Leveling with the Gods

C382

['Predator' bares its teeth towards 'Shub-Niggurath']

Kwok...

The Predator bared its teeth towards Shub-Niggurath.

YuWon observed that scene.

If what he had experienced hadn't just been a dream, then undoubtedly...

Kwack!

Those teeth would pierce through Shub-Niggurath's robust body.

Kwaduk, Kwakwadduk...

The Predator's teeth sank into Shub-Niggurath's neck.

There was no blood.

Instead, the goat that formed Shub-Niggurath's body began to bleat.

Beee, beeeeeeee...

Were they suffering in place of their mother?

The Rankers, who had been pouring out their abilities as the goat bleated for a long time, clutched their heads.

"Stop... Kugh... What kind of convulsion is this all of a sudden?"

"Aaah! Aaah!"

Their heads throbbed, and their vision became blurry.

In one way or another.

Even the Rankers, including Son OhGong and Odin, who were closer to Shub-Niggurath, lost their expressions as they gaped in astonishment at what they had before them.

"What is this...?"

"Is it working?"

Kwadadad...

The Predator's teeth sank deep into Shub-Niggurath's neck.

And then, instantly...

Kwack!

The Predator's teeth bit into Shub-Niggurath's flesh.

And at that moment...

[The 'Predator' has bitten 'Shub-Niggurath's neck']

[The 'Predator' has consumed part of 'Shub-Niggurath']

A message that YuWon had been waiting for in his mind appeared.

'I had considered it, but...'

An incredible message.

Kwadad...

Part of Shub-Niggurath's body disappeared. No matter how much it was cut or damaged, Shub-Niggurath's body, which normally recovered its original form as if it had never been damaged, was not regenerating.

'It really consumed it.'

Of the two assurances YuWon had been waiting for, one was the existence of Danpung.

"Bat, baat-."

YuWon looked at Danpung, who had climbed onto his shoulder and was pointing noisily at Shub-Niggurath while wrapping his arm around YuWon's neck.

'Even Danpung or the Predator, neither of them is stronger than Shub-Niggurath.'

Of course, the Predator's power was the natural enemy of the Outers. He knew that very well. However, the power gap between the Predator that YuWon knew and Shub-Niggurath was not something that could be simply resolved with the label of "natural enemy."

Despite that, the Predator's teeth sank into Shub-Niggurath's neck and managed to consume a part of his body.

There was only one possible reason for this.

'Is it an entity of a higher level than Shub-Niggurath?'

[The level of 'Danpung' has increased]

[The level of 'Danpung' has increased]

[The Divine Power of 'Danpung' has increased by 12]

[The growth rate has increased by 0.01%]

[The Arcane Power has increased by 5]

Increases in level, Divine Power, and Arcane Power were not common at all. A 12-level increase in Divine Power and a total of 5 levels of Arcane Power. Usually, even a single level of stats made a huge difference in the world.

Perhaps it was because of this? Thanks to the five attributes that suddenly increased, YuWon felt like he had become a completely different person.

[The growth rate has reached 100%]

[The growth of 'Danpung' is beginning]

Finally, those three words slipped out of YuWon's mouth without warning.

Since passing the Tutorial and entering the Tower, how long had he been waiting for this moment? Maybe this upgrade would allow him to learn a bit more about Danpung.

Of course...

"First of all, that guy."

-Beeeh-

Shub-Niggurath let out a cry of agony. With its neck half torn and evident suffering, it struggled frantically.

Thud~

Yuwon's body jumped. At the same time, Nir, the spear blocked by Satan, returned to YuWon's hand.

Swoosh~

A flow of Arcane Power emanated from the spear that YuWon held in his hand, even though it hadn't fully activated yet.

'More important than strength is timing.'

Wooom~

The tip of the spear quivered. Even though it hadn't fully activated yet, a different kind of power flowed into the spear.

[Divine Power has been imbued]

[A Giant's power is imbued in the right arm]

Thud, Thuddudduk

The arm swelled due to Gigantification.

YuWon, who was in a throwing stance in the air, pushed his waist with all his might and hurled the spear with all his strength.

Thwack

The spear sank into Shub-Niggurath's body. Pushed back by Ru Yi Bang and weakened by the loss of its neck to the Predator, this was the final thrust for Shub-Niggurath.

-Beeeeeeh-!

It seemed very unfair.

Shub-Niggurath, as if feeling aggrieved, flew to the other side of the wall, emitting a terrifying scream.

Shub-Niggurath's body quickly moved away. At the same time, time began to move rapidly once again.

Tic-tac, tic-tac...

Tic-tac, tic-tac...

The space where Shub-Niggurath had entered was rapidly restored.

YuWon turned his head. He saw Chronos restoring the wall to its original state on the other side of the wall. The wrinkles on his face were already countless, and his white hair was whiter than the last time YuWon had seen him.

Tic-tac, tic-tac...

The wall had returned to normal. The wall was flawless, without a single mark. As Shub-Niggurath was pushed out, and the boundary between the Tower and the Outside returned to its place, a brief silence fell over the place.

And then, in an instant...

