Leveling with the Gods

C442

Approximately an hour ago.

Kwang!

Golden Lightning Bolts fell incessantly in the Black Woods. YuWon was busy dodging and blocking the Lightning Bolts, so his expression wasn't the best.

"...Is it not reacting at all?"

Sweat ran down Zeus's forehead. Despite his vast amount of Arcane Power, releasing Lightning Bolts of this power for an hour was draining him.

Zeus took a moment to catch his breath.

YuWon approached Zeus and asked.

"My clothes are singed."

YuWon extended the sleeves of his clothes.

These items were already damaged by the aftermath of the Lightning Bolts. Fortunately for Zeus, his target wasn't YuWon; otherwise, the situation could have been much worse.

"What do you want me to do about it?"

"What do you think I want you to do?"

"I'll buy you a new set."

"Okay. That's what I wanted to hear."

Concluding their business, YuWon rolled up his singed sleeves.

The woods was completely devastated by Zeus. It was almost impossible to find its original shape.

'Zeus is many times better than me at destroying a wide area.'

Lightning was considered the most destructive property among various magical properties, especially when it came to high-level Lightning magic like Zeus's. No one would deny that he was the best in the Lightning magic category.

'After all, wantonly destroying everything isn't the solution...'

YuWon grew more concerned, and his expression became more serious.

Then, Zeus, who was catching his breath while restoring his Arcane Power, looked at YuWon in surprise, as if not understanding.

"Don't you like your clothes being singed?"

Zeus smirked mockingly, as if it were some kind of joke.

"Don't worry. In Olympus's warehouses, there are countless treasures and riches that you can't even imagine..."

"You shouldn't just limit yourself to destroying the place."

Zeus's expression seemed to say, "What the hell are you talking about?"

But there was no further response.

Zeus didn't get a response from YuWon, even though he seemed to expect something.

YuWon's eyes turned red. In that moment, he was seeing something else.

['Golden Cinder Eyes' are discovering the true nature of the 'Black Woods']

YuWon had the Golden Cinder Eyes, which could discern between falsehoods and truths and understand the essence of life and the inanimate. Thanks to this, Son OhGong had never made a wrong decision, even though he seemed like a fool who only knew how to fight.

When YuWon asked how he could do it, Son OhGong pointed to his eyes, claiming they could see the truth. That's why Son OhGong never took a wrong path, even though finding the right path in this Black Woods seemed impossible.

However...

['Otherworld Opponent' is discovering the true nature of the 'Black Woods']

For YuWon, there was another option besides the Golden Cinder Eyes.

['Otherworld Opponent' is unraveling the limits of the 'Black Woods']

Zzzz...

He saw it.

The border between the woods.

Schluck...

His hands clenched the sword tightly.

He focused on a single point with the sword.

He needed nothing more.

['Otherworld Opponent' confronts the 'Black Woods']

—Uoaaaaah!

—Aaaaaah!

Strange cries echoed in the woods.

Zeus showed no reaction, as if he hadn't heard the sound.

It was understandable.

Even though Zeus was a High-Ranker with divine powers almost equivalent to a God, hearing the voice of the inanimate was a completely different problem.

'It's not about cutting down the trees in the woods.'

Destroying indiscriminately wouldn't be enough to escape from this place.

There was a different essence.

'Cutting the woods itself.'

It was an abstract idea. YuWon couldn't describe this feeling with words or phrases.

Cutting the woods itself.

But YuWon was certain.

The power to cut the "woods" itself.

And that difference in perception was the first step to reaching the essence.

And that difference in perception was the first step to reaching the essence.

—Swaaah!

—Pwoosh!

The tip of YuWon's sword pierced the void.

It literally "went through" the void.

The tip of his sword passed to the other side, to another woods.

'Here.'

Having made an entry point, there was only one thing left to do now.

['Otherworld Opponent' confronts the 'Black Woods']

Repetitive messages echoed.

Agonizing screams were heard almost simultaneously.

—Uaaah!

—Ooooh!

These were distressing screams, more like howls than mere whimpers.

"What's going on?" Zeus murmured this time, apparently having heard the sound.

Well.

Even though he didn't compare to YuWon, who had attained the Divine Status of 'Otherworld Opponent,' Zeus was also someone who had achieved the Divine Status (Divinity). If he couldn't even hear these agonizing screams due to weakened limits, YuWon would have been even more disappointed.

"Just wait a little longer."

Schluck...

YuWon gripped his sword with both hands.

"Now, I'll let you out."

A pressure filled his hands holding the sword.

Slowly.

['Otherworld Opponent' has cut the Black Woods]

Zzzz...

—Uaaah!

The screams grew more intense, and in the empty space where there was nothing, a long line was drawn following the tip of YuWon's sword.

The space twisted and opened. YuWon was trembling due to the intensity of his power, but he finally spoke.

