The Novel’s Villain

64. The God of Evil’s Descent (3)

The gods of Olympus appeared before Jin-woo. Now that he had become the rightful owner of their home, they left with no other option but to either ask for his mercy or suffer in Tartarus for eternity.

Aphrodite had completely fallen for him, which her ecstatic expression had evidenced, but the other deities were different.

God of Evil.

Darkness incomparable to even the primordial darkness hiding within the abyss stood right before their eyes. Artemis and the other Olympians gulped, feeling as if merely looking at him would shatter their souls.

To make matters worse, he had recruited Uranus, the primordial god sealed in Tartarus’ abyss, and brought an army of immortals that quite literally laughed in the face of danger, the Titans they had imprisoned, and a multitude of monsters bearing great anger towards them.

Not only the underworld but also Tartarus had fallen into his rule, making rebellion meaningless.

‘I have no choice but to obey him.’ Artemis thought. The other gods’ opinions didn’t differ from hers all that much either.

The reason they didn’t suffer like Zeus and Poseidon and hadn’t yet been sent down to Tartarus like Ares and Hermes was all because of his benevolence.

Jin-woo smiled, looking at the gods that had seemingly become paralyzed.

As a lover of peace, he wanted to resolve this conflict as swiftly and cleanly as possible, which could only be done through a proper discussion.

“Why are you all frowning?” He asked, to which the deities replied by forcing the corners of their lips to curve upwards. The change in their expression made them look odd, but it was better than looking at their scowls. Aphrodite continued looking at him as if drowning in pure ecstasy.

“Someone’s missing.”

One of the 12 Olympian gods that should’ve been present was nowhere to be found. When his smile gradually faded, their faces began to turn blue. Noticing the change in his mood, Artemis swiftly yet hesitantly raised her hand.

“Well, you see… H-Hera ran away to the Northern World…”

“The Northern World?”

“Yeah, she knows a god there.”

“Is that so? Can you tell me a little more?”

Artemis closed her lips unwillingly, unaware of any other important details regarding her departure. At that moment, Dionysus raised his hand.

He would’ve felt more comfortable had he fainted, but he came to his senses instead. Quick-witted, he was prepared to say anything to gain the God of Evil’s favor.

“I’ve had exchanges with someone there. A giant named Mimir, a lover of the alcohol I made. All that remains of him now is his head, though…”

“Go on.”

“He told me not to tell anyone about this, but I’ll tell you anyway since you’re the true and rightful owner of Olympus now. I once asked him if Cronus hid in their realm.”

“Cronus?”

Zeus had driven him out just as how Ares banished him. However, the truth about his past seemed a little different from what he heard based on myths.

“He changed his name to Saturn and stayed in the Northern World. Perhaps he’s the one Hera’s looking for… Prior to the supreme god’s verdict to kick him out, we had a great relationship with him.”

His words surprised his fellow Olympians. This was the first time they had heard of what truly happened then.

Jin-woo liked him.

“Dionysus, right? You’ve proven yourself to be quite useful.”

“Hahaha! Thank you. I’ve made quite a few connections since I frequently distribute and share my alcohol with others. They often tell me valuable intel in the process.”

Jin-woo gestured for him to stand by his side, and he immediately obliged. Breathing a sigh of relief, he finally looked livelier. On the other hand, his fellow Olympians became stiffer.

“Tell me what you are good at.”

Demeter quickly raised his hand.

“I-I’m great at agriculture!”

“You’re a farmer?”

“In a way, yes.”

Demeter was the goddess of agriculture, which put managing plants and farms under her jurisdiction.”

“You’re Persephone’s mother, aren’t you?”

“Yes. About that… I apologize for my and my daughter’s rudeness.”

“Right.”

The moment she was given permission to join Jin-woo’s side, everyone began raising their hands, gaining new hope. As soon as his eyes fell on Artemis, she hurriedly spoke up.

“I’m good at hunting, sir.”

“I don’t think that’s a very useful ability.”

“I can create forests, and I’m a master of taming and archery.”

“Hmm…” Jin-woo pondered about it for a moment, his hesitation making her tremble.

Fearing she’d be sent down to Tartarus, she knelt before him and pleaded.

