The Player Who Can't Level Up

“Who said we are going to kill God?” Kronos asked.

Anu’s eyes widened as he gasped, “What?!”

“I never said I was going to kill God,” Kronos claimed. Indeed, Kronos had never once stated that he would kill God. He said he would stab God, and the rest assumed it would kill God.

Kronos explained teasingly, “Our goal shouldn’t be to kill God. It should be to stab him.”

“Is this a joke?!” When Anu screamed angrily.

The tree-bark creature ordered, “Wait, Anu! Please be quiet!”

The tree-bark creature was the group’s wise one, so his order was enough to silence Anu. It was clear the tree-bark creature had figured out what Kronos was trying to do.

“Could it be…” The tree-bark creature asked, “Are you saying the Tower will connect even to God?”

Anu seemed confused by this statement, but Kronos answered, “You’re correct.”

The tree-bark creature seemed speechless.

Kronos showed off his teeth as he explained, “The Tower, I mean the weapon in the shape of a Tower, will stab God just like all the worlds and dimensions. God won’t die, and with his power…”

His ugly grin now in full form, Kronos continued, “We shall put Chaos to sleep. Once we connect to God through the Tower, we can use his power. This will give us the power to protect ourselves.”

The tree-bark creature argued, “If things work according to your plan, perhaps it’s possible. But Anu is right too. Do you truly believe the Tower will have enough strength to impale God?”

“Definitely,” Kronos answered confidently. “Because we will borrow Chaos’ power.”

The tree-bark creature mumbled, “I… can’t understand. Aren’t we trying to connect to God to kill Chaos? Yet you’re saying we’ll borrow Chaos’ power…”

Before the tree-bark creature could finish his thoughts, everything disappeared.

Fwoosh!

[That’s the end of the first memory.]

Gi-Gyu had been watching in awe when the system announced respectfully.

***

His surroundings darkened as he heard the system explain.

[This plan began as a way to protect themselves, so they helped build the Tower per Kronos’ idea. This plan had potential, but many problems followed.]

The system explained points that this piece of memory had failed to give. Gi-Gyu listened carefully as the system continued.

[Just as you heard, connecting to God was a genius idea to defeat Chaos. However, they didn’t actually have the power to stab God. Kronos suggested they borrow Chaos’ strength to accomplish this, but that was a ludicrous idea.]

So Gi-Gyu wasn’t crazy when he thought it was a ridiculous plan. The system added.

[Borrowing Chaos’ power and avoiding the angels’ detection were tasks difficult to accomplish. The angels have always monitored the world closely, so unsurprisingly, many problems arose.]

A short silence fell before the system continued.

[But Kronos had planned for everything. His goal was to build the Tower in the Underground. He wanted to undo the seal that imprisoned Chaos for the Tower to connect to it briefly. This should have given the Tower enough power to impale God. The Tower would obtain God’s power if this were carried out successfully. The rulers would, in turn, get to use God’s power. They were all greedy for power, so they worked quickly to build the Tower.]

Gi-Gyu wondered how they managed to fool the angels. The system quickly gave him the answer.

[Kronos already had a solution to this angel problem.]

One figure popped into Gi-Gyu’s mind.

‘Gabriel.’ When Gi-Gyu thought of this traitor, he suddenly felt like he could hear the system laughing.

[Indeed, Kronos had already won over Gabriel, who had always been discontent with God. In addition, although the other angels failed to spot the remnant of Chaos, Gabriel did. He witnessed the true power of Chaos, and just like the rulers, his greed for power bloomed. This was why he decided to cooperate with Kronos.]

Gi-Gyu slowly gained pieces of the big picture.

Fwoosh!

Suddenly, his surroundings changed again. He was back in the candle-lit hallway.

[Please approach the sixth candle.]

Gi-Gyu wordlessly obeyed. Like the first time, Gi-Gyu was transferred someplace when he touched the candlelight.

***

Something giant was being built. He could tell that this structure was a huge project. It didn’t take long before Gi-Gyu figured out what it was.

‘It’s the Tower.’ 

Countless species, including humans, were working together. It was no ordinary construction site, as the various creatures used their magic to accomplish different tasks. Some were even moving massive stone slabs with one hand.

Gi-Gyu watched in awe. It was an impressive sight, and an overwhelming emotion boiled deep inside him.

Ba dum!

[You will be transferred again.]

With the system announcement, Gi-Gyu was moved to another place. It appeared that he was now inside the Tower that was still under construction.

‘This is…?’ He was inside a giant structure inside another massive construction. Here, nothing seemed to exist; he only saw Kronos standing.

