Leveling with the Gods

C259

YuWon returned to the Golden Castle.

He was greeted by two uninvited guests.

And because of them, the Golden Castle and Asgard were louder than ever.

"It's a mess."

"It's because of you."

Wak-.

OhGong growled as he bit into a ripe and unfamiliar fruit.

He lay on the bed and had just woken up.

"I only brought him to the Golden Castle at your request."

Hercules was not happy either.

Both of them knew clearly how the Rankers of the Golden Castle looked at them.

Suspicious and distrustful.

No one was sure what Hercules and OhGong would do in the upcoming war.

"If they were the Great Sage, Heaven's Equal, and the Giant Slayer, they were like walking nuclear bombs."

Especially the Great Sage, Heaven's Equal, a High-Ranker Player in the top 10.

Hercules, another High-Ranker Player in the top 20. With Zeus out of the picture, he could confidently say he was the strongest man in Olympus.

The two visited the heart of Asgard, the Golden Castle. The Rankers of the Golden Castle, who did not know what was going on, were naturally suspicious.

"In time, everything will naturally work itself out. There are also merits for having fought many giants in Muspelheim."

The good news was that OhGong had fought quite a few giants in Muspelheim.

That would go a long way in establishing his credibility in Asgard.

"How long do you think it will take for you to recover?"

"I'll sleep a little, and I'll be better."

OhGong yawned, mouth open as he ate what was left of the fruit.

"I'll feel better when I wake up."

"Don't sleep too much."

"Why?"

"You'll know when you wake up."

"...Really?"

Swii.

OhGong waved his hand before closing his eyes and snuggling into bed. He stretched out and then settled down.

"I'll take a nap then."

"Alright."

OhGong gestured for Hercules to leave already.

Click-.

The door closed, and the two of them walked out.

In the hallways of the Golden Castle, YuWon and Hercules could feel the gazes upon them. Even the Valkyries who had challenged YuWon were mixed among them.

"They are on guard."

"Because of you."

"Don't they see me as an ally yet?"

"Olympus has not yet joined the Ragnarok. Asgard has requested cooperation, but Hades has refused."

"Olympus has just come out of a great war. They cannot afford to throw their weight behind another struggle like this."

Long ago, Olympus stayed out of the Ragnarok and remained neutral.

So, as in the past, Olympus maintained its neutrality in the Ragnarok. They needed more time after the Second Gigantomachy.

"I know. That's why I asked for your help alone."

And that was the reason YuWon contacted Hercules privately.

Olympus couldn't afford to join this battle.

Instead, they were asking it of Hercules, the greatest power of Olympus and the one who could exert the most influence in Ragnarok.

"Thank you for doing this for me."

"I owe you a debt."

"Are you going to pay it with this?"

"It's too big a debt to be repaid by helping you once or twice..."

Hercules stared at YuWon.

"I'm not sure if that alone is enough after what has been done."

You didn't always have to show your anger exploding like a flame.

YuWon knew that Hercules was angry and lowered his head.

"I'm sorry."

"Forget it. It doesn't matter."

Sighing, Hercules shook his head.

"Anyway, sooner or later, we would have to face this. It's just come earlier than expected."

"Thank you for thinking that way."

YuWon began to walk away when he felt the gaze watching him.

"Where are you going?"

"I'm going to see Odin."

"...Odin?"

Hercules froze.

The person YuWon had mentioned that he was going to see was someone who had absolute influence in this Tower. The ruler of Asgard, Odin. He was considered a greater king than Zeus, whom Hercules had felt like a wall and the sky his whole life.

And now he was going to meet him.

"It won't take long. Are you coming with me?"

"It doesn't matter. I have nothing else in mind than moving my body."

"You should also rest a little."

"Why? Is something else going to happen?"

"It might."

It was a vague answer, but once again, Hercules worried.

He had never heard YuWon say something like that and get away with it.

"Whenever I'm with you, something happens."

With that, Hercules began to walk to the side.

"Although I trust you."

"Where are you going?"

"To prepare for battle."

Boom-.

Hercules rolled his shoulders as hard as he could and began to warm up.

"No rest, of course."

He could see where he was going.

Probably to stretch his body after resting for a while after destroying Olympus.

Hercules always had the habit of warming up for a long time before an important fight.

"He's about to move seriously."

After the Gigantomachy ended, the guy who had been hiding for a while cutting trees began to stretch.

It wasn't the same as when he destroyed Olympus.

Back then, Hercules had moved to avenge his mother, Alcmene.

But now...

He was beginning to move of his own volition.

To prevent an even greater catastrophe: Ragnarok.

"A bit more like the man I knew."

The Giant Slayer.

Hercules, who was once called by that dreadful name, would later overthrow Zeus and be called by a different name.

Hercules, the Hero.

