Chapter 93

[Translator - Night]

[Proofreader - Gun]

Chapter 93: Receiving Hercules’ Sponsorship

“Mentoring…?”

“Don’t you know about the mentoring skill? Well, I guess those guys wouldn’t have taught you.”

Hercules pointed at me with his hand.

“You and I are both Soul Reapers, aren’t we? As a senior Soul Reaper, I’ll help you grow.”

“Help me?”

“Yeah. Through the mentoring skill, I can boost your experience and skill proficiency. For Soul Reapers, the SP required to level up skills decreases. Especially since all my Soul Reaper skills are at level 100, this should be a huge help to you.”

Level 100 skills?

Whoa.

That’s insane.

Well, I guess it makes sense since he’s an SSS-class Lord of Chaos.

“Why are you so surprised? At this level, my skill levels are actually on the lower side. The other gods typically start at a thousand.”

“A thousand…?”

“Yeah. It’s because I didn’t ascend to the Soul Reaper class until later.”

Ha.

The scale is completely different.

So even gods like Hermes and Loki are at this level.

If I actually had to face them, I’d be obliterated in a single hit.

“So you don’t have to worry too much about your Soul Reaper skills and can focus on being a Mediator instead. What do you say? Why not form a Soul Mediation contract with me and join forces?”

“That’s a generous offer. Can I ask one thing?”

“You sure are curious. Go ahead and ask.”

“Why would you make such an offer to someone like me, who’s only a B-rank?”

Hercules smirked.

“Because you’re a Soul-type Awakener. And because Zeus and Odin would never give up on you.”

“Just because of that?”

“Yeah. Do you know? That they’re rewinding time.”

“Huh? You know about that from within Chaos?”

Hercules knew about it too?

Wait, then that means the entire Chaos faction is aware of it?

“So you do know. Earthlings suddenly started getting stronger… Have you regressed as well? Something felt off about the timeline. You’ve been ahead of schedule.”

“What do you mean by that? Hades never mentioned this…”

“Oh? So you met Lord Hades in the future? Well, that old man lost his wife and went insane, so who knows what he’s thinking.”

Then, Hercules lowered his voice.

“But do you think this time manipulation… can go on forever?”

“Rewinding time—shouldn’t it be possible indefinitely?”

“No. The initial start point keeps shifting. At first, it was January 1st, 2020, in your time.”

He started drawing a line on the desk.

“The next time they regressed, it was January 2nd, 2020. Then the 3rd. Even though they’re rewinding time, a day still passes each time.”

“Oh… How did you find that out?”

“Those guys switch factions every time they rewind. From Chaos’ perspective, the ruling gods on Earth change daily. It’s a mess.”

Ah.

From the perspective of the Lords of Chaos, the gods ruling Earth shift every single day.

If they had reset to January 1st every time, it wouldn’t have been noticeable, but since time is progressing, it stands out.

“Then why haven’t you stopped them?”

“How could we stop them when they’re committed to turning back time? But still, the days are passing.”

A day passes each time, sure, but so what?

Can’t they just keep rewinding anyway?

“By the year 2030, it will all be over.”

“Over…?”

“That’s when five Lords of Chaos will descend upon Earth. No one will be able to stop them—complete annihilation.”

Hades suddenly gestured toward the side of the mountain.

I followed his hand and saw something enormous rising from the ocean beyond the mountain peak.

Rumble…

As the object slowly revealed itself, the ocean churned violently.

Towering waves threatened to swallow the land.

And then, what emerged was a giant.

Its exact form was too massive to discern.

Only its black metallic limbs were visible.

Its head shot up into the sky so high that even from here, I couldn’t see it.

Its feet touched the sea while its head pierced the heavens—a being of impossible proportions.

Even from this distant mountain peak, I could feel its overwhelming, terrifying energy.

At that moment, a name surfaced in my mind—one belonging to a Lord of Chaos.

"That… could it be…?"

“That’s my true form.”

That thing is descending upon Earth in 2030?

I felt a wave of dread.

What am I supposed to do about that?

