Leveling with the Gods

C352

Points.

It is a score that quantifies the power of the Outer Gods to exert influence in other worlds.

The information about it was obtained during the battle against the Outer Gods.

"It seems they had something called Points."

"Points? We too..."

"It's a completely different concept. I wondered how he managed to move so freely through the Tower without breaking the walls, but it turns out it had a cost."

One day.

Odin returned from his fight with Foolish Chaos and brought information with him.

"Although now that the walls are destroyed, this information is meaningless."

"But if the Clock Movement is completed, it will be invaluable information."

Chronos listened to Odin's words.

Probably, Foolish Chaos thought that time cannot be reversed. Otherwise, he wouldn't have revealed such important information.

However, that information infused hope in YuWon and his companions, who were researching the Clock Movement.

"We have to make that guy use the Points."

"Is there any way to do it? The idea is to make him use his power."

"His power? How?"

"In the only possible way, by constantly fighting."

Son OhGong said confidently.

Fighting was his specialty. His power of immortality had kept him fighting eternally, and Odin's information kindled the fire in his heart.

But Chronos' question, "How?", was not so simple.

"I don't think that guy will fight so easily. He's not someone you can easily find, and if he has Points, he won't try to fight directly."

Until now, Foolish Chaos rarely moved directly.

Mostly, he wagged his tongue behind the Guilds and created incidents.

Like the Gigantomachy, the Ragnarok, and the Great Heaven Demon War.

And the reason he used those complicated methods was one.

Because he wasn't free in terms of Points. Nothing wastes Points more than using force directly.

And that's why...

"But still, we have to do it."

YuWon had always imagined a situation like the current one.

Whoom~

Purple flames burst along the tip of his sword.

The Outer Gods covering the sky trembled at the sight of the Holy Fire.

That's right.

They feared this fire.

"If this works..."

["Golden Cinder Eyes" control "Holy Fire"].

Whoom-.

The Holy Fire reflected in the Golden Cinder Eyes moved along the blade of the sword. The flames trapped in the sword formed a long line in YuWon's view.

Crack-.

The flames streaked across the sky along the blade of the sword.

And in the place they passed...

Hwaaah-!

An enormous explosion engulfed the Outer Gods.

Whoom, whoom-.

The fire covered the sky. Holy Fire was the most effective attribute for the Outer Gods among the various types of attributes that YuWon possessed.

The Outer Gods enveloped in the flames melted in their place with indescribable screams.

But some of them were strong enough not to be defeated by that.

Jjeo-euk-.

A pair of enormous eyes loomed nearby.

It was at the moment their eyes met.

["Golden Cinder Eyes" resist '?']

[Resistance is partially successful]

Partially successful.

In other words, there were also failures.

For a moment, YuWon felt his stomach tightening and his mind drifting away.

Those eyes were clearly dangerous.

'Serene Twilight' (아늑해진 황혼).

One of the Outer Gods who had a name.

Most of them were small puppets, but there were also some known names among the Outer Gods summoned by Foolish Chaos.

They were beings who could take a person's life with just a look.

Standing and fighting against them with nothing but strong mental fortitude was the only way.

'You must not avoid it.'

Most people would look away upon seeing that.

It was natural.

Even Rankers and High-Rankers who claimed to be brave did the same.

But.

You should never do that.

Kkwaaak-.

YuWon stared fixedly at Serene Twilight.

If he averted his gaze from him, the fear would turn into an even bigger monster and devour him.

To look at him without avoiding it.

And to overcome that fear.

That was the strategy to defeat Serene Twilight.

Jjigeok, Jjeojeo-.

Every time the eyes blinked, a strange sound was heard.

Serene Twilight was bewildered.

He couldn't understand why YuWon didn't avoid his eyes. As he didn't understand, he couldn't take any action.

And at that moment...

Tsutsutsu-.

YuWon's other hand.

A black spear in his hand flew.

And.

Kurung-!

The long spear pierced through Serene Twilight's body.

A small hole opened in the center of his enormous eye. But only for a moment, Serene Twilight writhed and soon fell lifeless.

The next moment...

Fwah-!

The hole in the center of Serene Twilight's eye burst widely, and colorless, odorless blood spurted upwards.

Although the spear that dropped from YuWon's hand made a thunderous noise like a lightning bolt, it wasn't a Lightning Bolt.

["Nir" has not fully activated].

[Recovery will be delayed due to incomplete activation]

["Serene Twilight" has been eliminated]

Nir.

An item as powerful as Odin's Gungnir, vying to be the strongest.

Although its power was somewhat weakened due to the rush with which it was released, it was enough. Though there was a penalty for incomplete activation, the priority now was to eliminate Serene Twilight first.

He possessed the power to devour the opponent's mind more than direct combat skills. If it were in Ranker positions, it would be considered a rough Support. Eliminating that guy first was the very basics.

Of course...

Zuaaaah-.

As a result, YuWon found himself surrounded by several other Outer Gods he hadn't paid attention to for a moment.

Shk-.

