The Player Who Can't Level Up

Gi-Gyu now had the power to revive the dead holy swords. Unlike when he resurrected Old Man Hwang, he didn’t even need a holy sword since he could control Life now. 

‘Should I tell Old Man Hwang about his son Hwang Chae-Il?’

Now, Gi-Gyu could resurrect Hwang Chae-Il as an Ego, but Old Man Hwang refused to even listen to him the last time he brought up his son.

‘Maybe not yet…’

Perhaps this wasn’t the time to talk about bringing back Hwang Chae-Il. Ultimately, Gi-Gyu decided to focus on El and bring this topic up at a more opportune time.

-I’m going to sleep for a while. Moving the Ego zone sure took a lot of energy. 

“You helped move it, Lou?” When Gi-Gyu asked in surprise, Lou replied in annoyance,

-Who else would’ve done it if not me, huh?

With a loud yawn, Lou went to sleep. Now that he thought about it, Gi-Gyu realized it made a lot of sense since the other Egos alone couldn't do it. 

-That’s right! Lou helped out a lot! All we did was follow his orders!

Gi-Gyu nodded at Brunheart’s confirmation. 

‘I guess Lou needs his rest now.’

Lately, Lou had been working very hard to help Gi-Gyu, so him taking a day off was a good thing. Besides, Gi-Gyu already knew what to do next, so he simply found a spot inside his gate and practiced.  

Rattle…

Thud!

Boom!!!

Gi-Gyu could hear a lot of loud noises around where he sat, so he looked about with a grin. The skeleton soldiers were busy building a makeshift tent around him, their grandmaster.

Hart appeared and bowed deeply. Looking apologetic, he explained, “Grandmaster. Once the pyramid is completed, we will prepare a private chamber for you as quickly as possible.”

“All right,” Gi-Gyu replied with a smile, and Hart quietly left. 

Seconds later, the skeletons began working even faster to build the tent: Hart probably gave them an earful. 

“This place is better than I expected,” murmured Gi-Gyu as he looked around again. He hadn’t spent much time inside the gate before, so he only now realized how comfortable it was inside. The magic density increased continuously as the gate absorbed more crystals, and the atmosphere inside followed a certain cycle too. 

“If I combine an Ego fragment with this gate… Or if I sync with another gate…” Gi-Gyu imagined the endless possibilities. The flash of profitable possibilities reminded Gi-Gyu of the gate Ego’s potential; he began to regret not valuing Brunheart’s gate more before. 

“So much potential.” He decided to spend more time researching the gate Ego in the future. But for now, his priority was to learn to control Life better. 

Nearby, countless holy swords were embedded in the ground; Gi-Gyu picked up one of the dented holy swords. 

“These are all angels from before.” Gi-Gyu thought out loud. When he was battling them in the Tower, he felt such frustration toward them. But now, their shabby and weak appearance made him feel strange: They reminded him of El a little.

“He said I just need to blow Life into the holy sword.” That was what Lou recommended; it was easier said than done. He needed meticulous control over Life to deliver it to the sword’s nucleus. And after reaching the nucleus, he had to inject the right amount of Life into it continuously. 

This process had multiple steps, and a failure at any step would destroy the dead holy beyond repair. Fortunately, Gi-Gyu could afford to lose a few, given how many he had. 

“Let’s begin.” It was time to get back to hard labor.

***

The first ten swords shattered after Gi-Gyu failed to inject Life correctly. He couldn’t revive the shattered sword. It was disappointing, but it couldn’t be helped. The next 13 swords worked out a little better. His injection process was successful, but he lost control while reaching the nuclei, so these swords also shattered. 

“Ugh.” Gi-Gyu groaned. Compared to Death, Life was definitely a harder nut to crack. Perhaps it was because he wasn’t as proficient yet. Still, each try left him covered in sweat and feeling drained, so he had to rest briefly after each try. 

But he was making progress. As time passed and the shattered holy swords piled up, maneuvering Life became a bit easier. 

“Gather the powder of the shattered holy swords and give it to me. I think it will be an excellent material for restoring El.” Old Man Hwang made a request, and Gi-Gyu obliged. It seemed that every part of a holy sword was useful. 

