The Player Who Can't Level Up

Tension filled the space.

Gulp!

Do Bong-Gu gulped audibly, unable to hide his anxiousness. Meanwhile, Choi Chang-Yong didn’t stop glaring at Gi-Gyu.

And…

Step, step…

Gi-Gyu made the first move. He walked up to Choi Chang-Yong, offered his hand, and said, “Hello. I would like to offer my condolences.”

Instead of going for the handshake, Choi Chang-Yong looked back and forth between Gi-Gyu’s face and hand.

“What’s going on over there? Why is Guild Master Choi Chang-Yong reacting that way?” one of the visiting players asked.

“Who’s the other guy?” another player wondered aloud.

“He looks familiar… Ah! Isn’t he the new ranker named Kim Gi-Gyu?!” a surviving Cain Guild member exclaimed.

“You mean the one who entered that gate too?” his companion asked. The other players began to chat among themselves.

Then, Choi Chang-Yong finally shook Gi-Gyu’s hand and replied in a rigid tone, “Thank you… for coming.”

Keeping his expression blank, Gi-Gyu bowed and mumbled, “Losing so many members must be burdening.”

Choi Chang-Yong flinched. His face crumpled angrily, but Gi-Gyu continued, “It would be a shame if more died, don’t you agree? Your guild’s future and posterity depend on your judgment, Guild Master Choi Chang-Yong. I’m sure you understand what I’m telling you, Sir.”

Gi-Gyu slowly removed his hand from Choi Chang-Yong’s grasp and walked away. A faint smile appeared on his lips as he into the funeral home.

“Dammit!” Choi Chang-Yong swore without turning to look at Gi-Gyu. The extreme fear he felt was mind-blowing. What he had just said was a warning or perhaps even a threat. He warned Choi Chang-Yong to forget what he had seen inside the gate. If he told anyone about it…

‘Is he threatening to come after me?’ If Choi Chang-Yong spread the information, the demon who had eaten Botis might target him and his Blue Dragon Guild. This realization made him sweat buckets.

Choi Chang-Yong hadn’t been able to sleep since he left the gate. The guilt from losing so many men wasn’t the reason—what he saw inside the gate was. Every night when he rested in his bed, the memory of Gi-Gyu chomping down on monsters filled his head.

One of the visiting players whispered, “So is Kim Gi-Gyu that powerful? Why didn’t Guild Master Choi Chang-Yong say anything just now? He almost seemed scared.”

“What? No way. I’m sure Choi Chang-Yong is just grieving,” his companion replied.

“Maybe something happened inside that gate.”

“Well, obviously! So many Blue Dragon Guild members died inside. It’s clear that Kim Gi-Gyu and the Cain Guild members survived because the Blue Dragon Guild players made all the sacrifices.”

“So why is Kim Gi-Gyu acting all arrogant? He’s crazy.”

Currently, Gi-Gyu and the Cain Guild didn’t have a good reputation. Why? Well, the most famous group that entered the Gangnam Gate was the Blue Dragon Guild group. So, the majority believed Choi Chang-Yong and his guild had closed the gate. And all the very many deaths on their side just proved this theory.

Choi Chang-Yong heard the whispers, but remained quiet with a stiff expression and focused on shaking the mourners’ hands.

***

Lee Bum-Jun and the other Cain Guild members were busy greeting the mourners, so they couldn’t follow Gi-Gyu out.

Instead, Sung-Hoon walked up to him and asked, “Why did you do that?”

“What do you mean?” Gi-Gyu asked in return with a blank face.

Sung-Hoon’s face was tense as he replied, “I’m talking about you provoking Guild Master Choi Chang-Yong.”

Then, Sung-Hoon looked around to ensure no one was eavesdropping. There weren’t many people around them, so he continued, “Of all places… Was it really necessary for you to provoke Guild Master Choi Chang-Yong like that?”

How could Sung-Hoon not be anxious? No matter how he looked at it, what Gi-Gyu had done inside the gate was unusual. While most witnesses had a favorable opinion of Gi-Gyu, the same couldn’t be said about some, including Tao Chen, Choi Chang-Yong, and the Blue Dragon Guild members.

