Chapter 574
Hercules stood like a mountain, eyes fixed on the approaching Jinhyuk.
“At last, after such a long road, we finally meet in battle.”
They’d had chances before, but circumstances always interfered.
Not this time.
On this narrow path, only one could survive to move forward.
Step.
Jinhyuk walked without a word.
He stopped just ten meters away.
At Hercules’ leap, that gap would vanish in less than a tenth of a second.
“Oh…”
Hercules let out a curious murmur as Jinhyuk entered striking range without hesitation.
He had fought countless battles, yet none had dared face him with such confidence.
Even Thor, one of the mightiest Norse gods, always kept his distance.
“Surely you don’t think that toothpick of a dagger and spear can block my club?”
Hercules rested his monstrous weapon on his shoulder.
A club so heavy it looked absurd.
Even a graze would pulverize bone.
“Well, a big, slow lump of iron isn’t much of a threat if it never hits.”
“Slow? Care to test that theory?”
“As much as you want.”
Jinhyuk smiled.
Kukukuku!
Their auras clashed head-on.
Then—
Kwaang!
Hercules vanished.
His charge was impossibly fast for his size.
The club swept sideways, aiming to crush Jinhyuk’s waist.
Fwoooosh!
The air split behind it.
Jinhyuk ducked by a hair’s breadth.
He instantly stabbed with his dagger.
Clang!
…Shallow.
Even with sword energy infused, the blade only scratched the surface.
His body radiated protective force with every breath.
“Click.”
Before Jinhyuk could even click his tongue, Hercules’ second attack came.
This time, a fist.
With his dagger thrust committed, a perfect dodge was impossible.
Jinhyuk reflexively infused mana into the Frost Spirit’s Spear.
[The Frost Spirit’s Blessing – ‘Crevasse of the Snowfield’ is activated!]
Crackkk!
A massive ice wall formed before him.
The ground split open into a great rift.
“…!?”
Hercules lost his balance.
The punch’s power diminished.
Kwaaang!
The blow crashed into the ice.
Even so, the impact rattled through Jinhyuk’s entire body.
One strike could nearly rob him of consciousness.
“Kh!”
Biting his lip, Jinhyuk summoned Tombgrave’s right arm and leg.
Blackened limbs cloaked in dark flame.
With [Unique Holy Spear – Phase 2], his form completely changed.
“You…”
Hercules’ eyes grew heavier.
He sensed something ominous.
“I’ll smash that cursed flame with you inside it!”
The club came down again toward Jinhyuk’s skull—
But Jinhyuk redirected the force, slipping into Hercules’ guard.
Boom!
Hercules’ head snapped sideways.
The shockwave toppled trees tens of meters away.
Bang! Thud!
Blows rained down without pause.
Every strike aimed at vital points—chest, heart, face.
Driving his momentum, Jinhyuk pressed the spear to Hercules’ abdomen.
The Frost Spirit’s tip glimmered with biting cold.
Ancient hexagrams lit up, weaving together.
Pachichik!
A freezing strike that could lock the world in ice burst forth.
Moisture froze solid in the air itself.
There was no time to dodge.
“Ghh…!”
Craaaack!
Hercules was sealed inside a colossal pillar of ice.
⁕⁕⁕
“In… incredible.”
“So this is Jinhyuk-nim’s battle.”
Teresa and Andrea swallowed dryly as they watched.
The duel was far beyond human comprehension.
Even standing near it dried their blood.
Chun Yoosung clenched his teeth in frustration.
‘Damn it…’
He had unlocked his holy spear and even defeated Dionysus in single combat.
He had thought himself ready to face absolute rulers of the Tower.
Yet no matter how much he grew stronger…
The idea of defeating that old monster never appeared in his mind.
‘Still not enough.’
He thought he was almost there.
But the gap remained.
If anything, it had grown wider.
Then—
Crack! Shatter!
The ice pillar split apart.
Chunks fell to the ground.
“Impressive.”
Hercules brushed frost from his body.
He had been shaken, but his spirit was unbroken.
If anything, he was more fired up than during his battle with the Titans.
“Well. I put a lot into that one, but you broke free so easily. Guess the strongest of Olympus isn’t just a rumor.”
Jinhyuk shrugged.
“But…”
He didn’t forget to add one more jab.
“Why is it, then, that you—the one always fighting on the front lines when Olympus is in peril—are treated like a disposable half-blood?”
“I… am treated as disposable?”
Hercules froze mid-attack.
Ripples spread across still waters.
Jinhyuk had another stone ready.
