Chapter 1355

Chapter 1355

Arland, the rankers, and the strongest NPCs supporting the Ardo Empire were all sitting around one of the empire’s conference rooms.

“Emperor Minhyuk will never be able to capture Hermes. That annoying god is someone who cannot be captured while he is stealing.”

Those who had tried to capture Hermes all nodded in sympathy. However, they did not gather here to discuss whether Minhyuk could catch Hermes or not.

“Once Emperor Minhyuk fails to capture Hermes, he will use any means to try to put the Ardo Empire under the command of the Beyond the Heavens Empire. We have to think of countermeasures.”

Many of the nobles present agreed. But then, one of the nobles piped up, “As we all know, the Ardo Empire is already on the verge of collapse. I don’t think it’s a bad idea to get help from the Beyond the Heavens Empire.”

If the Ardo Empire were left as it was, it would be destroyed in three years. This was a fact that all of the nobles present were aware of. Even Arland knew this well. That was why there was a bitter taste in his mouth.

“Then, are you saying that we’re going to show the Ardo Empire falling into the hands of the Beyond the Heavens Empire before Emperor Consteinus dies?”

Arland’s eyes turned bloodshot. The others present in the conference room either remained silent or just sighed. The reason they could not let go of the Ardo Empire, even though they knew that it was diving fast into destruction, was because of Emperor Consteinus, even when Emperor Consteinus told them himself that he would not be able to live long.

“But His Majesty would always want us to take the better path.”

Arland could not bring himself to say anything anymore after hearing one of the nobles’ words.

One of the other dukes asked, “Did you find an item that can help cure and overcome any kind of disease?”

Many people in the Ardo Empire had been struggling to find ways to save Emperor Consteinus. They discovered many myths and legends that describe items believed to cure any disease. The problem was that the value of those items was too high. It was to the point where Arland, the rankers, and even the NPCs of the Ardo Empire found it challenging to obtain.

‘The difficulty of obtaining that item is not just hard... It’s almost impossible to get.’

An item that matched what they were looking for had appeared twice in the players’ market. However, even if Arland sold all of his assets, he would still find it impossible to obtain.

“It’s not that easy to find. There are a lot of things mentioned in those legends and myths, and it’s almost impossible to chase them down.”

There were a lot of quests related to such an item, though clearing those quests was another matter entirely for them.

“According to one of the myths that I read, Zeus of the Gaia Continent possesses such an item,” Arland trailed off. He swallowed the rest of his words. That was Zeus.

“

Ahem...

”

“Zeus? Are you talking about the being that was the God of Origin’s equivalent in the Gaia Continent?”

“Then... it’s impossible to obtain the item.”

At this point, they just could not see any future for the Ardo Empire. No matter how they racked their brains, they could not even find any way or method to protect the emperor who cared for them.

Their meeting ended in a very gloomy atmosphere.

When Arland went outside, he came face to face with Minhyuk, who was desperately trying to capture Hermes.

‘He’s just trying to win over the nobles!’

In Arland’s eyes, Minhyuk was nothing but a greedy person, someone who was not satisfied with what he had and wanted to fill up his stomach even more. Arland’s glare grew even sharper when he recalled the way they were defeated in just five seconds.

“Things will not go the way you think,” Arland growled.

Minhyuk smiled wryly.

‘Of course, he’ll think that way.’

The reason why Arland obtained the First Duke class and became the first ever player to become a duke was because he had given his life to the Ardo Empire. Yet Minhyuk came to this place, wanting to take and absorb the empire that he cared for the most. Minhyuk understood what he was feeling.

“I’ll do my best to put the Ardo Empire on the right track.”

“Your best?! Right. You speak well. If you’re going to do your best, then try and find ways to save His Majesty!!!” Arland shouted, tears welling up in his eyes. But he could not just walk away like this. So, he said, “If you can save him, then I will give it my all to support you!”

However, Arland was confident that Minhyuk would fail. After all, this was impossible to accomplish. Even if he was the Supreme, there was no way for him to get something that Zeus had in his hands.

Minhyuk watched Arland walk away from him. At the same time, he remembered something. He thought,

‘Wait. From what I remember, in Zeus’ Treasure House...’

A glint appeared in Minhyuk’s eyes.

***

Minhyuk and Hermes’ bet had a four-day deadline. During the entire four days, Minhyuk frantically chased after Hermes. However, even after using countless parchments, scrolls, and potions, Minhyuk still failed to catch the god.

‘Aaah. This is exciting.’

A thrilling sensation ran down Hermes’ spine. He felt as if he was punishing this being that even his father and his mother failed to do anything about. And the fact that he was playing the strongest person in the Western Continents in the palm of his hands left him with his blood boiling in excitement and ecstasy.

