The Player Who Can't Level Up

The young woman stood elegantly on top of the altar and pushed back her hair with one hand.

Her hand trembling, Lim Hye-Sook tried to reach out to her and whispered, “Yoo-Bin…” She found her eyesight blurring. She was collapsing because her body couldn’t take all the abuse she had suffered.

“Yoo-Bin!” Lim Hye-Sook used the last of her strength to scream.

In response, Yoo-Bin just apathetically looked down at Lim Hye-Sook.

The player in the black robe ordering the others around yelled in excitement, “It’s too late now! The ritual is complete! That woman you came here to rescue is no longer here!”

The player then turned toward Shin Yoo-Bin in awe. He begged, “My King! I brought you this shell! You’re our salvation…!”

The player, a fanatic, was clearly captivated by Shin Yoo-Bin. His shouts shook the entire space, and Shin Yoo-Bin turned away from Lim Hye-Sook to look at the man.

“Salvation?” The voice was a mix of Yoo-Bin’s voice and a child’s babbling.

With a pretty smile, Shin Yoo-Bin added, “Sure, I’ll save you.”

Yoo-Bin raised her hand toward the player.

Suddenly, the player began to dry up, turning into a mummy in seconds. He groaned, “Ahhh…!”

***

Gi-Gyu couldn’t hide his shock. He whispered, “I can’t believe Bi actually did it…”

Bi was gasping for breath, and the three-headed Naberius was on the ground before it, barely moving. Two of its three heads were gone by now, and the last one was breathing its last breath.

It was clear the battle was ending. Bi had almost won, but Gi-Gyu knew now wasn’t the time to let his guard down. Both Bi and Naberius had reached their limits. Because Bi had awakened Death, Naberius could no longer regenerate or heal its wounds. But Bi wasn’t doing much better either. Using Death and the injuries caused by Naberius were taking a toll on him.

-It’s going to be over very soon.

Lou commented.

Gi-Gyu agreed. This fight would end soon, whomever the winner may be.

Concern appeared in Gi-Gyu’s eyes. He felt uncomfortable about something.

Lou asked.

-Are you worried about Lim Hye-Sook?

Gi-Gyu didn’t reply, which meant that Lou’s guess was correct. After a brief silence, he whispered, “I’m just wondering if staying here was really the right decision. I know she said not to follow her, but…”

-This was her choice. This was what she wanted.

They had agreed on their parts previously. Gi-Gyu had to deal with Naberius, and Lim Hye-Sook had to search for Yoo-Bin. However, Bi’s involvement changed the situation. Bi wanted to kill Naberius alone, but Gi-Gyu knew the right thing was to quickly kill it and join Lim Hye-Sook. Or, at the very least, leave Naberius to Bi and join Lim Hye-Sook.

But, Gi-Gyu did neither.

Before they had arrived here, Lim Hye-Sook insisted, “You need to take care of Naberius. I know I asked you to rescue Yoo-Bin, but all I actually need you to do is kill Naberius. That would be more than enough. While you deal with Naberius, I will rescue Yoo-Bin. Even if you kill Naberius quickly, do not follow me unless I signal.”

Lim Hye-Sook was adamant about Gi-Gyu not following her. She continued, “Yoo-Bin is being used as a shell to hold one of the hell kings. I brought you here because I can’t kill Naberius alone. If…”

Lim Hye-Sook seemed very concerned. She had brought Gi-Gyu here, but she wanted to minimize the danger he might face. This was why she wanted him to only deal with Naberius.

Lim Hye-Sook explained, “If one of the hell kings takes over Yoo-Bin’s body, you must run. There is no way you can win.”

She didn’t want Gi-Gyu to die. Lim Hye-Sook added, “You’re our only hope. It has been a long time since we last met, and I could tell that the moment I saw you. You’re growing at an incredible rate! You’re worth the sacrifice all of us may have to make! So… If something goes wrong, you must run. You have already done more than enough for me, so I want to thank you in advance.”

Gi-Gyu closed his eyes, remembering Lim Hye-Sook’s words. Knowing she might not survive this journey, she had already devised a way to give Gi-Gyu the answers after.

Lou cursed,

-Dammit!

Gi-Gyu's eyes widened as he turned to look at the place beyond the wall ahead. Inside the building nearby, a colossal amount of energy had abruptly materialized.

-One of the kings has descended!

Something had gone wrong, very wrong. Lim Hye-Sook had failed to rescue Shin Yoo-Bin. The enemies must have succeeded in getting a hell king inside Yoo-Bin’s body. This incredible energy Gi-Gyu felt must have been the final result.

Just then, a wolf’s roar was heard, “Grrrrr!”

The battle was finally over, and the winner was…

[Bi has won the battle against Naberius, a Seat of Power holder.]

[Winner Bi is absorbing the loser Naberius.]

[The condition for Bi’s evolution has been met.]

[Death-awakened Bi is obtaining the Seat of Power holder’s ability.]

[The evolution will now begin.]

Gi-Gyu’s eyes widened in shock. Just as the system had announced, Bi was the winner of this battle. The familiar black fog was still wafting from Bi. This dark cloud, Death, had engulfed Bi and Naberius. The black fog slowly compressed, and what was left in the end was a black egg.

Gi-Gyu walked up to it to pick it up and held it gingerly.

Lou whispered,

-Naberius, things didn’t work out for you as they should have. But I thank you for your loyalty.

Lou seemed emotional, but it only took him a moment to return to his normal cold self. He asked Gi-Gyu.

-So what are you going to do now?

It was obvious what Lou was asking.

