Chapter 105

[Translator - Night]

[Proofreader - Gun]

Chapter 105: Reunion with Hades (2)

“Ugh, Hades. This is…”

“Hades? You, who were so busy bowing your head back in Olympus, have certainly grown insolent.”

With a swift swing, Hades’ scythe sliced through Achilles’ upper body.

His torso dropped to the ground with a thud.

Blood spurted out, staining the ground, but Achilles’ soul remained intact.

It was a grotesque sight—his lower body still human flesh while his upper body floated as a ghost.

Though his chest had been cut open, his soul hadn’t fully separated.

“Hah, now that you’re a god, you can’t even die. Hehe, I like it. I’ll add you to my collection, just like Prometheus.”

“Grr…! Soul Barrier!”

Huh?

Soul Barrier?

That’s a skill only Hercules can use…?

A white shield surrounded Achilles’ body, repelling Hades’ scythe instantly.

Even Hades, holding his scythe behind Achilles, was pushed back slightly by the force.

“Soul Barrier?!”

“Hades, I’ll repay this humiliation!”

Achilles, still ghostly from the chest up, fled at full speed.

He shot up into the sky and vanished with a flash of light.

“Unbelievable. A lowly pawn using Hercules’ skill? How absurd. What in the world have the Olympians done…?”

Shaking his head in disbelief, Hades descended toward us.

He was a sickly young man with white hair and a monocle.

Though he wore a black robe, his body looked frail.

But within that small frame was a chaos-laden aura befitting the title of Lord of Hell.

“Elprian, you’ve regained your strength. I was quite surprised when I received your request for training.”

As he stepped onto the ground, the grass began to wither and rot beneath his feet.

It was a sight worthy of the Supreme Commander.

In a way, he was the polar opposite of Elprian, who was connected to life, trees, and the elves.

However, she smiled nonchalantly, even as the greenery around her withered.

“The enemy of my enemy is my friend, right?”

“Hahaha, well said.”

Hades turned his gaze toward us, expressionless as he observed Diana.

But when his eyes landed on me, his expression hardened instantly.

“You… what are you?”

“Huh?”

Since I’ve time-traveled, there’s no way he should recognize me.

And with this tree armor Elprian provided, he shouldn’t have a clue who I am.

So why the sudden change in demeanor?

“Persephone… I sense Persephone’s aura. Explain yourself.”

A cold sensation pressed against my neck.

At some point, Hades’ scythe had wrapped around my neck.

Before I even realized it, a thin line of blood trickled down.

“Persephone’s aura… Is it because of the Fragment of Persephone?”

“The Fragment of Persephone? Hand it over. Now.”

Hades’ face, always calm and collected, now looked urgent.

And unlike his usual polite speech, he was now speaking informally.

He stretched out a trembling hand toward me.

Wow, he must’ve really loved her…

But come on now.

“For free?”

“…Ha, are you crazy? I’m the Lord of Chaos, Supreme Commander. And you dare…?”

“With that kind of rank, you should know everything’s give-and-take, right? If I die, the fragment in my inventory will vanish too.”

“You little…!”

Hades’ pure rage burst forth.

Did I push him too far?

At that moment, Elprian stepped in at the perfect time.

“Wait! He’s a Soul Awakener! If you strike him down now, you’ll suffer system penalties.”

“Soul… Awakener? You’re saying another Soul Awakener has appeared besides Hercules?”

Hades immediately lowered his scythe.

His angry eyes disappeared, replaced by intense curiosity.

“Hmm…”

Hades examined me from head to toe.

He kept fiddling with his monocle while sizing me up.

“Your abilities are certainly unusual. There’s never been an irregular like you from Earth… fascinating.”

“Well, my status as a Soul Awakener isn’t that important. What matters is I want to sell the Fragment of Persephone.”

Hades, now calmer, showed interest in my proposal.

“You want to sell it…?”

“Yeah. I’d trade it for a decent skill or item.”

“Let me see the fragment first. I want to confirm if it matches mine.”

He pulled out a purple gem from his robe.

There were about thirty of them, and twenty-six had the same triangular shape.

What did mine look like again?

When I took out the Fragment of Persephone from my inventory, it was a round purple gem, different from his.

Hades’ eyes widened.

“This can’t be… a different shape? How did you get this?”

“If you want that information too, it’ll cost you more.”

“Ah! You’re so infuriating. Fine, just tell me.”

“They can’t see us, right?”

“I blocked them all beforehand. Don’t worry and talk.”

If I didn’t, he’d probably beat me senseless.

I told him I cleared an A-rank dungeon on Earth and obtained the Fragment from Leonidas.

He immediately looked at me with a meaningful expression.

“You’ve time-traveled, haven’t you?”

“You know?”

“Of course. Earth isn’t supposed to have A-rank dungeons yet. Plus, you weren’t surprised to see me as Hades and even spoke familiarly… I must’ve met you, huh?”

“Well, that’s for you to figure out.”

“Hehe, if you weren’t valuable, I wouldn’t tolerate your insolence. But you must’ve been useful.”

Hades brought his monocle closer to me.

Ugh, like he’s one to talk about insolence.

What a jerk.

If I had the strength, I’d punch him right now.

But my anger vanished with his next words.

“I found a new trace of Persephone. I’ll give you a reward worthy of that discovery. Since you’re A-rank, an SS-rank skill should be fitting.”

“SS-rank?!”

My eyes widened at the mention of SS-rank.

Even S-rank skills couldn’t be used without being at least B-rank, which caused me endless restrictions.