Then, the fourth day passed by.

[You won the bet against Minhyuk.]

Now, Hermes could steal from the Beyond the Heavens Empire. Hermes could not even imagine the value of the items that he would be able to get from that empire.

‘I will be able to steal items from the largest nation in the Western Continent with the permission of their own master? I’m rich! I’m richer than my father and mother!’

“I will steal all of the items in the Beyond the Heavens Empire!” Hermes gloated as he stared at Minhyuk, who was almost out of breath from chasing after him.

Hermes was about to use his boots to run away when he heard a desperate voice behind him.

“WAAAAAAAIT!”

𝚏𝗿𝗲𝐞𝐰𝚎𝕓𝐧𝚘𝘃𝗲𝐥.𝐜𝚘𝕞

“???”

He turned to look back. He could see Minhyuk’s face grow a deeper shade of red from before. He seemed to be angrier than he was the first time.

‘Ho?’

Hermes snickered. A man overcome by his rage was easy to handle. He could easily drag this man to cross the line and sink deeper and deeper into hell.

“Let’s make another bet!”

‘Good!’

“Let’s bet on me catching you in four days again. But this time, I will try to catch you with some of the vassals of the Beyond the Heavens Empire! If you lose the bet, then you have to surrender all of the things that you have stolen from the Ardo Empire and the other places that you have stolen from during this year!”

“What will you bet? What are you going to place on the table?” Hermes asked. He would not do anything that would not benefit him.

Minhyuk tapped his armor. Hermes possessed outstanding insight and could discern many things. He could feel and see an overwhelming amount of power dwelling in the armor that Minhyuk was wearing.

“I will bet my Transcendental’s Armor.”

Hermes’ heart thumped wildly. Just like usual, Hermes was confident that he would never get caught. He was sure that even if all of the Pillars of the Western Continents gathered together to catch him, they would still fail to do so. His skills as the God of Thieves would never let him get caught.

“Alright.” Hermes giggled.

‘He’s more stupid than I imagined, huh?’

Hermes could understand what Minhyuk was feeling to some extent. Minhyuk was a ruler and an absolute being. Hermes was sure that no one had ever toyed with him to this extent before. So, it was only natural that his rational judgment would be hazy after experiencing something like this.

‘Anyway! I will be able to take everything from him if we continue like this!’

Hermes’ head was filled with pleasant dreams and imaginations.

***

Hermes began stealing from the Beyond the Heavens Empire. The first place that he stole from was the imperial treasury.

‘They have a lot more money than the Ardo Empire!’

Then, he began to steal the artifacts of the vassals of the Beyond the Heavens Empire one after another. The value of the artifacts he obtained increased steadily. Because of that, he grew even more greedy.

Then, the fourth day passed by again.

“Hey, hey. Let’s make a bet again.”

“Again?”

“Just like before, if you lose, you will give me all of the things that you stole before, including all the things that you took from the Beyond the Heavens Empire and the armor that you took from me. This time, all of the vassals of the Beyond the Heavens Empire will join me in chasing after you.”

“And what will you bet this time?”

Minhyuk took out all of the rings that he wore.

“Good!”

Of course, Hermes agreed.

***

The Spear God threw his spear like a shot put, sending it shooting through the air at a rapid pace. At the tip of the spear was a small bead that would turn into a ball of rope that would unfurl once it reached a certain distance.

Poof!

Hermes easily evaded the spear. Then, he swiftly fled, running all over the Beyond the Heavens Empire. Running right behind him were the most powerful vassals of the Beyond the Heavens Empire.

“BASTARD! I will definitely... catch you!”

“Conir! Conir will catch you! Just you wait!”

“I will make sure to capture you, you bastard! I will get all of my artifacts back!”

They looked frantic, their eyes red as they ran after Hermes. The more they grew frantic, the more Hermes found it fun and interesting.

‘Ah. I feel like we’re playing tag. Still, they can never catch me.’

“You runt! I will definitely catch you! If I get my hands on you, I will make sure to vent all of this hatred out!”

Despite their thunderous cries, Hermes remained uncaught. Hermes just stared at them as they desperately chased after him. Then, he disappeared with a

poof!

The moment he disappeared, the hatred in the eyes of the vassals of the Beyond the Heavens Empire disappeared.

Spear God Ben’s expression eased. Then, he stretched his body and said, “Aaaaah. It’s really tiring to play with a brat.”

“Conir! Conir is hungry! Do you guys want to eat ramyeon with Conir?!”

The expressions on the vassals' faces screamed,

‘Oh, that’s a great idea!’

when they heard Conir’s suggestion.

