The morning in the Sunken Palace didn't arrive with a sunrise, but with a shift in the bioluminescence. The deep violets of the night faded into a soft, pearlescent glow, casting long, gentle shadows across the amber tables and coral pillars. I woke with Leticia's white hair splayed across my chest and Yuna's legs tangled with mine, the lingering warmth of the [Ambrosia of the Abyss] still hummed in my veins like a distant, pleasant vibration.
So-Hee was already awake, standing by the crystalline membrane that looked out into the trench. She was fully dressed in her [Crystalline Silk], her posture rigid.
"Jin-Woo," she said, her voice echoing in the quiet hall. "We have a visitor. And it didn't come from the sea."
I sat up, gently dislodging Yuna, who let out a protest of mumbles before falling back into a deep sleep. I walked over to So-Hee. Outside the membrane, a tiny speck of gold was fluttering through the crushing pressure of the deep. It wasn't a fish or a construct of water.
It was a dove made of beaten gold, its eyes two tiny rubies. It tapped its beak against the membrane, and despite the hundreds of tons of water pressure, the sound was as clear as a bell.
"Aphrodite," I muttered.
I gestured, and the membrane rippled, allowing the golden bird to pass through. It didn't fly; it hovered in the air, its wings becoming a blur of light before it opened its beak and spoke with the voice of the Goddess of Beauty.
"My darling disruptor," the voice purred, sending a wave of warmth through the room that made Leticia stir. "The summit has been called. My brother Zeus is tired of the 'Pervert Hunter' making his family look like bumbling amateurs. They are meeting at the peak of Olympus to decide if you are a new god to be welcomed... or a stain to be bleached from the world."
The dove's rubies flickered. "I have argued for your life, but my influence only goes so far. If you wish to survive the climb, you must bring a gift. Not a gift of gold or meat, but a gift of 'Truth'. Bring the heart of a God's failure to the summit."
The dove shattered into a cloud of golden dust, which settled onto the floor in the shape of a map. The map didn't point to the surface, but deeper—to a hidden fissure in the trench.
[New Quest: The Heart of the Failure.]
[Objective: Retrieve the 'Shattered Aegis of Athena' from the Abyssal Forge.]
[Reward: 5 Billion EXP + Entry to Mount Olympus.]
[Warning: The Forge is guarded by the 'Ghost of Medusa'.]
"The Ghost of Medusa?" So-Hee whispered, her face pale. "Jin-Woo, she was cursed by the gods. If she's guarding a failure of Athena, she won't just turn us to stone. She'll turn our souls into salt."
I looked at the map, then at my status. I was down to 20 million EXP. I was practically a beggar in this world of gods.
"I need that five billion," I said. "And if the Gods want a 'Truth', I'll give them the biggest one they've ever hidden. Leticia!"
The Avatar of Judgment sat up, rubbing her eyes. "Yes... Sovereign?"
"You were a judge," I said, walking over to her. "You know where the gods hide their mistakes. Is the Abyssal Forge real?"
Leticia nodded slowly, her white eyes glowing. "It is the place where Athena threw her broken shield after the war with the Titans. She could not fix the crack in her wisdom, so she buried it where no light could reach. The Ghost... she is not a monster. She is a victim who has become a cage."
I turned to my Myrmidons, who were already assembling in the hall. "Prepare the ship. We aren't going to Olympus yet. We're going to the forge. I have a feeling Medusa and I are going to have a lot to talk about."
[EXP Spent: 10 Million.]
[Item Purchased: Eyes of the Blind Seer (Consumable).]
[Effect: Grants immunity to 'Gaze-Based' petrification for 1 hour.]
"So-Hee, Yuna, Leticia," I said, looking at my growing harem. "Get ready. We're going to rob a goddess of her shame."