Leveling with the Gods
chapter-581

Side Story 57

[Golden Cinder Eyes judge the false and the true]

Until now, YuWon had only used the Golden Cinder Eyes in combat. He could read his opponent's movements, predict their actions, and even manipulate them at will.

It was a formidable skill for both combat and uncovering the enemy's weaknesses.

However, the intrinsic power of the Golden Cinder Eyes was much broader.

Eyes that pierce the truth.

That was the true effect of the Golden Cinder Eyes.

'This is the first time I'm using these eyes in this way.'

Perhaps because it was the first time they were used this way, familiarity with the ability increased, and his eyes felt even clearer.

YuWon raised his head and looked at the sky.

The Administrator and the numerous Envoys.

It was evident why they had come to this place with Vayu at the forefront.

'They thought to end everything here.'

They knew.

That Varuna's words about Vishnu being alive were lies.

That in this place, not only was Vishnu not present, but there was also no Olympus trap.

Whoosh-.

As he walked towards Vayu, the expressions of numerous Rankers entered YuWon's field of vision.

This was the kind of place YuWon desired.

Chaotic, confusing.

A place where they couldn't hide their expressions or it wasn't necessary to do so.

'It's easier to read them like this.'

The Golden Cinder Eyes were a High-Ranker skill in the Tower.

As such, increasing familiarity was not easy, and YuWon's familiarity with the skill was still low compared to Son OhGong.

Therefore, it wasn't easy to discern the intentions of an unmoving opponent, let alone those of hundreds of High-Ranker Rankers.

But in chaos like this...

"Thanks, Vayu."

Crunch-.

YuWon approached Vayu and thanked him.

"Thanks to you, this place has turned into chaos."

"…?"

Vayu raised an eyebrow and looked at YuWon with a puzzled expression.

Although it sounded like he was saying he had ruined the place, YuWon's expression was not unpleasant at all.

On the contrary, he looked more like someone who enjoyed this situation.

Besides, he was an unfamiliar face he had never seen before.

'What kind of guy is this?'

The black-haired man standing between Yama and Varuna.

He hadn't paid much attention to him because he was an unfamiliar face, but who was he to be so arrogant?

It was strange.

He felt a strange sense of incongruence he hadn't felt before.

He wasn't a Ranker of Deva, and he wasn't someone Vayu remembered.

However, as soon as this guy appeared, a sense of unease sprouted from Vayu, one he hadn't even felt from Yama before.

"Who are you?" Vayu asked, raising his fan.

Facing the threat that he would cut his throat at any moment, YuWon brought his hand to his face.

"Ah, this way, you won't recognize me."

Whoosh-.

YuWon took off the contact lenses he was wearing and looked back at Vayu in the eyes.

"I think I'll introduce myself now."

"…!"

Vayu's eyes widened.

It wasn't that he suddenly recognized YuWon's face.

The eyes that were revealed after removing the lenses.

Crimson red and golden eyes.

Golden Cinder Eyes (火眼金睛).

The eyes that were like the symbol of the Great Sage, Heaven's Equal, manifested in this man before his eyes.

"How do you have that ability?"

"That's not important now."

Crunch~

YuWon, who had stopped for a moment, approached Vayu again.

"It's already too late to hide like a rat."

They had come close enough for a conversation.

Vayu, gripped by panic, hastened to fan.

No.

He tried to fan.

Swoosh, swoosh!

The arm and neck trying to fan were caught.

YuWon's hand lifted Vayu's body and squeezed his neck, choking him.

‘What...?’

He didn't even see it.

He couldn't react or resist.

He knew that if he squeezed a little harder with the hands that held him, he would break his neck.

The atmosphere changed with YuWon's sudden appearance, who had subdued Vayu in an instant.

The Rankers who were on the side of the Administrator. Watching them, YuWon ignited the flames of the Golden Cinder Eyes.

And at that moment...

Fwhoosh!

The sky opened, and an eye rose within it.

["The Star That Brings Destruction" sings.]

The name he took from Groth.

The star sang and projected a black light onto the land.

"What, what is that?"

"An eye?"

"What is this light...?"

Countless black lights spilled over the land.

They moved illuminating the targets that YuWon had designated.

That is, the Rankers who had betrayed Deva, including Vayu.

"This is a mark."

With those words, YuWon released the neck of Vayu he had been holding.

Bam.

"Gasp, gasp...!"

Vayu, who had been choked for a while, sat on the ground and exhaled a rough breath.

The light didn't leave Vayu. The eye floating in the sky moved constantly, illuminating the designated targets.

"And you, will die at the hands of another, not mine."

At that moment...

Swoosh!

Vayu's head, sitting on the ground, flew off, and a stream of blood spouted upwards.

It was Yama, who had swung his scythe from behind him.

Drip~

The blood that spouted from Vayu's severed neck splashed Yama's face.

However, instead of his face, Yama increased his Arcane Power, cleaning the blood from his scythe.

"Didn't I tell you? That it was hard to restrain."

"...Yes."

Judging by his reaction, it seemed it had indeed been challenging to restrain.

