Chapter 553
“What’s the matter?”
Baldur asked back.
“Haha, it’s nothing much… It just felt like a waste to only apply the blessing. Since I’ve decided to support you properly, I’d like to add a few enhancement spells too.”
As expected of the master of illusions, Loki was well-versed in many branches of magic.
“Then, I’ll leave it to you.”
“Understood.”
Vrrrmmm!
Loki’s fingertips began to glow faintly.
The ring of the sun that Baldur had given was stacked with multiple support spells.
[Magic resistance has increased by 10%.]
[Understanding of external divinities has increased by 3%.]
[All held stats temporarily increase by +5.]
[Due to the Blessing of Yggdrasil, several privileges usable only by Primordial Gods have been unlocked.]
‘Whoa…’
Jinhyuk’s pupils quivered.
His eyes widened at the dazzling array of support spells.
They were undoubtedly powerful.
Almost too good to be true.
But the problem was…
‘I still don’t know who among them has sided with Olympus…’
Aside from Odin, the top god, every single one of them was a potential suspect.
One of them could very well be the traitor.
Jinhyuk carefully inspected the ring.
[Eye of Gluttony detects the target.]
[No harmful magic has been detected.]
Well, if they were really a spy, they wouldn’t make it that obvious.
Still, there was no telling when or where they’d make their move—he couldn’t afford to let his guard down.
Jinhyuk accepted the ring.
A searing heat flowed deep into his body.
And then—
Rrrrmmmm!
Cracks began forming along the ground.
The earth split like the shell of a turtle.
Olympus’s main base was now beginning to cross over in full.
“There’s not much time left,” Thor growled, eyes fixed on the sky.
On the far side of Yggdrasil, a towering mountain with no visible end began to emerge.
“But we’ve already secured a major victory by subduing Artemis. We’ve dealt a serious blow to the enemy’s main force.”
“Still, if we want a decisive win, we’ll have to seize Olympus. A war of attrition would only work against us.”
Baldur and Loki added in agreement.
The Norse faction hadn’t fully recovered from their earlier losses.
If the conflict dragged on with equal forces grinding away at each other, Olympus would have the advantage.
Especially since they were allied with the massive forces of Celestial Order and Eden.
Sure, they had the Veteran Corporation as an asymmetrical force, but that wasn’t enough to guarantee safety.
In the end—
They needed a special unit.
A small elite force that could sneak into Olympus while everyone else was drawing attention—and take Zeus’s head.
There was only one raid party capable of doing that.
“Heimdall.”
“Yes, Player Kang Jinhyuk?”
“Where’s the closest Gate to Olympus that you can open? Preferably somewhere undetectable.”
“Hmm…”
Heimdall narrowed his eyes.
“Since Hermes has a tight hold over that area, I can’t get you very close. But I can secure a few entry routes that should be easy enough to breach.”
“That’s good enough.”
Jinhyuk gathered his mana once more.
Alice and Frey were engaged with Celestial Order’s forces, so he’d need to gather new members to accompany him to Olympus.
And the candidates—
…had already been decided.
[Requesting a video call with the target.]
Jinhyuk began contacting individuals from his personal directory.
⁕⁕⁕
“Screw off.”
The reply was as cold as a winter breeze.
Expected, but still—ouch. That one stung.
He’d even tried to ask nicely, you know.
“Aw, come on. Just give it another thought. It’s really not a bad offer.”
“Let me get this straight. You want me to join a war where massive divine entities are throwing their lives on the line?”
“Correct.”
“Putting aside the reward, just being dragged into that mess is a massive risk in itself, right?”
“That’s also correct.”
“And you want to go straight into the heart of Olympus? With a small team for mobility and stealth?”
“Exactly what I said.”
“Just go die. And make sure you leave no trace behind.”
Chun Yoosung moved to end the call.
Jinhyuk’s voice turned urgent.
“[Unique Holy Spear – White Night]!”
“…What?”
“You’ve unlocked your [Unique Holy Spear], but you still haven’t learned how to use it properly, right? If you join me this time, I’ll teach you everything about how to wield it.”
“……”
Chun Yoosung paused, lips tightly shut.
It was his signature reaction when facing a strong temptation.
Of course, someone who staked their life on getting stronger wouldn’t be able to turn down an offer like this.
“If I agree to go, you have to promise me one thing in return.”
“Oho. The Sword Saint himself wants to make a request of me?”
“Don’t be a smartass!”
“Okay, okay. Let’s hear it.”
“I picked up a hidden quest on the 30th floor, but the difficulty’s insane. I can’t clear it alone. If you help me with that, I’ll take this job.”
Still stuck on the 30th floor, not even the 33rd?
That was unusual, considering better quests usually came from higher floors.
