Leveling with the Gods

C283

"Egg..."

The Administrator stroked his chin.

The final reward from the Tutorial.

And there was the Administrator, right in front of YuWon, who handed it over.

"Where did this come from? I don't remember it well."

"Don't lie. You wouldn't be able to hand it over as a reward without knowing, right?"

YuWon's words made the corner of the Administrator's lips curve.

"As always, you're not easily convinced."

It was evident.

The Administrator knew the true identity of the Egg. He knew it and handed it to YuWon as a reward.

But...

"It's just that I have no reason to tell you about it."

The Administrator's response was different from what YuWon expected.

It wasn't easy to reverse the decision of an Administrator once it had been made. Their actions and words were governed solely by what was established, following the Tower System.

And that meant...

"Is it information you can't share with me?"

It was still information that couldn't be revealed to the Player.

"That's right."

There wasn't great disappointment.

After all, he expected it.

Because...

"It's information related to the Outer Gods, isn't it?"

Because the Administrators had never leaked information about the Outer Gods.

The Administrator's eyes gleamed.

Outer Gods.

That single word changed the Administrator's gaze toward YuWon.

"It seems you know a lot."

But it was surprising.

YuWon expected a much bigger reaction, but it turned out to be calmer than he thought.

The Outer Gods were something the Administrators would eventually confront, an existence as deadly as an enemy.

But despite mentioning their existence, the Administrator didn't seem surprised.

"I thought it was strange."

Woosh-.

Arcane Power emanated from the Administrator's body once again.

The unrestrained Arcane Power overwhelmed YuWon. Unlike YuWon, who was in pieces, the Administrator's condition remained perfect.

He looked at YuWon cautiously and asked:

"Did you come from the Outside?"

From the Outside.

A world separate from the Tower, which was supposed to be where the Outer Gods lived.

The Administrator speculated if YuWon came from there.

"If so, wouldn't I have hidden it as best as I could?"

YuWon spoke as he reached into his chest.

He then took out Danpung, who was still sleeping soundly despite the chaos around them, and showed it to the Administrator.

"Surely you also know something about this creature."

Saeaeg, saeg-.

Since when...

Danpung had been sleeping all this time. He didn't wake up even if you shook him or fought loudly.

When the Administrator saw Danpung, he recognized it as a creature born from the Egg.

"I see. That makes sense."

Ssssss-.

The violently emanating Arcane Power from the Administrator was quickly restrained.

YuWon inquired about the existence of Danpung, which already somewhat demonstrated that YuWon was not an external presence.

"Did you suspect it?"

"We knew you were a strange guy. Not just me, everyone thought so."

The "everyone" he mentioned referred to the Administrators on other floors.

He felt that they were interested in him to that extent for some reason.

It wasn't simply because YuWon had the power to disturb the order of the Tower.

Perhaps they had suspicions that YuWon, as a Player, might be related to the outside of the Tower.

But YuWon was the first to mention the Outer Gods.

"Still, it's clear that you know something about the Outer Gods."

"I do."

"How...?"

"Why should I tell you something that you don't tell me?"

The Administrator's face wrinkled.

YuWon was not mistaken, of course.

They wouldn't reveal information they held to each other.

"Then just answer this."

The Administrator, who had sorted out his complicated thoughts, asked.

"Which side are you on?"

An answer regarding his relationship with the Outer Gods.

Probably, this would be the most important answer for the Administrators.

YuWon was able to answer this question.

No.

He had to.

Even if it was just to avoid turning the Administrators into enemies.

"I..."

A brief pause.

But YuWon made a decision immediately and opened his mouth.

"I have come here to fight against the Outer Gods."

"You've come here?"

YuWon didn't respond.

The Administrator knew he wouldn't get an answer even if he pressed and asked.

He sighed and lowered his head.

"You damned bastard."

The Administrator's gaze turned to Danpung, who was in YuWon's hand.

"Then let me tell you one thing."

Flash-.

Whether he knew about the current situation or not, Danpung continued to sleep without signs of waking up.

"If you truly want to fight against them, you'll have to raise this being properly."

"This...?"

The unexpected statement made YuWon look at Danpung in his hand.

It was small and cute. Although he knew it had great capacity and many secrets, it was surprising to hear such an evaluation.

'That an Administrator who knows about the Outer Gods would say something like this...'

He didn't have concrete information, but his curiosity about Danpung only grew.

'I thought this kid was really the natural enemy of the Outer Gods, but is that really true?'

Outsiders that consume other Outsiders.

That's why YuWon thought Danpung might not be an enemy of the Outer Gods. At least, according to what YuWon knew, consuming the Outer Gods was beyond impossible.

But that was just YuWon's assumption, and he had no evidence.

But the fact that it was proven to some extent through the Administrator.

"So, now is the time for the reward you've been waiting for."

Giiing-.

The Administrator extended his hand.

The void distorted, and the Administrator's hand disappeared somewhere. Soon, in the Administrator's hand that reappeared, there was a long black spear grasped.

