But these serpent-like goddesses wouldn’t fall for such tricks.
That meant—
“The one I will give this apple to is…”
The optimal choice had already been decided.
“You.”
Jinhyuk placed the Golden Apple into a goddess’s hand.
⁕⁕⁕
“Fufufufu! Ahahaha!”
Aphrodite let out a sharp, triumphant laugh.
She had now obtained a second Golden Apple—how could she not be overjoyed?
“It’s done. It’s finally mine! As expected, I am the greatest among all myths!”
“Just don’t forget our agreement. You’ll cast Charm on the target I choose.”
“Don’t worry, dear. Whoever you have in mind, I’ll make sure Cupid sends a lovely arrow their way.”
Aphrodite’s smile was overflowing with delight.
‘That goddess might be a schemer, but at least she gets things done properly.’
With this, Jinhyuk had secured a valuable bargaining chip.
Of course, everything wasn’t over yet.
“AAAAARGH!”
“WHY?! WHY AGAIN?!”
The two rejected goddesses bellowed in fury.
Even in the Age of Myths, they had been humiliated—now, even in the Tower of Trials, they suffered the same fate.
Rumble!
The ground trembled violently.
Jinhyuk and his group had quietly exited through the end of the sewer, but if this continued—
They’d alert the entire demon fortress.
“Explain yourself. Why did you not choose us?”
Hera bared her teeth.
Even a random child dressed as a judge would immediately declare this murder in progress.
Choosing a goddess was important, but surviving this conversation was even more crucial.
“Ah… well, about that.”
Jinhyuk scratched his head.
“Honestly, I liked all of you, so it was a tough decision. But someone told me I had to choose Aphrodite, no matter what.”
“Who told you such nonsense?!”
“You know, that pretty blonde guy. The one who’s good with a bow.”
The key here was to shift all blame onto Paris. (T/N: WTF Jinhyuk. ROFL. HAHAHAHA)
“That guy kept saying Aphrodite was the only right choice. What was it again? Something about how the others were too lowly to deserve the apple? He also said choosing anyone else would just be a waste.”
“Paris… that damned fool said what?”
“Paris? Oh yeah, that was his name. Yup. Definitely him.”
Jinhyuk wasn’t responsible for whatever happened next.
He had zero emotional attachment to Paris.
“That doesn’t mean I can forgive you for not choosing me.”
Athena’s chilling aura remained unchanged.
However—
Jinhyuk’s next action turned the situation on its head.
[Unique Ability ‘Golden Apple’ is activating!]
Thunk.
Another Golden Apple appeared.
“I never said I only had one of these.”
“How… how is that possible?”
“I just happened to come across another one.”
To be precise—
He could produce an infinite number of them.
But there was no need to reveal that.
Having just one more—
That alone was terrifying.
If they didn’t know how many he actually had, the goddesses would desperately seek another, even if it meant taking a poisoned bait.
“Sigh… We’ve been completely fooled.”
“So this is why my father warned me to never deal with you.”
“If you had at least two apples, then you could have given one to anyone, and it wouldn’t have mattered… Ugh. This completely ruined my mood.”
They couldn’t discard this opportunity—
But they also couldn’t keep letting him manipulate them.
Like a chicken rib—too insignificant to savor, yet too valuable to throw away.
Only now did the three goddesses realize they had stepped into a trap.
“Well then, I look forward to working with you all.”
“We admit our stupidity in this matter. But don’t get too comfortable.”
Hera flashed a twisted smile.
“And what do you mean by that?”
“You think your little barrier trick concealed the commotion? Some hunting dogs have already caught the scent of blood. Very dangerous ones.”
Even before she finished speaking—
A menacing aura pressed against Jinhyuk’s entire body.
“Kang Jinhyuk!”
“Jinhyuk!”
Chun Yoosung and Teresa immediately drew their weapons.
The rooftops, alleyways, and central street—
They were surrounded.
“Damn… You guys actually made it up here? You’re something else.”
A giant sword rested on the shoulder of Behemoth, who chuckled.
Surrounding her were demons draped in black robes—each inscribed with Ancient Demonic Script.
These were not the usual demon grunts.
‘Cal Drant.’
Guntafer’s personal magic corps, stationed exclusively within his fortress.
All 15 of them were 9th-circle Archliches.
Jinhyuk clicked his tongue.
Damn it.
‘When was the last time I saw all of these bastards gathered in one place?’
Each one of them alone could easily be a mid-tier boss in the middle floors.
But fifteen of them together?
And they weren’t even the main force—
They were here to support Behemoth.
“We wish you the best of luck. Ah, it seems our time is up.”
Of course, the three goddesses had zero intention of helping.
Jinhyuk had never expected them to, either.
“Kang Gongja, if we fight here, we won’t have the strength to face the Demon King.”
“That’s true.”
Guntafer was the final objective.
They needed to preserve as much stamina and mana as possible.
Even if they won this battle, they’d lose the war if they were too exhausted.
“Sigh. Then, we have no choice. I’ll hold them off—you two go ahead.”
“By yourself?”
“There’s no other way. Besides…”
Teresa’s smile was soft yet firm.
“I don’t want to see Chun Gongja or Kang Gongja die.”
She was willing to sacrifice herself.
People from Murim were truly remarkable.
Even a short bond was deeply cherished in their culture.
“No one dies here.”
Jinhyuk muttered.
He had already delayed long enough.
It was time.
As if on cue—
BOOOOOM!
A thunderous explosion erupted from the front of the fortress.
“You horned bastards dare stand before me? You’re 1,000 years too early!”
Alice’s voice.
And—
“Show these filthy demons what divine judgment looks like!”
RUMBLE!
Gabriel and her angels descended upon the eastern wall.