Leveling with the Gods

C414

The purple sky momentarily changed to white, as if it were daytime.

Whoosh!

A white lightning bolt descended from the purple sky, piercing it.

The ground trembled as if it were a living being, raising its head. An eye shone as it saw the beam of light and, weakly, shed tears.

Oh-oh-oh-oh!

At that very moment, Ubbo-Sathla sensed its fate.

It wasn't the first time it had seen such a beam of light. It had seen something similar before, but the situation was different now.

Having lost the slabs it was meant to protect and weakened, that beam of light was powerful enough to pierce through Ubbo-Sathla's body.

Fwoosh!

The beam of light passed through its body.

And in the nest inside, Ubbo-Sathla, who had been looking up, closed its eyes.

Now that it had lost all the slabs.

Ubbo-Sathla's mission had come to an end.

Fwoosh!

Light~

A white lightning bolt cutting through the purple sky.

Looking at that beam of light, Susanoo sighed.

"Fly so refreshingly."

Standing at the edge of a cliff, with his upper body bare, displaying his well-toned muscles, the man threw his spear with all his might and then turned around with a tired expression on his face.

"Are you sure the coordinates are correct?"

Susanoo nodded in response to Odin's question.

"I'm sure. From what I've heard, it seems that guy, Ubbo-Sathla, keeps changing nests."

"That's the second problem. The more complicated problem is the nature of that guy who absorbs Arcane Power."

"So you were trying to solve that."

Ubbo-Sathla could absorb vitality and Arcane Power.

Previously, Odin had encountered Ubbo-Sathla and had thrown Gungnir at it, doing his best to pierce Ubbo-Sathla's nest.

But the result was a failure.

Even Gungnir, thrown with all his might, couldn't ultimately pierce Ubbo-Sathla's nest.

"If his nest has weakened, it shouldn't be difficult to attack him. Anyway, the fact that Daedalus betrayed us is shocking."

"Is it really possible to reach that thing?"

Susanoo asked curiously, looking at the pure white line drawn in the sky.

Although he was also a High-Ranker who had made a name for himself at the top, it was hard to believe that he could accurately throw a spear at such a long distance.

"It should have already arrived, even if it's a bit far."

"That's incredible."

"It's not difficult to guess as long as you know the coordinates. Even if that means the end of the world."

The best spear-thrower in the Tower.

Indeed, those words fit perfectly. Although Susanoo had seen many High-Ranker Players beside YuWon, future Odin had skills that were literally on a different level.

Of course.

"It looks a bit weak."

Not even Odin was perfect.

In Susanoo's eyes, Odin seemed exhausted just from throwing a single Gungnir.

"I'm a little tired."

Odin turned around.

After hearing the news from YuWon through Susanoo's mouth, while sweating despite his heavy body, Odin smiled.

"Well. We did it; this is a success..."

A massive white beam of light pierced through the ceiling.

The Lion King, who had recoiled and fallen to the ground, stammered in surprise.

"G-Gungnir?"

"I told you to step back."

Goooooooo-.

A spear of immense Arcane Power pierced Ubbo-Sathla's body as it fell.

The being who could accurately throw the most powerful spear in the Tower.

Odin.

He was the one who threw Gungnir here.

"I almost died..."

"You wouldn't die from a mere graze on the head. I intentionally had you land as far away from here as possible, so don't worry too much."

"Is that why you asked us to meet here?"

Ubbo-Sathla, who had lost the slabs he protected and was weakened, and the Gungnir that fell on him.

That spear was completely embedded deep into the earth, piercing through Ubbo-Sathla's entire body.

"Odin, it's been a long time since you threw Gungnir."

"Yes. Since the fight with Shub-Niggurath..."

Throwing Gungnir required a tremendous amount of power. Even in his prime, Odin could only throw it twice before reaching his limit. Throwing it more than three times would require so much Arcane Power that it would exhaust him.

And given Odin's weakened state after his battle with Shub-Niggurath, he only had the strength to throw it once.

"But how did you transmit the coordinates to me? It shouldn't work in here."

Kali, who was unaware of Susanoo's existence, asked a valid question.

YuWon simply shrugged and avoided giving a detailed response. There was no time to delve into more details.

Moreover, this was YuWon's typical response when he wanted to avoid answering questions.

Kali didn't inquire further. Instead, he looked up at the purple ceiling being pierced by Gungnir's spear.

"Anyway, it's over."

After learning about the existence of Ubbo-Sathla, Odin had tried to throw Gungnir at it before, but it had been a failure.

Not only had Odin retreated in vain, but ultimately, Ubbo-Sathla had also survived.

But look at the result now.

Odin's spear had completely pierced Ubbo-Sathla's nest. Ubbo-Sathla was no longer writhing in its immense nest, and all the Outers living as parasites within it had been eradicated by the Arcane Power of Gungnir.

This battle had come to an end.

Completely.

The scene before YuWon's eyes was definitive evidence.

[You have defeated 'Ubbo-Sathla']

[Completed 'The Otherworld Adversary' failed]

A message resounded.

