Leveling with the Gods
chapter-541

C17

"What's your name?"

With an expressionless face, he spun the brush with his fingers.

The soldier, who was writing the participant list for the Great Celestial War, examined the new participant in front of him from head to toe.

"He has a pleasant face."

A man with uncommon black hair. His face seemed familiar, but not recalling who he is, it appears he's not that important.

He seems to be a low-level Player, probably active in a small Guild on the border.

"Kim Yu..."

The participant, who had paused for a moment, continued speaking.

"I am Kim YuHun."

"Kim YuHun?"

Thinking it's a peculiar name, the soldier noted the name on the list.

"Alright. The tournament starts tomorrow at noon, so don't be late."

"Yes."

Observing the man turning around, the soldier tilted his head in puzzlement.

Thinking once again that he had seen him somewhere.

"So, the Great Celestial War."

YuWon, who had just written his name, looked at the tournament poster and thought.

'The Celestial Realm has changed a lot too.'

That arrogant Celestial Realm has truly changed. There were two turning points in its rapid transformation.

One was the death of the Jade Emperor. And the second was the war against the Outers ten years ago.

Going through that experience, Celestial Realm sought a change.

YuWon believed that Lee Rangjin would be the one to do it excellently, but he did not expect it to be this way.

The Great Celestial War was a shame that Celestial Realm wanted to erase, and moreover, the position obtained by winning was extraordinary.

"The position of General Chief..."

General Chief.

Undoubtedly, it was a very symbolic position in Celestial Realm alongside that of the Emperor.

The General Chief was a position with formidable power, able to command a thousand Celestial Generals and lead a million Celestial Soldiers.

Moreover...

It was also similar to the position of Lee Rangjin, who could be said to be the current leader of Celestial Realm.

'In the end, he decided to accept it.'

Ten years.

It was not a short time.

It was an absurdly long time to reflect on a single thing.

Lee Rangjin-gun.

For him to resign from the position of General Chief meant that he had decided to ascend to the throne of the next Emperor.

The Player Kit that YuWon had in his pocket vibrated.

It was a message from Son OhGong.

[Son OhGong: Having fun by yourself?]

It was a message he had sent upon learning that YuWon would participate in the Great Celestial War.

Being someone who loved to fight, it was natural for him to want to participate, but YuWon had come here alone, separated from Son OhGong.

"What do you mean by going back to the battlefield?"

"I'm going to create a new name."

"A name?"

"Not Kim YuWon, but a different name."

To return to the battlefield, he first had to make his name known.

However, he couldn't use the name "Kim YuWon."

If he used that name, he risked being forgotten once again in people's minds and going back to square one.

So...

"How about Kim YuHun?"

He needed a new name, similar but different.

Of course, someday everyone would remember the name Kim YuWon.

However, it was unknown when or who would remember it.

"It's a bit strange."

"Two of the letters are the same."

"And how will you make your name known?"

"I did some research on the way here."

He took out his Player Kit and showed Son OhGong the screen.

Son OhGong's eyebrows furrowed upon seeing the words "Great Celestial War."

"Are you planning another war?"

The Great Celestial War was a dark story that even Celestial Realm preferred to forget, but it was an even more sensitive word for Son OhGong.

"After all, unlike Celestial Realm, which registered as the winner, Son OhGong was known as the loser in that war."

"Look closely. It's not that."

"Then what is it?"

"It's a new tournament being organized in Celestial Realm. It's like the Murim Tournament."

"A tournament?"

His face wrinkled even more. Son OhGong, who had now even taken out his Ru Yi Bang, muttered with narrowed eyes:

"These damn people, do they dare to name a tournament like that?"

"Shouldn't you be happy?"

"Happy about what?"

"The fact that Celestial Realm uses that name for the tournament means they are proud of their history of defeating you. In a way, it's like they acknowledge you."

YuWon calmed him gently, thinking that Son OhGong might go straight to Celestial Realm and wield his Ru Yi Bang if left like this.

Son OhGong, who had been growling, seemed to calm down and nodded.

"Anyway, so? Are you going to participate in that tournament?"

"Yes. They said anyone can participate, regardless of their rank or if they are a player."

"It seems like a lot of people will gather if Celestial Realm organizes it. But can you really go to such an impromptu tournament and suddenly become famous?"

"It's not an impromptu tournament."

"What kind of amazing people would participate in a tournament held for the first time?"

"The first-place prize is five million points and the position of General Chief."

"...General Chief?"

Even a fool like Son OhGong knew how important the position of General Chief was.

Both now and in the past, there had only been one person who held the position of General Chief in Celestial Realm.

Lee Rangjin-gun.

Apart from the Battle God and the Jade Emperor, he was the strongest warrior in Celestial Realm and one of the few powerhouses acknowledged by The Great Sage, Heaven's Equal.

"Why that guy?"

"He probably plans to ascend to the Jade Emperor's throne. Since there's no suitable successor."

"Isn't Taishang Laojun (Lao Tze) there?"

