Chapter 1302

Chapter 1302

For the Twelve Gods of Olympus and the Gaia Continent, the people from the other continents were like a thorn in their sides. Unfortunately, the deal that Zeus and Athenae had made had stopped them from doing as they pleased and dealing with them.

This was the same deal many players had been made aware of, allowing them to move and explore the Gaia Continent. However, despite the Gaia Continent’s gods wanting to suppress the players, they could not because of the rules and regulations set by the deal.

Not too long ago, a notification rang in everyone's ears, announcing the loosening of these rules and regulations.

[Some rules and regulations that suppressed the Gaia Continent have been loosened.]

The entire world was left in a mess. Countless players expressed their opinions and concerns in the community sites.

[Guys, nothing will happen. FR. No need to worry, no~ no~]

[You’re crazy. Do you think everything’s fine? Minhyuk went there and cut off Hera’s arm, right? He even acted like a gangster when he dealt with Ares, remember? Not only that, he also took Hephaestus away! He did everything!]

[...Oh. That’s true?]

[Peasants. Just think about it. Those guys in the Gaia Continent hate us a lot. They let us be because of the deal that they had made with Athenae. Our side has taken advantage of this, pioneered a considerable part of their lands, and even took this and that from them. We’re literally taunting them, ‘Goodness. I’ll take this with them.’ And with the influx of people and the growth in their population, the rules and regulations placed upon the Gaia Continent had loosened. And now, they can demand something.]

[With the rules and regulations loosening, is an attack from the Twelve Gods of Olympus possible?]

[Maybe?]

[What’s the first change that will happen?]

With the rules and regulations growing lax, many wondered what changes would occur. A few days later, a notification shocked the people.

[One of the Twelve Gods of Olympus, Demeter, has crossed the seas and reached the Asgan Continent.]

The first change had begun. It seemed like the people of the Gaia Continent were finally allowed to enter their continent. However, no sightings of Demeter have ever been reported.

Perhaps this was only natural. After all, some of the Twelve Gods of Olympus possessed the power to alter their appearance. Demeter was one of those who had this power.

Demeter took on the form of an old woman with a hunched back and hid among the people of the Beyond the Heavens Empire. There was no need to stand out for no reason at all. After all, she visited this place under Zeus’ orders.

Demeter was the Goddess of Agriculture. She was an entirely different existence from this continent’s God of Farming, Hella. The God of Farming was a god who had an extraordinary power over farming, while Demeter created agriculture. She was the reason why the people could eat wheat and rice. It could be said that among the Twelve Gods of Olympus, she was the one who was loved the most by both the gods and the people.

The most important thing to note about this woman was that she was one of the Twelve Gods of Olympus and held great power. Her kind and gentle footsteps carried the will and sorrow of the Twelve Gods of Olympus.

‘The Twelve Gods of Olympus are angry.’

Hera had lost one arm and would never recover from this injury, while Ares’s dignity and status were trampled on. Even Hephaestus, the most brilliant blacksmith of their continent, was taken away, while the God of Heroes chose to leave them behind. This made the blood of the Twelve Gods of Olympus boil. Everyone waited with bated breath for their punishment to appear.

Now, the Gaia Continent no longer had any restrictions that stopped it from bringing harm to the other continents. Perhaps, Demeter’s benevolent and gentle steps marked the start of a war.

Demeter, who took the first steps for this war, did not have many evil thoughts in her head.

‘From what I heard, Emperor Minhyuk is a man over two meters tall with two large horns on his head. He has a horrible personality and can even spew blades out of his mouth. And when he eats, he procures twelve mouths and devours everything before him. Also...’

The people of the Gaia Continent worshipped the gods of Olympus. They did not care about the achievements of someone from another continent. They described Minhyuk as a monster, which also transferred to the empire he ruled.

‘The Sword God is vicious and cruel. He was the one who caused Hera to lose her arm like that.

‘The Spear God has a strange hobby. He harasses those creatures to extract coffee beans from them.

‘The people in their lands are all demons and monsters.

‘And the people of the Beyond the Heavens Empire are being persecuted under their tyrannical rule.’

Demeter smiled bitterly. She felt sorry for the people of the empire and was heartbroken at the thought of them screaming and wailing every day.

‘It seems like war is truly unavoidable.’

Demeter hated war. Nonetheless, to save the poor and pitiful people from these cruel men, war was necessary.

Demeter, who took on the image of an old woman carrying a cloth bundle, did not know where to go. At that moment...

“Grandma, where are you going?”

A young man approached her with a kind smile. The young man was around 170 centimeters tall and had a face full of freckles.

Demeter straightened up. She believed receiving help from such a kind and gentle human would not be bad. So, she asked, “I have to go to the imperial palace, but I don’t know how to get there.”

