Leveling with the Gods

C498

Step, step~

Two soft steps followed the sound of YuWon's footsteps.

He squinted his eyes and turned to see them. It was a small boy walking, holding the tail of a small goat, babbling as he hurried forward.

The words carved on the slab came to his mind.

I didn't give him any food or anything. Still, will he follow me? I thought to see how far he would go. Although the boy following him seemed weak, at the same time, he was fascinating. Where did the boy, who seemed like he could fall at any moment, get that strength? Why was he following so closely?

If he remembered correctly, this boy would probably keep chasing him.

YuWon already knew what would happen at the end of this path.

Finally, Azathoth would give a Name to this boy. It was because he grew fond of him.

Why was she showing these memories to himself?

'I know it's something I'll regret, but...'

Step~

YuWon stopped for a moment and turned.

'Anyway, there's nothing I can do.'

The little goat and the boy coming behind stopped.

The faceless boy tilted his head.

YuWon stared at him as he turned his body. Although he had no eyes, he could feel their gazes meeting.

A fire burned inside him.

'This kid.'

A faceless entity. One that led the collapse of the Tower, his nemesis.

Nyarlathotep.

Known more among his peers as "Foolish Chaos."

'I'm the only one who knows this guy's name.'

Among his peers, no one knew the name Nyarlathotep.

Everyone who came to know that Name died. The only one who survived was YuWon.

Someday, this entity would bring destruction to the Tower.

This entity, at first, was just this little boy.

"Your name will be..."

Saying those words wasn't easy.

Anyway, to continue with these memories, he had to give him a Name.

Otherwise, there would be no way to know about Azathoth.

"Nyarlathotep. That will be your Name."

"Nyarlathotep..."

The boy.

Now, with the name Nyarlathotep, murmured his own Name several times.

He looked happy. He realized that he now had a new Name, even if he didn't know what it meant.

After watching that scene for a moment, YuWon continued walking.

Soon, the end of the desert became visible.

At the end of the desert, there was a large forest.

The familiar refreshing green couldn't be seen. The forest was already completely burnt.

A forest fire, perhaps?

Crackling, crackling.

In the extinguished forest, only one spark remained.

"What is this?"

YuWon asked as he looked at the flickering spark on the ground.

"Are you asking to be saved?"

Crackling.

Maybe there was some life in this small spark?

It probably wasn't even a Phoenix, but it responded to YuWon's question by rising even higher.

But that was only for a moment.

The spark became smaller and weaker than at the beginning.

He felt like giving it a Name.

He didn't know why.

A name crossed his mind.

"...Tulzscha."

Crackling.

The spark rose sharply.

"Your name will be Tulzscha."

Green sparks enveloped YuWon.

The dancing flames joined his group sometime after giving a Name and began swirling around him.

In the process, the flames completely consumed the forest he had seen before. Meanwhile, a large rock came into YuWon's view.

"Why did you give Names even to this?"

A deep sigh emerged from the depths of YuWon.

It wasn't a sigh that sprang from the simple idea that Azathoth had done something useless like giving a Name even to a rock. It was a sigh that emanated from a feeling that he understood why he had given Names even to these things.

'Names...'.

YuWon continued walking following Azathoth's memories.

Meanwhile...

YuWon realized that his current action was recorded somewhere on the slab.

This is how I gave Names to everything. Not having a name is something sad. Even if it's just a beast, a small spark, a small stone on the road, having a Name means something. I broke down my own Name and gave it to them. I don't mind; I have many Names. Besides, all these things are precious to me.

Surely, Azathoth split his own Name and gave it to these creatures.

Shub-Niggurath. Nyarlathotep. Tulzscha. Daoloth...

YuWon, or Azathoth, gladly gave those many names.

It wasn't a waste.

Indeed.

But it seems that was the problem...

YuWon knew that the result of this wouldn't be as beautiful.

'What's happening?'

Thunk-.

YuWon continued giving Names.

Becoming Azathoth in this way, walking along with those memories.

'...I might find out as I continue.'

Though anxious, there was still confidence.

At the end of the path he was walking, there would be a clue to reverse the impossible struggle.

Thud-.

A giant octopus fell right in front of Odin.

An Outer with dozens of legs and a bursting head. Odin looked at it as if it were repulsive, then looked away.

"It's endless."

Outers kept coming in droves.

To stop them, Odin positioned himself at the forefront of the battlefield, swinging his fists and casting spells for over a day.

Swish-.

Odin's gaze turned back.

No matter how much effort he put in, facing this amount of enemies alone was an impossible task.

Regardless of strength, the numbers were too overwhelming. In the end, the enemies flowing into the castle could only be stopped by the Rankers of Asgard, including the valkyries.

'They're still holding up well.'

Although the prolonged battle seemed to be taking its toll, they still stood firm.

