The Player Who Can't Level Up

“If…” Gi-Gyu turned toward Jupiter. There was caution in his voice, as he knew the importance of the questions.

Finding Gi-Gyu’s reaction interesting, Jupiter replied, “Go on. You can ask me anything.”

“Suppose you do get my body, but what after that?” asked Gi-Gyu.

Jupiter looked disappointed by this question.

“Didn’t I tell you already? I’ll accomplish your goals. I’ll eliminate everyone in your way, including Ironshield, Andras, the hell kings, and even Ha Song-Su. Great deal, don’t you think?”

A smirk appeared on Jupiter’s lips as he asked, “Wanna take me up on my offer?”

“...” Gi-Gyu didn’t reply.

Jupiter muttered, “This… isn’t the answer you were looking for.”

It clicked its tongue and continued, “Stop beating around the bush and just be direct. Ask what you want to ask already. I know what you’re curious about, but you set the rules of this game, didn’t you? You ask, and I answer. So, hurry up.”

Gi-Gyu hesitantly opened his lips again.

“All you’re saying is that you’ll achieve my goals. But what I want to know is your goals. Why do you even want my body?”

“What? Kekeke.” Jupiter laughed and answered, “What a silly question. My goals? Hmm… I guess I just don’t want to waste my life trapped here. Waste what I have like this… You already know what this feels like, don’t you? Gaining freedom to move freely after being trapped… It’s sweet, isn’t it?”

Jupiter had trapped Gi-Gyu under its seal before. Although the imprisonment didn’t last long, the frustration and the powerlessness were plenty agonizing.

Studying Gi-Gyu’s expression, Jupiter mumbled, “I guess that wasn’t the answer you were looking for either.”

“Yes.”

Indeed, Gi-Gyu was looking for something else. Jupiter faltered silently.

Clank.

The metal chains rattled. Jupiter looked up slowly; suddenly, Gi-Gyu found its face unfamiliar. Its physiognomy was the same, but its eyes had something entirely different.

Unimaginable malice and bloodthirst.

True madness.

Jupiter’s eyes glowed. Baring its white teeth, it whispered, “I will rip Kronos apart. I’ll destroy Babel. The world… I will swallow it whole.”

Yes, this was the real Jupiter.

The one who would bring down this world.

***

“But he couldn’t carry out his plan alone.”

Lim Hye-Sook continued, “So he first gathered the rulers of the human world who would side with him. He also decided to work with the rulers of the other dimensions. However, even after forming this many alliances, his observer problem remained.”

Lim Hye-Sook turned to look at El.

“He needed to take care of the angels responsible for overseeing the world as God’s eyes. Going to war with the angels wasn’t a good idea, as victory wasn’t a certainty. Not even close. They could’ve even been annihilated. And even if they somehow killed every single angel…”

Lou coldly finished Lim Hye-Sook’s story, “God would have made his move. That was the whole point of creating the angels.”

Lim Hye-Sook added, “That’s right. But he discovered an angel while trying to find a way.”

She didn’t have to name the angel because El clenched her fists and mumbled, “Gabriel…”

Lim Hye-Sook nodded and continued, “Yes, Gabriel. He had questioned God for letting Chaos exist and neglecting his creations, including the angels. In a way, he was the angel with a mind closest to a human's. Kronos contacted him, and... They made a deal.”

“...”

“Gabriel threw dust in the other angels’ eyes to help build Babel. After a long time, they finally completed Babel with God still being none the wiser. ”

Babel: The spear created to pierce God’s heart. That was the true identity and purpose of the Tower.

“Gabriel also negotiated with hell.”

“Idiots,” Lou muttered, condemning the idiots who had chosen to work with their kind’s nemesis, the angels, to bring him down.

“Through such complicated associations and secret schemes, Babel was completed. And finally…” Lim Hye-Sook trailed off.

El whispered, “They killed God.”

“Exactly. They succeeded in killing God, but the real problem came afterward. A sand castle on a weak foundation eventually crumbles down, especially if it has a gold bar underneath.”

To kill God and put Chaos back to sleep swiftly, they had to carry out the plan quickly too. Every step had been planned, leading them to their eventual success, but the plan didn’t account for one thing.

