Chapter 289
Chapter 289
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Translator: Ace
Chapter: 289
Chapter Title: Gates of Olympus
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The Heavenly Steed ascending to Olympus halted its wings.
Before them appeared Olympus's soldiers. Mounted on flying chariots, they had formed ranks to block the Heavenly Steed's path.
"As expected, they're not letting us in easily."
"Why are you blocking us?"
"Go down below for inspection. The upper areas are reserved for the exalted ones."
"Then we'll have to go down."
At Lee Soo-hyuk's words, Thor's eyes flashed.
"Why should I have to do that?"
Thor gripped the reins of the Heavenly Steed tightly. The steed, which had paused momentarily, resumed its flight toward Olympus.
"Halt!"
"State your identity! Who are you?"
Thor approached the soldiers and drew his hammer.
The soldiers, thinking they were under attack, gripped their weapons. Thor bellowed,
"I am Thor, prince of Asgard!"
His voice boomed across Olympus.
At the name Asgard, the soldiers stirred.
"Asgard?"
"Thor... Odin's...?"
"I have business in Olympus. Clear the way!"
Neighhh-!
The Heavenly Steed whinnied in response to Thor's shout. The soldiers hesitated, unsure what to do.
By protocol, they should send him down for inspection first, but the opponent's status complicated matters.
It was definitely different from Thor's usual demeanor.
Throughout the journey here, Thor had given off a friendly vibe. But standing before Olympus, he felt exactly like the son of Odin that Soo-hyuk had first met—the Prince of Thunder.
Was that why?
—Let them pass.
A woman's voice echoed from the sky.
At the sound, the hesitating soldiers immediately cleared a path.
Thor glanced up toward where the voice had come from. Silently staring at the sky, his expression wasn't pleasant.
"What's wrong?"
"Something feels off."
"What?"
"That voice just now..."
A sense of foreboding.
Naturally, since this was a trial, Soo-hyuk hadn't expected a peaceful trip to Olympus.
But he hadn't anticipated trouble right at the entrance either.
'Well, figures.'
The Heavenly Steed flew into Olympus through the opened path.
A mountain soaring high above the clouds.
Soo-hyuk steeled himself.
From now on, treat that place as one massive dungeon.
Atop the mountain where the Heavenly Steed landed sprawled a massive city.
Houses built along the mountain range. Gods coming and going between them, eagles soaring through the sky, and enormous temples erected throughout the peaks.
Olympus felt utterly different from Asgard.
If Asgard was a kingdom centered around its king, this place resembled a theocracy devoted to the gods.
And the Heavenly Steed headed toward the temple perched at the highest point.
Snort-.
The steed snorted as it approached the temple.
The temple was castle-like in its immensity. Its exterior gleamed gold, as if coated in the metal.
Just approaching it felt overwhelming.
Viewer reactions to Olympus poured in. Thinking this might be the only time to chat with them, Soo-hyuk turned on his mic and said,
"You can check out my channel for Asgard footage too."
A timely promo amid the influx of viewers.
"Please watch a lot."
As he started interacting, the awaited message popped up.
Clementine's mission.
It was practically free money. No failure penalty—just meet them and done.
The viewers and Soo-hyuk were in complete agreement.
He'd heard a mission was coming, but not one this easy.
"Feels like they're just giving it away."
Meet the 12 Gods.
No challenge at all. This was Olympus, and specifically the temple at its highest point.
Plus, Soo-hyuk was traveling with Asgard's prince, Thor.
Face-wise, at least one of the 12 Gods had to show up personally.
'Will they keep throwing missions like this?'
Hundreds of thousands of points?
Just for meeting them. If the rewards scaled with difficulty, who knew how high they'd go.
As he marveled at Clementine's mission,
"We walk from here."
The Heavenly Steed reached the temple entrance, where guards crossed spears to block them.
No voice from above this time, so they really had to go on foot.
Thor dismounted without protest, deeming it impractical to ride further.
"Who's behind you?"
The soldiers stopped Soo-hyuk, following Thor.
Thor glared at them, eyes flashing.
