Leveling with the Gods

C359

YuWon returned to Olympus.

Having been busy with Jobs alongside Hercules, he needed immediate rest.

Furthermore, he had received a sincere invitation to Olympus.

The banquet hall resonated with beautiful melodies. People danced, played instruments, and exquisite dishes were presented everywhere.

And in the midst of it all...

"The Hero of the day! The rising star of Olympus!"

A man with a flushed face from alcohol.

Dionysus, the High-Ranker of Olympus, pointed at YuWon and excitedly shouted.

"Kim! Yu! Won!"

"Waaaah!"

"Kim YuWon, Kim YuWon!"

"The benefactor of Olympus!"

"Kim Yu..."

Cheers resounded.

The clamor filled the hall as they pointed towards YuWon, sitting amidst the crowd.

YuWon didn't even flinch. Though the cheers naturally subsided, the festive atmosphere didn't diminish.

"Come on, let's toast!"

Dionysus raised his cup without hesitation.

It was a drink specially created for Rankers by Dionysus.

"To your health!"

Clink-.

Glasses clinked all around. YuWon took small sips of a milder drink.

He felt embarrassed and couldn't meet people's eyes.

'Did I come here for nothing?'

He had come upon a sincere request from Dionysus to brighten up the place, but he hadn't expected the atmosphere to be like this.

It wasn't exactly his kind of celebration.

"Brother Dionysus is a bit like that. Please understand."

Thump-.

A large hand landed on YuWon's shoulder.

Without needing to look, he knew who it was.

"You probably don't like this kind of thing either."

"I prefer quietly drinking."

Hercules sat down beside YuWon and reached out. He took a bottle of liquor from the table and began drinking straight from it.

Even for Rankers, it was a bottle that could get you drunk.

Even Dionysus, who made that drink, was notably intoxicated, but Hercules...

Thud-.

Despite almost finishing the bottle, he seemed perfectly sober.

"The taste is good."

As if it wasn't enough, Hercules savored a bit more. YuWon shook his head as he looked at Hercules.

'I remember being sick for days after drinking with him.'

Hercules was famous for his alcohol resistance.

Not only did he drink well, but he drank more than most Giants.

Even if the Arcane Power in his body didn't neutralize alcohol, he was probably a natural drinker.

"Why did you come here? It's not like you came for fun."

"I was invited."

"Invited?"

Hercules pointed at Dionysus, who was playing an instrument and dancing.

"By him."

Dionysus was known as the "Throne of Alcohol" in Olympus.

He was the High-Ranker of Olympus who led parties like the one being held today, and it was known that he could enhance Players' strength by blessing alcohol.

He loved alcohol more than anyone and was always joyful thanks to it.

YuWon watched the Rankers and Players enjoying the banquet.

"Sometimes, this isn't so bad."

It wasn't an especially grand party.

It was just a party Dionysus organized from time to time.

It wasn't an exhilarating atmosphere, but somehow, it wasn't so bad after all.

And as he thought that...

Step-.

When a pair of footsteps entered the banquet hall, the commotion subsided.

The loud sound of heavy steps encased in armor.

YuWon's gaze turned towards the source of the sound.

'Is it an inspection or something?'

This situation was amusing in itself.

YuWon straightened up a bit in his seat.

Dionysus's face stiffened, and along with him, the Rankers who were dancing and singing also took a step back.

"S-Sister...?"

"Are you doing this again?"

Athena.

The Throne of War and Wisdom, the Shield of Olympus.

She approached Dionysus with a stern look.

"How long will you keep having fun without considering the consequences? Even after what happened this time..."

The scolding continued for a while.

The Rankers, who were observing the situation, began to stealthily exit as they sensed Athena's mood.

Though they concealed their intentions, they couldn't escape Athena's notice. But she remained focused on reprimanding Dionysus.

"According to your actions, the mindset of the Rankers here changes as well. Alcohol affects the body and the mind..."

"Dionysus' Dew is the best-selling liquor in this Tower, a bestseller."

A voice interjected into the scolding.

Athena turned her head to see where the voice was coming from.

It was YuWon, sitting next to Hercules.

"Don't just scold. Your brother is also doing a good job."

It was thanks to his business skills that Dionysus could become a High-Ranker representing Olympus even though he always drank like that.

He was the businessman generating the most Points in Olympus.

It was even said that half of Dionysus' rank was due to his wealth.

"I understand."

Athena briefly turned her head to look at Dionysus before nodding submissively.

It was an unexpected reaction.

Instead, Athena turned to YuWon.

"I came after hearing that you're here."

"Me?"

"Yes."

Creak-.

Athena unsheathed the Aegis she carried on her back as she spoke.

"I challenge you."

