From Today, I'm a Player

Chapter 223. The God of Thunder Pt. 2

“The rules are simple.”

The party stood in an empty lot in Gyeonggi-Do as many people gathered around, watching them.

Lee Jun-Kyeong and Zeus stood in the center. Around them were Heracles, Odysseus, Jeong In-Chang, and Won-Hwa.

Around the core group of Hunters stood the rest of those in Gyeonggi-Do, even including all of those that had come from China as well.

Everyone had gathered in this place to watch what was unfolding.

“Aren’t we supposed to de-escalate or something?”

“I told you, when the Guild Leader is like that, there’s nothing we can do.”

Those on Olympus’ side still seemed to be concerned even though they knew Lee Jun-Kyeong's ability.

“One of the two could die here.”

Their Guild Leader, Zeus, had definitely grown compared to before he had left.

On top of that, because they knew how much Lee Jun-Kyeong’s strength had risen as well, their hands were sweating as they were faced with an impossible situation.

Regardless of how things ended, even in these harrowing times when no one could predict what would happen, two allies were currently fighting.

Lee Jun-Kyeong suggested, “Let’s not use any weapons. Or Authorities, or any mana for that manner. Only…”

“You just want to use hand-to-hand combat, then,” Zeus responded while uncontrollably spewing bloodlust.

“Exactly.”

“What are the rules then? Do I just have to kill you? Is that enough?” asked Zeus aggressively.

“Hmpf…”

The giants showed their irritation after hearing that, but Lee Jun-Kyeong continued to remain calm.

“Until someone admits their loss.”

“Fine.”

It was simple but straightforward.

Facing Lee Jun-Kyeong, Zeus exuded a bitter, frost-like aura that felt as though it could cut through bone.

It wasn’t mana, but rather an almost palpably congealed bloodlust that was so strong that it was causing the surrounding area to begin to frost over.

On the other side, Lee Jun-Kyeong began to exude a searing temperature, taking a serious stance while facing Zeus.

‘This isn’t something that can be resolved with just some talking.’

There was a reason why Lee Jun-Kyeong had gone this far instead of comforting the Hunter, despite everyone’s worries. Zeus was like a bomb right now.

At this moment, with how much mental anguish he was under and considering how much strength he held, he was essentially a human nuclear warhead. Although it would be fine if he went straight toward their enemies, he was a nuclear warhead that just might detonate toward their allies at any time.

That was why they needed a way to handle him.

“Let’s add another rule,” Zeus said as he settled into a fighting stance.

Lee Jun-Kyeong already knew what the Hunter wanted and responded at the same time as Zeus, “Nobody gets involved.”

“Please don’t interfere.”

Then, the two of them, facing one another, finally began their spar.

BOOM!

***

“Shouldn’t we try to stop them…” Heracles said half-heartedly as his eyes sparked with enthusiasm.

“Weren’t you the one telling me not to try to stop them…”

On the other hand, Jeong In-Chang just closed his eyes and looked away as if there was nothing else they could do.

BOOM! BANG!

Massive pounding sounds, like the terrifying booms of a war drum, continued to resonate through the air.

They didn’t use any mana, but their highly strengthened bodies were weapons in themselves.

The ground was pitted with craters.

BOOM!

Lee Jun-Kyeong was being beaten. Unlike Zeus, who looked fine, Lee Jun-Kyeong was actually a mess. His body had been pummeled so much so that in some places, his muscles had split apart and bone was beginning to show, and his clothes had turned the color of blood.

“Is this really okay…?” Heracles asked again.

The fight between the two Hunters was completely different from what everyone had been expecting

“Underdog just seems like he completely resolved himself and is letting himself be beaten?”

It was completely different from the expected brawl between men, using their fists to let out their emotions by beating the other while also taking a beating right back.[1]

The only person who was getting beaten in this situation was Lee Jun-Kyeong. Not only was his one-sided beating not enough, but Lee Jun-Kyeong, barely able to speak, still also continued to goad Zeus as they fought.

“Is thhat really allll you havee?” he spat.

“It…it’s like I’mmm being…beaten by cottonn.”

BANG! BANG!

“Screw Olympus, you should have founded the Olympiad Math Competition inste…”

“Wait a minute, that’s a little…”

BANG! BOOM!

The continuous booming of drums sounded. Although the onlookers began to feel as though Lee Jun-Kyeong might actually die if this continued, no one stood up to stop them.

It may have looked bad, but everyone could see what was going on.

Zeus wasn’t aiming for any of Lee Jun-Kyeong’s vitals, and while Lee Jun-Kyeong was taking on horrible damage, he was still slowly recovering.

‘Is he trying to say he’s also an Immortal?’ Jeong In-Chang thought to himself as he watched Lee Jun-Kyeong, even though that wasn’t the Hunter’s actual intention.

