Leveling with the Gods

C310

Step-.

There were many thoughts in every step.

Chronos glanced back for a moment.

"How long do you plan on following me?"

When Chronos stopped, YuWon also stopped. Although he decided to ignore it and walk away, YuWon didn't give up.

"I don't know the way."

"I thought we were done talking about that."

"You're too inflexible."

"If you knew, then..."

"Is there another reason why you're so inflexible? It seems like that problem is more serious than I thought."

In response to YuWon's question, Chronos sighed and rubbed his forehead.

It felt like his head was buzzing for no reason.

He had to say something; no matter how much he thought about it, it seemed YuWon wasn't going to back down.

Then, an excuse came to Chronos' mind.

"Your ability is also a problem. We never accept weak people in our fold; our Olympus takes it very seriously."

"Weak?"

"That's right."

"I can't believe that."

Chijik-jiik-.

A golden bolt surged over YuWon's hand.

Chronos' pupils dilated as the golden bolt reflected in his eyes. At the same time, other energies of different attributes surged on YuWon's hand.

Swoosh-.

The darkness covered the bolt, and that energy submerged into the water once more. The three energies of different attributes harmonized into one.

Controlling three attributes at once. It wasn't ordinary magical control.

Furthermore, the concentration of energy felt in it demonstrated that it wasn't an ordinary Ranker.

'Uranus isn't activating.'

YuWon stared at the swirling energy in his hand.

He wondered if Uranus would work, but indeed, it was inactive. Although the gloves he was wearing had the same form, there was no response as if all his strength had disappeared.

Anyway.

At this moment, there was no problem even without Uranus.

It would be enough to make Chronos' eyes turn around.

"Is this enough?"

"Your... what's your name?"

"Kim YuWon."

"Kim YuWon?"

Chronos furrowed his brow and fell into thought.

Kim YuWon.

He tried to recall where he had heard that name. If it was someone with this ability, he would surely have seen his name in the rankings.

But he couldn't remember.

"I have no idea who you are."

"Perhaps you don't know me. I understand."

"No, that's not the issue..."

"Anyway, as you can see, my ability won't be a problem, but still, you have no intention of introducing me to Olympus."

YuWon's eyes narrowed.

"It seems like that problem is much bigger than I imagined."

"Well... it's not a big problem."

"Is the king in trouble?"

Chronos' eyes twitched.

He tried to hide his emotions, but he couldn't completely conceal his expression.

An uneasy look.

In that expression, YuWon had certainty.

"It seems like the inside of Olympus is quite chaotic."

"That's right."

The answer came from another source.

YuWon turned his head to a figure so large it seemed to cover everything, which felt behind him.

It was a familiar yet not entirely friendly face.

Although many years had passed, there was no appreciable difference between that face and the one YuWon knew.

'Odin.'

A relentless gaze bore into YuWon.

He must have been contacted by Chronos. Since he appeared in an instant, it seemed like he used magic to mark coordinates and teleport.

"The inside of Olympus is in chaos. No, it's more than just chaos."

Odin's gaze wasn't directed at YuWon.

He was looking at Chronos with serious eyes.

"It seems like it's about to begin, Chronos."

"Now?"

"That's why there's no time to be playing around here with someone like him."

YuWon overheard the conversation between the two.

All these conversations would be clues in this Trial.

"I'd like to know who you are, but now is not the time to ask that kind of thing."

Odin remained inflexible.

He distrusted YuWon, rejecting him.

He waved his hand at YuWon as if shooing away a fly.

This wouldn't do.

"Olympus is made up of inhabitants with mixed blood, whether they are many or few."

He had no choice but to act firmly.

"...?"

"Uranus has begotten children who inherited his blood. Not one or two, but as many as possible. Chronos, you are one of them."

"What are you talking about?"

"The siblings of Uranus. Where are the other rulers of Olympus now?"

"They are..."

Chronos was left speechless by YuWon's words.

The siblings of Uranus, including Ponto, had been distanced from Uranus for quite some time.

The rift had grown deeper over time, but they had naturally gotten used to it.

What would Ponto be doing right now?

And Uranus...

"He hasn't targeted them yet."

"You mean the Great Father?"

"Perhaps."

He wasn't sure.

There was no guarantee that Uranus had attacked his siblings at this moment.

However, it was evident that at least Uranus and Chronos wouldn't clash before Ponto.

"Then there's Tartarus. Within it reside the Giants, who possess a strength capable of threatening Olympus. Originally, those Giants were siblings born alongside Uranus and Ponto."

"About that..."

Chronos' eyes widened.

Odin, by his side, looked at him as if questioning his authenticity.

Rumors about Tartarus abounded.

From being a prison in Olympus to being another name for Hell.

But none were confirmed as true, and it wasn't even clear if it existed.

But it turns out that the other siblings of Uranus were trapped there.

YuWon observed the bewildered Chronos.

The man who wasn't even supposed to remember him, speaking to himself, standing before Odin.

