Leveling with the Gods

C275

It was a series of scandalous news.

One by one, the different guilds in the Tower went into a frenzy.

"Zeus has been released?"

Hades frowned upon hearing this particular news.

This was the news he feared the most.

"Will there be bloodshed again...?"

Zeus regained his freedom.

Now Hades was the leader of the Olympus Guild, and he had a great deal of mistrust towards Zeus.

First of all, it would not be an exaggeration to say that Olympus was created by Zeus' force and prodigious mind. His abilities were within the category of the three gods, but even Hades couldn't stop him.

The term "three gods" was just a title given to them because they were siblings, not because they were exceptionally powerful.

Furthermore...

"Surt is dead..."

"I can't believe it."

"That beast?"

Among the Giants, there was talk of Surt's death.

Surt was a symbol of terror for the Giants.

The news of Surt's death was as shocking to the Giants as if the sky were to collapse and the earth were to rise.

The Giants and Asgard.

The collision of the Demon Kings and the Heavens.

The appearance of the Dragons.

Among the astonishing and impactful news, the Heavenly Demon Cult focused on a single piece of news.

"Is this true?"

Gwang HaMuk, a Pura Sagra of the Heavenly Demon Cult, asked after seeing the news on his player kit.

He had recently reached the 50th floor and had gone straight to see Pung BaekRim when he heard the news.

At that moment, he was also sitting on the floor watching YuWon's news.

In response to Gwang HaMuk's question, Pung BaekRim laughed and shook his head.

"I don't know."

Actually, the news was ridiculous.

Even if he was their Cult's Vice Leader and the person they should worship, this was doubtful.

"It's not just any weapon, it's the Gungnir."

The Gungnir.

The most powerful spear in this Tower.

It was said that even the top-ranked Odin had difficulties handling that item. It is even harder to believe that YuWon used it to kill Surt.

"Have the guys at the Tower Station gone crazy?"

Pung BaekRim shook his head at Gwang HaMuk's question.

"Although it may be exaggerated, it won't be completely unfounded. They are not people who spread completely non-existent news."

The Tower Station is a public institution. Just like the Rank Management Office, they also worked under the supervision of the Administrators and had a track record.

Obviously, they never reported on events that don't exist. Although sometimes they exaggerated a lot.

"So, it's real..."

"Well, we must check what really happened."

His voice was surprisingly calm.

For some reason, Pung BaekRim, who normally praised YuWon too much, was already laughing.

"No one will probably believe it. They will think the Station made up something or exaggerated something."

Most people might think that, but not Pung BaekRim.

"Whose side are you on?"

Crack!

Pung BaekRim, who was excited, clenched his fist tightly.

It felt like his body was filled with energy, as if he had to fight someone at any moment.

When he fought YuWon for the first time, he remembered the time he had given him a test to see how many moves he could get, and he had fought with over a hundred moves.

At that time, he thought he was just a new monstrous player, but now...

"I believe in him."

His thinking had completely changed.

"Because he is our god."

YuWon woke up two days later.

He frowned as he looked at the golden ceiling of the castle. No matter how hard he tried, Valhalla wasn't an ideal place to sleep.

There was no night here.

Ugh...

The first thing YuWon did with the food Odin sent him was to chew on the bread.

Hunger overwhelmed him. He hadn't eaten in a long time.

"I heard you woke up."

Hercules had woken up before YuWon and was by his side.

YuWon, who chewed and swallowed the bread that entered his mouth, asked as he ate the soup.

"When did you wake up?"

"A while ago."

"How is your body?"

"A little stiff, but fine now."

"It feels a bit unfair."

"There's nothing that can be done. The difference in our stats is the reason."

If Hercules' brute strength was due to his strength stat, his defensive stupidity was due to his health stat.

And the higher the health stat, the faster the body recovers.

It was natural for Hercules' recovery to be faster than YuWon's.

"Uncle (Hades) is resentful of you. He told me that if he had you in front of him, he would give you a good punch."

"Is it because of Zeus?"

"Yes."

"Where is that guy now?"

They said they can't locate him. It seems that when everything was over, he disappeared."

The news that Zeus had protected Valhalla and the Golden Castle had already spread. Some even said that Zeus had obtained citizenship in Asgard, but those who truly knew Zeus knew that couldn't be true.

"We can respond that his whereabouts are unknown."

"There probably won't be much trouble."

"How can you be so sure?"

"We have the same goal."

Zeus' goal had become Foolish Chaos.

Furthermore, based on what he had discovered through OhGong, Zeus was fighting against the Outer Gods in the future.

It was certainly easier knowing the outcome. Although they didn't know which path to take to get there, they knew where they were headed.

