The next day.
After putting our heads together and discussing with Historie.
The hallucination that surfaces every time I shout “Status Window”....
Whether it’s a dream brought on by some blood disease I’ve caught, or if it’s really a special bonus from tripping into another world, I still can’t know for certain.
But nothing ventured, nothing gained.
I came to the conclusion that I needed to verify this hallucination.
.
.
.
“That’s quite…… a bold idea.”
“Is it? Haha….”
And so, I visited a mid-sized publishing house.
The editor’s reaction after taking my unprecedented masterpiece and reading through it in an instant was.
“It’s definitely challenging, refreshing, and entertaining but……. Couldn’t you change the word ‘god’? To hero, or, well, something along those lines.”
A bit ambivalent.
It wasn’t incomprehensible.
This was a world that had achieved religious unification under the Goddess Church.
That point had worried me as well, so during the revision process, I had tried to remove the word “god.”
But.
The moment I finished the revisions out of interest, or exercising some flexibility,
[Historical Verification: Non-compliant]
[Changes will be applied due to novel adaptation.]
[D-grade Skill ‘Cyclops’s Dexterity’ is being deactivated.]
“……That won’t do.”
Once again, the hallucination—no, the Status Window—surfaced.
Even the bonus skill I’d barely obtained was on the verge of evaporating.
When I shot her sparkling eyes as if asking if there was absolutely no way, the editor sighed and rustled through my manuscript again.
“Anyway, it’s certainly worth publishing. If we craft the synopsis well, it can be read as an allegory rather than a story directly targeting the Church…… However, the royalty split will be 2:8.”
I thought it was a bit of a rip-off, but.
At this point in time, I was a novice writer who had just completed his debut work.
I had no choice but to prove myself through future sales.
I signed the contract the editor held out.
It was the moment the first die was cast.
* * *
Three days had passed.
“I’m done with the work. I’ll head out first.”
“Already? My friend, did you learn magic or something? How did you finish such a large workload so quickly……?”
“Haha……. Well then, I’ll see you next week!”
In that time.
I was able to directly experience the performance of ‘Cyclops’s Dexterity,’ which I had gained as a special bonus.
Since I had to survive even after failing to find a job, I had occasionally worked part-time at a carpentry shop.
Unlike the past where I would constantly smash my fingers with a hammer.
I could finish tasks almost more than twice as fast as before, and neatly too.
To the point where I felt certain I could make enough to not starve with just this.
And the wrist pain I used to get while typing on a keyboard had disappeared too.
I had truly been reborn as a man brimming with spirit who could do anything with his hands reasonably well!
“Hehehe.”
Not only could spinning tales from history guarantee my livelihood.
My innate abilities could even grow stronger?
As expected, the History Department was undoubtedly the greatest, most invincible major in existence, one that could beat Medical School and make Engineering kneel!
Of course, opinions were divided in academia on whether mythology could be viewed as history, but regardless, the System had added the supplementary explanation ‘(Mythology)’ and effectively declared it had value as source material.
Mythology is the best, myth myth.
History is the best, histo histo.
Normally, this would be the time to grab a cheap meal at an inn and then hole up in the study to write, but.
Today was the momentous day my first novel was being published.
I couldn’t not visit the bookstore.
.
.
.
Since I had lived my whole life chasing after adventure, I hadn’t paid much attention to popular culture, but.
In this world, art was quite mainstream.
Art museums, theaters, and even bards singing at the top of their lungs on every street.
After passing through a crowded place reminiscent of Hongdae Street, the moment I entered the bookstore.
“Oh…….”
The moment I saw my books on the new releases display, a surge of pride hit me.
[A world beyond the Goddess’s gaze, there were other gods!]
[A provocative and fantastical story from a rising new author!]
Above them, banners fluttered with promotional phrases we had squeezed out together with the editor.
They were the result of framing things to undermine the Goddess’s authority as little as possible.
If this sold like crazy now, I’d become rich, a celebrity, my market share would rise, my user base would grow…….
“If you’re not buying, move aside, commoner.”
“Ah, yes.”
With a curt tone.
A nobleman pushed me aside and picked up my book.
Books in this world tended to be somewhat expensive.
Mass printing was possible through magic engineering, so economies of scale could be realized, but since they were fundamentally hardcovers, a commoner like me couldn’t easily afford them.
So the demand inevitably came from wealthy people like him.
If this were a modern web novel, immediate feedback, or sharp serpentine tongues disguised as feedback, would be stabbing me relentlessly.
But for now, I could only watch the sales like this.
After watching the eleventh book sell over the course of about three hours.
I left the bookstore.
* * *
Two months had passed since the first publication.
And I…….
“I-I believed in Author Yul’s writing ability! Please renew your contract with us!”
“4:6! I’ll give you 4:6, contract with our publishing house!”
“We’ll sign a pre-contract for your next work as well!”
It had become more popular than I’d imagined.
The original publisher watched nervously.
Other publishers courted me.
Rival authors were on edge.
In those two months.
I had written one more work besides the first.
I couldn’t fit all of Greco-Roman mythology into one volume, so naturally it was a sequel to the Olympus story.
The first work, whose title had naturally changed to *Olympus Story: War of the Gods*, hadn’t been particularly popular, but.
After spending several days going in and out of bookstores and grasping the trends of other novels.
