The Swordmaster Wants To Live Peacefully [EN]: Chapter 326

There wasn’t a soul alive who didn’t know the name Zeus.

The supreme god of Greek mythology, and the most notorious womanizer in mythology, ruling the sky with an iron fist… and a wandering eye.

‘I suppose I should have expected this….’

To think he’d summon me out of the blue like this.

After Medea left the hospital room, Yoo Seong-woo, still lying in bed with his eyes closed, pondered Zeus.

But all that came to mind were the endless tales of Zeus’s seductions, and the sheer volume of them.

It seemed like half of Greek mythology started with Zeus charming, coercing, or outright abducting some poor woman.

He could easily be crowned the ultimate womanizer across all mythologies.

Of course, that also spoke volumes about Zeus’s power and influence.

Being a central figure in nearly every episode of Greek mythology meant he wielded considerable sway.

So, what story did Zeus have to tell me?

If it were merely about compensation for my efforts in the Holy War, he could have simply sent Hermes. So, this probably wasn’t about settling accounts.

Even though it was a recognized Holy War, I did kill three divine beings belonging to the Celestial Realm. Was this about revenge?

‘If that were the case, they wouldn’t have bothered with treating my injuries.’

It was a war acknowledged by several major deities, so they couldn’t very well object to the outcome, at least not openly.

Unless they were itching for a fight with the heads of other pantheons.

‘There’s no point in overthinking it for now.’

For the moment, the most pressing issue was getting some much-needed sleep.

***

After a deep and restorative sleep, Yoo Seong-woo found himself moving with Hermes, who had arrived with impeccable timing.

Medea had disappeared to parts unknown, and Jeremiah was still out cold, leaving him to face Zeus alone.

“Thanks for even providing clothes for me.”

“It was the least we could do.”

Hermes offered an affable smile.

Deliberately neglecting to mention that Medea’s opponent had been Jason.

‘Just this once, I’ll let it slide.’

Still, Hermes’s name was going on the mental kill list.

There wouldn’t be a second chance.

“This way.”

Following Hermes’s lead, they arrived at the highest point on Olympus.

Climbing the stairs against a fierce wind, he reached a temple bathed in ethereal light.

“I’ll have to stop here. You are the only one granted an audience, Yoo Seong-woo.”

“Okay.”

He slowly stepped into the roofless temple.

The sheer power of the divine presence emanating from within confirmed that Zeus was on a completely different level than any divine being he had faced thus far.

If it had been Hercules before he broke free from the chains of fate, he wouldn’t have even been allowed to set foot inside this temple.

Stepping past the entrance, all that was visible was pure, blinding white light.

He couldn’t discern Zeus’s form or even his outline.

It was reminiscent of his encounter with Hades in the underworld.

–Welcome, Master of the Sword Realm.

The one who stood at the pinnacle of Olympus.

The master of Olympus who had overthrown his own father and now ruled the sky with an iron fist.

Before facing the master of the Celestial Realm, who wielded lightning as if it were a mere toy, Yoo Seong-woo summoned the Eight Stars.

As he channeled the divine power of fate through the Eight Stars in his hand, a human figure began to materialize within the light.

A man with dignified golden hair.

The man, roughly the same size as Yoo Seong-woo, sat casually on a cloud as if it were a plush sofa and regarded Yoo Seong-woo with amusement.

“So, that’s your ability. To absorb divine powers and even make their properties your own.”

Zeus grinned, revealing his teeth. He had immediately grasped what Yoo Seong-woo had just done.

The reason Yoo Seong-woo hadn’t been able to perceive Zeus’s form was because their ‘levels’ were too disparate.

Even though he had ascended to the ranks of the great deities, he still wasn’t powerful enough to stand on equal footing with Zeus.

That’s why he had drawn upon the divine power of fate stored within the Eight Stars to temporarily bridge the gap and match his level with Zeus.

That was how he was finally able to see Zeus’s true form.

“It’s nothing special, Zeus.”

Yoo Seong-woo nonchalantly sat on a cloud opposite Zeus and returned his gaze.

He had the face of a handsome man in his middle age, radiating an aura of power and charisma.

It was the kind of face that made you understand why so many women in Greek mythology had fallen for Zeus’s charms.

“Thank you for indulging my insistence on meeting you. But it felt like there wouldn’t be another chance if not now.”

“What opportunity are you referring to?”

At Yoo Seong-woo’s question, Zeus snapped his fingers, and golden goblets materialized in front of them.

They were filled with a milky white liquid.

Zeus drained his goblet in one gulp and gestured towards Yoo Seong-woo.

“Have some. It’s nectar (Νέκταρ) [the drink of the gods, said to grant immortality].”

The immortal drink that was so often mentioned in Greek mythology?

Yoo Seong-woo followed suit, downing the nectar in one go and smacking his lips appreciatively.

Olympus had sent him some as a gift before, but that had probably been heavily diluted, as this tasted significantly richer and more potent.

“It’s been a long time since a new Holy War has emerged. All the Holy Wars that currently exist on Earth were born thousands of years ago……”

“More Holy Wars will be born in the future. The number of humans gaining divine power is only going to increase.”

“If the current situation persists, that may be the case. But how many humans will forge myths like you have? Besides, most will likely try to integrate into existing Holy Wars rather than creating new ones. Like our Olympus, for example.”

Zeus delivered this with a sly grin.

He still seemed to harbor a grudge about Yoo Seong-woo turning down Olympus’s offer, and his gaze was noticeably pointed.

“I believe you are well aware of the current situation in the human realm. The gods are actively trying to re-establish themselves and reclaim their former power.”

“……”

Yoo Seong-woo nodded in acknowledgment.

It was a fact he had been aware of even before gaining divine power.

