Leveling with the Gods
chapter-528

Side Story 4

"Don't you remember?"

Why are you asking me about that guy?"Well..."

Varuna was at a loss for words at the question posed to him.

If he wanted to explain the reason, he would also have to mention that he had been courting Pandora incessantly for the past ten years.

"Don't you have anything to say?"

"No, it's not necessary. If you don't remember, it's fine."

"Is that so?"

Hmm.

Vishnu fell silent for a while, looking suspicious.

But soon, the call ended, as if he thought he had nothing more to say.

"...Alright then. I'll hang up."

Blip.

Varuna looked again at the empty screen of the Player Kit with a puzzled expression.

His head became confused trying to figure out what was going on.

It was known that Vishnu, the owner of Deva, had a quite close relationship with Kim YuWon.

But not even Vishnu remembered Kim YuWon.

In the end, Varuna shouted:

"Ship, ship! Turn the ship around!"

In the world of the 25th floor.

In the place where the nation of Britain, ruled by the guild "Round Table," is located.

At its heart is the sacred Round Table, where a hundred knights sit.

But today...

The owners of the table were not a hundred but the absolute leaders of various guilds.

"They're late."

"Where are those guys who never keep their promises?"

"Maybe it means the protagonist will appear at the end, huh?"

Several Rankers sat at the table.

Gawain, the new Leader of the Round Table.

Merlin, the Guardian of the Round Table.

Thor, the new King of Asgard.

The Lion King and Kali, Vishnu of Deva...

Countless stars gathered in one place.

The knights of the Round Table, who were on guard around them, nervously swallowed saliva.

The Round Table was not a small guild, but compared to the stars in front of them, it was infinitely small.

"What's going on, damn it?"

"I don't know either."

"Oh, I want to go home...."

"I can't even breathe."

The only person who seemed fine among the Rankers of the Round Table was Merlin.

The people they were waiting for were two.

The pillars of the current Olympus, Zeus and Hades.

While over a hundred stars awaited them,

"...Alright then. I'll hang up."

Blip.

Vishnu ended the call that had come from Varuna and murmured:

"I don't know if he's up to some nonsense again."

"What's going on? Is there a problem?"

Son OhGong peeked his head through the side.

As if bored, Son OhGong couldn't stay still and kept pacing around the table.

"Can't you stay still? You're driving me crazy."

"Anyway, it's still a long time until they gather."

"That's true, but..."

"I'm dying of boredom. If you have any issues, fight with me."

"I decline."

Vishnu sighed deeply.

No one could control this straightforward Son OhGong, at least not in this Tower.

Unless Odin, who had died, came back to life.

"Well. I already felt uncomfortable, so it's fine."

They couldn't really fight in this small meeting room, so Vishnu opened his mouth to alleviate Son OhGong's boredom.

"Do you know Kim YuWon?"

"Kim...?"

Son OhGong's eyes flickered.

Then, he approached Vishnu and shouted:

"Do you finally remember...?"

A voice that crawled like a mouse in a hole.

At that moment, YuWon's warning popped into Son OhGong's head.

"Just in case, don't go around saying you remember me."

"Why not?"

"It's just better if we stay like this for now. Anyway, someday, they'll remember him again."

"What if I say it?"

"Our friendship is over."

Son OhGong's radiant smile deformed.

Vishnu looked at him with strange eyes when he saw Son OhGong's expression, with pursed lips and a disappointed face.

Then, Son OhGong looked at Vishnu and turned around.

"Ah, I'm hungry. Hey, Hercules, do you have anything to eat?"

"I see."

Son OhGong was surprised at Vishnu's confident words.

With an awkward smile, Son OhGong turned to Vishnu and whistled.

"What, what?"

Ffff, swiriri-.

An empty whistling sound unnaturally rang out.

In his mind, Son OhGong thought, "Maybe I'm overdoing it."

But that whistle was like an saying, "I'm suspicious now."

Sideways glances from those present in the meeting room focused on Son OhGong.

Who was Son OhGong?

After fighting against the Celestial Realm and overthrowing the Jade Emperor, he earned the name "The Great Sage, Heaven's Equal" and was one of the heroes who contributed greatly to the war against the Outers.

The secret that Son OhGong hid was something that couldn't help but interest people.

And one person overheard the conversation.

"That foolish Monkey..."

Hercules covered his head with his hands and muttered the worst curse he could say.

And the next moment.

"They're making a lot of noise."

The meeting, which had become chaotic because of Son OhGong, calmed down as if someone had poured cold water on it.

Plop-.

The sound of footsteps from two people entering the meeting room was heard.

Son OhGong, who was whistling, Hercules, who was cursing Son OhGong, and Vishnu, who was trying to remember YuWon's name, all turned their gazes to the two men.

"They've finally arrived."

"Ten years, huh?"

"His face has become brighter."

The Rankers present in the room were all High-Rankers chosen by the Tower.

