The God of Prophecy (1)

The performance hall, once enclosed, transformed in an instant into a vast expanse of rocky mountains.

Floor 11 had been the connecting point, so from here on, the story would no longer center on Beethoven—it would follow Prometheus.

"This rocky mountain must be where Prometheus is bound."

Yang Myeonghyun muttered blankly as he surveyed our surroundings, seemingly overwhelmed by the sight of rocky peaks stretching endlessly before us.

"That's right. It looks like the path leading to Prometheus. He should be well-disposed toward us, ideally."

He's a god who loved humanity enough to sacrifice himself for them, so I doubt he'll be hostile.

Prometheus had even deceived the gods about the sacrifices offered up to them on behalf of humankind. Then he'd stolen fire from the gods and given it to humans, earning himself the punishment of having his liver pecked out by an eagle. As long as the Tower didn't toy with us, Prometheus would almost certainly be an NPC in the role of helping visitors.

The details might diverge from the Greek and Roman mythology we know, but still.

"Jisan-hyung, if I may. We don't even know what the Floor 12 quest is yet. Do you think it's wise to head straight for Prometheus?"

"...Fair point. But there's no way back now. We go where the Tower leads us."

Just then, a flock of gigantic eagles came flying toward us at great speed.

Are real eagles actually this big?!

Maybe it was because I'd never seen an eagle up close, or maybe the mythical variety simply grew larger—but they were enormous.

"Humans!"

"Humans have come!"

In that moment, too stunned even to scream, I stood frozen as the eagles began clamoring in human speech. Not just the ones diving at us—every eagle wheeling across the sky took up the cry of human. The flock gathered in such numbers that the sky itself seemed to stain crimson.

"Human, over there. Draw near to me."

Prometheus.

A voice brimming with majesty rolled out from among the rocks far in the distance and echoed all the way to our ears. Yang Myeonghyun and I exchanged a glance and a nod, then began climbing toward the rocks from which the voice carried.

"Hah... hah..."

Clambering up the harsh rock face with our bare hands, sweat poured down our foreheads. The voice had cut straight into our ears, so I'd assumed we'd see him after only a short walk—but the spot where Prometheus was bound turned out to be far higher than I'd imagined.

"Jisan-hyung, are you all right?"

"Yes, whew. I'm fine."

I'd assumed Yang Myeonghyun was in about the same sorry shape as me, so watching him stride up the rocky slope with long, powerful steps left me feeling a faint sense of distance between us.

I've still got some pride left down at the bottom, you know.

Still, it wasn't like with Jang Siwoon, where the gap in stamina felt like an insurmountable wall. I gritted my teeth, swallowed my ragged breathing, and climbed.

How long had we been scrambling up the rocks? By the time Yang Myeonghyun's clothes and mine were thoroughly soaked with sweat—

"Jisan-hyung. We're blocked."

A sheer cliff stood in our way, too smooth and seamless to scale by gripping handholds.

"Yang Myeonghyun, do you know how to climb?"

"What is that?"

He's a scholar, all right.

Either way, this was the limit for both of us. I was staring helplessly, wondering what to do next, when I raised my ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠head toward the sky—

"Human. Look here."

"!!"

High above—so high that only by craning our necks could we see—Prometheus hung bound. Thick iron chains fettered his hands and feet, a cloth wrapped around his lower half.

"Ugh!!"

An eagle swooped in and mercilessly pecked at Prometheus's belly, tearing at his liver. Prometheus groaned in agony, his whole body writhing, the chains rattling with every convulsion.

"Whew...."

The eagle wheeled back into the sky, and Prometheus was granted a brief moment of respite. He looked down at us, his face clouded with weariness.

"Visitors who climb the Museum. Reveal your names."

Is it because he's a god with the power of foresight? He knows this world is fiction.

Yang Myeonghyun and I bowed our heads in greeting. Perhaps because he was a god—even a god built by the system—facing him felt far more intimidating than facing the Dragon King had.

"My name is Kim Jisan."

"Yang Myeonghyun."

"You have labored hard to reach Floor 12, humans."

Even amid the agony of his liver being devoured, Prometheus's lips curved upward, as if our arrival had gladdened him.

"Fear not. It is because I love you that I gave you flesh upon your bones and warmth upon your skin."

Just as in the myths, the Prometheus of this Tower was friendly toward humans. At his gently soothing voice, the tension that had kept my muscles rigid loosened, if only a little.

"You come from a world apart from the humans I created, yet still, I love you, humans."

"...Thank you."

What was I supposed to say to that? We'd been thrown straight into meeting Prometheus without so much as a word of guidance about the quest.

...Which meant he was definitely the NPC who would lead us into it.

He already knows we're visitors, so I can ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠just ask him directly.

I swallowed hard and put the question to him.

"Could you explain the quest to us? Ah, and if you could give us a hint while you're at it—"

"WHAT?!"

A roar that made the very ground tremble. Yang Myeonghyun and I hastily clapped our hands over our ears before our eardrums could burst.

"Do you mock a god?!!"

