Leveling with the Gods

C284

The 21st floor of the building.

A courtyard with various restaurants and shops for food, alcohol, and other drinks. YuWon headed there.

"The kit says this place is a good spot to eat."

"Really? Shall we go in then?"

"I'm thirsty."

"Let's take a break and then continue. We've been walking a lot already."

There were many lively people around.

The view was literally that of a large shopping center. The 79th floor was one of the most crowded places in the world.

And amidst it all.

Whisper~

There was a prominent man sitting among the crowd, sipping his coffee alone.

"Who is that?"

"He's very handsome, isn't he?"

"It can't be Harggan, can it?"

"Harggan, the son of Zeus?"

Blond hair wasn't uncommon. But it was hard to find hair as bright as Harggan's.

It was thanks to his lineage.

Harggan, who was searching for various news with his player kit, looked up at the approaching shadow.

Black hair contrasting with his shining blond hair.

It was YuWon.

"Do you really have to wait in such a crowded place?"

Swoosh...

YuWon pulled out a chair from across and sat down, frowning at the gazes raining down on him.

There were people who recognized him and nodded upon seeing his face.

Most of them were residents, not players.

However, among them, there were also Tower climbers or mixed Ranker Players.

"I'm a bit weird. I don't really care about those looks."

"Be careful not to let your words slip."

"Don't worry."

Bzzz...

Magical energy flowed around YuWon and Harggan.

The sound became distorted. It was different from simply blocking the sound completely.

"It probably sounds like we're whispering from the outside. What do you think? Natural, right?"

It was strange to be in such a crowded place, but there seemed to be an aura of trust.

Still, it seemed they could talk a bit more comfortably.

"Did you encounter Zeus?"

"Yes."

Harggan leaned forward and spoke softly.

"He's close by right now."

The words came suddenly. YuWon's pupils moved.

The people who were looking at them. Their gazes.

Among them, he found a prominent face. If it were Zeus, his brilliance would shine even among so many people.

"You won't be able to find him no matter how hard you try. He's deliberately hiding."

"Why is he hiding? It's just me."

The Zeus YuWon knew wasn't someone who easily got intimidated. No matter how much stronger YuWon had become, he still wasn't on par with Zeus.

"It's not because of you."

"Then why?"

"He's just there, that's all."

A meaningful phrase.

YuWon reached out for the coffee cup Harggan was drinking. He took a sip of the remaining coffee, leaving his lips pursed, and looked around.

Whirl...

His pupils turned red.

His Golden Cinder Eyes searched for where Zeus was. Strangely, no matter how hard he tried to find him, he couldn't see him.

And then, suddenly...

Swoosh...

He lifted his head and looked up.

"He's quite far for you to say he's close."

Above the clouds.

Zeus was watching them from the sky. Like a god proudly gazing down on them.

It was typical of Zeus.

He was always arrogant and had abilities that matched his arrogance.

And that was the reason YuWon was looking for Zeus.

Of course.

He never thought he would be with Harggan.

"Are you alright?"

"Me? Why?"

"Maybe you're being threatened or..."

YuWon looked alternately at Harggan and Zeus.

'Zeus lost the Lightning Bolt. And Harggan is a small fragment of that Lightning Bolt.'

If Zeus was trying to retrieve the bolt, he would have come to seek YuWon.

But Zeus suddenly disappeared, and YuWon thought he didn't care much about the bolt.

Therefore, he hadn't thought about the meeting point between Harggan and Zeus.

But Zeus came to seek a much smaller fragment than what YuWon had. Perhaps he wanted to snatch an easier fragment from Harggan.

But luckily, Harggan shook his head.

"That's not it."

Harggan responded that way and then spoke softly with a slightly tired face.

"Although I'm going through a lot of difficulties."

"Difficulties?"

"Lately, I've been having a lot of problems."

On Harggan's neck, which he smiled stylishly, there was a black mark.

It seemed he had a rough idea of what it meant to have many problems.

It was surprising.

That Zeus, towards Harggan...

'I guess a father is a father after all.'

Although he couldn't say the same for the other children, it was different for Harggan. It seemed that Zeus also had some sort of paternal affection for him.

No.

'Although I don't fully believe it.'

YuWon leaned back in his chair.

Zeus was close. Now that he had confirmed that fact, he felt somewhat relieved anyway.

More than anything, the biggest gain was confirming that Zeus was not hostile towards him.

"What does he want?"

YuWon first found Zeus through Harggan.

He was the first to surface and reached out his hand to YuWon.

It meant he wanted something.

"My Father says he has a request for you."

"Really?"

YuWon placed both hands on the table.

"That's curious. I have something like that too."

"You too?"

"What Zeus wants, is it to regain his power?"

Harggan's golden eyes shimmered.

Arcane Power trembled around the two of them. YuWon realized that his words and voice were being transmitted to Zeus through that Arcane Power.

So, what he was about to say from now on was not for Harggan, but for Zeus.

"I know a method."

At that moment...

Kwaaang!

A thunderous boom rang out as if it could pierce through a thick wall.

YuWon waited with crossed arms. For Zeus, who would react to his words.