Now, Earth had become a playground for the gods, and they were engaged in a constant game of dice to expand their influence, however incrementally.

A kind of competitive sport where they sought out humans with potential and turned them into their incarnations, vying for dominance.

“But before we delve further into that, there is something you need to understand. Why were gods and humans ever disconnected in the first place?”

In the past, during the age of mythology when myths were being born all over the world.

Gods and humans had enjoyed a close relationship.

The omnipotent gods fell in love with humans and went to extraordinary lengths for their sake.

But at some point, those stories of gods became relegated to mere oral traditions and historical records, and gods were no longer a visible presence in everyday life.

Zeus was about to explain the reason for this shift. Why did the gods distance themselves from humanity?

Why did they choose to live a life disconnected from them?

“All the old gods remember. In the days when the exchange between gods and humans was still flourishing, a person suddenly appeared. A human with a power surpassing even the gods severed the connection between the divine realm and the human realm.”

“A human?”

“That’s right. That human could no longer tolerate the abuses that the gods were arbitrarily inflicting upon the human realm and took decisive action to disconnect them.”

It was the moment when the age of mythology drew to a close.

Yoo Seong-woo was intensely curious about the identity of this human. What kind of power did he possess to sever dimensional connections?

And he was equally curious as to why Zeus was sharing this story with him.

Zeus quickly addressed Yoo Seong-woo’s curiosity.

“I felt it was a crucial piece of information that you should be aware of. When the gods returned to the human realm, what do you think was their first course of action?”

“Wouldn’t they have tried to ascertain whether that individual was still alive? Since the barrier dividing the dimensions had vanished.”

“Precisely. The dimensional barrier he created disappeared, and interference from other dimensions began to occur, not just the divine realm. Because the void that the divine realm should have filled had remained empty for so long, it began to draw in fragmented remnants from other dimensions.”

This was the origin story of the Abyss.

The emptiness.

The Abyss.

The abyss.

The black door.

The entities known by various names around the world, the holes connecting to other dimensions, were, as he had suspected, remnants that had spilled over from other dimensions.

But the reason the Abyss had manifested in the first place was due to the disconnection between the divine realm and the human realm, caused by a human in the distant past.

It was difficult to fully comprehend, but it was an undeniably significant revelation.

“But the gods were unable to locate him. They assumed he had already succumbed to old age. Unlike gods, humans have a finite lifespan, after all, don’t they?”

It was an event that had transpired thousands of years ago.

No matter how powerful a human might be, unless they attained divinity, they couldn’t defy the ravages of time.

“Are you suggesting that a human who hadn’t even gained divine power created such a barrier?”

“It’s hard to fathom, but it’s the truth. Humans are inherently unpredictable beings. Neither the Moirai sisters [the Fates] nor Athena [goddess of wisdom and strategic warfare] foresaw it. An irregular human, that’s what we should call him.”

“Then have you discovered what that human is doing now?”

Zeus wouldn’t have shared this story without a specific reason.

If they hadn’t located him, he wouldn’t have brought it up, so they must have uncovered his current whereabouts.

He was, after all, a god who had Hermes, the most skilled informant, as his son.

At his question, Zeus nodded.

“He is gathering individuals from other dimensions and posing as a god. The very individual who harbored such animosity towards the gods.”

“……!”

Among the people Yoo Seong-woo knew, there was one who perfectly matched the description Zeus had provided.

“The leader of the Ascension Church.”

“You are familiar with him. That’s all I can divulge at this time. I’ve already addressed the aftermath of the Moirai incident, so this much is within the bounds of what is permissible.”

Was he implying that this was all he was willing to offer?

Yoo Seong-woo stared at Zeus in disbelief.

Zeus subtly averted his gaze and added.

“Hera [Zeus’s wife, queen of the gods] has been rather… volatile lately.”

In the end, was Zeus also just a married man, living under the watchful eye of his wife?

Still, he had to extract whatever benefits he could, so Yoo Seong-woo decided to target the other divine beings under Zeus’s command instead.

After all, if he directly harassed Zeus, he might be struck down by a bolt of lightning for disrespect.

Zeus cleared his throat and continued.

“I trust you will enjoy your time here on Olympus.”

As he spoke, Zeus’s form began to fade, and Yoo Seong-woo suddenly found himself standing outside the temple.

Hermes, who had been waiting patiently, bowed his head in greeting and inquired.

“Did you conclude your conversation?”

“Yes. It was a highly constructive exchange. He mentioned that he would provide me with a few bottles of nectar concentrate. And a set of ambrosia [food of the gods, said to grant immortality] to go with it.”

“……Really?”

“That’s what he said. More importantly, I’d like to visit some of the other gods’ temples.”

“I will gladly guide you.”

Yoo Seong-woo departed from Zeus’s temple and set his sights on Hephaestus’s temple this time.

Hephaestus was the lame god, renowned as the divine blacksmith.

“Are you planning to show him your sword?”

“That, and a few other things I’d like his opinion on.”

Yoo Seong-woo also possessed some knowledge of blacksmithing, so he periodically assessed the condition of his sword.

Since it was a sword deeply connected to his soul, it didn’t require much in the way of maintenance, but it seemed like the time was approaching for the swords to evolve to the next level.

However, since he couldn’t make an accurate diagnosis of the sword’s condition with his own limited skills, he was planning to seek assistance from Hephaestus while he was on Olympus.

Zeus had, after all, encouraged him to enjoy his time on Olympus.

‘He probably means for me to extract every possible benefit from Olympus before I leave.’

It was a somewhat subjective interpretation, but he was fairly certain that was the underlying message.

“That’s right.”

“Yes?”

“It’s nothing.”

That was definitely it.