Jeong In-Chang continued to muse as he looked at Lee Jun-Kyeong, thinking about his Immortality Authority that had just awakened a little while ago. After all, he had gained his immortality through the Dragon’s Bloodstone.

‘Mr. Lee also has the essence of the Dragon’s Bloodstone as well.’

The Dragon’s Bloodstone was something that would regenerate as long as it was fed enough blood. One had gone to his old self, one was fused into Gram, and the remaining one was currently in the process of regenerating.

‘I’ll have to give it to the Princess later.’

Moreover, Jeong In-Chang also knew that there were two more in Lee Jun-Kyeong’s possession. Even while Lee Jun-Kyeong was being beaten so severely, Jeong In-Chang continued just to think useless thoughts, reading into the situation in the weirdest manner.

As he mumbled to himself, he heard Zeus’ voice in his ear, “This is enough.”

It wasn’t the same voice that had frozen the very air around them from before. Although the voice was still somewhat shaky from the lingering excitement from his recent exertion, it felt as though much of the raw emotions in it had finally been settled.

“Ha… haaa… ve yo…u…”

Ppft

Lee Jun-Kyeong, barely able to say anything, ended up bursting into laughter.

“What’s so funny after just being beaten to pieces?”

In this mixed-up situation, it was Zeus who was looking at Lee Jun-Kyeong as if he was dumbfounded at the Hunter’s situation.

“I’m fine now, so just recover, you dolt.”

Zeus grabbed Lee Jun-Kyeong by the collar and threw him to the side as if discarding trash.

“Mr. Lee!”

Although Won-Hwa quickly approached in order to heal a battered Lee Jun-Kyeong, the Hunter raised a hand to stop him.

Hssss.

Before their eyes, the scars that were entirely visible and gaping on him had become almost completely recovered before anyone knew it. Lee Jun-Kyeong raised his head and looked at Zeus, who was walking away from them with his back turned.

Zeus shook off his completely bloodstained hands and turned around.

“Come find me when you’re done being treated. Let’s talk.”

Smirk.

Lee Jun-Kyeong smiled once again, promptly collapsing onto the ground.

Thud.

***

Lee Jun-Kyeong woke up after a while. His recovery had essentially consisted of needing to recover his energy.

‘I really thought I was going to die there.’

Even if they had only decided to use their fists, it wasn’t an easy task to continuously get beaten by Zeus’ fists. He had almost lost consciousness a few times, to the point where he had sincerely considered asking to use mana at some point.

However, he still persevered and was able to see Zeus with a much better expression in the end.

Smirk.

Zeus wasn’t someone with whom Lee Jun-Kyeong had some long history or another. Nor was he someone he could easily call a companion, either.

In fact, Zeus was the notorious Guild Leader of Olympus in Europe. In Lee Jun-Kyeong’s past, he had been the demon-like person who had founded Eden. He was someone who from Lee Jun-Kyeong’s perspective, was fine to kill if he had to do so, not someone he was ready to accept.

However, at this moment, he was someone whom they desperately needed.

‘The reason we had such a terrible reputation in Europe was something we couldn’t avoid. From the beginning, they were the ones trying to push us out.’

From what Lee Jun-Kyeong had heard from Heracles regarding the truth of Olympus, there were a lot of misconceptions circulating about the guild. After the advent of the gates, Europe was terrified at the prospect of the growth of Olympus and the addition of another superpower.

“But we never thought that they would have gone that far.”

Because of that, they tried to mitigate their fears by trying to push them out. Without even ever asking for their aid or permission, they used the name of Olympus under a facade. They had gone so far as to even sacrifice an entire city in this manner just to try to mitigate their growth.

As for the other thing that Heracles had to say about Zeus—that was unexpected as well. To think that Zeus was someone whom his guild members held great respect for, and he himself was someone who cared for each and every member underneath him.

Even if what Heracles and the others had to say was something that was difficult for Lee Jun-Kyeong to believe, he had seen it too.

That was why Lee Jun-Kyeong had finally been convinced.

The Eden of the future, and Zeus, the Emperor and God of Eden, had been destroyed and changed because of what happened to Chi-Woo. It seemed as though a similar thing must have happened in the history of Lee Jun-Kyeong’s past, as there was no Chi-Woo under the name of Eden.

The Zeus of his past must have lost his brother then as well. Moreover, his brother had been lost at the hands of his Sponsor. There was no way that something like that wouldn’t have broken the other Zeus beyond repair.

That was why Lee Jun-Kyeong had gone so far.

“Whew….”

Lee Jun-Kyeong got up from the bed. There were wet wipes nearby, as if the blood on his body had been wiped off, and new clothes prepared off to the side, though neither Jeong In-Chang or Won-Hwa were present.

‘Well, he said to come find him, right?’

