Leveling with the Gods

C480

The return to consciousness was marked by a gentle sound.

Or perhaps, consciousness returned just when a small sound was casually heard.

Siegfried opened his eyes. Before him, he saw small bubbles rising.

Was he underwater?

'Where am I...?'

Although he opened his eyes, he saw nothing.

A black sea.

That was all Siegfried could see.

And it was at that moment that he realized he had plunged into somewhere.

Woo~

Under the black sea, he felt the gazes of countless eyes.

Chilling~

A shiver ran down his spine. Involuntarily, Siegfried reached for the hilt of the sword at his waist.

Fortunately, the sword was still there. Gripping the sword out of habit, he felt a little relieved.

And then, in that moment.

-It's quite surprising, isn't it?

A voice whispered in Siegfried's ear.

-The ability to control the dead without the need for the "King of the Dead."

It wasn't the first time he heard that voice.

As if he had heard it somewhere before.

And it was an unforgettable voice.

Perhaps...

'Susanoo?'

-You have a good memory.

Susanoo's taunt made Siegfried furrow his brow.

It wasn't the first time they had met. While it was a well-known fact that Susano was bound as the summoned spirit of YuWon, Siegfried had known him long before.

When both were wandering swordsmen.

Before Nibelung became the massive Guild it was now, the two clashed as swordsmen.

-Back then, we couldn't come to an agreement, right? I was stopped by Tsukuyomi, and you by your knights.

Black flames rose from the depths of the sea.

Susanoo's soul.

It appeared in front of Siegfried and soon took the form of a human figure.

A faceless warrior with a red sword in hand.

It was definitely Susanoo.

The Kusanagi Sword, the attached Magatama Jewel, and the Yata Mirror.

Seeing Susanoo with the Three Sacred Treasures, Siegfried narrowed his eyes.

'Will we finish what we started-'

"Do you intend to do it now?"

The voice came out.

Gradually, he too was adapting to this world.

-There's no need to hurry. We are in Tartarus.

"Tartarus?"

Siegfried looked away and saw the ocean surrounding them.

And among that...

Somewhere on the border between life and death, the souls of the dead showed up.

-This is a place where you can fight endlessly without dying. The resting place of the dead. The boundary between life and death. There are many ways to describe it.

"Is there any way out?"

-Only the master can get you out of here.

"The master?"

It couldn't be, he thought.

But there was only one person who had sent him here.

"Are you talking about Kim YuWon?"

-Who else could it be but him?

"The great Susanoo, serving someone like a dog. That's laughable."

-Speak as much as you want. But your state isn't very comfortable right now, is it?

Numerous looks were felt. Siegfried's gaze moved back and forth, meeting the eyes that watched him from all sides.

Who were they all?

Were they alive? Or were they dead like Susanoo?

While those thoughts intertwined complicatedly...

Slash~

A red line was drawn across Siegfried's body.

Siegfried moved a step to the side to dodge Susanoo's sword strike, which had been swung without warning.

"Didn't you say there was no rush?"

-Since you didn't say anything, I thought you were starting now.

Susanoo swung the Kusanagi.

And as the fight began, other souls within Tartarus also started to move.

[Tartarus considers you an enemy]

A message appeared in front of Siegfried.

And at the same time...

-Oh, how unfortunate.

Woo!

The darkness of Tartarus enveloped Siegfried's body.

-Do I really have to share this?

Kiing-.

A bright light shone from Siegfried's sword. The moment Balmung moved in a cross shape, it cut through the Tartarus sea.

Slash!

The light emitted by Balmung destroyed Tartarus's darkness.

The spirits rushing to devour the living were torn and thrown, and amid them, Susanoo's Kusanagi and Balmung clashed.

Clang!

Thus, the King of Nibelung, Siegfried, began to fight in Tartarus.

An unexpected exodus began in Nibelung.

People moving to evacuate the land. And the knights leading them.

Wagner observed the situation.

It was he who stopped the knights who began to run wildly to save Siegfried. Although it was for a brief moment, all were subdued by the clones of the Great Sage, Heaven's Equal.

But while caring for the fallen knights.

Wagner realized a fact.

'No one has died.'

There were no casualties among the knights. Everyone was either unconscious or subdued.

In this situation, only one thing can be considered.

That the enemy's goal is not to take Nibelung by force.

'If it's not that, then what is their goal?'

Thud~

A ground-shaking sound of footsteps.

Wagner's head turned back. Indeed, for a while now, YuWon, Son OhGong, and Hercules had been looking back.

And so, when Wagner turned, he took a deep breath...

“Huaep-!”

He was dumbfounded with surprise. The next moment, Wagner's sky was blocked.

A body covered in thick scales. A dragon with the Ruyi (여의) in one hand and glowing red eyes.

