The Player Who Can't Level Up

The test rewarded him with two diamond boxes; Gi-Gyu couldn’t refuse them because they felt like El’s inheritance. Looking dazed, he walked out of the Tower with them.

“Where do I go now?” Gi-Gyu murmured. As he left the Tower and reached the streets, he didn’t meet anyone he knew. He knew the association agents in the Tower should’ve reported his appearance to Tae-Shik or Sung-Hoon by now, but he didn’t care. Right now, he desperately wanted to be alone since he believed he would crumble down if he saw a familiar face. 

Trudge, trudge…

Gi-Gyu wandered; unfortunately, he couldn’t find a place to be alone since he was walking on the streets of Gangnam, the most popular area in Korea. It was filled with passersby and drunkards. There, drunkards picking fights with random strangers was common, but no one approached Gi-Gyu.

“L-look at that guy…!” one passerby murmured in shock.

“He must be a player,” her companion murmured. 

“Why is he walking about looking like that…?” the first woman asked in confusion.

Gi-Gyu looked shabby because he hadn't taken a shower or changed his clothes. He was covered in blood and had a badly dented sword on his waist. With his extravagant accessories and his blood-soaked black hair, Gi-Gyu looked dangerous. 

“Someone should report him to the association,” a young man nearby whispered.

“Oppa, what are you talking about? You try reporting him! What if he comes after you!” his female companion warned him.

“He can’t be a red player, could he…?” someone further away murmured. 

“It doesn’t matter! Any player who hurts a non-player will be punished immediately, right? So he won’t dare!” another passerby said confidently.

Unlike the passersby who whispered about him loudly, Gi-Gyu walked in silence. It was a chilly night, but it didn’t do much to his enhanced body. 

One woman walking by whispered, “He looks so scary…”

When Gi-Gyu turned toward her, the woman ran away quickly. Normally, non-players reacted in one of three ways when they spotted a player. 

Admiration.

Contempt.

Fear.

Indifference was a rarity since even the weakest player had abilities well beyond those of non-players. The public appreciated the players because they prevented gate breaks; sometimes, the players seemed like non-humans because of their incredible powers. The continuity remained: Nothing was simple, not even the emotions non-players felt. 

Click.

However, curiosity was a common emotion among many non-players. It was what made them take pictures of Gi-Gyu, a player. Players didn’t often roam the city looking like Gi-Gyu did, but it wasn’t rare either. 

Sometimes, players went mad with either bloodthirst or fear of death. Many reasons could lead a player to walk around dazed: They could’ve faced something straight out of their wildest nightmares, they could’ve lost their friends, and so on. Typically, such players were covered in blood, had a sad look on their faces, or carried damaged equipment. 

“What are you doing?!” 

“Stop taking his pictures!” Some people tried to stop the curious few from taking Gi-Gyu’s pictures. He found their choice to help vaguely unnecessary, but he still felt appreciative. 

Different people reacted in different ways to Gi-Gyu’s shocking appearance, but no one approached him.

Suddenly…

“Please take this.” Gi-Gyu turned to find a high school couple covering his back with a blanket. When he didn’t reply, they left quickly after mumbling, “Please take care.” After this brief episode, Gi-Gyu continued to walk, and people continued to stare. 

“Here.” a child appeared out of nowhere and offered Gi-Gyu a juice box. 

“Hae-Min!” A woman, probably the boy’s mother, ran to the kid. The boy still made Gi-Gyu take the juice box before his mother took him away. 

“Ha.” Gi-Gyu had a short laugh. 

Drip, drip…

Suddenly, it began raining, and the people staring at Gi-Gyu quickly moved to avoid getting wet. 

“Huh…?” Gi-Gyu, who was still roaming, murmured in surprise: It was raining, yet he wasn’t getting wet. He saw a drunkard holding his umbrella above him when he looked up. 

This middle-aged working man offered, “I don’t know where you’re going, but I’ll walk with you.” 

Gi-Gyu couldn’t be sure if the man’s nose were red because of the cold weather or the alcohol. The man reeked of alcohol, but Gi-Gyu replied, “Thank you.”

They walked together quietly. The man, as promised, walked slightly behind Gi-Gyu, holding up the umbrella to shield them both.

Suddenly, Gi-Gyu laughed, “Hahaha…”

With a smile, the man asked, “Why do you laugh?”

Without replying, Gi-Gyu shook his head. This middle-aged man reminded him of the rude guy he had met in the subway before. That man screamed at Gi-Gyu back then, trying to scare him. However, this man was much different from the subway drunkard as he offered Gi-Gyu shade from the rain. 

Gi-Gyu felt mixed emotions. Everything from the Tower to the humans confused him. 

“It’s snowing now,” the man murmured. The weather was probably colder than Gi-Gyu thought because the rain had indeed turned to snow. The flakes reflected the streetlights and the bright neon signs to brighten the sky. The clouded lights and the unsettled darkness formed a gloomy atmosphere around them. 

When they arrived at a dead-end alley, the middle-aged man handed his umbrella to Gi-Gyu and said goodbye, “I need to go now.”

Did the man leave because he got scared? Or did he feel that Gi-Gyu would be okay on his own now? 

“I’ve been looking for you everywhere.” A familiar voice made Gi-Gyu turn around. 

Gi-Gyu replied to Sung-Hoon with a smile, “I know you’ve been following me for a while now.” 

***

It was Gi-Gyu’s first time inside Sung-Hoon’s house, and as he looked around, he found it unexpectedly neat and well-organized. Now that he was indoors, he realized how cold the weather had been. Gi-Gyu shivered a little from being wet with snow and rain.

“Would you like some tea?” Sung-Hoon offered. When Gi-Gyu didn’t reply, Sung-Hoon prepared it without asking again. 

