Leveling with the Gods

C361

"Mimir?"

Thor turned completely. His blue eyes, imposing physique, and the Mjölnir he held in one hand. It was the very image of Thor from Asgard, widely known among the people.

But there was one unique difference.

It was only in his gaze.

"Why do you think so?" - His voice was identical as well.

Whether someone knew Thor or not, it was hard not to be deceived by that appearance. This wasn't a simple disguise.

YuWon was sure that what he was seeing wasn't real.

Hwaguk-.

["Golden Cinder Eyes" resists illusions]

["Golden Cinder Eyes" reveals the truth]

Golden Cinder Eyes.

An ability that pierced lies and showed the truth.

When that ability activated, Thor's figure in front of YuWon began to gradually distort.

Fsssh, fsssh-.

The face was constantly changing, showing one image after another.

And finally, the familiar face of an old man appeared.

"So, these are the 'Golden Cinder Eyes'." - The voice changed.

YuWon realized that the Golden Cinder Eyes were clearing the opponent's ability.

"It's the first time I've seen it with my own eyes."

Hwaaah-!

["Golden Cinder Eyes" sees through 'Mimir's lies']

["Mimir's lies" are dispelled]

The scene before YuWon's eyes changed.

The dusty wall and frame of an old cabin, a bed, and a small table beside it all suddenly disappeared, and a completely different scene unfolded before him.

It was a damp and sticky cave.

Since when had he been trapped in this illusion?

"Since I met Hargan? Or since the garden?"

The only thing certain was that it hadn't been a short period.

Even for YuWon, without the Golden Cinder Eyes, it was difficult to completely penetrate this illusion.

"Pleased to meet you."

Thor's imposing figure disappeared, and in his place, an old man slightly shorter than YuWon appeared.

A hunched back, wrinkles on his face. Whether by appearance or the aura he emitted, he seemed to be a much smaller presence than Thor.

But...

"It really is Mimir."

Although other Rankers might not have known, YuWon knew for sure.

How much monstrous power the old man before him possessed.

Mimir.

His rank barely reached three digits, but that was solely due to his characteristics.

"Is he already awake?"

Mimir could only be active for 1 year out of every 100 years.

Although he had formidable ability due to the Curse of Knowledge, he had to spend most of his life sleeping to endure the cerebral overload.

Most of his life was like a helpless existence, unable to do anything for himself.

That's why the Rank Management Office had set his classification as the last of the three digits, 999.

But in other words...

Despite spending most of his life asleep, Mimir still maintained that rank.

"I knew there was still some time left for you to awaken from your slumber, but it was sooner than I thought."

"You speak as if you've been waiting for me."

"That's right. I was waiting for you."

Mimir's eyes curved into a half-moon at YuWon's response.

It was an expression of joy. For someone who knew everything in the world to the point of being considered a curse, YuWon was one of the few presences that piqued his curiosity.

"It seems this will be a long story."

Zzzz~

Mimir's magic activated, and at the same time, two rocks rose between him and YuWon.

Two improvised chairs were easily created.

"Sit down. After fighting so hard, don't stand and hurt your legs."

Apparently, Mimir knew that YuWon had just had a confrontation with Athena.

YuWon sat in the chair created by Mimir and looked into his eyes.

'His eyes are still the same.'

Eyes that could see everything in the Tower.

He couldn't lie in front of Mimir.

Mimir: "It seems you also know a lot about me."

YuWon: "Did you not hear some story about Odin's Clock Movement?"

Mimir: "Yes, I did. I also heard that you were chosen by my Clock Movement."

As expected.

Mimir knew everything, and he also knew why YuWon was here.

So the story would be much easier.

"It was Odin and you who conceived and began to create the Clock Movement, but someone else completed it."

YuWon skipped the formalities and went straight to the point.

With another person, it might have been appropriate to have a conversation to get to know each other a bit, but that wasn't necessary with Mimir.

There was no time to waste on unnecessary courtesies and formalities.

"It's possible you remember too. Isn't that so?"

It was a question, but there was conviction in YuWon's voice.

Mimir would.

Being Mimir, the person who, along with Odin, first conceived the existence of the Clock Movement and made the greatest contribution to its creation, it was said that even he might be able to resist the power of the Clock Movement.

And he wasn't wrong.

"There are three, including me."

Mimir didn't deny YuWon's words and spoke.

"Chronos, I remember that friend."

YuWon's eyes gleamed.

Chronos.

As expected, Mimir also remembered that name.

The name that not even Zeus or Hades remembered.

"One is me. Two is you. And the last one is the Great Sage, Heaven's Equal."

The Great Sage, Heaven's Equal, the Bull Demon King.

He was the greatest sorcerer in this Tower, as well as being the sworn brother of Son OhGong.

Through his studies in sorcery and other disciplines, the Bull Demon King was able to perceive the distortions in this world through the Clock Movement.

That's how the Bull Demon King confirmed the existence of Chronos.