'Chronos exists in this place.'

For some reason, Uranus was not affected by the Clock Movement. It couldn't be determined whether it was because he existed in the form of an item or if Uranus was a transcendental being that surpassed the power of the Clock Movement.

It was still unknown what this Trial was evaluating.

However, YuWon had already clearly decided the direction of what he had to do.

"Uranus will devour his own siblings to strengthen himself. He will devour Ponto, and then the Giants trapped in Tartarus."

Ponto.

One of the great rulers of ancient Olympus.

And Tartarus, the deep prison where the ancient Giants were imprisoned by Uranus.

Uranus devoured them all first.

And unlike the time when YuWon lived, in this time's Olympus, the door to Tartarus was still open.

"...How do you know all that?"

Instead of affirming or denying, Chronos questioned YuWon's identity.

He had already made his decision from the moment he opened his mouth for the first time.

Time was limited.

It might sound like madness.

"I come from the future."

Although it might sound like madness, it was the truth.

Chronos and Odin exchanged fleeting glances with YuWon.

YuWon, who was following them, walked without caring about their gazes. Although he knew he was being watched, YuWon paid them no attention whatsoever.

"Could it be real?"

"I don't know, who knows?"

"He might be a madman."

"It would be better if that's the case. If he was sent by Uranus..."

Their suspicions didn't dissipate.

Coming from the future.

At this moment, the two were unaware of the existence of the Clock Movement and couldn't even imagine it.

Chronos only felt some credibility in YuWon's words, as YuWon claimed to be his future self.

"We arrived."

Swoosh...

A vast ocean stretched before them. Although it was fictitious, the fresh aroma of the sea stimulated their nostrils.

It was the nearest ocean.

"Great Uncle Ponto doesn't leave the sea."

Ponto.

He was such an ancient High-Ranker that even YuWon didn't know much about him.

There were no records or documents about him. Ponto was rarely talked about even with Chronos.

However, he remembered a particular conversation.

"Great Uncle Ponto was always present anywhere in the sea."

"Isn't that just an unfounded rumor? Ignorant Players tend to exaggerate rumors about High-Rankers."

"That's not the case."

Ponto.

A great High-Ranker who led the golden age of Olympus.

Chronos used to say that to Poseidon, who was also known as the God of the Sea.

"He's practically the same as the sea."

At that time, YuWon didn't truly understand what it meant.

But maybe at this moment, he could see the Ponto that Chronos mentioned.

Just as he was thinking that...

"Great Uncle Ponto!"

Chronos called out to Ponto towards the sea.

Swooosh.

The waves crashed against the rocks, making a refreshing sound, but Ponto didn't respond.

Odin and YuWon looked at Chronos. Odin had a look on his face that said, "What kind of nonsense is this?"

Chronos was also perplexed.

"Great Uncle?"

In that instant.

Swooosh.

The powerful waves began to weaken. The wind blowing over the sea disappeared, and the water's surface began to slowly descend.

The sea was drying up.

"Something strange is happening."

That's what Odin said when he felt something unusual.

Chronos' face became seriously rigid. YuWon, who was the first to mention Ponto's safety, felt the same.

'Maybe it's already too late.'

Even the pleasant aroma of the sea began to fade gradually. Uranus began to show its fangs in Olympus and went towards Ponto first.

Within this Olympus, there was no one who could stop its appetite.

"It seems it's already too late for this."

It wasn't an unexpected surprise.

The Trial had already begun. He didn't believe he could prepare for a fight with Uranus in peaceful times.

Perhaps Uranus had already begun to move, and only now could YuWon confirm it with his own eyes.

Ponto was already dead.

He probably would have entered Uranus' belly.

Of course...

"Who the hell are you?"

That's what YuWon thought to himself.

"I thought I had already told you."

"Then, is it real?"

"Do you need more confirmation?"

A question answered with another question.

At the same time, all the gazes, including YuWon's, slowly turned towards the drying sea.

Yes...

There was no more compelling evidence than this. It was the prediction of Ponto's death, who had existed for a long time as a High-Ranker representative of Olympus and ruler of the sea.

"Uranus has moved, and in an extreme way."

The dinosaur that needed blood and flesh had been hungry for a long time.

To satisfy its long and deep hunger, Uranus began to show its fangs towards its own siblings.

Ponto was dead, but the other siblings who would be devoured were still present.

"Then, the next target will be...?"

"Probably Tartarus."

Chronos' eyes blinked.

Tartarus.

Every time he uttered that name, Chronos' face changed.

YuWon wondered if Chronos was so bad at controlling his facial expressions. Or if Tartarus was a sore spot he couldn't touch.

'What are you hiding?'

What on earth is Tartarus?

How does it relate to Olympus and Chronos?

YuWon generally preferred not to pry if someone wanted to keep a secret.

But this time was different.

The battlefield of this Trial had already been set.

"Tartarus..."

Step, step~

YuWon approached Chronos.

"Do you know how to get there?"