This was the true Hercules, who rose from the shell of Alcmene's vengeance and spread his wings.

YuWon admired this aspect of Hercules.

That's why, at the time of voting to see who should return to the past, YuWon voted for Hercules.

It was because he thought he was the most suitable Hero to lead the Tower.

***

***

Odin was in his office.

He no longer entered the room where Yggdrasil was. He was wearing armor and had a long spear ready on his back.

Armed to the teeth, he seemed out of place. But a fight could break out at any moment.

Seeing his appearance, YuWon asked Odin about his resolution.

"It seems you have already made up your mind."

"As I thought, it seems you can read my mind when we're together."

Odin sighed and pointed to a chair on the side.

When YuWon sat in the chair, Odin put down his pen and stood up.

"Well, I guess that means you know me well."

"Now you have the cooperation of the Demon Kings."

"I heard about it. We'll have to meet to discuss the details."

Odin let out a heavy sigh.

"In that case, the Heavens will decide to stay out of it."

"Metatron has quite an ego."

"Are you sure you have the cooperation of the Demon Kings?"

"First of all, those guys are the ones who fight only for their love of fighting. If it weren't for the presence of the Angel faction here, they wouldn't be so bothersome."

"So, in summary, we have reduced their military strength."

"And the Demon Kings are stronger to begin with."

"How do you know that?"

"Because I know the outcome of the Great Heaven Demon War."

Great Heaven Demon War

A battle between the Demons and the Heavens.

Despite the influence of Ragnarok, the battle ended with a rather one-sided outcome.

One reason.

Diablo's power was much greater than what the Tower had known.

'Since then, Diablo's rank has risen several steps.'

Knowing his history, YuWon couldn't give up on the Demon Kings, even if the Heavens let go of Asgard.

Giving up an inch to gain a mile wouldn't lead to any good outcome, regardless of the promises made.

"...Certainly, it's a great arsenal."

Knowing the future.

And based on that future, being able to make predictions about what will happen.

It was a weapon that could be more powerful than any of the great items in this Tower.

"So, what do you think will happen next?"

"The preparation is done, now it's time to fight."

"So soon?"

"It's not exactly soon. Ragnarok has already begun to open its doors."

"I see."

Odin sank into his chair and considered the situation he had been informed of.

"If you only see it as a fight, then there will be more damage on the other side."

It had been over ten days of battle.

A single world. Even so, it was a fight against Muspelheim, a giant world highly regarded in this Tower.

It was a fight without Surt, but it was still hard to believe.

"This will be a long battle."

Swallowing hard, Odin closed his eyes for a moment.

How many people would die, how much blood would be shed in this protracted battle.

He had no idea.

But...

"It won't last long."

Odin's eyes opened again at YuWon's confident words.

'Is he being careless?'

Odin couldn't help but think that YuWon was taking this combat too lightly.

"Our opponents are Muspelheim and Surt."

"I know."

"Is there any way to do something about it?"

"There is a way, but..."

Ding-.

A message arrived at that moment.

"The fight will probably start sooner than you think."

It was Odin's player kit that vibrated.

Ding, ding, ding-.

It was the same vibration as always, but it felt strangely urgent.

Normally, he wouldn't have answered in the middle of an important conversation.

But this time, he had to.

"It may have started faster than expected."

"I'll take the call."

Odin took out his player kit and answered the phone.

Then he heard it.

-We're in trouble!

As if he had been expecting it, an urgent voice burst out.

Odin's expression hardened.

But despite his expression, he spoke with his usual voice.

"What's going on?"

-T-The giants from Muspelheim have descended!

"Muspelheim?"

An intense gleam emanated from Odin's eyes.

His eyes, which had long ruled Asgard as a king, were now those of a warrior.

"Which side are they on?"

-In Midgard.

"Hold on. I won't be long."

Ding-.

Odin hastily hung up the phone and looked towards YuWon. A world within Asgard's sphere of influence had been attacked. Midgard was the weakest of the worlds under Asgard's control.

When their gazes met, YuWon asked.

"Are you going to move yourself?"

"If Midgard is being attacked, I can't guarantee the safety of the others. I won't move until I know where Surt is."

"Then?"

"I need to ask you a favor."

YuWon was more skilled than Brunnhilde, the leader of the Valkyries.

The worlds under Asgard, including Midgard, were already more or less ready to fight.

If YuWon joined them, they could probably hold off the attack to some extent.

"It shouldn't be difficult."

YuWon nodded.

It wasn't a difficult request.

Instead, YuWon opened his mouth with the intention of addressing the purpose of his visit to Odin.

"Then do me a favor before I go."

"A favor? What is it?"

"The Yggdrasil in your room."

He remembered when he drank the sap from the Yggdrasil in Odin's chamber.

"Give Hercules a root of it."

There was the ingredient for the perfect weapon for Hercules.