‘If what happened inside that gate becomes public…’ Sung-Hoon shivered at the thought. The entire world was already in turmoil. Gi-Gyu could easily become a public enemy if the wrong information was released.

‘And given Ranker Kim Gi-Gyu’s personality…’ Sung-Hoon wondered, worried that Gi-Gyu wouldn’t take that well. Initially, Gi-Gyu’s focus was entirely on monsters; lately, it had turned toward demons. So, Sung-Hoon feared the future where humanity was the sole enemy of the existence called Kim Gi-Gyu.

Gi-Gyu turned toward Sung-Hoon and asked, “Are you saying this because of what happened inside that gate?”

Gi-Gyu looked calm and uncaring as ever, frustrating Sung-Hoon to no end. Why was he so calm?

Sung-Hoon answered, “Exactly. I’m worried about the details of what happened being leaked…And you have to realize that Guild Master Choi Chang-Yong didn’t get to where he is by luck. I admit that he’s an intolerant and hot-tempered man, but his power and influence can’t be ignored. Making an enemy of him wouldn’t be—”

“That’s exactly why I did it,” Gi-Gyu interrupted Sung-Hoon.

“Pardon?” Sung-Hoon asked in confusion.

Gi-Gyu explained, “I asked him to keep the details a secret. Since it was more of a warning, I was also telling him not to make an enemy of me.”

“What?! Do you really think a verbal warning like that will be enough to scare him? Choi Chang-Yong isn’t the type to listen. In fact, what you did probably angered him more. He will now try his best to bring you down,” Sung-Hoon argued.

Gi-Gyu had done his own research on Choi Chang-Yong. He was well aware of what kind of man the guild master of the Blue Dragon Guild was. When Sung-Hoon protested, his smile widened. Sung-Hoon clenched his teeth, and Gi-Gyu commented, “There is something you overlooked, Sung-Hoon.”

“Pardon?!”

“The power of fear.” Again, Gi-Gyu looked at Sung-Hoon blankly. It was enough to make Sung-Hoon’s hands tremble. He did his best to hide it, but it was useless.

Gi-Gyu continued, “Someone like Choi Chang-Yong can’t be convinced any other way. You can’t make a deal with him either. Fear is the perfect weapon of subjugation against people who value their life and reputation more than anything.”

All Sung-Hoon could do was stare at Gi-Gyu as he added, “But it can’t be just any kind of fear.”

After a short pause, Gi-Gyu whispered, “To subjugate a man like that… Overwhelming fear is the key.”

Gi-Gyu turned and walked away. He needed to spend enough time here to mourn for the dead.

***

Gi-Gyu was aware that Choi Chang-Yong would be a problem. Tao Chen wasn’t the type to publicly badmouth someone, no matter how much he hated that person. But Choi Chang-Yong was different. If Gi-Gyu left him alone, he could become a huge nuisance.

‘And it’s not like I can kill him,’ Gi-Gyu thought, disappointed. Choi Chang-Yong was too well known to be eliminated easily. Moreover, he was a high ranker, so Gi-Gyu couldn’t defeat him effortlessly. Gi-Gyu could kill him with Lou’s help, and probably even with his newfound powers alone, but this didn’t mean he should kill Choi Chang-Yong.

The problem had stumped Gi-Gyu, so Lou decided to give him some advice.

-You did well.

Lou complimented Gi-Gyu. Lou had overwhelmed everyone with fear inside that gate when he possessed Gi-Gyu.

-It doesn’t matter if you’re dealing with a human or another species. If you want true loyalty…

Lou had much experience in this kind of situation, so Gi-Gyu decided to take his advice.

“It didn’t feel bad either,” Gi-Gyu murmured. He felt an odd pleasure from the experience. Putting fear into a man who used to be so high above him was strangely cathartic.

-You’re such a perv.

Gi-Gyu heard Lou’s insult but ignored it. As he ventured deeper into the funeral home, he heard more sobbing.

“My son!” the mothers of the dead players cried out.

“Daddy? Where is daddy? Mom? Why isn’t daddy here?” the children asked.