“If it’s the imperial palace you’re talking about, then it’s over there,” the young man said as he pointed in a specific direction. Then, he took the cloth bundle in Demeter’s hands and said, “This must be heavy. Let me hold it for you. I’ll go with you.”

𝘧𝓇𝑒𝑒𝑤ℯ𝑏𝓃𝘰𝑣ℯ𝘭.𝘤ℴ𝘮

Demeter liked this kind of human. They were the kind who would not leave someone in distress or trouble. At the same time, she also felt her heart break.

‘This young man with a good and kind heart...’

Such a poor and pitiful young man living the life of the oppressed. As she walked with the young man, she could not help but be confused.

‘Why is it so peaceful?’

When they entered the market, she was greeted by lively and cheerful merchants. Even the people running about had smiles on their faces.

‘From what I know, the merchants will be burned at the stake if they fail to surrender expensive fruits and meat to the emperor daily. Ah!’

Demeter realized something.

‘Maybe they have been brainwashed by the God of Snakes Elizabeth!’

She had also heard fierce and vicious rumors about Elizabeth, the God of Snakes. From what Demeter heard, the God of Snakes was a woman who controlled all of the systems and had the head of a snake and a woman's body. Not only that, she also had seven fluttering tongues and a hundred and eight eyes all over her body!

‘These poor people! They have been brainwashed to believe that they are happy.’

At that moment...

A girl with silver hair and eyes that reminded Demeter of a snake’s eyes looked at the young man beside her and greeted him with a nod. She asked, “Where are you going? And who’s this grandma...?”

“She got lost.”

“I see. Does your back hurt?”

Demeter has been beating and patting her back, a trait that was usually seen from those with hunchbacks.

“Hoho. At my age, no place doesn’t hurt.”

“I see. Then, please wait a moment,” the girl said as light appeared on her fingertips.

As the light seeped into Demeter...

[Pain Control.]

[The pain brought about by old injuries and diseases that you are suffering from will be reduced by 80%.]

[The power of the God of Snakes Elizabeth will linger in your body for a week. You will not feel pain during that duration.]

“...?!”

Demeter was startled. This young girl was the God of Snakes?! She looked so different from the description that she had heard.

“Seven tongues and a hundred and eight eyes...?”

“Huh?”

Demeter hurriedly shook her head when she saw the girl look at her in confusion.

The girl smiled lightly and gently held her hands. Although her hands were as cold as ice and her temperature like a snake's, her voice was not as she said, “Grandma, I’m staying over there. Whenever you feel pain, just come to me, and I will heal you.”

Demeter was shocked by her kind and gentle smile.

‘Have I been brainwashed too?’

She could not bring herself to believe it. Maybe this girl also had the power to hide her appearance, just like her?

After that, she continued to walk with the young man. Then, they met another person.

“Hyung! Where are you going?!”

“Huh? Ah. I’m helping this grandma. She’s in a bit of a pickle.”

The boy approached them and looked down at Demeter. Then, he said, “Grandma, hello! I’m Conir! Come to Conir’s shop to eat ramyeon!”

“Ho-hoho. Thank you.”

They walked away from the lively and cheerful boy.

“What a polite child. But why is such a young child carrying a sword...”

Demeter could not understand the ideals and teachings of the people in the Beyond the Heavens Empire. She could not believe they had allowed such a young child to carry a sword like that. Were they teaching people how to kill at such a young age?

‘What the hell is going on in this goddamn empire...’

“It’s because he’s the Sword God.”

“...?!”

Demeter did a double-take to look at the boy running around, shouting,

‘I’m Conir!’

She found it unbelievable. After all, she had heard that the Sword God had eight arms that held eight swords. She had also heard that he was cruel and vicious to the point that he was only satisfied if he cut people into pieces!

‘What the hell? How many masks are these people wearing?’

Demeter looked confused. Even more strange was that people seemed to know them, and they would stop occasionally on their walk.

“Hoho. Where are you going? Ah, who is this?”

“Ah. She got lost.”

“I see. Grandma, I just extracted some coffee today. Would you like a taste?”

The old man with a head full of black hair held out a cup of warm coffee. When she saw the cold and sharp spear on his back, she promptly forgot the case with the young boy and could not help but mutter, “Why is an old man holding a spear like that... Is he going to war?”

“Ah. He’s the Spear God.”

“...?”

Demeter felt her head spin. She thought,

‘Did I get brainwashed by the God of Snakes when she touched me earlier?’

She was in disbelief, and her thoughts were tangled in a mess. They kept walking toward the palace. Then, someone greeted them again.

“Grandma, don’t get sick.”

“...?”

It was none other than Great Demon Elpis. She also found this man quite confusing. The Great Demon Elpis that she heard about was someone who could make people bleed to their deaths with just his music. He was also called a man-eating monster!

Someone approached them again. She had heard about this man—a very ugly yet lively foreigner living in the Beyond the Heavens Empire.