"My friend."
"..."
Under his menacing aura, the soldiers backed off. The order to let them pass had already come from above.
Soo-hyuk and Thor climbed the towering stairs.
After over a thousand steps, a path appeared lined with six massive statues on each side.
Ahead loomed the enormous temple, gleaming like solid gold.
'The temple at the highest point.'
Judging by the symbols, Zeus should be here.
Soo-hyuk scanned the statues flanking the path.
They looked ready to spring to life. Names were inscribed at their bases.
Zeus, Hades, Poseidon, Hera, Athena...
He memorized the faces and names of Olympus's twelve gods. It'd come in handy.
Passing the antechamber, they entered the temple's heart. Supported by hundreds of pillars, the walls bore murals of Olympus's history.
And at the center, before a blazing flame,
stood a god who seemed master of this vast temple, back turned.
Given it was the temple at the pinnacle, mistaking him for Zeus was natural.
But Soo-hyuk shook his head at the silhouette.
'Not Zeus.'
He knew nothing about Zeus, of course.
But there were clues.
Zeus's statue at the entrance was the tallest of the twelve. Yet the figure standing there looked shorter than even Soo-hyuk, let alone Thor.
Sure enough, Thor bowed toward him and said,
"Greetings to the Queen of Olympus."
Queen of Olympus.
Only one god bore that title.
Hera, Queen of Olympus, turned around.
Her brown-and-gold hair coiled up elegantly, exuding intellect. The long, ornate golden robe suited her perfectly, as if made for her.
Soo-hyuk could tell at a glance. Hera possessed power and authority rivaling Thor's.
"Welcome, Thor."
Hera greeted him warmly. Not from prior acquaintance, though.
"You're as beautiful as the rumors say."
"Is that so? You're as imposing as they say, too."
"Forgive my unannounced visit."
"Forgive? It's not as if the prince is hurling thunderbolts at Olympus."
Despite rumors of bad blood, their exchange was cordial.
Amid their exchange, Soo-hyuk felt invisible. Hera was alone in the temple, her attention solely on Asgard's prince, Thor.
Eventually, Thor's gaze shifted to Soo-hyuk, who'd come along. Thor had come all this way to Olympus for him, after all.
Hera's eyes followed, a faint smile on her lips.
"And who's this beside you?"
"Yes."
"I didn't expect Asgard's prince to have a human as a friend."
Hera saw through Soo-hyuk's humanity instantly.
She seemed surprised. Not just that Thor's sole companion was a friend, not a retainer—but a human, no less.
But Thor stood tall.
"When making friends, god or human doesn't matter. I'm sure you understand, Hera."
"If you say so, Prince."
Whether she did or not was unclear. Fortunately, she showed no hostility like Tyr's.
Considering the history between gods and humans, that alone was a relief.
"I'm Lee Soo-hyuk."
Soo-hyuk greeted her. Hera nodded slightly in response.
But that was it.
Not antagonistic like Tyr, but she didn't seem to regard Soo-hyuk much either.
Her focus remained on Thor.
"There's only one reason the God of Thunder would visit here."
God of Thunder—Thor.
Only one purpose for coming to Olympus.
The other piece of thunder.
To find the lightning.
"Yes. Where is the King of Olympus?"
Instantly, the smile faded from Hera's lips.
A shadow crossed her face. Or rather, it had always been there.
She'd just been hiding it until now.
Then came the shocking words.
"He's dead."
"...!"
"...!"
Soo-hyuk and Thor's expressions mirrored each other.
Zeus, equivalent to Asgard's Odin, dead? Astonishing.
But Thor was hit harder.
For Asgard's prince, Zeus's death meant far more. It was an event that could shatter the world's balance.
"What happened?"
"Who knows."
Whether she didn't know or couldn't say, Hera evaded.
After a moment's thought, she gave a bitter smile.
"Perhaps this is fate. The God of Thunder visits at a time like this."
"Fate? What do you mean?"
"Better to see for yourself than hear."
She turned again.
"Follow me."
Hera led them deeper into the temple.
"I'll show you what you seek."