The Evolution Of A Goblin To The Peak

Chapter 618: Meeting with Athena

Cicero Flavius. One of the six Division Commanders of the Athenʼs Legion. A very powerful man that holds the highest authority here.

ʼSo Athena used Cicero to summon me...ʼ

Souta looked at Cicero before he slightly bowed down and introduced himself once again. He already forgot how many times he introduced himself today.

Cicero nodded and said, ”Iʼm Cicero Flavius...”

It was a simple introduction but every people in the entire legion knows the name Cicero Flavius. People at this level didnʼt need a grand introduction. They will just say their name and people would already recognize their ranks and achievements.

”What are your orders, Commander Cicero?” Souta asked politely since Cicero didnʼt say anything.

Also, he had to make sure that he didnʼt know that Athena was the one that called him here.

”Souta Ieshi... A monster that joined our legion a month ago. He was assigned to Tenth Grain War and contributed a lot to the mission in the Dukedom of Halbun. In just a short amount of time, he easily promoted his circle to Second Class Yellow Squadron...”

It was as if Cicero was reading his reports. Everything that Souta did ever since he joined the legion was recorded.

Souta didnʼt care about all of it but he didnʼt show it on his face. He was just wondering when will this old man finished talking.

After a while, Cicero turned his attention back on Souta once again.

”Iʼm not the one that called you here.”

He pointed at the door behind him and said, ”Go inside the room. No matter what you see, donʼt let any other people know about it.”

ʼFinally...ʼ Souta sighed inwardly. ʼIʼm going to meet Athena. I want to finish this as soon as possible.ʼ

He bowed at Cicero before he walked forward.

Cicero kept observing him without saying any words. It only stopped when Souta entered the door.

...

”Sigh...”

Souta sighed after closing the door. He knew that this door had high-concealment runes that could prevent eavesdropping and could block perception.

Giggle*

He turned around as he heard a soft laugh behind him. He saw Athena laughing with her hand on her mouth.

He stood straight before he went on his knees and said, ”Itʼs my pleasure seeing you again, My Lady.”

”Yep, donʼt worry about it.” Athena waved her hand. ”Cicero is a busy person. He canceled some of his plans just to listen to my request.”

Souta knew very well that managing a legion as big as Athenʼs Champion was hard.

Athena forcefully coughed as she fixed her posture elegantly and her expression turned serious.

”Cosmic Body is very important. The strength that it provides isnʼt that huge but its utilities could even make a god envy it. The most important thing about it is that it could hold the power of a Zodiac.”

She spoke clearly and Souta listened to her with a serious expression. He knows that this was a very important meeting that could change his life. So he had to pay attention to the words that were coming out of her mouth.

”Iʼll give you two choices. Stay in the Olympus and accumulate your strength. If you choose this, I will help you to the best of my ability to train you. Even gods and monster lords in Olympus will give you their guidance. But the moment you choose this, you canʼt leave Olympus until you have enough strength to protect yourself. You should know that the Zodiacs will likely target you the moment they realized that you have a Cosmic Body.”

Athena narrowed her eyes and asked, ”Do you want to know why?”

Souta nodded, ”Yes, My Lady.”

”Cosmic Body can only hold a power of Zodiac. Since you didnʼt have a Zodiac Authority inside you, they will think that youʼre a threat. You will be able to take their Zodiac Authority and fill up the emptiness in your Cosmic Body.”

ʼIt means that my Cosmic Body isnʼt complete even though I already integrated the body parts. To complete it, I just need a Zodiac Authority to upgrade it to the highest level.ʼ Souta understood Athenaʼs words.

If Souta grows stronger, the Zodiacs will be wary of him so they will eliminate him. Of course, they didnʼt know that Souta had Zodiac Authority. Itʼs just that it wasnʼt in his body. It was in his system waiting for him to unseal it.

”At your current level, even if there are millions, no, billions of you... You will not stand a chance.”

