The Player Who Can't Level Up

While Gi-Gyu was busy taking the 60th-floor test, the number of players swarming toward Eden increased, making the already hectic situation seem like a zombie apocalypse.

Thankfully, the ones swarming in weren’t just enemies.

Currently, Eden was greeting its allies.

“Welcome,” El greeted with a bright smile.

“Where is Ranker Kim Gi-Gyu…?” the man in front of her asked. He was the Grigory head and the last remnant of the now-collapsed KPA. He was also a good friend to Gi-Gyu.

El replied, “He went inside the Tower. You won’t see him for a while.”

“Ah… All right.” The man, Sung-Hoon, looked a little disappointed.

“Is that your mother on your back?” El asked. On Sung-Hoon’s back was a feeble-looking elderly woman. She might have been a pretty woman in the past, but she was now gaunt and frail.

Sung-Hoon answered, “Yes… she is.”

His mother was unconscious and barely breathing. He brought her here because this was what Gi-Gyu had suggested for safety. But, he had also hoped that his mother would receive better medical treatment here. He was desperate and couldn’t help but be disappointed in Gi-Gyu.

El asked, “May I have a look at her?”

Sung-Hoon nodded. He had heard of El’s healing ability, so he couldn’t help but feel hopeful again.

When El held Sung-Hoon’s mother…

“...!” Sung-Hoon gasped when he saw his mother’s pale face turning pink quickly.

“H-how did you…”

“She is in grave condition. It’s good that she is here now.” El looked concerned, indicating that Sung-Hoon’s mother was indeed in terrible shape. It was a surprise that she was alive at all. She could tell how hard Sung-Hoon must have worked to keep his mother alive.

“C-can you heal her?” Sung-Hoon’s face glowed with hope.

But, El shook her head and said, “Her Life Root is damaged. I… could have done something for her; unfortunately, your mother isn’t a player.”

El could treat non-players, but Sung-Hoon’s mother was seriously ill. She could die from the shock if El tried to inject Life into her.

Sung-Hoon’s face turned dark.

El blurted, “But my master has arranged something for you.”

***

One of the busiest creatures inside Eden at the moment was Tao Chen.

“Thank you for doing this,” Tao Chen announced.

“All right.” Hal, a death knight and head of Eden’s knight order, nodded, holding his signature halberd.

Among all of Gi-Gyu’s creatures, Hal had the biggest inferiority complex and desire to improve. He was always desperate to become stronger, so he trained tirelessly. It made him very strong, but it never seemed enough.

“I hope you know how much I appreciate this,” Tao Chen murmured.

“Same here,” Hal replied.

Tao Chen was like the sweet rain after a long drought to Hal. In a way, he was the same as Hal. Like Hal, Tao Chen did everything to satisfy his desire to become stronger.

“Haa… I’m so relieved,” Botis mumbled as he watched the two from afar. Tao Chen had already sparred with most of Gi-Gyu’s creatures inside Eden. Among them, he had bothered Botis the most. Perhaps it was because of what had happened inside the Gangnam Gate.

He used to bother Botis nonstop; because Gi-Gyu had asked to oblige, Botis had no choice but to accept all the spar invitations.

The biggest problem was that Tao Chen…

Botis shook his head.

Kaboom!

Tao Chen’s Green Dragon Crescent Blade and Hal’s halberd collided, creating a blast. The powerful magic wave spread widely like a giant windstorm.

“They are both very impressive.” Botis admired them.

Tao Chen and Hal.

The two became stronger with each battle. They fought each other until they fell from exhaustion, trying their hardest to improve on their weaknesses. When the fight became too intense, Botis had to break them up in the past, but…

This was no longer easy to accomplish because the two fighters had become much stronger.

“Haa… Maybe I should join them?” Nervous about Tao Chen and Hal becoming stronger than him, Botis shook his head.

***

Baal stood behind Soo-Jung, who sat on a sofa seductively while holding a wine glass. He looked like a knight protecting his lady.

Soo-Jung leaned back to look at him and asked, “What is it?”

“Why didn’t you tell them your identity? About your mission or… The burden he must carry.”

“Baal,” Soo-Jung called out to him quietly. She had wanted to tell Gi-Gyu everything this time, including her identity and how his fate had changed when he became her pupil.

This matter was related to a time even before Gaia and Kronos.

“I… just thought that maybe I can have a little hope now,” Soo-Jung whispered.

“...”

“And who knows?” She smiled. At a glance, it looked like a happy smile, but there was a deep bitterness to it.

Soo-Jung took a sip and added, “Maybe Gi-Gyu will fix everything. For now…”

The sweet yet bitter taste tickled her nose. Soo-Jung whispered, “I think I’ll just keep hoping.”

“...”

The reason Baal obeyed Soo-Jung.

The reason Soo-Jung had an inhuman power.

Even Gaia didn’t know Soo-Jung’s full potential. Her abilities were currently limited, but if all the conditions were met…

“Baal, that’s enough.” Soo-Jung stopped Baal’s trail of thoughts.

“Of course.” Baal bowed respectfully. They had been sharing their magic for a long time, and with her Evil Eye, Soo-Jung could read Baal’s thoughts.

It was as if…

‘We’re synced together.’

Shatter.

“Oops, the glass broke!” Soo-Jung exclaimed, watching the shattered wine glass pieces. Was this because of her emotions?

“Ugh, that might bring us some bad luck.” Soo-Jung smiled.

***

“Yoo-Bin,” Lim Hye-Sook called out. She could permanently maintain her beautiful and youthful appearance, but she was currently in her elderly form.

Yoo-Bin answered obediently, “Yes, Grandma.”

