The Player Who Can't Level Up

Choi Chang-Yong gulped audibly and turned to look at the two guild masters of the Morningstar-Child Guild.

‘Was our plan leaked to the Iron Guild?’ Choi Chang-Yong wondered nervously. Or was Rohan here to monitor them since they were acquainted with Kim Gi-Gyu?

Choi Chang-Yong’s mind raced. What they were about to do could be seen as a betrayal by the Iron Guild and the Caravan Guild.

‘The public, the Iron Guild, and the Caravan Guild already think Kim Gi-Gyu has betrayed humanity. If they believe we’re with him, they will see us as enemies too.’

This was definitely a possibility. Therefore, Choi Chang-Yong couldn’t let Rohan learn the truth and endanger his real plan.

Rohan looked at the three guild masters and asked, “Did you guys have a nice chat?”

Choi Chang-Yong was so nervous that he couldn’t even speak.

Kim Sun-Pil answered for him, “Yes. We’re just having a meeting before we begin our expedition.”

Rohan smiled and offered, “If you need anything for getting into the Bukhan River region, please let me know.”

“Thank you for your thoughtfulness,” Kim Sun-Pil thanked him with a tired face.

The mundane conversation continued, and Choi Chang-Yong soon joined in too.

‘Does he know? Or is he just suspicious?’ Choi Chang-Yong studied Rohan carefully. He felt like he couldn’t breathe, and he was furious about it. He was a high-ranker who feared nothing and no one. But now, he was a nervous wreck. He actually feared angering another player; it was nothing like his ordinary self.

‘This is all because of that stupid Kim Gi-Gyu. That twerp ruined my life. Nothing but bad luck has come my way since I met him,’ Choi Chang-Yong thought in resentment.

Noticing Choi Chang-Yong's troubled look, Rohan asked, “Guild Master Choi Chang-Yong? Are you okay?”

“I-I’m fine. I’m just getting ready for the battle,” Choi Chang-Yong stammered. Glancing at Rohan, Choi Chang-Yong asked, “Anyway, is that all? Are we done now?”

“No, I’m afraid not,” Rohan blurted as if he had been waiting for someone to ask him this question.

Tension filled the air again. Choi Chang-Yong, Kim Dong-Hae, and Kim Sun-Pil exchanged nervous glances with each other.

Choi Chang-Yong was surprised to find that the other two guild masters weren’t as nervous as him. These were younger and less experienced players, so their anxiousness should’ve been through the roof, but it actually felt like they were feigning nervousness.

‘Could it be…?’ Choi Chang-Yong had a bad feeling about this.

Suddenly, Rohan announced, “You’ll be getting additional reinforcement.”

“W-what?!” Choi Chang-Yong exclaimed.

Rohan firmly replied, “An armed team from the Iron Guild will accompany you.”

Choi Chang-Yong became quiet. He wondered, ‘Why?’

Why was the Iron Guild suddenly sending a team of their own?

Noticing Choi Chang-Yong’s confusion, Rohan asked, “Guild Master Choi Chang-Yong? Did you hear me?”

“Okay,” Choi Chang-Yong muttered. He had no choice but to agree to this change.

***

“Sir, Brunheart has been very quiet lately,” Gi-Gyu asked Old Man Hwang. He knew that his enemies were planning to attack Eden and suspected the fight wasn’t too far away. But, Gi-Gyu wasn’t worried about it, as something else had been troubling him.

Lou, who was in his child form and was wearing a sleeping mask, muttered, “Isn’t that annoying twit being quiet a good thing?”

Lou had been spending his days resting comfortably ever since the contaminant was removed thanks to Jupiter. Also, he was now back to his mean self.

“Lou. Brunheart is our family too. Please don’t forget that,” El spoke sternly.

“E-El?” Gi-Gyu’s voice trembled as he called out to her. It was because El had begun massaging his shoulders from behind.

“Yes, Master?” Unlike when she had been scolding Lou, El looked down at Gi-Gyu with a beautiful smile.