Elpis even said, “I’m going to eat some

gimbap

too.”

They all turned around and went back as if they had just wrapped up their work for the day.

***

At this point, Hermes had already taken all of the artifacts that Minhyuk had equipped. And this made his greed balloon. This time, he was the first one to ask for another bet.

“Let’s make another bet. Okay? I’ll bet everything that I have stolen during this year, including all of the items that I have taken from you and the Beyond the Heavens Empire.”

But then, Minhyuk said, “I don’t want to.”

“...Why? Hey! You have to!”

“...?”

Minhyuk looked at Hermes incredulously.

The reason Hermes suggested this bet was that there was something that he really wanted—the Greatest Sword that Minhyuk possessed.

‘It’s a sword that’s superior to the swords created by Hephaestus. If I get that sword, then I can say that I’m the greatest and strongest thief in the world!’

Hermes taunted, “Are you going to give up just like this? For real?”

“I won’t be able to catch you anyway.”

“You’re the Supreme. Shouldn't you be someone who never gives up? Come on, I believe you can do it.”

A very ridiculous situation slowly unfolded between them.

Minhyuk rubbed his chin in thought. Then, he said, “Then, let’s make the conditions of our bet different this time, Hermes.”

“How?”

“Let’s be honest. The reason why you’re robbing the empires ruled over by humans is because you can’t steal from the Gods of Olympus, right?”

“What?” Hermes’ expression grew ugly.

“You see, you declare yourself as the God of Thieves, the greatest thief in the world. Somehow, you cannot steal from Olympus. Am I right?”

“Bullshit. I’m the greatest thief! I can steal anything that I want!”

“Eyy. I don’t think so.”

Minhyuk’s eyes wrinkled as a smile played on his lips.

“The only reason why I don’t steal from them is because I’m one of the gods of Olympus.”

“Yes. Yes. Let’s put it that way~”

“I’m telling the truth!”

Hermes’ pride and ego were bruised entirely. The worst part? Minhyuk was looking at him with an expression that screamed,

‘Really? I don’t believe it.’

“Can you really do it?”

“Yes. It’s easy as long as I put my mind to it.”

“Then, let’s bet on this.” Minhyuk held out the Greatest Sword.

Greed stained Hermes’ eyes green. The moment that he was waiting for was finally here.

Minhyuk said, “For our bet, let’s do it like this. Bring the Candle of Life from Zeus’ Treasure House. Then, I will try to catch you after you bring it here.”

“How do you know about that?”

Hermes was not only the God of Thieves, but he was also the God of Travelers. He had been traveling extensively around the world for a very long time. As a result, he was not well-informed about the situation in Olympus, which meant that he did not know about Minhyuk entering Zeus’ Treasure House before.

‘The Candle of Life is an item that Zeus cherishes. It’s an item that possesses the power to cure any disease.’

Nonetheless, it was not a difficult task for Hermes.

“Easy peasy.” Hermes snorted as he struck his chest out and looked at Minhyuk with an arrogant expression on his face.

‘Are you saying I will be able to get the Greatest Sword by just doing that?’

“This time, I will ask for something more. This sword has that much value, no?”

Hermes agreed.

“If you lose, you will give me everything that you stole during this year, including all of the items that you have taken from me and the Beyond the Heavens Empire. And... your shoes.”

“My shoes?” Hermes asked, his pupils shaking.

This pair of shoes was the artifact that represented him.

“I’m betting this, but you can’t even bet something of equal value? Then, let’s call off the bet. I won’t do it.”

After pondering over it, Hermes realized that Minhyuk’s artifact was outstanding and possessed a value that was much more than any other artifact that he had stolen. Besides, Hermes could do this. This was just a piece of cake for him.

“Ah. Let’s add a few more.”

“What else?”

“If I catch you or you fail to bring the Candle of Life, then you will kneel in front of Emperor Consteinus and let him vent his anger on you. Of course, you will remain silent, and you can’t retaliate. Also, you have to help me once when I ask you for your help.”

A god of Olympus would kneel in front of a human emperor? That was preposterous. There was no greater humiliation than that! And it was also in a situation where Emperor Consteinus wanted to kill him.

Regardless, this bet was straightforward for Hermes to win. He had no reason to refuse.

“Why? Do you think you can catch me this time?” Hermes snickered. Just like always, he was confident that Minhyuk would never be able to do it.

“Alright. I accept all of the conditions of this bet. Hey, just wait a bit. I’ll go to Zeus’ Treasure House and get it.”

Hermes, trembling with excitement, hurriedly ran away. He looked like a kid running to get some money from his father’s wallet after being addicted to betting in the game of Rock Paper Scissors.