episode_0007

**007 – The God of Opportunity Is Bald**

10 PM.

The company dinner venue was quiet after all the employees had left.

Department Head Bones, a skull, bowed his head until his forehead touched the floor.

“President! A subordinate’s mistake is a superior’s mistake! I will take responsibility for this cooperation matter with Kronos, so please reconsider your decision! Please!”

The old Titan, Kronos.

He was a monstrous god who had dethroned his father for his own power, and even swallowed his own children for his power, only to be cast out.

He was nothing short of the epitome of stubbornness and a headstrong person.

Yet, Joy had even boasted in front of the executives that he would persuade Kronos, vowing to resign if he failed.

It was clear that the smooth path of Joy, who had been chosen as an outstanding employee, would end here.

“Department Head Bones, you seem to cherish Assistant Manager Joy a great deal. To think you, who were called ‘Cold Heart’ in the inspection team and struck fear, would even offer to take responsibility instead.”

“It’s because that friend is an excellent employee. He’s young and full of hot blood, incomparable to an old and aged old-fashioned person like me.”

“I see. But, isn’t there an option to trust him simply because he is an excellent employee?”

It seemed difficult to break Thanatos’s stubbornness.

Death, by nature, does not compromise with anything.

Then, what about the newly appointed Vice President?

‘Joy is the first generation chosen according to the diversified talent recruitment standards under Prince Zagreus’s work reform policy. In other words, Joy’s failure means Prince Zagreus’s policy failure.’

Prince Zagreus’s failure naturally becomes the success of his rival, Princess Melinoye.

Therefore, Melinoye had neither justification nor reason to help employee Joy.

Rather, Melinoye might even have hoped for employee Joy’s failure.

And so, it was time to give up on persuading Melinoye.

“I also believe this matter with Kronos is too big for a mere employee to handle. If one intends to persuade Kronos, at least an executive, or the CEO himself, would have to step forward.”

Princess Melinoye, who had been silent for a long time after the company dinner ended, spoke.

At her utterly unexpected opinion, Bones opened his mouth, which only had bones left, wide, and Thanatos also shone with blue eye-light as if surprised.

“Your Highness, weren’t you hoping for employee Joy’s failure? Employee Joy, after all, is the result of Director Zagreus’s work reform and recruitment, isn’t he?”

“I wouldn’t possibly wish for my employees’ failure. Having excellent employees in the company is something to be sufficiently happy about as management, so what’s the problem?”

“Oh, how interesting. That’s a sound argument, to the point of being overly principled. Indeed, fitting for the CEO’s daughter.”

“It has nothing to do with the Chairman.”

Death’s blue eye-light and Nightmare’s red eye-light crossed each other.

The ruthless God of Death, Thanatos, was the first to show a slight smile.

“If that is Your Highness’s will, I too shall step back a bit. I don’t want to see an interesting friend like Joy fall apart in a place like this. Then I’ll leave first.”

*Creak—.*

Thanatos opened the door of the company dinner venue and stepped outside.

Then, Krates of Punishment Execution Department, Team 1, approached as if he had been waiting and bowed his head.

“Shall I escort you to your residence? Or shall I escort you to headquarters for tomorrow’s executive meeting?”

“Krates, I have an errand for you. Go to employee Joy immediately and tell him that Kronos’s agenda item has been nullified. A verbal mistake by a drunken employee Joy—let’s consider it that.”

“What? Nullified?”

Krates, Team 1’s ace, was startled.

It was as if Joy, who had clearly scored an own goal, had returned alive from the threshold of the underworld.

‘You rascal, Joy! What a lucky fellow you are!’

Krates, who had inwardly wished for Joy’s failure, boiled with frustration, but he couldn’t show his true feelings in front of the great executive.

So Krates merely took a step back and withdrew.

Thus, President Thanatos returned to his residence.

To attend tomorrow’s executive meeting, he would have to go to headquarters early in the morning.

As he was lying on his bed, about to fall asleep, someone tapped-tapped on his door.

—President, it’s Krates.

“What’s the matter?”

—Um, well, that guy Joy… he said he wasn’t drunk at all?

# # #

In Greece, there is a god famous for being bald.

That is Kairos, the God of Opportunity.