On his 30th attempt, Gi-Gyu succeeded in reaching the nucleus. And when he finally tried to inject Life into the nucleus, a new cycle of failures began. Such a task required meticulous control; even though his control hadn’t reached that point, it was getting there. This, in turn, made Life expand faster inside his shell; even though it still wasn't as big as Death, it was bigger than when Gi-Gyu first saw it. Meanwhile, Death was also growing, probably because it was communicating with Lou, who was currently asleep. Gi-Gyu’s shell was expanding, but the new spaces were filling up quickly.

“Hmm.” His recent death had left numerous cracks in his shell, which Life and Death were diligently using to expand his shell further. However, what he saw and what he felt were utterly different. To him, it didn’t feel like an expansion.

‘It feels like I just unlocked one of the inaccessible areas of this map called shell.’ 

Then, Gi-Gyu decided that it was time to get back to work and picked up another holy sword. He didn’t have many holy swords left since he had pulverized most, so he was a bit anxious now. If he didn’t make at least one successful attempt, he would be in trouble. 

Whack!

Suddenly, Gi-Gyu slapped his cheeks and announced, “No! Stop thinking nonsense and focus.”

He couldn’t think this way. He had to make this happen no matter what; he needed to work like his life depended on it. 

Life emerged from his right hand and entered the holy sword. This step of the process was akin to paper absorbing water. Next, the stream of Life reached something hard to describe. It was very small, diminutive even, so he assumed that was the nucleus. 

“There it is.” Reaching the nucleus was easier now; the real problem began from here. He had to continuously inject a specified and fixed amount of Life into the nucleus. Ironically, this “fixed amount” varied depending on the situation, so he had difficulty getting a feel for it. 

“I just need to keep doing it until I get it,” Gi-Gyu murmured in determination. In a sense, he didn’t have to complicate this situation: He only needed to do one thing right. With renewed focus, he began moving Life again.

***

Gi-Gyu’s mother asked worriedly, “Are you sure you don’t need my help?”

Some man was standing inside Gi-Gyu’s kitchen, and Su-Jin was watching him anxiously. The man replied, “Everything is copacetic. You just go rest, Su-Jin. I got this.” 

Oh Tae-Shik sounded confident, but he couldn’t hide the uncertainty in his wavering eyes. He had been after the Caravan Guild for a long time, and recently, he finally found a clue: He uncovered the location of the guild’s Philippines branch. Lucifer arrived in the Philippines not too long ago, so Tae-Shik decided to take a break from the investigation.  

The best rest Tae-Shik could think of was spending time with Su-Jin in Gi-Gyu’s house. 

‘I’m totally ready.’ Tae-Shik thought confidently. 

In Korea, a new celebrity chef was on the rise. He was originally a player, but he used his player instincts to create amazing dishes. He now had several franchise restaurants and often appeared on TV food channels. The masses nicknamed him Housewife Park—the man who introduced a brand-new paradigm to the cooking world. 

‘And I personally met him to learn how to cook!’ Tae-Shik thought in excitement. Since the KPA had a certain amount of power over every Korean player, Tae-Shik used it to meet Housewife Park and learn a special recipe. 

‘Hmm.’ Tae-Shik remembered Housewife Park looking at him with worry, but he decided it probably didn't mean anything. 

Today’s dish was soybean paste stew. Tae-Shik learned Housewife Park’s secret recipe, and he was ready to show off his cooking skill.

“Hehehe.” Tae-Shik chopped the vegetables expertly and grinned. 

‘Every woman likes a man who can cook!’ Tae-Shik thought in anticipation. This was why he found time in his hectic schedule to learn cooking. He hoped Su-Jin would be more attracted to him after tasting his special soybean paste stew.  

Having this happy thought, Tae-Shik continued to cook. 

“It smells so good!” Su-Jin flattered him.

“All you need to do is get a bowl of rice for yourself and wait for me. I’ll do the rest, Su-Jin.” When Tae-Shik replied, Su-Jin smiled and nodded. She answered, “Haha… All right. I’m sure it will taste amazing, Tae-Shik.”

The aromatic smell probably convinced Su-Jin because she finally stopped hovering and went to sit at the dining table. 

“Gosh, is Gi-Gyu still in the basement? He isn’t going to come up today either?” Tae-Shik asked solemnly. 

“I know… I’m worried if he’s eating properly.” When Su-Jin replied, Tae-Shik reassured her, “Don’t worry. I know he won’t forget to take care of himself.”

