Leveling with the Gods

Beyond - 2

"Ahjussi, that's not how it's done."

It was a mischievous voice.

Instantly, the veins on Son OhGong's forehead bulged.

"What, brat?"

Son OhGong brought his finger back to the payment point.

"Another round with me!"

His fighting spirit had been ignited. It wasn't YuWon, just a kid who had barely hit double digits.

He couldn't believe he had lost to such a guy.

And in such a shameful way.

This time, Son OhGong used the Golden Cinder Eyes.

But... [K.O.]

[LOSE]

"…."

The result wasn't much different.

Not a single hit.

"You were a little better than before, Ahjussi."

Pouting, the little one shook his head.

"But still, that's not how it's done."

Pachik, pachik-.

The veins on Son OhGong's forehead tensed.

His pride was wounded.

To be defeated by a kid like him.

"Then how is it done?"

At Son OhGong's growl, the little one thought for a moment and then asked.

"Do you want me to teach you?"

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

The little one's name was Kim Geon.

He was 11 years old.

Born and raised in the Tower, he was a kid born among Korean Players.

"Ah, defend a bit! What are you doing just attacking?"

"That's why you keep getting hit."

"You have to combo from there! After C, followed by A. Haven't you learned that?"

"Stop jumping so much! It's a weird habit..."

Kim Geon's training was tough. Occasionally, Son OhGong couldn't contain his anger and challenged Kim Geon again.

But the result didn't change.

"Ahjussi, you're really bad."

"Grrrr!"

The world of competition is cold and ruthless. In the end, Son OhGong, defeated in the game, followed Kim Geon's instructions without complaining.

Sweating buckets, Son OhGong dedicated himself to practice. And so, in the blink of an eye, ten days passed.

[K.O.]

[LOSE]"Oh…"

Although he had lost.

Son OhGong had managed to land a single hit.

"…Fine."

"Good job, Ahjussi."

On the other side, Kim Geon raised his thumb.

It was the first time.

The first time he could land a single hit on Kim Geon.

And the first time he received a compliment from him.

"Hey."

"Yes?"

Son OhGong asked with bright eyes.

"Want me to treat you to a meal?"

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

Wagu, wagu-.

"……."

Kim Geon looked at Son OhGong in disbelief.

He gobbled up the meat eagerly, and with the other hand, held a bowl of soup. He ate so fast and so much that it was astonishing.

"Do you have a black hole in your stomach?"

Although he said so, Kim Geon was already devouring two pieces of meat.

"Eat and be quiet (머히아애)".

Glup, glup-.

Son OhGong drank the chicken soup as if utensils were a luxury. After satisfying his hunger, Son OhGong leaned back in the chair and belched lightly.

"Ah, I'm full."

"Ahjussi, you eat a lot."

Kim Geon and Son OhGong sat facing each other and patted their stomachs.

After satisfying their hunger, Son OhGong stared at Kim Geon for a while.

"But you, why are you so good at fighting?"

"Good at fighting? Ah, you mean the game?"

"Yeah, that."

"I just do it, I guess. Mom and Dad say I have natural talent."

"Talent?"

"Korean blood. They say our country is the best at games."

At a familiar name, Son OhGong tilted his head.

'Was that guy also from there?'

He knew YuWon was from a place called Earth. But he didn't exactly remember which country, though he vaguely heard it.

Anyway, it doesn't matter.

Right now, the only thing that mattered was beating that guy.

"But Ahjussi."

"Yeah?"

"I won't be able to teach you for much longer."

"Eh? Why?"

It was like thunder on a clear sky. He still had to learn enough to get revenge, and now he was being told that he couldn't teach him anymore.

"I'm going to be a Player."

"Player?"

"Yes. Someday I'll become a Tower Pure Blood and be a Ranker."

Saying this, Kim Geon clenched his fists tightly.

Ranker.

Power and eternal life.

A symbol of success that brings wealth and fame.

For Tower-born inhabitants, being a Ranker was a position everyone aspired to.

"So when that time comes, I'll say goodbye."

"Yeah?"

Son OhGong scratched his chin and stared at Kim Geon.

"Do you even know who I am?"

He had taken off the hood of his robe to eat.

His long white hair fell down to his back.

And his eyes shone with an intense yellow color.

Son OhGong was a quite striking figure.

It wasn't possible that he didn't recognize him...

"Who are you?"

Blink~

His eyes looked at him with an innocence that showed he really didn't know.

Son OhGong, looking at him in disbelief, shook his head.

"Never mind."

"Eh?"

"Then, do you have a Ranker you admire?"

"Of course!"

It seemed that he did.

"It's Kim YuWon. He's really cool."

"Kim YuWon?"

Son OhGong's eyebrows furrowed.

Precisely that bastard, of all people.

'I'm learning to fight to beat him.'

If Kim Geon found out about this fact, he would probably refuse to keep teaching him.

Kim Geon's expression, mentioning YuWon's name, was radiant with excitement.

"Yes. Since I knew his name, I haven't stopped thinking about it. He's from my world. I have to be like him."

YuWon's name was now known to everyone in the Tower.

And this little one was no different.

A Ranker from the same world.

An exceptionally skilled warrior who even saved the Tower.

YuWon was Kim Geon's idol.

"Yeah? Hmmm..."

Son OhGong, pulling out a piece of meat that had gotten stuck between his teeth with a toothpick, looked at Kim Geon.

He was a brat, but he was the one who had taught him how to fight.

'I guess I can repay him for the lesson.'

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

The next day. And the next.

Son OhGong visited Lee SeongYun's game room every day.

