Leveling with the Gods

Naturally, there was a frenzy.

The guild he wanted to meet was the Celestial Realm.

And the ranker he wanted to meet was the Great Sage, Heaven's Equal.

They were more than enemies, they were bitter enemies.

The fact that he wanted to meet them was undoubtedly a topic of conversation.

"Why do you want to meet the Celestial Realm?"

"When you say you want to meet the Celestial Realm, does it mean you intend to join their guild?"

"How much do you know about the relationship between the Celestial Realm and the Great Sage, Heaven's Equal?"

"Player Kim YuWon, perhaps you..."

A barrage of questions.

But YuWon's response was just that.

Silence, silence-.

YuWon walked towards the center of the crowd. He shook off the hands of the journalists grabbing his shoulders and left the mansion.

Seeing that YuWon did not answer any of the questions, the reporters soon grew tired.

"Well, this is difficult..."

"For some reason, I thought he would be more receptive today."

Shaking their heads as they watched YuWon, who didn't respond to any questions or even look at them, the reporters eventually lost sight of him.

They didn't know if he had ascended to the sky or fallen to the ground, but he had suddenly disappeared.

But even though they didn't get many answers, it was much better than the other times.

"Well, at least we got quite a bit today."

"It was worth the wait."

One by one, they began sending messages through their player kits.

"It's still tough."

YuWon realized that the reporters had stopped following him.

Occasionally, there were talented players or rankers who dreamt of becoming reporters.

They were skilled at tracking, and it wasn't easy to shake them off. Even for YuWon, it was difficult to get rid of them in the lower levels.

With the reporters out of the way, YuWon found a place to stay.

The highest accommodation in the city.

It was a simple room, but still quite atmospheric. Despite the height of the building, the ambiance and feeling on the 50th floor were similar to the Murim World.

"That's the direction of the Marble Mountain (Five Elements Mountain), right?"

This was the place where Son OhGong spent the most time. It was where he formed his first team, and some of the players who climbed the Tower with him ended up ranking alongside him.

A place that held many memories.

Now, he was trapped in a place like this.

"Entry to the Five Elements Mountain is strictly prohibited. Son OhGong is called the Demon King on this side of the mountain..."

He couldn't help but laugh at the thought.

Son OhGong was called the Demon King, no doubt.

It really didn't suit him.

"How about Monkey King? (獼猴王)"

He had many names.

The Great Sage, Heaven's Equal. (齊天大聖).

The Buddha of Victorious Fighting (鬪戰勝佛)

And even Monkey King.

These were all names he was called. It's a title that most high-ranking people don't have, but he has three.

And he deserved them.

YuWon rested his head on the bed.

Now, all that was left was to wait.

In the meantime, he would try to relax, even if only for a while.

"We'll meet again soon..."

And he laid his head on the pillow.

"Son OhGong."

YuWon's eyes lit up as he remembered his friend's face.

A rest after a long time was like honey.

He slept in, woke up, and went out to eat.

He drank tea while admiring the beautiful scenery and received a massage while sightseeing on the 50th floor.

Points were abundant.

The only thing he didn't have was time.

However...

"Playing is also work."

It was the third day of the game.

YuWon yawned as he descended the stairs after drinking a glass of wine alone.

He didn't want to do anything particularly notable here, but it seemed harder that way.

He had no one to play with.

On top of that, he had no idea what he was supposed to do.

He couldn't remember the last time he had played or what he had done.

The memories were so blurry that everything felt uncomfortable.

"What did I do with them?"

With Asura and Son OhGong, it was always a fight.

With Hercules, he seemed to talk a lot. The same with Odin, but normally, he was the one listening.

They were surprisingly talkative.

Nothing particularly exciting happened.

Nevertheless, it was fun.

"It's not what you do that matters."

The seat next to him remained unnecessarily empty.

Trying not to do anything, the emptiness grew even larger.

He stifled the sigh that threatened to escape his mouth.

He remembered strolling with Son OhGong on the 50th floor.

YuWon began to follow the memory.

"He liked dumplings."

A restaurant he used to frequent with Son OhGong.

YuWon walked towards it.

Ding~

As he opened the door, the bell hanging on it chimed.

The restaurant was quiet.

It must have been a good restaurant, always full of customers, but for some reason, there weren't as many these days.

"......?"

YuWon entered the restaurant with a perplexed expression.

The restaurant had three floors.

Tap, tap, tap-.

He could hear the sound of knives in the kitchen, as if they were chopping vegetables.

And he entered the empty dining area.

Tsk, tsk, tsk.

A solitary customer was sitting, eating dumplings and drinking.

"This place is good. They make good dumplings, and they're pretty good at preparing meals from other worlds too."

Gulp.

Shoulder-length green hair.

It was a lovely voice, but fortunately, it wasn't difficult to tell if it was a man or a woman.

"A giant."

The back view isn't so clear.

But when YuWon looked at the man's back, it seemed as broad as Hercules'.

YuWon sat down across from the customer, who was sitting alone.

The man was drinking alone.

"You waited for me?"

