Ranker Who Lives Twice

Yeon-woo didn't know what to make of the sight in front of him. Father? Yeon-woo had believed his father had died after leaving their family when Yeon-woo was still young. Eventually, Yeon-woo forgot about him. Love? Hatred? He didn't have any attachments like that. There was no reason for him to be interested in someone he didn't even think about.

Yeon-woo had even pretended not to know that Jeong-woo had occasionally contacted their father. It wasn't worth getting angry at Jeong-woo over it. He didn't want to become involved with their father in any way, so he simply turned away.

It was only after Jeong-woo disappeared that Yeon-woo began to search for their father, hoping to find clues. He had stopped at nothing to look for his father, but he couldn't find a single trace of him, as if he had disappeared from the face of the Earth. This enraged Yeon-woo even more, and he resolved never to think of their father again.

But why was their father here? Why did he look so weary? Did that being just happen to have his father's face?

'That's impossible.' Yeon-woo ground his teeth because he knew that there was no such thing as coincidence. The identity of the being who looked like his father angered him the most. The creatures that Kronos had swallowed said that the being was their king, and the being seemed to be in his element as he looked down at his son coldly from his throne.

Did that mean…the being was Kronos? But that didn't make sense. If Kronos really was their father, how could he have traveled to Earth in his paused state and fathered children? Even if the pause had been temporarily released, how did he manage to avoid Allforone's eyes to leave the Tower? Even progenitor gods and conceptual gods couldn't do; it was impossible Kronos would succeed. It was all too mysterious.

The being continued to look at Yeon-woo with red eyes, not reacting at all to Yeon-woo's shout. The letters that formed his body clacked against each other, as though he were an elaborate doll. There were no emotions in his eyes as he seemed to stare through Yeon-woo to a space beyond.

'Since he's paused, is his consciousness paused as well?' Just as Jeong-woo dreamt constantly in his slumber, did Kronos endlessly repeat the old legends in his paused consciousness? Even this was a puzzle.

Giggle, giggle! Yeon-woo gripped Vigrid, ignoring the Demonism's laughter rising from somewhere. Puzzles were meant to be solved.

[6th-step Dragon Body awakening]

[All powers have been released]

Crack! Yeon-woo spread his Sky Wings wide and awakened all the powers and divine authorities inside him. Black-red waves of heat whooshed around him. As they were struck, the letters and sentences circling him fell to the floor in tiny pieces.

You dare sully the space of the king?

The king's servants were infuriated.

Blasphemy. A blasphemous being.

You will pay for your sins with your death. You will become the king's servant.

The servants spewed out sentences in a hostile manner. However, this didn't seem to originate from loyalty but from a desire to drag Yeon-woo into the same pathetic situation that they were suffering. Helios, who was at the forefront, seemed to emanate this desire the most. Come with me, ###. I've been so wronged.

Swoosh! Before he died, Helios' domain had been over the sun. When he released his strength, there was a wave of intense heat and blinding light that was so bright that it illuminated even the darkness of Kronos' world.

Ding!

[The scenario quest 'Qualification Test' has been created.]

[Scenario Quest / Qualification Test I - Searching for Clockwork Springs]

[Description: Long ago, the king of gods, Kronos, led Olympus into a golden age. He inspired fear and respect in all societies, but when he collapsed from the madness of darkness, his children—Zeus and the other—took over his thrown.

Death has currently overtaken Kronos in Tartarus, and all of his clockwork has been frozen, rusting and breaking from the long period of time. Even if the clockwork is rewound, it will not work properly. However, it remains in deep sleep, waiting to be awakened.

Restore the clockwork so Kronos can awake from death. Depending on your level of accomplishment, Kronos will reward you appropriately for waking him from his slumber.]

[Qualifications: Successor of the Black King]

[Time Limit: -]

[ Conditions for success:

1. Find and collect the scattered springs of Kronos.

2. Uncover the true identity of the springs.]

[Rewards:

1. Kronos' holy power

2. Pieces of the clockwork

3. ???]

Yeon-woo frowned at the quest window. It was similar to the quest that had appeared after he defeated Crawling Chaos and rescued the giants. It displeased him. Unlike the other quests given by the system, he felt that the scenario quests were impositions and that he had no other choice but to complete them.

However, since they were in line with Yeon-woo's own goals, he ignored the quest. He didn't want any of the information to influence and possibly limit him.

Swish. Boom! When he brandished Vigrid, bolts of Sword Thunder sparked down the blade.

〈Sun-pulling Wagon〉

The power Helios was about to activate could recreate a version of the sun chariot he rode in the legends. Dududu. The sun chariot tried to overwhelm Yeon-woo with extreme light and heat, but the bolts of Sword Thunder twisted at various angles, piercing through the white light towards Helios.

Helios swung his left hand to activate another power.

〈Daylight Rays〉

The white holy power in his hand attempted to counteract the Sword Thunder, but the bolts of Sword Thunder split apart as they hit the ground. The holy power slashed through empty space, and the bolts of Sword Thunder trapped Helios as though they were a cage.

