Leveling with the Gods

C418

The Valhalla Castle was experiencing one of the most frenetic moments in Asgard's long history.

"A guest from the Demon Kings has arrived. Demon King Belial..."

"Even a guest from the Celestial Realm has arrived. Great General Lee Rangjin came with a celestial army..."

"Where is Brunhilde?"

"No idea!"

"Who's looking for Brunhilde? Only a leader can..."

Due to the chaotic situation, the voices of the guild members responsible for Asgard's administration involuntarily rose.

Especially Brunhilde, who was in charge of the 64th floor of Asgard, was on the verge of collapse.

"Even if I had ten hands and ten feet, it would still be insufficient," she thought, lamenting. Even Asura, known as a three-headed, six-armed monster, could have handled this situation much more easily.

The reality was that Brunhilde was a leader of warriors and was not accustomed to dealing with people in this way.

'By the way, I'm not sure if Asura will be present or not.'

The list of participants had not yet been completed, and Brunhilde didn't know everyone who was going to attend.

"There are likely people who will show up at the last moment."

High-Ranker participants were often very independent, especially those ranked in the top 100. It wasn't easy to expect them to be respectful or formal.

Even in the case of the Demon Kings, some Rankers would suddenly appear and cause trouble for the Valkyries on the same day.

"Hey, Brunhilde..."

"What's going on now?"

"Demon King Astaroth has challenged Brunhilde to a duel."

Again.

The Demon King Rankers, who were proud and drunk with power, showed a great interest in Brunhilde, the leader of the Valkyries.

"How strong must she be to lead those great Valkyries?" they thought.

And Brunhilde's response was...

"Seems like I have plenty of time for that."

"What?"

"No need for a long response. Just tell them what I just said."

She also hated giving long answers.

This particular guy was the fourth or fifth to make a similar request.

Given the rush she was in, she couldn't remember exactly how many there were.

'Fine.'

Brunhilde was confident that after this Gathering, she would have the chance to face at least five Rankers.

Although she was currently making preparations for the Gathering and welcoming guests without any help, she was the best Valkyrie warrior.

She was looking forward to finishing this boring Gathering and having some fun in battle.

"Understood. I'll convey your response."

"Very well."

Brunhilde headed towards Lee Rangjin, the Grand General currently leading the Celestial Realm.

Despite losing to the Great Sage, Heaven's Equal, and the Great Sage, Who Pacifies Heaven, the Celestial Realm remained one of the solid pillars of the Great Guilds.

However...

"Kim YuWon also wishes to participate in the Gathering," a voice behind Brunhilde said as she hurriedly walked.

"Who wants to participate?"

Brunhilde was surprised and turned her head at the unexpected voice. The Valkyrie with her was also surprised and was about to scream at that moment.

But after seeing the person, the Valkyrie calmed down and, with her head lowered, answered Odin's question, who had suddenly appeared.

"It's... Kim YuWon."

"Kim YuWon. It seems that friend is coming as well."

They hadn't misheard. Brunhilde and the Valkyrie shared the same thought upon seeing Odin's intense gaze.

'Friend?'

For thousands of years, Brunhilde and the Valkyries had served Odin, but apart from Mimir, they had never heard Odin call anyone "friend."

However, Odin was now calling a young newcomer to the Tower who had only been here for a few years "friend."

That was surprising, even to them.

"When did you arrive?"

Odin, who had organized the Gathering on behalf of Asgard and then delegated the authority to Mimir, had disappeared. He hadn't responded to messages through the Player Kit and had been nearly absent.

"It's been a while. I arrived last night."

"Where did you go? You didn't say anything."

"I went to a place I can't talk about."

"I see. You're not the type to go out drinking at such an important time."

Odin had organized this Gathering. Without him, there wouldn't have been so many Guilds on the move. That showed how much influence Odin had in this Tower.

Brunhilde examined Odin, who had returned after months. He was sweating profusely. He didn't seem like he had gone out to fight, but he didn't seem like he had rested comfortably either.

"Why are you looking at me like that?"

"I was just thinking a bit."

"I have no intention of answering anything, so keep thinking. Ah, and bring me some clothes to change into."

"Did you hear?"

"Yes, I understand!"

Brunhilde's words prompted the Valkyrie beside her to move quickly.

The leader of the Valkyries didn't need to personally take care of such trivial matters.

"When the clothes are ready, I will also move. Thank you for handling all the difficult tasks until now."

"Understood. The citizens have also been waiting for you for a long time."

"That's right."

"It's a perfect coincidence. Since it's said that Lee Rangjin-nim from the Celestial Realm has arrived, I would appreciate it if you could meet with him on my behalf. It seems that we are currently very short-staffed."

