Chapter 510

[‘Eye of Gluttony’ sees through the target.]

Jinhyuk’s eyes narrowed.

At the same time—

Ding!

A large status window appeared in front of him.

[Character Info]

Name: Gapellius

Level: ???

Unique Holy Spear: Down Fall

Unique Ability: Chariot of the Sun

Skills: Lv?? ‘Advanced Riding Technique’, Lv?? ‘Helios’ Whip’, Lv?? ‘Blessing of the Sun’, Lv?? ‘Crimson Flame Shield’… Too many skills. Displaying summary version.

Copy Condition:

Gapellius, apostle of Helios and one of Olympus’ most famous pretty boys, is currently harboring unrequited love for the Greek goddess Aphrodite. If you provoke him using that detail and crush him in the area he’s most confident in, you’ll be able to copy one of Gapellius’s abilities.

(However, whether you can copy his Unique Holy Spear, Unique Ability, or one of his Skills depends on how high his anger level is.)

As expected of an apostle of Helios, Gapellius’s status window was impressively flashy.

He had a lot of useful abilities, and more importantly—the copy condition was incredibly tempting.

‘The angrier he gets, the better the skill I can copy…’

Teasing someone was fun on its own.

But when the target was an irritating, smug bastard? He could hardly resist the urge to stomp him flat.

Especially since Gapellius’s [Down Fall] and [Chariot of the Sun] were compatible with Jinhyuk’s current [Red Hare Riding] and [Domain of Wind].

In other words—these were abilities he absolutely had to get.

Still, he couldn’t show it.

Getting too fired up before the main event even started would only draw unnecessary attention.

Especially when he hadn’t yet figured out what Rick was really planning.

‘Once the new senior administrator is appointed, that’ll be the moment. The chance to copy something will come soon.’

Jinhyuk’s thoughts raced as he calmly plotted his next steps.

Carefully, methodically, one move at a time.

“We’re fine. He said it was just a joke, so don’t worry about it.”

“Player Kang Jinhyuk…?”

“See? Even the guy you brought along says it’s fine. Don’t overreact and just go your way. Hehe.”

Godirak’s smug grin grew even wider.

Alice raised a brow, but unfortunately, Godirak didn’t see it.

“Contractor… should I kill him?”

“Hold it in. He’ll be begging us to kill him later anyway.”

Even someone like Hastings, a senior administrator, hadn’t died peacefully.

A mid-tier administrator like this?

No matter how chummy he was with Olympus, there were limits.

“…Understood. In that case, I’ll continue the tour.”

Rick turned his gaze away from the snickering Godirak.

⁕ ⁕ ⁕

After passing the fountain, a massive mansion came into view.

The Rosenberg estate had been impressive, but this was on an entirely different level. The former felt like a dollhouse in comparison.

‘You can’t even see where it ends.’

Forget meters—it had to be measured in kilometers.

Already, there were hundreds of minor divine beings and their attendants gathered with invitations in hand.

New arrivals drew cautious glances from all around.

The tension was uncomfortable, to say the least.

Just then—

“Oooooh!”

“You’ve finally arrived, my apostle! I thought my neck would snap waiting!”

Two divine beings shouted simultaneously at the entrance.

One was Anubis, with the head of a jackal.

The other was Berial, who had been rapidly rising in power from the Demon Realm.

Both were central figures in major factions from the Tower’s upper floors.

Murmurs stirred in the crowd.

“What the—?”

“That human has ties with Anubis?”

“He looks close with Berial, too.”

“This can’t be real. We’ve spent centuries trying to build connections with the upper floors… and this guy’s only been in the Tower for a few years?”

To the minor factions, the Tower’s lower floors were of little interest.

They were far too busy fighting territorial wars around the 30th floor.

Which was why they had little information on Jinhyuk or the Old Veteran Corporation.

At most, they knew him as one of the most promising rising powers among players.

No more, no less.

“You never once showed up when I invited you to the Demon Realm, and now you come running to this?”

“Same here. I even told you about a sunny oasis with palm trees and all—didn’t get so much as a reply.”

These so-called high-tier divine beings were acting like elementary schoolers upset their buddy wouldn’t play with them.

“So then, which side will you visit first?”

“Obviously mine—the bright and warm sun’s embrace is far more pleasant than some dreary Demon Realm.”

“Pleasant, my ass. Your place is so dry my skin cracked like a lizard.”

“What, and the Demon Realm with its rotten stench is somehow better? Unless you’re offering blood-moisturizer packs, step aside. I’ve known this human far longer!”

“Time doesn’t matter—it’s about the strength of our bond!”

“I fought alongside him at the Sanctuary of the Sun! We ate together! I even gave him that ancient egg thing!”

“I gave him black spears and everything! If he wanted a castle, an estate—hell, even my horns, I’d give them to him!”

Their voices grew louder and louder.

Jinhyuk’s head started to throb.

Well… he had planted a lot of seeds. Maybe this was just karma catching up.

Then—

Boom!

Another figure appeared beside Berial and Anubis.

Bursting muscles and wild black hair.

“I’ve been waiting, runt.”

The strongest demigod of Olympus.

The Greek hero who completed the Twelve Labors and protected Olympus from the Titans.

It was—Heracles.

Chills.

