Chapter 23: Zeus

I entered the Colosseum.

The exterior was very similar to the one in Rome, giving it an ancient feel, but the interior was modern.

Precisely cut marble tiles covered the floor, and, incongruously, vending machines were also present.

Well… considering there was a café operating outside, it wasn’t surprising.

I moved forward.

I had no idea where Zeus was.

But according to Artemis, he was the real power here.

The largest room, close to the Colosseum arena.

A massive, thick iron door, at least 5m high.

A high-relief carving, full of self-importance, depicting the Greek gods defeating the Titans.

Anyone would be certain he was beyond this iron door.

“Um… are you perhaps an invited guest?”

A small angel hesitantly asked.

I didn’t answer and placed my hand on the giant iron door guarding the large room.

“Is Zeus in there?”

“He is, but… please take your hand off!”

The small angel shrieked, trying to reason with me.

As the angel said, I took my hand off and put it in my pocket.

As I meekly backed down, the small angel sighed in relief and said:

“Ugh… it’s enchanted, so it won’t open even if you try to force it.”

“You’re not going to open it for me, are you?”

“W-well… I’m a guard, and… you’re an unidentified Constellation…”

Hmm.

Thinking from Zeus’s perspective, illegal entry would be more annoying.

I kept my hands in my pockets and said to the small angel:

“Stay back.”

“Huh?”

After giving the warning, I walked towards the thick iron door.

I could easily teleport past it, but that wouldn’t insult Zeus at all.

So, without using any abilities, I slowly walked and bumped into the door.

With my hands in my pockets, my face slammed against the thick iron door.

But I didn’t stop and continued walking.

-Screeeeech -!!

“Eek! St… stay away!!”

My face and upper body pressed against the sturdy door.

Just by walking, I pushed the iron door.

The thick metal groaned as if stretching, and a distressing metallic sound echoed.

The magic activated, and my whole body tingled, but it didn’t do much damage.

I took another step.

Another step.

And another.

With each step, the iron door stretched like rubber, accompanied by a bizarre sound….

Eventually, the metal’s elasticity and even the magic couldn’t withstand it, and the door burst open.

As the sturdy metal tore, my vision, which had been black, cleared.

And then I saw the large gods before me.

“Hello?”

The jagged fragments of the stretched and torn iron door scraped my upper body as I moved forward.

My t-shirt tore in various places from the sharp metal.

It was too soft to injure my skin, so I ignored it and continued walking.

Were they having a party?

The gods, each holding a luxurious wine glass made of gold and silver, stared at me blankly.

With about eight gods watching, I shamelessly smiled and looked around.

And my eyes landed on a man sitting on a magnificent throne.

Large muscles, blonde hair, and blue eyes.

A bastard wearing clothes made of white Greek silk and expensive leather sandals.

I still had my hands in my pockets as I stood before him.

“Nice to meet you, Zeus?”

I greeted Zeus, who boasted a massive physique.

Since he was sitting on the throne, I looked down at the King of Olympus.

Conversely, Zeus’s eyes, looking up at me, trembled slightly.

He must be angry.

A newbie who infiltrated his territory barehanded.

An uninvited guest who tore open the party room door with his bare hands.

A human looking down on the great King of Olympus.

The Constellation who stole the woman he had his eye on.

There was no reason for him not to be pissed off.

As I leisurely looked down at him, Zeus trembled.

I thought he was trembling with rage, but….

“Hahahahaha -!!!”

A deafening, eardrum-splitting roar of laughter.

And as he laughed heartily, intense golden lightning spread around him.

An attack that would have instantly killed any ordinary human nearby.

But this act was like sneezing; an uncontrollable, natural phenomenon for Zeus.

Not an intentional attack, but a performance that naturally emerged because he was the god of lightning.

After a long, hearty laugh, he tried his best to suppress his laughter.

“Kekekek…!!”

Zeus, who had suddenly laughed as if he had lost his mind, wiped away the tears that had welled up from laughing with his thick fingers.

“Hoho, an interesting fellow.”

It wasn’t an act.

A 100% sincere assessment of me.

Then Zeus rose from his throne and faced me.

“I quite like your youthful spirit, young man.”

He’s bigger than Tyr.

A massive physique and muscles, over 3m tall.

At 196cm, I barely reached his navel, let alone his solar plexus.

He stroked his bushy beard and bent down to meet my eye level.

Zeus, whose palm was larger than my head, squeezed my shoulder.

“Young man, I quite like your actions.”

He showed genuine interest in me.

At the same time, it felt like he was saying he had no intention of playing along with my insignificant plan.

Zeus, his face blooming with a smile as he gripped my shoulder.

His eyes turned bright yellow with lightning as he looked at me.

“Your advice. It was indeed pertinent.”

After becoming a Constellation and being unable to intervene in the human world, a long time had passed.

The dignity associated with the name of god had vanished, and humans no longer feared gods.

After that, the gods became Constellations who spent their time solely for entertainment.

And the appearance of those Constellations, just as I said….

“As you said, Olympus was indeed very small.”

“Haha…”

I chuckled awkwardly at his words.

He still remembered the provocation I made when I took Cheok Chaerin.

But at the same time, I was a little annoyed.

To me, it seemed like he was acting magnanimous, saying, “I am generous.”

The bastard who was rejected by Cheok Chaerin and tormented her for three years… acting like a benevolent king in front of me was just pathetic.

“You’re quite cute.”

So I grabbed Zeus’s magnificently grown beard.

Since he was bowing his head, I grabbed his beard like a rope and pulled his head down.

