Leveling with the Gods

A background as white as a drawing paper.

It was as if someone had used an eraser to erase the world. In the midst of it all, YuWon turned his head and looked around.

"Are you here?"

The voice sounded familiar to him.

As he turned his head, YuWon almost stumbled back in surprise.

The face was as familiar as the voice.

"...Zeus?"

Dazzling blond hair and a handsome face.

His slim and chiseled jawline and his golden eyes, matching his hair, were unmistakably those of the Zeus that YuWon knew.

"My grandson has grown so big that the resemblance is astonishing, isn't it?"

He caressed his face with a proud look.

Grandson...

With those words, YuWon knew the identity of the man before him.

"Are you Uranus?"

"I think I've seen you a couple of times already, but this must be the first time you've seen me."

Obviously, YuWon had never seen him before.

Before his Regression, he had only been given certain information about Uranus.

And he had never seen him as clearly as now.

"That's because even though I hadn't seen your face and didn't know your name, when I heard the name of your grandson, I could guess certain things."

"I see. It's no wonder you don't recognize my face, but I suppose it's not so strange that I resemble my grandson, right?"

Uranus laughed heartily and sat back down. There were two chairs in what had been a white and empty room.

"Make yourself comfortable. This is my home, and you are a guest."

Huh-.

Having said that, Uranus started drinking the steaming tea before realizing it.

It was as if Uranus was a god before him, as he could desire things and they would suddenly appear.

"I've been here for so long that I've gotten used to it. It's not a big deal. I'm just an old man in a back room, trapped in this tiny space, so there's nothing to see."

There was no hostility.

He resembled Zeus in his face and voice, but not in his speech or eyes. YuWon sat in front of Uranus and asked.

"Uranus, right?"

"Yes."

"Do you know Chronos?"

Uranus's eyebrows furrowed at YuWon's question.

"Chronos?"

He frowned as if he was thinking about something. The question about Chronos was one that he had wanted to ask since his Regression.

"The existence of Chronos in this world has been erased."

And that was the side effect of the Clock Mechanism.

Chronos was forgotten in everyone's minds. Chronos, the father of Zeus and his two brothers, was no longer mentioned in this world.

So, what about Uranus?

He was purged by the Rankers, including his son Chronos. Perhaps then he would remember Chronos.

But...

"Well, it doesn't matter. It was a lot of work putting the pieces together, and to be honest, I didn't think you would gather them all after the first one."

A response that had nothing to do with the question.

YuWon, who waited for a moment, sighed.

"Well, it was to be expected."

After using the Clock Mechanism to return, YuWon asked some people about Chronos.

Before the Regression, Chronos had been a former Ranker with a fairly good reputation. Although he was purged by Zeus, imprisoned, and forgotten, there were still some who remembered his name.

However, no one in the modern era remembered Chronos.

No, they didn't even try.

"When Chronos is mentioned, the conversation veers off. Like a malfunctioning machine, the flow of dialogue becomes unnatural and cuts off."

He wondered if Uranus would be the same way.

They were of the same blood after all, and although he was no longer a living being but lived in an object...

He hoped that he could remember Chronos.

"But it failed, well, whatever."

Talking about Chronos was no longer meaningful.

It was time to focus on the Uranus in front of him.

"Is this your heart?"

YuWon handed him the glove in his hand.

To be precise, the 'Uranus Heart' embedded in that glove.

"It's something like a heart."

An ambiguous answer.

"So, it's not a heart then?"

"It's embedded in my chest and pumps my blood, so yes, it's a heart."

"Be clear."

"That was all I was."

In Uranus's hand floated a jewel similar to YuWon's.

An opaque-colored gemstone.

Uranus Heart.

Although it was nothing more than a form that Uranus had created, YuWon saw it as his heart.

"For this, I devoured my brother, and I craved more."

"Why did you do that?"

"My greed got the best of me at some point. I wanted more power, and before I knew it, I was a monster."

YuWon looked at the Uranus Heart in his hand.

"That heart fed on and absorbed my brothers."

"What are you trying to say?"

What Uranus said was a story that YuWon had already heard and known through Chronos.

More than that, YuWon wanted something more definitive.

Uranus appeared before his eyes at the same time the heart was completed.

If he was no longer of this world and had used the power of the object to appear like this before him, there must be a reason.

"You have a quick temper. Hey, it's not like I don't have time either."

Nodding, Uranus soon added strength to his voice.

"Be careful not to become a monster, because anyone can become one."

Monster.

It was a somewhat difficult word to hear, depending on how one took it.

As if he had said everything he wanted to say, Uranus pointed with his chin at the glove in YuWon's hand.

As if saying, "Take a look."