YuWon nodded, knowing how much Yama had followed Vishnu.

"Will you be okay alone?"

"I don't think I'm alone."

Clack.

Varuna and Hanuman approached Yama's side.

No...

Not just them...

"I'll help you too, Yama."

"Those damn bastards. Even if I die, I'll take a few with me, for sure."

The Rankers, burning with determination.

They seemed determined to fight, whether for YuWon's work that had subdued Vayu in an instant or for the fact that Yama had sprung into action.

"Understood."

YuWon nodded and placed his hand on Yama's shoulder.

"There's one thing I know."

"What do you mean?"

"Those guys didn't betray Deva just because they cared about their own skin."

Yama's eyes stirred at YuWon's words.

"...I thought it might be like that."

A considerable number had switched to the Administrator's side.

There were too many for them to only care about their own skin.

There was probably something more than just a simple threat.

"Still determined?"

"If my current actions are wrong..."

Skak-.

Crossing his two scythes, Yama showed a determined look once again.

"I'll go to hell and ask for forgiveness."

"Yeah, well..."

Jebock-.

YuWon turned around and looked up at the Administrator who had appeared in the sky.

"That's something you have to figure out for yourselves."

He had no intention of getting involved in a children's fight. His role ended here. Now that they could distinguish between enemies and allies, the internal struggle was something that Yama and the other Deva Rankers had to resolve on their own.

From now on, there's only one thing YuWon has to do.

"Come down."

The Administrator who appeared with the Envoys. YuWon's goal was to cut her throat.

"Or do you want me to go?"

Perhaps it was because of YuWon's provocation? The Administrator, leaving the Envoys behind, descended towards YuWon.

He could feel how the Arcane Power of the world followed her.

It was the first time YuWon had encountered such a high-ranking Administrator.

"So, you're Kim YuHun, huh?"

Haljak-.

The Administrator, who had descended to the stage, licked her lips as she looked at YuWon.

A beautiful woman with eyes that could enchant anyone, she looked YuWon up and down with bright eyes.

"You have a pretty face... but you exude a dangerous smell."

Three Administrators had already died at the hands of YuWon.

The reason the Administrator's plan to use the Great Celestial War to devour the Celestial Realm had failed was because of YuWon, who stood right in front of them.

Of course, when she heard the news, she didn't fully believe it.

It was understandable.

All Players in this world were under the surveillance of the Administration Bureau.

Administrators, to whom the system had granted the authority to conduct Trials, could obtain information about various Rankers and classify those with special powers as people of interest.

Administrators are the ones who oversee the Trials.

It was impossible for them to overlook a Player with such a level of skill.

Even...

"How did you do it? How do you have that Name?"

What YuWon had shown was not the power of a Player but the power of the Tower's Outers.

Shwaaaa-.

[The World's Arcane Power considers you an enemy]

In response to his murderous aura, the surrounding Arcane Power pressed against YuWon's body.

"Are you also one of them?"

A man with the Outer Name.

For the Administrators who had long feared Yog-Sothoth and the other Outers, YuWon's existence was a thorn in their side.

Jebock-.

YuWon slowly approached the Administrator.

"...You?"

Staring her in the eyes, YuWon said something different instead of answering.

"You were the one who killed Vishnu."

Gooooo-.

['Mana Master' resists 'Mana Master'.]

[The World's Arcane Power feels confusion.]

"...!"

The Administrator's eyes widened. This surprise was even greater than the previous one.

"Ho, how can you..."

Mana Master.

A special power that 'only' the Administrators ruling the Tower are allowed.

YuWon was the one who possessed that power.

'Is there someone among us who is on the side of the Players? No, if so, what's the name that guy has? And besides, are those the Golden Cinder Eyes?'

At first, she thought he was just a remnant of the Outers who had survived the war ten years ago and hidden in the Tower.

But he not only possessed the power of the Outers and the Administrators but also carried with him The Great Sage, Heaven's Equal, the Golden Cinder Eyes emblem.

"Why are you so surprised? You're not answering."

"It's you who should answer. Who the hell are you?"

"Maybe I should say it to answer."

YuWon sighed in frustration at the circular conversation.

In reality, it wasn't a secret.

From the beginning, he had no intentions of hiding his identity. The lack of knowledge about himself was simply because others had forgotten it.

"I am Kim YuWon."

"Kim YuWon...?"

The Administrator, with an expression suggesting she didn't know who he was, raised her head with a vague question.

After a while of hesitation at that name that seemed vaguely familiar, the Administrator asked when she couldn't remember.

"Why do you care about Vishnu's death? What relationship did you have with him?"

Vishnu.

For many years, before Zeus obtained Divinity, Vishnu was the supreme Ranker who existed at the top of the Tower. His environment was always under the surveillance of the Administration Bureau.

To claim that YuWon, the person in front of them, and Vishnu ever knew each other would be an incorrect statement.

But...

"We were friends."

The man in front of her, YuWon, claimed that he and Vishnu were friends.

And at that moment...

"So, did you kill Vishnu?"