Leveling with the Gods

C261

Something incredible happened.

Don Quixote was startled.

For a moment, his vision turned black as if the world had darkened.

That was the last sight of the battlefield he remembered.

And then...

Kurrrr-.

His vision slowly cleared.

For a moment, he believed he felt an incredible amount of Arcane Power.

But the result of that "single strike" was right in front of his eyes.

"The battlefield..."

It had disappeared.

Don Quixote looked incredulously at the blackened ground.

The giants, scorched by the explosion and barely breathing from the effects of Dark Mana, fell to the ground.

The entire battlefield had been devastated...

With a single strike.

"Is this... Kim YuWon?"

Don Quixote's gaze traveled to YuWon's back.

Kim YuWon.

A player with only rumors to his name.

He could be a Ranker, he could be the strongest player in history, he could be Odin's hidden son...

There were all kinds of rumors, but nothing had been confirmed.

But when it came down to it, everything he had heard was a lie.

Rather.

"He's even stronger than I heard, isn't he?"

Fazizik-.

YuWon looked at the remnants of the lightning and the vanished battlefield before him.

The clouds that had been so difficult for him to create had dissipated with a single lightning bolt.

"It was a bit impromptu, but it was still a success."

The theory that the Flying Nimbus was an endless concentration of Arcane Power in the form of clouds.

Masses of Arcane Power gathered in the form of clouds tended to collapse at the slightest contact.

All YuWon had to do was turn this massive power mass into a bolt and bring it down.

"A single strike..."

The time it took to create this single shot was not short.

It was a perfect skill to use against low-ranked players, but it was a difficult skill to utilize in other practical situations.

"There is still a long way to go."

Ragnarok.

In this massive stage, YuWon realized that his strength was still too low.

He didn't expect to be as strong as he used to be.

Still, if he wanted to play an active role on this grand battlefield, he had to be stronger than he was now.

Swoosh-.

YuWon turned around and headed towards Midgard.

He could feel the gazes of the escaping soldiers and Don Quixote.

Those who had fallen to the ground in fear of the sudden lightning stood up and retreated. Don Quixote was not slow either and approached YuWon.

"T-Thank you for your work..."

The way he said it was a bit strange, but YuWon didn't mind and nodded.

"Clear the battlefield first. Do the same next time."

If this happens again, it means he has to hold on until support arrives.

Don Quixote was surprised to hear that.

"Shouldn't we reinforce our forces?"

"There won't be another attack."

"What?"

"This was just to show them."

YuWon looked at the giants on the ground.

It had been easy, and it ended too quickly.

Although the number was quite large, there were no real warriors. With this level of power, Brunhilde could have easily handled the situation if she had come instead of him.

"I guess they're just taking a break."

So far, Muspelheim had been constantly under attack.

It had been attacked by the Great Sage, Heaven's Equal, and the Giant Slayer, and even their ally, the Demon Kings, had turned their steps towards the Asgardians.

He had thought they would make some kind of move.

Instead, they reacted immediately.

"It's not Surt."

Surt was someone with a fiery temperament.

There was no way he would pick a small fight like this.

So...

It's him.

Foolish Chaos.

Knowing that he was behind Surt, YuWon smiled, darker than ever.

"He'll probably have a bit of a headache."

It might have been different in the past, but this time, he was present.

"What is this?"

Hercules stared at the thick branch that Brunhilde handed him.

In any case, it was just an ordinary tree branch. It might be useful as firewood, but it wasn't something he wanted to receive at this moment.

"It's a gift from King Odin."

"King Odin?"

"At the request of Kim YuWon."

"At his request?"

Hercules seemed puzzled for a moment, then took the branch from Brunhilde's hand.

A tree branch that fit perfectly in his hand.

It was quite a thick branch. As soon as he held it in his hand, he felt its hardness.

At the same time.

Hercules's eyes lit up.

"I don't think I can break it."

He was confident that he could break anything he held in his hands.

He prided himself on being stronger than anyone else in terms of strength, and he was actually recognized as such.

But this was a different feeling.

The feeling that it would never break unless she wanted it to break.

Although it seemed strange for a simple branch to break "on its own," all sorts of strange things happened in that tower.

This feeling.

Doubting it seemed foolish.

Crack.

He applied more force with his hand. At that moment, a person crossed his mind.

"Excuse me for a moment."

Hercules hastily took out his player kit.

The sender of the message was Hephaestus.

-What's up?

"I need to ask you a favor, brother."

Hercules didn't usually communicate much with Hephaestus.

But Hephaestus was the only one who could handle this thing in his hands.

"I need you to make an item for me."

-An item? For you?

"Yes. If necessary, I'll come there."

Since the destruction of Olympus, Hephaestus had been acquitted of all charges within Olympus.

But he still hadn't left his workshop on the first floor.

It was a long way to the first floor.

