The Player Who Can't Level Up

Belphegor’s roar created a giant explosion, and Gi-Gyu crashed into him. Thousands of swords fell from the sky, and Belphegor moved his giant body nimbly as he swung his mace. It wasn’t an easy battle for even Belphegor, who had once ruled hell.

The fight continued for a week between Gi-Gyu in Lou’s dying body and Belphegor in his prime.

***

“Die! Die! Die!” Belphegor screamed. His Olympian body was no more. Instead, after losing so much flesh, his once giant frame was now drenched in blood and looked meager.

-This is obviously not the real Belphegor. I guess it’s just an aggregate of data after all.

Lou’s comment made Gi-Gyu shiver.

-He can’t even use half of his full power well. This one is a total fake.

‘Seriously?’ Gi-Gyu thought in shock. Even now, he could barely dodge Belphegor’s attacks while swinging his summoned sword. Gi-Gyu used dozens of skills simultaneously, creating incredible explosions, but…

“Ackkkkk!” Belphegor’s single roar was enough to neutralize every one of them.

-Dodge to your right. He might be a fake, but he’s still pretty strong. I guess he’s a good sparring match for you. Just keep going. Survive… Endure…

Lou’s bitter voice spurred Gi-Gyu on.

-Kill him.

“Ackkkk!” Belphegor screamed again as he threw his mace. Knowing its trajectory, Gi-Gyu dodged it easily. He was in the air but maneuvered around as if he could fly. Gi-Gyu gathered the last of his strength for Death. He had drained most of Death when he had demolished the large herd of the enemy foot soldiers. Unfortunately, Gi-Gyu wasn’t a master of Death like Lou was, which meant…

‘This is going to be my last attack.’ Gi-Gyu was ready to use whatever was left of him. He was exhausted, but he wasn’t panicking. Regardless of this battle’s outcome, he would have accomplished the test goal, which was his death.

So…

“At least I should get Lou his revenge,” Gi-Gyu mumbled as he wiped the blood from his mouth.

Lou muttered,

-Moron.

Gi-Gyu grinned, sensing no displeasure in Lou’s voice.

“Death.” When Gi-Gyu whispered, the evil sword in his hand began emanating the all too familiar black energy.

“Ackkkkk! Die! Die, King!” Belphegor shrieked. Earlier, he didn’t believe Gi-Gyu was King, but now, he seemed to have changed his mind. After all, only the King could be this powerful.

Boom.

Another explosion occurred. It was smaller than all the other blasts, and its result differed from theirs. The world turned burgundy, and…

The battle finally took its last breath.

***

Belphegor’s tattered corpse fell to the ground with a loud thud.

“Haa… Haa…” Gi-Gyu panted, feeling the fatigue engulfing him. He hadn’t utilized Lou’s full strength or even his powers fully, as using Death, the evil sword, and the black spells alone left him dog-tired.

-It makes sense since these abilities require more of your mental power than your physical one.

Lou sounded tired too. He never stopped advising Gi-Gyu during the battle. And finally, the duo achieved victory.

“Did it work out the way you wanted this time?” When Gi-Gyu asked, Lou replied offhandedly.

-Well… Sorta.

“I can’t even stand anymore… I’m done,” Gi-Gyu groaned before collapsing. He couldn’t feel his legs anymore, his arms didn’t feel like his own, and he couldn’t even wiggle. That was how tired he was.

-I guess this is the end of the line for you.

“What?” Gi-Gyu asked in a weary voice.

-I’m talking about the original record of what happened. This place was created using the data stored in the Tower, my remnants left inside your shell, and the fragments of my past that remain in this world.

“Ah.” Gi-Gyu quickly understood what Lou was trying to explain. “You mean this isn’t really your past.”

-Exactly. This isn’t what really happened. It’s not at all like how things played out.

Gi-Gyu remained quiet. What Lou was saying was simple. What had just played out wasn’t the truth; it was an illusion based on Lou’s memories.

“So what happened?” asked Gi-Gyu as he turned toward Belphegor’s corpse. He had successfully killed Belphegor, but he guessed that Lou wasn’t as successful.

Gi-Gyu didn’t have much time, as he wouldn’t last long in his current condition. After experiencing death, he would pass the test.

-The six kings ambushed me. They called themselves kings, but I was the only true monarch.

Lou explained.

-Under normal circumstances, they couldn’t have defeated me even with the ambush. But…

“But?”

-One of the Tower rulers helped them.

‘The Tower rulers?!’ Gi-Gyu tried to memorize everything Lou was telling him.

-I was fatally attacked, so I ran. I swore to recover and get my revenge.

Gi-Gyu’s breathing was slowing down. Resting on the floor, he focused only on listening to Lou.

-But Belphegor, who only suffered a minor injury, led his army to chase after me. Ultimately, I faced his army in these Badlands in my worst condition.

Gi-Gyu wondered, ‘Did he die?’