"So, why am I here, trembling like a monk?"

He held two glasses.

It seemed like he already knew YuWon would come and was waiting for him.

Pak, pak-.

The man who waited for YuWon also poured alcohol into YuWon's glass.

The liquor was as clear and crystalline as water.

But it was strong enough for Rankers to drink. He said he enjoyed a strong drink, and he was right.

"What is your relationship with the Great Sage, Heaven's Equal?"

Gulp.

A handsome man with green hair.

The Great General of the Heavens, with a long sword hanging by the side of the table.

The High Ranker, Lee Rangjin (Erlang Shen).

He finished his glass and looked at YuWon.

"You said you wanted to meet us?"

Their gazes met, and YuWon read his expression.

It wasn't just curiosity; it was a complex mix of hostility and interest.

The reason for the hostility was clear.

It was probably due to the interview YuWon had given.

'Lee Rangjin. The High Ranker of the Celestial Realm who fought the most with Son OhGong after becoming a Ranker.'

YuWon drained his cup and looked at Lee Rangjin.

'His title is General.'

It was one of the most prominent positions in the Celestial Realm Guild.

He was a great man from the start.

He had to be nervous.

Pak-.

YuWon put down his drink and replied.

"What is my relationship? It has been several years since he has been active."

"So?"

"Is there anyone in this Tower who doesn't know the Great Sage, Heaven's Equal? What rank does he hold, how many myths has he written?"

Lee Rangjin's eyebrows twitched.

In those "myths" that YuWon mentioned, his name was probably mentioned several times. Clearly, Son OhGong was a legendary Ranker and deserved respect.

"Well, there's another reason too, although it's a bit more personal."

"What is it?"

"Do I have to tell you? You know it's impolite to ask for a player's stats and abilities."

"Huh-."

YuWon's imposing attitude made Lee Rangjin sigh softly.

Even a Ranker from the Celestial Realm could only tremble in front of him.

The problem was that there was nothing wrong with it.

"It is indeed rude to ask for a player's personal information, you're right."

Lee Rangjin nodded.

It was known that if it were Son OhGong, he would go crazy no matter what the matter was, but he had a different personality.

He was a man of high principles.

He never did anything that deviated from his principles, which was why so many Rankers followed Lee Rangjin.

"I misunderstood. When I heard the news, I thought you would have some kind of connection with the Monkey.. Right, you've only been in the Tower for a few years."

A convincing enough story.

Pap~

Lee Rangjin refilled YuWon's now-empty glass.

YuWon took the bottle and poured it again into Lee Rangjin's glass.

"Thank you."

Clink-.

As they ate dumplings, the two clinked their glasses together.

With a clink, the seats turned into a drinking table.

"Now, let's talk about us."

"Us?"

"The Ranker that interests you the most is the Great Sage, Heaven's Equal. But the guild that interests me the most is the Celestial Realm."

Lee Rangin erased his hostility and looked at YuWon with curiosity.

"Wasn't that a message for us?"

For some reason, he seemed quite friendly.

It was almost overwhelming.

In the face of YuWon's surprised reaction, Lee Rangjin chuckled hurriedly and waved his hand.

"I don't do sodomy or anything like that, so I hope you don't see it that way. I just like strong men."

"Ah, I see."

"They call you the Strongest Player, don't they?"

Lee Rangjin's eyes shone brighter than ever.

"I wish I could see your abilities someday."

"I'm not comparable to a Great General of the Heavens."

YuWon's words were sincere, not condescending.

Lee Rangjin was a powerhouse with a rank higher than Amaterasu's, and even though that rank undoubtedly included his background as a General of the Heavens, ranks never lied.

"I don't expect too much, I just want to find out why they say you're the Strongest Player."

Lee Rangjin's curiosity for strength was as strong now as it would be in the future. The reason he met Son OhGong was because of rumors that he was the strongest player at that time.

"I'm looking forward to seeing how strong you are compared to the days when that monkey was a player, and if you deserve to be called that."

On the 50th floor, Son OhGong fought and defeated the Chimera Creator, who was the trial supervisor.

Furthermore, the Chimera Creator was a Ranker with a high enough rank to be a trial supervisor on the 50th floor.

To fight against him and win meant that Son OhGong already possessed Ranker-level power long before.

"I've heard many anecdotes, and I know what happened on the 50th Floor."

"On the 50th floor?"

"The fight with the Chimera Creator. You know the story, right?"

Lee Rangjin put on an expression of perplexity at the words thrown at him while picking up dumplings and eating them.

"How do you know?"

"There was a Chimera Maker in the Tutorial who was punished by the Administrator for it."

YuWon said, with a dumpling in his mouth.

"The final boss I defeated was the Chimera Creator."

"The Chimera Creator...?"

Lee Rangjin's eyes widened, then curved into crescents.

The corners of his lips curled, and he clenched his fists tightly under the table.

YuWon stared at him intently.

"You said you were interested in the Celestial Realm, right?"

As expected...

"Would you like to come with me?"

He finally yielded and grabbed YuWon's hand.

"To the Celestial Realm."