Level Up With the Gods
Chapter 2

Yuwon, buried in the clockwork, slowly opened his eyes.

Did time itself turn backward, or did my body travel back in time?

His body felt as light as a balloon. Everything, including the stats and mana that used to support his body, was gone.

He felt a little disappointed.

It would have been much easier if he had traveled back in time with the powerful body he’d earned.

Well, that would’ve been much harder to achieve.

Sending the soul alone to the past was a completely different matter than sending it along with the body.

If they had sent his body to the past, they would’ve had to solve the issue of the same person existing in the same timeline, and they would’ve needed even more power to send him back.

It would’ve been impossible even for Kronos.

Which means I have to start from the beginning...

Traveling back in time felt like waking up from a deep sleep. Yuwon started to look around, trying to figure out how far back he had gone.

Before he could get his bearings, something struck him in the face, hard.

As soon as he’d come back in time, he was ambushed.

“Ha! You’re still standing?”

As his blurry vision cleared, he saw a man in front of him. The man had a long nose, a pretty big physique, and an expression on his face that clearly showed he was attempting to be frightening.

What’s going on right now?

He couldn’t place the event in his memory immediately since it was quite a long time ago.

Then Yuwon saw the jacket he was wearing.

Ah, right.

Cheongsol University.

The man was wearing a varsity jacket fromof the university Yuwon used to attend.

He still couldn’t place it clearly, but seeing the jacket helped him to place his surroundings.

Yuwon was at a gym located on campus.

What was his name...?

He tried to remember this moment.

The man swung his fist again. As his punch missed, he looked confused. “Huh?”

“Was it tomorrow or today?” Yuwon murmured as he took a step back.

“What?”

“What’s today’s date? If you answer quick, I’ll let you get away with that punch from earlier. It didn’t even hurt anyway.”

The guy’s face instantly looked furious. He likely thought he was being mocked.

“You fu—Are you out of your mind? What did you just say?”

Yuwon didn’t bother answering. He threw a punch of his own, and the sound of it connecting with the other man’s face was loud.

It was apparent that one punch had been enough to make the guy dizzy.

He stayed upright for a moment longer, his gaze jumping from floor to ceiling before he fell to the floor unconscious.

“The phone will tell me everything.”

He hadn’t needed the man to answer.

He could feel the smartphone sitting in his pocket. It was the only thing he truly needed to get all the information he was looking for.

After checking the date on the phone, Yuwon looked back at the man on the floor.

“The school must be on break, too. Does he really not have anything better to do?”

Yuwon was still going through the phone when he saw a man's name in his missed calls.

He remembered now.

His attacker was Myeonghoon Kim. He was a grade higher and a notorious loser, even in the Physical Education Major.

And I was getting beat up here for some unknown reason.

He really didn't know the reason.

During the winter break, Yuwon had received a call before being beat up by Myeonghoon Kim.

He’d been told he could figure out the reason on his own.

“Good luck to you, I guess.”

The date was December 31st, the last day of the year.

According to Yuwon’s memory, it was also the very day the first tutorial began.

I arrived at the right time.

The date was perfect—he was neither too early nor too late.

He didn’t know if it was just a coincidence or if Kronos had set the time deliberately, but he quite liked it.

It was three o’clock in the afternoon.

I roughly have nine hours until midnight.

It was a tight turnaround for him to properly prepare and select a location.

“Looks like I’ll be busy today.”

***

Myeonghoon Kim regained consciousness in the evening.

What woke him up in the dark, unlit gym was the vibration of his cell phone.

Right.

He forgot he had plans. He was supposed to meet with his friends for dinner at 7 P.M.

As soon as he remembered how he ended up passed out on the floor, he started swearing under his breath in frustration.

To think that he got knocked out while disciplining someone a grade below him…

It was too embarrassing to ever tell anyone.

That bastard. I’m gonna get him soon.

It had just been a lucky hit.

That’s what Myeonghoon Kim believed.

He was a pretty well-known fighter in the area, while Yuwon Kim was one of the smallest kids in the department.

“Yeah, you called? Uh-huh. I was teaching someone a lesson. Who?”

After quickly gathering his belongings, Myeonghoon grabbed a taxi and headed to Hongdae.

It didn’t take much to clean himself up. He just had to brush the dust off of his clothes and wipe away the traces of his bloodied nose.

Hongdae was packed since it was Thursday, December 31st, and it marked the arrival of a three-day weekend.

“God. It’s so damn crowded.”

“Hey, over here!”

“You’re late. You’ll have to pay a fine!”

His friends were already waiting for him. They were in the same class, and soon they’d be joining the military.

“Why weren’t you responding?”

“You’re an hour late. That’ll be 50,000 won.”

“Fuck off.”

Myeonghoon ordered a drink.

One person's face had already turned quite red, supporting the claim that they’d been already been drinking for the past hour.

“Huh? Dude, why do you look so annoyed?”

“I thought you went to relieve some stress.”

“Agh. Shut up and give me another glass.”

He wanted to get a little drunk first.

Myeonghoon's friend poured him another glass of beer mixed with soju.

“What about Yuwon Kim? What happened?” he asked as he handed the glass over. It was a clear attempt to lighten the mood.