The atmosphere changed in an instant.

An overwhelming pressure crushed the air around them.

Electric.

How dare he—such pressure was almost unbearable for a human body to endure.

Even though he was a demigod by birth, Heracles was powerful enough to pose a threat to the chief gods themselves.

“Kuhaha! You’ve definitely grown stronger since the last time we met. You’re ripe and ready now.”

Crackkk…

The ground split as his muscular arm reached forward.

If that hand caught him, bones and flesh alike would be cleanly dismantled.

But—

Heracles’ hand never reached Jinhyuk.

“What the hell do you think you’re doing to my contractor?”

“Are you trying to start a war?”

“Hmph. This is getting troublesome.”

Berial, Anubis, and Rick all stepped in at once.

A sword, a crescent blade, and a staff each hovered near Heracles’ vital points.

“How dare you raise a weapon against my contractor? Do you want to be torn to pieces, you half-baked meathead?”

Alice, especially enraged, had summoned a sky-darkening swarm of [Blood Spears].

If Jinhyuk had so much as gotten scratched, those spears would’ve reduced the entire area to a wasteland.

“Tch. Too many pointless reinforcements. I thought I’d get to enjoy myself a bit.”

Heracles halted.

Maybe if it were just Jinhyuk, he would have continued—but facing everyone here at once was never part of the plan.

Then, from between the crossed weapons, a cold voice slipped through.

“Well now, when did Egypt and the Demon Realm start holding hands under the table? Seems like something fun’s been brewing behind the scenes. Maybe it’d be better to just start a fight and wipe out a few factions, new senior administrator be damned?”

A woman with long black hair and violet skin.

One hand held a skull, the other, a short sickle.

‘Another heavy-hitter…’

This time, even Jinhyuk let out a quiet exclamation.

The faction Chense, which had been keeping a low profile since Nirasha of the Gandhara Guild died.

The divine-level powerhouse from that faction—the goddess of death, Kali—had appeared.

Heracles was dangerous, sure.

But Kali was on an entirely different level of danger.

This madness-tinged goddess was one of the most bloodthirsty beings in all mythologies combined.

The real issue, though…

“That sounds fun.”

“I was hoping for this.”

“This monarch does not shy from a battle laid before them.”

…was that none of the divine beings present seemed sane either.

Anubis, Berial, and Alice all unleashed their killing intent as if they had been waiting for this.

If things escalated any further, they’d be witnessing a bloodbath before the new senior administrator even arrived.

But just before it all spiraled out of control—

[Senior Administrator ‘Bendivia’ is entering!]

Bzzzt!

From the violet sky, the senior administrator Bendivia descended.

It had been a while since they last met at that snowy cabin.

“Such vibrant tempers, I see. It’s heating up already. In any case, the appointment ceremony will begin shortly, so please hold back a little longer.”

A suggestion phrased as a command.

At Bendivia’s words, the divine beings’ momentum cooled.

“Tch.”

“Can’t be helped, then.”

The purpose of this gathering was, above all, the appointment of the new senior administrator—and gauging how they might affect the Tower going forward.

Depending on what kind of administrator was chosen, and who they were aligned with, the entire balance of power could shift.

There was no point in souring things before the real event.

Following Bendivia, another senior administrator appeared.

A venerable figure from the plant-based race ‘Life Seed.’

And after them—

Came a very familiar figure.

Hastings.

Thought to be dead, but apparently not quite.

Seeing him breathing and moving was a testament to Nyarlathotep’s generosity.

Still, with one arm missing and his body covered in wounds, he was little better than a corpse.

“……”

Hastings staggered out of the gate.

When his eyes met Jinhyuk’s, he trembled from head to toe.

Smile.

Jinhyuk flashed him a dazzling grin in response.

Once the chaos had settled, Bendivia spoke.

Instantly, everyone’s attention focused on him.

“Now then, it seems some of our fellow administrators will be arriving a bit late. So we’ll begin the nomination ceremony first. Any mid- or low-tier administrators who believe themselves worthy of becoming senior administrators, please step forward.”

Candidate Qualification.

The first step to becoming a senior administrator.

Any administrator could step onto the platform and declare themselves a candidate.

But at the same time, anyone among the spectators could raise an objection to their qualifications.

In the case of disagreement, a trial or contest would determine who was right.

To become a senior administrator, one had to be ready to face such challenges.

Though Bendivia made the call, no one stepped up right away.

Everyone simply glanced around, as if the leading candidate had already been pre-determined.

“Kikiki. Since our esteemed seniors seem a bit shy, I’ll go ahead and humbly put my name forward.”

Godirak stepped onto the platform with leisurely steps.

Backed by Olympus, no one dared oppose him.

It seemed the first nominee had been decided—

But.

Just one person raised their voice in dissent.

“I don’t know about you, but a rabbit with middle-school syndrome who can’t do anything but giggle shouldn’t be a senior administrator. My frontal lobe is flooding with objection.”

Jinhyuk raised his hand.

* * * * * * *

(T/N: I’m alive! 😂 Just dropping in with a quick update. Still not back to a regular upload schedule, but I’ll be uploading at least 5 chapters per series every week, in order based on the most recent series I picked up. No fixed days yet, but I’ll keep the bulk uploads coming as best as I can!)