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[Translator - Night]
[Proofreader - Gun]
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Chapter 208: Persuasion, Coaxing (2)
"Apollo. Do you remember me?"
"...You... the God of Souls, huh. Your presence is completely different from back then."
So he does remember me.
I need to confirm one thing.
"Do you also remember being killed by Zeus?"
"Kh..."
Apollo clenched his teeth at my words.
Judging by that reaction, it seems he remembers being killed by Zeus too.
"Why did you bring me back to life?"
"I want to work with you."
"Work with you...? Are you mocking me? How could I ever cooperate with my enemy?"
"Why am I your enemy? You guys started the fight, and it was Zeus who killed you, not me."
I point to Ares’s sealing stone.
"Just like Zeus abandoned you, he abandoned Ares too. That guy… he’s practically allowing the Olympian gods to die."
"..."
"Nothing comes to mind?"
Apollo closed his eyes in silence.
Same with Ares.
Whenever I ask something, they both just go mute.
"Did you make a secrecy oath with Zeus or something? But he broke that promise when he killed you, didn’t he?"
"…That’s true. But I can’t be sure. I might end up just a soul fragment again."
"Soul fragment? If that happens, I’ll just bring you back again."
"What… Do you think it’s that easy?"
"Dude. I brought you back."
"You must’ve spent a lot of SP to reconstruct a soul body like mine. It couldn’t have been for free."
"Yeah, it cost me some. 500 million SP per 1%."
"500 million per 1%... That’s a ridiculous amount. You must’ve done it to get information from me."
He crossed his arms smugly, despite being no bigger than a finger.
"But if telling you violates my oath and I become a soul fragment again… would you really spend more SP to bring me back? I doubt it."
Apollo stared at me with distrustful eyes.
Of course he wouldn’t trust me—after all, we were enemies before.
If I were still as SP-starved as I used to be, I probably wouldn’t have revived him either.
But things are different now.
"You’re whining over 500 million SP per 1%? Tch tch. I’ve got plenty of SP."
"Still, there isn’t a single god who would willingly spend 500 billion SP."
"Well, there’s one right here."
Even though I told him I made a fortune selling shares from the SP Exchange, Apollo still looked at me with disbelief.
Man.
This little guy keeps acting like he can’t trust me, and it makes me want to clench my fist.
Especially considering how much trouble he caused during that battle.
But he’s the only god I can extract information about Zeus from right now.
How can I gain his trust...?
Oh, right.
"Artemis."
[Yeah? What’s up?]
"You're not busy, right? Can you come to my place for a bit?"
[Okay.]
Maybe he’ll believe Artemis at least.
As I hung up, Apollo glared at me.
"...That woman enters a man’s home so easily, huh."
"Then where should we meet?"
"You… I see now why you made her your Apostle. What are you trying to show me?"
"I’m not showing you anything. I just want her to confirm that I’ve got a lot of SP."
But it seems he’s not listening anymore, his eyes blazing with suspicion.
He’s trying to summon solar power even though he just came back to life and should have no SP.
"Kh... Even if I see something with Artemis, I will never submit to you."
What is this guy even thinking?
"Oh, stop with the nonsense. Don’t mind Apollo, Kim Jiho."
"Artemis!"
Artemis arrived and shot Apollo a sharp look.
Then, as if to show off, she linked arms with me.
What’s with her?
She’s acting more clingy than usual.
"So you really brought Apollo back? You remembered what you said last time. You really are our great main god. Hehehe."
"Well, I’ve got plenty of SP now. But he’s being stubborn."
"Apollo’s just naturally suspicious. I’ll try to persuade him."
As she reached out her hand, Apollo jumped back to avoid her.
"Shut it, Artemis. Do you think I’d trust anything the soul god’s Apostle says?"
"You should be grateful for being revived. What’s with the attitude?"
"To see a goddess who once called herself the virgin goddess acting so sycophantic… It’s shameful as a fellow Olympian."
"...What?"
"Even if you've abandoned your virgin goddess status and become the soul god’s woman, to give in emotionally as well… Tsk tsk. This is why I said you should never become an Apostle..."
"What are you talking about! I’m still a virgin goddess!"
Artemis turned red and screamed.
Apollo scoffed and clicked his tongue.
"Hah. As if. No male god would leave an Apostle virgin goddess untouched… Artemis, do you really think you can fool me? You’ve even improved your acting since you gave up that title."
"Ugh, seriously. I’m telling you I’m pure. Totally clean. The most contact we’ve had is this arm link!"
"Pfft… Like a kid. As if that’s all."
"Ugh, that’s it."
Wham!
Artemis grabbed Apollo in her fist.
Before he could even struggle, she threw him at the wall.
Though he’s a soul body and should just pass through...
Crash!
When he hit the wall, there was a loud bang and he bounced off.
Looks like the wall was coated in a blue glow—Artemis’ doing?
"You brat! What do you think you’re doing?!"
"Ugh. I’m already perfectly pure, and now you’re just pissing me off."
Crash! Crash!
She started throwing Apollo like a ball against the walls.
Like playing squash, catching him on the rebound and throwing him again.
"Kh… This… this won’t deceive me… You fallen virgin goddess…"
"Yeah, just die. Die already."
The light surrounding Apollo began to fade.
Artemis had begged me to save him with tears before...
Now that I’ve done it, she’s practically killing him again.
"Artemis, stop. He’ll really get annihilated."
"Ugh. He’s completely hopeless. Says anything he wants to his own sister."
Artemis backed off, fuming.
I looked at Apollo’s soul—he’s shrunk from finger-sized to nail-sized.
The light is dim too.
He’s on the verge of true death.
