The Player Who Can't Level Up

“What nonsense is this? I told you to keep yourself out of trouble and rest,” the elderly man, the pope, questioned the blue-haired player. The elderly man’s magic aura was quite indicative of the extent of his power. 

‘It's like all the movers and shakers are here,’ Gi-Gyu thought in awe. Everywhere he looked, he saw impressive players going about. Just the elderly man in front of him had to be a world-class fighter. 

Beside Gi-Gyu, El suddenly mumbled, “Michael…” 

“El, what’s wrong?” Gi-Gyu asked, but El continued to mumble the blue-haired man’s name.

“Michael…” 

Michael glanced at El before turning toward the pope. He pointed at Gi-Gyu and protested, “But Your Holiness! Can’t you feel it too? This player is giving off—” 

Gi-Gyu couldn’t help but frown. Wanting to end this commotion, Tae-Shik announced in a quiet but assertive voice, “That’s enough. If you have something to say, find us after the meeting. Stop making a scene here.”

The power in that sentence told Gi-Gyu that Tae-Shik had been keeping himself active lately. Had he been spending much time hunting? Or did he get a lot of battle experience from chasing the Caravan Guild? Whatever he did, Tae-Shik had become much more powerful than before. 

Michael trembled and argued, “How dare you!” 

“Michael!” the pope roared. Displeased, the elderly man ordered, “You are under probation until the meeting. And I don’t want to hear you complain.” 

Michael’s face turned rigid, becoming even tauter when the pope walked up to Gi-Gyu. 

The elderly man apologized to Gi-Gyu, “I’m sorry about this. Since this was a misunderstanding, I apologize on Michael’s behalf, so could you let it go for now? I really don’t want to cause any disruption before such an important meeting.” 

“Of course,” Gi-Gyu replied, not wanting trouble either. Michael glared at him before leaving the bar; the pope soon followed Michael out of the bar. 

‘Could you let it go for now?’ Instead of asking Gi-Gyu to forget about what happened today, he asked to let it go “for now.” Gi-Gyu could tell that although they wouldn’t escalate the situation any further now, the same couldn’t be said about their next meeting. 

What bothered Gi-Gyu was the hostility the pope tried his best to hide. On top of it, both Michael and the pope were interested in El. 

“Hey, Gi-Gyu…” Tae-Shik shook his head and walked up to Gi-Gyu. But Gi-Gyu had no time to respond because…

“El!” 

To Gi-Gyu’s shock, El had collapsed on the floor.

***

“Who the hell was that jerk?” The moment they returned to his hotel room, Gi-Gyu asked tensely. After carrying El back, he had turned her back into her accessory form. Inside the room were now Tae-Shik, Gi-Gyu, and Sung-Hoon. 

Gi-Gyu couldn’t understand why, but El’s condition changed when the blue-haired player Michael appeared. 

“I heard he is the greatest player the Vatican raised. I had no idea he was such a rude bastard,” replied Tae-Shik, who didn’t look pleased either. “Anyway, I could tell that he was pretty powerful, though.”

Gi-Gyu nodded in agreement. Not liking Micheal’s personality was one thing, but he had to accept that Micheal’s magic power was comparable to Soo-Jung’s. If Michael was hiding his full strength, he was likely even stronger than Soo-Jung. 

“By the way, that girl El, is she okay?” Just like Sung-Hoon, Tae-Shik was surprised by El’s human form. He witnessed El returning to her ring form, so he had no choice but to believe that an Ego could take a human form. It was unbelievable because no player had ever summoned a being that looked so human. 

Gi-Gyu replied, “Yeah… For now anyway.” 

Quietly, Gi-Gyu asked Lou, ‘Do you know what just happened?’

Gi-Gyu hoped Lou could explain why El collapsed, but he was disappointed by Lou’s answer.

-Nope. I have no idea.

‘Why did that jerk call El the Saintess?’

That was another thing that bothered Gi-Gyu. Sung-Hoon told him earlier that he couldn’t sense any magic from El, so why did that blue-haired bastard call El the Saintess? 

-Hmm… To be honest, I’m a little confused by it all too. What I could feel from that player was… 

‘I know what you mean,’ Gi-Gyu replied quietly. The player held an impressive amount of magical power, but the special presence he felt from that player was the real kicker. 

-An angel.

‘An angel.’ 

Gi-Gyu and Lou spoke simultaneously. What they could feel from Michael was something very similar to what El possessed. At first, Gi-Gyu thought Michael reminded him of Hamiel; now, he was certain that Michael and El shared something very similar.

