Leveling with the Gods

Beyond - 1

One year after the battle against the Administrators.

One day, an unexpected guest arrived.

"Hello, Mr. YuWon!"

It was Lee Sung-yoon, with a radiant smile. He had come to find YuWon without Hargan.

"Lee Sung-yoon?"

"I remember everything about Mr. YuWon now. Oh, not that I just remembered it right now. It's been a while."

"Who is he?"

Pandora peeked her head with curiosity. Although it wasn't the first time she saw him, after confirming Lee Sung-yoon's face, she sat in the living room.

"Come in. After all, you're a guest, so I'll give you a cup of tea."

"I won't refuse."

Following Pandora, Lee Sung-yoon sat at the living room table.

YuWon prepared tea for him and Pandora.

Lee Sung-yoon looked around the house curiously before taking the tea offered by YuWon.

"Oh, thanks."

"Are you just here for a visit?"

"I came to thank you, and I also have another matter."

"Thank me?"

YuWon expressed doubt when Lee Sung-yoon smiled widely.

"Is there anyone in this world who hasn't received Mr. YuWon's grace?"

"Enough with that."

YuWon made a disdainful gesture.

He hadn't made any effort to receive anyone's gratitude.

No, it couldn't even be considered an effort.

Moreover, unlike Hargan, he wasn't as close to Lee Sung-yoon.

In any case, he was a friend of a friend.

To be more precise, the only thing they had in common was being from the same hometown.

"If you're going to talk nonsense, drink your tea and leave. If you like, I can give you a little to take with you."

Still, it was a way of not letting a guest leave empty-handed.

However, Lee Sung-yoon laughed at YuWon's words.

"You are also Korean, right, Mr. YuWon? Like me."

"Yes."

Earth, and Korea.

It was a world they had left long enough to forget. Especially YuWon, who had lived much longer than Lee Sung-yoon.

However, for the current Lee Sung-yoon, it was different.

It hadn't been even 20 years since he left Korea.

Perhaps because of that?

"Would you like to come visit our store?"

He had a somewhat peculiar business.

------------------

Tower's First Floor.

Boom, boom, boom!

Knock, tap-tap-tap!

Wiiing!

Loud sounds of games.

The origin of these sounds was none other than...

[Lee Sung-yoon's Game Room]

An extremely simple sign.

"...Game room?"

YuWon murmured in disbelief as he looked at the vast game room spread out before his eyes.

Both Danpung and Pandora, who had accompanied him, opened their eyes in amazement at a sight they had never seen before.

YuWon looked around at the games filling the large space that seemed to be over 100 square meters.

Pump It Up, Tekken, karaoke machines, hammer and wrestling games, racing games...

There were all kinds of games.

"How does it look?"

Lee Sung-yoon's voice sounded proud and arrogant.

Somehow, YuWon felt like he could guess what kind of person he was before coming here.

'He was a game addict.'

To think that the place he created to relieve homesickness for his hometown was a game room.

Even by the way he recreated it, it seemed like he had spent quite a bit of money.

Of course.

'With a Ranker like him in Olympus, his income must also be substantial.'

Lee Sung-yoon was an Olympus-affiliated Ranker. He even hid his true potential, both from himself and Hargan. He was a genius who became a Ranker in record time, comparable to the best.

It's likely that the Guild's support and his salary are also considerable. Therefore, creating a game room like this wasn't a difficult task.

"I wanted to show it to Mr. YuWon. Well, you may not like games, but... at least I wanted this place to resemble Earth as much as possible."

At Lee Sung-yoon's words, YuWon patted him on the shoulder. He had forgotten about it, as he had been in the Tower for too long.

But Lee Sung-yoon still missed his hometown.

"I'll have fun here."

This place was even on the first floor, close to home. Judging by how Danpung and Pandora were exploring with enthusiasm, it seemed like they would come often.

And then, suddenly.

As he checked the game consoles...

"Oh, have you come?"

Bang-, boom boom, pak-!

Tadak, tadada-!

Hands moving with divine skill.

And eyes moving quickly.

"...What are you doing here?"

YuWon asked in disbelief, seeing Son OhGong absorbed in a fighting game.

Tekken.

It was the most common type of game in game rooms.

Ugh-!

K-O-.

"Oh yeah!"

Son OhGong didn't respond to YuWon's question and happily celebrated his victory.

Of course.

In a good mood, Son OhGong looked at YuWon from his seat and responded belatedly.

"I have nothing to do lately. But this place is quite fun."

Pak, pak-.

Having said that, Son OhGong hit the Tekken machine and added:

"To be exact, this is what I enjoy the most."

Tekken was a fighting game.

You control your character to fight against the opponent.

And you win by depleting all their health.

For Son OhGong, who loved fighting, it was undoubtedly the most appealing type of game.

"He comes here a lot lately. He's a VIP in my store."

"Do you want to play?"

Pak, boom boom, bang-.

Tadadak-.

Son OhGong had already started the next game.

YuWon became a little interested.

After thinking for a moment, he nodded and sat on the other side.

"It looks fun."

Tick-.

By bringing his finger to the finger-shaped symbol, 1 point was deducted, and a new game began.

-------------------

[K-O-.]

[YOU WIN!]

A message appeared before YuWon's eyes.

It wasn't a System message, but a message that appeared on the game screen.

"Uaaah!"

Son OhGong grabbed his head. He couldn't land a single hit.

"You don't have much hair left. You're going bald."

"Hey! I still have plenty of hair!"

Son OhGong removed his hand from his head, though he seemed regretful.