Boom, boom! Explosions blew Helios and the sun chariot away. The sparks from the aftermath flashed into more bolts of Sword Thunder and spread out. It seemed as though the Sword Thunder was destroying Kronos' world, scattering the letters and reaching Kronos' throne. However, a protective force suddenly used tiny pieces of letters to create a barrier around Kronos and deflected Sword Thunder.

Swish! Yeon-woo immediately dashed between the bolts towards Kronos. Since he'd already Helios and the rest of Kronos' servants, nothing stood in his way. Boom! Vigrid clashed against the barrier, leaving sparks in its wake. The space around the two endlessly twisted and caved in. Yeon-woo pushed his left hand inside the broken barrier, and with his magic power, he began to pull Kronos towards his hand. It was the technique from the One-horned tribe called Void Absorption.

For the first time, Kronos made a move, his bored expression still fixed on his face. He waved his hand in the air, as if he were shooing away a bothersome fly. Boom! The sound of explosions filled the air, obliterating Void Absorption. The impact sent Yeon-woo back, his face twisting at the realization that Kronos had the power to push him back. This was more than Typhon could manage, and there was a chance that Kronos was on a higher level than the Crawling Chaos.

Since he was a skilled successor of the Black King whose status was beyond those of many godly and demonic societies, it made sense. Yeon-woo grew angrier since he didn't know what Kronos was thinking. Kronos was supposed to be in a paused state at the moment, so what was going on? Questions flooded his mind, one after the other. Was the man with that damned face his father? If so, why was he as silent as a doll? How was this related to Jeong-woo?

However, Yeon-woo had to put these questions aside when Kronos folded space and appeared right in front of him, his expression as weary as ever. Boom! Vigrid's blade collided with Kronos' hand, sending shockwaves vibrating throughout the world. The broken letters disintegrated into dirt, and Yeon-woo grew certain of one thing: nothing would change no matter how many questions he asked.

The being was Kronos and wasn't Kronos at the same time. Although the being moved with the legends of Kronos, he was only an empty shell without any emotions, thoughts, or even a proper ego.

"Devour."

[The power 'Hades' Spirit Eating Sword' is attempting to swallow Kronos!]

Yeon-woo gripped Kronos' neck and activated Hades' Spirit Eating Sword with the intent to completely swallow Kronos. He wouldn't be able to contain his anger otherwise.

Crash! The world shook turbulently as Kronos was taken apart letter by letter and sucked into Hades' Spirit Eating Sword. Although he was losing power, Kronos only struggled to push Yeon-woo away. He didn't seem to be trying to shake Hades' Spirit Eating Sword off.

[You have discovered a spring!]

A message popped up in the corner of his eye and Yeon-woo felt something click inside of him. Kronos' image grew blurred as another message appeared.

[The first test to restore the clockwork is beginning.]

Test? Yeon-woo's world turned black. The letters that Hades' Spirit Eating Sword had consumed and the long-forgotten legends combined with the achievements that Yeon-woo had accumulated. His body began to fade.

Spark! Yeon-woo's body slowly fell apart and trembled dangerously, as though it were on the verge of breaking.

* * *

"Your Highness, my prince! You must wake up."

Yeon-woo frowned when a hand suddenly shook him. He had a splitting headache. Prince? Where was this? He was sure that he had just been fighting with Kronos. He forced his eyes open, not sure what was going on. Opposite him was a middle-aged woman wearing a strange outfit. It looked like she had draped a large piece of cloth hanging from one shoulder over her body. She was looking at him with a concerned expression on her wrinkled face.

Just when Yeon-woo was about to ask who she was—

[Currently, player ###'s achievements and Kronos' legends have been mixed together.]

[Your achievements and legends are being separated to prevent identity confusion.]

[Player ###'s achievements are being regenerated.]

[Regeneration has succeeded.]

[Kronos' legends are being regenerated.]

[Regeneration has failed.]

[Regeneration has failed.]

…

[Player ###'s ego has been re-established, but Kronos' ego could not be recreated. An error has occurred.]

[Interfering in the process in order to complete the separation.]

[Kronos' legends are being regenerated by player ###.]

[A part of Kronos' memories is being passed down for the legends to progress smoothly.]

Suddenly, Yeon-woo was hit with a new headache. It was different from the one before because a flood of information was entering his mind. Yeon-woo learned that he had entered Kronos' dreams of his youth. It was a time before Kronos had taken the throne and before Olympus had been trapped inside the Tower. It was the era of the Heavenly Father, Uranus, just after the creation of the universe

"Uranus is urgently searching for Your Highness! You must hurry! You must not make him angry again…!"

Ding!

[The scenario quest (Qualification Test I - Searching for Clockwork Springs) has been updated!]

[Scenario Quest / Qualification Test I - Searching for Clockwork Springs]

[Description: Clockwork springs are hiding in the legends of Kronos, the god of time and agriculture. Search for the springs and play back the legends.]

Yeon-woo's expression stiffened. To find the springs, he would have to dig through the past of the being that might be his father.