Chapter 403
C403
The soul used to signify a person's essence.
Usually, it was only revealed after death.
However, the Goblin King's primary magic allowed him to directly see the soul hidden within a thick, robust body.
And by stirring the soul in that way, the body would finally naturally collapse.
But...
Thud-.
Above YuWon's revealed soul, the Goblin King saw an existence he had never seen before.
A massive mouth and teeth.
And a huge, irregularly-shaped entity that possessed it.
Oh, heavens!
The Goblin King released YuWon's arm that he had been holding onto and staggered back.
Could it be because he had moved away too much?
The presence of the monster that had appeared before him disappeared.
"What... are you?"
The Goblin King asked YuWon, pointing with his finger.
"Behind you, what the hell is that?"
What he had just seen wasn't YuWon's soul. It was a completely different entity. It protected YuWon as if it were a God residing within his body.
Of course.
What the Goblin King saw, YuWon didn't.
"Behind me?"
At that moment, an idea crossed YuWon's mind.
"I see."
YuWon seemed to know what the Goblin King had seen. It seemed that Danpung had intervened to stop the Goblin King from touching the soul. Although it was still in the form of an Egg.
Unlike in the past, the Egg was hatching rapidly.
"Stop now."
"Why should I suddenly stop now...?"
Bam!
YuWon struck the wall as he turned around.
Crack-!
The wall trembled. The wall created by the spell shook, and cracks appeared.
And towards the place where those cracks appeared.
Crash-!
Once again, YuWon's fist struck directly. And...
Clang-!
The wall created by the Goblin King's spell shattered. When one side collapsed, the Arcane Power rapidly diminished, and the collapse spread in a chain reaction.
The wall created by the Goblin King.
Disappeared completely.
Right after that.
['Complete Gigantification' duration has ended]
['Complete Gigantification' changes to 'Gigantification']
[Within 24 hours, you will be able to use 'Complete Gigantification' again]
The three minutes given to YuWon had passed completely.
-------------------------
After the fight with the Goblin King, YuWon lay down for a moment.
Could it be because it was his first time using 'Complete Gigantification'?
For a moment, it felt like all the energy had left his body, and fatigue overcame him.
While lying on the ground, he raised his hand.
"Sigh."
He applied force to his hand, but as expected, it didn't have the same strength as before. This was due to the end of 'Complete Gigantification.'
"It's still too short."
Both the duration and the cooldown time needed to use it again were unsatisfactory at the moment.
Still, it was okay.
The duration and cooldown could be improved by increasing proficiency.
What he had in mind right now was something else.
"Quite... no, quite useful."
'Complete Gigantification' was such an effective ability.
After closing his eyes for a moment, he felt his energy returning to his body.
His stamina had increased, and his recovery ability had as well.
When he checked his Kit, it had been about three hours.
"Anyway, I didn't get hurt anywhere..."
Despite the intense battle, he didn't have any serious injuries anywhere.
YuWon immediately got up from where he was lying.
"Now, should I really go?"
------------------
YuWon stopped by the Goblin King's place to say hello.
He wasn't severely injured either. He had some bruises on his body, but the Goblin King assured him that they would heal over time.
"I haven't properly paid you yet."
"Just bring me ten million points. You have debts too, you know?"
"It's quite expensive."
"I should have charged you more originally, but I'm cutting you some slack. Appreciate that."
YuWon paid the price for the strengthening ritual on the spot. While one of the reasons for visiting the Goblin King was to greet him, the most important reason was to pay the ritual's price.
"Now, do you plan to leave?"
"Yes."
YuWon nodded and looked at the Goblin King, who seemed to have nothing more to say.
"If you had gone all out..."
Or so it seemed.
"Do you think you would have won?"
The Goblin King asked with eyes that hadn't lost their competitive gaze.
It appeared that he hadn't yet closed the unfinished chapter of their fight.
YuWon reached into his inventory.
He pulled out a large bottle of wine. YuWon displayed Dionysus's wine bottle and replied.
"There's a well here."
"A well?"
"The Tower you know is only a small part."
"...Are you calling me a frog in the well?"
The Goblin King's forehead furrowed at the unexpected response.
Judging by the tense muscles that bulged, it seemed that a wrong word here could trigger another fight that couldn't be finished.
Indeed, right next to him.
The Goblin King's butler (Goblin Servant) looked at YuWon and gestured for him to stop.
But...
"Do you think the Bull Demon King used all his power when he fought you?"
Despite that, YuWon didn't stop talking.
"What are you saying?"
"I don't have the confidence to win against him in a fight."
It was a brief moment, but YuWon held the Bull Demon King's hand.
Unlike the previous Bull Demon King, the current one was even stronger in terms of pure strength. Moreover, the Bull Demon King who had acquired Divinity on top of the Tower was several times more powerful than before.
Even if YuWon had gained tens of stats through the strengthening ritual and had mastered 'Complete Gigantification.'
Until now, defeating the Bull Demon King had been an impossible task.
"He spared me, is that what you're saying?"