Gi-Gyu’s leg muscles tightened as he replied, “I’m going there to rescue her.”

-Are you sure you’ll be okay?

There was concern in Lou’s voice.

Gi-Gyu replied calmly, “You can feel it too, can’t you?”

Lim Hye-Sook had told Gi-Gyu to run after defeating Naberius. She had warned him not to fight if one of the hell kings descended. She was clearly worried that he might get killed.

Gi-Gyu answered his own question, “We might have a chance.”

Slash!

He swung Lou in front of him, discharging a giant energy wave that turned everything around into dust.

Fsshhhhh.

“Let’s go,” Gi-Gyu announced and began running.

-Hurry.

Lou urged anxiously.

***

“Stop them! Stop them first and evacuate the non-players!” the leader of the players fighting near the Bukhan River area ordered.

His subordinate replied, “But…! Something strange is going on! The monsters aren’t attacking the non-players!”

“Have you lost your mind?! You realize that you sound crazy, don’t you? Idiot! Just get the non-players out right now!” the leader screamed angrily.

Kaboom!

The area surrounding the Bukhan River landmark, Eden, was in turmoil. Countless monsters had poured out of it without warning, so the players were busy fighting them. They didn’t get any time to evacuate the non-players, and the situation was worsening by the minute.

“Ackkk! Help!” Never-ending screams could be heard from the front lines. Unfortunately, none of them were from the monsters.

“Dammit! Where is our guild master and the deputy guild master?” asked the leader of the group.

“I was told the deputy guild master is on his way!”

“And the reinforcements?!”

The two players had no choice but to shout to be heard by one another.

The subordinate player replied, “I don’t know about the reinforcements! I only heard that the deputy guild master is on his wa—Ackkk!”

The player making the report fell to the ground. An arrow could be seen poking through his forehead.

The group leader looked up to see skeleton archers riding griffins and shooting arrows. He muttered, “What the hell!”

The player who had died just now wasn’t a ranker, but he was getting close to becoming one. All in all, a single arrow shouldn’t have been enough to kill him. This proved that they couldn’t tell how strong the monsters were just based on their type.

The leader announced, “I need to go see the deputy guild master! You will all stay here and wait for the reinforcement!”

“But…!” Another member of the Iron Guild tried to protest.

“If worse comes to worst”—the leader turned around—“I give you permission to use the First Potion!”

“Yes, Sir.” Several Iron Guild players replied hesitantly. Being allowed to use the First Potion meant they better be ready to die here. After all, taking the First Potion was like a death sentence.

The leader quickly moved toward the back of the line, where he assumed Rohan would arrive.

Boom!

The leader was a powerful player, which was exactly how he came to this position. This was why he could dodge the enemy attacks and make his way to the back, although he was moving very slowly. Their enemies were just that powerful. The death knights with black helmets were especially notable. Among them, there was one who used a long halberd. This monster had a long tail and a grotesque appearance.

The leader whispered, “They must be demons…”

The energies from these monsters felt similar to the demons’.

“Just what the hell is going on here?” None of the players had the slightest idea of what was happening around them.

The only thing the leader player could think of to do was wait for his superior so that he could be free of any responsibility.

And his direct superior was Rohan. He stood before the makeshift tent from which he could feel Rohan’s presence. He shouted, “Deputy Guild Master! I’m coming in!”

They were under siege, so there was no time to wait for a reply. The leader opened the tent and stormed inside. He yelled, “Deputy Guild Master! We need some reinforcement right awa—”

He couldn’t finish his sentence because a beautiful voice had interrupted him.

“Who are you?” A beautiful woman asked.

She looked familiar to him. In fact, all Iron Guild members were probably familiar with her face.

The leader whispered, “Lucifer…”

Lucifer was strangling Deputy Guild Master Rohan inside the tent.

***

Gi-Gyu looked around quickly to assess the situation. The area was filled with dead bodies, but he couldn’t find Lim Hye-Sook anywhere. Gi-Gyu then turned to face the giant stone altar.

He called out, “Shin Yoo-Bin.”

The stone altar was empty, but Gi-Gyu finally found Lim Hye-Sook. Shin Yoo-Bin was holding the elderly woman, who was on the ground. There was no doubt that this elderly woman was Lim Hye-Sook.

“Shin Yoo-Bin!” Gi-Gyu shouted again.

Shin Yoo-Bin, standing still like a statue, finally turned to face Gi-Gyu.

“Oppa…?” Shin Yoo-Bin’s quivering voice made Gi-Gyu’s heart slump a little.

What was this creature thinking? Or was she thinking at all?

Gi-Gyu abruptly vanished and reappeared with his sword inches away from Shin Yoo-Bin. His attack was too fast for the naked eye, yet she managed to dodge it.

Although Shin Yoo-Bin had addressed him as “Oppa,” Gi-Gyu knew that this wasn’t the girl he knew. Soon, an ugly grin replaced the trembling voice that had fooled him for a second.

“You’re no fun,” she muttered. Shin Yoo-Bin remained still, and so did Gi-Gyu. But his immobility wasn’t voluntary. It was as if he was possessed by something because his body refused to move.

Plop.

Shin Yoo-Bin apathetically threw the elderly woman away. Lim Hye-Sook fell to the ground weakly, but her chest continued to rise and fall, indicating she was still alive.

“Are you listening to me, Lucifer?” Shin Yoo-Bin said to Gi-Gyu.

-Asmodeus…

Lou muttered the name of the hell king who had possessed Shin Yoo-Bin. The relevant information from Lou’s data popped up in Gi-Gyu’s head.