The Player Who Can't Level Up

“Are we really allowed to do this?” a female reporter asked her partner.

The helicopter propellers’ whirring was deafening. A new cable show had sent a team to broadcast the battle occurring in the Bukhan River region.

In the modern day, the most popular topics were undoubtedly the Tower, the gates, and the players. All the channels, in one way and another, dealt with these topics. Moreover, new channels focusing solely on this topic popped up every day. Despite being haphazardly produced and run, most channels received decent ratings.

Everyone in the world was watching the battle in the Bukhan River region, as it could change the history of the human race.

The female reporter thought her cameraman didn’t hear her because of the loud noise. So, she yelled again, “I asked you if this is really okay!”

“Yes! It’s fine!” the cameraman replied. His hands were trembling visibly, suggesting that he didn’t reply the first time because he was nervous.

Again, people nowadays were most curious about the Tower, the gates, and the players. And at the moment, their greatest concern was…

The female reporter asked, “So you got permission for this? Are you sure?”

“Yes!” the cameraman screamed in fear.

Their group only had a few people, so they couldn’t even be called a reporting team.

There were only three of them: One helicopter pilot, the cameraman—who was also the PD—and the female reporter.

“Haven’t you noticed that no one has stopped us? And you signed the contract, remember?!” the cameraman yelled.

The contract in question freed the broadcasting station from all responsibility in case a team member died while reporting this battle.

The cameraman continued, “I got the go-ahead from the top, so just shut up and get ready! They told me they got an okay from the Iron Guild too! We’re going live!”

The female reporter tensed, reminded that they were about to film the Eden battle live. However, being on a live show made her more anxious than flying over an active war zone.

The cameraman shouted at the helicopter pilot, “You know we can’t go too low, right?”

Their risk factor was directly proportional to the copter’s distance from the ground.

The helicopter pilot nodded. “Don’t worry! I used to be a player, remember? Even if we fall, I can save you, no problem. So don’t you worry!”

The pilot used to be a fairly powerful player before. But despite his claim, there was no way he could save anyone if the helicopter fell. The pilot was only trying to reassure the crew. The reporter wasn’t even listening; she just nodded absentmindedly and continued to stare down at what was happening.

The camera lit up. The female reporter was a professional. She had probably fixed her make-up because she looked much better when she began.

“This is All of Player’s reporter Kim Min-Hee reporting from…” With a trembling voice, she continued, “The Bukhan River region. Ten thousand players have entered Eden, and the battle has finally begun.”

Kim Min-Hee had no idea that this would become a legendary newscast.

***

Du, du, du, du, du.

This thumping noise created by nearly 10,000 players running toward an open field rang in the area.

“This is going to be an all-out war! Everyone, please advance!” Rohan ordered from the forefront. They had suffered a surprise attack, followed by the materialization of a giant wall. This was enough to confuse the players, and Rohan took this as his opportunity. The guild masters of individual groups were just as confused, so they had no choice but to follow Rohan’s command blindly.

All the players began to march forward. They all headed toward where Eden’s forces had gathered.

El said calmly, “Please hurry.”

“Not yet.” Soo-Jung kept her arms crossed as she watched the enemies approaching.

Boom!

Kaboom!

The magic category players bombarded the Eden forces with their skills, but Baal raised one of his hands and announced, “Don’t mind them, Soo-Jung.”

The high-level players attacked with powerful skills, unaware it wouldn’t work against them. The system gave players their skills, but demons’ strength didn’t depend on that.

Baal, almost as powerful as Lou in wielding black magic, invaded the players’ energy and…

“Dispel,” Baal murmured, instantly overturning the players’ skills. Some powerful mages could have fought off Baal’s move, but…

“Ugh!”

These players were limited by the system, capable of only using their magic within preset boundaries. Therefore, they couldn’t defend against Baal’s Dispel, and the magic category players fell one by one.

Du, du, du, du, du.

The enemies were getting closer, each holding a different weapon and armed with buffs and skills.

Still, Soo-Jung only repeated, “Not yet.”

No one protested until Yoo-Bin, frustration obvious on her face, announced, “I can’t take this anymore.”

The faint smile on her lips betrayed the concern on her face. She buried Asmodeus’ power back inside after the last fight, but his thirst for blood and destruction remained.

But…

Whack.

Lim Hye-Sook hit the back of Yoo-Bin’s head, making her faint. Dragging her away, Lim Hye-Sook apologized, “I’m sorry. She can’t completely control her new power yet.”

“Ridiculous,” Lou sniggered at Lim Hye-Sook.

Du, du, du, du, du.

The propeller sound still rang loudly.

“They’ll be within our range very soon,” El commented as everyone watched the enemies get closer. They would have no choice but to engage in a little while, so why were they still holding their position?”

Soo-Jung’s eyes brightened, and she shouted, “Found it!”

A violet hue filled her eyes. She had been waiting until now because she needed to find the exact location of all the hell kings, demons, and weaponized players created by the Iron Guild and the Caravan Guild.

“Baal!” Soo-Jung roared.

“I’m ready!” Baal shouted.

Their enemies were swarming toward them, but Baal closed his eyes, relaxed, and raised his hands.

Whir.

With a quiet yet resonating sound, Baal and an amorphous but visible magic circle took to the air.

When the enemies saw the huge magic circle that covered the entire field, they hesitated.

“Run!” Rohan screamed, but there was nowhere to hide in this open field. The magic circle began to contract slowly.

“W-what?” The enemy players couldn’t hide their confusion.

Before long, the magic circle was just big enough to cover the players.

Soo-Jung shouted, “Dark flame!”

Crackle.

With a surprisingly subdued sound, hell descended on Eden.