“Where are you going?”

“Oh, Locke! I’m just helping this grandma out for a bit.”

Thank goodness, the information on this foreigner was factual. [1]

Anyway, Demeter still found it strange. Why was the actual appearance of the Beyond the Heavens Empire so different from what she had heard?

There was one other thing she heard. Demeter had paid close attention to this because she loved cute things. It was a rumor that the puppies were called Heart, Hope and Love. From what she had heard, they were cute, lovely, and adorable puppies, something that was very contrary to the evil people of the Beyond the Heavens Empire.

“Grrrrrrr!!!”

“Woof, woof, woof!!!”

“ROAR!!!”

“...?”

‘No. Why is everything in this place the opposite except for that thing with that guy named Locke?’

They weren’t cute, adorable, or lovely! They were terrifying.

“Love, Hope, Happiness! Fetch!”

“GRRRRRRR!!!”

The man took a ball out and threw it away. At the same time, the supposedly cute, adorable, and lovely(?) Cerberus ran toward the ball.

“Have you lost your mind?” Demeter mumbled, her thoughts tangling further as she stared at the awkwardly smiling mind.

‘Did I make a mistake?’

Did the people of the Gaia Continent treat them as monsters the same way the people of this continent viewed them as such? Was it the same?

However, Demeter believed that the emperor would be different.

‘I heard that he slapped Lady Hera more than ten times. He also trampled on Ares and pointed his sword at Lord Zeus.’

With that in mind, she thought that perhaps the image of the emperor would be no different from what she had heard.

Finally, they arrived at the imperial palace.

“Grandma, we’re here,” the young man said. He smiled before asking, “Do you have any business here?”

There was a residential area near the imperial palace, and it seemed the young man had mistaken her for someone living there. Demeter smiled as she received the cloth bundle that the young man carried for her.

Sometimes, humans received blessings from gods. Since the young man was kind enough to help her and lead her here, Demeter wanted to bless him at least and let him know about her identity. Regardless of what she did, rumors of her presence reached the emperor.

“To be honest, I am Gaia Continent’s God of Agriculture,” Demeter said as a bright light enveloped her.

When the light disappeared, she had already transformed into a beautiful woman with an air of innocence around her. Her soft brown hair cascading behind her made her look noble.

“I came here to meet the emperor of this land, who has been persecuting and suppressing you, to convey the words of Zeus,” Demeter said, a soft smile on her face.

Instead of joy, the young man’s expression grew stiff.

At the same time, a bright light engulfed him. His height changed, and he was now 185 centimeters tall. His face had also changed, turning into a chiseled, handsome face filled with kindness. Even his shabby clothes transformed into an impressive set of clothes, with a cape hanging on his back that carried the symbol of a fork and knife crossed together.

“I am the Beyond the Heavens’ emperor.”

“...?!”

Demeter was once again left in shock. The kind young man who helped her was the emperor of the Beyond the Heavens Empire?!

‘I heard he’s over two meters tall with two horns on his head... No. It doesn’t matter anymore.’

Appearance did not matter. After all, tyrants could not be determined by their appearance at all. Demeter recalled the poor and pitiful people. From what she had heard, this man, who loved to eat, burned those who failed to provide him with top-quality meat and punished those who failed to provide him with high-quality fruits. He was an emperor who lived to eat. And he treated his people like bugs. Demeter could not believe that such a man would act kindly.

‘Perhaps he thought that I’m the God of Agriculture...’

At that moment, the Beyond the Heavens’ emperor grabbed Demeter.

“What is your reason for coming here?”

His eyes were filled with terrifying killing intent.

“Have you harmed my people? Did you dare touch a single one of my men?”

Demeter could not understand why he was asking such a question. Panicked, she said, “Wh-what are you going to do if I did?!”

“Then I will bring harm to ten thousand of your people.”

“...!”

In the end, Demeter was forced to face the truth. The rumors that she had heard about the emperor were nothing but fake. His words were filled with sincerity, and there was no doubt that he would follow through.

“If you harmed at least ten of my people, I will cut you down, God of Agriculture.”

Demeter felt her heart thump wildly.

“And if you dare to put my people in danger, I will aim my sword at Olympus. Harming my people is also harming me.”

Swoosh!

He pulled his sword and pointed it at Demeter’s neck.

“Answer me. Who did you harm, and why did you harm them?”

The young man’s eyes had grown bloodshot. He was shaking at the thought of his people being harmed.

As she looked at the young emperor, Demeter’s heart could not help but beat faster. The gods of Olympus viewed the lives of their people as trivial. They viewed it as something far less than a fly. This man in front of her was different. He would cut down even her, the God of Agriculture, if she had harmed just a single one of his people.

“...”

‘So cool...’

Demeter was one of the Twelve Gods of Olympus and was a super Named NPC at Level 1,597. And she... fell in love.

1. big off ☜