"Apollo, let’s make a deal. Whether you get penalized or not, I’ll bring you back."
I send him an SP trade request.
"What is this…?"
"Just accept it. You’ve got nothing to lose, right?"
"Well... I guess you're right."
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[Translator - Night]
[Proofreader - Gun]
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As he reluctantly agreed, the SP trade window opened.
With a flourish, SP was deposited into the window.
1,000,000,000,000.
A trillion—its presence was dazzling.
Apollo blinked at the number.
"Uh... wait a second. That number of zeros is unreal. Soul God, can you manipulate the trade window now?"
"What's so unrealistic about a mere trillion?"
"That can't be... Are you saying you can freely input numbers into the trade window?"
Then Apollo’s SP started to rise.
310,333.
It climbed steadily, stopping there.
So he only has a little over 300,000...
What a pauper.
A beggar.
"300,000? You were really on the verge of death, huh?"
"Ugh... No. Did you tamper with it so I couldn’t input more?"
"Why would I mess with the trade window? Don’t spout nonsense. That’s just a tiny fraction of my wealth. Artemis, how much did I give you last time?"
"100 billion. I’ve never had that much SP in my life."
"I casually handed out 100 billion to a high-ranking Apostle-class deity. The rest got at least 10 billion each."
"Huh. That’s hard to believe."
Apollo shook his head.
He looked at me and asked:
"If you have that much SP, why haven’t you ascended to Creator class? My father Zeus reached EX-rank with only a fraction of your wealth."
"Beats me. I have more SP than I can spend, but there’s not even a clue on how to ascend to Creator class."
"Hmm… Could it be because you’re in the Soul God class? Even if you’re not EX-ranked, with that much SP, you should be able to defeat my father."
"He just pierces through Soul Barriers. SP alone can’t block his attacks."
"I see..."
Apollo fell silent in thought.
But then, as if he'd finished calculating, he spoke again.
"Honestly, I don’t know much. My father kept everything secret. I only know a tiny part of what he was doing."
"Hmm. That so?"
"Yes. But if you're still willing, I'll sell you what I know. But you must swear not to kill me after hearing it."
Careful guy.
Still, he wasn’t as stubborn as before...
We proceeded with the oath.
"I'll pay 50 billion for the information and promise not to kill Apollo. However, if this SP flows to Zeus, it will be confiscated. Also, I won’t ask you to become my Apostle, but you must oppose Zeus."
"…Of course. He took my life just for meddling with Asgard. Naturally, I’ll oppose him."
Once the system-embedded oath was completed, Apollo said to me:
"I feel bad. What little I know isn’t worth 50 billion."
"It’s fine. To me, 50 billion is pocket change. If the info’s useful, I’ll give you a bonus 500 billion."
"...Heh. You’re impressive."
Apollo looked at me with envy.
He glanced at Artemis briefly, then asked:
"How are things currently? Seeing Ares sealed up, I assume the invasion of the pantheon failed."
"We repelled the invasion just fine. But Earth is in chaos because of alcohol."
"Alcohol... Dionysus's authority, I take it."
As soon as I mentioned booze, Apollo brought up Dionysus.
He clearly knew something.
"So we’re only at Phase 1, huh."
"There’s more?"
"Of course. Next comes Aphrodite’s authority."
"Aphrodite’s authority?"
"Yes. The power of love and beauty. Soon, everyone will see the opposite sex as overwhelmingly attractive. They'll be unable to resist the urge to make love."
"...What? What are you talking about?"
"Simply put, humans will go into heat. Like animals."
Wait, go into heat...?
Apollo’s serious eyes said he wasn’t joking.
"What happens if a man and woman do it?"
"What do you think? Just like with alcohol, their souls will escape and return to Olympus."
"Huh. So a single session and they ascend?"
"Awakened individuals might hold out longer. But that’s just a stopgap."
Wow.
First a prohibition on alcohol, and now a sex ban too?
What a nightmare.
As I scratched my head in frustration, Apollo chuckled at me.
"Why do you look so troubled?"
"Wouldn’t you be? We barely managed to deal with the alcohol, and now we have to stop people from having sex? Should I start separating men and women...?"
"That won’t help. Then they’ll just fall for the same gender. You underestimate Aphrodite."
"...So intercourse isn’t the only trigger?"
"At first, yes. But as the authority grows stronger, even foreplay will draw out their souls. Humans will feel bliss and ascend. And touching? That’s doable with the same gender too, right?"
So love's authority upgrades too?
Well, considering Dionysus's influence is intensifying, it makes sense Aphrodite’s would as well.
Damn it...
"How the hell do I stop this?"
I groaned. Apollo replied confidently:
"It can be stopped—with conditions."
Then he glanced at Artemis.
"Artemis, you’re really a virgin goddess, right?"
"Why bring that up now, Apollo?!"
Artemis shouted from the side.
Apollo, face serious, explained:
"The Soul God has infinite SP. Artemis, you’re the goddess of chastity. If you’re truly still a virgin, your power can resist Aphrodite’s."
"...Huh? Really? That could work?"
"If you’re still pure, yes."
"I am! I said I am, damn it. Stop asking already!"
Artemis was now growling.
Whew.
Good thing I never tried anything with her.
"So it’s true. What a mysterious power..."
"Yes. She is a virgin goddess, so drop it. How do we use her power? Do I just support her with SP?"
"To oppose that authority, my power is also needed. And that wasn’t part of our deal. I only agreed to give you information."
"You… So you want something?"
"Yes."
Apollo tapped his chest with his thumb.
"Make me the king of Olympus. Then I’ll give you my full support."
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[Translator - Night]
[Proofreader - Gun]
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