"That guy retired a long time ago. Wouldn't it be strange to give the Jade Emperor's throne to a High-Ranker who hasn't been active for over five thousand years?"

Taishang Laojun.

He was a High-Ranker in Celestial Realm whose ranking was comparable to Lee Rangjin. However, his relatively low ranking was solely because he had been inactive for too long, but his real strength was said to be comparable to the Jade Emperor.

"He's doing something that doesn't suit him."

"It's Lee Rangjin's determination. Not as the General Chief protecting Celestial Realm, but as the king who will now rule Celestial Realm."

"Will that guy get along with the title of Jade Emperor?"

"The position shapes the person, or the person changes the position. Either way, they'll manage. You don't have to worry about that. The important thing is that the position of General Chief is at stake as a prize for that Great Tournament."

The position of General Chief was one of the top three positions in Celestial Realm.

Indeed, it was the position with the next highest power and authority after the Jade Emperor, excluding Taishang Laojun, who was practically absent.

Many Rankers coveted the position of General Chief.

"It doesn't matter if I don't get the position of General Chief. With that prize at stake, the winner of the Great Celestial War will gain fame comparable to that of the General Chief."

That was what YuWon sought.

An honor comparable to that of the General Chief.

Power spoken in the streets comes from honor and strength.

And YuWon needed to have that power now.

"It's a bit strange."

"What?"

"It's unlike you. The guy who always made sure of things before acting seems too eager."

"You're the one who's a bit strange."

"Me? Why?"

"It's unlike you to be so insightful."

Whoosh.

The Ru Yi Bang flew towards him, but YuWon dodged the attack without flinching.

"Are you in such a hurry?"

"There are reasons for it."

"Reasons for it?"

These were words with a profound meaning. It seemed like he had other goals besides just participating in the tournament and winning.

Son OhGong, with his usual quirk, scratched his head and asked:

"You said you knew something, right? About the Administrators."

"Yes."

Although they were Azathoth's memories, YuWon knew them clearly.

That's why Son OhGong said it wasn't like him, but he could say it with confidence.

Now was the time to move quickly.

Whoosh.

The Player Kit rang again. Another message from Son OhGong had arrived.

[Son OhGong: Having fun?]

There was no need to respond to that message.

It wasn't possible that he was having fun.

The tournament would be boring.

Especially...

'He's probably having much more fun.'

The day of the Great Celestial War dawned.

In the midst of the chaos reigning in the Tower after Vishnu's death.

The atmosphere on Floor 50 seemed oblivious to this complex matter and was ablaze.

"It's an incredible scale."

"They said they expanded the Celestial Colosseum several times."

"All this area within the walls is the tournament stadium?"

A gigantic screen had been set up in the sky for spectators who couldn't enter the stadium.

The stadium size was five times larger than Asgard's Colosseum, large enough to wage a war inside.

Inside the stadium, formed by tall walls like a colosseum.

Among hundreds of thousands of spectators, the participants of the first group of seeds ascended the stage.

"There are many familiar faces."

"And there are many participants."

Participants kept a considerable distance from each other.

In a situation where it was unknown when they would become enemies once the battle started...

It was necessary to maintain a certain distance to avoid falling victim to a surprise attack.

Ding.

At that moment...

Along with the familiar sound indicating the arrival of a message on the Player Kit, a number appeared in the sky over the stadium.

[1071 / 1071]

This was the number of participants in the first group.

[Now the rules will be announced.]

Participants exclaimed at the message that resonated in their heads.

"Have they already reached the point where the System has to intervene?"

"It seems Celestial Realm is really formidable. If the System is already intervening in the first tournament."

There were two cases in which the System intervened.

The first was artificial intervention by an Administrator.

In this case, a large amount of time and points were required. Moving the Administrators and their Envoys required a considerable amount of points.

And the second case was when a large-scale "Event" occurred that the Tower needed to control.

The Tower had its own will.

An infinite and grand power that supported a hundred worlds.

That will occasionally manifested itself to maintain a certain order.

And although the reasons could be different, both cases had a common form.

When the System intervened, the scenario inevitably took the form of a "trial."

[Of the 1071 participants, only 8 will be able to advance to the next Trial.]

[You will be eliminated from the Trial if you faint or die.]

[If you declare "abandonment," you will be teleported out of the stadium automatically.]

[There are no rules in this Trial.]

[Let the battle begin.]

Ding!

With a sound similar to a bell ringing.

The participants understood the first condition to overcome this Trial.

No rules.

That meant...

'Eight people will form a team.'

It was not necessary to overcome this Trial alone.

"Who wants to team up with me...?"

"It's not necessary."

Clang!

A clear sound resonated.

The participants' gazes turned to the ground from where the sound came.

Beautiful and shining gold coins were rolling on the ground.

And the one responsible for dropping them, none other than.

'I'm going to overcome this Trial alone.'

With a truly arrogant expression and tone of voice, he was surrounded by a large number of participants on his left and right.