‘Father…’ 

Kronos whispered, “The construction is going according to the plan.”

Gi-Gyu observed, but he couldn’t see anyone other than Kronos. So who was his father talking to?

Suddenly!

“Good. This must be done as quickly as possible,” a familiar voice replied. There wasn’t anybody near Kronos. Still, a voice—a familiar voice—had answered Kronos.

‘Gabriel.’ It was definitely Gabriel’s voice, whom Gi-Gyu had met in the second test.

Kronos asked, “How are things going over there?”

“No one has caught on yet. The angels just think it’s the humans and the other lowly creatures making a fuss,” replied Gabriel.

“Good.”

“But…” Gabriel’s voice became quieter as if he was about to tell a secret. “If Michael finds out the truth, everything will be ruined. We must get it done before she catches on.”

Gabriel seemed afraid. Kronos was having a hard time understanding why Gabriel was so worried. Kronos asked, “Is she that powerful?”

“She is.” Suddenly, Gabriel appeared with his still pure white wings, indicating this happened before he was corrupted. “She’s like the avatar of God. She’s the most powerful angel among us all. She is one of a kind.”

“Then we must plan for it,” Kronos said under his breath.

Gabriel smiled faintly for the first time and replied, “But didn’t you already plan for this?”

“You seem confident, which must mean that things with hell are going well.” Kronos grinned in return.

Gabriel answered, “Of course. Don’t worry. We’re already working on a way to imprison her. She will be one of the many sacrifices that will feed this place. She will be an important part of our plan.”

The two smiled at each other.

Gabriel murmured, “Everything is going according to our plan.”

Then, Gabriel walked away quietly. The sound of his footsteps rang in Gi-Gyu’s ears. He suddenly turned around and asked Kronos, “How is it going with summoning Chaos’ power?”

Kronos lowered his head for a moment and clapped. The ground shook and cracked as if there was an earthquake. It was a scary phenomenon, but Gabriel and Kronos remained calm as if they had expected this. They walked up to the ground where a pit had appeared.

Gabriel murmured, “Is that her?”

“Yes,” Kronos replied calmly.

‘Her?’ Gi-Gyu wondered whom they were talking about. He wanted to get closer to find the answer, but his body refused to move.

The system announced.

[You are not allowed to access this memory.]

It was as if his body was bound by something.

‘A memory that can’t be accessed?’ This had to mean that it held a crucial piece of information. But Gi-Gyu didn’t try to get closer anymore, knowing his effort would be in vain. Instead, he focused on his listening.

Gabriel asked, “How did you manage to push her into this place? I’m curious.”

When Kronos didn’t answer, Gabriel only shrugged and asked, “Well, I guess it’s none of my business. Anyway, all I need to know is that this will work.”

“Her power should be enough. In fact, it’s already…” Kronos opened his palms as if to prove something.

‘What’s that…?’ Gi-Gyu couldn’t tell what Kronos was trying to show, but that didn’t mean it was of no consequence.

Unfortunately, the system announced again.

[This isn’t something that can be shown through the remnants of the memories.]

Something rose from the giant pit slowly.

It was a naked woman encased in a yellow sphere. Gi-Gyu felt nonplussed. He couldn’t see the woman’s face since she was in the fetal position.

Gabriel exclaimed, “Oh… I can definitely feel the power of Chaos already.”

“That’s right. Only she can pull out Chaos’ power, which is trapped in the Underground. But even she can’t control the power,” Kronos explained. When the sphere had returned to its pit, he continued, “All she can do is provide Chaos’ power to the Tower.”

“But it will be enough for us, correct?”

“Yes.” Kronos nodded.

Gabriel slowly opened his wings and replied in satisfaction, “Good. Please keep up the good work.”

Kronos added, “Ah. I hope I can count on you to take care of hell and the angels.”

Gabriel smiled and replied, “Don’t worry about that. Everything is going swimmingly.”

Fwoosh.

Gabriel disappeared with a flash. Kronos waved his hand in the air as if to confirm Gabriel had truly gone.

Alone, Kronos looked down at the crack and whispered, “It will be all over soon.”

It was as if he was talking to the woman in the sphere. “That arrogant angel will perish, and I will make all the other creatures who disregarded humans kneel before me.”

Bloodthirst and madness filled Kronos’ eyes again. “I promise that I will become God. I will rule the world with both God and Chaos’ power.”

He crouched closer to the crack and reached out. His sadness was palpable as he whispered, “Until then… Please bear with me, Gaia.”

Kronos stood up and turned around.

Fwoosh.

Gi-Gyu was transferred to another place again.