Chapter 238

[Translator - Night]

[Proofreader - Gun]

Chapter 238: Limit Breakthrough (3)

“Zeus?”

They want me to slowly deal with Zeus...?

“But right now, nothing even works on Zeus.”

I can’t even stop his expansion—how am I supposed to deal with him?

“The Chaos relics are, of course, powerful.”

“Zeus may have only just become a Creator, but in pure combat power, he ranks among the top of EX-class.”

“A head-on fight with him will be extremely difficult.”

“Your power is still far too lacking.”

Yeah.

Unless I gain better control of SP, it’s impossible to face Zeus right now.

“But through this exchange system incident, your power will continue to grow stronger.”

“As time passes, it will undoubtedly tip in your favor.”

“Well, yeah. Zeus has a hard time acquiring SP now, so it’s just a matter of buying time.”

Right now, Zeus’s movements are restricted by the Oath of Olympus...

But if he eventually succeeds in fusing with Earth, things could get really complicated.

Then, the Creators—who all appeared in Athena’s form—smiled.

“We’ll help you buy that time.”

“You’ll help me?”

“Yes.”

“If Creators get involved, don’t you think Chaos will react?”

Instead of answering, the Creators opened a window.

“Huh. This is...”

A perfectly clear summary of Earth’s current state—and Zeus’s.

Zeus has taken control of half the planet.

“We can’t determine how much SP he has.”

“But we can track what comes in and out.”

“He’s just barely breaking even.”

“Even though Chaos supports him, oddly enough, they haven’t intervened.”

“Seeing how they’re leaving him alone, even now...”

“We think only indirect interference is possible on their end.”

They can’t see how much SP Zeus has, but they’re tracking all his income and expenses.

Since when were they monitoring Earth this closely?

I guess that’s to be expected from ones of their caliber.

Even areas Zeus controls are shown clearly on the screen.

Places shrouded in darkness are lit up like broad daylight.

The first thing I saw were people collapsed and limp.

So their bodies weren’t completely destroyed?

The screen shifted—at the center, I saw that same oozing liquid-like thing I glimpsed last time.

“He’s spreading the power of Jupiter.”

“Looks like he plans to fully transform Earth.”

“But his SP is lacking...”

“So the transformation is slow.”

“It’ll take a long time before he achieves his goal.”

“And we’ll help stretch that time out even longer.”

They’re helping me?

“Do you remember?”

“Earth was originally trapped in an infinite cycle created by Zeus and Odin.”

“They weren’t true deities—just substitutes wringing out all their power to make something of it.”

“Watching time fall behind from its starting point... it was incomplete, but amusing.”

The Creators belittled Zeus and Odin’s work as childish play.

Still speaking through the form of Athena, they continued.

“We’ll show him what a true infinite loop is.”

“The six of us will take control of the entire solar system’s time.”

“Until you’re ready—Zeus will be stuck in a loop he can’t escape from.”

Giving Zeus a taste of his own medicine after he exploited infinite loops himself?

Now that... sounds incredibly tempting.

If only Chaos doesn’t interfere—I’d love to try this.

Yeah.

As long as Chaos doesn’t get involved.

“Chaos is the problem.”

“Don’t worry about that.”

“We’ll take care of it.”

“Half of us will focus on looping the solar system’s time, the other half on blocking any external forces.”

“Even if something goes wrong, only we’ll take the loss—you won’t suffer a thing.”

Seeing my positive reaction, the Creators took that as a cue and began outlining their rough plan.

They seemed even more excited.

Watching that, my eagerness to mess with Zeus started to cool a bit...

And I thought, Why?

These guys—this is too much help, isn’t it?

“Of course, there’s one condition.”

Knew it.

No way they’d do all this for free.

“We’d each like 0.01% of your SP Exchange’s shares.”

“Shares?”

“Yes.”

I quickly do the math.

I sold 0.9% for 2.4 quintillion.

So let’s say 1% is worth 2.6 quintillion, then divide by 100—so 0.01% is about 240 trillion in value.

If I give that to each of them, that’s like giving away around 2,000 trillion won worth.

But if it’s to create a solar system-wide infinite loop, maybe it’s worth it.

Still... why do they want shares?

Could it be like Sirius’s owner, and needed for some kind of transcendent ritual?

“If things go wrong because of Chaos, we’ll return the shares to you.”

“We’ll cover you completely.”

As I hesitated, thinking it over, the Creators quickly added that clause.

Hmm...

So they’re offering A/S and returns if something goes wrong?

—O Spirit God. Accept their offer, but make sure they formally swear as Creators not to interfere with the solar system in any way beyond the loop.

Suddenly, I heard the voice of the Administrator System.

I took that advice and brought it up, and the Creators responded brightly.

“We’ll do that.”

“If Zeus is subdued, the solar system will be under your jurisdiction. It would be improper for us to meddle within that domain.”

“Even if you’re ever in danger, we’ll ask for permission before intervening.”

“However, if Zeus tries to escape outside the solar system—we’ll step in first.”

“He’s already started the fusion, so he likely can’t—but still... just in case.”

Is it because they want to secure neutral SP?

Other than asking for shares, they’re really looking out for me.

They’re even willing to stop Zeus from escaping.

“When Zeus has completed about 10% of his fusion with Earth.”

“That’s when we’ll reverse time in the solar system.”

“Any more than that, and the risk might grow too great.”

“The return point will be...”

“To now.”

To now?