With the Bull Demon King having confirmed the existence of Chronos and now also having Mimir and YuWon, the three of them remembered a name that no one else did.

"Odin couldn't remember it. He, despite being the best in magic, seems not to be as competent in sorcery or other fields."

"So? Did you think I would remember it?"

"You are very sharp."

Mimir smiled and gently tapped his knee.

"I also wanted to meet the Great Sage, Heaven's Equal, but I don't know where he is. Where has he gone?"

Of course, Mimir seemed to know that Son OhGong, like YuWon, had come to the past using the Clock Movement.

Mimir was obsessed with knowledge, even more than anyone else in the Tower, due to the Curse of Knowledge.

For him, both YuWon and Son OhGong, who witnessed past events through the Clock Movement, were beings he undoubtedly wished to meet.

"He has gone to challenge the next floor."

"The next floor?"

Mimir's eyes lit up.

The title of 'Ranker' was bestowed only upon those who had reached the Tower's pinnacle.

And among them, Son OhGong was one of the High-Rankers with incomparable abilities in the Tower.

So for someone like Son OhGong, the expression 'next floor' meant...

"Upwards, towards the ceiling?"

"Yes."

"Then, have they managed to find the door to the future?"

The door that led upward in the Tower.

It was Mimir who discovered the existence of that door.

YuWon also came to know of its existence through Mimir and only reported to Zeus and Poseidon what he had seen and experienced.

Of course, Mimir immediately understood what YuWon meant by 'the next floor'.

"It's good that you've come from the future. I truly didn't think it was possible."

"It was thanks to Chronos's sacrifice."

"The Great Sage, Heaven's Equal, probably came back thanks to me."

Could he even read other people's thoughts?

That was the only explanation that came to his mind.

YuWon reached his hand forward.

"Mimir, I need your help."

It was probably the first time he extended his hand like this, directly asking someone for help.

YuWon usually took an approach to extract help from others in most situations.

But this time was different.

"You already know everything about the future. So why do you need my help?"

"The future can change."

The year when Mimir woke up.

YuWon had been waiting for that year.

-"If the past changes, won't the future naturally change too?"

-"That's absolutely true."

-"Well, there's not much we can do about it. Still, if we can prevent events like the Gigantomachy and Ragnarok, that would be a significant achievement."

If the past changes, the future changes.

That very obvious law couldn't be changed even with the existence of the Clock Movement.

If the Outer Gods, including Foolish Chaos, realized that someone had come back using the Clock Movement, it would accelerate the changes even more.

And at that moment...

Odin spoke.

-"Find Mimir."

Even then, Mimir was asleep.

To carry out this long and arduous plan, he had been sentenced to a sleep that lasted not just a hundred years, but several times more than that.

-"From then on, it will be Act 2."

Act 2.

If until now all the plans were based on an already established future, from now on, they would have to set new plans based on the altered future.

YuWon knew all the possibilities of the future. If he knew the events and their origins, he could know the person and prepare for it, so it wasn't difficult.

The problem was the altered future by reversing the past.

And only Mimir knew about that altered future and could set new plans accordingly.

"I also need to know about the altered future, it seems."

Before coming here, Mimir already knew approximate information about YuWon.

The one who ended Ragnarok with Odin. Furthermore, someone who became a High-Ranker in the shortest recorded period.

How many would be able to achieve such things simply by knowing the future?

"Is it greed, or is there a reason for it..."

The corner of Mimir's mouth lifted slightly as he looked at YuWon.

"It's the latter."

"Yes."

"In that case, I'd like to know the reason."

It wasn't difficult to explain the reason.

The collapsed walls.

The presences that came from outside, beyond the borders and the Tower.

A world shattered by those presences.

That information wasn't difficult to reveal.

However...

'Odin must not know.'

What worried YuWon was when Odin would find out everything.

Mimir and Odin were unrivaled friends.

Still, fortunately, Mimir quickly realized the reason.

"If he knows, he'll act in his own way."

"That's true."

Indeed.

Sometimes, the truth was used to hide the truth. Thanks to that, YuWon was able to free himself from a burden.

YuWon's story began.

It wasn't a very long story.

The Tower had been destroyed by the Outsiders, and the remaining companions planned to change the past using the Clock Movement.

And now, he was moving in accordance with that plan.

"Outside the Tower, the Outsiders, and the Outer World..."

The story related to the Outer World was interesting enough to pique Mimir's interest.

Mimir closed his eyes again, which were burning with pain. Headaches and eye burning were side effects when his mind spun too fast.

YuWon: "The future has already changed. So I have a question for you."

Mimir: "What is it?"

Mimir asked with one eye covered by his hand.

YuWon: "It's about Chronos."

With a face similar to Zeus and black hair.

And a mark on his face.

YuWon: "Is that guy still alive?"

It's possible that Chronos is still alive. With that hope in mind, YuWon asked the question.