-What are you talking about? I destroyed them, of course.

“...?”

-Belphegor was almost at death's door too. He was the weakest of the six kings, which was why he didn’t even fully participate in the six kings’ ambush. Moreover, he couldn’t even scratch me.

“That’s the weakest of the six kings?!” Gi-Gyu gasped. Belphegor had proved himself a formidable enemy to Gi-Gyu. After all, it took Gi-Gyu in Lou’s body a whole week to kill him.

Yet Lou was saying Belphegor was the weakest of all the kings of hell. On top of it, Lou had claimed that this Balphegor wasn’t even fighting at full strength.

So, how strong was Belphegor in real life?

“Hahaha…” Gi-Gyu couldn’t help laughing. It took everything he had to kill Belphegor. During the week of their battle, Gi-Gyu had almost died countless times. And that was when he faced the weakest of the six kings.

-I had almost destroyed Belphegor, but someone joined the battle, and everything went to shit then.

Gi-Gyu waited for Lou to finish.

-It was the Tower ruler who had attacked me before—

[You have experienced death.]

[You have passed the test.]

[You will be transferred to another place.]

[You will be given a reward.]

Gi-Gyu felt a burst of energy inside him. Before he lost consciousness, he whispered, “So your name was Lucifer.”

-It’s only a forgotten name. No big deal.

Gi-Gyu laughed.

***

[Lou’s memories have been collected.]

As Gi-Gyu regained consciousness, he heard the system announcement. More came as his mind became clearer.

[You have acquired Lou’s data.]

[You have acquired the remaining piece of Lou’s physical body.]

[There is data left inside Lou’s physical body.]

[You have completed the hidden mission by destroying Belphegor.]

[You will be given a reward.]

[You have obtained Belphegor’s mace.]

[A short rest will be provided.]

[The next test will be held off until the player is ready.]

Gi-Gyu digested the system announcement slowly. After the long battle, he now felt peaceful, and the suffocating pain was also gone now.

“Haa…” Gi-Gyu exhaled deeply. It wasn’t a sigh but an act of expelling magic. Since his magic reserves were being filled quickly, magic wafted out of his mouth when he exhaled.

“So I guess”—Gi-Gyu opened his lips—“the real goal wasn’t for me to die after all.”

The goal of the first test was to experience death. But, Gi-Gyu didn’t actually die at the end of the test.

“I think the death the system was referring to was…” Gi-Gyu trailed off, realizing the system was talking about Lou’s Death skill. In simple terms, the test wanted Gi-Gyu to experience the true extent of Death. And it appeared that killing Belphegor was a hidden mission.

Gi-Gyu heard his Egos’ voices.

-...?

-Master?

-Master?

“Huh? I can hear El’s and Brunheart’s voices here now,” Gi-Gyu murmured in surprise. During the first battle, he couldn’t connect to any of his Egos other than Lou. But here, it appeared that this restriction was lifted.

“By the way, why do you guys all sound different now?” asked Gi-Gyu. The way his Egos called for him sounded unfamiliar.

-When…

Lou muttered,

-Did you become so smart?

“Huh?”

-Normally, you wouldn’t have noticed something like this because you’re stupid. So we were about to explain it to you.

“What?” Gi-Gyu sounded offended.

-Hmm…

After a brief silence, Lou continued,

-I wonder if it’s because you obtained the data from my physical body. Maybe this change is from that?

Gi-Gyu was annoyed by what Lou was suggesting. But he had to agree that it was partly true, as he could feel the definite change inside him. His brain was working faster, and his thoughts felt much more organized.

“For now…” Gi-Gyu considered his situation before announcing, “I think I need to go over everything I obtained before proceeding to the next test. You never know how these new things might help me in the other tests.”

Lou, El, and Brunheart all seemed impressed.

-...

-...

-Master…

Lou muttered,

-It’s official. You have gotten smarter.

***

[You will be transferred to a waiting area.]

Gi-Gyu found himself in a space where he was surrounded by whiteness. When he needed time to prepare for the next test, he was transferred to this system-created place. Since this place had no floor, he had to take a step forward on air. Gi-Gyu murmured, “So it’s true that the 50th-floor test is special.”

The first part of the test lasted a week, but it now felt like it took only a minute.

‘Lou,’ Gi-Gyu thought of his Ego. The first test was experiencing the battle Lou had experienced when betrayed. Now, there were two more parts to the 50th-floor test left. He remembered the two other cards representing El and himself.

“Hmm…” Gi-Gyu was ready to examine his rewards from the first part of the test. Thankfully, he could move around in the waiting area freely enough. He couldn’t open Brunheart’s gate to enter as he pleased, but he could take out or store his items inside it.

Gi-Gyu asked, “Can I get the reward from the first test right now?”

As if to answer his question, the system announced.

[Belphegor’s mace will be awarded.]

Thud!

Then, something giant abruptly fell right in front of Gi-Gyu.