The time when Hera died, and the Oath of Olympus was activated.

Returning to the present, when Zeus is fully invested in Earth, isn't a bad idea, but...

“Can I return to an earlier point in time?”

Half of Earth’s population is already dead.

Even if they’re soulless bodies...

Wouldn’t changing the timeline allow me to save some of them?

[Translator - Night]

[Proofreader - Gun]

As if reading my thoughts, Athena and the others smile.

“Is that sentiment?”

“That kind of immaturity may be why you’ve remained grounded so far.”

“But there’s no need for that.”

“Once you’re strong enough to suppress Zeus, you’ll be able to turn back time yourself.”

“Changing the return point to an earlier time would only increase variables.”

“You might give Zeus a chance to recover.”

The creators declare with confidence that if I can overpower Zeus, turning back time will be within my power.

And then they tell me:

“Until you’re strong enough to utterly overwhelm Zeus, do not kill him.”

“A narrow victory means nothing.”

“Even moderate superiority is meaningless.”

“You must be strong enough to crush him completely—for it to mean anything.”

Is it really necessary to go that far?

I asked, with doubt in my voice.

“Why is that?”

“The enemy you face…”

“Do you think it ends with Zeus?”

A creator responds with a question of their own.

And at that moment, I understand their intent.

“So you're telling me... I must grow as powerful as possible.”

“Exactly.”

“In terms of combat ability, Zeus ranks among the top.”

“If you’re strong enough to take him down instantly…”

“You’ll be better prepared for what comes next.”

Their words reminded me of an old game I used to play.

When the next stage was too hard, I’d endlessly grind monsters in the current stage—even when I barely got experience points anymore.

I’d squeeze out every bit of growth before moving forward.

“You must grow as strong as possible, here and now.”

Right.

That makes sense.

You never know what’s coming next.

—Oh Soul God, accept the Creator’s offer, for now.

Even the system administrator voiced agreement.

That “for now” part stuck with me a bit.

“Alright, I’ll do it.”

“Good. Let’s begin preparations immediately.”

The higher gods—beings above the creators—begin their intervention in the solar system.

‘Right Arm.’

They have begun the preliminary steps for an infinite loop.

—Do not trust ‘Right Arm.’

And I’ve been heeding the system administrator’s warnings all along.

—Chaos was predetermined from the beginning.

—Order has yet to reveal even a clue.

—But neutrality has revealed itself.

—Which supreme god would a member of Right Arm serve?

Well, that answers itself.

“Only neutrality remains.”

—Exactly. And moreover…

The system hesitated for a moment.

Then continued, as if it had made a decision.

—At least two members of ‘Right Arm’ follow the ‘Left Hand of the Creator.’

“What?”

Wait… out of those seven?

—Wasn’t it said that the owner of Sirius follows the Creator’s Left Hand?

“...Yes.”

The owner of Sirius, who bought up the shares by handing over Chaos’s SP.

The system administrator said he was also under the Creator’s Left Hand.

—He was also a member of ‘Right Arm.’

“Hmm...”

—Apparently, he tried to perform the transcendence ritual while continuing to serve the Left Hand. But he failed.

The system explained that many members of Right Arm serve dual allegiances.

Can’t trust a single one of them.

—Perhaps the real threat isn’t those colluding with Chaos.

“...”

—The creators who purely seek transcendence may aim for the supreme neutral god. Which overlaps with your own path.

So, more than the minions of Chaos, it’s those aiming to become the supreme neutral god who may work hardest to obstruct me.

—Fortunately, only the Soul God can convert SP into Neutral SP.

“True.”

—Control the Neutral SP. If they all fully convert their SP into Neutral, they’ll reveal their ambitions outright.

“Right. I need to regulate how much Neutral SP I give them.”

For now, I’m a useful tool to them—converting SP to Neutral SP.

But if they all convert their SP to Neutral…

They may start seeing me as a rival.

Pursuing the throne of the neutral supreme god.

—If they act in earnest, you will be annihilated within a minute. Zeus, too.

A minute?

I can’t even last a full minute?

“Ugh… They’re that powerful?”

—The seven higher gods possess that level of authority. You’ve only seen a fraction of their presence.

“Not just me… Even Zeus would be a one-minute kill.”

—He doesn’t have any SP, after all.

The administrator continued to warn me to be cautious of them.

—Gather as much Neutral SP as possible and increase your power. Show steady growth, so they don’t become wary.

“Hmm...”

—You must be strong enough to crush Zeus completely. Only then will they not underestimate you.

This is…

Like running from a fox and into a tiger.

Right Arm might become a major obstacle later on.

—They are not opponents you can avoid anyway.

“That’s true.”

—And at your current level, even Zeus is still a tiger.

“...”

That hurts more because I can’t deny it.

—Only you can convert their SP into Neutral SP. Use that exclusive authority well.

“Got it.”

—And find every possible way to grow stronger. It may seem like you have infinite time, but this too was granted by Right Arm. They can revoke it anytime.

“Yeah…”

Ways to grow stronger...

First, converting my current SP to Neutral SP is essential.

But I’ll need to come up with various other methods as well.

Thinking back on the times when my SP limits expanded the most...

The most dramatic increase recently came when I witnessed soul germination.

A new soul sprouting from false souls.

What if I nurtured that?

If the sprout grows into a stem, and then a flower blooms...

Wouldn’t my limits grow too?

I’ll need to experiment and find out.

[Translator - Night]

[Proofreader - Gun]