Chapter 572
Lush fruits of every kind.
Their jewel-like colors and plump flesh looked delicious just to behold.
‘Right. I had these, didn’t I.’
This could make for a rather amusing situation.
Feigning ignorance, Jinhyuk nodded.
“Well, not bad.”
Conveniently, the thought of resting was rising like smoke.
And so began the campfire.
Thud!
Chun Yoosung dropped the deer and rabbits he had caught nearby onto the ground.
“Will this do?”
“Yeah. That should be enough meat.”
These were no ordinary animals—they had fed on the grass and dew of Olympus itself.
They boasted the finest quality of flesh among all meat in the Tower.
Fwoosh!
The [Primordial Flame] touched the wood, instantly sparking a blazing fire.
Jinhyuk took out the salt and spices he had been saving and began cooking the meat.
The aroma that whetted the appetite spread everywhere.
Gulp!
Not only Teresa and Andrea, but even Chun Yoosung swallowed hard.
“Come, try it.”
Jinhyuk served them the meat with fruits on the side.
“Thank you!”
“I’ll eat well!”
“Hmph. At least it’s not inedible.”
Everyone accepted the food without a shred of suspicion.
They were filled only with the urge to eat it as quickly as possible.
But there was one exception.
Jinhyuk didn’t touch a single bite.
[Three-Colored Fruit: When three people consume three different fruits, the fruit’s effects activate. However, the cook must never eat the fruit.]
Red Fruit: Symbolizes passion. The consumer feels strong affection toward the one who gave it.
Blue Fruit: Symbolizes sorrow. The consumer’s confidence plummets drastically.
Black Fruit: Symbolizes corruption. The consumer’s buried desires erupt all at once.
Time limit: 3 hours.
The moment of activation depends on the intent of the one who administers it.
‘If you just eat them, they’re nothing more than tasty fruits.’
Jinhyuk’s lips curled upward.
Foolish Olympians.
Their bellies were so spoiled they never thought to examine such things in detail.
Which was why he now had such a sweet opportunity in his hands.
“This meat’s a bit tough… and the spices are questionable. At least bring out some wine to mask the gamey taste. Tsk. I swear, you’ve got no sense at all.”
Chun Yoosung kept complaining.
Never sparing a thought for the one who did all the cooking.
Just eating and whining.
But that was fine.
The higher he strutted, the sweeter it would feel to crush him.
Jinhyuk focused his mana to activate the fruit absorbed into his body.
[‘Blue Fruit’ is activated!]
[Sorrow rises to its maximum!]
Wooooong!
A strange energy spread through Chun Yoosung’s body.
Suddenly, his expression changed.
Melancholy and bitterness surged to his throat, followed by a shuddering chill across his entire body.
“I… I….”
Large, chicken-egg tears rolled from his eyes.
His face, twisted with self-reproach and guilt, brimmed with despair and regret.
“To think I complained after such a fine meal… I’m sorry.”
“Y-Yoosung?”
“Sir Chun Yoosung?”
Teresa and Andrea’s eyes widened in shock.
An apology from Chun Yoosung of all people.
And directed at Jinhyuk, no less.
He would sooner die than admit he was wrong.
“Ahem!”
Jinhyuk cleared his throat, thinking how immediate the effect was.
“Exactly. You never thank others. Looking like some pampered fop, not even worth your face. What? You think the world revolves around you?”
“…I’m sorry.”
“You know what people call someone like that? A maggot—no, a cockroach. Repeat after me. I’m a cockroach.”
“I’m a… cockroach.”
“Louder!”
“I… am a cockroach!!!”
Ahhh….
It felt like a thousand years of pent-up frustration lifted in an instant.
Ever since he first discovered the fruit, he had dreamed of this moment.
Now all the suffering was rewarded.
While he was at it, he might as well indulge in all the fantasies he had only imagined.
And so Jinhyuk carried them out.
He pulled out a whip and lashed him.
Forced Chun Yoosung to kneel and press his head to the ground beneath his foot.
Made him serve food and drink like a lackey.
“And why do you keep challenging me when you always lose? Don’t you get tired of it? Huh? Even kids at the neighborhood kendo dojo handle a sword better than you, but your pride is through the roof.”
“You’re right. I’ll never challenge you again. A staff suits me better than a sword, as you said.”
After endless humiliation, Chun Yoosung sank deeper into despair.
He even forgot why he needed to wield a sword at all.
…Now.
Jinhyuk placed a hand on Chun Yoosung’s shoulder.
The man flinched.
“Hey now, don’t be so down. I’m the one who accepts someone like you. I’ll take care of you from now on. Just trust me.”
“You… won’t abandon me?”
“Of course not. Why would I abandon you? I’ll even teach you how to use a sword, how to grow stronger. But you must obey me absolutely. You always go astray. This way is best. Understood?”
“Yes…”
For the first time, Chun Yoosung nodded, touched by the warmth.