It was a mix of giant and dragon. And in this way, there was only one of the Dragon Race in this Tower.

"F-F-Fafnir..."

One of the representative kings of the Dragon Race.

The Dragon King, Fafnir.

He had come to Nibelung.

Bump~

And before Fafnir, there were two people.

Someone in charge of guiding him.

“We're back.”

“I'm back.”

Those two people were Pandora and Hargan, who brought the Dragon Race along with Son OhGong's clone. Watching Hargan shake hands and Pandora, who remained expressionless, Wagner swallowed hard.

'Was Hargan involved too? Did Olympus move?'

He didn't recognize Pandora, but Hargan was an unmistakable face.

He was a handsome young man who had gained popularity among Rankers as well as among young Players in the lower levels. Moreover, his face was also included in the Ranking, so he had been rapidly climbing it.

Also, considering the fact that he is a direct descendant of the King of Olympus, Zeus, he is a more famous figure than most High-Rankers.

'What the hell is going on here...?'

Grr.~

When Fafnir opened his mouth, a sound resembling a beast's roar resonated.

Wagner, surprised, quickly stepped back. And it wasn't just Wagner who showed this reaction.

The other knights around as well.

Fafnir's roar made hundreds of dragons spread their wings and fly. The sight was so threatening that Hargan frowned.

"Can't you avoid making that noise? Everyone seems scared."

"Yes, don't be noisy."

To Hargan's words, Pandora added a word.

Fafnir closed his mouth again. Although he was leading hundreds of dragons with him, he couldn't help but shrink a bit this time.

“Right. The kids will be scared.”

“If we're not going to fight, it would be good if you kept quiet a bit.”

“Don't get discouraged so quickly.”

One by one, Son OhGong, Hercules, and YuWon.

Three people exchanged words.

Fafnir had seen YuWon before. Moreover, the other two were overwhelming beings for Fafnir.

Fafnir cautiously opened his mouth to avoid showing his teeth.

-Sorry.

He had to speak kindly.

“…”

“…”

The knights, who were tense, looked at each other.

They thought the fight would start at any moment, but it wasn't so.

Kim YuWon, Son OhGong, and Hercules.

The knights of Nibelung, who surrendered to their power.

And the Dragons, including the Dragon King.

The combined power of all those present was enough to wage a war that would change the Tower's history.

‘However...’

‘None of them seem to want to fight.’

They had even gathered to chat peacefully.

It was impossible to know what they wanted.

-Are you sure about that?

"Don't you know already since you also have ears?"

-I didn't know that 'they' had already reached out here.

"It's not right to say 'already' in this. It's been too long."

The answer was affirmative.

Fafnir's gaze fell downward. Whether he was angry or not, he silently showed his teeth.

YuWon glanced around for a moment.

Quite some time had passed, and most of the people present had left.

At this point, there were no residents left in the center of Nibelung's capital, including the royal castle.

The people left were mainly knights and mages affiliated with Nibelung.

In other words, Players and Rankers of level 91 or higher.

"Let's get started."

YuWon glanced briefly at Hercules, who nodded when their eyes met.

For a brief moment, there was tension between the three.

Son OhGong, who used to be playful, was also the same this time.

YuWon looked around again.

OhGong and his clones, Hercules, the members of the Dragon Race including Fafnir.

And the knights and mages of Nibelung, who had no idea what was going on.

Perhaps the dragons in the sky already knew something, but the knights and mages of Nibelung here were different.

"It will be an unknown fight for you."

YuWon had to clearly show them the "enemy" they would face.

And why that absurd Dragon War should not take place.

"Still, don't retreat or be afraid. If you do, not only will we die, but there will also be more people who are not present here who will die."

"What are you talking about?"

"Who are we fighting against?"

A moment of clamor.

Although it wasn't as long as a speech, YuWon's words conveyed a certain determination. Thanks to that, about half of them understood what YuWon meant.

Prepare for the impending fight.

And among them, at least half could guess what would happen soon.

If there was recently a single event that shook the Tower, it would be just one.

"Are you done?"

Hercules asked, and YuWon nodded.

Indeed, it wasn't the end.

Just the beginning.

Craack-le-.

Hercules' club was wrapped in a Golden Lightning Bolt. Lifting the club, full of power, the dragons in the sky roared.

Kwang! Kukung-.

The sound of lightning roaring from the ground, centered on the club.

To avoid being caught by that power, the knights of Nibelung stepped back.

Of course, there was no way to avoid it completely.

'Anyway, the residents are already gone.'

Players who are not residents, not even from the 91st floor.

And if you are a Ranker with good defensive skills, you can surely protect your own body.

'So now-.'

Bang-.

Thus, Hercules' club fell to the ground.

'It's time to bring out Ubbo-Sathla.'

Bum-!

Nibelung began to collapse.