Chapter 1208: Chapter 1199

Olympus, the world above the sky.

A man with voluminous, wavy golden hair stood above the clouds and watched everything beneath him.

[Zeus. Level 1,611]

The hands of the most powerful god in the entire Gaia Continent, or perhaps even the whole of Athenae, were clenched into fists. Yet, in the end, he did not say anything to Herakel, who decided to return to the arms of another man instead of running to him.

‘Even though that man is not as good as me…!’

Zeus knew Herakel was proud and arrogant, so he could not help but grind his teeth at his path choice.

At that moment, Zeus saw the flustered Hera warning Minhyuk and his men.

***

The vassals of the Beyond the Heavens Empire rushed toward Herakel.

Herakel, whose hair had grown into a bob, was once again back to having short hair. He looked at everyone around him in confusion.

“Conir! Why are you crying?! Don’t cry!” The confused Herakel shouted. He even began to cry after seeing how hard Conir was crying.

Meanwhile, Minhyuk looked at Herakel for a long time without saying anything. The original and complete Herakel was left in an eternal slumber. However, from what it looked like, he did not regret his decision.

Minhyuk felt a dull ache in his chest. Herakel, who had killed his wife and children with his own hands, must have been living a hellish life. And Herakel was forced to live like that because he was born with colossal strength and overwhelming power.

‘Thank you, Herakel,’ Minhyuk said, greeting the now slumbering version of Herakel.

Hera screamed, “Crazy! You’re crazy! Herakel! You’re f*cking crazy!!!” She just could not understand what was happening. The choice that Herakel made was no different from choosing death. What Hera found to be highly absurd was that he decided to walk this path on his own and even carried the happiest smile in the world.

Hera was the true embodiment of the Goddess of Jealousy. She felt robbed of the toy she had been playing with until now.

“Do you think you can leave just like this?”

The Gaia Continent was under the rule and control of the gods of Olympus.

“They will ostracize not only you but even the other foreigners here.”

Hera looked up at the sky. She had always hidden behind the gods, and she hoped that the gods of Olympus would use their voices to threaten these people.

[Hades frowns. He begins to threaten you.]

[Poseidon bangs his trident. He expresses his unhappiness with the situation.]

[Ares grabs his sword and prepares for war.]

[Apollo frowns. He’s wary of you.]

Hera, who listened to the voices of the gods, waited in expectation. As long as Zeus, the greatest god, gave his orders, they could drive out all the foreigners who had taken root in the continent.

Finally, Zeus opened his mouth.

[Zeus looks at you with his hands clenched into fists.]

Minhyuk paused, a slight tremble passing over his body. He knew he would be in a very bad situation if he earned the hatred of the gods. And this was especially true right now. After all, this was a new continent that they needed to pioneer and explore.

[Zeus asks you to take care of Herakel.]

Minhyuk knew that Zeus wanted to bring Herakel back to his side. That was why the words that came out of Zeus’ mouth left Minhyuk surprised.

[Zeus says he has always turned a blind eye to his plight.]

[Herakel made him realize how happy he was to stay by your side even if it meant he had to die.]

That was right. Even though Zeus was not a good father, he was still Herakel’s true father. Of course, Zeus knew it too.

[Zeus knew how much sadness he had felt in his life.]

Flash–!

A huge path made of light appeared in front of Minhyuk. Minhyuk realized they could escape this place by following this path.

[Zeus thanks you for caring for him and giving him comfort.]

Zeus wanted to at least act like Herakel’s true father at the last moment.

[The Twelve Gods of Olympus look at Zeus.]

[Zeus turns a deaf ear to the gods' voices.]

[Zeus declares that he will be their enemy if they dare to say anything more than what they had said.]

[The Twelve Gods of Olympus have shut their mouths.]

He acted as a father and stood in their way. Zeus has never done anything for Herakel before. Now that his son had chosen to leave, he wanted to at least do one last thing for him.

The short-haired Herakel looked up at the sky in confusion. Zeus, watching everything from the sky above them, seemed to look at Herakel with a small smile.

Minhyuk took the lead and began to walk the path made of light. Conir, who saw him make a move, held Herakel’s hands and said, “Let’s go, Herakel.”

