Leveling with the Gods

C454

There was no eye contact.

It was natural.

If they couldn't see each other, there was no possibility of visual encounter. More than anything, this was not the real reality but a future moment seen through the Eyes of Foreknowledge.

But then, why?

A chill ran down YuWon's spine.

-Don't cross this gate ever again.

A whisper.

The world seen through the Eyes of Foreknowledge distorted.

Something was interfering and diverting YuWon's vision through the Eyes of Foreknowledge.

"If you come back, I won't let you go so easily."

He cast YuWon away as if this was his space.

YuWon, who was contemplating resistance, soon stopped. Not being able to examine what was inside was regrettable, but that didn't mean he gained nothing.

On the contrary...

'Thank you.'

Because of you, I now know what's behind that guy.

Beyond the gate guarded by Buddha.

Aaaaah!

Suddenly, the faint cry of pain from Son OhGong was heard.

Aaaaah!

In an instant, the world changed.

The view through the eyes, the air current enveloping the body, the ambient temperature.

Everything changed.

The effect of Foreknowledge had disappeared.

"What did you see?"

It was the Bull Demon King's question, noticing that YuWon had used the Eyes of Foreknowledge.

YuWon, who had been sitting in confusion for a moment, stood up.

"I have to leave immediately."

"Where to?"

"To the mountain where that guy is."

Rumble, rumble~.

In the sky above the building where they were both dining, the Sun Chariot once again expelled flames and prepared for takeoff.

"... What?"

Although the Bull Demon King didn't understand what was happening, he boarded the Sun Chariot following YuWon.

The Sun Chariot, whose engine instantly ignited, began to move at breakneck speed. Although the Bull Demon King didn't fully understand the situation, he pointed in the direction with his finger.

"It's over there."

"I'll go right away, then. Be careful not to fall."

"Since you're concerned, speak now. Why are you moving so hastily all of a sudden?"

In response to the Bull Demon King's insistence, YuWon answered without turning off the Sun Chariot lights.

"It's not something like a Yokai."

"Isn't it?"

"There's something behind him. Someone with a bald head and tan skin."

"Did you see it with those eyes?"

"Yes."

And that 'someone' intervened to block YuWon's view of Son OhGong by interfering with the Eyes of Foreknowledge.

At this moment, the assumption was fragile and there was no solid evidence, but it was worth saying.

"He wants to take over Son OhGong's body."

"The body?"

"Yes."

YuWon also didn't know who that person was. But he guessed that it probably could be an ancient High-Ranker who had long disappeared, now unranked.

The only reason he could guess that was because YuWon couldn't think of a High-Ranker who could make Son OhGong like this.

'If it's such an ancient High-Ranker and is now dead and missing.'

The only reason that thing might be targeting Son OhGong is one.

'Is it dreaming of resurrection?'

YuWon looked down at the back of his hand.

A ring filled on his right hand. The moment he discovered it, an idea crossed YuWon's mind.

'...No harm in checking.'

Woo-.

Light sprouted from the ring on his right hand.

Golden, black, and blue lights enveloped YuWon. Along with the sensation that his body floated in the air for a moment, YuWon's mind was sucked into the Uranus Heart.

Clank-!

The sound of putting a teacup down was the first thing that greeted YuWon.

A man was sitting alone calmly in the center of a pure white.

It was Uranus, the owner of the ring that YuWon wore.

"It seems like you're quite bored."

"Well, what else can I do here? Apart from drinking tea I drank a long time ago while remembering its taste."

This was a space that did not exist physically. It was a virtual world artificially created by the soul of Uranus, who resided in the ring.

Of course, even the tea that Uranus was drinking wasn't real. Uranus had been passing time here in boredom for a long time.

Step~

YuWon walked toward Uranus and sat in front of him.

"Do you know why I came here, right?"

Uranus nodded.

In this boring place, Uranus's only entertainment was observing YuWon's life happening outside.

"Do you want to ask me about Gautama Buddha?"

"Is that guy called Gautama Buddha?"

"It's probably not his real name. He's just called that."

"How do you know him?"

"He was an active Ranker in my era."

Uranus's era.

He was a Ranker from the oldest generation that even surpassed the Bull Demon King or Odin, the ancient Rankers still alive. Naturally, for YuWon, who became a Ranker later than the current Rankers, Uranus was a truly ancient presence.

But it turns out that Gautama Buddha was a Ranker from the same era as Uranus.

'Then, how many years have passed?'

He thought that maybe it wasn't much different from Uranus being here.

Uranus.

He divided his own heart into three and left it in the world.

Gautama Buddha was not much different. He dreamed of resurrection through Son OhGong.

"Bull Demon King, it seems like that brat was completely deceived by Tathagata*. I remember Subhuti leaked the location of the Celestial Floor." (Note: One of Gautama Buddha's many names is Tathagata, and I'll call him that from now on)

Uranus smiled as if finding it amusing.

"What kind of person is Tathagata?"

"He's a fair guy."

"Fair?"

"Yes. He loves humans a lot and respects them. He doesn't easily kill creatures like ants or herbs unless it's necessary."

YuWon's eyebrows trembled at Uranus's explanation.

A moment ago, the description of Tathagata that YuWon saw through the Eyes of Foreknowledge was completely different. Moreover, he was planning to use the Golden Headband to take over Son OhGong's body.