“Think about it. Even when you saved Olympus from the Titans, that was all. Used as a guard dog, as a defective demigod. Never truly rewarded.”
“Say another word and I’ll kill you slowly. What do you know of me!?”
“I know.”
“What?”
“I know you were despised by Hera simply for being born. That you loved your wife and children more than anyone. That you always fought for the weak and never abused your strength.”
He knew it all.
Hercules had to exist as a problem child.
Strong, but brutish. A pawn to be led.
That was how the myths were written.
“How…?”
Hercules’ pupils quaked.
No one had ever said this aloud.
Everyone knew. Everyone ignored it.
“If you join me, I’ll end their exploitation. You’ll live as you wish. And your family—will be with you.”
His wife and children weren’t dead.
Hades had taken them hostage before crossing the Styx.
Since then, Hercules had obeyed Olympus, doing every dirty task.
Just to keep them safe.
“……”
Hercules’ face crumbled.
A hero’s expression in ruins.
Even Teresa and Andrea gaped in shock.
‘It must shake him deeply.’
For an outsider to know more than the chief gods themselves.
Trust and doubt warred within him, but the choice was clear.
Hercules couldn’t ignore this bait.
But—
[The Supreme God of Olympus is aghast at your lies!]
[Hercules is sternly warned not to fall for a serpent’s tongue!]
Pachichik!
Lightning flashed in the sky.
“Father…?”
Hercules looked up blankly.
If those bolts fell, it would be hell itself.
Yet unlike Hercules, Jinhyuk showed not a trace of fear.
“Heh. Another lightning strike? Planning to wipe me and your own side out again, like with Hades?”
Up there were Zeus and the rest of the gods.
No way he’d told them Hades was dead.
At most, Hermes knew.
[The Supreme God of Olympus orders you to stop spreading lies.]
[Hercules is commanded to return immediately.]
Bolts ignited in unison.
It was a threat: push further and he’d erase them all.
Better to lose Hercules than lose the other gods’ trust.
“Well, let’s call it here. I’m not fighting your lightning in this choke point.”
“You’re leaving? Now?”
“Are you serious, Jinhyuk-nim?”
“But—”
His allies cried out.
It looked like he was giving up just short of winning Hercules over.
‘They don’t see it.’
In climbing the Tower, the most important thing was different.
[Copy Condition: Hercules has been exploited by Olympus his entire life. If you can free him from those chains, you may copy one of his Unique Holy Spears or Unique Abilities. (First condition: secure his family’s freedom. Second: raise his hostility toward Zeus to a certain level.)]
‘First, raise hostility. Then free his family. Then reel him in.’
Olympus’ war with the Norse.
The tragic stories of gods.
He didn’t care.
This wasn’t a melodrama.
The only thing that mattered was how to copy tasty abilities.
Hercules’ [Twelve Labors].
Combined with Tombgrave’s powers, the thought made Jinhyuk’s heart race.
He turned without hesitation.
There was something even more important to accomplish here.
‘You heard all that, didn’t you?’
With such a commotion, someone had to have noticed.
And tonight… someone would come.
“Let’s go. We’re done here.”
Now, he just had to wait for the fish to bite.
⁕⁕⁕
Near the summit, many spots could serve as shelter for the night.
With a little work, anyway.
And with spirit beasts and other laborers at hand, there was nothing to worry about.
“Haaah… I’m dead. Look, master, my soul’s leaving. See this?”
“Mogiii…”
“Miyooo…!”
“How the hell do you expect us to build a mansion with four rooms, four bathrooms, and a tub in three hours!?”
“I get freezing stuff for a fridge, but what’s an air purifier!?”
Complaints rang out.
All denied, of course.
Wearing sunglasses, Jinhyuk sipped orange juice.
“If you want to quit, just say so. Don’t hold back.”
“Really?”
“Sure. Just write your resignation—with this sword.”
Balmung’s blade gleamed murderously.
“H-how are we supposed to write with that!? There’s no ink!”
Oh, but there was.
“Just stab once. The ink will gush out plenty. Want to test how dark it runs?”
“Eeek! I-I’ll work hard! I love building houses. Right?”
“Right!”
“We’ll build something fit for Gangnam!”
“Mogiii Mogiii!”
Heads bobbed in frantic agreement.
By dusk, a fine mansion stood.
They bathed, ate, and drifted into deep sleep.
Until, in the dead of night—
Fwoooosh.
A breeze stirred the campfire’s embers.
A figure cloaked in a long hood appeared.
A stranger had come to the Veteran Corporation’s resting place.