Chapter 5
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 5
Chapter Title: Olympus Tales (4)
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The city where Kim Yul lived was called Camellia.
Though it was modest in size compared to other major cities, the place prided itself on its passion for the arts, which rivaled anywhere else.
And among its many spots, the most renowned salon was undoubtedly Salon de Blanc.
And there...
The bartender at Salon de Blanc, Samuel, was a man famous not only for his charismatic presence that commanded the room but also for his deep literary knowledge.
"Samuel! One Kamikaze here!"
"Coming right up."
As always, he served Mr. Heinz his cocktail of unclear origins and name—but undeniably intense in flavor.
The moment the orders paused, Samuel poured himself a drink as well.
Mimosa.
He prepared the refreshing yet smooth cocktail by mixing sparkling wine with orange juice.
Then he reopened the book he'd been devouring and dove back in.
Naturally, the book he was reading was the hottest new release at Salon de Blanc: Heracles' Heroic Saga.
This was already his fourth full read-through.
Just as he was about to immerse himself once more in the novel's world...
Ting-a-ling—
The cheerful chime of the door announced another customer. Swallowing his regret, Samuel looked up with his professional smile.
And soon, that smile deepened.
What caught his eye was...
The black-haired, black-eyed young man who'd recently started frequenting the salon.
Kim.
Black hair and eyes were traditionally seen as ill omens in the Empire, but after chatting with him a few times, Samuel found him to be a delightful fellow.
"Master, business treating you well?"
"Thanks to the buzz around this new hit, it's booming. Same as usual—rocks on the rocks, shaken not stirred?"
"I've quit the rocks. Cheapest thing you've got today, please."
"Got it."
He used to come in looking half-dead, desperately hunting for some mysterious concoction called "rocks" or whatever.
But had he found his calling? His true path?
Lately, there was a brightness about him that was truly heartening.
"Here you go."
"Thanks, Master."
That odd nickname "Master" he used every time—it was part of this eccentric's charm.
"By the way, have you read it too?"
"What book?"
"Heracles' Heroic Saga. It's incredible."
Hee-hee.
Kim, who was slurping his drink through a straw, shrugged his shoulders with a bizarre little giggle.
"Hm? Already had one before coming?"
"Hee-hee, no."
For some reason, Kim looked in high spirits the moment he walked in.
Samuel shrugged it off—young folks have their happy moments—and turned back to his book, flipping the page.
And a short while later...
The shop door opened again.
Samuel watched a sharply dressed stranger enter and sit right across from Kim Yul, as if by prior arrangement. He pondered what cocktail to recommend to this guest, who seemed to have brightened Kim's mood.
"Mr. Kim Yul, right? Any interest in newspaper serialization?"
"...?"
As Samuel doubted his own ears...
In an instant...
A heavy silence blanketed the once-lively salon.
The author who burst onto the scene like a comet with War of the Gods, unleashing boundless imagination.
Who showed what true boldness meant with Zeus' Love Affairs.
Who revolutionized protagonist-driven narratives with Heracles' Heroic Saga.
And now, the name of the most popular author in Salon de Blanc had been dropped.
Samuel found himself staring at Kim's face unbidden.
Kim.
K...
...Kim Yul?
And then...
"Uh, if it's not too rude, how did you know I was here—"
"Heard it from an editor at Sprout and Branch Publishing. Said you've been coming here a lot lately, and with that distinctive black hair and eyes, you'd be unmistakable—"
Before the man could finish...
"Kim Yul! Kim Yul!"
"Heracles! Is it really you who wrote it?"
"Sign this for me!"
"Why does Heracles yell 'Aja-ja-jat!' when he flexes? Going for a signature line?"
"So while Heracles was going through all that hell, what was Zeus doing? Was it really prep for Gigantomachia?"
"What's the connection between Hydra and Hundred-Faced Ghost Dragon? From the Demon Realm? Figures—black hair and eyes, symbol of doom!"
The salon erupted into frenzy in seconds.
.
.
.
Once the madness finally subsided...
