Leveling with the Gods

C282

Thump, thump, thump, thump~

It was as if he could hear the sound of drums in the middle of his chest.

It seemed like it would burst at any moment. The heart was boiling, and it was difficult to contain it.

"It seems like he's preparing something."

The Administrator looked at the Arcane Power that was beginning to rise at a great speed.

Something is coming.

And this time, it's quite threatening.

Whoosh-!

Purple flames enveloped YuWon.

['Mana Master' controls the flames]

['Golden Cinder Eyes' control the flames]

There were many ways to control fire.

But no matter how many methods there were, the size of the fire emanating from the heart was not small.

[State Anomaly: Burns begin]

[State Anomaly: Burns progress to Stage 2]

[State Anomaly: Burns...]

[State Anomaly: Overload begins]

Overload.

It was the most severe State Anomaly among the possible ones.

It was not simply about receiving injuries, but the body itself began to crumble.

"This is as far as it goes."

If the Overload started, there was even the possibility that the body would deteriorate and the Stats would decrease.

He had been ambitious enough.

This was exactly the limit.

Whoaaaah-!

The flames that burst out condensed into the sword.

The Administrator, who saw the slowly forming sword of flames in YuWon's hand, raised his eyebrows in surprise.

"This is more than I expected."

The enormous sword of flames that Surt held in his hand.

That sword was now being created in YuWon's hands.

"Strike it."

Whoosh-!

The flames surged towards the Administrator.

He had no intention of dodging it. That was not in line with the Administrator's nature.

Ziiiiing-.

Magic sprouted from the Administrator's fingertips.

Whoaaaaah-!

The Administrator's body was engulfed by the giant flames.

The Players who were fighting against Susanoo stopped.

Thick smoke rose in the sky, and a huge flame soared above the castle.

"Fire...?"

"What's happening?"

"Is there a fight going on inside?"

"With whom?"

Goo, goo, goo, goo-.

The castle weakened by the fire began to slowly tilt to one side. It looked like it would collapse at any moment, directly onto their bodies.

"It would be better to avoid it for now."

"Damn it! The Trial has completely failed."

"Hey, hurry up!"

The castle began to collapse within seconds once it started tilting.

The top of the castle, reaching up to the sky, fell to the ground.

Since they were high-level Players, it wasn't difficult for them to avoid the debris falling as it tilted.

Bang, crash-!

Rumble, rumble-.

The giant castle collapsed. As the debris fell, the players who had found a safe place slowly watched the column of flames rising in the sky.

"The temperature is becoming unbearable."

"What kind of Trial is this?"

"It's not a Trial."

The minds of the players, who were climbing the Tower for rewards, turned completely blank.

They thought they could handle everything with their numbers, even with Susanoo present.

But the problem wasn't the Susanoo they had in front of them.

They looked at that column of fiery flames.

If they had gotten themselves into a Trial where such things appeared, even having ten lives wouldn't be enough to survive.

"I surrender!"

"Me too!"

"I've never heard of this before!"

Panic and conflict quickly spread.

As one by one, players started to surrender, others cried out for help.

First of all, more than a life-or-death Trial, it was more like an event such as the Martial Arts Tournament of Murim.

The Envoys who were waiting quickly moved the players who had declared their surrender to other locations.

And the crowd outside, observing that scene.

"That must be Surt's Fire."

Hades, who was disappointed that he couldn't see YuWon properly fight, looked at the column of flames that appeared on the screen.

Through Hercules, he learned that YuWon had obtained Surt's Fire.

The problem was how YuWon would handle it, but it seemed he was handling it better than expected.

"A fire of that size..."

A Giant's castle would be the size of a small city at the very least.

If that Fire was large enough to rival a castle of that size, it meant it had devastating power to reduce a small city to ashes in the blink of an eye.

"Apollo, you..."

Dull-.

Hades turned his head and saw Apollo trembling.

Among the Rankers who could wield fire magic, Apollo was considered the best among the Olympian Gods.

But now he was trembling.

"Why are you like this?"

Apollo opened his mouth with a small voice, muttering toward the screen where the size of the flames was visible.

"In Olympus, the one who could use the biggest and most far-reaching abilities was my Father."

Father.

Zeus, one of the Three Great Gods and the King of Olympus.

As Apollo said, Zeus was capable of unleashing his power to the point of destroying an entire city with a single blow.

"Although my Father is amazing, lightning magic allows for expanding the range. In contrast, fire..."

Unable to finish his sentence, Apollo let out the thought that came to his mind.

"A fire of that size, I have never seen anyone besides Surt produce it."

"Hmm..."

Listening to Apollo's explanation, Hades stroked his unkempt beard.

Surt.

Undoubtedly, he was considered the strongest when it came to fire magic.

However, just a few years ago, the individual who entered the Tower showed power that surpassed even Surt's.

"Even in the battle against Zeus, I didn't think it would be easy, but in these few years, he has reached this level..."

Suddenly, curiosity arose in Hades.

"What if..."

With a determined voice, Apollo turned his gaze away from the screen and looked at Hades.

"What do you think would happen if I were to fight against that guy?"

"If it's against the Big Brother..."

Apolo hesitated for a moment.

The opponent was none other than Hades.