Step-.

YuWon followed behind Athena.

Hercules and Dionysus walked side by side behind him. Both showed interest in the intense confrontation that formed in the blink of an eye.

Steps toward the battlefield.

Step-.

"I know Dionysus is doing well."

When they were nearly at their destination, Athena spoke up.

"But I know he can do better."

Before Hercules and Hargan appeared, Dionysus was a High-Ranker who rapidly rose in Olympus' history.

At that time, his followers hoped he would join the ranks of the Three Great Gods someday.

But one day...

Dionysus, intrigued by alcohol, began crafting and selling drinks.

"Money is an absolute necessity to run a Guild. In that sense, Dionysus has done enough to benefit the Guild."

"That's right. It's just my greed."

Athena was a warrior on the Throne of War.

Her value lay solely in strength and battle. And Dionysus was like that too, at least until he became a Ranker.

Knowing that era, and recognizing Dionysus's potential.

Athena couldn't give up on Dionysus.

The place the three arrived at, following Athena, was far from the rear of the royal palace, in a training field.

A door large enough to measure about 4 meters.

Athena extended a hand towards that heavy door.

Crreeeak-.

The heavy door opened, revealing the interior of the battlefield.

Clang, clank-!

Troops of warriors clashed weapons and shields. Many warriors were fighting there, sweating.

The door opened without anyone noticing due to the concentration on the fight.

Athena walked among them and shouted.

"Halt!"

The training field where Athena's soldiers trained.

If Asgard had the Valkyries, Olympus had Athena's soldiers, an elite group that everyone would consider in the history of Olympus.

And those soldiers stopped moving and turned towards Athena.

"Affirmative!"

Despite being quite tired, they appeared without a single trace of fatigue.

They had a firm attitude. It was evident they had been meticulously trained.

Step, step-.

Athena and YuWon headed towards the center of the training field.

The soldiers who were busy with the training field parted for them. Thanks to that, YuWon, who needed enough space, nodded satisfied.

"This is enough."

"Thank you for making time for this. I know it was an unexpected request."

"It doesn't seem so unexpected."

YuWon saw the fighting spirit that arose in Athena's eyes.

It seemed to be the same as when they first met.

A curiosity and challenge that hadn't been completely resolved.

And now, even a desire to challenge YuWon, who surpassed her by far.

She probably thought she couldn't let this opportunity pass while YuWon was in Olympus.

"Well, anyway, I have to use my body soon too."

Swish-.

YuWon drew his sword in advance and assumed a stance.

He had been resting in Olympus for two days.

It wasn't a very long time, but YuWon thought it would be enough as a rest period.

"If I rest too much, my body will get stiff."

Maintaining the best possible condition required proper rest, but it was also important to stay alert.

He began to stretch his cooled-down body.

And once again...

"It's also a job to adapt to changes in statistics."

The new statistics he had obtained, even though they were only a few, were impressive given the level of his Arcane Power.

It wasn't just about maintaining focus, but also about learning to adapt to the new statistics.

And that's why Athena in front of him was a suitable opponent.

"Aegis..."

The Throne of War and Wisdom.

It was the first time YuWon was fighting against her.

"It's said that her defensive ability is comparable, if not superior, to that of the Three Sacred Treasures."

Flick-.

Through the tip of the sword, Arcane Power began to surge.

A Golden Lightning Bolt. YuWon could see Athena's eyes slightly widening at the power of the same nature as Zeus's.

"I can attack as much as I want."

Tsu, tsutsutsu-.

The Lightning Bolt kept growing in size.

He didn't use Uranus.

His Arcane Power was overflowing.

With this, he could probably do without Uranus's help right now.

['Sword Lightning Bolt' is being created]

Craack, crackle-.

A simple-shaped sword formed.

Without thinking of anything else, Athena drew Aegis as she felt the energy emanating from the sword and prepared to defend.

['Aegis Shield' has been activated]

['Aegis Guardian' has been activated]

['Medusa's Eye' has been activated]

Giiiiiing-.

Several layers of energy-made shields piled up over Aegis. Additionally, on those shields, the image of Medusa's face with snakes instead of hair appeared.

Medusa.

A monster that had brought destruction to a city long ago and turned hundreds of Rankers into stone.

Medusa's power was sealed in Aegis and remained as an ability.

Chung-.

The best defense is a good offense.

Following the famous adage, Athena, holding Aegis, lunged towards YuWon.

Kwaaang-!

And at that moment, YuWon's sword clashed against Athena's shield.

Kwang-!

A sound like a falling Lightning Bolt resonated as the two forces collided.

Craaack-.

In the center of the mighty Aegis, known for its unbreakable defense, a golden crack formed.