Kim Yul signed every copy of Heracles' Heroic Saga the salon members had brought, his strokes fluid and elegant, as if he'd practiced thousands of times.
Already, glasses bought by the members towered before him like a mountain.
"As expected of a great author—you're quite the drinker!"
"Hee-hee, hic, great author? Nah."
"You smile so slyly when you're praised."
In the warm, fan-meet-like atmosphere...
"Um, Mr. Kim Yul?"
"Yes?"
"If Heracles is the mightiest hero, who was that Theseus he saved from the underworld? What kind of guy was he?"
A gentle curve formed in Kim Yul's eyes at the question.
He closed them softly, as if lost in reverie.
"If Heracles is hailed as the strongest hero, Theseus is called the wisest."
And soon...
He began reciting Theseus's life story, slow and song-like.
Sinis, who bound travelers' limbs to bent trees, then released them to rip them apart.
Sciron, who asked travelers to wash his feet, then kicked them off the cliff.
Procrustes, who stretched or hacked bodies to fit his bed after tying victims down.
The crowd hung on every word of the young Theseus, facing these monsters and delivering righteous retribution.
They listened breathlessly, utterly absorbed.
And so the tale flowed on...
"Ha... using the thread to navigate the labyrinth...!"
Escaping Crete's labyrinth—where none had survived—with Ariadne's help, culminating in his victory over the Minotaur.
"...And so Theseus earned immortal fame. Sadly, Heracles saving him from the underworld comes a bit later. But it's about time I head out."
Like a street bard weaving a clear, crystalline tale, Kim Yul's story reached its end.
No one in the salon could bring themselves to beg for more.
"Indeed... a born storyteller. I can't fathom why you've wasted this talent until now."
Samuel let out an admiring sigh he couldn't hold back.
And everyone there nodded in agreement.
Ugh...
It reeked.
A scene worthy of a funeral montage.
Well, less about reveling in the "true hardship" vibe and more about not wanting to out myself as the author.
Authors aren't supposed to hang out in reader communities, right? Common knowledge.
...Or not? Kinda fuzzy now.
Anyway, the unintended author reveal farmed me tons of attention, which was nice...
- So, cross-dressing a hobby? Explains the vivid scenes?
...That one stung.
It's historical accuracy.
Accuracy, I say.
Even a great hero like Heracles must've had estrogen surges sometimes, right?
That's why I skipped Theseus's ending.
It's... pretty pathetic.
Mention that, and it'd be instant "Drift again?" with the crowd turning hostile 100%.
.
.
.
On the way home...
He fiddled with the business card he'd received, sorting his thoughts.
- The era of published novels is fading. In the capital, serializing in daily papers is all the rage, slowly replacing books. Mr. Kim Yul, care to give it a shot with us?
A classic scouting pitch.
...Felt more like a submission call, but close enough.
"The era of published novels is fading" struck a chord.
Thinking about it, real history followed suit.
As printing advanced, serialization in newspapers and magazines overtook standalone books.
Sherlock Holmes in Strand Magazine barely made waves with A Study in Scarlet, but persistence paid off with "A Scandal in Bohemia."
No need to go that far back.
Even in Korea, "must-read" genre novels evolved from rental shops to daily webnovels.
"Learning Spanish? Better read another webnovel" wasn't just a meme.
And for me, it was a win.
Newspapers mean more readers, easier access.
More people learning Earth's history, getting hooked...!
Heh heh heh.
Of course, how skill acquisition and sales mechanics adapt to daily serialization? No clue.
Status window would handle it, probably?
As dusk settled and he turned into the alley toward his lodging...
"Oh, black hair. Looking perkier these days? Smiling and all?"
"Got some coin, living the good life?"
Familiar voices drilled into his ears.
"Thomas?"
One of the lowlifes he'd met drifting construction sites.
The Rankin crew he'd avoided like the plague—they were loitering in the alley.
"Broke asses like us gotta share the wealth, yeah?"
Seeing the cold smirk on Thomas, the top thug in Rankin's crew...
These bastards.
They'd been waiting on purpose.