“I’ll dedicate my bow to the rightful master of Olympus.”

He spent a few more seconds thinking about it before finally nodding. She breathed a sigh of relief as Apollo, her twin, swore allegiance to him as well. The last of the 12 gods, Hephaestus, bowed to Jin-woo.

“My lord… Would you like the power that resides in Astrafe and Triana?”

“Do you know what it is?”

“Yes. That force is absolute and all-powerful, yet it is scattered across the World of Gods. It’s the creator of this dimension and the maker of various gods.”

The power of the Devil.

According to him, it existed in this plane through an indefinite form.

“I have the ability to revert it to its original state.”

“Interesting.”

Hephaestus remained honest. As a blacksmith with godly skills, he didn’t need to lie to prove his worth.

All the gods of Olympus swore allegiance to Jin-woo, and Helios and the others automatically fell under his reign. He conducted this procedure in an attempt to find anyone who’d dare rebel against him. Fortunately, there was no deity foolish enough to do so.

‘The best way to resolve disputes is indeed through conversations.’

[You have completely conquered Olympus, a tremendous feat!]

[The solidification of the God of Evil’s rule on Olympus affects all dimensions, the only exceptions being the Sanctuary’s members.]

[The Temple of Olympus is now known as the God of Evil’s Temple.]

Jin-woo had no idea what had changed, considering everything seemed to be the same.

He decided to deal with the gods first.

“Then…” Looking at them, he realized nearly all of them lacked the concept of morality. In fact, it was fairly common for humans to suffer from curses and hardships brought forth by their greed.

They certainly needed to be educated and change their lifestyles altogether.

“I will have you all thoroughly educated in the future. If you don’t like it, feel free to go to Tartarus.”

No one argued against his command, even when he took their powers. Now that he had established complete dominance over Olympus, doing so became almost effortless. This left the Olympian gods in a state no different than that of a human being.

No longer immortal, they fell into despair. The gods could feel their vitality diminishing every passing second.

The fear of death engulfed them.

“Make sure you work hard since I’ll return your powers to you only if you pass. Ah! Be careful not to die. If you do, you’ll be judged the same way humans do, in which case you’ll all likely go to the Demon Realm.” Jin-woo continued with a soft and gentle smile.

Still, his words made their faces turn blue. The evil deeds they had done casually began weighing down on their bodies.

“I see! One must, of course, prove themselves worthy of being by your side before they can stand beside you! I’ll give my all to ensure I pass!” Aphrodite exclaimed. Their classes hadn’t started yet, but she had already become an expected model student.

Jin-woo moved to the lunar base with them and immediately summoned the General Manager.

“You called, master?” He politely bowed his head toward him.

The gods behind Jin-woo looked down on him. Having lost their abilities, they could no longer sense his true capacity.

To this day, they still carried their pride as gods.

They still looked down on humans even though they were essentially one of them now. No, they didn’t even know the way they acted wasn’t normal, considering they had been doing this their entire lives in the World of Gods.

“Educate them thoroughly.”

“As you wish. Is it okay if I mess them up a little?”

“I couldn’t care less.”

The General Manager bowed once more, this time with a deep smile.

“From body to soul, I will completely transform them.”

That’s what made him reliable.

When Jin-woo patted him on the shoulder and disappeared, the General Manager straightened up.

“Education, huh…” Apollo pondered.

“It can’t be helped. Teach us, human.” Artemis scoffed.

Doom!

A great sense of coercion overtook them, causing them to kneel immediately and their heads to almost hit the floor. There weren’t many beings who could withstand the General Manager. After all, his existence was on the level of an Emperor.

He had become much stronger after becoming one. Even if they hadn’t been deprived of their powers, the Olympians would’ve still been on their knees as they were now.

His eyes flashed, making all of them collapse and vomit blood. He shook his head at the pitiful sight. Their mental state was far worse than the 2nd generation that came before them.

“This situation is serious, I see. Come forth, my aides.”

His assistants, Kim Young-hoon and the other 2nd generation students, approached him from behind and stood next to him, the discipline they exuded that of a sharp sword in the hands of a master.

They looked at the gods as if they were filthy.