Swish-.

The opaque glove enveloped YuWon's hand and transformed as if it carried nothing. It felt as comfortable as his own skin.

"Really comfortable, worthy of an object of this level."

It was then that he was satisfied with the fit of the gloves.

[You obtained the 'Uranus Heart'.]

[You have acquired 'Urano's Desire'.]

Swoosh-.

A violet aura flowed from the back of the glove.

It fluttered around YuWon, and as he watched, YuWon's eyes turned the same color, violet, and his mind became dizzy.

"Did he mean this?"

Anyone could become a monster.

The reason why Uranus had become a monster was hidden in this very heart.

"The Energy of the Exterior of the Divine Crystal of Darkness and the Divine Crystal of the Sea. After all, it was one of the seeds planted by that Foolish Chaos."

YuWon looked at the aura enveloping him.

It moved as if it wanted to seduce him.

No...

YuWon squinted his eyes as he looked at the creature.

"There's something different."

Unlike the seeds planted by Foolish Chaos, there was something unsettling about the creature in front of him.

It was much larger, but it couldn't even create a shape on its own.

"If it were a seed he planted, it wouldn't be so unstable. It's like a child that has grown too ignorantly."

YuWon had never seen this kind of Exterior before.

Jjeouk-.

The creature opened its blurry mouth as if it could swallow YuWon at any moment.

The more he looked, the clearer it became.

This being in front of him was the 'Urano's Desire' that the system had mentioned.

"The monster you mentioned..."

And YuWon had the most excellent means to deal with that desire.

"Are you talking about this guy?"

"Ahba."

Danpung extended his arms over YuWon's shoulders.

He growled, drooling from the corners of his lips.

There was never a time when he needed him more than now.

[The 'Predator' is revealed.]

Jjeouk-.

Huge teeth bared. Upon seeing the Predator, Desire turned around and began to fight against the larger being that threatened it.

Quadduk-.

Chewing on an indistinct form that he couldn't fully grasp, the Predator started filling his hungry stomach.

"You had something unusual."

Uranus observed in astonishment as the unveiled Predator engaged in a battle against Desire.

His gaze shifted towards YuWon's Danpung.

"Were you under its protection? It seems I was worrying for nothing."

Urano chuckled with an ironic smile, as if the advice he had just given had gone out the window.

"Indeed, with such a being protecting you, you might be fine."

"This little one protects me?"

YuWon looked at Danpung on his shoulder.

The Master of the Predator, fighting with the Exterior in the Heart of Uranus.

But from the outside, he was just a small child the size of his palm.

"Little one?" Uranus asked, as if he were astounded. "Does he look small in your eyes?"

"...What?" YuWon exclaimed and looked back at Danpung.

Tak, tak, tak-.

Meanwhile, the Predator was finishing his meal. Uranus' Desire was being torn apart by the predator, losing its strength.

['Danpung's level has increased.]

['Danpung's level has increased.]

['Danpung's level...']

['Danpung's Divine Power has increased by 8.]

[Growth rate has increased by 9.12%.]

[Arcane Power has increased by 2.]

[You have defeated 'Uranus' Desire'.]

Shortly after Desire lost its power.

The white background covering YuWon slowly disappeared. The figure of Uranus in front of him did the same.

Apart from that, Hefesto's workshop was gradually revealed.

There wasn't much time left.

"How does this boy look in your eyes?"

To Uranus' eyes, Danpung looked different.

Perhaps it was Danpung's true form, and if it was, YuWon wanted to know right away.

But...

"--.---."

Uranus' voice ceased to be heard.

Meanwhile, the landscape had completely changed. Uranus' ghost was no longer visible.

Hephaestus, Hercules, and Pandora stared at him as the landscape returned to normal.

He wondered how much time had passed.

For a moment, YuWon felt as if he was in another world.

"Are you okay?"

"...Are you okay?"

The first ones to arrive were Hephaestus and Pandora.

Hercules had a strange expression on his face as he stared at the spot where the veil surrounding YuWon had disappeared.

Despite the concerns of the other two, YuWon stood there with a dazed look on his face for a moment.

His words fell on deaf ears.

Another scene was vivid in his memory, filling his mind.

'...I couldn't hear it.'

In the final moment.

He didn't hear Uranus' answer to his question.

But that didn't mean he didn't realize what he said.

'The shape of his mouth...'

YuWon pursed his lips, tracing the shape of Uranus' mouth.

He didn't have the ability to read lips, but he could vaguely tell what he was saying.

'I...'

YuWon lowered his head.

The transparent glove slipped into his hand.

Uranus Heart.

'Soon...'

In the last moment, the Heart left him a message.

'I will see you again.'