“Ackkkkk!” The players shrieked.

***

“We’re above where the battle is occurring!” The female reporter announced. The cameraman quickly moved his camera, pointing it at the battlefield.

“Because this land has become a gate, we can’t see inside due to its barrier. But inside, the battle that will decide Korea’s fate is afoot,” the reporter added.

They were broadcasting something no one could see. All the camera could capture was a foggy barrier, yet their rating was soaring. They were getting more viewers than they could have ever imagined.

‘This is unbelievable!’ The cameraman/PD was shocked by how many people were watching this broadcast. When he gestured to the reporter to indicate their rating, she seemed surprised too.

‘This is my chance,’ Kim Min-Hee thought in determination. News channels broadcasting a gate’s termination live wasn’t a rare sight, but the Bukhan River gate was a whole new ball game. A live broadcast of that was unusually special.

After all, this entire region had become a gate, so this reporting team could drop dead at any moment. The tension was palpable even through the TV screen, which had to be why the viewers were glued to it.

Kim Min-Hee couldn’t figure out how they got permission to shoot this, but it didn’t matter.

The cameraman was excited and thought, ‘We’re all going to become stars.’

The entire team was on their way to stardom. However, the cameraman was unaware that this was a chance bigger than he could ever imagine.

Lim Min-Hee continued to report, “Players from all over the world are here to sacrifice themselves. The most wanted player, Kim Gi-Gyu, and Lucifer, the famed high ranker, have turned this into possibly the most dangerous mission in history. Recapturing this area is the ultimate goal of this battle.”

Next, she had to reveal more info about Kim Gi-Gyu and Lucifer, but…

“Huh?” The cameraman was so shocked that he forgot they were live.

Kim Min-Hee gaped in confusion.

The cameraman mumbled, “The barrier is disappearing…”

As he had stated, the foggy barrier covering Eden was slowly peeling off. It was as if it was being undressed.

Kim Min-Hee was the first to regain her senses. She moved the camera toward herself and announced, “The barrier over the Bukhan River region is coming off!”

The expression on her face was unreadable.

Then, the cameraman, still in shock, mumbled, “Go…”

Kim Min-Hee stared at him in confusion.

The cameraman screamed, “I said we gotta go!”

Suddenly, a massive gale struck their helicopter.

Du, du, du, du…

The propeller sound disappeared over the hill.

***

The black flame’s initial form was shabby, to say the least. It was hard to believe that the giant magic circle and one of the greatest high rankers, Soo-Jung, code-named Lucifer, were responsible for that flame.

Everyone was staring at it in shock when suddenly, it began to change.

Crackle.

Crackle.

Whoosh!

The flame spread like wildfire.

“Ackkk!” the enemy players cried out.

The tiny ember instantly transformed into black flames that created a firestorm. In no time, Soo-Jung’s fire had eaten all the enemies.

“Kyaaaaaaa!” the players screamed as the black flame moved like a living creature.

Lou, standing nearby, mumbled, “So it’s true that it won’t kill humans.”

Indeed, the black flames only stole enough life force from the players to knock them out. Once this was accomplished, the flames moved onto their next target, spreading far and wide.

The players tried to defend themselves, but…

Lou continued, “It’s a combo of Baal’s giant magic circle and Eden’s unique energy. I doubt any of them can fight it.”

Even the hell kings would struggle with this attack, precisely why they had planned it this way. Even the best players couldn’t neutralize it.

Just like that, the dark flames engulfed the enemies. The players fell like bees, but the flames didn’t stop growing.

“Kyaa!” Screams of various pitches and amplitudes rang.

“It has finally begun,” Soo-Jung whispered. The dark flames were like a curse. It used the life forces of its targets to fuel itself and grow. The power of the magic circle, Soo-Jung’s strength, and the energies permeating Eden made the dark flames thicker and more powerful.

It grew exponentially to capture the hell kings and the other demons.

“Luciferrrr!” A figure in a hood screamed from far away. There was no doubt he was one of the hell kings.

Leviathan.

Search tinyurl.com/2p9emv8w for the original.

His body slowly but visibly took a menacing size.

Soo-Jung took a step back. “Get ready. The real battle is about to begin!”

She has done everything she could. Her job now was to maintain the dark flames. It seemed like a small contribution, but it was way bigger than anyone could have ever asked from her.

Lou smiled. “I wouldn’t have it any other way.” He stepped forward. He hadn’t fully recovered yet, but the overflowing Death here made him feel much better.

As was expected, El volunteered, “I’m in too.”

“The other two have begun moving too,” Soo-Jung informed them. Through the dark flames, she could sense various energies moving. She was letting them know that the other two kings were on the move too.

Lou demanded, “Tell me who they are!”

Soo-Jung focused, trying to identify them. But before she could say anything, everyone in Eden paused.

“What…?” someone gasped in shock.

The sky was clearing as the barrier disappeared. Hwang Chae-Il or any other of Gi-Gyu’s creatures weren’t responsible for this.

“This is nuts! I can’t do this…” Lou stepped back, losing his confidence

“What the hell is happening now?!” Lou spat angrily.

“Kyaaaaa!”

“Kwerrrrrk!”

“Lucifer!”

Three screams could be heard. One was undoubtedly from Leviathan, but the other two were from the unknowns.

Suddenly, Lou whispered, “Belphegor?”

The two figures grew just like Leviathan, exuding powerful energy. They were hell kings, and one of them appeared to be Belphegor, who had been assumed dead.

What was even shocking was that…

There were two of them.

Whirrrr!

The sorcerous energies of the three hell kings mingled to peel away Eden’s barrier.

“What the fuck,” Lou muttered.