Leveling with the Gods

C343

The Golden Apple had several names and meanings.

In Olympus, it was called the Golden Apple, a symbol of beauty and wealth.

In the Heavens, it was called the Fruit of Knowledge of Good and Evil, a symbol of immortality and salvation.

Furthermore, different Guilds considered the Golden Apple as a treasure with different names and meanings.

Therefore, the Eleventh Trial of finding the Golden Apple was undoubtedly the most challenging of all Trials.

Surely it was so.

"Has he abandoned the other plans?"

The Golden Apple was a fruit with powers external to the Tower.

Moreover, each of those fruits had a mysterious power that even impressed the most powerful High-Rankers.

The Golden Apple was the problem.

The conflict between the Angels of the Heavens and the Humans.

The rivalry among the High-Rankers of Olympus like Hera, Athena, and Artemis.

All those events arose from the same Golden Apple.

And those events were part of Foolish Chaos's plan.

"It seems we have invested more than I thought."

YuWon and his companions called the Golden Apple "Fruit."

To avoid internal conflicts triggered by this Fruit, they intended to eliminate it altogether.

Naturally, in this mission alongside Hercules, YuWon also intended to eliminate all the Fruits.

But all those Fruits were being devoured by Atlas.

Thump...

And that Fruit was also necessary for Hercules.

"What are you eating?"

Boooom...

Hercules lunged at Atlas while swinging his Yggdrasil club.

Thump...

Atlas, struck in the stomach by the club, staggered. Unknowingly, he dropped the fruit he had in his hand, and a fruit the size of an adult's head fell to the ground.

It was a fruit Atlas had already taken a bite of.

And then...

Tock, tock, tock...

Several golden apples fell from Atlas' widely open pockets.

All of them were things Atlas had stolen.

Thock...

Hercules picked up the rolling fruit at his feet.

Finally, he got it.

The Golden Apple.

A legendary elixir in Olympus.

"It's strange."

Hercules looked at his own face reflected on the shiny surface of the Golden Apple.

"An elixir..."

He felt a strange sensation.

Clearly, this was a celestial treasure.

But for some reason, he felt like he was holding poison in his hand.

Something was rejecting it.

And that was...

Woong, woong...

It was the Yggdrasil club he held in his other hand.

"Let it go..."

Thump...

Atlas started trembling.

"Let it go...!!"

The moment Atlas saw the fruit in Hercules' hand, he lunged at him.

Perhaps it was because Atlas regained his strength after eating the fruit.

Hercules widened his eyes as he saw Atlas, who had quickly closed the distance, and he quickly crossed his arms.

Kwang...!

Hercules' body took a few steps back. It was the first time YuWon saw Hercules retreat due to a collision of forces.

Whiik...

Thock...

During that brief moment, Hercules tossed the fruit to YuWon to protect it.

YuWon caught the fruit flying towards him in the blink of an eye.

"You have to admire his tenacity."

Thump, thump, thump...!

YuWon looked at Hercules and Atlas, who were fighting again in front of him.

At some point, Hercules had been gradually retreating.

However, while throwing punches at Hercules, Atlas also looked at YuWon.

Hoping for something, YuWon waved the fruit in his hand.

Whoosh...

Swoosh...

Atlas' gaze followed the direction in which the fruit moved.

That happened several times.

YuWon displayed the fruit in his hand.

But...

"Baatt-".

From somewhere, there was someone else.

It was a small creature aiming for the fruit. And like a capricious child, it seemed to want to eat that golden apple.

But that apple was sweeter than any drug, hiding more power and being more dangerous than any poison.

Although this might be beneficial for Danpung, for some reason, YuWon's heart, like that of a parent, told him not to let it eat it.

Asu, YuWon pointed at Atlas with his finger.

"Don't you see?"

"Baah?"

"If you eat this, that will happen to you."

Atlas, trying to pounce on YuWon with his mouth full of saliva, screamed when he saw the fruit in YuWon's hand.

"Let it go!!"

Thump...!

At that moment, Hercules' club struck under Atlas' chin.

Thump, thump...

Atlas, who staggered from the impact, shook his head several times.

Despite taking a blow to the chin with the club, Atlas seemed to have not received a significant impact.

Unconcerned, he shouted towards YuWon with half-opened eyes.

"Let it go...!"

Ziiiiing...

It was a shout so loud that it felt like his eardrums were about to burst.

YuWon bit his tongue and pointed at Atlas with his finger.

"Do you understand?"

"Baa...".

A disappointed voice.

But thanks to that, YuWon discovered another possibility.

"Then let's do it this way."

"Baa?"

"Let's set a trap..."

YuWon looked at Hercules and Atlas, who were still fighting in front of him.

"It's like catching a wild boar."

Crash-!

Thud, thud-!

Hercules, struck by Atlas' foot, was thrown backward.

Reaching the top of the Tower and then being surpassed by someone after becoming a High-Ranker was something new for him.

At first, he didn't feel like he was being surpassed by Atlas, but as time passed, it seemed that things were gradually shifting against him.