Ah, come to think of it…
Something flashed through Jinhyuk’s mind.
A notoriously difficult ruin on the 30th floor.
It had such demanding requirements that he wasn’t planning to attempt it this time.
But judging from this, Chun Yoosung must be trying to clear it.
‘And this lunatic actually pulled it off solo…?’
Seriously, what a maniac.
You’d have to wonder if he ever even slept.
“What’s the reward?”
“There are several, but I get first pick. That’s non-negotiable.”
“Fine. I’m great at keeping promises. Our dear Yoosung can pick first, and I’ll settle for whatever scraps are left. Don’t worry.”
Jinhyuk gave a satisfied smile.
When the offer was good enough, everything from tone to attitude changed naturally.
If this war ended well, he’d have yet another favor to repay.
“…I’ll trust you.”
Chun Yoosung muttered suspiciously.
But he didn’t question further.
His quest was a hidden quest among hidden quests.
Something that required insane effort and outrageous luck to uncover.
Not even a monster like Jinhyuk should know about it.
As long as he secured the right to choose the first reward, there was no risk of betrayal.
[Heimdall is opening the Gate to Asgard.]
The Gate opened, and Chun Yoosung stepped through with a deeply sour expression.
Now that he was here, it was clear his feelings were mixed.
Crackle…!
KRAAAK!
Understandable.
With explosions ringing out from every direction and mana running rampant, the very air stung against his skin.
“You’re here?”
“Damn it, this place is hell. Even the Demon Realm was better than this.”
“You’ll get used to it.”
“So, it’s just the two of us? Where’s everyone else?”
“Teresa’s coming once she wraps up her task. I called a few more people, including Andrea from the residents.”
It was a tall order, so he wasn’t expecting much.
Frankly, just having Chun Yoosung and Teresa gave them a decent shot.
Jinhyuk looked up.
The Gate Heimdall had opened led near the mountain where Olympus stood.
In other words, they were already deep in enemy territory.
Swoosh.
Click.
Jinhyuk drew two swords.
Sring!
Chun Yoosung unsheathed his demon blade, [Ryuhwa].
“What’s the plan?”
“We take out the patrols without getting noticed. Ideally, I want them to realize we’re here as late as possible.”
They’d have to pass countless soldiers and gates before reaching the peak of Olympus.
Naturally, it would be best to find the path with the weakest defenses.
“Assassination isn’t really my style… but I guess we’ve got no choice.”
Jinhyuk and Chun Yoosung began to move.
⁕⁕⁕
At the same time—
At the summit of Olympus, Athena looked down below.
“They’re striking directly at us… is that it?”
“Yes. It appears they’re moving with a small elite group. Several have already crossed over via Heimdall.”
A hooded figure responded to Athena’s question.
“How ridiculous. They really think a handful of people can take this place?”
Hades scoffed.
“They can’t even tell the difference between courage and foolishness. Just because they won once, they’re getting cocky… Tsk. It’s time they got a proper lesson.”
Aphrodite chimed in.
This was Olympus, their home base.
Here, they could wield their full power—plus all kinds of buffs. It would be a completely different fight from before.
More importantly, Jinhyuk still didn’t know that someone from Ragnarok had betrayed them and sided with Olympus.
The battle was already decided.
“Still, it’s best to proceed cautiously. That slippery snake won’t go down so easily. And after Artemis fell, we can’t afford any more losses.”
“Spoken like a true goddess of victory. So, what should we do about these intruders who’ve walked into our house?”
“For now, we let them be. Make them think their plan is working. And then…”
Athena’s lips twisted subtly.
Like she was excited at the chance to devour a worthy foe.
“We’ll deal with them in Olympus’s way. Let’s make them regret ever daring to challenge the gods.”
The thrill of a surprise attack lies in catching the enemy off guard.
It only works when you hit a true weak spot.
But once the main operation is exposed, the blade loses its edge.
That’s when the entire Veteran Corporation will fall.
* * *
“Guh…?”
With a deflating sound, a fountain of blood burst forth.
An Olympus soldier stationed on the outskirts staggered and collapsed.
A perfect ambush left him no time to even scream.
Shlick!
Chun Yoosung wiped the blood from his blade.
They had already been here for over an hour.
They’d taken out nearly 100 guards so far.
Meanwhile, Teresa and Andrea were fulfilling their roles flawlessly on another front.
Thud.
Crash!
They didn’t kill everyone, but subduing them was no problem.
“Every day is chaos when I’m around you, Jinhyuk.”
“Hehe. Still, thanks for calling us. I hope we were helpful…”
They were working in perfect sync now.
‘Teamwork’s good. And with the barriers in place, I’ve done all I can for now.’
Everything was ready.
Now it was time…
…to head into the enemy’s heart—the mountain itself.