“My husband… How could this have happened to him?!” the wives wailed.

Voices filled with sorrow and pain were ubiquitous, reminding Gi-Gyu of where he was.

‘That’s right… I’m at the funeral,’ he thought grimly. How could he have forgotten? He didn’t come here to scare Choi Chang-Yong. He came here to console the dead players’ families and say goodbye to those who bravely sacrificed themselves.

Gi-Gyu remained quiet as he frowned. Only frustration and annoyance had filled his head a moment ago; now, he felt sad for the families left behind by the dead players. The gap between these two emotions was so big that he felt scared and confused. He quickly looked around. The chief mourner, Lee Bum-Jun, was busy dealing with other guests, and Sung-Hoon wasn’t around at the moment.

No one was near him when Gi-Gyu suddenly felt like he couldn’t breathe.

“Ugh…” Gi-Gyu gasped, feeling nauseous.

“What’s wrong with me…?” Gi-Gyu mumbled. He felt confused, but the reason was simple. “Why do I feel fine?”

Just a second ago, Gi-Gyu believed he could empathize with the families here. He thought he understood their sadness, but now…

-You figured it out just now? Gosh, you’re such a moron. I can’t believe how slow you are.

Gi-Gyu really believed he was sad. He thought he wanted to console these people.

-You’re a hypocrite.

“Haa… Haa…” Gi-Gyu leaned against the wall and panted. Nausea and headache forced him to gasp for air. Was he capable of sympathy? Empathy? Could he feel sadness at all? Did he have the power to understand how these people felt?

Sung-Hoon must have noticed Gi-Gyu suffering because he came running. Sung-Hoon asked in concern, “R-Ranker Kim Gi-Gyu! Are you all right? What’s wrong?”

Sung-Hoon supported Gi-Gyu, who was sweating profusely. Many curious eyes had turned toward them.

Gi-Gyu managed to reply, “I…I’m all right.”

-Did you really think you could share their sadness? Their pain?

When Lou sniggered, Gi-Gyu replied angrily, ‘Shut up!’ 

Gi-Gyu couldn’t tell why Lou was giving him such a hard time today.

“Ranker Kim Gi-Gyu! Are you sure?! Let’s move to somewhere more private,” Sung-Hoon offered in worry.

Gi-Gyu was about to move with Sung-Hoon’s help when Lou criticized him again,

-You’re a fucking hypocrite! Don’t pretend like you have feelings. Stop acting like you’re a human. There is no need for that anymore.

Suddenly, Gi-Gyu felt like his eye was burning. It was as if Death and Life were mixing again. He could hear Life screaming from inside him.

“Ranker Kim Gi-Gyu?” Sung-Hoon whispered cautiously as Gi-Gyu opened his eyes.

Lou’s calm voice announced.

-Your seal has been undone.

‘Wait… This isn’t Lou’s voice.’ Gi-Gyu realized in surprise. Then who had he been talking to just now?

Tick tock, tick tock.

Suddenly, the hands in Gi-Gyu’s watch, which had stopped, raced. Almost simultaneously, Gi-Gyu’s eyes darkened, and impossibly thin black lines appeared on his eyes. When they connected…

“Ackkk!” Gi-Gyu screamed in pain.

“Call the ambulance! Somebody! Please call the ambulance right now!” Sung-Hoon yelled as Gi-Gyu collapsed to the floor.

***

Dozens of emotions like fury, resentment, sadness, and disappointment had engulfed Gi-Gyu. He couldn't endure the sudden rush of emotion and thus fainted.

By the time he opened his eyes, they had returned to normal. Even though his vision remained blurry, he could still see the familiar face before him.

“El?” Gi-Gyu whispered.

“Master…” El looked down at him with tears in her eyes. He looked around to find himself in a hospital room.

“Are you okay, Master? What happened?” El held his hand and asked in concern. The warmth from her hands felt wonderful, and Gi-Gyu closed his eyes again. He knew why he felt such pain and fainted.

“I”—Gi-Gyu paused—“synced with them.”

It was only for a moment, but Gi-Gyu had synced with everyone in the funeral home.