Gi-Gyu stammered, “Y-you don’t have to massage my shoulders. I’m fine…”

“But I’m not fine, Master. I know that humans get knots in their shoulders when they are tired. It is my job to help with your fatigue, so please do not stop me.”

“O-okay.” In the end, Gi-Gyu had no choice but to let El massage his shoulders.

Old Man Hwang, who was examining Lou, commented playfully, “I can see the romance blooming.”

All in all, the atmosphere in the room was peaceful and relaxed.

Old Man Hwang rose and turned toward Gi-Gyu. He asked, “You were saying that Brun isn’t speaking?”

Brunheart was created by Old Man Hwang. Of all his old creations, she was the closest to being a real Ego. This had to be why Old Man Hwang became concerned.

“Could I have a look at Brun?”

The way Old Man Hwang used Brunheart’s nickname sounded awkward, but Gi-Gyu didn’t say anything. Instead, he nodded and handed the elderly man the necklace.

Gi-Gyu explained, “Even when I talk to her, she doesn’t reply. But her stat screen looks perfectly fine.”

This change in Brunheart began after Gi-Gyu became an Ego Master. Brunheart spoke less and less after Gi-Gyu’s secondary job change, and she stopped talking altogether when…

“I proclaimed this place my landmark, and she stopped talking completely.”

“Hmm…” Old Man Hwang exhaled deeply as he studied the necklace. He asked, “May I keep her with me for a while?”

After a moment of contemplation, Gi-Gyu nodded. Brunheart’s power heavily relied on this gate. She could also transform into a piece of armor to provide incredible defensive capability and employ a skill named Reflect. Brunheart was an important asset, but Gi-Gyu wasn’t in need of her at the moment. Besides, Brunheart’s well-being was much more important.

“It won’t take long,” Old Man Hwang reassured him.

Gi-Gyu had never mentioned it, but along with Lou and El, Brunheart was also one of his most treasured Egos.

“Please take good care of her, Sir.”

“I always do my best. It would have been better if Min-Su was here, but at least Chae-Il is with me,” replied Old Man Hwang.

Gi-Gyu felt even more curious about Min-Su. Just how skilled was this boy that Old Man Hwang said something like this so often? Based on all the things the elderly blacksmith had said, it seemed like Min-Su was a better craftsman than Hwang Chae-Il and Old Man Hwang put together.

Would a question like this hurt the elderly man’s pride? Unsure, Gi-Gyu didn’t bother asking. Instead, he said, “By the way, how are the prisoners? Have they all been questioned?”

He was referring to the Caravan Guild players they had captured in the secret branch fight.

“I’m not done with them yet.” Old Man Hwang touched Brunherat and explained emotionlessly, “I’ll start questioning them after they’ve been working on the canal for a while. A promise of a full stomach and a roof above their head should get them talking. After all, starvation and hard labor can work wonders.”

Nonplussed, Gi-Gyu just shrugged, as he trusted Old Man Hwang to do a good job. He knew Botis and Hart would also participate in questioning, so he wasn’t worried.

Beep!

Suddenly, an alarm went off. Everyone’s eyes turned toward Gi-Gyu.

Gi-Gyu smiled and announced, “So it begins.”

Nothing was wrong with the gate. This was just a simple way for the gate to alert Gi-Gyu that an intruder had been detected.

***

The sudden addition to his team was unwelcome. Choi Chang-Yong turned to see his guild’s players and those from the Morningstar-Child Guild. These were all the people he wanted with him.

But…

‘Damn those Iron Guild players.’ Choi Chang-Yong looked at the Iron Guild players, who were giving off sharp energy.

‘Calm down, Choi Chang-Yong!’ he told himself. He could die on this expedition, so it was not a good thing to worry about every little thing.

But still…

‘Are they here to spy on us?’ he wondered. Choi Chang-Yong couldn’t help feeling anxious. Was the Iron Guild trying to stop them from making contact with Kim Gi-Gyu? Or did the Iron Guild want to convince Kim Gi-Gyu that Choi Chang-Yong was his enemy?