***

Gi-Gyu's frustration remained, but the night ended, and a new day began. 

‘I guess he didn’t come.’ Gi-Gyu thought in surprise. He remained vigilant all night, believing someone would attack him under the cover of darkness. Had Micheal or any other player from the bar sneaked into his room, he wouldn’t have been surprised. 

But nothing happened, and the day of the meeting arrived safely. 

“Shall we go now?” Sung-Hoon, who stayed in Gi-Gyu’s room, announced after he was dressed. Gi-Gyu was also done putting on the suit he wore the day before. 

Then, Sung-Hoon and Gi-Gyu went to Tae-Shik’s room. Since they were officially here as Tae-Shik’s attachés, this was the proper step they needed to take. 

“Oh, there you are.” Tae-Shik, also wearing a suit, greeted them. It was rare to see Tae-Shik in a formal outfit. Even when he had a press conference before leaving Korea, he wore something comfortable. Him wearing a business suit indicated the importance of this meeting. 

“Let’s go,” Tae-Shik announced. He began leading the way; suddenly, he turned around and said to Gi-Gyu, “Ah, Gi-Gyu.”

“Yes?”

“I need to ask you for a favor.” Tae-Shik requested with a serious look in his eyes. 

“What is it?” When Gi-Gyu asked, Tae-Shik replied, “Please don’t get into any trouble.” 

Ironshield was also attending this meeting, so Tae-Shik was asking Gi-Gyu to control himself.  

Gi-Gyu nodded and replied, “All right.” 

Feeling proud of Gi-Gyu, Tae-Shik jabbed his waist playfully. 

“I wasn’t planning anything anyway; I’m here to learn more about him. That has always been my goal.” When Gi-Gyu shrugged, Tae-Shik replied, “All right. Thanks.” 

Tae-Shik placed his hand on Gi-Gyu’s shoulder and smiled. The trio was on their way to the meeting room when a few GPA agents approached them to escort Tae-Shik and the rest to the main conference room. That room was prepared for a meeting between the association presidents and the other figures with similar authorities. In the waiting room next door, their bodyguards waited patiently.  

As they walked together, Gi-Gyu asked Tae-Shik, “By the way, I don’t know about other people, but we know that Andras is behind this whole thing. Right?”

“So?”  

His face a little tense, Gi-Gyu asked, “So what do you think Andras wants out of this?”

“Hmm… My old man heard that Andras wants to promote chaos and confusion.”

“Then—” Gi-Gyu tried to add to the idea, but Tae-Shik interrupted him, “I know. I’m not that stupid, you know.” 

Gi-Gyu asked, “And do you have a plan to stop this?” 

“Why would we need a plan?” Tae-Shik replied. 

When Sung-Hoon and Gi-Gyu stood in front of the waiting room, an escort came to take them away. Sung-Hoon waved at Gi-Gyu to follow, but Tae-Shik added before Gi-Gyu left, “The people here aren’t easy prey, so don’t worry.”

“...” 

Creak. 

Tae-Shik finally entered the main conference room. 

What Gi-Gyu was worried about was Andras’ ultimate goal since just opening a bunch of gates couldn’t be it. However, one could easily deduce that the spontaneous appearance of so many exceptional gates would definitely lead to such a meeting. So, what if Andras was counting on this meeting, then…

What if something happened in this hotel and to everyone inside it?

Sung-Hoon reassured Gi-Gyu, “Please don’t worry.” With a small smile, he added, “I can’t say that everyone here is nice, but I have to admit that every one of them is powerful.”

“That’s true,” replied Gi-Gyu. Power alone couldn’t make one an association president, but they were all powerful players nonetheless. Also, not every association president in the world attended this meeting, so Gi-Gyu thought there must be a reason for this. 

The GPA agent opened the door to a room and explained, “You can wait here.” 

Gulp.

Gi-Gyu swallowed audibly. There was a high chance Ironshield was inside this room. Would he be able to keep his promise after seeing his enemy? He didn’t feel confident, but the door was already open. 

“Haa…” Gi-Gyu sighed deeply. Everyone inside the room stared at him, but he didn’t find Ironshield inside. His enemy hadn't arrived yet, but he could still feel someone glaring at him openly.

‘Michael.’ Gi-Gyu thought in annoyance. It was the Vatican’s most powerful player—Michael. Perhaps it was the pope’s scolding; for some reason, the blue-haired man was just silently glaring at him today. 