"Is it over? Did we win?"

"We won, right?"

"Ah, ah..."

Relieved Rankers began to celebrate.

"We won!!"

Nothing spread faster than the cry of joy.

In the blink of an eye, the battlefield was filled with cries of joy, happiness, and relief. Instead of the bleating of the goat, there were joyful shouts filling the ears.

Perhaps because of that...

Son OhGong, who had especially sensitive ears, covered his ears with his fingers as if complaining about the noise.

"Jeez, what are they celebrating so much?"

Although he said that, he was relieved too.

Son OhGong looked at the wall that had been collapsed until recently.

'Shub-Niggurath.'

What exactly had he been facing all this time?

The battlefield was quickly cleaned up. Each Guild assessed the situation of the wounded and prepared funerals for the dead.

Half of the players who had been caught in Shub-Niggurath's bleating died on the spot or were gravely injured. Several Guilds were eager to find out the identity of this creature.

And another matter...

Satan fled while battling Zeus. It happened right after Shub-Niggurath was expelled, and the murim was restored.

"He has lost a wing. He probably can't fly like before."

Zeus uttered those words before disappearing somewhere.

Fortunately, Chronos did not become a target for the Guilds. No one identified him as Chronos from the start, as he always wore the mask of Poseidon.

Inside the submerged and ruined city, YuWon and Son OhGong found refuge in the most intact house.

Son OhGong, who had disappeared somewhere, returned with his hands full of food.

"The old man still hasn't woken up?"

Thump.

Son OhGong placed the box he was carrying on the table. The large box was filled with fruits, processed sausages, dried meat, bread, and more.

Inside the room, Chronos was sleeping. His body was so frail it looked like it would break if lifted.

"Will he wake up?"

"Am I a doctor? I don't know."

"How long do you plan to wait?"

"I don't know."

The door was closed.

Chronos lay inside.

"Anyway, shouldn't we be with him in his final moments?"

Chronos sacrificed himself for them. Although what happened afterward was a result of their actions, his sacrifice had already occurred once before this incident.

It had been two days since he lost consciousness.

YuWon planned to wait until Chronos woke up.

"Where did you get all this food?"

Crunch...

YuWon picked an unknown fruit from the box that Son OhGong had brought.

Where had he acquired this in a ruined and desolate city? If this was also part of his ability, then it was astonishing.

"I was given it."

"By whom?"

"A guy from the Outside."

"He wouldn't have just given it to you all of a sudden. Did you steal it?"

"He gave it to me because I asked."

He had stolen it.

Son OhGong had claimed that someone from outside had given it to him, but in this place, how many people could refuse a request from him? Even an ordinary Player, let alone a High-Ranker, would probably give away their underwear if asked.

Son OhGong was known for his violence long before he shook the Celestial Realm, no doubt.

Crunch...

Like YuWon, Son OhGong also ate another piece of fruit. It seemed less boring once the food entered his mouth, and he finally sat down on a chair after a while.

"Still, it's a shame. I was hoping to see the old man again."

"Thanks to him, we stopped Shub-Niggurath."

"Why the hell did it show up out of nowhere?"

Most of Chronos's time was spent stopping Shub-Niggurath. Shub-Niggurath's strength was formidable enough that only by combining the power of Son OhGong, Odin, and Chronos could they stop it.

No.

"Well, at least we stopped it. If that thing had entered here, things wouldn't have ended like this."

Rather, this is a relief.

Shub-Niggurath was an uncontrollable catastrophe in the Tower at this moment, and it would be in the future as well.

The day when its thousand young were released into the Tower and the Black Woods approached.

YuWon and his companions gave up on winning the fight against the Outers.

"With this, the Tower will be in turmoil for a while. Now that they know about the Outsiders."

"Of course, it will be noisy. Especially Odin."

"He's probably thinking a lot right now. Maybe he can even open that door and come here right away."

"That could be quite fun."

Son OhGong laughed heartily. For him, who loved chaos and fights, this aimless waiting was a boring monotony he couldn't stand.

Instead, he would prefer Odin to come in and wreak havoc here; it would be much better for Son OhGong.

Thud...

Son OhGong, as if he were having fun just with the idea, grabbed one of the foods that had been scattered on the table.

A small purple egg.

It was the size of a fist, quite appetizing in appearance.

Son OhGong brought the egg to his mouth as if he were going to eat it in one bite.

But...

"That's not meant to be eaten."

YuWon's words made Son OhGong's hand, which was carrying the egg toward his mouth, stop.

Not meant to be eaten, huh?

As if asking what this was, surprise filled Son OhGong's eyes as he looked at the egg in his hand.

"What's wrong with you? Why are you like this?"

"...Look behind you."

With a gesture, YuWon pointed backward with his finger.

A motion that requested him to check what was behind.

Why is he acting like this?

Son OhGong turned his head to look behind him, as indicated.

And at that moment...

"...Huh?"

Son OhGong's expression changed just like YuWon's.

There, right behind him...

A massive abyss with numerous gaping mouths filled with sharp teeth was preparing to devour Son OhGong.

All of this to protect the egg in Son OhGong's hand.