The Player Who Can't Level Up

“Haures…” Gi-Gyu looked at his left shoulder and mumbled. New information popped into his head from Lou’s data regarding this name.

Lou simultaneously provided further explanation.

-He held an inconsequential Seat of Power, but he’s still incredibly skilled. You can’t underestimate him.

Gi-Gyu looked at the open wound on his shoulder. It was a terrible injury, but that shouldn’t have caused so much pain. What was the reason?

-Poison.

Gi-Gyu became quiet as calmness entered his eyes.

-All of his abilities are related to hunting. Be careful. This space is built to his advantage. You may be powerful, but…

Gi-Gyu began moving again.

Whack!

Milliseconds later, something gouged the ground near him again.

-You can still die.

Then, Lou became quiet as if he had no intention of helping Gi-Gyu. But this didn’t bother Gi-Gyu.

“Perfect.” This was exactly what Gi-Gyu wanted.

***

Whack, whack, whack, whack!

Gi-Gyu was just one step ahead of the loud blasts following him.

‘It’s Haures’ spear.’ 

Haures’ special skill lets him escape the detection of people with strong senses like Gi-Gyu.

“Foresight is useless in this case,” Gi-Gyu grumbled. Foresight, usually, let him predict his enemy’s moves; in this case, it wasn’t working because of Haures’ special ability.

‘My senses are completely useless against him. It’s like he doesn’t exist,’ Gi-Gyu thought in awe. It was as if Haures’ spear only appeared in this world when it had to attack. Gi-Gyu found it hard to believe that a low-level Seat of Power holder possessed such an unimaginable skill.

-It’s because Haures is crazy about hunting.

Lou continued, sounding like he was enjoying this situation,

-He never made an effort to obtain a higher Seat of Power. All he cared about was hunting. The sole reason he even gained a seat was that one of his prey was also a seat holder.

So it was clear Haures was one crazy bastard.

-If you don’t think you can handle him, you can use one of your new skills. I can tell you that Haures is just as mad as Andras.

It appeared that Lou wanted Gi-Gyu to get the rest of the information from his data because he stopped talking. Most likely, Lou wanted Gi-Gyu to improvise as he battled this unusual opponent.

“I don’t need to use a skill. I’ll be fine.” Gi-Gyu jumped high up in the air; immediately after, the ground below was gouged badly.

Whack, whack, whack, whack!

Haures’ spear tirelessly targeted Gi-Gyu. He tried to block them with his hands, but they went right through his palms.

-If you keep doing that, you’ll die. Haures’ poison is…

“Shut up!” Gi-Gyu interrupted Lou and turned around. The sharp pain from his hands and shoulder was killing him. “Dammit,” he swore angrily. Was there no way out of this battle? No matter how hard he thought, he couldn’t come up with an answer.

Gi-Gyu tried and tried again to sense out Haures or even just his spear, but every attempt ended in utter failure.

“This really feels like I’m being hunted.” Gi-Gyu frowned unhappily. He had thought that he would never be this helpless again, but it seemed that he was at his physical limit again.

‘Of course, it would be a different story if I used my skills,’ Gi-Gyu contemplated. At the moment, he wasn’t using any of his skills, just his basic physical attributes. Was he being too arrogant?

Lou had explained that Haures was as mad as Andras. He was supposedly a genius hunter and a demon holding a Seat of Power.

“But I must do this,” Gi-Gyu mumbled, now on a giant tree branch. Indeed, he needed to be tough on himself. He would never get better if he only chose the easiest way every time. Well, he would, but it would take much longer.

And that wasn’t an option, as Gi-Gyu had no time. There was a chance he might have to face Ha Song-Su soon. Of course, getting injured right now might also damage his chance against Ha Song-Su too, but…

“I need to become stronger!” Gi-Gyu screamed and punched for the first time.

***

The magic inside him began to condense. The huge energy storm inside his shell began expanding, obeying Gi-Gyu’s order. It traveled to his right arm and fist, and since his arm couldn’t hold all that magic, it bulged. He persisted through the mind-numbing pain and continued to pump magic into his arm.

Boom!

Something had abruptly shot a magic beam.

-C-crazy bastard!

Lou yelled in shock.

But, Gi-Gyu had no energy to reply because he was panting heavily. “Haa… Haa…”

Moving this much magic into his arm was no easy task; thanks to that, he had just punched something with a third of his magic. The sound it made was quieter than expected, but the destructive power was incredible.