He is a god with no side hair, back hair, or top hair, only a forelock.

So, if you wanted to pull his hair, you could only seize it when he was looking forward.

The proverb, “Opportunity has only a forelock,” originated from this.

It means that opportunity has its time, so don’t miss the moment to seize it. A similar Korean proverb is ‘Strike while the iron is hot’.

Opportunity is timing.

Now, the wind of that timing was blowing towards me.

“Assistant Manager Joy! To reject the President’s proposal, what on earth are you thinking? Do you really think you can persuade that eccentric old god, Kronos? Assistant Manager Joy!”

The next workday after the company dinner.

Department Head Bones, with his face that was just bones, furiously raged.

Other employees were equally surprised.

“Even if we say his boasting to the executives yesterday was due to being drunk…”

“He refused an offer to make it as if it never happened?”

“No, on the contrary, it’s certain that he’s truly that confident.”

“Joy! How dedicated are you to achieving merit?!”

Confidence and dedication?

Of course I have them.

The confidence to truly fail.

Think about it logically.

There’s no way an ordinary person like me could persuade that old monster who abandoned both parents and children for power, is there?

However, it’s certain that my favorability with President Thanatos would have decreased due to this matter.

It’s as if I kicked away the hand of salvation he extended.

Despite that, the reason I’m not being subjected to “How dare you refuse an executive’s favor. You, punishment!” must be thanks to the achievements I’ve accumulated unwittingly by becoming an excellent employee.

‘If I had my way, I’d openly engage in slowdown tactics… but I don’t know how long President Thanatos’s patience will last, so I should at least pretend to work appropriately.’

In the current situation, if I deliberately make it obvious I’m doing work carelessly, it’s certain to incur the executives’ wrath.

And that wrath would bring punishment, not dismissal.

Therefore, it means I have to at least make a pretense of working.

Thinking such thoughts, I left the office to avoid Department Head Bones’s noisy nagging.

From now on, where I’m going is—.

“Assistant Manager Joy, you’re thinking of going to meet Kronos, aren’t you?”

As I was about to go meet Kronos, a nightmare approached me.

Of all times, the person I least wanted to meet appeared at this timing.

Her appearance, resembling a toga in a white dress, with a red laurel wreath on her head, was truly terrifyingly and fatally beautiful—she was the princess of Happy World.

“Assistant Manager Joy, rejecting Thanatos’s rare favor, you’re probably the first since creation. It means you’re that confident in persuading Kronos, right?”

What on earth was she going to say?

As I idly gulped saliva in my drying mouth, the Princess added a few words.

“However, Kronos’s security level is Apocalypse-level. He’s sealed in the deepest place even in this Happy World, so even our executives cannot carelessly approach him.”

That was true.

The prisoners of this Happy World are categorized according to their danger level; for example, the A in Sisyphus’s prisoner code ‘R-08A’ is exactly that.

Meaning it’s an A-grade security risk.

For reference, Kronos’s prisoner number is 「T-01Ω」.

The 「T」 in front means the type of punishment he receives, and 「Ω」 symbolized apocalypse as a security level.

Meaning he’s an ultimate boss level who would cause the end of the world if he is released.

Therefore, he is strictly managed, and just anyone cannot access such a place.

At this moment, I felt like I had seen the forelock of opportunity.

“I was confident in persuading Kronos to lead to cooperation. But with my humble birth, it’s impossible to even meet him. Being fired like this must be my fate! I’m truly frustrated!”

I clenched my fists tightly and with my eyes wide open, I made it obvious I was extremely disappointed.

An employee’s lament at being unable to even attempt the task, inevitably and unavoidably, even though I was truly confident!

Seeing me like that, Melinoye spoke further.

“To be so frustrated. Seizing the position of an excellent employee and being promoted to assistant manager in just two years with a mortal body isn’t a coincidence; it must be thanks to that competitive spirit.”

“No, that’s a coincidence, that’s righ─.”

“Ahem, ahem. Be happy. If I, a mature and perfect goddess, bestow 《Grace》, you too will be able to enter the Apocalypse-level detention facility.”

“What? 《Grace》?”

“It’s a thank-you for helping me find my wallet and keeping that matter a secret. Thanks to you keeping the reason for my lateness a secret, I was able to avoid being humiliated in front of people.”