”Then, whatʼs the second choice, My Lady?” Souta carefully asked.

”The second choice is nothing... You will live the same as you have always been. Completing the missions in my legion and grow stronger on your own.” Athena paused for a moment before she continued, ”But Iʼll give you a manual to conceal your Cosmic Body... You donʼt need to be careful about other gods as they didnʼt have an ability to detect Cosmic Body. I couldnʼt even detect it but I have a relic related to it so I sensed your presence.”

”Well, the manual that Iʼll give will be able to conceal your Cosmic Body from Zodiacs. Of course, itʼs not perfect but itʼs still doable. Iʼm not going to force you. Just live whatever life you wanted, my child.”

Souta looked down. From the beginning, he already had one answer. He lifted up his head and smiled, ”Iʼll take the manual and live the same as before, My Lady.”

If he chose the first option then Souta would lose the opportunity to trigger quests from the system. His growth would be stagnant and it would take a long time before he could reach monster lord. He didnʼt even know if he could reach monster lord level with just training alone. Even if he could reach monster lord on normal route, he didnʼt know how long it would take. Twenty years? Thirty years? No, probably more than fifty years.

The best way for him to get stronger was to complete a quest.

”If you want to take the second choice then youʼll have to master it first. You canʼt leave Championʼs Den without mastering it as itʼs still too risky to leave without any protection.” Athena said.

Souta nodded. He had no choice but to follow her command. At least, she didnʼt force him to stay at Olympus. If it was another god, he could imagine being locked in that place without his consent.

ʼIt seems that Olympus wanted Zodiac Authority for themselves...ʼ

He said inwardly. If they had a creature with a Cosmic Body in their ranks then they have a chance of acquiring the Zodiac Authority. They wouldnʼt let this opportunity pass by.

Glancing at Athena, he knew that she had her own plan. It seems that she hasnʼt told anybody in the Olympus about his Cosmic Body.

He really owed her this time. Who knows what will those power hungry gods would do if they knew this information.

Souta was about to bid farewell when Athena opened her mouth.

”I have one more thing to say.”

He raised his eyebrows and looked at her with a confused look. He thought that it was finished but it seems that he was wrong.

”I will arrange a territory for you outside the Championʼs Den. You have a demon beside you, right? It would be better if sheʼs not staying here. She had an artifact for disguising but it wouldnʼt work on gods so other gods would discover her if they come here. You know that a godʼs senses can cover this entire city easily. They would easily know that thereʼs a demon here in just a blink of an eye.”

”I couldnʼt ask for more. Thank you for your kindness, My Lady.” Souta bowed his head to his goddess.

”Itʼs nothing. Both of you joined my legion, so you are one of my people too.” Athena smiled and a small book appeared on the table near them. ”Take this and you can take your leave.”

”Please excuse me, My Lady,” Souta said before he stood up and carefully took the small book. He placed it inside his clothes and silently walked toward the door.

”I know you have a story but please be careful. Donʼt forget my words. If you reach fifth stage, you can come and meet me at my temple in the Land of Eternal Spring.”

Souta heard Athenaʼs voice before he close the door. He turned around but it was in vain. Athenaʼs aura had disappeared. Sheʼs not in this place anymore.

ʼWhat a busy goddess...ʼ

He laughed inwardly. Suddenly, goosebumps spread on his body as he turned his head to the side, only to see Cicero looking at him.

”Donʼt tell anybody that you meet our goddess today,” Cicero said.

”I understand.”

”Since the goddess didnʼt tell me anything. Although Iʼm curious, I wouldnʼt ask anything about your conversation. Just remember, the warriors of our legion didnʼt know about it. They just knew that Iʼm the one who called you here.”

”I will not forget it.”

”Good, you can go now.”

”Then, please excuse me, Commander Cicero.”

With that, Souta left the Maiden Judge. It will become one hell of a week for him. He will try to learn the manual that he received as fast as possible so that he could continue taking quests.