Compared to the General Manager’s gaze, however, theirs was merciful.

“These are my assistants. They’ll be the ones managing all of you.”

“Are they even-” Apollo’s question abruptly ended when he looked at him, causing his head to hit the ground.

“Who said you could ask questions? You’re all nothing but trash human bodies. From now on, they’ll be monitoring all of your actions, including your breathing and sleeping. You may take a rest every five minutes.”

The assistants approached them.

“Trainee No. 1. You’re out of line for not breathing properly.”

“What? My name’s Apollo.”

“Come with me, trainee No. 1.”

Apollo, the outcast, screamed and passed out 12 times before he could return to his peers.

At that moment, the third generation was born.

Unbeknownst to them, the General Manager’s education was far more painful than Tartarus itself. However, this hell could end all future hells, depending on their education’s results. They had to give it their all.

* * *

Managing the World of Gods proved easy. Compared to the Middle-World and the other dimensions, it was almost as if he wasn’t even doing anything.

The gods of Olympus didn’t even care what became of humans. Many of the people here died of starvation, but Jin-woo just had to release and distribute food to them to end it.

He also made the sun operate on its own and removed all the savage practices done under the name of the gods. As a result, beautiful women and handsome men could now wander around the streets with peace of mind.

People began to worship the God of Evil in return, treating Zeus and the other Olympian gods as worms now that they had finally realized how easy it would’ve been for them to make their lives easier.

All countries that worshiped the 12 Olympians disappeared, and the magnificent statues built to appease them were destroyed. Their temples had also been turned into the God of Evil’s temples.

Those changes didn’t take long to happen.

‘It’s stabilized to an extent now.’

The World of Gods was quite vast. There was even an entirely different dimension to its north, housing several other gods.

Odin and Thor lived in the Northern World. Having learned that Cronus was hiding there, they had no other choice but to head there as well.

He made a deal with Uranus, after all.

‘I’m not rushing anyway.’

The Devil’s resurrection wasn’t immediate anyway, making it much more proper for him to take his time thinking about it.

Thinking so, Jin-woo connected to the Internet. Now that New World’s event was over, it was time to check the players’ reactions.

He waged an actual war using them as his soldiers, which worried him. The public opinion might doubt the truth behind the game they had made due to it.

He looked at the posts.

‘Hmm?’

Their contents were completely different from what he expected.

Title: The God of Evil’s myth is the best.

Author: Mythical Being

As a fan, I was really satisfied.

I can’t believe I participated in a mythical war that reinterpreted the God of Evil’s duty in a unique way!

It fused well with the New World worldview. As a person who grew up watching cartoons and animations about gods and myths, it was like a dream come true for me!

They even managed to fully maximize the God of Evil’s majesty!

(Ares’ Betrayal.jpg, Source: Greece-Athens National Archaeological Museum)

Ares stabbing Zeus in the back shows a more tragic fate than any painting in museums.

1,320 comments

Cookie Man: I agree. It was excellently directed and executed. The part that amazed me most was the sky whales in Greek mythology actually being the players’ ships. The developers seemed to have paid a lot of attention to that moment.

└ Heavy Uranus: Uranus’ resurrection for me was particularly amazing as well.

Spring Power: The God of Evil was diabolical from the gods’ perspective but a blessing from the humans’.

└ Geumni: Even the academia fights in the God of Evil’s name now.

Antoning: What is the most famous painting in Greece? I’m going on a trip.

└ Mythical Being (Author): Well, Leonardo da Vinci’s ‘God of Evil’s Descent’ is in the Louvre Museum of Art, and there’s also the renowned God of Evil’s statue in the British Museum.

└Antoning: Thank you.

‘Hmm…’

Greco-Roman mythology had been altered. Although its name was still the same, The God of Evil’s become a much more popular entity.

Rather than destroying the Greco-Roman mythology, the New World players experienced a different reinterpretation of the myth.

‘So this is what the system message meant.’

The World of Gods was the central dimension, affecting all other realms since they all branched out from it.

Now that Jin-woo had dominated a part of it, its history revised itself to fit his existence right into its narrative. Only he and the Sanctuary’s members now knew the truth behind it. No, maybe even he didn’t know that.