Two cups of steaming tea sat between the two men. Sung-Hoon didn’t ask Gi-Gyu what happened and just quietly sipped his tea. After a long silence, Sung-Hoon tried to make conversation. “I developed a habit of drinking tea because of President Oh Tae-Gu.”

Gi-Gyu bowed appreciatively and murmured, “Thank you.” He was thankful to Sung-Hoon for being so understanding even when he acted childishly. When Gi-Gyu was walking on the streets of Gangnam earlier, he wished someone would pick a fight with him. He wanted to lose control and hurt someone, hoping some powerful player would kill him to stop him. 

And just as expected, someone did call the police or the association. The only reason that the blood-soaked player walking in the middle of the city wasn’t detained was that Sung-Hoon and the association were being considerate. He knew that Sung-Hoon had been following him from the beginning to keep him safe, so he thanked Sung-Hoon for his thoughtfulness. 

At the same time, Gi-Gyu laughed bitterly. 

‘The Cain Guild… The Morningstar-Child Guild…’ So many players from these guilds lost their friends because of him. Only after losing El did he realize how miserable they must have felt. Yet he tried to run away from it because he felt too guilty. And when he finally mustered up enough courage to visit these guilds, the guild masters had to console him instead.  

‘And what about the players I killed?’ Those dead players were someone’s friends and family. During the battle, they were nothing more than enemies he slew without a thought. But there had to be people back home who mourned these players’ deaths.

“Haa…” Gi-Gyu sighed in frustration. His emotions were complicating everything. Even though it saddened him that he killed so many players, he knew he didn’t have any other choice at the time. 

“Why do you have that look on your face?” When Sung-Hoon asked, Gi-Gyu answered, “I just realized how immature I was and how immature I am.” 

He wasn’t talking about his biological age. He was referring to his emotional maturity. With a smile, Sung-Hoon replied, “That means you’re growing.”

Changing the subject, Gi-Gyu asked, “Didn’t you mention your mother before?” Sung-Hoon told Gi-Gyu before that he had an ill mother. 

“She’s in the hospital.”

“I see.” Gi-Gyu looked around to see that the apartment was decorated with worn furniture. They probably belonged to Sung-Hoon’s mother. 

Gi-Gyu decided to stay overnight at Sung-Hoon’s house. They had a long chat, but he didn’t tell Sung-Hoon about how he lost El in the Tower. They mostly talked about their childhoods. 

Gi-Gyu murmured, “I can see the similarities between how we grew up.”

“I agree,” answered Sung-Hoon. On the table now were several beer cans. Sung-Hoon sat on the sofa while Gi-Gyu was on the floor as they continued to chat.  

Sung-Hoon lost his father when he was very young. He lived with his mother, but she fell ill not long after. He led a difficult life until he received the Tower’s invitation. Financially, his life began to improve; his mother’s condition had worsened by that time. He spent an astronomical amount of money on hospital bills every year just to keep her breathing. 

“The elixir…” Gi-Gyu mumbled. Sung-Hoon had followed him into the Maze of Heryond but left after a few days. Had it been Gi-Gyu in his place, he would’ve stayed and tried his best to obtain the precious elixir. Wait, he did do that. Moreover, Gi-Gyu accepted he would’ve even tried to steal it from someone if necessary. 

Realizing what Gi-Gyu was thinking, Sung-Hoon explained, “I’ve heard that the elixir is very picky about choosing its owner. I am certain I would’ve never obtained it. Honestly, I thought you would die inside.” 

When Sung-Hoon offered his honest thoughts, Gi-Gyu laughed. “There were times when I thought I was the most unfortunate person in the world. But it turns out that plenty of people have just as bad a luck as me.” 

Sung-Hoon chuckled before looking into Gi-Gyu’s eyes. “So, what’s your plan now?” 

Sung-Hoon wasn’t a novice—he was much more experienced than Gi-Gyu expected. So, he could guess what might have happened to Gi-Gyu in the Tower. 

Many players gave up their profession after going through something traumatic. They feared losing any more people precious to them.

Raising his hand toward the ceiling, Gi-Gyu answered, “Nothing has changed.” Clenching, he continued, “I must continue to climb the Tower. And I need to become more powerful.” 

With a bitter smile, Gi-Gyu added, “I’ve to do it, as I don’t want to lose anyone again.” 

He covered the light from the ceiling with his hand to form a small shadow on his face. 

***

Gi-Gyu’s complicated emotions still haunted him, but there was no time to waste. Actually, there was another reason why he told Sung-Hoon that nothing had changed: If he stopped now, he would die. He simply knew too much. So, he couldn’t give up this life like other players. 

Stopping now essentially meant a death sentence for him and everyone he held near and dear. Gi-Gyu had to continue climbing the Tower partly because of El’s dying words but also because he needed to become stronger. It was also time for him to resume gate hunting. 

Gi-Gyu greeted his family briefly. Looking at them, he realized just how much they meant to him. He headed down to the basement since he had to take care of something before relaxing with his loved ones. 

In the workshop, he saw Old Man Hwang but not Min-Su. 

The elderly man inquired with a worried face, “Are you okay?”

“Thank you for your concern. I’m fine, but how about you? Are you okay, Sir?”

“Well, thanks to you, let’s just say I went through an amusing experience.” Old Man Hwang replied with a pout, making Gi-Gyu grin. 

But his smile quickly disappeared as Gi-Gyu called out to Lou.

“Lou.” 

-What.

Lou’s voice was cold. Gi-Gyu suspected it was because he almost gave up on his life after El’s death. 

Quietly, Gi-Gyu continued, “There is a way”—he paused—“to save El, isn’t there?” 

Immediately, Lou yelled back.

-What took you so long to ask me that question, you idiot!

Gi-Gyu smiled at Lou’s answer.