Myeonghoon paused with the glass half raised for another sip.

He thought for a moment. “I almost killed him. I wonder if he went to see a doctor,” he answered finally with a smile.

“Hey, give him a break. What if he tries to kill himself?”

“Who cares? You said he’s an orphan. That’d be pretty easy to brush off, wouldn’t it?”

"Well, I guess. We wouldn't be responsible for his suicide. If he were to die after a couple beatings, it would still be on him."

His friends’ responses immediately made Myeonghoon feel better.

He found himself to be in a good mood as he started to forget about what had happened earlier.

I can just meet up with him soon and beat him to death.

Then it would be like this had never happened.

They got through two rounds of soju and beer before deciding to drink expensive liquor for the third round.

“It’s so friggin’ crowded.”

“It’s a three-day holiday.”

“What time is it right now?”

“It’s 11:50 P.M.”

“The year’s almost over.”

The cold wind made him feel like he was sobering up. Just when his blurry mind was becoming clearer, Myeonghoon dropped his finished cigarette on the ground.

“Hey, let’s go. I’m getting sober.”

“Dude, isn’t that Yuwon Kim?”

“Where?”

“Shit, you’re right.”

Myeonghoon's body froze upon hearing the confirmation.

He turned his head, maintaining a poker face.

Why’s he here?

In the middle of the crowd, Yuwon had a suitcase in one hand.

People were passing by and avoiding the motionless Yuwon. It appeared that he was waiting for someone.

So annoying...!

It was so unfortunate.

He couldn't believe he’d run into Yuwon Kim here before he was able to properly beat him up.

“He looks completely fine.”

“I know.”

“Is he waiting for someone? What’s up with that suitcase?”

“Let’s go say hi.”

“Why? What are you trying to do?”

But it was too late. His friends were already walking toward Yuwon.

Today’s gonna be your funeral.

Myeonghoon grit his teeth as he remembered what had happened earlier.

It was a little bit embarrassing, but he could still use this opportunity to teach Yuwon a lesson.

“Yo, Yuwon Kim!”

Myeonghoon hurried until he was leading the approach.

Including himself, it would be six against one.

He straightened his shoulders, unafraid.

“What are you doing here?” he asked, the light catching his teeth.

His friends spread out to surround Yuwon.

Their clearly aggressive posturing made people on the street step aside. It seemed as if a fight would start at any minute.

Instead of answering Myeonghoon, Yuwon checked his digital watch.

“It’ll be midnight soon,” he said before showing the display.

[11 : 57 : 12]

Yuwon took off his watch and dropped it on the ground.

“Enjoy these last three minutes.”

Yuwon opened the big suitcase he brought, the latches clicking.

He continued speaking as he took out the items inside. “It’s gonna be hell afterward.”

They didn't know.

They had no idea about everything that would start to happen or what the world would turn into.

They had no clue how precious and sweet those remaining three minutes were.

“What?”

“What the heck are you…?”

Approaching Yuwon threateningly, Myeonghoon jolted and took an unconscious step back when he saw what Yuwon was taking out of the suitcase.

“Y-you crazy... A-are you out of your mind?”

The case was full of dangerous-looking weapons: he had a sashimi knife, a pocket knife, a camping machete knife, an axe... and a backpack.

Yuwon slipped the pocket knife and axe through his belt and held the sashimi knife.

“Hey, a-apologize to him right now!”

“L-look what you made him do...!”

“Yeah, dude. Y-you did wrong!”

“Yuwon, y-you don’t need to do this! I understand that you’re upset...”

A big circle formed aroundwith Yuwon, who was surrounded by all kinds of weapons.

The crowd stirred. Myeonghoon couldn't get closer, evidently scared of the sashimi knife in Yuwon’s hand.

Someone passing by also called the police.

Fifty-eight minutes.

There wasn’t much time remaining.

Yuwon looked around and slung the backpack over his shoulder.

There are enough people.

Hongdae.

It was one of the places with the most foot traffic in Seoul that he remembered.

It was Anyang before.

Yuwon raised his head and looked at the sky.

The clouds remained still.

The large crowd was bustling. No one could care about something they didn’t know was going to happen.

The people around Yuwon remained focused on the weapons he was holding.

Now...

Ignoring the loud crowd, Yuwon checked the watch on the ground.

“It’s beginning.”

Keeeee!

A high-pitched sound rang in his ears.

The ringing wasn’t just in Yuwon’s imagination.

The thousands of people walking the streets of Hongdae were clutching their ears.

Some people began to faint, overwhelmed by the noise ringing in their ears. Yuwon alone remained calm as he stood and took stock of the changes to his surroundings.

The ground split apart, and bizarre-looking plants began to shove through the cracks as they grew rapidly.

The clouds floating in the sky roiled, turning black.

His digital watch had stopped at 12 A.M.

[Area 20131]

[Population: 12,014]

He was glad to see the messages.

Twelve thousand people.

Choosing Hongdae had been the right decision.

The ringing stopped, and the first sounds to follow waswere a strange roar.

“...They’re here.”

He looked at each gap between the buildings.

With the knife in his hand, Yuwon passed by Myeonghoon and his friends, who were all still clutching their heads.

“It’s over.”

[The tutorial will begin now.]

“Three minutes.”