After all, its ruler had changed from Uranus and Cronus to Zeus.

Jin-woo called Yoo-na.

“Even if you didn’t call me, I was going to report this to you. The Greco-Roman mythology has adjusted to accommodate your existence.”

“I’m not even sure if I like this or not… Maybe a bit of both.”

“Either way, it’s an honor to serve the God of Evil.” Yoo-na smiled. She then handed over documents and materials about the God of Evil’s myth, ranging from museum files and papers to comic books.

Jin-woo read through them.

Title: The God of Evil’s Myth

Author: Kim Han-jin

[The God of Evil’s Myth (Greek mythology) contains many interesting parts.

‘The God of Evil’s Descent’ has essentially reached that certain level of popularity that there’s not a single soul out there unaware of its existence. Zeus and Poseidon, who showed no fear or guilt for raping and kidnapping people, were destroyed by God of Evil and sent to eternal suffering and torment. It’s quite a refreshing story, but several scholars argue that it doesn’t fit the circumstances of the time.

His deeds are surprisingly modern!

The moral norms, the abolition of bad habits, and the law enforcement he taught aren’t far behind modern society’s.

…

In particular, the underworld he rules over is quite amazing. Those who do good go to heaven and become angels, and those who do evil suffer in hell. Unclean souls undergo reincarnation in another world, which falls under his jurisdiction as well. The souls’ trial process is quite systematic and sophisticated even now.

….

Refreshing stories, modern ideas, and even romantic love.

[Persephone’s courtship.jpg]

(Persephone is courting Hades.)

Perhaps he’s still the driving force in this modern age?]

According to the data, they had discovered various types of relics that didn’t match the conditions of the time.

Jin-woo looked at the museum paintings, one of them being the ‘Army of the Immortals.’

(Tintoretto – Army of the Immortals (c. 1575), source: National Gallery, London)

It clearly depicted the God of Evil’s army sending naked people soaring through the sky and making them explode and people advancing with arrows and swords sticking out of their bodies.

There was no hell.

The fact that it was treated as a world-class masterpiece surprised Jin-woo.

Apparently, schools now taught the God of Evil’s myth, detailing how he, a fearsome being, arrived in the underworld, wagered a bet with Persephone, and defeated Hercules for the right to rule the underworld.

They also didn’t forget to include how Poseidon abducted a woman, starting an entire war, and how Typhon, Uranus, and various monsters turned into the God of Evil’s subordinates.

Essentially, they didn’t omit anything about the War of Gods and instead highlighted every part of it.

The God of Evil’s story was so famous that several movies, cartoons, and dramas were made based on it. It was much more loved than the old Greek mythology.

“These are the statues on display at the National Archaeological Museum in Athens, Greece.”

“Hmm…”

The National Archaeological Museum of Athens was different from what it used to be. Figures of the Underworld Conquerors and Team Ragnarok had taken the spots where the Olympian gods’ statues should’ve been.

Some of them were the armored Hercules, Medusa with her arms opened, One-Handed Swordsman holding his weapon up high, and Strawberry Underwear wrapped in thick smoke.

Of course, their names had been slightly altered.

“… I’m glad they weren’t sculpted how they actually look.”

“I am as well.”

Naturally, the most famous statue was the God of Evil’s. While the other works had many twists and turns, their depiction of him preserved his true form quite accurately.

Anyone even slightly interested in mythology desired to see it in person.

Yoo-na continued her report with an even more surprising remark.

“Moreover, our reality continues to change even as we speak.”

“Even now?”

“Yes. Existing stories are still being altered. The world’s also continuously discovering new paintings and materials related to the Greco-Roman mythology, with the most recent one being ‘Aphrodite’s Love.'” Yoo-na searched for it and showed it to him.

“Huh…”

It was a piece of art showing Jin-woo with his hand raised in the God of Evil’s Temple and Aphrodite kneeling in front of him, staring right into his eyes. It seemed medievalistic in terms of style, which only made it look even more strange.

“The other dimensions are also being affected by this phenomenon. This new myth is already known as an ancient myth both in the World of Gods and the Middle-World, and that’s just naming a few.”

Jin-woo had mixed emotions about this.

He had become quite famous.