The Player Who Can't Level Up

“Oh my god…” Tae-Shik murmured in shock.

“Ranker Kim Gi-Gyu, this is…” Sung-Hoon gasped. 

The two men looked around as they exclaimed in amazement. They gaped openly, making Gi-Gyu smile. Despite knowing why they were reacting this way, he pretended ignorance and asked, “What’s wrong?”

Tae-Shik and Sung-Hoon felt slightly annoyed by Gi-Gyu’s carefree attitude. However, they didn’t mention it; instead, Tae-Shik cautiously asked, “What are all these?”  

The three players were currently inside Gi-Gyu’s gate. 

Gi-Gyu asked, “Hyung! Haven’t you been inside my gate before?”

Sung-Hoon replied instead of Tae-Shik, “But Ranker Kim Gi-Gyu! This looks completely different from before. Are those griffins flying in the sky? And is that a racing track?! And what the heck is that over there?”

Sung-Hoon had visited Gi-Gyu’s gate a few times before. The last time he was here was when Gi-Gyu invited him to pick a car from his luxury collection. But at that time, the inside of the gate didn’t look anything like this. 

How could so much change in such a short period? Did time flow differently inside this gate? 

Vroooom!

Suddenly, a loud engine sound, loud enough to make everyone frown, rang in the air. Tae-Shik became tense. They were inside Gi-Gyu’s gate, but he didn’t feel completely safe yet. There was no way of knowing what dangers may lurk in here. The noise he just heard also sounded very threatening.

But Sung-Hoon’s reaction was very different.

“This sound!” Sung-Hoon gasped, seemingly aware of the sound’s origin. Sung-Hoon became very interested in cars after receiving one from Gi-Gyu as a gift. He had spent much time researching the rare cars stored inside Gi-Gyu’s gate. 

‘It is like a museum!’ Sung-Hoon admired quietly. There were enough cars in the gate to open a rare car museum. 

Squeak!

Suddenly, a car came to a screeching halt before them. Since its glasses were heavily tinted, it was impossible to tell who was driving. Gi-Gyu laughed, Tae-Shik tensed, and Sung-Hoon openly admired the car.

When the scissor door of the car opened slowly, Gi-Gyu greeted, “Sir.”

“I figured you wouldn’t want to be bothered, so I ordered everyone to stay behind. So you’re going straight back to Korea, right?” Old Man Hwang got out of the car and asked. With his Hawaiian shirt, shorts, and fashionable sunglasses, the old blacksmith looked like the epitome of a silver fox. His appearance left Tae-Shik and Sung-Hoon speechless.

Gi-Gyu announced, “Let’s just keep the introduction short today. We don’t have much time… This is the association's General Manager Oh Tae-Shik. And this is Heo Sung-Hoon, who has been aiding me in everything.”

“Nice to meet you.” Old Man Hwang confidently walked up to the two speechless players and shook their hands. The duo couldn't hide their confusion as Tae-Shik asked, “And who is this gentleman, Gi-Gyu?”

Gi-Gyu contemplated for a moment. Tae-Shik and Sung-Hoon were aware of Old Man Hwang’s existence before his death. However, they had no idea what happened after: He died and was resurrected by Gi-Gyu.

He hadn’t just healed a fatally wounded player. He had brought someone back from death. Gi-Gyu wondered how Tae-Shik and Sung-Hoon would take this information. 

Finally, Gi-Gyu replied, “He is Old Man Hwang, and he takes care of my equipment and gate.” 

Sung-Hoon became very quiet. 

“You mean…?” Tae-Shik murmured.

Gi-Gyu silently nodded. A short awkward silence fell, but Tae-Shik quickly changed the subject. “I think we should get going now. You should invite me later and give me a proper tour of this place. Unfortunately, we don’t have much time to spare now.”

“That was my plan,” replied Gi-Gyu. He appreciated how Tae-Shik tried his best to accept this impossible situation without asking questions. 

Whoosh!

Suddenly, a mighty gale arrived from the sky, leaving only a giant griffin behind.

Tae-Shik frowned a little, but Gi-Gyu waved his hand to reassure him. He then gestured to the griffin king to land before them. 

Old Man Hwang explained, “Because of the recent expansion of this gate, it will take a while to reach the entrance. You’ll save much time if you ride it.” 

Even the best cars couldn’t be as fast as the griffin king, so Gi-Gyu, Tae-Shik, and Sung-Hoon got on top of the humongous monster. 