“God’s power. The reason for everything that happened afterward. It was also how our world was created.”

“Our world?” Gi-Gyu asked in surprise.

Lou replied, “I told you before that your human world is special. There was a time when your world didn’t exist. Then, we were in power. Dimension collapsing or being annihilated wasn’t uncommon back then, but…”

“No new worlds were ever created,” El added.

Lim Hye-Sook continued, “That’s right. God didn’t create this world because he was dead.”

Then who made this world?

Did Kronos become the new God just as he had planned and created this world?

No.

It couldn’t be.

Based on what Gi-Gyu knew, this couldn’t be true.

***

Clank.

The metal chains rattled. Jupiter was no longer where Gi-Gyu’s sword had landed. The sword was now entangled in the metal chains.

Clank.

Another chain moved to bind Gi-Gyu’s second Death sword. Now weaponless, he summoned his power to free the swords, but the chains didn’t budge.

Gi-Gyu heard Jupiter’s cold voice.

“You aren’t getting any better.”

The voice had come from behind him, so he turned quickly, but he couldn’t react fast enough because he had been struggling with his trapped swords.

“It’s over,” Jupiter whispered, his fist heading toward Gi-Gyu’s back. The fist had impossible bloodthirst and malice; it was no simple punch. The punch alone was a weapon more dangerous than Death.

R-r-rumble.

As its punch ripped the space, a thunderous roar rang in the area.

But…

Clank.

“Tsk.”

The metal chains moved and restrained Jupiter at the very last second. However, something new happened this time.

“Not bad,” Jupiter murmured. Gi-Gyu had created another Death sword on his back; it was pointing at Jupiter’s neck.

Jupiter added, “Your hits are finally landing on me, so I guess that could be called progress. Still, you are slow as ever. How did an idiot like you even survive till now? Guess this world is a peaceful one.”

Jupiter didn’t resist as the metal chains pulled him back. In the end, the Death sword failed to pierce its neck.

"Are you finally expanding your mind? Is that why you used a third sword when you are so used to brandishing two? By using only two, you’ve been limiting yourself. But what you did just now… Not bad. It’s impressive.”

Jupiter evaluated Gi-Gyu out loud, and he didn’t deny it. Jupiter was correct. Until now, he had always used only Lou and El. And before he knew it, the double sword technique became his main strategy. It stuck so well that he didn’t even consider other possibilities.

It was a prison of his own making. But after countless battles with Jupiter, he could think more clearly. Thanks to Lou’s data, he could overcome the limit he had set for himself and think outside the box.

A sword was just a weapon. No one could tell him how many weapons he should use.

If he wished… He could use anything and everything as a weapon. Or even wield hundreds, or even thousands, of swords. After all, he didn’t need hands to use Death swords.

Gi-Gyu grumbled, “But what’s the point here? Nothing can hurt you.”

He could use Death more efficiently now, but it was all for nothing if he couldn’t harm his enemy. Gi-Gyu‘s attacks now landed on Jupiter, but he still could harm it.

Jupiter had said he wasn’t improving much, but that wasn’t true. Gi-Gyu didn’t know how many days or weeks had passed, but he had learned how to use Death, Life, and his potential better during this time. He had gained an understanding of his power and taught himself how to use more of it.

Gi-Gyu’s improvement so far would have impressed the heck out of anyone, but…

“Your standards are too damn high,” complained Gi-Gyu.

Jupiter replied, “It’s because no one is more powerful than I am.”

Such arrogant words from someone helplessly suspended in the air by metal chains sounded ironic.

***

“I better explain something first.”

Lim Hye-Sook scratched her cheek awkwardly and continued, “Kronos wanted to take God’s power and become God himself. But let’s be honest, this was almost impossible. God’s creations have shells, and the rulers were no exception. Holding God’s power in a shell was just not possible.”

This was news to Gi-Gyu, so his eyes widened with curiosity.

Lim Hye-Sook continued, “There is no shell strong enough to hold God’s power. Think about it. Can a fish tank contain an ocean? Of course not. But among all the dimensions, there was one creature. That being could hold God’s power to some extent.”

