Leveling with the Gods

C372

More time passed.

As those who had moved to obtain the Administrator's Power began to suspect...

Could it be that they were deceived? Perhaps the Administrator's Power was not something they could obtain?

When those doubts began to grow...

Crack-

The crack extended once again.

And then, finally...

"Am I seeing this wrong?"

"What?"

"No, over there..."

"There? Where? On the wall...?"

"A crack has appeared?"

People who found the crack that appeared on the wall began to appear one by one.

A curiosity that started to spread rapidly. Originally, it would have been something to be anxious about, but their eyes were already blind.

"Is this what I think it is?"

"The Administrator's Power?"

"The Administrators came from outside the Tower?"

"So their power comes from outside, and they only reserved the power for themselves."

"Wow, this is completely..."

The Players were astonished and angry.

They felt betrayed by the idea that the Administrators had built a wall and imprisoned them to monopolize power.

It seemed like their suspicions were correct.

After all, those Administrators were enemies of the Players.

But...

[The 'Golden Cinder Eyes' are watching the world]

Above their heads, a fierce gaze was revealed.

"Golden Cinder Eyes?"

"The Great Sage, Heaven's Equal?"

"Or maybe..."

The fact that the system displayed a message meant that the effect of an ability was starting to directly influence the Players.

The Players gathered near the wall turned their heads one by one, searching for the person using the Golden Cinder Eyes.

Then...

"If you don't want to die, make sure to protect your lives from now on."

Step-

A man wearing a hat deeply pulled down over his head walked among the Players.

He approached the wall that was starting to crack.

"What will come out of there won't be as kind as you think."

"Who is this guy?"

"Could it be that this guy is using the Golden Cinder Eyes...?"

"Then, maybe...?"

Whooosh-

In an instant, a strong wind blew.

It wasn't natural; someone intentionally used an ability to remove the hat from the man's head.

At that moment, the hat flew into the sky.

And the moment the face was uncovered...

"Cursed!"

"It's Kim YuWon!"

"So, is that guy also after the Administrator's Power?"

"Still, compared to The Great Sage, Heaven's Equal..."

Unwavering determination.

They intended to fight.

They thought YuWon was trying to monopolize the Administrator's Power for himself.

'This is total chaos.'

Although there were many, the Players gathered at the scene were not of a very high level.

Due to the concentration of those who were closer to the lower floors, the number of Rankers was notably low.

And among them...

"Mr. Kim YuWon?"

A familiar accent resonated.

"My name is Kim InGyu, I come from Korea just like you."

Black hair, dark beard, and tattered clothes, which were not common in the Tower.

A man who seemed to be in his mid-twenties, around the same age as YuWon.

The phrase "just like you" seemed to carry a special meaning. Kim InGyu approached YuWon and spoke.

"I've always wanted to meet you. Although I never had the chance..."

"Are you from my home country?"

"Yes."

"I understand. Nice to meet you. Take care."

"What...?"

Eyes widened.

He leaned back, bewildered.

"Oh, no, it's not that! I mean, you're still strong enough and living well, shouldn't you share a bit?"

"Exactly! Are you going to monopolize everything again?"

"Living like this, that's how you became a High-Ranker so quickly."

An angry voice erupted.

Vigilance, jealousy, anger, anxiety.

All sorts of negative emotions made their shoulders tense and their voices rise.

If it were a one-on-one confrontation, they probably wouldn't have raised their voices.

However, the strength that came from the power of the crowd was primarily courage.

"Monopoly, monopoly..."

YuWon laughed, incredulous. He had surely told them to protect their lives. Perhaps it sounded like he was trying to threaten them?

"Well, anyway, I suppose so."

It had been a warning, but if they reacted like this, there wasn't much that could be done.

YuWon's eyes scanned the crowd. The Rankers who knew YuWon lowered their surprised gazes.

Most of the people who were raising their voices were Players from the lower floors.

On the other hand, the Rankers who had conquered this Tower knew.

The High-Rankers.

Especially High-Rankers like YuWon, knew the power they possessed well.

'These fools. Do they even know what rank Kim YuWon is...?'

'Should I look for a chance to escape? I can't give up the Administrator's Power.'

"Join them? Maybe I can gain some benefit even if it's just a little."

'It's pointless even if there are tens of thousands of you, little ants.'

The phrase "the sky's the limit" was perfect for this.

Inexperienced players believed that all Rankers were more or less the same. After all, they couldn't climb any higher in the Tower.

However, even if you rise to the clouds, the sky doesn't seem any lower.

Some Rankers had started to prepare to retreat as they realized the situation wasn't so simple.

Quick money, power, and increased status were important, but what's more important than life?

YuWon sighed lightly as he observed those Rankers.

"There's no one who can help anyway."

After all, in time, they would figure it out for themselves.

At that moment, something else emerged to focus on.

"They arrived earlier than I thought."

Step, step.

Not far away...

He could feel footsteps drawing nearer. Unlike his leisurely stroll, the distance was rapidly closing.

Swish~

YuWon raised his head.

Not just on the ground.

In the distance, in the sky.

There were people following a bit later.

Odin walked lightly through the sky, bouncing in the air.