-You’re a beast… I can’t believe this!

Lou seemed very impressed.

Gi-Gyu’s magic shot was astounding. The shot traversed like a juggernaut, crushing and annihilating everything that stood in its path.

Everything was gone: the tall trees, the luscious bushes, and the sticky ground.

“I feel like I’m gonna die,” Gi-Gyu groaned. He couldn’t move his right arm, and the toxins from Haures’ spear had rendered his left arm equally useless. He quickly shook his head and focused his senses to detect his enemy.

“Dammit.” Unfortunately, he couldn't feel anything.

“Did it fail?” If Haures were in the magic shot’s line of sight, he would’ve died instantly. Every cell in his body would've disintegrated, leaving not even his ashes behind. Was this why Gi-Gyu couldn’t feel him?

He couldn’t tell. All he knew, for now, was that his right arm hurt, hurt like someone had ripped it off. Also, the poison spreading in his left arm had made it numb. Still, Gi-Gyu continued to look around and stayed focused.

“I don’t know what to do,” Gi-Gyu whispered, uneasy because he couldn’t even tell if he had succeeded. If Haures were alive, Gi-Gyu wouldn’t see him. If Haures were dead, Gi-Gyu still wouldn’t see him. This meant that all he could do was wait.

If Gi-Gyu were attacked again, it would prove that Haures was still alive. And if he waited and waited and nothing happened, it would mean that Haures was dead.

The tense silence continued. Gi-Gyu panted in pain inside the now-ruined forest, waiting endlessly to be attacked.

Suddenly, he swore, “Dammit.”

Gi-Gyu jumped and rolled awkwardly because he couldn’t use his arms.

Whack.

Something struck the ground he was standing on a moment ago. It had to be Haures’ spear.

“Dammit!” Gi-Gyu swore again, realizing he had failed. His enemy was still alive, but he could tell that something was wrong with Haures. The fact that he could evade the spear proved this.

‘I can feel it,’ Gi-Gyu thought in relief. It was very faint, but he could sense Haures’ spear now. The problem was that he couldn’t use his arms.

“Fuck!” He could only roll around like a turtle now. If Haures’ spear attacked him in quick succession again…

‘That will be the end of me.’

Gi-Gyu tried to move his arms. He was certain that Haures was injured as well. After all, Haures wasn’t attacking him in full force even though he was in a vulnerable position.

Gi-Gyu was on the ground with dirt on his face when an unfamiliar voice spoke, “Crazy bastard…”

***

“Haa… Haa…” Sung-Hoon panted and whispered, “We won…”

He could barely speak at the moment, but he still kept an eye out for danger.

A Grigory member asked, “Are you sure we won…?”

“Yes.”

Sung-Hoon was certain that they were the winners. It was true that some Grigories were severely injured, but none of them had died.

And…

“We were able to restrain all of them,” one Grigory with light injuries reported. They didn’t kill the enemy players because Gi-Gyu wanted them alive. Gi-Gyu believed that these players could still be rehabilitated.

But, of course, if things didn’t work out, these Caravan Guild members were expendable. However, Sung-Hoon wanted to keep them alive if at all possible. Gi-Gyu had also offered to lend his creatures like Botis and his gate, but Sung-Hoon had refused.

‘The Grigories already felt like failures…’ 

After both Oh Tae-Shik and Oh Tae-Gu had been defeated, the Grigory, the ultimate secret army, was no more. They were still alive, but it wasn’t the same. This group's sole purpose was to fight for Oh Tae-Shik and Oh Tae-Gu, trained only and only in combat. Until recently, the Grigory had only known victory. However, after they had tasted their first defeat—a crushing one at that—a void formed in the group.

But after this battle, the secret army was back. They had faced over a hundred rankers but restrained them all without killing one. And they didn’t suffer a single casualty.

This was what victory was like.

“Haha…” Sung-Hoon laughed.

“Hahaha.”

“Hahahahaha!”

The Grigories laughed with him. After that dark day, this was their first victory. Moreover, they had won without Tae-Shik or Tae-Gu’s help. They used to see themselves as losers; now, they felt like they could go forward.

Sung-Hoon laughed even louder, “Hahahahahaha!”

Before, the Grigory was a group that only followed orders; now, they had become something more.