Whatever the Iron Guild was trying to do…

‘I’m doomed.’ Choi Chang-Yong felt trapped. Sweat droplets flooded his forehead as he whispered, “It’s not like I’ve lived an ethical life anyway…”

His head cleared, and he soon found a solution to his situation. He didn’t reach where he was by worrying about his reputation or others’ acknowledgment. Only after he became a guild master did he start worrying about such inconsequential stuff.

Now, it was time to become free of it all. All the useless things like reputation would hold no meaning if he was dead.

‘I gotta focus on surviving!’ Choi Chang-Yong knew he needed to keep his priorities straight.

Kim Sun-Pil of the Morningstar-Child Guild walked up to him and whispered, “Guild Master Choi Chang-Yong.”

It appeared that the team was ready to proceed. They were all waiting for Choi Chang-Yong to say the word, and then they would enter this unknown land.

Gulp.

Step.

Choi Chang-Yong swallowed loudly again and took a step forward.

Just then, one of the players from the patrol team yelled, “We found some survivors!”

He hurried toward Choi Chang-Yong and reported, “They said that Kim Gi-Gyu is inside this gate! They confirmed that Kim Gi-Gyu is behind all of this!”

The Bukhan River area citizens had disappeared when the neighborhood became a gate. It appeared that these non-players had survived whatever was inside.

The leader of the Iron Guild’s team suggested, “Guild Master Choi Chang-Yong, I think it would be best if we hear the survivors’ stories before entering.”

There were survivors who could tell them much about what was inside the gate. This would no doubt give them a better chance of survival.

But…

Choi Chang-Yong grinned. Ever since he saw Kim Gi-Gyu turning into a demon, his heart had been heavy. But suddenly, he felt like he could see things clearly now.

“We’re going in right now!” Choi Chang-Yong ordered.

“Pardon?”

“Whoever wants to stay behind can do so. Those who want to go, follow me!” Choi Chang-Yong began running.

Whir.

Choi Chang-Yong entered the gate that was glowing red. The players left behind looked around nervously for a while, but…

“Let’s go!” one of the players yelled, and the rest followed inside. Only a few survivors had left the gate, but Choi Chang-Yong took this as a sign. He saw this as a green light from Kim Gi-Gyu.

***

“You fucking tankers! Go protect the healers!” Choi Chang-Yong screamed, but no one complained about it. In fact, no one had the time to complain.

Kaboom!

All the players were too busy blocking the arrow showers, drowning them. Following Choi Chang-Yong’s commands, the players moved like machines.

“You stupid Iron Guild players! Do you think this is a joke? Go forward! I thought you guys were the best?! Ha! I can’t believe you call yourselves the best guild in the world! You’re shaming your guild master right now!” Choi Chang-Yong screamed mercilessly. His leadership skill was shining through. Was he embarrassed about his performance in the Gangnam Gate?

Choi Chang-Yong used both Korean and English to lead the players. It was no wonder he was a famed high ranker because his leadership was impeccable.

Boom!

More explosions occurred all around them.

“Fuck! What kind of arrows explode like that?!” Choi Chang-Yong shouted in frustration. The first monsters they faced when they entered the Bukhan River were the skeleton soldiers.

They looked very familiar to Choi Chang-Yong. He had no doubt that these were Gi-Gyu’s summoned beings.

But…

‘Has he really become a beast?’ Choi Chang-Yong wondered silently. Firstly, the skeletons were unusually powerful. It was hard to believe that some skeleton soldiers were as strong as C-Class gate gatekeepers. They still looked like skeletons, low-level monsters, but they were so much more.

Also, the weapons these skeletons carried were no less amazing.

“How are their weapons better than our items? We are from the top ten guilds, for god’s sake!” Choi Chang-Yong screamed. He was beginning to feel desperate as the battle continued.

“Dammit!” Choi Chang-Yong wondered if it were a red light and not green.

Favorite