Leveling with the Gods

"Here?"

"It'll be much easier that way."

Tap~

Odin, who had descended from his throne, took a step towards YuWon.

"The difficulty is not a problem anyway, right?"

"The castle is the problem."

"Even if it collapses, it's not difficult to rebuild. Besides, it's not such a dangerous trial."

[Do you accept the trial?]

Regarding the golden castle, Odin agreed.

So there was no need to think any further.

"I accept."

[Odin's trial begins.]

The corner of Odin's mouth lifted.

"This is supposed to be the power of an Administrator."

A hand stretched out in front of him.

Tuk-du-du-duduk-.

Small seeds fell to the ground from Odin's palm.

Tiny seeds the size of sunflower seeds.

"This is the first time I'm using it too..."

The moment they fell.

Kaaaaaaah-!

Shurrrr, shurrrr-.

The seeds swelled instantly, forming sharp teeth.

Screams were heard all around.

Green leafy plants filled the grand hall. The green leaves soon turned black, and dark energy consumed the air.

[Survive the "Devouring Darkness Root."]

The Devouring Darkness Root.

It was a creature whose name he had never heard of. It was probably a seed that the Administrator had given Odin for a trial.

"Maybe the difficulty level is a bit high..."

Kak-.

The Devouring Darkness Root lowered its head.

Even at their first appearance, those types who used to immediately seek food became meek sheep before YuWon.

There was nothing hostile about them.

It was Odin, more than YuWon, who was perplexed at the sight.

"Are the Devouring Darkness Roots bowing their heads?"

While serving as the acting Administrator, Odin had heard an explanation about the seeds he had received from the Administrator.

"Regardless of their ability, it's normal to be attacked. After all, this trial is part of the system."

The Devouring Darkness Roots were creatures created by the Administrators.

They had been given a system and were expected to behave according to it, regardless of how strong their opponents were.

And only Odin, the acting Administrator, could summon such a Devouring Darkness Root.

YuWon reached out and caressed the Devouring Darkness Root.

'No.'

Seeing that, Odin thought of another being that could handle the Devouring Darkness Root.

'There are more.'

[The 'Devouring Darkness Root' cannot attack the 'Mana Master.']

The Mana Master.

It was an unfamiliar name, but Odin knew of beings whose powers fit the description.

"Administrator."

He thought to himself, but couldn't help but believe what he was seeing.

Shortly after, Odin burst into a small laugh and muttered.

"Well, future me, you've chosen a really good one to bring to the past."

Swish~

YuWon, who was stroking the head of the Devouring Darkness Root, turned his head.

They were cute, but he had no intention of continuing to pet them.

"Is the trial over?"

Floor 65.

The closest and most hostile world to Asgard.

Known as the hottest world, it was called Muspelheim, the Land of Fire.

YuWon immediately traveled to Muspelheim and tried to contact OhGong again.

Ding~.

There was still no response.

Hours had already passed.

Woo-!

YuWon looked towards the flames rising in the sky.

A world of harsh rocky mountains surrounded him.

It was a place where even players who had reached floor 65 would collapse from the heat.

"I need to find this guy first."

Initially, after persuading Odin and securing Asgard's incorporation, he was planning to join forces with Son OhGong. However, since he couldn't contact him, there was no way to join forces.

"Until I can contact him, I have to search for him from here."

Ting-.

[The 'Golden Cinder Eyes' are activated.]

Fortunately, it wasn't that there was no way.

Although he hadn't received any contact through the Kit, it would be possible to know the approximate location using the resonance of the Golden Cinder Eyes.

With the Golden Cinder Eyes activated, he looked around.

"What?"

YuWon's vision encompassed a mountain of rocks and a pile of giant corpses.

"This is a mess."

"Avaat-."

Burrrr-.

He felt a tremor in his chest.

Danpung raised his head. His gaze shifted to the side.

"What's wrong?"

"Baaw, baw-."

It was difficult to distinguish the words, but he had a vague idea of why Danpung was reacting like that.

'He's here.'

Foolish Chaos.

He had the feeling that he was here, somewhere.

'I might encounter him.'

A shiver ran down his spine.

The battle of that day passed through his mind hazily.

Just thinking about it made him break out in a sweat.

No matter how strong he had become, it was still too much for him.

No.

Foolish Chaos was still a formidable opponent.

A drop of sweat trickled down his forehead. Then, a small hand like a cotton hammer struck YuWon's chin, bringing him back to consciousness.

"Baat-."

"Ah, yes."

Bam-.

YuWon slapped himself in the face with his hand.

"Get a hold of yourself."

Foolish Chaos was someone to deal with later.

For now, it was Ragnarok.

It was time to focus on the Giants of Muspelheim in front of him.

"Where could he be..."

There were no villages or cities in Muspelheim.

Wherever they stepped was their home. The sky was their roof, and the earth was their bed.

The constant hot and scorching weather was just a cool spring day for them.

That's why the giants born and raised in Muspelheim were uniquely resistant to fire.

YuWon was surrounded by them.

