Leveling with the Gods

"What... did you say?"

He uttered each word forcefully, as if charged with energy. Odin knew that there weren't many people who understood the weight and significance of the name "Ragnarok" better than him.

"Do you really know what that means?"

"Yes, I know. The Great Catastrophe that will destroy the Tower, a war that will kill half of the Players and Rankers residing within it."

"Uh..."

Odin sank into his chair, rubbing his forehead.

"So, it really happened."

Odin fell silent for a moment, his eyes closed, and then he looked back at YuWon.

"But why? Why do we have to cause something like this?"

"The history that has already happened cannot be changed, and Ragnarok is inevitable."

"No, it can be avoided."

"Do you really believe that?"

"Well..."

Odin didn't immediately respond to YuWon's question.

Instead, the anxiety that had been hidden inside him for a long time finally reflected in his expression.

YuWon knew what was causing that anxiety.

"You don't want to fight, you believe you can stop it. But what do the giants think?"

Giants and Humans.

The struggle between Races was a matter different from the mere guild battles.

The division between the two races had already reached a deep level, and Odin had contributed to this.

"Surt's thoughts will be different. Do you have the confidence to persuade him? After all, how many of his children were lost in the battle against Asgard?"

"I will make it possible."

"'You want' to make it possible, which is a very different thing."

Odin's eyes gleamed at his corrected words.

And for a moment, YuWon felt his breath being cut off.

It wasn't exactly threatening.

But his mere presence filled the room, making it feel as if he was completely blocked.

"Not fighting is impossible, not shedding blood is impossible," YuWon said.

"I will make it possible," the response repeated.

Upon that response, YuWon looked around the golden, shining room that housed Yggdrasil.

A rich and peaceful country.

Asgard had created and maintained this country.

But...

"It was that peace and complacency that ruined this country."

The ending was far from peaceful.

"Are you afraid to open the festering wound, to let it fester, hoping that if you leave it alone, it will heal on its own?"

Odin didn't open his mouth.

YuWon, instead, continued.

"The giants are preparing for war. They are accumulating more power to secure victory, and Asgard is also preparing for the fight."

"You seem to really know everything..."

"It's because you told me."

Odin furrowed his brow.

There was nothing more he could say to that. Moreover, YuWon's words had hit the mark with what had been troubling him all along.

"As the preparation for war becomes more complete, the battlefield will grow larger. If that happens, there will be more bloodshed. If we can't stop the inevitable fight, we should at least end it with the least damage possible, don't you think?" YuWon said.

"So... are you asking me to start the war now?" Odin asked, suspicion in his eyes.

Suddenly, asking him to initiate a war as if it were nothing. And not just any war, but a great war like Ragnarok...

"If we leave it as it is, the fighting will only worsen."

"That I know. But it's also a fight that should have never started in the first place..."

"You're good at everything, but that's the problem. For this case, you didn't know where to begin."

YuWon crossed his arms and sighed.

"We must face the fight that cannot be avoided. Otherwise, your country will only be ruined."

YuWon's gaze shifted to a single withered leaf of the Yggdrasil Tree.

"Because someone wants that to happen."

Odin's gaze followed YuWon's.

Yggdrasil.

The greatest and grandest tree that spans the World from this Tower. The leaf of that tree began to rot only a few hundred years ago.

"Are you saying that someone is controlling Ragnarok from behind?"

"I heard that you know who that someone is."

"I don't know their name. But I know they planned the Gigantomachia."

"And Ragnarok as well."

After a long pause.

Odin finally nodded.

"I think I need to think about it a little more."

Rather, there's a lot to think about.

Is YuWon really the owner of the Clock Movement?

If so, is he on the right side?

Is it really a better choice for Ragnarok to occur early?

YuWon didn't expect Odin to make a decision right away.

But it was enough to make him think.

"As you wish."

For now, the conversation was over.

From now on, they would have to talk after Odin made a decision.

Drr-.

YuWon stood up from his seat.

And Odin spoke to him.

"Stay here while my thoughts clear. Don't go anywhere."

"I can't wait that long."

If Foolish Chaos had started moving, every minute of every day from now on would be more precious than gold.

Every wasted minute would mean more bloodshed.

"I ask you..."

As YuWon was about to leave the room, Odin asked him a question that reflected his concern.

"What will you do if Ragnarok occurs?"

"I will fight."

It was an obvious answer.

"That's why I came here."

"Within Ragnarok, you are like a small stone thrown into the great lake. Do you have the ability to change the course of this great war?"

"I don't have it."

The answer was as disappointing as expected.

Odin knew it, but deep down, he wanted YuWon to say something that would fill him with hope.

But...

"Not yet."

YuWon wasn't finished.

"When the war starts, I will already be strong enough to be on the front lines again."