Naturally, as he had achieved the purpose of the Trial. YuWon hadn't paid much attention to the System.

Instead...

Ssshhhhh-.

YuWon looked at the countless dark souls that appeared before him.

[The 'King of the Dead' faces the dead]

Thousands, tens of thousands.

Souls howling with familiar voices.

"Thank you, thank you..."

"Kim... Yu..."

"Now... I can... rest..."

The voices of the souls echoed.

The King of the Dead.

A title that had the power to see the souls of the dead and hear their voices. At times like this, it was annoying for this title to suddenly surface and use its power.

There was nothing good in hearing these stories.

"Yu... Won..."

Among the familiar voices.

Amid the souls withering in the darkness, there was one soul that particularly resonated in his ears.

"Siegfried."

A High-Ranker who had once worked on the same team as YuWon.

He was calling YuWon from this place after becoming a soul in Ubbo-Sathla's nest.

Finally, he could rest in peace, thanks to this. He was grateful. That's what he was saying.

The souls of YuWon's companions, who had entered Ubbo-Sathla's nest and died there, found comfort in the idea that they could die in peace, rather than continuing to fight in a dirty battle like this, even if it meant dying elsewhere, in a better place.

Even if it was a garbage dump, it was still better than continuing to fight in a place like this.

Even mentally strong High-Rankers had difficulty enduring a battle against the Outers that pushed them to their limits, even in their right minds.

However...

"They were all here."

"Aigoo-."

Souls that couldn't rest properly even after death and were turned into nutrients by Ubbo-Sathla.

YuWon exhaled deeply at their laments.

He knew this wasn't real, but...

"It's annoying."

It felt so real.

At that moment, YuWon was about to release the thin thread of reason that he barely held. In his heart, he wanted to break through the barrier separating the Tower from the unknown and run out to capture Ubbo-Sathla for real.

Grrr...

He clenched his fist so tightly that his nails pierced his skin, making blood well up.

"There haven't been any victims yet."

Remembering that, he barely managed to calm his anger. He cooled his head again.

But that didn't mean he could forget what he had just witnessed.

He extended his fist, which had previously been clenched so tightly that it made blood flow, and made a silent promise.

"I assure you you'll be the first to die."

Ubbo-Sathla.

He felt the need to hurry and fight it in some way in this place, even if it meant finding the slabs that hadn't been verified yet.

And also, to ensure that his comrades didn't end up in a similar situation.

Tzzt, tzzt...

The world where YuWon stood began to fade away.

As if someone were erasing it with an eraser, the colors disappeared, and time in the world passed slowly.

The Lion King, who was jumping, saying he was tired and wanted to go back quickly, Kali, who scolded him, and Asura, who had turned into a puddle on the ground, all turned into black and white.

The disappearing world.

YuWon looked up at the purple sky visible from the perforated ceiling.

It was losing its color now, but someday, the sky would return to being blue.

[You have successfully completed the 'Failed Otherworld Adversary.']

[Your level has increased]

[Your level has increased]

[Your level has...]

[...increased]

[Your title 'Otherworld Adversary' is changing]

[You have obtained the title 'Equal to the Otherworld']

Purple sky

Steps~

Foolish Chaos advanced with slow, unhurried steps.

"You're still just as slow," someone said.

Foolish Chaos turned to look at the young goat following him. At first glance, it looked like a goat that hadn't fully developed its coat yet, but through its unblemished eyes, there was a gaze that inspired fear.

"It's not slowness; it's caution," Foolish Chaos replied.

After visiting the Black Woods, Shub-Niggurath had assigned one of her young goats to Foolish Chaos. It was a form of surveillance to make sure Foolish Chaos didn't make any more foolish mistakes.

"Isn't it the same thing?"

"Whether you go fast or slow, it doesn't matter. What matters is the direction."

"You always talk about complicated things," Shub-Niggurath's goat said.

Shub-Niggurath's goat kept a certain distance from Foolish Chaos as they advanced.

It felt like it was being watched. However, Foolish Chaos continued on his way without special complaints.

How much time had passed?

The goat from Shub-Niggurath, walking alongside him, finally spoke.

"Are you trying to go to Sathla?"

"Yes."

The response was brief.

When Foolish Chaos arrived, the ground he stood on opened up and revealed a long slope descending underground.

The gigantic Ubbo-Sathla writhed and made way for Foolish Chaos. Thus, Foolish Chaos entered Ubbo-Sathla's body and reached the end, where the hidden slab lay.

Twisting~

The opaque form surrounding the slab writhed. However, in an instant, as if the opponent realized that it was Foolish Chaos, it simply handed over the slab it had been protecting.

"You've seen it thousands of times, so there must be something you're thinking about again. It seems like you have a lot on your mind because of 'it.'"

"You can't not know. Even now, it hurts in the back of the head. You too, isn't it because of 'it'?"

Before he started reading in earnest, Foolish Chaos corrected Shub-Niggurath's words.

"It's not 'it'... it's 'them'."