Leveling with the Gods

Under the black, pitch-black ground where no light can enter...

Thump-.

Thump, thump, thump.

The hurried sounds of the giants resonated from there.

He could sense their urgency through the sound. From that, YuWon could deduce the situation.

"He's back."

Anyway, it was about time for him to return.

Luckily, time was on his side. That meant OhGong had done a good job.

Chi-chi-chik-.

He could feel a massive amount of mana through his heart.

Now that he had transferred it, it was time to make it his own.

He thought it would take some time.

Surt's fire was more than YuWon could handle at the moment.

It was a huge mana ball that would have been difficult to even approach.

But no matter how difficult it was, this was going to take much longer than he expected.

"...I'll have to spend a few years to digest all of this."

He needed time.

That was something he already had in mind.

The unexpected thing was the other good news.

Whir-.

The Fire was melting into YuWon without resistance or clash.

When he first obtained the Fire, he thought it would be difficult.

[Arcane Power has increased by 1]

[The nature of Arcane Power has changed to 'fire'].

[The nature of your Arcane Power has completely changed]

[Resistance to the fire element has greatly increased]

['Holy Fire' is now reacting to 'Heart of Fire']

Instead, YuWon's mana started stirring like a fish in the water.

His whole body seemed to boil like lava. It was said that most players who wielded Elemental Fire Mana had fiery personalities, and this must be the reason.

The confidence to fight anyone and not lose.

In these cases, most of the time, they overestimated their power and didn't fully grasp their strength.

"I'll have to be careful."

YuWon closed his eyes as he distanced himself from the giants searching for him.

And for a moment, YuWon could accurately comprehend what was happening inside his body.

Whir-.

A fire larger than the fire he was consuming.

As if wanting to take all this fire for itself, it had a will of its own-.

It was the "Holy Fire."

Tap-.

The sound of small footsteps reached his ears.

Foolish Chaos approached Surt and tilted his head.

"You called for me."

"Did you know?"

"What are you talking about?"

"Someone has stolen the Fire."

There was no surprised reaction.

Surt's eyes gleamed.

Imagining the guy in front of him bewildered was difficult, but this was clearly a reaction he knew.

"Why didn't you stop him?"

If he had known, he could have stopped him.

Foolish Chaos, though it didn't seem like it, was hiding a great strength.

If he had known, he could have stopped him.

No.

Looking at the figure in front of him now, there weren't even traces of having fought.

"I told you, I can't move until the right time comes."

"Are you telling me that because of that promise, you gave up the Fire I gathered?"

Surt's anger caused the surrounding air to heat up. The lava flowing in front of Foolish Chaos grew hotter.

"Well..."

A smirk mixed with Foolish Chaos's voice.

"You wouldn't say that if you knew what I've promised."

"What?"

Crack!

Surt couldn't contain his anger and stomped on Foolish Chaos.

He could feel an ant bursting between his toes, and although he had been with him all these years, he had no time for such things when he had lost the Fire.

"Where did that guy disappear like an insect...?"

-Don't you really know?

Ssss-.

A violet mist rose from where Foolish Chaos was stomped.

-Who I am. Where I come from. You should already know.

"So, what do you mean?"

-I'm not saying anything. I'm just saying, don't unleash your anger on me.

"What?"

-Didn't I teach you how to make Fire in the first place?

Woosh-.

Surt felt the veins on his forehead pulsating.

It was a correct word. But even if that were true, it was an unchangeable fact that Foolish Chaos had just stood by and watched.

But still, Surt didn't dare to touch Foolish Chaos again.

The reason was simple.

"And? What do I do now?"

Because he still needed him.

Foolish Chaos was the greatest strategist Surt had ever known; he knew and spoke of all things as if he could see the distant future.

"The Fire has disappeared. What's the next step?"

-There is no next step.

"There isn't?"

-The Fire was the only way you could outwit Odin. Besides, the tide has already changed.

Upon hearing the voice of the violet mist, Surt felt himself reaching the limits of his patience.

There is no next step.

Which meant there was no way they could win this war.

-Everything we've done to prepare for Ragnarok has been in vain. For some reason, the enemy is one step ahead of us.

"Is it Odin's doing?"

-It's someone else. Odin had no intention of breaking the peace.

"Then, who the hell..."

His head spun.

The only two people he could think of who could have been a factor were the Great Sage, Heaven's Equal, and the Giant Slayer, both High-Rankers, and both capable of making a difference in a great war.

But this time it wasn't just that.

The Fire had disappeared.

The fact that someone had taken something that no one else could steal meant they already had everything prepared to carry it out.

-Ragnarok was supposed to be longer, with more guilds involved, more dead Baldr, more forces fighting for the destruction of Asgard.

In those words, Surt perceived that Foolish Chaos was showing emotions for the first time.

Confusion, anger, curiosity.

It was a mix of thoughts.