Squeak-.

The door opened, and YuWon walked out.

The room fell silent once again.

For a long time.

Odin looked towards the door YuWon had walked out of and muttered to himself.

"'Again'..."

Ding-.

As he walked down the hallway, YuWon's player kit beeped.

In the distance, he could see Guard and Reed waiting for him. YuWon checked his player kit number and answered the call.

"What's up?"

-Did you meet Odin?

It was OhGong.

Apparently, he wanted to know what was going on.

After all, it couldn't have been easy for YuWon to leave behind Son OhGong, who had decided to follow him to the Golden Castle.

"We met."

-What happened?

"He seems to be worried. Quite a lot."

"That foolish guy can't do anything but worry," Son OhGong's voice shouted from the Player Kit.

In case the sound leaked outside, YuWon briefly covered the player with his hand.

How long had it been? After Son OhGong's hysteria ended...

-How can that messy guy make an easy decision?

Finally, he asked a proper question.

YuWon leaned against the windowsill and gazed at the beautiful city of Valhalla.

"It won't be easy."

-Then, in any case, we should focus more on Baldur...

"It's not my goal to prevent Ragnarok from happening."

Repeating what he said before.

But it was an important part that had to be repeated several times.

There's no way to stop Ragnarok.

It was simply impossible.

That's why YuWon thought of another way.

"Change the winner of Ragnarok."

Change the winner of Ragnarok.

Asgard, which perished in battle and the ensuing struggle, must be changed to a victory.

And that was several times harder than simply avoiding the fight.

-Is it possible?

"It won't be easy. But well, I'm not alone."

Both the Great Sage, Heaven's Equal, and the Great Sage, Who Pacifies Heaven, were on his side.

At least these two were clearly on his side.

"There are many ways. We have to try."

-What else will you do?

"For now, worry about that side. We'll get moving as soon as we hear from them."

-...Ah, yes.

"We're done."

The call was as brief as it had to be.

After storing his Player Kit, YuWon approached Guard and Reed, who were waiting for him, and the two opened their mouths with tense faces.

"You're back?"

"Did you really meet King Odin?"

Apparently, they wanted to know if YuWon had really met Odin.

Odin was such an absolute presence in this Tower that not only players but even Rankers wished to meet him at some point.

"I'll be here for a while."

YuWon replied when Reed asked.

"The Golden Castle?"

"I was given permission. But I won't be here for long."

"Wow...!"

The fact that he was given permission meant that he met Odin.

Faced with the uncomfortable gazes of the two, YuWon turned his head. There was no point in confronting that discomfort.

And then, as he turned his head.

Swish~

YuWon's eyes met those of the passing Rankers.

It wasn't an accidental glance.

They were all looking at him.

"Did you see it too?"

"Yes."

"It seems like they want to kill people with their eyes, don't they?"

YuWon also noticed the gaze of the Rankers staring at him, including Guard and Reed.

It felt as if they were about to draw their weapons and attack him at any moment.

"It's going to be quite a journey."

For the next few days, YuWon would stay in the castle.

And during those days, he would have to face those Rankers again and again.

Having to stay in the Golden Castle for a while meant that the fights would be endless. (Note: Remember that according to the legends of Valhalla, the great warriors there always fight every day without rest.)

"But that's fine."

He was already worried about how to start, but maybe this was the best thing that could happen.

"What are you looking at?"

When YuWon didn't look away, a Ranker finally spoke after staring at him for a while.

She was a tough-looking warrior woman with a face full of scars.

She had wings tattooed on her clavicle.

She was one of the Valkyries of Asgard.

Not a local thug.

She had been waiting for an opportunity to start a fight.

And YuWon had no intention of avoiding it.

No...

"Since you want to fight, will you do it alone?"

I won't settle for a small fight.

"Bring other friends, brat."

Bam-.

A vein appeared on the Valkyrie's forehead.

Behind them, Guard and Reed shivered as they watched the two of them.

A supernatural air filled the hallway, and the Rankers, who had been paying close attention to YuWon's visit, quickly noticed the commotion.

Gazes and footsteps accumulated, and YuWon became aware of them and thought, 'Ragnarok is, after all, a battle between Odin's Asgard and Surt's Muspelheim.'

He blinked.

Several Valkyries with the same wing mark as the Valkyrie in front of him appeared before his eyes.

'In the end, the only way to be at the forefront of the fight and have a voice is to be recognized by the Valkyries.'

The Ranking that was given to him unintentionally.

And the resistance and curiosity of the Rankers who followed him.

At first, it seemed pointless and burdensome.

But...

"That's fine."

In any case, it made the scenario more natural.

The corners of YuWon's lips twitched as the atmosphere in the Golden Castle began to heat up.

"Now I just have to show them who's on top."

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