"Take it."

A spear.

It didn't look bad.

Although YuWon was more familiar with swordsmanship, he also knew how to handle a spear. He had thrown many spears in his throwing training, so he had some experience in wielding them.

With a pounding heart, he reached out to receive the spear.

And then...

["You have obtained 'Nir'."]

A familiar name appeared in the message.

"Nir?"

"You probably know about this item too."

It wasn't surprising at all.

The Administrator smiled and asked, as if expecting that reaction.

"I heard that you have thrown the Gungnir, right?"

YuWon's eyes lit up.

As expected.

It wasn't strange for the name Nir to evoke the memory of Gungnir. Not only were the names similar, but the length, shape, and the feeling of holding it were very similar, except for the color.

"Is it like the twin of Gungnir?"

"It's similar."

"It's really similar."

Kwack-.

YuWon tightened his grip on the Nir spear in his hand.

In his heart, he wanted to take this spear and fight again right now.

It was only natural that he had that desire, as he had a perfect opponent to test the spear against right in front of him.

But...

"If this spear is truly like Gungnir, I won't even be able to activate it in a normal situation."

Gungnir was an object that took quite some time to get going. Even Odin, who had wielded Gungnir for a long time, took quite some time to activate it and had to buy time until he could throw his spear.

Given YuWon's current abilities, it was unthinkable that he could buy enough time in a fight with the Administrator.

However, he still had a thought that arose in his mind.

"If that's the case, then I must strengthen the power of the King of the Dead."

A single powerful strike that can be activated takes time, and the "King of the Dead" was an exceptional skill to buy that time.

"I need more time to think."

The proper understanding of the items will come later.

But now, time was limited.

"Then, I'll look forward to it."

[You are moving to the 79th floor]

Whaaah!

A bright blurry light that hadn't been seen in a long time. With that blurry light, YuWon's figure disappeared.

[You have passed the Trial]

[You have reached the 66th floor]

[You have reached the 67th floor]

[You have reached...]

[....]

[You have reached the 79th floor]

Hwaak!

The blurry view became clear.

This time, he had the sensation that his vision, which had been white for a long time, was gradually returning.

The surroundings, which had been completely white, started to return.

YuWon looked around.

From the top of a building, he could see the complex cityscape stretching out.

The size of the city and the height of the buildings, which were only the size of a small country, were astounding even when seen again.

"They said it was the 500th floor? How the hell did they build something like this?"

The power of magic and abilities was grand.

500 floors.

The world (Earth) where YuWon lived had also progressed a lot, but it was difficult to build such a tall building.

But the power of this World made it possible.

It wasn't thanks to any special technology or science.

This world existed with magic and abilities, and through that power, civilization developed.

This enormous building was proof of that.

"Did you pass the Trial?"

A voice sounded behind YuWon.

When he turned around, he saw a woman with short black hair dressed in a robe and holding a staff.

She seemed to be a guide for Players who had passed the Trial and ascended.

YuWon nodded, and the woman showed a curious expression.

"It's the first time I've seen someone pass alone."

"Yes, that's right."

It was complicated to go into details.

He didn't want to explain everything to a stranger when he was already tired.

The remaining stamina he had wasn't for that.

"Are you the guide here?"

"Yes, I am."

"Please, I need to use the training field. I don't remember which floor it was on."

Within this enormous building, there were a plethora of facilities.

Among them was an enhanced training field for Players and Rankers. It was a training field strong enough to be used not only by the 79th floor but also by various Rankers and Guilds in the Tower.

"Are you going to use it alone? Then it can be quite expensive."

"It doesn't matter."

"Well... Follow me."

The guide turned around.

YuWon followed her. They had to walk a lot since each floor was the size of a small island.

YuWon followed the guide and entered a transparent elevator.

The elevator swiftly went up and down through all the floors of the building. YuWon rode it and headed to the 101st floor.

At that moment.

Ring~

YuWon's Player Kit, which few people knew about, beeped.

[Harggan: Have you finished the Trial already?]

'Was he watching?'

It seemed that Harggan knew that YuWon was undergoing a special trial. Occasionally, Harggan would contact him when he was bored.

Of course, whenever that happened, YuWon would respond later.

But now there were more urgent matters.

However...

Bzzz...

When YuWon checked the message that sounded once again, he had no choice but to change direction.

"I'm sorry. I'll come back later."

"What?"

Despite the guide's confusion, YuWon quickly stepped out of the elevator.

It seems he'll have to postpone the testing of the new item he just acquired for a little while.

Right now, something more urgent had come up.

Ring~

YuWon called Harggan.

A brief ringtone.

-You must have been in a hurry.

This was the first time YuWon called Harggan. Naturally, Harggan had an unexpected reaction.

But there was no other option.

Because...

"Is it true?"

A message from Harggan.

It was about the person YuWon was searching for on the 79th floor.

"Did you encounter Zeus?"