They had experienced the war against the Outers and had survived.

And they had maintained their ranks since then, being the de facto rulers of the Tower.

However, the presence they had before their eyes was dazzling.

The Throne Owner who had surpassed Odin, the master of Devas, Vishnu, and had become Rank 1.

The King of Olympus, who had surpassed Asgard and become the Tower's top Grand Guild.

"Zeus..."

Zeus and Hades.

The two kings who ruled Olympus made their appearance.

"It's very noisy in here."

Hades stroked his beard and looked at the crowd.

His eyes stopped at Son OhGong.

Apart from the knights at the round table inside the conference room, no one else was standing.

"Again because of that Monkey?"

Crack.

Veins marked on Son OhGong's forehead.

"What's wrong, man?"

"Calm down. This is an important place."

"Who started the argument?"

Thud~

A large hand crushed Son OhGong's head, who was speaking loudly.

Hercules, with his hand, covered Son OhGong's face, who grimaced.

"It was you who started the commotion. Go to your seat."

"Oh, come on!"

No matter how stubborn he was, he wasn't so foolish as to continue interrupting the meeting.

In the end, Son OhGong headed to his seat, grumbling.

Hercules, who had calmed down the troublemaker Son OhGong, looked at Zeus.

"Let's begin."

Zeus nodded as he met Hercules' gaze.

"...Father."

Five days passed.

Varuna returned to the first floor again.

He had returned some time ago.

However, he couldn't go directly to YuWon.

Varuna, sitting in a café and trembling in his legs, couldn't bear the restlessness and finally bit his nails.

"Why did I come back?"

What was he doing sitting all day in a café?

He had returned, but he didn't know what to say to YuWon when he came back.

He was also afraid that if he said something, his head would be cut off.

So, Varuna had entered any café and was there, worrying.

"Hey, sir...."

Varuna turned his head at the sound of a voice calling him.

The café owner, with her hair tied up in a cute ponytail, smiled awkwardly and asked.

"Do you need anything else?"

Varuna looked around.

The café was full.

In fact, it had been full for a long time.

It seemed like he had entered in the morning, but it was already getting dark.

"It's a good restaurant, huh?"

He felt ridiculous for having sat all day in a crowded café with just a cup of coffee.

Varuna cleared his throat quickly and opened his mouth.

"Uh... Give me another cup of coffee and a piece of strawberry cake."

"A cup of coffee, a strawberry cake... Okay. Ah, and Varuna-nim."

"Do you know me?"

"Of course. If you don't know Player Varuna, you're nearsighted. Can I ask for an autograph, if it's not too much trouble?"

"Haha, gladly. I feel a little relieved to finally do something after occupying a seat for so long."

With a cheerful smile, Varuna gave the café owner an autograph.

Then, after receiving thanks, Varuna turned his head to look out the window.

'Alright. This is the right thing to do.'

Even though he shamelessly asked if she knew him, she actually did.

The fact that most people in this café were looking at him.

'Well, at my level, isn't it obvious that everyone knows me?'

In this Tower, Varuna was almost like a celebrity.

Attractive looks.

Polite tone of voice.

Skills sufficient to be a Deva officer.

After publishing a photo book and having a high ranking, it was natural for him to attract attention.

However...

'Kim YuWon.'

He was different.

'If it were him, there shouldn't be anyone who doesn't know him.'

In his prime, YuWon had reached rank 4.

He was even a hero who predicted the Tower's last war, fought against the Outer called Foolish Chaos from the beginning, and avoided the Tower's chaos.

Even if it was only his remembered achievements, they were even higher than Zeus, who was the de facto ruler of the Tower.

Although it's not known why he didn't appear in the last war...

'Wait a moment.'

"Him?"

While surprised to hear himself thinking of YuWon with admiration, suddenly.

"As the outside was noisy, I thought it might be..."

Sssshhh-.

A face full of fear naturally sat in the seat in front of Varuna.

"Were you the unpleasant presence?"

"Kim..."

Varuna's eyes widened.

Then, to stay as calm as possible, he took a deep breath.

'It's still fine. This is a café.'

YuWon said clearly.

That he wouldn't leave him alone if he approached Pandora again.

But this was a café in the city.

There was no need to be scared if he hadn't done anything wrong.

"What's going on in the café..."

"What kind of tone is that?"

YuWon looked at Varuna's cold coffee and pale face.

"Your coffee and cake order have arrived."

Just when the menu arrived...

The café owner who brought the coffee and cake greeted Varuna.

Then, her gaze landed on YuWon for a moment and moved away.

It was a look that examined YuWon, who was with Varuna.

And with that look from the café owner.

"...Ah"

YuWon realized one thing seeing Varuna's expression in front of him.

The gaze of the café owner and Varuna were completely different.

"Do you remember?"

While lifting Varuna's freshly ordered coffee cup, YuWon asked.

"Who am I?"