After that, during the banquet, the two gods raised several more questions.
Asshu answered them in a way that tried not to surpass the limits of the era, yet was still different from contemporary perspectives.
The admiration in Zeus's eyes grew deeper and deeper.
When the atmosphere of the banquet grew livelier, he suddenly asked with a smile:
"Sage of Athens, what is your opinion of the gods?"
Asshu knew the time for serious matters had come.
Those earlier questions had likely just been a kind of test from Zeus.
He could not help but put down his food and fall silent.
A moment later, he smiled.
"Honored guests, allow me not to answer this question. How could a mortal judge the gods at will?"
"Besides, without investigation, one has no right to speak. I have never met the gods, and if I were to draw conclusions based only on rumors, it would surely be a narrow view."
"Without investigation, one has no right to speak..."
Athena repeated the famous phrase Asshu had once spoken casually. Her beautiful eyes sparkled.
Zeus, however, frowned.
"Then let us change the question, Sage of Athens. As one of the few wise men in this world, have you thought about how gods might advance to a higher level?"
Asshu's expression froze.
Suddenly, he remembered a travel diary he had recently read.
Its author was a famous sage from thousands of years ago.
In it, he had written about an absurd dream.
In the dream, a young man with a blurred face drank with him and asked many questions.
Among them had been a similar one: how should gods advance to a higher level?
Without a doubt, that sage had also encountered the same situation Asshu was now facing.
It seems Zeus is truly obsessed with power...
Asshu sighed helplessly in his heart.
But why ask a mortal?
Or rather could it be that the King of the Gods, Zeus, hoped a human sage might show him the path forward?
He shook his head directly:
"I am not a god, and I do not even understand the system of divine power. How could I imagine a way for the gods to advance?"
Zeus was silent for a moment, then smiled.
"Very well, consider this your reward for today's hospitality."
"Sage of Athens, your shelves hold many books, and in them are described the powers of many human heroes. Then, in your opinion, where does the power of heroes come from? And what sets them apart from ordinary people?"
Asshu frowned, and in a doubtful tone, said:
"Does it come from... divine blessings?"
"It is sensation."
Zeus spoke with a calm expression:
"Sight, hearing, smell, taste, touch... Humans with the potential to be heroes are born with these five senses sharper than those of common men, and thus they possess greater wisdom and spirit."
"That wisdom and spirit, surpassing the ordinary, allows them to see this world more clearly."
"As their five senses grow stronger and their understanding of the various laws of the world deepens, they gradually awaken an even greater power within their bodies."
"This power can make their fists tear the heavens and their steps shatter the earth with ease."
"..."
Asshu was a little stunned.
Could strengthening the five senses really awaken tremendous power?
If the AFK system had not marked this man as the King of the Gods, he might have thought him just an ancient swindler.
Yet, something about Zeus's words felt strangely familiar...
Where had he heard them before?
Tearing the heavens, shattering the earth.
The five senses...
Wait!
Like being struck by lightning, Asshu froze on the spot.
Five senses, sixth sense, seventh sense!
Cosmo...the small universe?!
Could this world... actually be Saint Seiya?!
He secretly glanced at the Goddess of Wisdom, Athena, who sat discreetly beside Zeus.
Her purple hair shimmered with a soft glow, her beautiful face oddly familiar, and her gentle yet heroic temperament...
She resembled Sasha, the goddess's reincarnation in Saint Seiya: The Lost Canvas, about sixty to seventy percent.
Though compared to her two-dimensional anime appearance, the real-life figure was far more exquisite and perfect.
"Honored guest."
Asshu's expression grew extremely serious.
He looked at Zeus with shining eyes, his voice unable to hide his excitement:
"So the heroes sung of by the bards are people who have awakened a power called sensation?"
"Could you, guest, describe this power in more detail? I am extremely curious."
"And also..." Asshu asked with eager anticipation, "Could I awaken it too?"
Zeus smiled.
"I already said it clearly—the power of sensation is called Cosmo, the small universe."
"When your five senses continue to grow stronger, reaching their peak, you will truly comprehend the world you live in. Then, with unshakable will, you will break past the limit in an instant and gradually awaken the mighty sixth sense beyond the five."
"At once, you will manifest all kinds of unimaginable special abilities, and... a vast power capable of easily destroying atoms."
"And to push your five senses to the limit, you must first constantly feel and perceive the correct laws by which the world operates."
"For Cosmo, by its very nature, is a source of miracles that opens within the human body, mirroring the great universe beyond."
The King of the Gods uttered a strange word.
Atom...
From his study of ancient Greek since reincarnating into this world, Asshu could make it out.
The word did not carry the same meaning as "atom" in modern times. In this era, it meant more like "fundamental particle" the indivisible basic unit that makes up all things.
Cosmo, a power that easily destroys atoms.
It was Saint Seiya, without a doubt!
Finally, it was confirmed.
Yet, constantly perceiving the correct laws of the world... with the mind?
How exactly?
Through silent meditation?
Asshu felt deeply confused.
This explanation was far too subjective.
Just as he was about to ask, the Zeus before him shook his head.
"Given the quality of your lineage, the chance of awakening it naturally is extremely small."
"But, fortunate sage, you have met me today."
Zeus suddenly raised his hand and gently pointed forward.
"Remember this sensation."
With his words, an invisible, powerful force enveloped Asshu.
Swept up by it, he felt his five senses grow sharper and sharper.
Gradually, the five senses.
Sight, hearing, smell, taste, touch.
Seemed to form a kind of resonance with the planet beneath his feet. Guided by spiritual will, they rapidly strengthened.
Asshu felt he could even clearly see a distant leaf outside the door. He could hear the whispers of servants and smell the complex blend of scents in the air...
Until, finally, his vision rose higher and higher, soaring into the sky, observing without thought the entire Aegean Sea.
Sensing the paths of atmospheric currents in that region, the vibrations of mountains and rivers, the angles of waves at the ocean floor, and the chaotic yet patterned collisions of the invisible magnetic field...
It was a peculiar, wondrous experience.
Like a person with severe nearsightedness suddenly cured, finally able to take off their glasses and see the world in detail—so moving, one could not help but sink into it.
And then, when an endless stream of chaotic, massive information flooded into his mind, his brain seemed to explode, releasing a loud roar.
At that moment, the chaotic ocean of consciousness was split in an instant by an invisible lightning bolt!
Along with it, there suddenly appeared a sensation beyond the five senses—indescribable in the mortal world, yet extremely strange.
At the same time, it came hand in hand with a powerful, explosive force!
Like a blazing sun slowly rising, like a vast galaxy in the universe, a mass of energy spun and expanded within his body, releasing immense power without end!
The AFK system suddenly emitted another message:
"(Energy detected, analysis function activated)."
"Is this the awakening of the Sixth Sense of Cosmo?"
Ignoring the so-called "analysis function," Asshu silently felt the swirling energy inside his body. With great astonishment, he opened his eyes.
And before him, Zeus was once again frowning, while Athena also appeared greatly surprised.