Chapter 222: Eternal Spire[R-18] (47)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 222: Eternal Spire[R-18] (47)
The gods' banquet hall was buzzing.
"Everyone! We have a special event for you today!"
At the center of the stage, Loki waved his hand grandly and shouted.
A mischievous smile filled his lips, and all the gods’ eyes turned to him at once.
A giant, golden screen floated before him, the names and statuses of numerous participants updating in real time.
"A showdown between the two groups you've all been paying the most attention to! This is the most exciting spectacle of all!"
The gods paid no mind to Loki's exaggerated gestures. Their gazes were focused solely on the screen.
"That's right! It's a dual dungeon conquest! Two boss rooms have opened simultaneously, so which side will be the first to clear it?!"
The screen split in half, and two windows appeared.
One side showed the Night Bloom guild, led by Jin Seo-yun, and the other showed the Guild Alliance, led by Austin, Kang Hyun-woo, Yoon Jae-ho, and Baek I-jun.
"On the left, Night Bloom, challenging the Frost Ogre Lord! On the right, the Guild Alliance, challenging the Knight of Doom!"
The gods, filled with excitement, eagerly awaited their turn.
Loki smirked and waved his hand.
"Now, let the betting begin!"
At his words, the gods each began to write something down.
"Zeus is backing the Alliance, even spending his divine power on them. The odds of them winning must be high, right?"
"I don't know, I think Jin Seo-yun will win. Look at the data. That guy is already off the charts."
"But Zeus intervened. They have to win, don't they?"
A god crossed his arms and said with a sneer.
"Tsk, tsk, this is why newbies are hopeless. I know from experience in the last round—when it comes to humans like Jin Seo-yun, the results never go as expected, even with divine intervention."
"Then why did a guy like that squander most of his divine power last round?"
"No, I'm telling you, something was wrong back then!"
"Tsk, tsk, just look at the payout odds. The Alliance is the overwhelming favorite. You damn contrarian."
"What? A contrarian?"
The god who heard this flushed red and shot up from his seat. Another god, who had been watching their argument, chuckled and chimed in.
"A bunch of ignorant fools."
At his words, the two bickering minor gods flared up.
"Hey, what did you just say!"
"Huh?! You're...?!"
"Hmph, you know of me?"
"The self-proclaimed God of Gambling! The sucker who fails every time and just loses money!"
"I'm not a sucker!"
The God of Gambling's face turned red and purple as he shot up from his seat.
The surrounding gods sneered at him and took a drink.
"It's true, isn't it? Last time, you bet on the underdog and lost your entire fortune."
"No, that was because of a strange variable—"
"Hey, count how many times that's happened. Your excuses don't work anymore, you know?"
Laughter erupted among the gods. The God of Gambling trembled with rage and clenched his fists.
"Hmph! This time is different! Because Zeus intervened personally, the Alliance has an overwhelming advantage!"
At his voice, a few gods nodded in agreement.
"That's right. You can't ignore divine intervention."
However, a few other gods still wore doubtful expressions.
"Still, he's a once-in-a-generation human. No matter how much they intervened, I feel like this time will be different."
"You all are forgetting something important, even as you gamble."
The God of Gambling sneered and set down his cup.
"A real gambler never looks only at the payout odds. What's important is the flow."
"The flow?"
At his words, the gods listened with interest.
The God of Gambling smiled leisurely and pointed at the screen.
"Look there. The Guild Alliance is reaching the boss room."
On the screen, the Guild Alliance was rapidly approaching the boss room.
"However..."
The God of Gambling slowly pointed to the left screen.
"Jin Seo-yun is still at the dungeon entrance. He's way too late."
Just as a few gods were about to protest his statement—
Loki's voice echoed through the hall.
"The betting is now closed! Let's see the results!"
The results were displayed on the giant golden screen.
[Guild Alliance: 7.3 billion Divine Power bet, 1.37x payout]
[Jin Seo-yun: 2.7 billion Divine Power bet, 3.70x payout]
"It's an overwhelming difference! The vast majority of gods are predicting a victory for the Guild Alliance!"
As the payout odds appeared on the screen, the gods each had their own reactions.
"The return is low if the Guild Alliance wins, but it's a safe bet."
"But it's a huge jackpot if Jin Seo-yun wins. A 3.70x payout?"
Most bet on the Alliance for a stable return, but a minority of gods bet on Night Bloom, aiming for a single big win.
Zeus looked down at the hall below and muttered quietly.
"Hermes, what of the task I gave you?"
Hermes, standing beside him, replied with a smile.
"It has been handled without being detected."
Zeus nodded in satisfaction.
"Shortcuts always exist, one way or another."
Zeus gave a meaningful smile as he looked down at the hall, at Jin Seo-yun's name floating on the screen.
At that moment, Loki pointed to the screen again and shouted.