Behind him, several ships from different Guilds followed Chronos, mistaking him for Poseidon, and moved following his steps.

Snap.

The crack in the wall was gradually expanding. It was unknown how far it would reach, but it seemed its scale wouldn't be small.

'The day that wall collapses completely...'

That day passed through YuWon's mind.

'The Tower will collapse.'

The puzzle pieces began to fit together. The complete picture was probably a larger picture that hadn't existed before.

Swish.

As he gazed at the wall, YuWon turned his head.

They had arrived.

'It's here.'

A face resembling Zeus, with black hair and eyes.

'Ahjussi...' (아저씨)

Over the Golden Cinder Eyes, within Poseidon's face, the hidden image of Chronos was reflected.

Chronos glanced back for a moment.

Zeus followed him at a certain distance, and behind him, Odin also maintained a certain distance.

"Should we keep moving forward?"

Zeus, who was following him, opened his mouth as if he were bored.

Not much time had passed. It didn't mean much to Chronos in terms of time, as he could speed up time or Zeus could move dozens of meters in a single step.

However, there was a reason Zeus spoke.

The reason was that they were beginning to see the final edge in front of them.

Chronos didn't respond.

There was no response, but it didn't matter.

"Well..."

The answer was already starting to become visible.

"It seems like everyone is here."

The Players had gathered at the final edge of the world.

They had all received a common message and had gathered in the same place.

And in the midst of them...

YuWon and Chronos met from a distance.

Vzzzz-.

As YuWon looked at him from afar, Chronos felt a strange sensation.

The pupils of a giant monkey.

In front of those two fiery eyes, Chronos felt like his entire body was naked and exposed.

"He's staring at me."

The moment their gazes met, he knew.

He was seeing his true form. False appearances or disguises didn't work in front of the Golden Cinder Eyes.

Thump, thump.

He felt a shiver.

A sensation he had never experienced with Zeus or Odin.

A feeling as if he were a small herbivorous prey standing in front of a fierce predator ran down Chronos' spine.

Paf.

YuWon and Chronos began to walk towards each other.

Although Poseidon's arrival had stirred the crowd, no one dared to stand between the two approaching Rankers.

In fact, instead, they began to slowly move apart, perhaps to avoid any potential conflict.

Zeus also watched in silence, observing the scene.

Thus, YuWon and Chronos faced each other, and when they were close enough...

"It's you."

It was Chronos who opened his mouth first.

"Kim YuWon."

YuWon's eyebrows twitched at those words.

Although he had his doubts, in the end...

He didn't remember anything.

'I thought it would be like this.'

The man he knew wouldn't have done something like this.

How he had come to this point remained a mystery.

The Chronos YuWon knew had been at the forefront of the battle against the Outer Gods. In his final moments, he had consumed much of his life, his back had hunched, and his face was wrinkled with hundreds of wrinkles of old age.

The man in front of him, with only a few wrinkles on his face, was completely different from the Chronos he knew.

"What you desire-"

YuWon paused his greeting for that.

It made no sense to waste time on unnecessary stories if the person didn't recognize him anyway.

"Was it that?"

Crack.

The speed at which the cracks appeared was accelerating.

Now it was so clear that even the inexperienced could see it at a glance.

The corner of YuWon's lips curved upward.

"You've probably used enough Points the last time. Did you choose a more complicated path this time instead of the easy one?"

Twist~

Chronos' eyebrows twisted.

However, he didn't seem to show outward signs of discomfort. He quickly regained his usual expression and asked:

"What are you talking about?"

"Killing the Administrator, gathering the Rankers in a chaotic situation, making them fight each other. Earning Points again that way..."

He had planned it all very well.

What would have happened if he hadn't discovered it in time?

The hope of being able to overcome the Administrators would have become a spark that would have turned the entire Tower into a sea of flames, and the wall would have collapsed much faster and caused an even larger rift than planned.

"Exploiting the weakness of the wall due to the absence of the Administrator. The exploitation of that gap. Although for that to be possible, you would have had to kill the Administrator. You've planned this out very well in this short time."

Chronos showed no change in his expression.

At some point, he had given up on being surprised, closed his eyes with a sigh, and then, upon opening them again, spoke while looking at YuWon.

"Undoubtedly, you are the most dangerous."

Odin. Zeus.

And even Satan, who arrived late and watched from a distance.

In addition to that, several High-Rankers had arrived here like meteors.

Despite that, Chronos felt it.

More than some High-Rankers, more than any Ranker, right in front of him, YuWon was the most dangerous enemy.

"To whom do you owe this?"

The reason YuWon was here was because of the Clock Movement that Chronos had created.

Because he had sacrificed himself for everyone.

He could be in this place because he had been forgotten and discarded in everyone's memory.

"Well, it doesn't matter."

Crack, crunch!

The wall began to crumble rapidly, with cracks emerging and falling.

Looking at the black wall behind YuWon, Chronos spoke.

"Anyway, the results wouldn't have been very different."

Given the size of the world, it was just a small defect. (세계의 크기를 생각하면 그것은 아주 작은 흠에 지나지 않았다.)

But even with that small defect...

Crack, crack.

The Tower began to shake violently.

['The Wall of the World' is collapsing]