A brazen human who arrived in Muspelheim.

That's how the giants of Muspelheim saw him.

"Let me ask you something."

The giants advanced towards him.

Each giant was the size of a house, and each exuded an immense sense of power. Even though they were of the same rank, on average, the ranking of the giants was superior to that of humans.

Basically, they were far superior to humans in terms of physical prowess emanating from their size.

YuWon looked at them and asked.

"I'm looking for a monkey."

"A monkey?"

"Why are you looking for a monkey here?"

A puzzled look.

YuWon shook his head, thinking he had failed again.

"If you don't know, it's okay."

"Wait a moment."

The largest giant tilted his head towards YuWon.

"You don't seem like a normal player."

His eyes burned.

They were a mix of killer intent and hostility.

Normally, the giants would have trampled YuWon, but instead, they surrounded him.

There was a rule for the giants of Muspelheim who hated humans.

Do not touch the players who climb the tower.

It was a promise made by their Administrator, and a law for themselves.

"Are you a Ranker?"

YuWon nodded in response to the giant's question.

"He's a Ranker."

"I see."

"A human Ranker has arrived in Muspelheim!"

"It's war!"

Voices drilled into his ears.

As the voices of the giants resonated loudly in his head, YuWon narrowed one eye and spoke.

"And the monkey... these things never listen until the end of what you tell them."

He wondered if he had said too much.

YuWon looked at the giants surrounding him.

There were few giants that seemed like Rankers.

It didn't make sense to waste time.

"Normally, I wouldn't have to fight them, but..."

After all, they couldn't attack him until he attacked them first.

That was the promise the giants of Muspelheim had made to their Administrator.

But...

Fazizik-.

"It's pointless to stay stuck here."

A Lightning Bolt shot out of YuWon's hand.

At that moment, YuWon's fist struck the ground.

Kwalung-!

And as if everything had vanished...

The sound and vision disappeared, and a moment later, YuWon could see the giants lying face down all around him.

"I'm in a hurry."

Now that OhGong caused an accident.

In any case, the giants of Muspelheim must be in an emergency.

Pouring a glass of water into the sea wouldn't make any difference. YuWon hurriedly moved among the giants.

He wondered how far he would have gotten.

Ung-.

Then, his player's kit rang.

It was Son OhGong.

-Hey, hey! I got into trouble.

Apparently, it wasn't just an accident.

"What did I ask you to find? Did you find it?"

-I found it.

He found it.

It was worth trusting him with the job. Despite his usual mishaps here and there, OhGong always did what he was asked.

He only worried that he would stop at nothing to achieve his goal, but this time he had nothing to worry about.

"Then hurry up and join me."

-Where are you?

"Muspelheim. I climbed up to the 65th floor and walked a short distance."

-I'm close.

YuWon stopped walking and waited for OhGong.

He didn't know how far he had gotten, but he had given him a general idea of where he was, so it shouldn't take him long to arrive.

He counted to ten in his mind.

And then...

"Hey!"

He heard OhGong's voice in the distance.

Hook-.

But Son OhGong was already in front of him.

He had arrived before the sound.

OhGong, riding the Flying Nimbus, dismounted with a satisfied smile on his face.

"You came earlier than promised."

"So did you."

YuWon looked at Son OhGong's tattered attire.

He was wearing the Attire of the Four Great Spirits. He had given it to him for temporary use since all his items had been stolen by the Celestial Realm, except for the Ru Yi Bang.

The clothes were in such a sorry state.

"You've been fighting a lot lately."

"Yeah, I guess."

"The accident you mentioned..."

YuWon, who was about to ask what the accident was, shook his head.

"No, thanks. We can talk about it later."

He extended his hand.

"Give me the things first."

"Just wait a second."

Searching his inventory, OhGong took out a small red orb and handed it over.

"Here you go."

YuWon took the orb and looked at OhGong and the orb.

How much OhGong must have fought to get it, and with whom.

YuWon put the orb back in his inventory.

"That bastard Surt is going to get what he deserves."

The words were spoken with exasperation.

And then...

"Uh, yeah."

"...?"

OhGong's reaction was strange.

"Is something wrong? Did you encounter Surt?"

"I haven't encountered him..."

For a moment, he felt relieved.

"But as you know, I'm now being hunted by the giants."

Thump-.

The ground trembled.

In the distance, just barely out of his sight, on a pile of rocks, he saw the head of a giant peering out.

No, it wasn't just one.

"And they're already here."

In Muspelheim, there were giants everywhere.

It was the same here.

"They're after OhGong."

Just because they were giants didn't mean they were slow.

They had their own means of transportation, even if not as fast.

Having stolen something they shouldn't have, the giants had been chasing OhGong all this time.

"You've brought some trouble with you."

The giants of Muspelheim.

In particular, Surtra, the tutorial boss, and Surt's son.

"Sons of Muspell."

Thud!

The giants' footsteps shook the earth and sky.

In the line of sight of YuWon and OhGong, countless giants came from beyond the rocky mountain.