C20

Arrows were falling down. It was like it was raining. The sharp blue drops of Arcane Power pierced downward, cutting through solid armor and flesh.

--Save me!

--Run!

--I surrender! Get me out of here.

--Aaaaah!

Under the arrow rain falling like a storm, over the stadium where the sound disappeared, things resembling screams of horror spread.

An arrow shot by Lee Ye. The calamity he quickly created reduced the number of survivors in the first Trial.

And amid that...

'Those who survive are...'

Lee Ye, who shot the arrow, looked at the remaining number of survivors and their faces.

'That one survived too.'

Lee Seong Yun.

He was protected by a barrier created with mana, avoiding the arrow shower. Although he got one in the shoulder, that alone was impressive.

In the first place, such an extensive attack couldn't be easily avoided unless it was a High-Ranker.

And furthermore...

'As I thought.'

From the beginning, Lee Ye's attention was on one person.

'Is he unharmed?'

The player who had the lead on the Elixir, Kim YuHun.

'Even though I thought he was an unusual guy, it seems he doesn't have a single injury.'

He didn't think he would die. If he thought he would die, he would have stepped forward himself to save him.

Anyway, there was a chance that he had the lead on the Elixir.

But this was unexpected.

''Five remaining.''

YuWon looked around, checking the number of remaining participants.

In this Tournament, where there should have been a total of eight, fewer than that came out.

A situation that could easily get complicated.

But Lee Ye's attention, who created that situation, was entirely elsewhere.

YuWon met the gaze of Lee Ye who was looking at him.

'Is it a destined encounter or a disaster...?'

Beeeep-

A message announcing the end of the Trial.

At the same time, participants in the stadium began to disappear one by one.

'Maybe I'll find out after this tournament is over.'

Competitions in the other groups weren't much different.

In each group, there were one or two strong High-Rank competitors. And thanks to their overwhelming skill differences, they eliminated participants, finally leaving eight survivors.

Chomp-

Casually cutting an apple, Lee Ye settled into the assigned sofa in the dressing room.

He was reviewing the screen with his rarely taken out Player Kit.

'Where the hell did he go?'

He was irritated.

Due to the interference of the guy whose name he had never heard, Pluto didn't pass the Trial, and there was no way to obtain the diluted Elixir.

And in reality, Kim YuHun, the guy who said he could get him the real Elixir, hadn't shown up since the preliminaries ended.

'He's not on the Ranking.'

Among the names of High-Rankers, the name Kim YuHun did not show up.

And not just among the High-Rankers.

No matter how much he searched the Ranking, he couldn't even find a name similar to Kim YuHun.

After searching the Ranking, the only thing he could find was the three-letter name, Lee Seong Yun, which was somewhat similar.

'There's no way to deceive the Administration Bureau.'

Lee Ye frowned.

'Did I make a mistake in my gut feeling?'

Administration Bureau of Rankings.

They have been in charge of determining the rankings of players and classifieds for a long time.

There were some minor problems, but no one complained too much about the rankings.

The rankings of the Administration Bureau of Rankings were so accurate, and rankings without apparent reason had some kind of hidden secret.

However, the Administration Bureau of Rankings did not mention the name Kim YuHun.

'...Should I think that I was deceived?'

What are the chances of getting clues about the Elixir from a Ranker whose name is hard to find on the ranking?

No, now he even doubted if the guy was really a Ranker.

His mind became complex.

So, while sitting in the waiting room, staring at the Player Kit.

"Would you mind moving and stop occupying the seat?"

A shadow loomed over Lee Ye's head.

In the waiting room shared by dozens of participants.

She addressed Lee Ye, who was serious, without any fear.

However.

"...Wow."

"Afrodite?"

"Are you an idiot? Her hair color is different."

Beautiful silver hair that seemed made of fine silk. Skin whiter and softer than that hair.

She was a beauty comparable to Aphrodite, the Goddess who descended from heaven.

Most participants were awestruck, and Lee Ye, who was nearby, was no exception.

'Is it Tsukuyomi?'

Silver hair wasn't common.

Moreover, there were no more than a hundred Rankers in this Tower who could keep calm in front of Lee Ye.

The only survivor of the now fallen Three Precious Children.

Tsukuyomi.

She had participated in this Great Celestial War.

"Aren't there many other seats?"

"The other seats bother me."

"Do they bother you?"

"I don't like the weak."

"Thanks for the compliment."

It was a peculiar response, but Lee Ye took it as a compliment. Her response meant that, out of all the participants in this waiting room, only she recognized Lee Ye.

Lee Ye stood up slowly and gave her the seat on the sofa.

The sofa that Lee Ye had been occupying alone was quite wide, and when he simply adjusted his posture, several more people could sit comfortably.

"But you're unexpected."

"What?"

"I didn't think someone like you would be interested in the position of General Chief."

One of the three most important beauties of the Tower, her ranking was 95.

Originally a High-Ranker at the 80th position, her ranking had dropped a bit after the fall of the Three Precious Children.

However, in terms of ranking and skill, she was in no way inferior to Lee Ye.

"That's a good thing if I have it, but it doesn't matter if I don't."

"So? Are you interested in the prize then?"

"That's also part of it."