And the reason they could do so...

"Asgard-!"

Thud thud-.

In response to Brunhilde's shout, the Valkyries stomped the ground with all their might, screaming.

"Live forever!"

['Battle Cry' activated.]

[Health of Players affiliated with 'Asgard' is restored.]

[Negative debuffs on Players affiliated with 'Asgard' are removed.]

[Players affiliated with 'Asgard'...]

Michael.

The leader of the Valkyries and the warrior Odin cherished the most.

Although Brunhilde's personal combat skills were slightly inferior, in these large-scale battles, she demonstrated superior abilities to any High-Ranker.

The Battle Cry boosted the morale and stats of Asgard's Rankers and Valkyries, restoring their health.

A powerful buff that covered the entire battlefield.

That was the skill Brunhilde possessed.

Thud-!

Thor, too, was doing his part.

As a descendant of Odin, he was a Ranker with a two-digit rank.

With every swing of his hammer, numerous Outers burst into pieces.

"How dare you invade sacred Asgard, filthy creatures!"

Boom-!

Thor's hammer never rested for a moment.

Sweat formed as his bulging muscles gradually lost their heat. Slowly, he, too, grew more tired.

Thud-.

And then...

A peculiar presence arrived on the battlefield.

-...Name...

Beep-.

A somewhat unnatural movement.

A massive mound shifted in the distance. Every time its stone body moved, the ground resonated with a screech.

-...Name...

Empty pupils raised their heads and looked at the sky. When their gaze turned to the castle of Asgard, the Valkyries fighting with swords and spears stopped.

Thud-.

"What is that...?"

"A mountain...?"

On the surface, it was just a huge mass of rocks.

Removing a mountain wasn't such a difficult task for high-level Rankers like Odin or Thor.

But the problem was the reaction of the Rankers who saw it with their own eyes.

"Uh... uh..."

"Ughhh..."

Rankers lost consciousness and collapsed to the ground.

Brunhilde desperately shouted 'Battle Cry.'

No...

"Asgar..."

She tried to shout.

['Battle Cry' is nullified by an unknown force.]

Zzing-.

All sounds around her disappeared. In an instant, everything she saw in front of her lost its color and turned white.

Dizziness threw Brunhilde's body off balance.

"Uwaaaah!"

After vomiting everything in her stomach, she barely managed to overcome the dizziness.

Brunhilde, catching her breath, opened her mouth again.

Somehow, she had to activate the Battle Cry again.

But...

"Don't do anything futile, Brunhilde."

Odin's voice.

Whoosh-.

Brunhilde, turning her head, sought Odin. Although it seemed like she heard him nearby, he was still far away.

Thud-.

Odin walked towards a gigantic mountain in motion.

His voice echoed in her ears like a close whisper.

"What will you do if you collapse?"

"But..."

"There are no 'buts,' wait."

If the impact from a moment ago transmitted again, Brunhilde would definitely faint.

If that happened,

This battlefield would flip in an instant.

That had to be avoided.

In this battlefield, Brunhilde's influence was second only to Odin.

"..."

Following Odin's command, Brunhilde pressed her lips together and lowered her head.

It was an order from the King. Especially in this crucial place.

Although she was the Leader of the Valkyries, she couldn't challenge the order recklessly.

'I can't allow Brunhilde to collapse.'

Thud-.

Odin looked at the moving mountain.

It was different from the others. Its presence was overwhelming, on the level of Shub-Niggurath or Foolish Chaos, right after them.

An overwhelming oppression.

Odin, already exhausted from the arduous fight, wondered if he could face it.

Of course...

Growl-.

Complaining wouldn't improve anything.

[The power of 'Yggdrasil' resides in your body.]

A green glow radiated from Odin's body.

Until now, he had been holding back his strength, but he no longer had the luxury to do so.

"It would be good if you came quickly."

Just like that.

With Gungnir in one hand and casting dozens of spells at once with the other, Odin was about to move.

"Ah...."

Odin stopped his movement for a moment and raised his head.

"Did you hear?"

Twinkle~

A small star shone in the sky.

Looking at the star falling rapidly from above, Odin smiled slightly.

"You've come quickly after I called you."

"Yeeeeeeeeah-!"

Although the distance was considerable, the voice resonated throughout the battlefield. Loud enough to make eardrums resonate.

What seemed small as a dot, in an instant, enlarged rapidly.

Bigger than a mountain.

Made of a material harder than steel, the largest item in this Tower.

Baaang-!

That enormous mace from above crushed the gigantic mountain approaching Asgard.

A cloud of dust rose densely.

When the dust cleared, a pillar touching the sky was revealed.

And at the top of that great pillar...

"I've arrivvvvvved-!"

A monkey shouted with enthusiasm. With an excited voice that sounded like it was enjoying itself immensely.