YuWon shrugged and stuffed the rest of the bread into his mouth.

"Right now, the most likely thing is that he's furious and wants to grow stronger."

YuWon glanced at Hercules while speaking.

The person most wounded by those words would undoubtedly be Hercules. Although he had accepted Zeus' release, he was also his father and enemy.

How did Hercules feel about Zeus?

"Is that so?"

Fortunately, the response wasn't bad.

Hercules raised his hand towards YuWon, as if surprised, and said, "Everyone has their own desires. I have no intention of imposing my will on him."

YuWon had thought that Hercules would react that way.

Of course.

"But..."

Hercules wasn't foolish enough to simply forgive.

"If he does the same thing again, I will kill him with my own hands."

A heavy silence hung in the air. Hercules' hidden anger was reflected in his eyes.

"I won't let him go to jail again."

"Understood."

The air felt stifling. Hercules still didn't fully trust Zeus nor completely forgive him. It was understandable. Although he didn't know what would happen in the future, what Zeus had done to Hercules had not been forgiven.

'I'm sorry.'

YuWon closed his eyes and exhaled his frustration.

'We probably have differences of opinion this time.'

Hercules, the Giant Slayer and a High-Ranker hero. He had no mercy for those he deemed unworthy of his will and justice.

Zeus was the same.

With this incident, YuWon had confirmed that there was a weakness he could exploit in Zeus. He verified what he had learned from the information Son OhGong had brought.

It was a great opportunity.

He was a top 10 High-Ranker and had enough strength to reach the top 5 in the future.

It would be a waste not to take advantage of this weakness.

There was a brief silence.

"You don't have to worry so much."

Upon hearing those words, YuWon realized that he had closed his eyes and avoided looking at Hercules for some time.

When he opened his eyes again and looked at Hercules, he had his usual expression.

"I know you're preparing something, and I'm not stupid enough not to realize that you need Zeus for that."

With that, Hercules stood up.

"And that goes for me too."

YuWon couldn't respond.

It was the truth.

Hercules had acted for him, knowing all of this.

And YuWon believed that his judgment and results would be correct.

"I hope not to disappoint you. Please."

Just as Hercules was about to leave the room, he paused for a moment.

"Oh, and..."

Hercules stopped for a moment and spoke.

"My ranking has gone up. Check it out."

"Your ranking?"

"I'm leaving."

YuWon, who was left alone, took out his player kit and checked the many stories that had spread over the past two days.

The most notable of all was that the 'Dragons' had been revealed. It was a story that many major guilds would be nervous to hear, as until now, except for a few players, they had not shown their presence.

Then, he checked the rankings that the Ranking Management Office updated daily through his player kit.

There were definitely many changes in the ranking due to the recent event. There were several standout players, and as a result, there were many changes in the list. Hercules' ranking had risen to 13th place. If he learns how to use his club properly, he will likely rise quickly within the top 10.

And YuWon wondered:

"...Why has he risen so much?"

Floor 80.

It is the floor where only selected players who approach the rankings can reach.

Of course, the trial on the 80th floor, which is only 20 floors before the end, is famous for being difficult.

But even in that trial...

A man with golden hair stood alone there.

Then, a yellow lightning bolt created a round field by pushing the trees. The ambushed players were dragged away by the lightning.

The overwhelming difference in power was impressive.

"Wow."

"Our leader is truly a monster, isn't he?"

"What the hell..."

The trial, which was considered difficult, was solved by him alone.

Even the highest-ranked players were starting to feel powerless.

"It started after the destruction of Olympus, right?"

"He has definitely been much stronger since then."

"Even his personality has changed a bit."

The destruction of Olympus was a significant event.

Only one team member, Harggan, participated in that fight. But after surviving, he became a different person.

If he was monstrously strong before, he was now nearly unbeatable.

Harggan, who had single-handedly led the trial with a golden burst of lightning, soon dissipated his magic and stepped away.

The number of his team members decreased significantly, and only five people remained, including Harggan.

"Let's go."

The trial was far from over.

There was still work to be done, so Harggan didn't stop.

As if they were following him, he hurriedly climbed the stairs.

"Understood, team leader."

"Let's hurry."

"Paladinthe, what's our next target?"

"The next one is..."

Tuck-.

The elven player, Paladinthe, stumbled over something while walking.

"Team leader?"

"Don't move."

Gulp-.

Drops of sweat ran down Harggan's cheeks.

Harggan's body stiffened as if he were nervous.

The team members felt something strange.

No opponent could have made him so nervous in this trial field.

"Why are you here?"

In the seemingly empty forest, Harggan's golden cinder eyes gleamed, and his voice trembled.

"Father."