Good, good.
So this was why gaslighting worked so well.
He had pierced straight into his weakest spot.
“Then, to seal the deal, let’s hear a good bark. When I call, you bark. If I scold you, you whimper. Got it?”
Jinhyuk clasped his hands behind his back, waiting.
But behind him, Chun Yoosung stayed silent.
“What are you doing? Your master called. Answer.”
“……”
Still no response.
Instead, an ominous unease crept up Jinhyuk’s spine.
Something was very wrong.
Terribly wrong.
“Y-Yoosung?”
Cautiously, Jinhyuk turned his head.
And there he saw—
“Bark… you say? And master?”
The Sword Saint stood there, face twisted with vengeance and humiliation.
Jinhyuk leapt up as if struck by lightning.
“W-What? Three hours already passed!?”
Impossible.
Unbelievable.
It felt as if he had only just started the game, and now it was over.
Time had flown like a bullet.
The theory of relativity struck home, but that wasn’t the issue.
Jinhyuk stumbled back instinctively.
Chill!
A razor-sharp aura pierced his skin.
A killing intent far more terrifying than anything before.
Not even when he took Zeus’ Astrapē head-on had he felt such fear.
“Teresa! Andrea!”
Jinhyuk frantically called out.
But their reply was cold.
“Karma.”
“Ha… Jinhyuk-nim, honestly, this time you went too far.”
Too far!?
Did they forget how much he had suffered at his hands!?
This was barely a fraction in return!
But no one sympathized.
Shing!
Chun Yoosung drew his sword.
At this rate, he would die.
No joke, no exaggeration—he would really die.
“Yoosung… you know it was all a joke, right? Just something fun to pass the night. Like a truth-or-dare game. To open up and bond, not to belittle you. You know that, don’t you?”
“Yes. You’re right.”
“You… you understand?”
“You wanted to open up.”
“Yes.”
“Then let’s do that. By opening up your body and talking while I watch.”
“Huh?”
Before he could react, a slash of blue light grazed his hair.
Fwoooosh!
A fraction slower, and his skull would’ve been split open like a honey jar.
“D-Damn it! I almost died! Really!”
“I know.”
Chun Yoosung’s half-mad eyes bore down on him.
Skkrrrch….
His sword dragged across the ground, leaving a long scar.
Jinhyuk’s breathing grew ragged.
His avenues of escape were few.
The option to fight back didn’t even exist.
Death. Despair. Defeat. Terror.
Every possibility pointed to a single outcome.
“Uwaaaah!”
Jinhyuk’s desperate scream echoed across Olympus.
—
At the break of dawn.
Only when the sun rose did the full devastation of the battles become clear.
In a single night, each side had lost more than forty thousand troops.
The number of wounded was several times that.
Such was inevitable when two warlike forces clashed head-on.
The main armies fought almost evenly.
But wherever chief gods and great heroes appeared, the devastation was unmatched.
The biggest turning point was that Jinhyuk, leading the Veteran Corporation, had slain many of Olympus’ chief gods.
Not mere soldiers, but gods—their greatest weapons.
Losing them meant Olympus had been cornered.
Yet Olympus did not go down quietly.
Hercules had swept away Cronus and the Titans, a factor that could not be ignored.
And.
The fiercest battle outside still had no conclusion.
“Haaah….”
Alice steadied her breath.
After finally letting loose, she even felt refreshed.
Squelch!
Kukukuku!
Blood still surged uncontrollably, boiling with energy.
Globes and spears made of blood blotted out the dim sun of the Demon Realm and devoured the holy power radiated by countless angels.
An overwhelming force.
Her enemies could only feel terror etched into their bones.
“T-This monster….”
“How many has she destroyed alone?”
“The 2nd Legion and the 7th Heavenly Heavy Cavalry are gone. Eden’s greatest assault force…”
“Over half the archangels are incapacitated. We’d have lost less fighting the Demon Realm itself.”
Their shock had turned to awe.
They had believed themselves capable of facing even a Demon King-level absolute being.
Yet they hadn’t lasted half a day against Alice alone.
Any thought of victory had long since vanished.
Now they fought only to avoid being the first to face her.
Then—
Puk!
“Ghhk… what…?”
The angel at the rear looked down at the wound in his chest.
Where his heart should have been, a massive mace jutted out.
“Do not flee! No matter how strong that vampire is, she has her limits!”
Uriel, his wings torn away, glared with burning eyes.
There was nothing left to lose, nowhere left to retreat.
If he failed to conquer the Demon Realm after sacrificing so many, his downfall was inevitable.
More than that—
He could see it clearly.
Alice’s blood aura had thinned noticeably.
‘Just a little more….’
Diablo and the other demons were also preparing their counterattack.
It wouldn’t be long before he crushed that accursed true ancestor’s skull with his mace.
Chapter 572 : At the Break of Dawn (1)