Melinoye made a ‘smack’ sound with her lips on her palm, then blew a ‘whoosh’ of air.

Then, a red lip print became a butterfly and fluttered towards me, wasn’t it?!

I didn’t know what it was, but thinking I shouldn’t be hit by that, I quickly turned my head, but it flew so quickly that I couldn’t avoid it!

*Smack!*

The butterfly stuck on my forehead.

“Melinoye, Goddess of Ghosts and Bad Dreams, bestows 《Grace》 upon Assistant Manager Joy as an executive. The duration is until he returns to the office building after meeting Kronos—.”

*Sizzle—.*

“Oh?”

“Actually, it’s my first time bestowing grace, so I can’t be certain, but… I think there won’t be any side effects or anything. Probably… Ahem ahem ahem.”

For a moment, my mind spun from the burning hot sensation on my forehead. When I barely came to my senses, I was standing alone in front of the office building.

The things that had just happened felt like a dream I had in broad daylight.

*Throbbing heat—.*

Of course, the red glowing lip print reflected on the office building’s glass window, vivid like a brand, was by no means like a dream.

*Rub rub rub—.*

‘It’s not coming off, is it? Surely this won’t stay until I meet Kronos and come back, will it?’

This situation was like advertising that I received a kiss from the Princess of Hell.

In my situation, who knows whether I spent a night with the Princess or not, this kiss mark was a punishment itself.

‘Melinoye, Goddess of Nightmares. To make people agonize with just a kiss, she is indeed a terrifying goddess, just like her name!’

# # #

As an aside, Kronos’s solitary cell was located in a dark and deep underground, to the extent that not a single ray of light entered, even in this “Happy World.”

It was full of fog and eerie, but I rather liked that there were no Hell Wheels.

*Rumble—.*

The iron door, which the giant Cyclopes had stayed up all night to make for several years, was magnificent, reaching up to a towering, invisible ceiling.

In front of it, a sign was planted like a stake, written as follows:

「Prisoner – Kronos」

「Level – Ω」

「Punishment – Killing Time」

“Assistant Manager Joy of Punishment Execution Department, Team 4, entering.”

As I greeted the skeleton security guards guarding the entrance, they examined the kiss mark on my forehead.

The taciturn security guard’s eyes glowed red, and for some reason, I felt extremely embarrassed.

Soon, a small visitor’s entrance opened with a *creak* next to the giant sealed door.

As I stepped inside, a pure white room was visible, and in its center, an old god sitting cross-legged looked at me and shouted loudly.

“You’re that negotiator, aren’t you? To think the bastards who threw me into this boring and dull solitary cell now demand cooperation, how ridiculous! Youngsters nowadays have no business ethics. In my time, you see—.”

A gleaming bald head and a wrinkle-filled face.

Kronos was truly the personification of a stubborn old man.

I rather liked that aspect.

Because he seemed like he wouldn’t readily cooperate.

Just like this, Mission Failure!

Successful job transfer to Olympus!

…What!?

Why on earth?!

“…Why… why is this? Oh, old ruler, this is a massive undertaking, so there must be a proper reason! Please try to persuade me with a reason I can understand! Please!”

“Oh, really, young man. If it’s like this, I wonder if the negotiator’s role hasn’t been reversed? And you already know the answer, don’t you?”

“Me?”

“Yes! Oh, dear, if you come at it this strongly, I too can’t refuse, can I? For a youngster these days, you have a lot of potential.”

What on earth are you talking about?!

*Aaaargh!*

I screamed inwardly.

Then, Kronos, who was only scary by rumor, explained the reason.

“What is this, as they say these days, to come down fearlessly into this abyss of evil spirits that even executives fear, with a mortal body. That much must mean my help was desperate. How could I ignore that sincerity?”

Abyss of evil spirits?

Coming here, I haven’t seen anything other than fog.

Perhaps it’s because of Melinoye’s Grace, the Goddess of Nightmares and Ghosts?

Strictly speaking, the evil spirit security guards are subordinates of Melinoye, who is the Goddess of Ghosts.

Other than that, nothing makes sense.

“Oh….”

…Oh, this is a dream.

And a very terrible one.