“The recent power you gained will change you in a way you never imagined.”

Lim Hye-Sook was usually a kind grandmother. But today, she was exuding an unignorable solemn and dominant aura. After all, she was one of the very first high rankers and the very few aware of the world’s secret history.

“I’ll remember,” Yoo-Bin remembered. She had absorbed an Asmodeus piece because of the recent incident, so she understood what Lim Hye-Sook was talking about. It was impossible not to notice how she had developed completely new abilities and…

‘My stat screen.’ 

The incredible numbers on her status screen confirmed her changes. It was as if she were a completely different person.

Lim Hye-Sook continued, “Great power comes at a great cost. And uncontrollable power is nothing more than poison.”

A smile appeared on Lim Hye-Sook’s face as she asked, “Do you want to help that man?”

Yoo-Bin blushed. Somehow, absorbing Asmodeus’s Ego had connected her to Gi-Gyu. She wasn’t his Ego, but she had become something extraordinary. She was like an Ego-human hybrid.

“Yes…” Yoo-Bin replied shyly, “I want to become someone capable of helping him. I want to be by his side even if my help doesn’t amount to much.”

After hearing the story of how this world came to be, Yoo-Bin couldn’t treat Gi-Gyu as comfortably as before. He now felt like a giant mountain she could never dare to climb. Consequently, her words and attitudes toward him had changed.

Lim Hye-Sook warned, “It won’t be easy. The path he must walk is something most people can’t even imagine. It will be filled with death, and… You know that he already has—”

“I know.” Yoo-Bin knew very well that he already had El by his side.

There could only be one woman by Gi-Gyu’s side, so she would have to fight El fair and square for his attention.

‘Will I be able to do this? Against El…?’

Yoo-Bin felt like getting Gi-Gyu’s heart would be impossible.

“For now, you must get used to your new power. You need to learn to use it perfectly.”

Yoo-Bin looked confused.

Lim Hye-Sook ordered, “I’ll help you, so you must do your best. Work hard until he returns.”

“Yes… Grandma.” Yoo-Bin’s eyes filled with determination.

Lim Hye-Sook was special because of her power and her ability to teach others. After all, she had trained Lucifer.

***

“Hmm…” Lou sat down quietly and touched his hair, which was completely white.

“Is it because of Satan’s physical form?” he wondered out loud.

Satan originally had white hair. He was a monster from another world, but his human form was a beautiful man with white hair. And pieces of that form now made up Lou’s body. As Lou collected and used more of Satan’s physical form, he would resemble Satan more and more.

“This is so annoying,” Lou smirked and plopped on the bed. Gradually transforming into someone he had killed with such hate was strange.

But…

“Well… I guess it can’t be helped.”

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This wasn’t the worst thing. Lou didn’t hate this entirely because it wasn’t just hatred he felt toward Satan.

There was also…

“Ugh, I don’t want to think about this.”

Lou shook his head and rolled lazily on the bed. He was in his child form, so it looked like a cute, white-haired boy was tossing and turning on the bed. His body was still stabilizing from having absorbed Satan’s piece. So, just by rolling on the bed, he was training his body, familiarizing himself with his new form.

“By the way”—Lou stared at the ceiling—“I wonder if he’s doing okay.”

A cruel smile appeared on his lips. Just imagining Gi-Gyu suffering was enough to make him happy.

***

The day Gi-Gyu left for the Tower, the attacks on Eden from the Iron Guild players lessened significantly. This was because Lucifer had joined Eden.

Sending mediocre armies would only increase Iron Guild’s damages, so Deputy Guild Master Rohan changed his strategy. He prepared for a bigger battle by forming and training a much more powerful army.

The Korean government was desperate to recapture the Bukhan River region, as it was like a new country in the middle of Korea, which was unacceptable. So, the necessary preparation to retake it continued.

The Bukhan River region was bulging with never-ending tension. The last battle began when Eden initiated it. There was no way of knowing when the next battle would occur.

So finally…

Korea had decided it couldn’t solve this problem alone, so foreign soldiers poured into Korea.

And today…

“Are they the ones? The Iron Guild’s reinforcements?” asked a player posted in the Bukhan River region.

“They sent quite a number, didn’t they? I see some from other world-class guilds too!” his companion exclaimed.

The Bukhan River area was crowded with players now. Those that led the way included some famous players, but…

“Most of them don’t look familiar. I’ve never seen those rankers before,” someone from the crowd muttered.

Indeed, most of the players sent to Korea looked unfamiliar. Strangely, their aura was threatening as if they were absurdly powerful.

Players with such strength rarely remained unknown. And most of the reinforcement was sent by the Iron Guild and the Caravan Guild.

“The rumor about the Iron Guild must be true,” a Korean guild player whispered.

“Hush, be quiet!” another player standing next to him warned.

There was a widespread rumor among the players nowadays: Caravan Guild and the Iron Guild were experimenting on their players to make them stronger. There were also talks about a potion that could instantly make a player stronger.

“It’s too late to fight them. We must stay quiet and obey.” Many believed this, but…

“Tsk.” Some glared at the new arrivals in displeasure.

Some believed in these rumors, and some didn’t. Some thought this mattered, while others thought it didn’t make any difference.

They were all standing in front of Eden now, waiting for the dangerous storm.

Suddenly, Iron Guild’s deputy guild master and chief of the Korean branch, Rohan, appeared. The crowd split to open a path for him. Standing in front of everyone, Rohan thought, ‘10,000 players.’

Had there ever been a time when this many players gathered in one place?

Rohan turned to look at Eden. Ten thousand players were about to attack his master.

“This isn’t just an attempt to close a gate.” Rohan unsheathed his sword and announced, “It is war.”