Gi-Gyu said to Old Man Hwang, “Then I will see you later, Sir.”

“Please don’t hesitate to call us if you need any help,” the blacksmith offered as he put on his sunglasses again. The griffin king began flapping its giant wings.  

“Let’s go.” When Gi-Gyu tapped the griffin king’s neck and ordered, the creature flapped its giant wings faster and flew at an incredible speed. From high in the sky, Tae-Shik and Sung-Hoon observed the gate below. One part had countless skeletons busy building various structures, while another had skeletons and griffins receiving military training. There was also a small group of knights that was hard at work. 

Tae-Shik murmured, “An army…”

Sung-Hoon nodded and asked, “Isn’t this like a small independent country?”

***

Even if they took the portal in the Tower, reaching Korea would have taken quite a time. But taking Gi-Gyu’s gate left them with some spare time. 

Tae-Shik announced, “I’ll have a brief chat with Su-Jin before returning to the association building. You guys go and get ready.”

“All right,” Gi-Gyu and Sung-Hoon replied. 

They still had some time left before the guilds and the players had to enter the exceptional gates. Tae-Shik decided to spend that time with someone important. 

After Tae-Shik left, Gi-Gyu asked Sung-Hoon, “Will you be joining this hunt, Sung-Hoon?”

Sung-Hoon felt torn because although he was a strong player, the situation inside the gate seemed less than ideal. Everyone entering the gates this time had to be prepared to die. 

After a short contemplation, Sung-Hoon answered, “I’ll go in.”

“I don’t know if I’ll be able to protect you, Sung-Hoon.” When Gi-Gyu replied, Sung-Hoon laughed. “Haha. I never expected you to.” 

Sung-Hoon took out a pike from his pocket, his usual weapon of choice. His eyes shone with determination as he murmured, “I can take care of myself. I would rather die than become a burden to anyone.”

Gi-Gyu didn’t even try to stop Sung-Hoon from entering the gate. He knew Sung-Hoon was powerful enough to be a great help. And this was also a chance for Sung-Hoon to become much stronger quickly. 

“Then… You should see your mother before going inside. I will do my preparation at home.” When Gi-Gyu offered, Sung-Hoon hesitated a little. Was it okay for him to leave Gi-Gyu’s side at such a critical moment? But since there was no guarantee he would return alive from this gate alive, he really wanted to meet his mother. 

“Then I’ll be back soon,” Sung-Hoon replied and left quickly. 

Gi-Gyu was now alone in his basement. “I better get ready.” 

Gulp.

He made sure not to show it, but he was incredibly anxious. The tension had left his body covered in goosebumps. Gi-Gyu knew he was now much more powerful. He had become so powerful that Ironshield now felt wary and jealous of him. He had become so powerful that even among the top players in the world, he was a force to be reckoned with. At least, that was what he learned at the GPA meeting. Moreover, he achieved all this without spending much time hunting. 

Was it because he was… the player who can’t level up?

“Phew… After this situation is all over, I better reach the 50th floor quickly,” muttered Gi-Gyu. He felt a little frustrated at his current limitations. Many people around him were trying to give him important information, yet he wasn’t ready to hear them. Also, clearing the 50th floor was a great chance since he could become stronger by going through the secondary job change. 

“Maybe my unique ability will improve even more.” It wasn’t something unheard of. Sometimes, players even gained an additional unique ability. Gi-Gyu couldn’t wait for the advancement he would experience.

“El.” When Gi-Gyu called, El materialized as she replied, “Yes, Master.” 

“The thing you told me about your evolution…. Are you sure of it?” asked Gi-Gyu. The method El suggested for her evolution was a risky one. 

El bowed and explained, “It’s a shortcut; it’s not a proper way to do it. Therefore, I can’t be certain of it, Master. But I don’t think I will hurt them by doing this. This might actually give them a chance to grow.”

Should he trust her on this? 

“No.” Gi-Gyu shook his head. He knew he shouldn’t doubt El and just trust her wholeheartedly. 

He replied, “I’ll do as you suggested. But, we’ll get their consent before proceeding with the plan.”  

“Of course, Master. I wouldn’t want it any other way.” El bowed again.

Looking at this gate, Gi-Gyu ordered silently in his head. His thought traveled to the creatures inside the gate, and after a few minutes, the three angels appeared.

“Grandmaster, did you call for us?”