Lee Rangjin was the representative of the Celestial Realm. Although Brunhilde had planned to meet with him instead of Odin, in terms of position, it made more sense for Odin to do so.

However...

"There is someone I must meet."

"Do you already have an appointment?"

"There is no agreement yet."

There was someone he had to meet, but there was no agreement. What kind of conversation was this?

"Who are you referring to?"

"It's the greatest person in this Tower."

"The greatest person..."

She didn't understand what was happening.

Usually, Mimir was the one speaking incomprehensible words. But now, Brunhilde had a strong headache because she was having a conversation similar to what she used to have with Mimir.

To make matters worse, fortunately or unfortunately, she hadn't seen Mimir for over a hundred years.

"It seems difficult to understand."

"That's right."

"If it's difficult to understand the 'standard of greatness,' isn't there an official standard in this Tower?"

Odin's question prompted Brunhilde to come up with an answer.

She could immediately think of what that 'standard' was.

"Ranking..."

Odin's official rank was second.

Although it might be considered a great achievement in this vast Tower, even he, who always seemed to be the best, still only held the second place.

Hercules was seeing something he had never seen in his life.

A spacious room of about 40 square meters.

A marvelous view of the city.

A clean bed and expensive furniture.

It was an especially pleasant place even in Valhalla, the great city.

And in the middle of that room...

"I'm hungry."

YuWon took out his Kit and searched for various videos as if he were bored.

"Can you order something to eat at least?"

"Anyway, I was thinking about it."

"Really?"

He had never imagined YuWon being so lazy. It was something he had never considered.

Hercules stared at YuWon. Despite saying he would order some food, YuWon hadn't made any moves yet.

"What are you thinking about?"

Reserving a costly room of 300 points a day and lounging in it. It seemed like he was on vacation.

They had the option to get a suitable place provided by Asgard, so it didn't make sense for him to be in a place like this.

"Anyway, I have nothing to do until the Gathering starts."

"So you're here doing this?"

"For the time being."

"For the time being?"

"Because I'm waiting for someone."

Hercules frowned.

The guy he was waiting for.

YuWon had undoubtedly jumped into the Colosseum saying those words. He said he'd prefer to make a fuss here instead of submitting his attendance list at the Gathering since he couldn't find that other person. Although it might seem simple, it was an effective method.

After looking at YuWon for a while as if he was amazed, Hercules nodded. If it were someone else, they might have felt uncomfortable or pitiful seeing YuWon acting this way. But because it was YuWon, he didn't feel that way.

"Well, it's not bad to take a break."

YuWon had been running tirelessly until now.

From the first floor to the hundredth. He had also participated in events like Olympus, the Celestial Realm, Asgard, the showdown between the Demons and The Heavens, and more.

Hercules wasn't present at all those events, but he could easily understand how YuWon was from the fact that he had been running tirelessly.

Hercules followed YuWon and sat on a large, spacious sofa to rest. The sofa was sturdy enough to support Hercules' body, in line with its high cost.

"You've submitted your attendance list at the Gathering. Are you going to stay here and wait now?"

"And you? Are you going to stay here the whole time?"

"Why? Where else am I going to go?"

"To Olympus."

YuWon's answer made Hercules stiffen like a rock.

As if he weren't even breathing.

For a while, the air in the room stopped, and time froze for a few seconds.

"...I'm not mentally prepared to go there yet."

After a long pause, YuWon asked so simply.

"Why? Because of your father?"

"Yes."

"If it's because of your father, you should give it a try. You probably don't think that just avoiding it will work, right?"

"I never thought he would come back like this."

For some reason.

When he returned from the Trial, the position of the King of Olympus had changed.

From Hades to Zeus.

It was only a return to his original position, but that alone changed the situation of Olympus a lot.

Once, Olympus held a status as high as Asgard. But when Zeus was brought down, the name rolled on the ground for a while. But now...

The Olympus ruled by Zeus was experiencing its second heyday.

"Do you feel ashamed?"

"Who said I feel ashamed...?"

Hercules, who was about to shout in anger, stopped his words. His pupils silently rolled.

YuWon, who seemed bored and was pacing around, also got up from his seat.

Then.

"Should I step aside for a bit?"

Hercules, who noticed the situation, asked.

YuWon nodded. He hoped there were no other guests in this place if possible.

"Unless you want to leave."

"That's how you tell me to stay out of the way."

"You heard correctly."

Was it his determination not to return to Olympus where Zeus was present?

Hercules got up from his seat without hesitation.

A few minutes after Hercules left the room...

"Now, there's no one else."

The wind blew through the window, which opened by itself.

YuWon's gaze turned to the hooded figure who entered with the wind.

The guy who had been following him since before the Colosseum.

"Now, how about we have a little chat?"

For the first time, a place was created for a conversation with Foolish Chaos.