Even with the help of the Asgardians, it would take him three or four days to make the round trip.

-The workshop is empty now.

There was no point in going down then.

Hephaestus never left his workshop without a reason, so it would take longer.

"Where are you going?"

-I'm on my way to Valhalla.

"To Valhalla?"

Hercules looked puzzled.

Valhalla.

That's where he was now.

Then a thought crossed his mind.

"Are you here at the request of that friend of yours, Kim YuWon?"

-Yes... Wait. Are you there too?

"I'm currently at the Golden Castle. I received something from him as well."

-He said he had something that would make my eyes light up, is that it?

Hephaestus's voice rose.

Almost excited.

In response, Hercules looked at the thick branch in his hand.

"It seems to be nothing more than a twig."

-A twig?

"Yes. But it doesn't seem to be an ordinary item."

A moment of silence.

And soon, Hephaestus's strong voice flowed from inside the player kit.

-Just wait there. Have fun in the meantime, I'll call you when I get there!

Ding-.

The call abruptly ended.

He could see him approaching with a light in his eyes. Hephaestus was known for not stopping at anything when he found something good.

Knowing that, Hercules looked with interest at the twig in his hand.

He believed this was decent material to make a weapon, but...

'Is this really that good?'

"Everyone has been eliminated."

The lava that had been boiling slowly cooled down at the grave voice.

It was a response that had lost its luster.

"It wasn't a fight to win in the first place. You shouldn't bother."

"Do we really need to do it this way?"

Surt, the man who had set the giants in motion, shrugged.

If it were a heated battle, he could understand, but if it were mediocre, he would prefer to stay still.

At least that's what he thought.

But...

"It's a warning to them."

Foolish Chaos disagreed.

"They don't know when Midgard, or Alfheim, or Jotunheim, or Asgard may be attacked, and we're trying to instill that idea in them."

"Does it really make sense to do that?"

"It makes them shudder. It's significant enough."

"Really?"

Surt murmured, furrowing his brows.

"Anyway, there's not much time left."

"We're closer than expected. Besides, it has become more difficult than expected."

"Is it because of the Demon Kings?"

"Yes."

Until a few days ago, the Demon Kings had been one of the greatest powers in Muspelheim.

He had thought that the two forces that were one and the same, albeit in the form of humans and giants, would be together.

But that foolish expectation had been shattered.

It was a great loss.

"Is there any alternative?"

"There is."

The answer came easily.

Until now, Foolish Chaos had never disappointed Surt with an answer like this.

Surt nodded.

"Then what do you suggest?"

"It's not the side of the Demon Kings that matters."

"Then?"

"Let's raise the level of the game."

Raising the level of the game...

Surt's red eyes gleamed upon hearing that.

"Raise the level of the game?"

"The Ragnarok has started too early for our liking, and if we fight now, we may never see the end, and everything will end in nothingness."

Surt's furrowed brow deepened.

"We can't do that."

"Yes. That's why I'm telling you, and that's why I think you should take the step yourself if you can."

Foolish Chaos mobilized the strongest words he had been holding back.

"You must provoke Odin, and when you do, the level of the game will automatically increase."

"What should I do?"

"Odin's son."

Underneath the veiled tunic.

The corners of Foolish Chaos's mouth lifted.

"Kill Baldr." (Note: Also known as Balder or Baldur)

***

***

In the midst of the finished battlefield.

With the unpleasant pile of corpses in front of him, YuWon remained still for a while.

Speaking to him only brought short answers, and he seemed to be contemplating something all the time.

Don Quixote finally gave up on trying to talk to him.

After all, he thought, he had just unleashed a bunch of great abilities and needed some rest.

And so time passed.

"After this. What's next...?"

It's not like they're going to engage in a fight just because.

The story of Ragnarok had already been changed. They didn't know for certain what would happen from now on.

But...

"Their purpose is no different."

The order has changed, but not Foolish Chaos's purpose.

Eek-.

YuWon took out his player kit and called Odin.

As if he had been waiting, Odin responded.

-It's been a while since you finished, and you're calling me just now.

Odin's voice sounded discontented, as if he had already received reports that the battlefield was in order.

-I've already delivered the item, and now it's up to him to decide what to do with it.

The item represented the roots of Yggdrasil.

A simple root might have been of little use, but it was a branch, and now that Hephaestus had been sent, Hercules's weapon would soon be complete.

But that wasn't what mattered now.

The next action Foolish Chaos would take.

As he pondered, he came to a conclusion...

"Baldur."

The story is destined to repeat.

In the midst of the great battle called Ragnarok, Foolish Chaos devised a plan to gnaw at the Tower's power.

And he couldn't be satisfied with a battle like this, which was much smaller in scale than the original plan.

"Where is Baldur now?"

Foolish Chaos would finally make the same decision, raising the stakes.