I observed that romance novels—adventure tales alongside love stories—were incredibly popular.
But their quality was below expectations.
They were at a miserable level that seemed like a single K-drama makjang twist could sweep them all away with ease.
Therefore.
To properly expand the worldview.
Part 2, titled *Zeus’s Love Stories*.
Honestly…….
It was practically smut.
If I’d made the title a bit more explicit, something like *Zeus Devours Them All* would have been perfectly appropriate.
Thanks to that, it gained cult popularity to the point where complaint letters containing accusations of sexual harassment arrived at the publisher in droves.
As expected of mythology’s JOAT, the greatest womanizer, Zeus-nim.
And so…….
“Uh, Author-nim. About the contract for your next work…….”
“No, you’re doing it with us! 2:8, that was a slave contract!”
“Of course, we are also planning to recalculate the royalty split……! *Sob*, we failed to recognize your greatness…….”
I had arrived at this point.
Well, they were all clinging to me now…….
But in truth, the newspaper companies that could truly be called major publishers hadn’t come looking for me yet.
It felt like being the top of the lowest tier, so to speak.
If there was one concern.
The Heracles story was going to get cursed at like crazy because of its ending.
I’m sorry in advance, readers.
It’s historically accurate.
But that’s why makjang dramas are popular in the first place.
Because they’re makjang, they’re popular.
“Regarding the contract…… I’ll think about it a bit more. I’m still writing the next work. I’ll contact you first.”
After chasing away the editors stained with regret, exhaustion, and obsession.
“Status Window.”
I uttered a phrase that was moving no matter when I recited it.
[Title: Olympus Story – War of the Gods]
[Historical Verification: (Mythology) Compliant] [Quality Assessment: Average]
[Public Evaluation: Generally Positive] [Sales Volume: 774 copies]
[Acquired Skill (First Bonus): [D-grade] Cyclops’s Dexterity]
[(4 days remaining) 1,226 more copies needed until next skill acquisition]
[Predicted Acquired Skill: [C-grade] Hepha■stu■’s ■■■]
[Title: Olympus Story – Zeus’s Love Stories]
[Historical Verification: (Mythology) Compliant] [Quality Assessment: Average]
[Public Evaluation: Mixed] [Sales Volume: 1,834 copies]
[(34 days remaining) 166 more copies needed until next skill acquisition]
[Predicted Acquired Skill: [C-grade] Herme■’s ■■■]
Public evaluation had actually dropped.
But sales don’t lie.
Honestly, it hadn’t sold that well.
I heard bestsellers easily sold several thousand copies in two months.
But for me, even this much was more than enough.
Although my first work was a bit sluggish, so I probably wouldn’t acquire a skill related to Hephaestus…….
Judging by the current trend, the chances of obtaining a new ability related to Hermes were extremely high.
Since I could see the sales volume increasing before my very eyes every passing moment, it would only be a matter of time.
* * *
## ====== ##
The immortal ability he had believed to be a blessing became a thorn that stabbed the great hero Heracles instead.
He who had finally decided to commit suicide to overcome the unbearable pain climbed onto a pyre, lay down, and solemnly uttered,
“I have lived burning with a fiery passion all my life, so it is only natural that my end shall be with fire. Now, light the fire. Light the fire and grant me peace!”
But there was no one who stepped forward to actually light the fire.
No one could bear to send the great hero Heracles away so tragically.
But there was one man who mustered his courage.
So that his teacher could return to the embrace of the glorious gods while maintaining his dignity, Philoctetes stepped forward.
Soon, the pyre blazed up from the flame Philoctetes lit, and despite the scorching heat engulfing his entire body, Heracles looked at him with a transcendent smile upon his lips.
“Thank you, my proud disciple.”
## ====== ##
“Whew…….”
Is this…… right……?
No matter how historically accurate it is, a warrior who achieved legendary feats suffering pain to the point of wanting to die after being betrayed by his wife, and committing suicide……?
Fortunately, in the final ending.
The scene where Athena makes Heracles a god by Zeus’s command, and the scene of Heracles playing an active role in the Gigantomachy that was intentionally omitted in Part 1.
If I included this part, I could at least add a spoonful of happy ending to the tragic conclusion…….
I could probably finish it today.
Although I was basing it on mythology as the original text, the process of adapting it into a novel that would sell in this other world rested solely on my hands, so my head hurt a bit.
Setting aside public evaluation.
There were system elements that bothered me too, like historical verification and quality assessment.
“Shall I take a short break?”
『Good work, Yul. How about taking a short walk to clear your head?』
Following Historie’s advice, I thought it would be good to go outside and get some fresh air.
The moment I downed the last sip of today’s cola and stepped out the door.
“Are you Author Yul?”
I heard someone calling me.
I turned my gaze.
“Huk…….”
I saw a woman wearing strange clothes that emphasized her voluptuous body almost blasphemously, with a cross-shaped gap at her chest.
This outfit.
I felt like I’d seen it somewhere before.
Surely…….
“I’ve come from the Goddess Church. Please cooperate with us for a moment.”
…….
Cold sweat ran down my spine.
This was a world that had succeeded in religious unification under the Goddess Church.
And I.
Had spun polytheistic tales in a monotheistic world.
Umm…….
Could I…… be a heretic?