The Player Who Can't Level Up

“Is it today?” Lim Hye-Sook muttered.

Rohan had informed that he would attack Eden today. However, such information wasn’t necessary, as the Iron Guild and the Caravan Guild had been very loud about how they would attack Eden to reassure the entire world.

But Gi-Gyu’s creatures still appreciated all the precious and helpful intel Rohan had provided them.

Lim Hye-Sook crossed her arms and mumbled, “This is going to be tough.”

She was inside the tower built at the center of Eden. Before Gi-Gyu had left, he named it Sephiroth Tree. Here, with Hwang Chae-Il’s help, one could have a panoramic view of Eden’s exterior.

Old Man Hwang replied, “They’re serious about this.”

A long time ago, when Old Man Hwang was a player, he received some help from Lim Hye-Sook. This was how they became close.

“Indeed.”

“They have close to 10,000 players. And they aren’t cannon fodder like the last time,” Old Man Hwang explained.

Apart from their vast numbers, their enemy had famous and powerful world-class players. They could even see some rankers among the 10,000-player army.

‘High-rankers…’ Lim Hye-Sook thought. These players didn’t gather just to destroy Eden. There had to be a deeper understanding between these players and the Caravan Guild.

“The main problem is those sent by the Caravan Guild and the Iron Guild.” Lim Hye-Sook seemed concerned. Even Rohan couldn’t identify them all, but the Eden creatures could guess the players’ identities.

And this was all thanks to Go Hyung-Chul’s information-gathering ability.

“They’re the kings, aren’t they?” Lim Hye-Sook sighed.

“...”

They had to be the hell kings Andras had helped descend by finding them powerful enough shells. Lim Hye-Sook was certain there were hell kings in the army outside. Some of them even looked familiar to her.

“Tsk.” Lou clicked his tongue as he crossed his arms. His hair was now white, and he was still in his child form.

He saw Leviathan in Kim Dong-Hae’s body. Leviathan wore a hood, but it was impossible to hide its aura.

Lim Hye-Sook said quietly, “This will be a difficult battle.”

Everyone agreed silently.

“Our Master…” El, who had kept quiet until now, asked, “When do you think he’ll leave the Tower?”

No one dared to make a guess.

Soo-Jung chimed in, “Soon. He’ll be out soon. The 60th-floor test shouldn’t take long.”

The time it took to finish the 60th-floor test varied depending on the player’s strength. And Soo-Jung felt Gi-Gyu should be finished before long. She herself had spent about two months completing the 60th-floor test. She knew Gi-Gyu would stay much longer, but she was sure it wouldn’t be too long.

“This is our master’s home… We will do our best to protect it until he returns.” El’s eyes glowed with determination. Everyone inside Eden had become stronger, but so had their enemies.

However, there was no way they would ever give up. After all, this was their master’s home.

Yoo-Bin clenched her fists secretly.

And just like that….

Dun dun dun dun.

“It has begun!” Hwang Chae-Il announced.

The war started.

***

As the players entered Eden, they felt heavy tension and a strange heat. Almost 10,000 of them headed forward one by one, creating quite a scene.

-The players are currently entering the Bukhan River gate named Eden.

-There are close to 10,000 players. It is an impressive number. It is hard to believe so many have gathered here despite them being right before our eyes.

The media outlets worldwide were here to broadcast this battle of the century. It hadn’t been very long since the Tower and the gates appeared on earth, but never in that not-so-short period had a gate ever reigned over a piece of land. Moreover, this land was being protected by a powerful player code named Lucifer.

10,000 players from all over the world had gathered here to destroy a gate.

-Not even an entire country could stop this army!

The 10,000-player army didn’t just have weaklings but also powerful high-level fighters. An army like this could demolish an entire country.

-A historical battle is just about to take place.

-The player history of Korea is about to change.

-If…

One of the news channels asked an interesting question.

It can be hard to make great work when its stolen from bit.ly/3iBfjkV.

-If these players fail, what do you think will happen?

Who could stop this army? What country could stop a group of 10,000 players, not humans?

No one bet that Eden would win, but if it did…?

If Eden won, could anyone ever stop it?

-...

The reporter had asked an unthinkable question, so no one had the answer. All the cameras just continued to film the endless players entering Eden.

***

“Dammit! What is this place…?” one of the weaker players whispered.

They had heard from the Blue Dragon Guild what going inside would be like, but this was worse than they had expected. The weaker players sent in just to fill the numbers were already foaming at the mouth or had collapsed.

“This is crazy. I’ve never seen a gate like this before,” a mid-level player muttered.

Unpleasant energies invaded the players’ bodies. They found even walking difficult, to say nothing of using their skills. Fighting in such a condition was near impossible.

“This is what I expected,” Rohan mumbled. Near him were the heads of all the participating guilds.

Rohan ordered, “We’ll have to divide up the players.”

“Pardon?” one of the leaders asked.

“This isn’t good. We are losing more players than we expected from just being inside the gate.”

“...”

Rohan was right. Eden’s environment was worse than the Blue Dragon Guild’s description. The lower-level players couldn’t even move.

“But splitting into smaller groups is too dangerous,” another leader protested.

The Blue Dragon Guild had adamantly advised them against splitting their forces.

The inside of the gate was filled with traps and mazes. No one knew what might jump out from somewhere. It was pandemonium; consequently, they had planned to have a straightforward all-out battle.

Therefore, Rohan’s abrupt announcement about splitting was unexpected.

“I will be honest here. We received a tip that there is a mole inside our team. I kept this hidden in case of a leak. I thought it would be best to act cautious.”

The mention of a mole chilled the air. Unbelievably, the atmosphere had been filled with heat and excitement for the upcoming battle just a moment ago.