The supreme god, the lofty King of Olympus, humiliated by having his beard pulled.

I forced eye contact and provoked him with a smile.

“It’s cute how you’re wagging your tail because you don’t want to fight.”

Zeus’s eyes widened at my words.

As if his patience had reached its limit, Zeus lightly raised his hand and ‘pushed’ my side.

At the same time, I felt a cold impact on my back.

–Crash!

A deafening roar.

The iron door I had broken through with my bare hands crumpled again.

My 145kg body, as light as paper before the 3m-tall supreme god.

Even though he just lightly ‘pushed’ me.

Even though, from Zeus’s perspective, it was like lightly tapping a three-year-old grandson’s bottom.

It shattered the 45cm-thick iron door and the sturdy Colosseum wall, sending me flying outside.

My vision spun again.

After tumbling and rolling, I stopped at….

“Hey, are you okay!? Don’t tell me you actually fought Zeus….”

“Kekeke -! You finally did it!”

The space where Artemis and her group were resting, drinking coffee.

I was sent flying about 20km to the café in 5 seconds.

To put it in perspective, it’s like traveling from central Seoul to Bucheon in 5 seconds….

But this is still weaker compared to the Zeus of my original world.

He didn’t even use his divine power, so he must be hiding more strength, right?

Thinking that, I stood up and dusted off my clothes.

Then the café fairy screamed.

The table that Tyr had shattered was shattered again by my impact.

“Kyaaaak! The coffee table I just replaced!!”

“…Artemis will pay for it.”

“You bastard!”

My wallet, now openly cursing at me.

As I stood up, the shockwave, arriving late, shook the building’s windows.

The shockwave from his ‘push’ finally arrived.

But now it’s time to fight Zeus.

I tilted my head left and right, cracking my neck, and loosened up.

Just as I was about to bounce in place to warm up….

-Rumble…

“Oh no, Zeus seems really angry.”

The entire sky filled with dark clouds, turning it into a black canvas.

Golden lightning, like yellow paint splattered on a campus, filled the sky, roaring with thunder.

Even a rough estimate showed millions of lightning bolts.

If even the smallest lightning bolt among them struck directly… a 10km radius would be completely obliterated.

As expected, he was quite strong when using his divine power.

I looked up at the sky, waiting for Zeus to arrive, and finally, Zeus followed.

He arrived before me, riding on lightning like a thundercloud.

I’ve insulted him enough, and now I’m going to crush him in battle.

The resentment of Cheok Chaerin, who has now become my Incarnation.

My personal resentment towards a god who acts as he pleases.

And a check on the current number one ranked, who has the most coins.

I’ll defeat him in front of everyone and make Zeus lose his prestige.

That’s my goal, so I’ll try not to kill him.

I clenched and unclenched my fists and said to him:

“Now, are you ready to fight…”

“My apologies. I was not very mature.”

Then Zeus stood before me and bowed his head.

His unexpected action made my eyes widen in a daze.

Then, a memory flashed by.

Artemis had definitely said it.

Sometimes he’s like a magnanimous hero, and other times he’s petty like a little girl.

Perhaps he plans to continue acting in his magnanimous hero mode today.

“…What.”

“It seems you really want to fight me.”

Zeus, raising his head again and speaking calmly.

Since his words were true, I shrugged and said sarcastically:

“That’s right. You’re pretty smart to realize it now.”

“Hahahaha -!!”

Then Zeus started laughing heartily again.

The golden lightning high in the sky rained down on the ground in time with his laughter.

However, it was just static-level sparks, not real lightning.

Of course, even just the sparks melted the sturdy buildings and ground like a wet spoon scooping cotton candy.

After laughing heartily, he barely managed to compose himself and said to me:

“There is an immense gap between you and me.”

……Huh?

I was so dumbfounded that I couldn’t speak.

But Zeus didn’t stop and taught me as if scolding a child.

“To put it in terms even ignorant Incarnations can understand… I am a boxing champion, and you are an unknown rookie boxer whose name isn’t even known. You can’t expect the luxury of fighting the champion from the start, can you?”

I was so dumbfounded that I just listened silently.

Zeus, chuckling at my unconvinced expression, made me an offer.

“Since we’re fighting anyway, how about we do it properly?”

“…Properly?”

“How about a ‘monomachia’?”

Since I didn’t know what that was, I tilted my head, and Artemis, next to me, added an explanation.

“A one-on-one duel. The yacha rule I mentioned before.”

“Ah.”

So, you want a one-on-one fight?

I cracked my knuckles, making popping sounds, and smiled.

It was the perfect stage to humiliate him in front of everyone… I mean, gods.

“But you won’t be fighting me.”

“…Are you serious?”

“Instead, I’ll give you an opponent you’ll be satisfied with.”

Then Zeus snapped his fingers.

The sound was so loud, like thunder, that my ears rang.

Less than a minute later, the opponent I had to fight appeared before my eyes.

He was much smaller than Zeus.

My head barely reached his solar plexus.

And he wasn’t a supreme god like Zeus.

However….

“W-wait, you’re participating?!”

Artemis, next to me, exclaimed in surprise.

I smiled and stood before the giant man.

“Well…”

The god of strength.

The figure known as the hero of Greece.

The legendary ‘Heracles’ was before my eyes.

“I’m satisfied.”

I resolved to be careful not to kill him again.

The perfect material to humiliate Zeus.

The match against Heracles was decided.

Zeus, Heracles, Cain, Cheok Chaerin, Kang Arin, Ham Yui Height Comparison