“Gaia…” Gi-Gyu whispered.

“So you know the name. Yes, Gaia was special. Among all of God’s creations, she had the biggest shell.”

Gaia was the system. Gi-Gyu was interested in hearing about her.

“And her shell could connect to other shells. Few other special creatures could use this power, but hers was like no other. She could turn her world into something like a shell and hold her power in it. This was why the humans revered her as Earth’s mother.”

“W-wait…” Gi-Gyu felt like someone had hit his head. He whispered, “That’s…”

This sounded an awful lot like his sync ability.

Lim Hye-Sook smiled and replied, “It sounds very similar to your skill, doesn’t it?”

Lim Hye-Sook seemingly knew why Gi-Gyu’s skill was similar to Gaia’s power.

And…

Gi-Gyu asked, “Soo-Jung, do you know too?”

Soo-Jung’s dry reaction told Gi-Gyu she also knew why he had the same ability as Gaia.

“Keep listening. Your curiosity will be satisfied if you listen till the end,” Lim Hye-Sook said. “Let’s get back to the story. Kronos believed that no one else could hold God’s power like Gaia. After all, her ability to connect to other shells was unparalleled. It was his only chance.”

“That makes sense,” Gi-Gyu thought out loud.

If the problem was the shells’ limitation, perhaps the ability to sync was the answer.

“Babel was actually created for this very purpose.”

“...!”

“Babel uses the essences of all dimensions to power itself. And Gaia…”

Gi-Gyu mumbled, “She was synced with Babel. That means…”

“That’s right.” Lim Hye-Sook agreed.

Gi-Gyu continued, “All the dimensions… All the worlds God had created were synced. Together, they formed a single shell, and the plan was to hold God’s power in it.”

Babel wasn’t just a weapon to kill God. It was also a tool to hold God’s power and use it.

Lim Hye-Sook continued, “But the biggest problem turned out to be Gaia. She didn’t follow Kronos’s plan.”

“Pardon?”

“Gaia was against the idea of killing God. She was even willing to go against Kronos. But in the end, she took Kronos’s side because…”

***

Gi-Gyu’s mind was expanding, and so were his skills.

“Not bad at all.” Jupiter seemed impressed.

Clank.

When the metal chains and the Death sword crashed, creating a deadlock, a new sword materialized and plunged into Jupiter’s head. Jupiter turned, trying to avoid the Death sword, but…

Clunk!

Gi-Gyu had already saturated its escape point with Death, so Jupiter crashed into Death and exploded.

Boom!

It was a small blast, but the aftereffect was significant. Thick dark smoke wafted from Jupiter, but Gi-Gyu didn’t look happy.

“I failed to get through your skin again.”

Gi-Gyu thought he had a much better understanding of Death now. After all, the quantity and quality of it he could use now was higher than ever. But it appeared that he still couldn’t cut through Jupiter’s skin. It was like hitting a rock with an egg.

But Gi-Gyu didn’t stop. He followed Jupiter around, attacking with Death from all sides. His hands were empty at the moment. He knew now that Death sword was a stereotype he had created in his mind.

Death didn’t have to take the form of a sword. He could create and cover anything with death. He wrapped his bare hands with Death.

“Not a chance.” Jupiter waved his hands in the smoke to create a gale.

Gi-Gyu ran through the gale and stopped Jupiter’s fist with his own.

“So it is true? You want to take my body to get revenge for your mother?”

Jupiter flinched. It let its guard down briefly, enough for Gi-Gyu to punch its face.

Thud.

But…

“We’re getting to the trash-talking part, huh? Guess you’re getting better.” Jupiter playfully asked.

However, Gi-Gyu couldn’t breathe. For the first time since the battle began, Jupiter was showing genuine hostility toward Gi-Gyu.

Its evil eyes twitched, and it whispered, “I guess we can play a little while longer.”

Clank.

The metal chains moved again. They tightened around Jupiter to restrain him, but it wasn’t working. He appeared to be using his power to suppress the seal trapping him.

Gaia had no choice but to go along with Kronos’ plan because…

Gi-Gyu realized that Jupiter was the answer.