More than anything...

'Why does this guy not get tired?'

Hercules moved away the arm protecting his body and secured his vision once again, seeing Atlas' figure once more.

Thwack!

A straight-extending punch.

Thud, thud, thud!

Hercules felt his body tremble violently from the high-speed spinning punch.

His body, as hard as a rock, felt like it was being pierced by a sharp needle.

How long had it been since he faced a close-quarters fight like this?

Crack!

Strength flowed into the hand holding the club.

A sensation of boiling blood.

Hercules' eyes gleamed as he blocked Atlas' punches with his two arms.

'This guy is still obsessed with the golden apples.'

How long had it been since Atlas turned his head like this while fighting?

'I have to aim for that blind spot.'

Crossing his arms, Hercules scrutinized Atlas' expression through a small opening.

Atlas' head, which was swinging his fist towards him, turned to the side.

In the direction where YuWon was.

In the fleeting moment when Atlas' mind got caught on the lost golden apple...

Whooong.

Hercules lunged forward, breaking free from his defensive stance.

To swing his club with all his might.

But...

Squeak.

The corner of Atlas' lips lifted as he turned his head back, looking at Hercules as if he knew this would happen.

Their eyes met head-on.

'Is this guy...?'

Whoooong.

A fist the size of Hercules' torso came straight towards his nose.

'On purpose-.'

Crash!

Instead of his head, Hercules extended his arm.

Blood dripped from his shattered arm. Fortunately, his resilience was strong enough not to be completely torn off.

"Ugh..."

Atlas' expression, seemingly mocking as if he had expected this, appeared before Hercules' eyes, while sweat dripped down his forehead.

And at that moment...

Kwaaaang!

Hercules' club fell to the ground.

Smoke spread. Hercules evaded Atlas' body for a moment.

'He was aiming for that.'

It seemed even his head-turn, fixated on the golden apple, was also an illusion.

Atlas wasn't just strong and brutish. Not only did he lack nothing in physical abilities and endurance, but even in strategy, the guy was one step ahead of him.

He felt trapped in a trap.

What the hell is he fighting against?

Whack.

Atlas cleared the rising smoke with his enormous palm and bared his teeth as he looked at Hercules.

And then, at that moment...

Crack!

Atlas' jaws came closer to Hercules' head.

Thud!

Instead of his head, Hercules offered his arm.

Blood dripped from his forearm. It was a force so crushing that it was a relief it didn't tear it off completely.

"Damn bastard!"

Hercules clenched his fist as sweat dripped down his forehead.

The Giant writhed. Not letting himself be influenced by a guy like that, Hercules burst forth with his Arcane Power.

But...

Crack, crack.

Atlas' teeth didn't easily let go of Hercules.

It was as if he was trying to bite and tear off his arm.

And...

'Through these teeth... even Radon, who protected the Golden Apples. And also, the other Golden Apples...'

Through those teeth, Hercules could clearly feel it.

'This guy has eaten them all.'

The Dragon who protected the Golden Apples, Radon.

And the Golden Apples that Radon protected.

Atlas, who had devoured all those things, had become an unbearable monster even for Hercules.

At that moment...

Thud!

A small rock fragment fell on Atlas' head, who was tearing at Hercules' arm.

Thud, thud, thud.

It seemed to have been thrown with all possible force.

Perhaps, if someone received that rock, their head would shatter to pieces.

However, Atlas' tough skin didn't even flinch at that rock.

"Eh."

Whoosh!

A beautifully colored fruit soared through the air.

Crunch!

YuWon deftly caught the Golden Apple after tossing it.

It was an action to divert Atlas' attention from Hercules, who was in danger.

"Look here, here."

"Let it go..."

Biting Hercules' forearm, Atlas muttered with difficulty.

Gradually, Atlas' eyes wandered. The strength of his teeth biting Hercules' forearm weakened, and his eyes turned away.

Hercules had not considered this situation at all.

"That idiot...".

Hercules inadvertently muttered the worst curse he knew.

Hercules' role was to draw Atlas' attention.

If YuWon had something to do in this fight, it would probably be to prepare a spear.

But in YuWon's hand, there was no spear, not even a Thunderbolt. There wasn't a single mediocre spear.

"You should have prepared a spear!"

Hercules scolded, but it was already too late.

Thump!

The direction Atlas was heading turned towards YuWon. It seemed he no longer cared about Hercules.

Hercules tried to grab Atlas running towards YuWon somehow.

Thud.

With his arm torn to shreds and the impact of receiving Atlas' blows, Hercules momentarily lost the balance of his body.

And that brief instant was enough.

Crash!

As Atlas charged towards YuWon, hitting the ground...

Whoa-!

Atlas was quickly closing in.

YuWon took a light breath at that wild momentum.

And then...

"Are you ready?"

As the boar-like Atlas approached running, YuWon pulled out the "trap" he had been preparing.

["Danpung" uses "Divine Power"]

["Predator" drools in anticipation]