And there won’t just be one of them—five Lords of Chaos will all appear on Earth.

“A Chaos Dimensional Rift will open on Earth in 2030. Neither Olympus nor Asgard can stop our descent, no matter how many high-ranking gods they have.”

“But they’re gods. Can’t they still fight back?”

“Sure. They can fight. But Earth will be destroyed. Their faith’s very foundation, their home base.”

“I heard that if they keep preventing destruction, they can stop the descent…”

“They can hold it off until 2030. But after that, it’s over. We will descend no matter what.”

With a flick of his finger, the colossal entity vanished.

The oppressive energy constricting my body disappeared in an instant.

If not for the sea, now blackened like oil, I might have thought I had imagined it.

“Aside from me and old man Hades, the other Lords of Chaos don’t even care about these delays. After all, it’ll all be over in just 8 or 9 years. That’s nothing to an immortal.”

For beings who live forever, 8 years must feel like nothing.

So they’re just waiting to be summoned and destroy Earth?

Because Olympus and Asgard have their main bases here?

“But Hades and I think differently. If they keep stalling, they might actually accumulate enough SP to ascend. There’s a reason that cunning Zeus and Odin are making their move.”

“And what happens then?”

“If they ascend, they’ll become Creators—at least within this solar system. Even we won’t be able to touch them.”

“And the other Lords of Chaos…?”

“They don’t care. They just say, ‘Oh well, nothing we can do then.’”

Hercules gritted his teeth.

“But Hades and I? We’re different. We won’t be satisfied until we tear Olympus apart.”

“Hmm……”

“You, as a Soul Mediator, hold a significant position. They won’t give up on you that easily. Join forces with me and keep me informed of their movements.”

Looking at this now, it seems like this is a battle to determine whether Zeus and Odin will ascend to the rank of Creator by 2030 or not.

But if Zeus or Odin do become Creators, wouldn’t they ultimately be protecting Earth?

"But from what you’re saying, wouldn’t it be better to just fully support Zeus and Odin? That way, Earth can be saved, right?"

"To create something new, they’ll have to first wipe everything off the face of the Earth. Right now, you’re under the system’s protection, but if they become Creators, that protection will disappear."

Hercules stated that once Zeus becomes the Creator, he would cleanse the Earth to its original form and recreate it to his liking.

"If Zeus becomes the Creator, the male species will cease to exist. Only females will remain."

Those words hit me hard.

I could actually see that happening.

Haah…

[Translator - Night]

[Proofreader - Gun]

Are humans destined to be swept away no matter what we do?

As I was lost in thought, feeling conflicted, Hercules shrugged.

"It’s hard to believe the words of an enemy, isn’t it? Then let’s put aside the idea of an alliance for now and think of it as a deal. I’ll mentor you."

"Hmm……."

"That way, you’ll be able to develop your Soul Reaper class much more easily. In exchange, you’ll act as a Soul Mediator for me. Let’s establish a communication link. Not a bad offer, right?"

Alright.

Let’s keep it simple.

I have a chance to level up my Soul Reaper abilities through mentoring, so I’ll just give up a mediation position in return.

I’m not strong enough to meddle in the disputes of deities anyway, so I should just focus on growing stronger for now.

"Alright."

"Good. Then……."

[The Soul Reaper, Hercules, is attempting to use the ‘Mentoring’ skill on the user. Do you accept?]

When I pressed ‘Yes,’ a message appeared immediately.

[The Soul Reaper, Hercules, has become Kim Jiho’s mentor.]

[Your mentor’s Soul Reaper skill proficiency is at MAX. The skill upgrade cost will significantly decrease with each passing day. After five days, the cost will be reduced to 1%. You must remain in the same world as your mentor for the mentoring effect to continue.]

1… 1%?

My eyes widened.

It’s not saying the cost will decrease by 1%, but that it will be reduced to 1%?

Wow.

Even if the skill level is at 100, this level of efficiency is insane…

"Judging by your shocked expression, it seems like the effect is good."

"It says it’ll only cost 1%… just 1%?"

