Leveling with the Gods

C365

Kung-.

The sky and earth trembled.

The appearance of the Administrator shook the world. Under the Administrator's enraged power, the waves started flowing backward.

The Administrator approached Poseidon.

"What are you thinking?"

Kugugugu-.

With just one word, Poseidon's shoulders were pressed down.

At the same time, his blue eyes shone. The Administrator was an entity that practically equated to a God in this Tower.

"It wasn't something done without thought."

"This is the only way to meet an Administrator."

The Administrator's eyebrows furrowed.

He expected Poseidon to be taken aback upon seeing him, but his reaction was entirely different from what was expected.

"Were you waiting for me?"

The fact that he challenged the Tower's laws to meet him and submerged the first-floor city in water was no ordinary matter.

It was audacious and arrogant. His attitude seemed to indicate that if he wished, he could easily overcome any obstacle.

Originally, he no longer intended to simply let it slide.

"You have committed a grave sin."

Bang-!

The Administrator's fist struck the air. A force that resonated in the atmosphere like an earthquake spread towards Poseidon.

And at that moment...

Shooo-!

A wave surged from below, blocking the Administrator's power and dispersing it into water droplets.

And suddenly...

Gripping a spear he had condensed with water in his hand, Poseidon aimed the tip at the Administrator.

"We have come to reclaim our world."

With the spear pointed at the Administrator.

"...."

"...."

Silence filled the conference room.

A video of unknown origin.

Odin and Mimir wore expressions of disbelief as they watched the video through the player.

"It's not a manipulated video."

Though not as intelligent as Mimir, Odin was quite sharp himself.

Despite containing content that seemed unimaginable even to their eyes, he couldn't simply deny it.

"Leave..."

"But father...?"

"Go!"

In the face of Odin's firm voice, Loki hesitated for a moment and left the meeting room.

The three turned their gazes back to the playback device Loki had brought in again.

On the screen, the lifeless body of the Administrator with a sword through his chest was displayed.

"The Administrator was defeated."

An event that was hard to accept even after seeing it.

Mimir looked at Odin and asked him.

"Has this happened before?"

"Never."

The existence of Administrators in the Tower was akin to that of a God.

They possessed power greater than even the Great Guilds and indeed had the power and authority of a God.

There were those who said they were the ones who established the Tower's rules.

Although there were Rankers who fought against the occasional Administrator under the influence of their immense power, no record of a defeated or even injured Administrator could be found.

"Was their target the Administrators?"

"It's likely part of their objective."

"Part of their objective?"

"This secures their dominion over the first floor. Now, he can move freely without worrying about the Administrator. That was probably what Chronos wanted in the first place."

After hearing that, Mimir received the following words from YuWon.

"People from all the Great Guilds have received this video too. It has spread among all the Players."

"Everyone?"

Odin took out his own Player Kit to verify.

Sure enough, the story of Poseidon's actions had quickly spread among the Players.

An event that happened in the blink of an eye.

Mimir shook his head at the impact this would have.

"Some Guilds might feel perplexed but also intrigued. It will be the first case where a Ranker has defeated an Administrator and emerged from their shadow."

"Sure, they will think, 'What if I can too?' Some Guilds that believed in a symbiotic relationship with the Administrators will no longer want to be under their control."

The Guilds were somewhat like the government of this Tower.

But their scope of action was limited to the rules set by the Administrators. Many Guilds were not content with that.

"A Ranker capable of conversing with Mimir is something new."

Mimir had been cursed with knowledge.

He always saw a few moves ahead, and in that situation, even Odin had difficulty having a conversation with him.

But YuWon was able to have a smooth conversation with Mimir.

"The first-floor city has been flooded by Poseidon. Numerous Rankers and Players died, and even the Administrator who came to take action was also killed."

And Chronos shared that video with all the Players in the Tower.

And his words were clear.

"He's challenging anyone to come after him."

It was a bold and confident act.

It wouldn't have been easy to take such action without the certainty that no one would challenge him.

"He probably has one of two objectives. Whoever comes, I will kill them all. Or, whoever wants to escape from the shadow of the Administrators must come, and I will help them."

Therefore, they couldn't move too simplistically.

They still didn't know what kind of being Chronos had become, and why he was carrying out such actions.

Furthermore, they also needed to figure out how he had gained the confidence to confront the Administrators and turn numerous Guilds into enemies.

"Well, anyway, it's clear he's not on our side."

Tap~

YuWon stood up first from his seat.

They were the ones in a pressing position.

At this very moment, Poseidon's power would be increasing. He was preparing a base on the first floor to drag various Guilds to him.

They needed to hurry.

Because the longer it took, the larger the cracks would become, and it would be difficult to control them.

'Sorry, sir.'