"Let's watch the situation in both dungeons!"
The screen split into two, and the progress in each dungeon began to be shown in real time.
On the left was Jin Seo-yun, who had just begun his dungeon conquest. On the right, the Guild Alliance could be seen, having arrived at the door to the boss room.
"The Guild Alliance is preparing for the boss raid!"
"Ha! It's going just as expected."
"So it's going according to the odds after all?"
However, the gods watching the left screen soon began to show signs of anxiety.
"Dammit, why is his progress so slow!"
"Is this a lost cause?"
Watching the boisterous gods, Tiamat and Cheon-wol, who were sitting side by side, quietly gazed at the screen.
Tiamat crossed her arms and said.
"Cheon-wol, what do you think Zeus gave them?"
Cheon-wol stared at the screen, lost in thought. Then, she smiled lightly and answered.
"I don't know. However, it's highly likely he gave them the power to fight on equal footing with Jin Seo-yun. For example, by degrading one of his Authorities into the form of a unique ability."
Tiamat's eyes flashed sharply.
"If so, he must have consumed an enormous amount of divine power."
"He must have. But..."
Cheon-wol slowly added with a smile on her face.
"There's no way Zeus would simply take a loss, is there?"
Tiamat remained silent, lost in thought with her arms crossed.
Zeus had never bestowed anything out of unconditional 'goodwill' before.
Everything he gives comes with a price.
So… this time could be no exception.
Cheon-wol continued with a meaningful smile.
"It probably means he's confident he can get it back."
"Get it back..."
Tiamat muttered under her breath.
Cheon-wol leisurely raised her cup and continued.
"And... it seems he's played some other strange trick as well."
Tiamat looked at Cheon-wol with a puzzled expression.
"A trick?"
Cheon-wol shifted her gaze to Zeus, and to Hermes standing beside him.
He wore a relaxed smile and was whispering something in Zeus's ear.
Zeus nodded, leisurely swirling the drink in his cup.
His expression was the smile of someone who already knew the outcome.
Cheon-wol chuckled and stared at the screen again.
Just then, from the center of the stage, Loki shouted loudly again.
"Night Bloom is rapidly heading to the boss room! The Alliance has just entered the boss room!"
The screen showed the situation in both dungeons simultaneously. On the left, Night Bloom was speeding toward the boss room. On the right, the Alliance was confronting a giant boss in red armor at the center of the room.
Austin stepped forward and began to issue commands. Kang Hyun-woo, Yoon Jae-ho, and Baek I-jun took their positions, and the rest of the Alliance members formed up.
"Austin's command is shining through!"
A sense of relief spread among the gods.
"It seems the Alliance is indeed more likely to clear it first."
Meanwhile, on the left screen, Night Bloom finally arrived in front of the boss room. Jin Seo-yun's voice flowed from the screen.
"Open it."
Jin Seo-yun's raid party entered the boss room. Inside, a monster over five meters tall sat on a throne made of ice.
The giant Frost Ogre Lord rose from its ice throne. It was twice the height of a normal ogre, its entire body covered in frost, and its blue eyes shone with a cold light.
"Finally, both sides have come face-to-face with their bosses! Who will be the first to clear it!"
The eyes of all the gods darted between the two screens. Since most had bet on the Alliance, their gazes were more focused on the right screen.
But soon, everyone's attention was captured by what was happening on the left screen.
"Incredible! Jin Seo-yun closed the distance to the Frost Ogre Lord in an instant and landed the first blow!"
Loki's excited voice filled the hall.
The gazes of all the gods focused on the left screen.
Jin Seo-yun's sword, emitting a blue light, sliced off the Frost Ogre Lord's arm.
- Crack!
The severed arm spun through the air before shattering into pieces of ice.
"This is... overwhelming!"
A murmur erupted from the gods all at once.
"What the...?"
"It looked like he just approached it, and its arm is already gone?"
Meanwhile, on the right screen, the Alliance was struggling more than expected.
- Clang!
Kang Hyun-woo swung his sword to attack the boss, but his blade cut through the air and was simply deflected.
"What?!"
Kang Hyun-woo's face was filled with shock.
"The attacks aren't working!"
Austin shouted sharply.
"Fall back! We need to find another opening!"
The gods began to grow restless at the Guild Alliance's progress on the screen.
"What are they doing?!"
"Zeus intervened, and they still can't win this?"
"Dammit... If I lose this one too, my wife is definitely going to kill me!"
The gods who had trusted the odds and bet their divine power on the Alliance started to grow anxious.
Cheon-wol whispered to Tiamat.
"Something's strange. Zeus is far too relaxed."
Tiamat also nodded with a puzzled look.
"He's definitely hiding something."
The eyes of the two goddesses were filled with suspicion. They watched Zeus's expression, certain that he had some hidden plan.