Sung-Hoon looked at his fellow players, feeling pride and relief.

The goddess flew toward them and asked, “Are you finished?”

“Ah! Yes, El.” Sung-Hoon replied with a bow.

“Our master would have gladly helped you had you asked. I’m impressed that you did all this on your own.” El always treated everyone coldly except for Gi-Gyu, but her tone suggested that she now held great respect for Sung-Hoon.

Sung-Hoon answered, “It wasn’t necessary. We only did what we had to.”

When El noticed Sung-Hoon’s determination, she smiled at him. She walked up to him and touched his chest, making him blush.

Fwoosh.

To Sung-Hoon’s surprise, his exhausted and injured body recovered perfectly.

El smiled again and explained, “My gift to a determined young man.”

Sung-Hoon bowed and thanked her, “Thank you.”

El, Hamiel, and the other angels obeyed Gi-Gyu’s order flawlessly. When the battle began, they had gathered the non-players nearby and placed a barrier around them. The angels had ensured everyone’s safety.

Because this process didn’t take much time, El had returned and offered Sung-Hoon help during the battle. But, Sung-Hoon and the Grigories respectfully refused.

Turning toward the boiling lava that used to be the Bukhan River, Sung-Hoon said, “Do you think Ranker Kim Gi-Gyu is doing okay?”

No one knew what had happened to Gi-Gyu yet.

Still, El confidently replied, “Don’t worry. You’re at least tens of thousands of years too young to worry about our master.”

Sung-Hoon smiled and answered, “We humans can’t live tens of thousands of years, El. We’ll die way before then.”

Sung-Hoon turned toward the Bukhan River again. He knew El was right; he did not need to worry for Gi-Gyu.

After all…

‘He’s like a god.’ 

Kim Gi-Gyu was a man who accomplished miracles wherever he went. Well, at least this was how Sung-Hoon saw Gi-Gyu.

***

“I didn’t expect you to have that much power left in you,” Haures announced as he appeared in front of Gi-Gyu. “Well, I’m certainly glad…”

Gi-Gyu barely managed to look up at his enemy. Haures looked nothing like the guy in Lou’s data.

‘He is probably wearing some poor player’s body,’ Gi-Gyu thought in disgust. Helping demons squat in human bodies had been Andras’ plan all along. Haures had to be one of those who were successful in doing this.

This also explained how Haures could use so much of his power on Earth. After all, Haures—in his demon body—couldn’t have used much of his strength here.

Gi-Gyu spotted the long tear on Haures’ waist. It looked like he had barely escaped Gi-Gyu’s attack.

“I suddenly felt a flow of enormous energy, so I moved as quickly as possible. I would’ve died had I not. Dammit! I can’t believe the amount of power you wield. I can understand why Andras is looking for you,” Haures muttered as he approached Gi-Gyu.

Gi-Gyu tried his best to move, but it was impossible, as the poison spread fast.

“It was a great hunt today… It has been a long time since I had this much fun. Kekeke…” Haures continued to get closer. He slowly grabbed the spear on his back. The spear was turning transparent when…

“Sa…” Gi-Gyu mumbled something.

Haures seemed curious, but he quickly shook his head and announced, “The game is over, my prey.”

Haures was about to stab Gi-Gyu’s back with his spear when Gi-Gyu mumbled again, “Sakura…”

“Sakura…?” Haures paused. His face filled with curiosity, and he asked, “What are you trying to say? Sakura? Do you mean cherry blossoms? Based on the memories of this human body, they mean cherry blossoms, am I right?”

Haures seemed to want to know what Gi-Gyu was trying to say, but he never removed the spear hanging above Gi-Gyu’s back.

Suddenly, Gi-Gyu grinned.

“...!”

“It’s too late, Haures,” Gi-Gyu declared.

Realizing something was wrong, Haures tried to stab Gi-Gyu, but Gi-Gyu was no longer on the ground in front of him.

Gi-Gyu’s voice came from behind. “That was all a lie, sucker. The hunt will begin now.”

Haures shivered in fear when he heard Gi-Gyu, who suggested, “You can try running.”

Haures tried to attack, but his body refused to obey. He seemed paralyzed.

Paralyzed from fear.

Gi-Gyu whispered, “You’re the prey in this game, moron.”

gomi's Thoughts

Gomi: Those spears went right through? Wouldn't that basically mutilate Gi-Gyu's hands?