Their escort announced, “This way, please.” Sung-Hoon and Gi-Gyu were guided to their designated seats. Gi-Gyu wasn’t sure if it was done on purpose, but he noticed that his seat wasn’t far from Michael’s. Sung-Hoon stood behind Gi-Gyu. Most players in the room were accompanied by their own attaché, like Gi-Gyu. 

Gi-Gyu asked Sung-Hoon, “Since Ironshield isn’t here yet, does that mean the GPA president isn’t here either?”

“Yes. I’m sure they are trying to show everyone that they’re the boss.” When Sung-Hoon replied, Gi-Gyu sighed again and muttered, “Haa… Why is everyone acting like we don’t have 20 unratable exceptional gates in our midst? Shouldn’t everyone be moving more quickly?”

“Well”—Sung-Hoon paused—“I am sure they aren’t as relaxed as they look. This is a simple power play. These players all want a favorable outcome for their side at the end of the meeting, so they will try their best to show off their dominance. Some would even say that since the meeting was arranged so haphazardly, they didn’t get the chance for an internal discussion, and that’s why they showed up late.”

“...” Gi-Gyu remained quiet. This was a reminder of why he wasn’t suited for politics. He could never win such mind games, and he never wanted to be part of it. 

“Where… is the Saintess?” Michael tried to make a conversation, but Gi-Gyu ignored him. Offended, Michael clenched his fists, but he didn’t act on his anger. No one, not even Michael, could make trouble here. And if he did, Gi-Gyu wasn’t afraid to make an enemy of him. 

Just then, an unfamiliar voice spoke to Gi-Gyu.

“What an interesting young man you are. Are you stronger than me? Or is it that you have a special ability? I can’t read you at all.” The man spoke in English but had a Chinese accent. Before Gi-Gyu could reply, the Chinese player introduced himself, “I’m Tao Chen. My code name is Beautiful Beard.”

When Gi-Gyu looked up, there it was, the eponymous long beard. Gi-Gyu knew who he was due to his unique appearance.  

China had numerous players, and Tao Chen, aka Beautiful Beard, was one of the famous high rankers. Tao Chen’s personality and abilities resembled Guan Yu's character from the novel Romance of the Three Kingdoms, so he was given this code name.[1]

Pleased with Tao Chen’s friendly greeting, Gi-Gyu replied politely, “Nice to meet you. My name is Kim Gi-Gyu. My code name is… Morningstar.”

“Morningstar? Haha, nice to meet you too.” Tao Chen offered his hand, and Gi-Gyu shook it with a smile. 

Several more players entered the room, but the situation remained peaceful. Susanoo from Japan also acted friendly toward Gi-Gyu. He also saw some players from the bar yesterday. They seemed interested in what happened between Gi-Gyu and Michael, but they just stared at him instead of approaching him. 

The meeting was about to begin, and most seats were already occupied, but the one assigned to Ironshield wasn’t. People began to murmur unhappily. Even Beautiful Beard, who was a thoughtful man, grumbled, “This is ridiculous. Does he think he’s better than us just because he’s from America?”

Ironshield was a high ranker and one of the most influential players in the world. But he certainly wasn’t important enough to make everyone wait. In fact, the meeting was getting delayed because of him.

The tension in the waiting room was higher than ever when suddenly…

A silence fell. 

Creak.

The squeaking of the door sounded ominous as it opened.

“Ironshield…” Gi-Gyu murmured. 

Finally, Ironshield arrived in the room.

‘It’s just like what Go Hyung-Chul told me.’ Gi-Gyu thought. One of Ironshield’s legs was missing; somehow, he was walking without a problem. Behind him, his attache followed. Gi-Gyu had never seen this figure before, but he could tell what he was.

“A demon!” Suddenly, Michael rose and glared at Ironshield as he roared. 

‘Thanks, Michael.’ Gi-Gyu looked at Michael gratefully. Thanks to this strange blue-haired man, he could control his anger. He was clenching his fists so hard that his palms were bleeding. 

Ironshield studied Michael before slowly turning toward Gi-Gyu.

“Ahh.” Ignoring Michael, Ironshield grinned and spoke, “I guess that bitch’s minion is here too.” 

“Ugh… Ironshield…” Gi-Gyu gritted his teeth as his and Ironshield’s eyes met. 

Suddenly, the room was filled with intense bloodthirst and magic. Michael, glaring at Ironshield’s attaché angrily, suddenly turned awkward as he whispered, “W-what the hell is this…?”

1. Guan Yu from this novel was nicknamed the Lord of Beautiful Beard. ☜