***

Before Gi-Gyu left, Old Man Hwang said, “I’m looking for a way to make your Egos even stronger. You wouldn’t be able to sync with more for a while if I make that a reality. But, you’ll get exponential growth in return.”

“Strengthening my Egos,” Gi-Gyu murmured. With this thought, he opened his stat screen. It has been a very long time since he checked on his own attributes.

[Level 1]

[Job: Ego’s partner]

[Unique Ability: Sync]

-Abilities-

[Assimilation (S): You can use 80% of Ego’s abilities.]

[Death: Can control death.]

[Life: Can control life.]

[Combination: Can combine Egos.]

[Grant: Can grant an Ego.]

[Retained Ego: Flame Giant (Hwang Chae-Il)]

[Retained Ego Fragments: 12 pieces.]

Unlike the other players who could level up, Gi-Gyu rarely checked his status screen.  

“I guess the only significant change is the missing evil eye and Rogers,” Gi-Gyu murmured. When he caressed his eyes, a gray hue flashed in them. This was the change he experienced after getting Life. Afterward, the evil eye disappeared from his status screen, and he also lost the power that came with it. 

“But there is no way for me to find out what exactly this new Life skill can do.” Gi-Gyu wanted to try using the new power his eyes gained after losing the evil eye, but he knew nothing about it. 

“Well, I’ll learn more about it in time.” More accurately, he would try his best to find out. Right now, all he knew was that his eye color changed, but that couldn’t possibly be the extent of this new power. The evil eye came with a power, so this Life eye was bound to give him an upgrade or maybe a downgrade. 

“And about Rogers,” whispered Gi-Gyu. He beheaded Rogers when he was begging for a chance. By doing so, Gi-Gyu gained Rogers as an Ego. But, he couldn’t currently see Rogers’ Ego on his status screen. Still, Gi-Gyu grinned for some unknown reason.

Just then, someone ran toward him and greeted, “Player Kim Gi-Gyu… I mean Ranker Kim Gi-Gyu!” 

“Team leader Do Bong-Gu!” Gi-Gyu greeted as well, happy to see someone from the Cain Guild. When Gi-Gyu first met him, Do Bong-Gu was just a Cain Guild guide; now, he was the head of the entire guide department. 

Sun-Pil and Dong-Hae greeted Gi-Gyu loudly as well. 

“Hyung!” 

“Ranker Kim Gi-Gyu!” 

Soon, they were followed by the other guild members of the Morningstar-Child and the Cain guilds. All those players lined up—it was an impressive sight.  It reminded him of his monster army inside Brunheart’s gate. But unlike the gate creatures that gave off an ominous and oppressive vibe, the players looked lively and enthusiastic. 

Gi-Gyu said to Do Bong-Gu, “You must be very worried that you lost contact with Suk-Woo.” 

Do Bong-Gu, who looked cheerful until a moment ago, slumped and said, “That’s why I volunteered to participate in this hunt. I’m just a guide, so I won’t be much help, but I wanted to do whatever I can to be a part of this effort.” 

Gi-Gyu also chatted with Sun-Pil and Dong-Hae. 

Dong-Hae explained, “We can’t enter the gate this time… But we have been assigned as backup, so we will wait out here and be ready for whatever you need.”

The Morningstar-Child Guild wasn’t selected to close the gate because it didn’t meet the necessary conditions. Since five unratable gates opened in Korea, two top ten Korean guilds were assigned to each. Several additional powerful players were to follow as well. The gate Suk-Woo entered was to be tackled by the Cain Guild and the Blue Dragon Guild. 

Gi-Gyu murmured, “I guess the Blue Dragon Guild isn’t here yet.” 

Frowning unhappily, Do Bong-Gu replied, “Indeed.”

The time given to players to assemble had passed, but the Blue Dragon Guild was nowhere to be seen. Was it because they didn’t take this situation seriously? Or were they doing this to show off their superiority over the Cain Guild?

‘Speak of the devil…’ Gi-Gyu thought in annoyance as he spotted the arriving Blue Dragon members. Surprisingly though, they all looked sharp and determined. 

Looking at the giant open gate, Gi-Gyu announced, “I guess we better get ready now.”

They were standing in front of the exceptional gate in Gangnam. Looking at his watch, Sun-Pil murmured, “I guess we’re entering the gate on New Year's Day.” 

He sighed, “I didn’t expect to start the new year this way.”

It had been 25 years since the Tower first appeared. It so happened that Gi-Gyu was also turning 25 this year.