Before we had any time to be startled by the enraged reaction of Prometheus, bewilderment overtook us. Was it because I'd asked for a hint?

The gods really are as temperamental as the books say.

Greek and Roman mythology had personified its gods to resemble humans, giving even almighty deities a familiar humanity—and apparently that meant wildly volatile emotions, at least by modern standards.

"Jisan-hyung. It seems asking for hints is a rather base act."

Yang Myeonghyun murmured to me, head tilted, keeping his voice low enough that Prometheus couldn't hear. I nodded and gave him a silent look: let me try once more.

He was a god—if we approached with a little more reverence, surely he'd come around.

"Then could you at least tell us the quest? We have no way back home."

"A task, is it...."

So quests weren't rage points after all. Prometheus, who had been gazing into empty air, finally spoke again.

"The fire has vanished once more."

"...I'm sorry?"

"The fire I gave to humanity has been taken back by Lord Zeus. You shall go and retrieve it."

I had a feeling ever since we were assigned Prometheus—but of all things, it had to be fire?

Fire. It felt like some bespoke chamber of torture designed to torment me and me alone. The thought of facing blazing flames sent a chill down my spine.

"Where is the fire?"

"Zeus took it, so it will be in the temple of Olympus."

"Is there any way for humans to enter the temple of Olympus by our own strength?"

While I'd been lost in my dread of fire, Yang Myeonghyun had stepped in and fired the basic questions at Prometheus. ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠But the god, mid-answer, abruptly clamped his mouth shut.

So we were to find a way into Olympus ourselves, were we?

"Jisan-hyung, could you check with your Docent ability?"

"Let me try."

Rustle—

No matter how far I scrolled through the long, unfolding Leaflet, ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠no way for a human to ascend to Olympus appeared. Unless one was elevated to godhood or acknowledged by the gods, Olympus would not so much as allow a single footstep.

"Come on, mythology is vast as it is—there's got to be at least one case that works...."

Rustle—

"......"

"......"

Death. Death. Death. A long, scrolling list of humans who had strained toward Olympus and died for it.

There are a few odd cases, sure, but we're neither strong enough nor beautiful enough to get scouted like that.

Not that either Yang Myeonghyun or I counted as ugly—but neither were we world-stunning beauties who'd earn a casting call from Zeus.

"Humans, fear not."

Then tell us how to survive, and maybe the fear will go away.

"By now, word of my herald's coming has already spread fury through Olympus."

"What?!"

"Lord Zeus himself intends to drag you up there and pass judgment. But worry not."

No, worry not about WHAT? I'm about to take a lightning bolt head-on.

At first I'd taken Prometheus for a rather benevolent figure. Now I saw that he was just as emotional and just as evasive, word by word, as the rest of the Greek pantheon.

"Hermes comes!"

"Hermes comes!"

The crows took flight once more, cawing in human speech as they flitted about—some even beating their wings at Yang Myeonghyun and me, whipping up a dry wind. The sudden gust of dust sent me into a fit of coughing as I wiped the gritty tears from my eyes.

"Few among humans go to Olympus, so consider it an honor, the both of you."

What?! An honor, my ass—we're headed for our deaths!

Faced with the god's imperious decree, all Yang Myeonghyun and I could do was open and close our mouths in silence. We lacked even the clues to interpret the quest properly—we couldn't imagine what awaited us.

"Now, you shall press forward. There is not a moment to lose."

"Hold on a moment."

"What troubles you, Kim Jisan?"

"If you can't give us a hint, shouldn't you at least tell us some clever way to survive on Olympus?"

Ugh. Another tremor was rumbling up from the ground at my question.

Say one word too many and we really will get an earthquake.

"Jisan-hyung...."

"You entrusted a task to us for humanity's sake. What good is it if we die before we even begin?"

Please....

Honestly, whether it was a survival trick or a hint, they amounted to the same thing. Still, as long as Prometheus answered without flying into a rage, I didn't care what it was called.

Prometheus, who had been glaring daggers at me, finally burst into laughter.

"You speak truly."

Phew.

I let out a breath of relief and wiped near my heart with my hand. For a moment I'd worried Prometheus might be so enraged this time that he'd simply kill us where we stood. What a relief.

"Before you meet Hermes, you shall come face to face with a box, a vessel of clay, and a statue. Choose one among them and offer it up to Lord Zeus."

"A box, a clay vessel, a statue...."

"Do so, and Lord Zeus may grant you leave to set foot in Olympus for the duration of this task."

And he calls himself a prophet. A "may"?

Could the future really look that blurry to Prometheus? For a god of prophecy, it was honestly disappointing. I shrugged and pressed him for a more concrete answer.

"Which of the three should we choose?"

"Insolent wretch!"

"Yes, sir. Understood."

Time to give up cleanly, I supposed.

So as long as we choose the right item, we can keep our lives even inside the temple of Olympus, right?

Whatever attacks we'd face afterward while stealing the fire was another matter entirely.

Rustle—

The Floor 12 quest leaflet had finally unfolded before our eyes.