The vassals followed Minhyuk one after the other and walked on the path made of light.

Not long after, notifications started to ring in Minhyuk’s ears.

[Zeus has bestowed his blessings upon Herakel.]

[All of Herakel’s stats have increased by 7%.]

[Zeus has bestowed his praise upon Herakel.]

[All of Herakel’s skill levels have increased by 1.]

[Zeus engraves his reinforcement on Herakel’s club.]

[Herakel’s club now possesses the power of Zeus’ lightning.]

Finally, all of them had crossed the path made of light.

And Zeus? He stood in the sky above them while staring at the place where his son, Herakel, had disappeared from for a very long time.

***

Minhyuk and all of the vassals of the Beyond the Heavens Empire had finally returned.

He had spent quite a long time staying in the Gaia Continent. Now that he had dealt with most of the things he needed to deal with in the Gaia Continent, Minhyuk felt he did not need to be there for the time being.

Only less than 10% of the Gaia Continent had been discovered. Before players could go elsewhere, they had to explore and pioneer the area. Minhyuk felt he did not need to work hard and put too much effort into exploring new, undeveloped land.

So far, Minhyuk had obtained many more rewards from the Gaia Continent than he expected. Not only did he ally with the Gorodis Kingdom, but he was also able to make it so they worshipped the Food God. Herakel could also return safely and had even become a bit stronger than before.

The greatest reward that he had obtained was none other than Hephaestus. Of course, Minhyuk did not accept Hephaestus as his subordinate. He had brought him here as a friend.

If one looked at it from another perspective, Hephaestus was not someone Minhyuk could dare to befriend. Why? Just look at the case of Leo, the creator of the Greatest Weapons. Minhyuk was not and could never bring him to the Beyond the Heavens Empire. Then, there was Hephaestus. He was someone who could create artifacts that were on par with the Greatest Weapons.

Of course, Hephaestus’ abilities had dropped by around 10~15% overall. This was because he had chosen to abandon Olympus. Even so, Minhyuk was sure of one thing.

‘He is the best blacksmith in Athenae.’

He felt sorry for Hyemin’sDaddy and Olger for thinking like this, but no one in the world could compete with Hephaestus. However, Minhyuk wanted his dear friend Hephaestus to live happily in the empire.

When Hephaestus came here, he told Minhyuk, “Minhyuk, I will take care of the weapons and armor of the Beyond the Heavens’ vassals and troops.”

“Hephaestus… no. You’re finally free of that prison. So, just for a bit…”

“There’s no time to rest. I want to be of help to my friend.”

“...”

Minhyuk looked bitterly at Hephaestus’ retreating. He seemed so determined and left him without any room to argue. He even left after saying what he wanted to say.

‘He has been taken for granted for far too long. He thinks it’s natural for him to do something for someone else.’

Minhyuk also felt it. Hephaestus had developed a severe inferiority complex, mainly due to his appearance.

‘He’s obsessed with the idea that he would be ignored and belittled if he did not do something for someone.’

Minhyuk’s already bitter expression grew even more bitter.

‘It’s very difficult to eliminate an already developed complex.’

At the same time, a quest window popped out in front of him.

Ring–!

[Quest: Healing the Heart.]

Rank: SS

Requirements: Hephaestus’ friend.

Rewards: Hephaestus’ blacksmithing skills will increase by 3%.

Penalty for Failure: Hephaestus will continue to live carrying the same thoughts and feelings that he has now.

Description: Intimidated, Hephaestus wants to create artifacts for many people to receive recognition. But can he create great artifacts with that mindset? Help Hephaestus’ heart and mind receive healing. If his mind and heart have been healed beyond 80%, Hephaestus will become a blacksmith who can produce and create better artifacts.

So, Minhyuk immediately called for Haze.

“Find a way to treat injuries to the legs…” Minhyuk smiled awkwardly, his words trailing off.

“A way…?” Haze looked at Minhyuk in confusion.

“Also… Please find a way to change someone’s appearance.”

***

It was precisely what Minhyuk thought. Hephaestus was overwhelmed with anxiety.

When he came here, he could not help but feel jealous of Herakel. He thought, ‘Even though Herakel is lacking, he’s still very handsome.’