"Are you going to keep using that combo?"

Hit and dodge.

And another hit.

YuWon's gaming style, much like his personality, focused solely on winning.

That was why Son OhGong couldn't land a single hit.

"If it bothers you, use it too."

YuWon's hands didn't stop as he responded.

Son OhGong looked at the screen again, wondering what he was doing. Seeing YuWon's character dancing over his own dead character, Son OhGong shouted:

"Hey, idiot! Have you no manners?"

Tak, taktak-.

YuWon stomped on Son OhGong's character and manipulated the controls to make it dance.

It was a way to add humiliation to his defeated opponent.

"Oh, sorry. I thought you were already dead."

Although he spoke calmly, Son OhGong saw it.

A small, a very small movement.

The corner of YuWon's mouth lifted.

"Don't tell me you didn't know you were already dead."

"Uaaah!"

Son OhGong screamed and paid points again in the game.

"Hey, do it again! You're dead, seriously."

Whoosh!

[Golden Cinder Eyes activated]

Son OhGong's eyes lit up in red.

Golden Cinder Eyes.

The ability representing the Great Sage, Heaven's Equal, and eyes that could see through everything.

With these eyes, he could observe every move of the opponent's character.

Whoosh, whoosh!

Effectively...

Son OhGong's character's movements changed after using the Golden Cinder Eyes.

His hands moved with a more agile response than before.

However...

Whoosh!

[Golden Cinder Eyes activated]

"Do you think only you have Golden Cinder Eyes?"

YuWon also had access to Golden Cinder Eyes.

"Hey! Are you really going to use Foreknowledge too?"

"Why? Do you want me to play with one hand?"

"Grrr!"

Son OhGong roared, breathing fire. His pride wouldn't allow him to lose like this. He had already lost the battle as a Player, and he couldn't lose even in a game.

And Lee Sung-yoon, watching from behind, clenched his fists as he watched the two move their characters in the game.

'His heart swelled with emotion.'

Boom!

Throughout the game room. The Arcane Power emanating from the eyes of both men burned in red.

'Is this really a battle between the world's strongest?'

A small tear welled up in Lee Sung-yoon's eye.

Kim YuWon, and The Great Sage, Heaven's Equal.

They were the heroes who had saved the world in which he now lived.

Although YuWon didn't want to return to the Ranking after the disappearance of the Administration Office, his return to the top was inevitable.

And Son OhGong was also a formidable Player, ranking fourth in the leaderboard.

And now, they were fighting with all their might in the game room he had created himself.

For Lee Sung-yoon, a passionate gamer, this was such a moving situation that it made him cry.

However, on the other hand...

Pandora, who looked at the game room with curiosity, muttered disdainfully as she watched those three.

"Fools."

"Baaah."

Danpung agreed as well.

-------------------------

"Uaaah!"

Son OhGong grabbed his head again.

No, he wanted to grab it.

"Oh, no, my hair."

Lately, it seemed like he was losing more and more hair, so he had to be careful.

It seemed like too much hair had fallen out when using clones.

But he couldn't help it when he was stressed.

For the past six months.

He had dedicated himself to Tekken and boasted of being an expert.

"I need to practice more."

That pride shattered with just one word from YuWon.

Son OhGong started training.

He dedicated himself even more to the game.

Until the day he became a Tekken Master.

"A game?"

"Sure."

Lee Sung-yoon's game room was quite successful.

The first floor was a place where all Players could gather due to its location.

Not only Rankers but also Players who had just arrived at the Tower.

And the same went for Players like YuWon or Lee Sung-yoon, who came from Earth.

"Wow, this is crazy."

"Is this a real game room?"

"This place is the latest trend. It was created by Lee Sung-yoon, a Ranker who came with us."

"Ah, I see. That's why the name...".

Lee Sung-yoon's game room quickly became popular through word of mouth.

In no time, the place was filled with people, and at Lee Sung-yoon's request, Son OhGong had to hide his identity.

"Sorry, Mr. OhGong, but if you're here, the customers will be scared...".

"Maybe I could use this?"

What Lee Sung-yoon offered him was a robe similar to the one the Administrators wore.

It was a garment that could hide his distinctive white hair, Son OhGong's symbol.

With just that, it would be difficult for people to recognize the Great Sage, Heaven's Equal, mixed among the crowd.

Boom, boom!

Bam!

Son OhGong attended the game room once again. Moving his hands quickly, he fought against the opponent's character and achieved victory.

However...

'It's still not enough.'

Whoosh!

Enabling Golden Cinder Eyes, he knew for sure. With his current ability, he couldn't defeat YuWon.

'Wait, Kim YuWon.'

Clenching his teeth with all his might!

Son OhGong fueled his resentment towards YuWon inside.

'I will win, without fail.'

[K- O-]

[YOU WIN!]

The message appeared on the screen once again.

Son OhGong clenched his fists and shouted:

"Yes!"

His opponent, sitting across, clicked his tongue with regret and stood up from his seat.

That was his third consecutive victory.

"Hehe. Well done."

His next opponent was a little boy.

'This time, I'll win.'

Son OhGong was confident in his victory.

He was a boy who looked about ten years old.

He couldn't believe he would lose to someone like him.

However, shortly after...

"...?"

[K.O.]

[YOU LOSE]

The message appeared before his eyes.

And his character, having not landed a single hit, lay dead.

With a bewildered expression, Son OhGong heard a voice from the other side:

"Ahjussi, you don't play like that."

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KO-FI:

https://tinyurl.com/LEVELKO

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