Hades, the God of Death. He was the new King of Olympus after Zeus stepped down and currently held the 43rd position in the rankings, a higher position than before.

But...

Unless it was a sweet and pleasant flattery, the answer Apollo could give was already determined.

"I'm not sure."

He couldn't be certain.

Undoubtedly, Hades was one of the most powerful and magnificent beings Apollo knew in this Tower.

But just a few years ago, in the time that seemed so short to Apollo, after living for thousands of years, YuWon had arrived in Hades' territory.

It was something difficult to believe even when seeing it with his own eyes.

"I don't know either..."

And that impression was shared by Hades.

Sigh~

While looking inside the castle where YuWon was, Hades muttered to himself.

'Regardless of what happens, I definitely have to consider him as an ally.'

Thud-.

A strong impact pierced his body.

Another rock fell on top of him.

He wondered how many rocks he had been crushed under.

[The 'Blessing of the Sea' has been activated in your body]

Still, it was a relief.

Perhaps because enough time had passed for the cooldown of his ability to recover, the Blessing of the Sea once again protected his body.

If it weren't for that, he would probably have a fractured arm or leg right now, or maybe be unconscious after the impact.

"It hurts."

"Same here."

Thud, thud, thud.

In response to his words, a voice resonated next to his head.

Right beside YuWon's head, the Administrator rose, removing the many piles of rocks off his body.

"Don't you mind hitting yourself, huh?"

"Should I remove yours too?"

"It doesn't matter. It's not bad staying like this."

It was tiring to get up now. Even with the rocks on top, it was surprisingly comfortable.

For now, lying down was the most relaxing.

"However, I feel the same way too..."

YuWon lifted his head while lying down and looked at the Administrator on top of him.

His clothes faded away and disappeared, leaving a black burn mark on his chest. It was the mark left by their clash a moment ago.

"It seems I've won."

"From your appearance, I'd say otherwise..."

The Administrator couldn't deny those words.

"I suppose so."

At first, he had no intention of winning. In fact, he didn't even think he would get hurt himself.

YuWon's flames overwhelmed the power of his fists. He tried to deflect the force and block the fire with both arms, but in the end, he ended up in this form.

Although it was just one punch, YuWon's fire was not far below that of Surt.

Thud, thud, thud.

The pile of rocks on YuWon's body shifted.

Curious about what he was doing, YuWon watched as he used Gigantification on his arm to remove the pile of rocks.

Clang!

Kururur.

After pushing aside the pile of rocks that was on his body, YuWon dropped to the ground.

Observing that scene, the Administrator spoke with a mocking smile.

"It seems you don't like receiving help from others."

"Even a small help like this affects the reward, doesn't it?"

"As expected, you know our people well."

Those were words that couldn't be denied.

The intervention of the Envoys and the actions of the Administrators in the Trials were not free. Even their small favors affected the rewards.

YuWo didn't want to accept any help from the Administrators because he was aware that any assistance would affect the reward he would receive.

"What are the rewards?"

"Choose one of the two options."

It was a simple choice.

Sometimes, it happened when a higher record was set than the original requirement.

YuWon nodded and paid attention to the words of the Administrator.

He had to think carefully before making a choice.

"The first one is to obtain permission to climb up to the 79th floor, as promised. But that's not enough."

"An item or a skill?"

"That's right. Insufficient rewards will be given in the form of an item."

An item.

It probably wouldn't be a common item. So far, it had been difficult to find a Trial with such a high level of difficulty.

There were expectations. YuWon was looking forward to the next option.

"And the second one is to obtain permission to climb up to the end of the Tower."

"To the end...?"

It was an attractive condition.

YuWon needed time. And climbing the Tower and completing the Trials were the tasks that would take the most time for YuWon according to his current plans.

If that were the case, he could significantly shorten the time.

"He knows what I need and tells me. Is it a choice between time and an item?"

He didn't know what kind of item they would give him. If it turned out to be something he didn't need, it could become a valuable possession.

On the other hand, time would never betray him. But, on the other hand, climbing the Tower was something he could do anytime if he dedicated enough time.

The deliberation was not short.

The Administrator patiently waited for YuWon without pressuring him. At the end of his deliberation, YuWon opened his mouth.

"I will choose the first option."

"Is reaching the 79th floor enough?"

"I will climb slowly, without rushing. I'm already going fast enough."

Building a tower hastily only led to collapse. YuWon was already climbing fast enough, and if he were more ambitious, everything he had built so far could crumble in an instant.

YuWon decided to strengthen what was beneath.

"Then, the decision is made."

After the Trial ended, the rewards were determined.

YuWon relaxed a little and, as he rested sitting down, his body recovered a bit.

He stood up from his seat.

The Tutorial Administrator.

Since he first saw him, there was something on his mind.

"More than that, there was something I wanted to ask you when I saw you again."

"Something you want to ask?"

YuWon nodded.

Due to the nature of the Tower, Players who had completed the Tutorial couldn't return to the Tutorial. The Tutorial was a completely different world from this Tower.

But fortunately, he had the opportunity to meet him again.

"The reward you gave me after the Tutorial ended, the Egg."

From that Egg, Danpung hatched.

And maybe...

"What exactly is it?"

The Administrator in front of him surely knew something about it.