-Someone is betting more than me. I never even thought that someone else could take the Fire.

"It doesn't matter anymore, just find a way to win, any way!"

-There is still a way to win.

The enraged Surt calmed down a bit.

There was a way.

All that was left was to put his hopes in it.

"What is it?"

-Snuff out Odin's breath with your own hands.

"......?"

Surt's eyebrows twitched.

The answer was too obvious.

If he killed Odin, the war would end. He was an existence as great as Asgard itself.

But Foolish Chaos didn't seem to be serious in the first place.

There was a smirk in the words that followed.

-Since you don't understand, I'll repeat it: the reason you can't win this war is because there's no way to kill Odin.

Surt, who had lost his Fire, could never defeat Odin.

Foolish Chaos's words meant just that.

"Do you want to die...?"

-You can't kill me. You're just a foolish and bulky giant.

Does this mean it's over?

Foolish Chaos no longer showed any courtesy towards Surt.

It was a wise tactic to abandon a piece that had already lost its way and had no way to survive.

Reviving a piece that was already dead was useless, and it wasn't Foolish Chaos's way.

-Odin's moves may be momentarily stopped, but after that, only the fall of Muspelheim remains.

Boom, boom, boom!

In the end, Surt's impatient palm made the purple mist explode.

In an instant, the remnants of Foolish Chaos words meant just that.

vanished without a trace. Surt, who was boiling with anger, finally destroyed the last of him with his own hands.

"Aaaahhhh!"

Surt screamed in rage.

The world trembled violently around him. The lava boiled and rose to the sky, spilling over Surt's body.

The anger couldn't be controlled. He wanted to crush the culprit who had stolen his Fire and make Foolish Chaos disappear without a trace.

But...

"It doesn't matter if he's not here. Even without the Fire, Odin will be crushed with my own hands."

For now, he had to win the battle.

The fight had already begun.

Brunhilde and Thor stood side by side.

A city with a Golden Castle. Outside of it, the two stood, looking at the same thing.

"The Heavens."

"Yes..."

A pure white wave began to appear on the horizon.

As it slowly approached into view, its identity became clear.

The Great Guild, the Heavens.

The angels were approaching, illuminating everything with a fierce fighting spirit.

"Why the Heavens?"

"The Demon Kings have joined our side."

"Is that why they're betraying us?"

"They are a tribe whose hatred for the Demon Kings comes first rather than calculating gains and losses."

"Isn't Muspelheim also a group of demons?"

"They don't fight for a sense of justice, that's what it means."

"It's disgusting."

Thor extended his hand.

Kwalung-!

With a blue lightning, a small hammer appeared in Thor's hand.

An item that symbolized Thor, the Prince of Asgard.

It was Mjolnir.

"A whip is the best medicine for them."

Skaak-.

Brunhilde also unsheathed her sword.

But unlike Thor, who was about to jump out of the way, she looked at the angels in the sky who were approaching clearly.

"There's Michael."

Michael.

The strongest of the Archangels, the most powerful.

He himself had come here.

"He must have realized that Odin is not here."

The supreme power of the Golden Castle undoubtedly belonged to Odin, whose presence made it the strongest fortress in Asgard.

Brunhilde and Thor were both High-Rankers in the ranking, but in terms of strength, they were insufficient compared to the angels of the Heavens led by Michael.

In terms of power, the Valkyries and the Rankers of the Golden Castle simply weren't enough.

"Where are the Great Sage and Hercules? They should be able to stop him." (Note: Sometimes referred to as "Great Sage, Heaven's Equal" will be summarized as "Great Sage" for easier translation)

"They are both gone."

"Even Hercules?"

"Yes. It seems he left with Hephaestus."

"Damn it."

"It's going to be difficult."

Thor turned his head at Brunnhilde's words.

"So, are you suggesting that we flee?"

"Places can always be restored, but people cannot. Even in this Tower of countless mysteries, there is no way to resurrect the dead."

"No."

Thor shook his head firmly.

"The Golden Castle is Asgard itself, a symbol. Once a symbol is destroyed, it cannot be restored."

Fazik, Fazizik-.

A blue lightning bolt shot out of Thor's body.

He was the Son of King Odin and a High-Ranker known as the Blue Thunder.

He began to display his power freely.

"So I will fight here."

Tap~

With those words, Thor walked forward.

For everyone to be behind him.

So that the others in the Golden Castle could escape.

But then...

"Always speaking with grand and useless words."

A voice mocked.

"It's just an excuse because you have no power."

Whoosh.

Thor and Brunhilde's heads turned.

Crackle.

A golden lightning bolt appeared, different from Thor's blue lightning.

It was blinding, as if the sun had appeared right in front of them, and they couldn't see their opponent.

A moment later...

"...Zeus?"

There he was, a handsome man with a golden beard.

Kak-.

Zeus, the Sinner of Asgard, had been released from prison and was approaching.