As he stood up, YuWon shook off the last remnants of Chronos that remained in him.

With the weapon at his waist...

'It will probably... hurt a bit.'

YuWon made a silent decision.

It was time to aim that sword at himself.

After the death of the Administrator, three days had passed.

During those three days, Poseidon didn't leave or go anywhere. Instead, he sat quietly over the sea he had created himself.

Swoosh...

A city turned into a sea of water.

Poseidon sat on top of the tallest building and looked around.

"...I like this place."

This was his kingdom.

A world made of the sea.

The wind was filled with the scent of the ocean, and the sound of the waves enveloped him. Even the air was humid.

Everything in this world was made for him.

And there was something else.

Swoosh, swoosh...

An army lined up in front of Poseidon.

Thousands of Players and Rankers knelt before him, bowing their heads.

Among them, a man with a face that resembled a young Poseidon approached.

"As you ordered, everyone has been gathered."

Theseus.

He was Poseidon's son and a Ranker tasked with obtaining the Divine Crystal of the Sea.

Since Poseidon got trapped in Asgard's prison, Theseus had patiently waited for his return.

However, he never imagined his return would be like this.

'He has completely changed.'

Theseus's expression, kneeling in front of Poseidon, constantly shifted between anticipation and excitement.

'The Administrator has been defeated. There are no penalties left in this world.'

The Administrator was like a god in this World.

His words were the law, and no Guild, no matter how large, could stand against him.

However...

The invincible Administrator finally fell at the hands of Poseidon.

"The Nova Guild wishes to join you."

"The Twelve Arcs Guild wishes to join you."

"The Guild..."

Theseus conveyed the messages to Poseidon.

Messages from those who wanted to join Poseidon after defeating the Administrator.

All of them were medium to large-sized Guilds.

"It seems like everyone wants to escape from the shadow of the Administrators."

"And who else is there?"

"There was also a guy who sent a message as an individual rather than a Guild."

Tic...

Theseus swiped his Player Kit screen in front of Poseidon.

On the screen, a man with black hair and a pale, long face appeared.

"Satan. He's recently risen rapidly to the seventh place in the rankings. Apart from being a High-Ranker of the Demon Race, not much is known about him."

"This guy too?"

"Yes. He wants to join as well."

A High-Ranker in seventh place in the rankings.

His power would surely surpass that of many Great Guilds. From Poseidon's perspective, it was as if he had gained a formidable military force.

"Is the purpose the same for all of them?"

"Yes. They want help and to escape from the shadow of the Administrators."

"And Satan? What about him?"

"As for him..."

Theseus furrowed his brow for a moment before lifting his head.

"We don't know his purpose yet."

"Really?"

Poseidon pondered something for a moment before raising his head.

"Well, it doesn't matter."

"...?"

What does it mean it doesn't matter?

Poseidon's eyes stared at Theseus. Theseus, who was trying to discern the meaning in his words, opened his mouth again.

"Just as you said, until three days from now, an agreement has been reached to gather here. Starting from that day, we will announce the establishment of the 'Sea' Guild."

A Guild separate from Olympus.

If Poseidon, who was said to be invincible, became the center, it wouldn't be too difficult to create a Guild that rivaled Asgard. After all, there were many Guilds dissatisfied with the Administrators.

"My father's ranking has already entered single digits."

Although the Ranking Management Office was overseen by the Administrators, it was clear in its handling of matters.

Poseidon's ranking, which was near the end of the two digits, quickly entered single digits. The incident in which he killed the Administrator had a significant impact on his ranking.

"My father's led Guild will become a giant Guild, a force beyond that. It will be a unique Guild that won't be under the control of the Administrators."

Theseus regarded that dream as something not far in the future. With Poseidon by his side, there would be nothing they couldn't achieve in the world.

But...

"You've grown a bit lately."

Jebuk-.

A voice infiltrated the majestic hall, cooling Theseus's dream.

Poseidon's gaze turned to the owner of the voice.

"Have you come?"

It was a calm greeting, as if he had been waiting.

Step-.

A man with dazzling golden hair walked on the water as if it were a solid surface. The man gracefully passed through Poseidon's soldiers. The soldiers involuntarily moved aside, trembling unconsciously to let him through.

It wasn't due to any special threat or an overwhelming force that could be felt.

It was the powerful 'presence' that only someone who had occupied the throne for a long time could have.

It was 'majesty.'

"Z-Z-Ze..."

Theseus struggled to say something, but the words seemed to have gotten stuck in his throat.

"Zeus...?"

Why the hell is he here?

"You've gone a bit too far with your jokes."

Crack, crackle-.

Zeus, who was surrounded by golden currents all over his body, stopped in front of Poseidon.

"Younger 'brother'."