Earlier, Gi-Gyu told his family and Tae-Shik that he needed to do some experiments in the basement and asked them not to bother him. So, they respected his request despite being worried. 

‘But I need to talk to him soon,’ Tae-Shik thought. The situation was changing fast, so he needed to update Gi-Gyu on the progress made. Unfortunately, Gi-Gyu refused to leave the basement, so Tae-Shik couldn’t help but be worried. If Gi-Gyu didn’t come up soon, he decided to go down to the basement and have a look.

“Hehehe,” Tae-Shik smirked confidently. He stirred his secret soybean paste; soon, the stew was finally complete. The smell and the color of the stew looked perfect. All he had left to do was taste it before serving it to Su-Jin. 

“Hmm.” Tae-Shik hummed as he ate a spoonful of his soybean paste stew. 

Suddenly!

Dun, dun, dun, dun, dun...

“Huh?” Tae-Shik murmured in confusion.

“What’s happening? What’s that noise from the basement?” asked Su-Jin as she stood up.

Kaboom!

“Gi-Gyu!” Su-Jin screamed when she heard a loud explosion from the basement. The entire house shook from the shock of it. When she ran to the kitchen, she saw the pot of soybean paste stew on the floor in front of Tae-Shik.

“...” Tae-Shik looked at her in silence. 

“Are you all right?” Su-Jin asked, but all Tae-Shik could do was glare at the soybean paste stew on the floor. 

‘That tasted so bad.’ Tae-Shik thought angrily. He followed the recipe perfectly, so how could it taste so horrible? He was actually glad that the pot fell on the ground since he could have never served something like this to Su-Jin.

“Haa.” Tae-Shik sighed in both relief and worry.

***

“Su-Jin, please stay here. It might be dangerous.” After reassuring Su-Jin, Tae-Shik quickly went downstairs. The explosion from a moment ago was a magical explosion. He could also feel the association bodyguards nearby approaching Gi-Gyu’s house since they probably also felt the explosion. 

“...” Tae-Shik stood in front of the basement door with a tense expression. 

Creak. 

His heart pounding, Tae-Shik opened the door. Suddenly, thick smoke engulfed him, making him cough. “Khoff, khoff.”

He held his breath but continued to cough. The place was filled with dust, indicating something significant had happened here. Using his magic to remove the dust, Tae-Shik looked around.

“What happened?! Is there an intruder?!” Tae-Shik shouted. 

“Hyung! When did you get here?” Gi-Gyu, covered in black dust, replied. Tae-Shik looked around to find several of the walls burnt. The explosion must have been a big one to cause such damage to an area protected by Baal's barrier.

“When did I get here? Who cares?! I asked you what happened here! What the—” 

Schwing.

Tae-Shik’s voice abruptly grounded to a halt when he felt a cold metal touch on his neck. 

Flinch.

Tae-Shik jolted, his body moving accordingly before he could even process what was happening. 

“Hey! Get away from him! He isn’t our enemy!” Gi-Gyu yelled hurriedly. 

“All right, Father,” an unfamiliar voice replied. 

“What the hell…?” Tae-Shik whispered as he took a step back. He could feel the great danger lurking before him, so his pike appeared instantly. But as soon as Gi-Gyu yelled his order, the bloodthirst aura disappeared. 

When Tae-Shik could finally see the culprit who tried to attack him, he muttered in confusion, “W-what the?”

Two men and a woman in thin clothes stood before him, glaring with their swords aimed at him. A glance was enough to tell they were incredibly powerful people. Tae-Shik was shocked that he couldn’t feel their aura before. 

Just then, one of the three strangers announced, “He’s a powerful being, Father. Please allow me to annihilate him.”

“I’m telling you he isn’t an enemy.” Gi-Gyu insisted while watching the three figures worriedly. Tae-Shik, a powerful player himself, had fought back when these three strangers attacked him a moment ago, leaving them with various bleeding wounds.

“Gi-Gyu, just explain to me what the hell is going on here,” Tae-Shik asked in frustration as he pushed the strangers’ swords away with his pike. 

‘The hell kind of experiments is this kid doing in the basement?’

“Hyung”—Gi-Gyu scratched his head—“They are angels.”

“What?” 

Suddenly, pure white wings materialized behind the trio’s backs.