"That's right, like that! A-C-A combo! Correct!"

"Why don't you dodge, Ahjussi? Don't you have talent?"

"You did pretty well today. You've also lost many of your bad habits."

"Crushing means you're doing it right. Stop crushing me and do it with more style."

Ten days turned into two weeks.

A month.

And then more than two months.

"Are you improving, huh?"

Kim Geon praised Son OhGong for the first time. Now, Kim Geon could only defeat Son OhGong after his health was reduced to almost half.

"I do what I'm told."

Son OhGong shrugged.

Just a little more.

Only when he was sure he could beat him would he think about challenging YuWon.

And so, the next day...

Son OhGong returned to the game room.

But.

"...."

Kim Geon, who always arrived first, was nowhere in sight.

An unfamiliar face was sitting in the seat in front of Son OhGong.

Starting the game with the unknown opponent, Son OhGong tilted his head.

'He'll come soon.'

He thought he would come soon. But.

That day, Kim Geon didn't show up.

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

A day passed, then another.

And the next day, the same.

Kim Geon never returned to the game room.

It wasn't until a month passed that Son OhGong finally remembered.

"I'm going to be a Player."

"Player?"

"Yes. Someday I'll become a Tower Pure Blood and be a Ranker."

The Tower gave Trials to those who were ready.

And when Son OhGong saw it, Kim Geon, despite being young, was always ready.

"It seems he really did it, that guy."

Son OhGong wasn't worried.

That guy would surely do well.

He was none other than the master who had taught him himself.

It was a pity to part like this, but he also thought it was fate.

That things turned out this way.

There was only one way to repay that guy.

"I will definitely win."

Just as he had planned from the beginning, all that was left was to defeat Kim YuWon.

Bam!

Son OhGong also ignited his passion today.

For some, it was just a game.

But at this moment, it was the only thing that mattered to Son OhGong.

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

The seasons changed.

Summer passed, and the weather turned cold.

A year passed.

There were big and small events.

However, even in the midst of all that, Son OhGong never stopped going to the game room.

As a result of grinding his teeth and playing every day, Son OhGong became a recognized expert in the neighborhood.

"That guy is here again."

"Should I give it a try?"

"No, don't. You can't beat him."

"Yes. You'll just lose points."

Only one or two challenged Son OhGong each day.

Most of those who came to the game room had already been defeated by Son OhGong once.

Occasionally, someone who had heard of him would visit, but they couldn't beat Son OhGong.

"Haaaam-."

Son OhGong yawned.

It was no longer fun.

He felt that freedom again.

He had no one to fight with anymore.

"I think it's time to finish."

The next opponent arrived.

He moved his hands out of habit.

The first move was a light kick to get closer.

Warming up.

Start by receiving one here.

But...

Fwoosh!

Bang!

The kick missed.

"What's going on?"

This opponent was different.

Son OhGong's gaze changed.

He adjusted his posture and ran through the combos in his head.

"Do you remember? A-C-A. The most basic combo. All other combos start here."

Just as the kid had taught him.

Slowly, but surely, he fought against the opponent.

"Oh, come on, you're not crushing, are you? When you hear that sound, it means you're doing it right."

"Hit and dodge. If you keep charging forward, you'll just die."

A fierce battle ensued.

The opponent frequently dodged attacks and counterattacked.

It was as if he could read all his movements.

In the end, after victory teetered on both sides as if it could fall at any moment.

[K.O.]

[¡YOU WIN!]

The victory message appeared on Son OhGong's screen.

"Yes!"

Son OhGong clenched his fists tightly after an exciting match he hadn't experienced in a long time.

It had been a close battle, but with this, he had confirmed it.

There was no opponent left who could defeat him.

"But, who is this guy suddenly?"

Suddenly, he felt curious.

Where did this guy who was so good come from?

"I should see his face..."

The moment he stood up from his seat to see his opponent's face.

"Wow!"

Kim Geon, who had been staring at the "YOU LOSE" word on the screen, smiled brightly and looked at Son OhGong.

"Ahjussi, you're already an expert, huh?"

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

Upon receiving the call, YuWon returned to Lee Seong-yun's game room.

There, Son OhGong and a little boy were waiting for him.

"S-s-so, you mean... the mister is The Great Sage, Heaven's Equal..."

"Uh, I am Kim YuWon."

"That mister is Kim Yu..."

Puff!

Kim Geon pinched his cheek.

Tears welled up in his eyes from the sharp pain.

"Wow, geez. Is this a dream?"

A situation he couldn't believe.

Son OhGong, with an expressionless face, pointed at Kim Geon.

"Hey. Let's have another match."

"Don't you have anything better to do?"

"Stop talking nonsense."

In the face of Son OhGong's confident response, YuWon nodded.

"Alright then."

YuWon sat in front of Son OhGong.

An air of determination hung in the air. Son OhGong drew the sword he had been sharpening until now.

'I can win.'

He had even defeated his teacher, Kim Geon.

To beat YuWon, Son OhGong had practiced over and over.

The days of learning while listening to Kim Geon's complaints every day.

This was the moment.

[Golden Cinder Eyes activated.]

It was time to show everything he had learned.

[ROUND 1]

[¡FIGHT!]

"Let's go!"

And at that moment.

[Eyes of Foreknowledge activated.]

A golden glow appeared in YuWon's eyes.

Immediately, his character began to lose balance in the air, and Son OhGong stood up from his seat and shouted.

"Hey! That's cheating!"

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KO-FI:

https://tinyurl.com/LEVELKO

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