Now that I’d just reached A-rank, he’s offering an SS-rank skill?

“Why so surprised? Were you not A-rank in your previous world?”

“Well, that doesn’t matter. What’s important is that it’s an SS-rank skill.”

“Hehe… judging by your reaction, you must’ve been B-rank. You probably scrambled for cheap S-rank skills, huh?”

Cheap?

The faces of people who boasted about their S-rank skills flashed through my mind.

Since I couldn’t get any S-rank or higher skills back then, those were the most valuable ones to me.

But from what he’s saying…

[Translator - Night]

[Proofreader - Gun]

“Are S-rank skills that cheap?”

“Well, duh. You’re A-rank now, right? Do you even glance at C-rank skills?”

“Uh… no, not really.”

“There’s a much bigger gap between S-rank and SSS-rank.”

Hades wagged his finger at me as if lecturing me.

Ugh, this guy is really something.

Still, since he’s offering me an SS-rank skill with Persephone’s Jewel, I’ll let it slide.

“So, what kind of skill do you need? Should I give you an instant-death skill? Or maybe an invisibility skill? Avatar swap? Just name the type of skill you want.”

What kind of skill do I need?

My attack skills are somewhat covered with Soul Emission and Soul Sword.

Defense skills... hmm.

Aegis Shield isn’t very useful when fighting those Olympus bastards.

But once my Soul Reaper rank rises, I can learn Soul Barrier, which should cover most things, right?

Soul Emission is enough for attack purposes.

I need something more functional...

[Learn the Avatar Swap skill. I highly recommend it. I’m jealous of it myself.]

Elprian’s voice suddenly echoed in my head.

Wait, why all of a sudden...

Avatar Swap.

It doesn’t seem like a particularly great skill.

Besides, I don’t even have an avatar to swap with.

And what’s the point of swapping anyway...

If I swap my avatar with Elprian’s, will our genders switch?

[Seriously, there’s no need to think this over. Avatar Swap is the best.]

But since Elprian was so adamant about it, I decided to ask Hades.

“What kind of skill is Avatar Swap?”

“Heh, did Elprian tell you to take it? She’s always making a fuss.”

Wait, can he eavesdrop?

Achilles didn’t seem to hear anything.

I glanced at Elprian, and she had a frown on her face.

“You haven’t even regained your full power, and you’re meddling in everything. But in this case, fine. I recommend it too.”

[Avatar Swap]

[Active Skill]

[Rank: SS]

[Completely swaps the position of your avatar and main body, free from any restrictions. The avatar left behind will move automatically based on the user’s behavior. The skill takes 200 days to recharge after use.]

Wait... is this really that good?

It just swaps my position with an avatar.

If I want to run, I can just use Heimdall’s Return.

Hades wagged his finger again when he saw my unimpressed expression.

“This skill guarantees your life once, no matter what.”

“But I already have a return skill, Heimdall’s Return.”

“Pfft! Sure, Heimdall—the guardian of Asgard. His return skill can help you escape in a crisis. But what if Heimdall is watching you?”

That gave me a slightly uneasy feeling.

Can I really escape using Heimdall’s Return right in front of Heimdall?

“Heimdall is the guardian god. You’ll be chased down no matter what. And where can you even run, when you’re tied to Earth? They’ll catch you quickly and kill you.”

“But that could happen with this skill too, right?”

“No. If you use Avatar Swap, it’ll make them think you’re dead. What you do after that to hide your identity is up to you, but it gives you one chance to deceive them.”

Hades gave me a chilling grin.

“Think about it. The look on your enemy’s face when the person they thought they killed suddenly strikes back—it’s unforgettable. Absolutely delicious.”

His grin was downright creepy.

Oh, so this skill really is that valuable?

But I can’t even make an avatar right now...

[This is a very important skill. I highly recommend it.]

Elprian kept whispering encouragement beside me.

Despite Hades pointing out he could hear her, she kept sending messages like she didn’t care.

“When can I make an avatar?”

“You can create one at S-rank. It’s also sold in the SP store. But since you’re only demigod rank, your avatar wouldn’t be able to move. Haha.”

So if I buy one at A-rank, it’s just a human doll...

Still, I could just leave the doll at home and use Avatar Swap in an emergency, right?

With such strong recommendations, I might as well get one.

I can use Heimdall’s Return to escape from Olympus, and Avatar Swap to escape from Asgard.

“Alright.”

“Then, take it.”

[You have obtained the SS-rank skill, ‘Avatar Swap.’]

After receiving the skill, I handed over Persephone’s Fragment.

Hades suddenly wore an unusually soft expression as he gently stroked the fragment.

I didn’t know he could make a face like that.

Completely absorbed in his own world, Hades paid no attention to us.

He could probably stroke that fragment for a millennium if left alone.

“Ahem.”

Elprian cleared her throat, but Hades ignored her and continued fondling the fragment.

What a romantic, through and through.

After several more coughs, he finally stopped.

“I apologize. It’s been a long time since I found a trace of my wife. Let’s get back to business.”

Hades put Persephone’s Fragment in his robes and slammed his scythe into the ground.

It broke apart into white bone fragments and reassembled into a large bone throne.

Hades sat down and looked at us.

“Elprian, you told me something quite interesting.”

“Did you like my proposal?”

It seemed they had already discussed something beforehand.

They both seemed to have reached some level of understanding.

“Yes, it piqued my interest. It’s about the independence of Kevrian.”

Kevrian’s independence?

I turned to Elprian, and she held a shard of Chronos in her hand.

[Translator - Night]

[Proofreader - Gun]