"What are you doing?"

Pssh, pssh, pssh...

Hearing YuWon's words, Zeus infused energy into the lightning bolt he held in his hand.

And in the next moment...

"Destroy it."

Schluck...

A Golden Lightning Bolt pierced the heart of the Black Woods, which had been the prison for both.

Pop...

YuWon and Zeus arrived on the battlefield.

The lightning bolts falling from the sky set the trees of the Black Woods on fire, and YuWon cut down the trees that had been binding Odin.

Tock, tock, tock...

His body, which had been bound, was free again. Odin, who had been constantly boosting the power of Yggdrasil, felt the tension that had been straining his body relax.

Zeus and YuWon.

Both were the people Odin had been waiting for.

"You've come early."

"I'm always one step ahead."

"What an opportunity to joke in a situation like this."

Odin smiled at Zeus's banter.

He could feel how the Black Woods were shrinking due to the electricity flowing from Zeus's body.

Regardless of what they said, he was Odin, one of the few beings who could match him.

Furthermore...

"You are the same."

The person he had been waiting for had finally arrived on the battlefield.

"Why did it take you so long?"

He knew YuWon would arrive late. Because YuWon never faced any fight head-on.

In that case, he surely must have prepared a decisive victory. Odin thought his role might be to hold on to prevent the battlefield from collapsing until the plan was completed.

"Because I had two things to do," YuWon replied.

"Two things?"

"The safer, the better."

"But why is this guy coming too?"

Upon hearing Odin's question, Danpung peeked his head out from behind YuWon.

His reaction seemed that of a frightened child encountering a grumpy grandparent.

"Because I lost him."

"Would you allow a child to come to a dangerous place like this?"

"It's certainly dangerous."

"Even knowing that..."

"For him, it's here. This will become a dangerous place."

When Odin wondered what that meant, a point in the conversation he and YuWon had had moments before came to his mind.

"Is this child your insurance?"

"Yes."

"Hmm..."

Odin looked at Zeus, who had the same expression. Neither of them felt any energy in the small Danpung, not even a trace of Arcane Power.

"All we can do is trust," Zeus shrugged.

Odin let out a sigh. If he could feel something, it might be different, but even he didn't sense any kind of energy in little Danpung.

Moreover...

'It seems he has other insurance as well.'

Thinking about that, Odin involuntarily chuckled.

'Is it time for me to retire for real?'

It was strange that he thought of depending on a young man, instead of resolving it himself.

Even though YuWon claimed to have traveled from the future, he probably wasn't older than him. It was only natural for him to feel subconsciously disappointed in himself for thinking this way.

"Anyway, it's strange," Zeus said as the three of them conversed.

He whispered.

"It's very quiet. Strangely quiet."

Surely, this place was a battlefield in the midst of war, as indicated by the presence of Odin. Although he had managed to escape the Black Woods after being trapped for some time, given the circumstances, it didn't seem like Odin had defeated Shub-Niggurath.

Despite that, Shub-Niggurath had become completely invisible.

"I guess she's on guard."

"Who would she be on guard against?"

Instead of answering, YuWon nodded.

Then...

"Abba. Ah!"

Danpung playfully raised his hand under YuWon's foot and expressed his viewpoint.

It was a scene in which Zeus, who had asked the question, changed his expression once again.

"Is she on guard because of this kid?"

The reaction was as if he was hearing something utterly absurd.

And that was exactly what Odin thought. He understood that YuWon had expectations of Danpung, but it was too incredible that Shub-Niggurath would remain silent because of this little one.

Even though it seemed like an exaggeration...

"Should we believe in this?"

Originally, what felt like a joke might start to seem true when repeated with conviction. Furthermore, YuWon's faith in Danpung didn't seem like a joke but a genuine belief, which led Zeus and Odin to feel a strange anticipation towards Danpung.

Moreover...

"She's on guard because of me as well."

YuWon once again displayed his peculiar confidence.

It didn't matter if Zeus and Odin didn't know Danpung well, as he was a mystery. But YuWon's confidence seemed genuine.

"You're overly confident."

Zeus found it difficult to admit.

It wasn't that YuWon lacked skills, but he wasn't a good opponent in this situation. Right now, his ability didn't seem to rival either Zeus or Odin.

Of course, YuWon knew it too.

"It's true."

YuWon knew that his pure ability wasn't a match for Shub-Niggurath's power.

But...

"This kind of confidence is dangerous."

He couldn't help but feel confident.

['Otherworld Opponent' faces 'The Black Goat of the Woods with a Thousand Young'.]

The story YuWon wrote.

And through that story, YuWon obtained his Divine Title.

"It seems that...".

The Otherworld Opponent

What his power was, YuWon could discover by confronting Shub-Niggurath.

"It seems I've become her worst enemy."

KO-FI