Most likely, they had just assumed that Lee Jun-Kyeong would have gone to find Zeus immediately after waking up anyway. However, contrary to his expectations, Zeus’ voice had rather descended over from the open doorway.

“Are you awake?”

Although Zeus had told him to come to find him, it seemed that the Hunter had come here instead.

Zeus smirked as he looked at Lee Jun-Kyeong.

Lee Jun-Kyeong also couldn’t help but laugh.

Although he hadn’t done much other than just get beat, for some reason, it felt as though the two of them had gotten closer.

“You were an idiot,” Zeus said, his bloodlust having died down somewhat.

“But just how strong have you become?” asked Lee Jun-Kyeong

"..."

“I absorbed my Hyung’s strength. I even thought that in the coming war with the Demon King, I’d be the one to match him. That it would be my choice, and the way for me to honor my Hyung. But, just…”

The light in his eyes steeled for a moment.

“But it seems like I’m not the main character of this world.”

"..."

“Just how strong have you become?” Zeus asked.

No one had noticed; not Heracles, not Odysseus, and not even Jeong In-Chang or Won-Hwa had noticed it.

“The decisive battle against the Demon King is yours to fight alone.”

Lee Jun-Kyeong's growth was astounding.

His level hadn’t reached 100 yet, having stagnated at 99. However, not only did his Familiars evolve, but there was also a secret that he hadn’t told anyone else.

‘Andlangr…’

"So you've been there too, then."

He was referring to Andlangr, the discarded dimension and the playground of the Sponsors.

It was also the Territory.

It had many names, and it was the place where his battle with Set had unfolded.

“How long did you stay there?”

“Ten years.”

Lee Jun-Kyeong hadn’t told anyone that he hadn’t left Andlangr immediately after defeating Set.

For him, it had been an opportunity.

The Sky of the Apocalypse had refused to open the Andlangr for him.

That was why he hadn’t been able to experience the discarded dimension that the other Apex Hunters had suffered through.

Although others would have said that it was a relief he didn’t have to suffer like that, he needed the time to properly control his strength.

“But to think you’d experience that Hell voluntarily…even for you, that’s an interesting choice.”

It had been a necessary opportunity for Lee Jun-Kyeong.

He had spent ten years within Set’s Andlangr, hidden away without telling anyone.

Still, there hadn’t been any life-or-death battles against a constant horde of monsters in order to please his Sponsor like the other Hunters would have gone through.

No, he just used the world where time had stopped in order to properly grasp his own strength.

For him, who had gotten very strong so quickly, it was time that he desperately needed. No one else had noticed, only Zeus. Only the Leader of Olympus had discovered his transformation.

“You really are amazing…to the point where I can’t not acknowledge you.”

"..."

Lee Jun-Kyeong just kept his mouth shut in response as, then, Zeus again was the first to break the silence, “So, what is your goal, exactly? What, the same thing we talked about last time? World peace? To avoid the world of the future that Jupiter had shown me?”

Lee Jun-Kyeong had a hunch.

‘Zeus is truly opening his heart right now.’

Based on how he answered, Zeus would become a true companion, an ally that would stand by his side until the final battle against the Demon King.

Still, Lee Jun-Kyeong held his tongue. He didn’t know what he wanted, and this wasn’t something that he could just nonchalantly throw out an answer to, either.

Lee Jun-Kyeong, thinking about how to answer, eventually just nodded.

“Good.”

It seemed as though that was enough for Zeus. Because Lee Jun-Kyeong knew what Zeus had gone through, he knew what purpose the Hunter was looking for. Lee Jun-Kyeong looked at Zeus with a sparkle in his eyes.

“What do you think could be Jupiter’s goal? Not only did it show you the future, but…”

“I don't know." Zeus shrugged.

“It might be a god of this world that pities us. Or even…” Zeus continued as he looked out the window, “It might be giving me an opportunity to destroy the fake Sponsor that is using its name.”

"...?"

Lee Jun-Kyeong's gaze shifted to confusion.

Zeus’ title was Zeus, and his Sponsor’s true name also meant Zeus.

But then…

“...!”

That was right.

That Sponsor, Zeus, who was definitely , had sponsored both Zeus and Chi-Woo.

It should have only had one title to give out, but Chi-Woo was said to have the title Thor, so something didn’t make sense about the situation.[2]

“I earned a new title after absorbing my Hyung’s strength,” Zeus said.

“Jupiter. That’s the name of the true God of Thunder.”

1. While the idea of “boys will be boys” and fighting to become closer exists in most cultures, in East Asia, especially Korea, this idea of manly men solving their emotions with their fists is very prevalent in media and fiction. The most recent expression of this would be in Woo Do-Hwan’s boxing drama. ☜

2. Remember, Special Sponsors only have one title to give, which is why Lee Jun-Kyeong only had Horus’ title/powers for a short time. ☜