Fsssh, fsssh...

The crowd that had gathered around them split to the left and right. A striking-looking man walked through the middle, prominent enough to catch the attention of those with pale faces.

Tap, tap...

An identical face to Harggan's stood before him.

As if Harggan had grown up and turned into an adult over time, he seemed like he would look like this.

YuWon asked Zeus, who quickly approached while swiping the coffee Harggan had left.

"Aren't you moving too conspicuously?"

"What you said earlier."

Fsssh...

Uncontrolled lightning crackled all over Zeus's body as his golden eyes gleamed.

"Explain it properly."

Unbeknownst to them, they stood out too much.

YuWon moved from his spot. The place was the rooftop of a building.

Originally, it was a restricted area.

But Zeus was bold.

"Move."

The Players who were on guard on the rooftop were taken aback.

Their leader, a Ranker, was equally confused.

"B-But..."

"If you don't move..."

Chiii...

Light erupted from Zeus's golden eyes.

"I will destroy everything here."

"Oh no, please."

The Ranker stepped back, waving his hands.

The opponent was Zeus.

One of the beings at the pinnacle of this Tower.

If Zeus was uttering those words, it wouldn't be a mere exaggeration.

He had enough power to bring down this towering building.

"Very well."

Zeus, who had pushed the guards away with threats, took a few steps as if it were nothing.

YuWon followed Zeus, observing his figure from behind.

Broad back.

Majestic and grand. That was YuWon's impression of Zeus.

"There are no people here. There is nothing conspicuous."

The rooftop was empty. It was so high that even the clouds could be seen from below.

There was no need to worry about the gazes of other people here. Zeus finally turned his body to look at YuWon, ready to engage in a conversation.

And then...

"Why don't you want to be seen?"

Zeus asked about the "what" in YuWon's mind.

"Do you mean the person 'whom' I'm thinking of?"

"Probably."

Nodding, YuWon's and Zeus's eyes met.

And then.

"Indra."

"Indra."

Both of them mentioned the same name at the same time.

The corners of Zeus's lips curved upwards.

As expected.

YuWon hadn't disappointed him.

And that was also YuWon's opinion.

'Did you really think up to this point?'

After hearing that Zeus had come to seek Harggan and that his target wasn't him, he had also wondered.

If there was a way for Zeus to regain his power, there was only one possibility.

'If we are thinking the same thing, it will be easier to talk.'

There was no need to beat around the bush in the conversation anymore.

Instead of complicated explanations, Zeus directly expressed what he wanted.

"I intend to capture Indra. If I catch him, it will be enough to complement the power of the Lightning Bolt you stole from me."

"Why go such a roundabout way? He must be a much more formidable opponent than me."

"There are two reasons."

Zeus glanced momentarily in the direction where Harggan was.

"One is because he is a friend of that guy."

"And the second?"

"Having you as an enemy doesn't benefit me."

"I can't understand the first one, but the second one is reasonable."

Both of them had the same goal.

To bring down Foolish Chaos and capture him.

And at least until that goal was achieved, they could be mutually helpful.

At least from what YuWon knew, Zeus was someone who sought logic more than emotions.

Probably, in his mind, he would have already laid out a plan to capture Foolish Chaos. (Interesting note: Actually, Foolish Chaos's true full name is "The Foolish Who Unleashes Chaos," but to avoid making the translation more difficult, it was decided to call him Foolish Chaos)

And perhaps, YuWon was part of that plan.

"We are drawing the same picture."

Internally, he was surprised.

YuWon knew the future. Moreover, he had invested a lot of time and effort in plotting that picture.

A picture that had become so difficult to create. And yet, Zeus had sketched it out without anyone's help but his own ingenuity.

Although it was a brief conversation, it was the first time YuWon had a real conversation with Zeus.

And in that conversation, YuWon had to revise his evaluation of Zeus.

"He is more than just a quantified Ranker."

Rank 9.

After losing the Lightning Bolt, his rank fell to two digits, but YuWon considered that ranking ridiculously low.

He already possessed abilities superior to what his rank indicated. No matter when his rank increased, it wasn't an unusual situation.

Moreover, when thinking about other means to replace the lost Lightning Bolt and plotting how to obtain it, it wouldn't be strange for his ranking to rise to the top 10.

"So, you already have the target, but do you have the method?"

He wondered.

How was Zeus planning to catch Indra?

In response to that question, Zeus replied without changing his expression.

"Can you move the Great Sage, Heaven's Equal?"

The Great Sage, Heaven's Equal.

YuWon's most powerful ally.

And also a recognized enemy even by Zeus.

"I need his help too."

This wouldn't be possible without his assistance.

And indeed...

"Don't worry about that."

Once again, YuWon's and Zeus's ideas coincided.

"That guy..."

After the Ragnarok had ended.

YuWon made a request to OhGong.

"He's already moving."

A question that YuWon originally asked to gauge Zeus's thoughts.

Anyway, now he was certain.

Zeus, the former King of Olympus.

YuWon's eyes gleamed as he looked at him.

'I will take this guy with me.'