Leveling with the Gods

Chapter 295

C295

Crack-.

The first head withered and twisted.

They knew that it had stopped speaking at some point, that it had lost its life.

However, the second and third heads showed no signs of recognition regarding that.

They had already held their own funeral long ago.

It was inevitable for him to sacrifice himself at some point to fulfill that promised fate. Because it was already sad enough, they had promised not to be saddened or despair at that moment.

"Goodbye."

The farewell with the twin they had lived with their whole life was strangely calm.

However, subtle aftermaths persisted and lingered for a long time.

Shuffle...

He felt a nearby presence.

Although he had sensed it before, he only turned his head belatedly.

Asura had spotted YuWon.

And then...

"I'm sorry," YuWon said, bowing his head.

"Why?"

"If I had been better prepared..."

He couldn't finish the sentence.

Deep disappointment could be felt in those unfinished words.

He wondered what he meant.

"You have nothing to apologize for."

If that apology has to do with the sacrifice of the first head...

"This was agreed upon long ago. Truly, a long time ago."

He couldn't remember how long had passed since that agreement.

Instead, Asura scratched his head and opened his mouth as he looked at YuWon in front of him.

"So, it has nothing to do with you. In fact..."

After a long pause, he also trailed off.

"Thank you."

The third head concluded that.

Regardless of the goal, it was an irrefutable fact that YuWon had helped in their revenge.

Of course.

"I sometimes think of the first one."

YuWon wasn't just apologizing to Asura here.

When the Clock Movement was first mentioned, when they were discussing who would go back in time.

Asura, unusually, claimed that he would go.

"Because if I go back, I'll be able to see you."

And everyone had promised that in response to Asura's words.

No matter who went back.

They agreed to make sure Asura wouldn't sacrifice himself in the fight against Indra.

'This is my first failure.'

He thought he couldn't achieve everything.

He expected some kind of failure or setback at some point.

After planning and acting so much, it was something that could happen at any moment.

That moment came now. And that was why YuWon apologized to Asura.

'After this is over...'

YuWon looked at the remaining heads of Asura.

They had also lost their lives in the battle against the Outer Gods. And YuWon couldn't prevent that from happening.

But.

'At that time, I hope they don't die again.'

At least, next time.

He hoped the outcome would be different.

YuWon lifted his head that had been bowed for a moment.

***

Patreon for Advance Chapter: /Levelingods

***

The battle with Indra had ended.

Everyone was devastated. Vritra and Fafnir fell into a deep sleep to recover their bodies.

And Zeus...

"Has Father gone?"

"He may not be entirely gone, maybe he's nearby."

Zeus had hidden his figure to gain power through Indra's heart.

Apparently, indirectly encountering Foolish Chaos had been a stimulus.

YuWon and Harggan shared a drink after a long time. It was a bar that served food from the Murim World that YuWon used to enjoy.

"Where do you think he is right now?"

"Maybe he's buried somewhere. Or maybe he's in the sky."

"What do you mean?"

"I mean he's in a place where there are no people."

YuWon poured a drink for Harggan.

It was quite full.

Then, as he watched YuWon pour the same amount of alcohol into his own glass, Harggan asked in surprise.

"What's wrong? Why so much?"

"There's no choice."

The alcohol was so strong that it was difficult to swallow without difficulty. YuWon had a body that only got drunk with that amount of alcohol, so he had no choice.

Clink.

Their glasses clinked, and YuWon downed the alcohol in one gulp.

He couldn't remember how many glasses he had had.

Drinking quickly made the intoxication start to surface, even if just a little.

"You don't seem to feel refreshed or happy."

"Does it seem so?"

"They managed to defeat Indra, the sixth-ranked."

Harggan had also heard a lot about Indra's name.

Among the Rankers who used Lightning, he was the strongest High-Ranker.

Just like Zeus, Harggan had idolized Indra for a long time.

He just didn't like the fact that Indra was the enemy of the Dragons.

"You've accomplished something historic."

"It depends on how you look at it."

As if asking for another glass, YuWon extended his empty glass.

The boy who used to prefer coffee over alcohol. Harggan followed suit with a mixture of concern and enjoyment.

"It's the first time I'm drinking alcohol with you."

"So it seems."

"I think when we drink, we become closer friends."

Clink-.

The glasses clinked again.

"When we drink together, I feel like we become closer, so I like alcohol."

"I don't like it that much. If it's bitter liquids, I prefer coffee over alcohol."

"But why do you drink like this?"

"Just..."

Gulp.

While taking another sip of bitter alcohol, YuWon looked at himself reflected in his empty glass.

"I suddenly remembered something."

"…?"

What the hell had happened?

They couldn't fight together, so he had no way of knowing. At least according to the conversation they had before, no one died except for one of Asura's heads.

That level of sacrifice wasn't unusual in fights between Rankers.

Furthermore, YuWon had no close relationship with Asura.

He had already experienced many deaths while climbing to the top, and drinking alcohol to this extent made no sense.

It was strange in the eyes of Harggan, who didn't know the circumstances.

However...

"I couldn't do anything on the battlefield..."