“I’m telling you that this mole has probably relayed all the information about our army formation and strategy to our enemy,” Rohan announced.

“But that’s…”

“It’s too late to find the mole now. We’re already here in the tiger’s den. We must improvise to survive here,” Rohan explained quickly.

Most of the players gathered here were not weak by any means. This group consisted of the heads of world-class guilds, high rankers, and semi-high rankers.

But no one dared to argue with Rohan. They were on a battlefield, and the commander's order was considered absolute.

On top of it, the mysterious players standing behind Rohan were clearly not to be disrespected. The powerful aura from them was enough to shut everyone up.

“I have already devised the split. Now! Follow this plan and head out one by one.” Per Rohan’s order, a piece of paper was delivered to each leader.

“This can’t be! You’re sending us on a suicide mission!” The head of the Tower Guild, the 32nd guild in the world, questioned Rohan.

Clang!

Suddenly, a sword exuding a bloodthirsty aura appeared near his neck. Rohan didn’t care about this player’s rank because he calmly asked, “This is the best possible formation according to our sources. Do you have a problem with that?”

“...” The Tower Guild head couldn’t say a word. The energy he could feel from the sword made the wielder seem like someone with limitless power. Only a high-ranker could hold such strength. And behind Rohan, several dozens of mysterious figures just as powerful stood silently.

Rohan continued, “If you are unhappy with this, you are free to retreat. But I will not change my mind. We will head out in 30 minutes.”

When Rohan dismissed them, all the leaders left the room. They all had different reactions to the meeting. Some didn’t seem to care, while others appeared disgruntled. Still, none of them dared to object.

History would be made here, and the guild leaders here couldn’t afford to miss that chance.

“Haa…” Rohan sighed deeply. He was relieved because although he had acted confident, he had known it was a gamble.

Rohan glanced back at the powerful figures. These mysterious figures sent by the Iron and Caravan guilds were the sole reason the guild leaders here had obeyed him.

These players were supposedly here to obey him, but Rohan knew better than to trust them. But he made the right move just now, and he got his way.

‘Master…’ Rohan was happy that he could buy some time for Gi-Gyu. The passionate loyalty he felt was satisfied by knowing that he helped his master.

Before Rohan’s lips could completely turn up, he heard a voice from behind.

“That was too much.”

“...!”

Kim Dong-Hae, the man in the hood, continued, “But it sounds fun, so I’ll go along.”

***

All the preparation was completed, and the battle began. The 10,000-player army was divided into ten separate groups—1,000 players each—and they marched on.

Even though the players were divided, the 1,000 players strong groups were still a formidable sight. Among them, only one group was made of low-level players. The rest, filled with powerful players, surrounded the entrance to Eden.

Screams and strange heat covered Eden. The ten groups marched on separate paths as they killed the monsters.

“Dammit! These skeletons… How are they so powerful? Some of them are as powerful as the gatekeepers!” one of the players screamed in shock.

Eden was definitely not a normal gate. The peculiar energies here oppressed the players, and the monsters were bafflingly powerful. On top of it, these monsters had incredible formations, strategies, and tactics.

Consequently, they couldn’t proceed as quickly as they had expected.

“Move the wounded to the back!” One of the guild leaders shouted his order.

The number of injured players increased rapidly. Fortunately, each group had at least one top-level player. The players marched on, counting on this person to keep them safe.

But of course…

“Haa… this will be tough.”

One of the players in the back sighed.

Suddenly, someone from the front screamed, “We got another one!”

An unusual-looking monster had abruptly appeared before the group. The monster was grotesque and covered in bizarre mucus. Speaking in human tongue, the monster waved its tail back and forth while exuding ominous energy.

“Greetings! I am the Repulsive Earl Botis. Whom may you be?”

Behind Botis, a swarm of his elite soldier mantises and chimeras stood.

Roberto, the Guild Master of the Tower guild, murmured, “Is that a demon?”

Understandably, Roberto wasn’t in a good mood because of what had happened with Rohan earlier. He was close to being a high-ranker, so he was aware of demons’ existence.

This monster spoke a human tongue, exuded ominous energy, and had red eyes—all the characteristics of a demon.

He muttered, “So it’s true that Kim Gi-Gyu has demons to serve him.”

The Tower Guild head raised his sword, ready to deliver his order.

But, Botis mumbled, “Boy, you’re way too weak.”

Botis swung his tail at Roberto, who was thrown in the air and fell hard.

“...!”

The other players quickly rushed to him, but Roberto was unconscious and barely breathing. He was the leader of the world’s 32nd guild and close to being a high-ranker, but he was no match for Botis. Even full high-rankers like Choi Chang-Yong or Tao Chen couldn’t defeat Botis at this point.

“Anyone else? Then…” Botis was about to wave his hand to make an order when he heard someone chuckle.

“Kekeke.”

Rattle, rattle.

The noise of metal pieces being dragged could be heard as someone walked toward Botis. Botis gazed at the person who was covered with a long piece of fabric.

Whoosh!

Botis swung his tail just like earlier, but this time, it was blocked by a huge red sword.

“You’ve gotten much weaker,” the newcomer announced.

“I would say the same about you,” Botis replied.

The two chatted like they knew each other.

“Botis.” Suddenly, the long cloth caught fire and disappeared. Wearing a giant red helmet and armor, Botis’ opponent raised its red sword.

He was one of the mysterious figures sent as reinforcement by the Iron Guild and the Caravan Guild.

“Zephyr.” Botis glared at him.

Zephyr, the owner of the 13th Seat of Power.

All the demons charged ahead when the battle between Zephyr and Botis began.