The fact that Tathagata had such a compassionate disposition was surprising.

"Oh, and also."

But what a coincidence.

"That guy really hates Yokai. He tenses up just hearing them."

"Yokai?"

"It may not be the case now, but in my era, Yokai were beings that killed and devoured humans mercilessly. They were monstrous creatures. Those were the only creatures that Tathagata genuinely hated."

YuWon finally nodded understandingly at that explanation.

Given those reasons, it made sense that he would want to take over Son OhGong's body. After all, there would be no remorse for taking the lives of Yokai that would simply kill and devour humans.

"Is there anything I should keep in mind when fighting him?"

"Well, I'm not sure if my stories will be of any help to you. I don't know much about him, and anyway, he's already dead and now inside the body of the Great Sage, Heaven's Equal."

"Anything is fine. Tell me anything."

"Anything, huh?"

Urano, as if recalling something from a long time ago, silently touched the teacup.

So a few minutes passed.

Urano, who had been pondering Tathagata for a while, finally spoke.

"Do you know the Shaolin Temple in Murim?"

"The Shaolin Temple?"

There was no way he wouldn't know.

The Trial of the 10th Floor was to pass the tests of each Sect in Murim. Each Player tirelessly strived to learn martial arts that would be useful to them.

And the Shaolin Temple was one of the most prominent among the most well-known Sects in Murim, alongside the Namgung Family and others. Among the commonly known Sects as the Nine Great Sects, the Shaolin Temple was considered the best.

"The Martial Arts of the Shaolin Temple ultimately derived from Tathagata. Even the Martial Arts of the Shaolin Temple Leader are probably just child's play compared to Tathagata, but the basic structure should be similar."

"Shaolin Temple..."

The Martial Arts of the Shaolin Temple came to YuWon's mind.

They used fist and palm in combat, had the ability to suppress the enemy with the strength of a single punch.

In his heart, he wanted to go to the Shaolin Temple right now and study their Martial Arts to formulate a plan, but that was difficult.

Time was not on his side.

"Thank you."

"You're welcome."

Urano extended his hand as if to say "go," and suddenly held a teacup again, full and hot.

"I think I've gathered enough information," YuWon nodded and disappeared from his place.

A sip~

Urano's gaze, slowly savoring his tea, lifted.

"I'm intrigued."

Upward.

YuWon, regaining consciousness, headed towards the mountain where Tathagata was in the distance.

"The Great Sage, Heaven's Equal, using the Martial Arts of the Great Buddha."

Upon regaining consciousness, the Sun Chariot was nearing its destination.

The Bull Demon King stood at the front of the Sun Chariot. Despite the strong wind blowing, he didn't blink and stared at the mountains.

"Have you awakened?"

YuWon nodded at the Bull Demon King's question, who didn't turn his head.

The speed of the Sun Chariot gradually decreased. There was no need to hurry now that they were close to their destination.

YuWon looked at the mountains where Son OhGong was.

The first impression was quite impressive.

'It's enormous.'

The mountain was tall, taller than any mountain YuWon knew.

Boarding the Sun Chariot, flying higher than the clouds, the mountain was so large that he could look at it for a long time without lowering his gaze.

'I thought the Celestial Mountain was big.'

So far, the largest mountain YuWon had seen was the Celestial Mountain, which housed the Heavenly Demon Cult.

With over 5 kilometers above sea level and an east-west span of over 2,500 kilometers, the immense Celestial Mountain range was so large that it couldn't be encompassed in a single glance.

However, what could he say now about the mountain in front of him?

Even the Celestial Mountain seemed small compared to the size and intimidation of this mountain.

"Are you surprised?"

"A bit."

"I was surprised too. Although this Tower is huge, I never thought there would be a mountain as big as this..."

Jump~

The Bull Demon King's words couldn't continue.

It was because YuWon quickly jumped off the Sun Chariot to find the temple.

"You're in such a hurry, just like that guy OhGong."

Or maybe that meant it was so urgent.

The Bull Demon King followed YuWon and jumped. The Sun Chariot, without flames, remained floating in the sky, not moving any further, leaving only a slight amount of residual heat.

Thus, YuWon and the Bull Demon King jumped upward and arrived halfway up the mountain.

Thud!

Finally, YuWon and the Bull Demon King reached the mountain.

The one who knew the way was the Bull Demon King.

"Follow me."

With those words, the Bull Demon King moved forward. He seemed to be walking slowly, but his steps were as fast as taking ten or twenty steps at once.

As he followed the Bull Demon King, YuWon noticed a familiar scene.

'The path feels familiar.'

YuWon's steps following the Bull Demon King.

And at the end of that...

'...Did we arrive?'

Next to the plate with the name of the temple, the main entrance gate of the temple awaited.

And at that moment...

An imposing presence guarding the entrance to the temple.

A faceless Buddha appeared, protecting the main gate.

"You have finally come..."

At the same time.

Swing~

YuWon, who knew this would happen, unsheathed his sword without hesitation.

Slash-!

The form of the Buddha and the temple plate were cut. The main gate split with a loud sound, falling into hundreds of pieces.

Thud, clatter-.

Watching the main gate fall...

"Hurry out."

As if there was no time, YuWon pointed into the temple with the tip of his sword.

"Tathagata."

KO-FI