Lee Ye wore a puzzled expression.

The championship prizes for this tournament were the position of General Chief and points. Only these two.

Although there were tiered rewards as one progressed in the ranking and approached the finals, it didn't seem like Tsukuyomi had participated just for that.

"I'm pursuing something else."

"Pursuing?"

A peculiar answer.

Lee Ye, who had a perplexed expression for a moment, suddenly remembered a scene.

"Could it be?"

The man holding Kusanagi.

Kim YuHun.

An item that was once a symbol of the Three Precious Children and led to Susanoo's death.

"The Three Sacred Treasures."

She was pursuing the same goal as him.

In the fifth group, only one player remained.

Black clouds covered the stadium.

And amidst them, golden lightning intermittently illuminated.

Seeing that overwhelming golden wave, the other participants didn't dare to even think about attacking.

Crunch~

A man with shining golden hair like lightning.

Hargan, the youngest High-Ranker who would inherit the throne of Olympus and lead the next generation.

"Well, there are only mice."

He clicked his tongue as he looked around.

"...Just like back then."

Suddenly, he remembered how he felt when he played the Tutorial for the first time.

Only the numbers were high, but there wasn't anyone truly strong among them.

Just by seeing how the Rankers trembled at his appearance, one could discern his caliber.

It would have been more fun if he had been assigned to the same group as that guy, Lee Ye.

Hiss~

A Ranker nearby asked, looking at the Lightning that threatened to explode at any moment.

"Anyway, you're not interested in the prizes for this Tournament, right?"

The prize for winning the Tournament is the position of General Chief and points.

However, it was absurd for Hargan, the direct son of the King of Olympus, Zeus, to join the celestial army.

Naturally, the other participants surely wouldn't be satisfied.

However...

"It doesn't matter."

Hargan didn't care at all about the circumstances of the other participants or the prize for winning.

"I'm just aiming higher. I fight the strong, polish my skills, and rank up. This Tournament is a pretty good stage for that."

Both when he started climbing the Tower and now, Hargan's goal was only one. To become a complete Ranker with the qualifications to be the King of Olympus.

"But you guys are a bit lacking."

Hiss, hiss~

Thump!

The sky vibrated.

Hargan's eyes shone with a golden color, and the Lightning above the clouds began to fall.

Baaaang!

A lightning storm that engulfed the stadium.

The Rankers who could barely block or dodge the Lightning falling within it murmured helplessly as they watched Hargan face an entire group alone.

"He's not Zeus..."

Hargan.

Direct son of Zeus, the youngest to ascend to the Ranker realm at the fastest pace.

Like his father Zeus, he specialized in fighting against crowds.

Buuuuuuum!

Above the stadium devastated by Hargan...

Lee Seong Yun, watching the scene from the stands, nodded as if he had expected it.

"That guy with his impatient temperament..."

"It's true."

Someone approached and sat next to Lee Seong Yun's empty seat.

There were two people.

One of them was familiar.

"Kim YuHun?"

"I don't know when that short-tempered guy will fix himself. He's gotten worse."

He spoke as if he knew Hargan well.

It was strange.

Hargan had been his companion since the Tutorial.

There was no way he didn't know someone he knew.

Moreover...

"Who is she?"

Lee Seong Yun glanced at the orange-haired woman accompanying YuWon. She was so beautiful that even with more than half of her face covered by a mask, she drew attention.

He observed in the hope that maybe by knowing her group, he could discover YuWon's true identity, but due to having more than half of her face covered, there was no one that came to mind.

"Anyway, I was looking for you."

"I'm quite popular. Three people have been looking for me already."

"Three people?"

Who exactly is he referring to?

Lee Seong Yun, with a momentarily puzzled expression, soon inquired about the matter upon realizing he didn't know what they were talking about.

"You're also a player who came from Earth, right?"

"That's right."

"Maybe you lived in...?"

"Anyang. I got caught in the Tutorial in the Hongdae area in Mapo."

"Hongdae, huh."

Lee Seong Yun smiled brightly.

With a heart full of joy, he approached YuWon and greeted him.

"I also did the Tutorial near there. It was in the Sinchon area, next to Hongdae. We're fellow Tutorial comrades, huh?"

"Really?"

"Yes. Our team leader also did the Tutorial at that time. But it's strange. I have no memories of seeing you in the Tutorial."

"We probably didn't meet at that time."

"When we defeated the boss, everyone gathered, right? At that time, my team leader and I formed the team for the first time..."

Lee Seong Yun was quite chatty.

Discovering that YuWon was his Tutorial companion, he began to talk about what happened during the first Tutorial.

Apparently, he was happy to have met someone from his own country.

Just as the conversation was heading towards stories of their hometown.

"Hey, Lee Seong Yun!"

Lee Seong Yun turned around upon hearing his name.

In the distance, at the top of the stadium.

Hargan was waving at him from the stands.

"Again, huh?"

Seeing Hargan raise his Player Kit and wave, Lee Seong Yun checked the message he sent him.

This time, he wondered what annoying task he was assigning him.

"Huh?"

Lee Seong Yun's eyes widened as he reviewed the message.

He discreetly glanced at YuWon beside him and then spoke.

"Our team leader wants to see you, would you like to?"