His throat, already dry from the alcohol, burned intensely.

He remembered how he had watched the fight from a safe place, from a great distance.

Not being able to fight together there was pathetic.

"It's obvious. You're not a Ranker yet."

"You and I were Tutorial partners."

Unlike other people, those words didn't offer him comfort.

YuWon understood that too.

But he had no intention of explaining at length about those words or consoling him.

Harggan grew rapidly.

Even in YuWon's eyes, he grew astonishingly.

If observed closely, Harggan was developing at an even more irrational pace than himself.

And probably, the biggest influence on that was YuWon.

"I must have been a stimulant."

Companions.

That single word was the greatest stimulus for Harggan.

After overcoming the Tutorial together, YuWon was able to fight alongside his target and idol, Zeus, against Indra, the sixth-ranked player.

It was strange that it wasn't a stimulus for him.

"So, about that..."

YuWon erased the energetic expression on his face that he had shown moments ago.

With a change in his gaze from a moment ago, Harggan frowned and lowered his hand.

"Oh, what's going on now? Why has the atmosphere become so tense? If Brother Dionysus finds out you're acting like this with his precious alcohol, I'll get in trouble. Why are you ruining this precious moment with your attitude?"

Quickly, Harggan grabbed a nearby bottle of alcohol and showed him the text on the bottle label.

"Don't you see this?"

[Pure, clear, and safe. A strong and clear alcohol for you, who has become a Ranker. P.S.: Dionysus]

The slogan seemed familiar. On the bottle label, there was an image of Dionysus waving his silver hair while drinking from the bottle.

"After this, I'll really be scolded by my older brother."

"I thought you were supposed to be the younger brother calling the older brother."

"Oh, seriously. I thought of properly enjoying a drink, but it turns out..."

Harggan's sigh, followed by a groan, also dissipated his drunken state.

This time he wanted to take some time to enjoy a drink quietly, but it seems that time has passed.

There's nothing more boring than getting drunk alone.

"So, what's up?"

"Your father has a request for me."

"A request? What kind?"

"You."

"Me?"

Harggan furrowed his brow with a confused expression, as if he didn't understand what YuWon was talking about, but he soon understood and leaned back.

A sigh escaped from him.

No wonder he suddenly disappeared without saying a word.

"Does this have something to do with my training?"

"That's right."

"Harggan, he's the one who resembles me the most among my sons." (Zeus)

Zeus's affection for Harggan.

No, maybe it was ambition. He was hoping for another Zeus to emerge.

After leaving Asgard's prison and meeting Harggan, Zeus had been helping with Harggan's training all the time.

Anyway.

"Do you know why I haven't given my affection to Heracles?" (Zeus)

Zeus knew better than anyone about Harggan, who was of his own blood.

"Because it's Harggan. He is the finest jewel I have created." (Zeus)

After hearing those words.

YuWon's opinion of Harggan completely changed.

He was a jewel brighter than Heracles. He wanted to confirm why Zeus was speaking so highly of him, as YuWon only thought of him as a talented Player...

'Harggan was already getting attention for becoming a Ranker in the shortest time possible.'

Although they had different goals, Harggan and YuWon entered the Tower together, and Harggan climbed faster than YuWon.

Although YuWon had not yet reached the top of the Tower, he was registered in the Ranking and obtained the title of a player who became a High-Ranker in the shortest time possible, but his thinking was different.

He knew that he had only come this far through dishonest methods.

Using the Clock Movement, YuWon was already a High-Ranker Player who had surpassed the top of the Tower long ago.

From the beginning, Harggan and YuWon started from different starting lines.

That's why YuWon's evaluation of Harggan was also much higher than the evaluation of the outside world.

"It seems that you trust me a lot. You're not someone who delegates the tasks you used to do to others." (YuWon)

Perhaps it was a matter of pride.

They were both companions and friends.

At least, that's what Harggan thought.

But that didn't mean he considered YuWon as a rival or enemy. They had already grown too far apart to build their own pride.

"So, what's the matter? Are you willing to do it?" (Zeus)

"There's no reason not to. It's not something that takes much time." (YuWon)

After all, there were only a few days until Zeus returned. It was enough time to rest a little and calm the mind.

But Harggan's gaze towards YuWon, who saw it that way, was different.

"Really? I'm surprised."

In all the actions Harggan had seen from YuWon so far, there was always a reason and a purpose.

The boy who valued his time more than anyone else was willing to help him in his training.

That seemed strange.

"It's not that difficult to do."

If Harggan was truly a player with potential superior to Heracles, then his training would also be quite important to YuWon.

The more High-Ranker Players there were, the better. In the end, to prepare for the future battle against the Outer Gods, it was inevitable for the Tower's power to strengthen.

If there were even more High-Rankers like Zeus, that would be quite significant.

Furthermore...

"And I don't intend to just stand by."

Even if it was only a few days, YuWon had no intention of wasting time on this.

"Is your team on the 80th floor now, right?"

Thud.

As if declaring that the meeting was over, YuWon stood up from his seat.

"We'll do the training as we climb the Tower."

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