YuWon swung his sword and cut the tentacles of the Outer Gods. Rather than individual living organisms, they looked more like a mass of long, organically interconnected tentacles.

In all directions.

From above to the ground.

There were too many directions he needed to pay attention to.

No.

"Danpung."

He didn't need to worry.

"Take care of yourself. Start."

Juaah-.

[The 'Predator' bares its fangs]

YuWon felt his Arcane Power draining from his body. The same happened to Danpung.

Juaahh-.

Countless fangs and mouths appeared around YuWon.

Predator.

The natural enemy of the Outer Gods, appeared to devour them.

Kwajik-!

Kwaduk, kwaduk-.

The Predator began tearing apart the tentacles surrounding him like a hungry predator that had been starving for a long time.

The twisted tentacles quickly lost their strength and collapsed.

And then...

[Growth rate has increased by 0.002%]

[Growth rate has increased by 0.004%]

[Growth rate has increased by 0.001%]

[Growth rate has...]

['Danpung' level has increased]

['Danpung's Divine Power has slightly increased]

[Your Arcane Power has slightly increased]

Countless messages appeared in YuWon's mind.

There was no immediate increase in stats. However, as the Predator devoured the tentacles, YuWon could feel his Arcane Power gradually recovering.

YuWon smiled as he saw the Predator becoming more aggressive.

That was exactly what he was aiming for.

The first image he had in mind.

"Devour them all."

Danpung's constant growth and the slight increase in Arcane Power.

The more Foolish Chaos used the Points, the more important things YuWon obtained.

'Serene Twilight has been defeated.'

Serene Twilight fell to the ground, pierced by the spear.

That thing wasn't an existence that could be defeated by someone like Kim YuWon.

Anyone facing Serene Twilight, even if they were a high-ranking Ranker, had their body numb while confronting it.

However, YuWon, with just a brief hesitation, easily pierced Serene Twilight with his spear.

What made this possible was nothing less than YuWon's strong will and the item that rivaled Gungnir.

Additionally...

Kwajik-!

Sharp fangs tearing through the tentacles.

Seeing the fangs chewing them up and swallowing them, Foolish Chaos realized something was wrong.

'What are these things?'

Giant monsters devouring the Outer Gods.

Or more precisely, they were the fangs of some giant monster.

It was a familiar sensation.

Although terrifying to the point of making one's body shudder, it was also worthy of respect. Challenging that existence wasn't easily conceived.

It was their natural enemy.

He couldn't believe it, but it was definitely a threat to them.

'I wonder if this was the reason he kept bothering me.'

For a long time, Foolish Chaos saw YuWon as a threat.

That's why when he first encountered him, he instigated Hera to eliminate YuWon.

Hera: "This Kim YuWon?"

Foolish Chaos: "Yes, please take care of him."

Hera: "It's not that difficult, but why? He's just a rookie who passed the 10th floor."

At that time, YuWon began making a name for himself in the Tower after passing the Heavenly Demon Cult's trial.

From the Tutorial to the Heavenly Demon Cult's trial, although he stood out remarkably, Hera found it strange that Foolish Chaos cared about YuWon.

Hera: "Understood. Then I'll send Hypnos to deal with him."

Hypnos.

The 11th-floor trial supervisor, a Ranker of Olympus who obeyed Hera's orders.

Although the penalties were severe, Hypnos demonstrated his ability by becoming a supervisor of a Floor Trial.

Hera had no doubt that Hypnos would eliminate YuWon.

But...

"I should have dealt with him more definitively back then."

Foolish Chaos also had the same conviction.

But the result was a failure.

He hadn't expected that small incident, which had passed smoothly, to become so big.

"...The expenses are higher than expected."

Foolish Chaos raised his head and looked at the sky that had not yet closed.

The sky that had changed to a purple color. Outer Gods were entering through the finely cracked sky.

They were only small openings, but even at this moment, there were countless individuals approaching Foolish Chaos.

"Let me in, please," that was what they were asking for.

But...

'I can't let them all in.'

Points were not infinite.

Although it might seem like he had accumulated enough points for a long time, there were specific places where he needed to use them.

Therefore, he had to be cautious.

Even if Kim YuWon represented a threat, he couldn't let everything he had done until now be for nothing by trying to catch a single individual.

-You've called all sorts of bastards.

Foolish Chaos turned his head at the voice coming from behind.

With Kusanagi resting on his shoulder, Susanoo was standing behind him.

"You're much kinder than you appear. Seeing that you didn't ambush me."

-What if I don't attack you from behind? Do you think I can't kill you from the front... Hey, are you listening?

Foolish Chaos stared at YuWon without saying a word.

YuWon, with Holy Fire wrapped around his sword, fought against the Outer Gods while controlling the Predator. And Foolish Chaos saw a little boy on YuWon's shoulder who was 'pretending' to fight, vigorously extending his little fist forward.

"I'm sorry, but..."

Surely...

It couldn't be.

No, it shouldn't be.

Recalling the image of someone in his mind, Foolish Chaos moved his halted steps again.

"It doesn't seem like the right time to have fun with you."