He had seen everyone hugging Herakel happily. And Herakel? He looked thrilled among them. Hephaestus wanted to be treated like that, too. Alas, he had always been treated like a monster wherever he went.

He believed he had to do something to be treated well in this place.

‘I have to show them that I am very useful.’

Only through that way would he be able to fit in and not be thrown away. Hephaestus’ thought process showed how much he had been hurt. It was a very painful way of thinking. He, who believed that he only had Minhyuk as his faithful friend, wanted to do something for others to survive in this place.

‘I’ll have to take care of the vassals first. If they acknowledge me, then at the very least, they won’t call me a monster.’

Hephaestus limped down the market with his head down. Because he had severe social phobia, Hephaestus had always walked like this.

“Hey, over here!”

Just then, a woman called out to him. She was an ordinary woman who owned and ran a small shop.

Hephaestus looked up but still failed to make eye contact with the woman. This was mainly because he had developed a severe inferiority complex from his appearance. And because of this inferiority complex, he had developed a defense mechanism. This defense mechanism included him making aggressive comments and actions toward others.

“Why are you stopping someone who’s going somewhere, huh?”

Hephaestus was very self-conscious about his limp leg.

The woman approached him and said, “I heard that a very noble and precious person has come to our Beyond the Heavens Empire. Don’t you think it’s very uncomfortable to walk like that?”

Hephaestus knew that the woman was talking about his legs. Self-conscious, he tried to refute, his words aggressive to the point that he almost screamed at her.

“Are you trying to laugh at me for having legs like this…?!”

When Hephaestus finally looked up, he saw the woman smiling softly at him while holding a pair of wooden crutches.

“There’s nothing to laugh about for having legs like that. I just think that it’s uncomfortable on your part. Here. They’re old but might help you a bit, right?”

The crutches were truly old, worn out, and ordinary.

“My husband used this pair of crutches whenever he felt uncomfortable.”

Hephaestus held the crutches and asked, “What can I do for you in return? Do you want me to renovate your shop? Or do you want me to make some cool sculpture for you…?”

Hephaestus was completely unfamiliar with the concept of goodwill and intentions.

The woman said to him, “I don’t want anything.”

“...?”

“I just saw you were uncomfortable and wanted to help you.”

“...”

Hephaestus was rendered speechless. When the woman handed the pair of crutches to him, it was just an act of goodwill. Of course, Hephaestus could make himself a pair of crutches if he wanted to. Nonetheless, he did not make one. For some reason, he thought he would look shabbier and uglier if he went around with crutches.

Because of his severe social phobia, Hephaestus could not greet and thank the woman properly after accepting the crutches. He even left the area as if he was running away from someone.

‘What a strange woman.’

Hephaestus could only think this way. After all, who would give someone crutches without wanting anything in return? Of course, the crutches were old and worn out.

Now that he was equipped with a pair of crutches, Hephaestus felt that it was much easier and more comfortable for him to walk.

At the same time, a notification rang in Minhyuk’s ears.

[Hephaestus’ Heart and Mind has been healed by 3%.]

“...?”

Minhyuk looked at the notification in confusion.

Then, Haze entered his office once again. She reported, “Your Majesty, I have inquired with Sir Abel. I believe we will be able to find a way to repair a disabled leg, but it will be a bit difficult to find a way to change one’s appearance…”

Minhyuk smiled faintly and said, “No, Haze. It’s fine. Just find a way for us to fix a disabled leg.”

“Yes?”

Minhyuk could tell what was happening and what would happen to Hephaestus. He said, “I think there’s no need for me to step forward. His mind and heart will be healed today.”

While walking around with his newly acquired crutches, Hephaestus suddenly stopped and turned back to look at the woman. A small smile tugged at the corner of his lips as he felt an unknown warmth for the first time. However, he was still suffering from a severe inferiority complex. It could not be easily discarded just because one wanted to.

‘I have to hurry. I have to hurry and be acknowledged by them so I can live as a normal man in the Beyond the Heavens Empire.’

And the place he had chosen to visit first was where Spear God Ben, a man who had been imprinted in his mind as a scary old man, was.

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