"You got it right."
"...Every word of yours is arrogant."
Crunch, crunch-.
The muscles on the Goblin King's forehead tensed.
It was as if he could attack at any moment with his club again.
While Goblin Servant glanced back and forth between YuWon and the Goblin King, the Goblin King, who had taken a deep breath, asked.
"Uf... in your opinion, how many people stronger than me are out there?"
It was a simple question.
There probably wasn't anyone more knowledgeable than YuWon when it came to information about the High-Rankers, except for the Administration.
"There are at least six, including Odin whom you know. At worst, around ten."
"At least six, huh?"
The Goblin King nodded as he pondered YuWon's words.
"The world has changed a lot."
Frog in the well.
YuWon's phrase suddenly made sense to him. Unlike the time when he viewed High-Rankers as insects, the current High-Rankers seemed to have risen significantly in level.
"This liquor is a farewell gift. You may have stopped drinking, but consider this your last drink."
"I appreciate that."
The Goblin King stepped forward and accepted the bottle of Dionysus's wine.
So, as YuWon was turning around to leave and heading towards the exit.
"For those 'ten' you spoke of."
The Goblin King asked his final question.
"Do you intend to join them?"
"For now, I'm out. We're still tied."
A straightforward response.
Watching YuWon's back recede as if he had nothing more to say, the Goblin King murmured with a voice full of nostalgia.
"For now, at least..."
------------------------
YuWon ascended the stairs, and in the end, he saw sunlight, something he hadn't seen in a long time.
When he emerged into the city center from the alley, he saw a crowd of people.
They weren't goblins; they were regular people.
Climbing a simple staircase had completely changed the world.
"Still the same as always."
Since Shub-Niggurath's appearance, the world had remained the same.
Although there had been a great commotion for a while, and Grand Guilds like Asgard had made moves, for common Rankers and Tower residents, that was a story from another world.
YuWon headed toward his preplanned destination.
Because he walked among the crowd, no one seemed to pay him any attention.
As he walked, a Ranker passed by his side and pointed at the Kit in his hand.
"Ranking..."
"What happened in a few days for you to be so excited suddenly?"
For Rankers, the ranking was a topic of great interest.
The ranking was essentially a number that consolidated various factors like power, influence, and other elements of Rankers. Having a high ranking meant being very "successful."
Therefore, High-Rankers in the rankings were like stars to lower-level Players and Rankers who had given up on climbing the ranks.
"Have you seen Kim YuWon's ranking?... Oh, what the hell?"
A Ranker who was looking at the Kit turned abruptly.
In the eyes of the two Rankers talking like this...
"Oh?"
YuWon, who was looking at the Kit together with them, was seen by the two Rankers.
"Is... is it really him?"
"I apologize..."
The two Rankers looked at each other.
Swish~ It was a swift, Ranker-like movement. YuWon didn't know why they were apologizing, but it seemed like they were scared.
Toc. The Kit that the Ranker had dropped to the ground.
Even though he had initially been spying out of curiosity, YuWon picked up the Kit that had fallen to the ground and checked the rankings he had been looking at a moment ago.
He couldn't believe it even after seeing it with his own eyes.
[Kim YuWon: 11th]
His ranking was much higher than before.
'Hmm... 11th.'
Before going to the Goblin Country, YuWon's ranking had been 28th.
A low ranking due to the lack of proper observation of his fight with Satan. But this time, his ranking was clearly assessed according to his ability.
And this was after his visit to the Goblin Country, where his stats were properly reflected.
'Did they observe my fight with the Goblin King?'
If that were true, it would make sense.
The Goblin King's strength was so impressive that even outside the Goblin Country, he would probably be among the top ten in this Tower. It wouldn't be unreasonable for YuWon to be given a ranking like this if they had observed his fight with the Goblin King.
In fact, his ranking was relatively low, really.
Unlike other elite High-Rankers, YuWon didn't have significant influence, but he had a history of recognized potential until now.
'What does the ranking matter?'
If the world collapsed, everything would end.
YuWon had never shown much interest in the ranking. Sure, like anyone else, he had checked his ranking from time to time out of simple curiosity, but he didn't attach much importance to it or feel particularly happy about it.
Besides, YuWon had reached a much higher place than this in the past.
Toc. After dropping the Kit he had in his hand to the ground, YuWon continued on his way.
The place he finally arrived at was...
"Yes! Welcome! This is the Olympian Sun Chariot! We'll take you for a good price!"
It was a rental station that offered replicas of Sun Chariots.
The station caretaker noticed YuWon and looked at him in surprise.
"Are you going to use it alone?"
"Yes."
"They can be used for up to ten people max. The price is the same, but..."
"I'm alone."
With a firm response, the caretaker didn't ask any more questions.
While looking discouraged, he released the reins of one of the sun chariots and asked:
"Where would you like to go? The cost depends on your destination."
"Upward."
"Upward? Where exactly upward?"
"Literal, upward."
YuWon raised his hand and pointed to the ceiling of the rental station.
"Up to the roof."
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