Hercules’ eyes also widened at my words.

"SP will only cost 1%? Huh. I expected, at most, a 50% discount… maybe it’s because your class is special. Just one mediation position isn’t enough for this. If this stacks later, you’ll have to give me another spot."

"Sure, why not."

I readily agreed to Hercules’ request.

The mentoring effect was so overwhelming that I didn’t feel the least bit reluctant about it.

More than anything, I realized I needed to maintain a good relationship with him until I fully developed my Soul Reaper abilities.

Once the Soul Mediation contract was finalized, Hercules nodded.

"So this is how it works. Even at a low level, it’s not bad. In the future, this will be quite useful."

He seemed pleased.

Hmm.

Is there anything else I can take advantage of while the mood is friendly?

Then, an idea struck me.

This planet operates similarly to Earth, with dungeon portals being summoned for clearing.

If these are controlled by the Lord of Chaos, Hercules, then maybe he can manipulate them to make hunting easier for me?

"By the way, do you control the dungeon portal summoning too?"

"I usually let it run on autopilot. I don’t have time to manually adjust every little thing."

"But you can control it if you wanted to?"

"Technically, yes… Why?"

Hercules asked back with a skeptical look.

"Since you’re my mentor now, why not help me clear some dungeons?"

Hercules sighed and shook his head in disbelief.

"Hah… It’s been a while since I’ve met a human who shamelessly makes requests like this in front of Hercules. Reminds me of that king who used to act cocky under my protection during the Twelve Labors."

As he spoke, it seemed like he was reminded of that king, and he clenched his fist tightly.

His muscles contracted, and veins bulged all over his body.

Damn, his fist looks bigger than my head.

But still, my level-up progress has been stagnant, so I can’t back down.

"Haha, since you’ve already become my mentor, why not help me out a little? If I level up to A-rank Demigod, my Soul Mediation skill will upgrade further, which benefits both of us. And if that happens, I can even give you another mediation slot, just like you asked earlier. Sounds like a win-win, right?"

"Hah. You sly little bastard… What’s with the sudden formal speech? It’s giving me goosebumps, so cut it out."

He looked at me with disgust but then fell into deep thought.

Oh? If he was going to outright refuse, he would’ve done so immediately. Seems like he’s actually considering it?

Since I’ve come this far, I might as well push my luck further.

There’s nothing to lose now.

Besides, despite all his complaining, he’s actually been pretty generous to me…

"Ah! Mentor Hercules!"

"Stop with the honorifics."

"Ah, right. Then just summon an A-rank dungeon portal for me. Right now, most of the Broken worlds are sealed off, so I can’t level up. Kevrian is inaccessible, and Kalvine, which was great for leveling, is also off-limits."

"Hooh. Both of them?"

"Yeah. And I have to stay in this world to maintain the mentoring effect, right? I can’t be on another planet, can I?"

"Hmm. If you go too far, it won’t work well. However, if I’m the one summoning the dungeon portal, it should remain connected to me, so it should be fine…."

Hercules folded his arms, tapping his elbow with his fingers, and after a moment, let out a deep sigh.

"Alright. When it’s time to push someone forward, you push them."

"Wow! You’re amazing!"

"Shut up."

He raised his hand, and the air around us trembled.

"Soul Barrier, deactivate."

The protective shield surrounding the mountain peak disappeared.

Then, Hercules pointed at the ground with his finger.

"Summon."

With just that simple motion, a massive, dark blue portal materialized at the peak of the mountain.

It was far larger than any A-rank dungeon portal I had ever seen before Earth was destroyed.

"A-rank is the limit for dungeon portals. However, there’s a difference in scale. Judging from how you fought last time, I’m sure you can handle this."

"Of course!"

"You’re an annoying brat… I’m going back to my main body now. The dungeon will keep respawning in this location."

Wow.

How considerate.

Turning his back to me, Hercules soon disappeared without a trace.

I got way more out of this than I expected.

Right now… I think I just secured a pretty amazing sponsor.

[Translator - Night]

[Proofreader - Gun]