The Player Who Can't Level Up

‘I feel dizzy.’

Gi-Gyu’s head spun, and his vision was blurry. His consciousness cleared a while later, and he weakly opened his eyes. As his vision returned, he discovered someone was cradling him. Then, an abrupt stream of screams slammed into his ears.

“Ackkkkkkkkkkk!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!”

“Lucifer’s here!”

“Where is our guild master?!”

When Gi-Gyu managed to look around, he saw a black flame engulfing the screaming players. 

‘Iron Guild? Then where are the other players…?’

To his shock, a giant black flame was sweeping through the Iron Guild members and various other random players. Nothing that stood in its way came out alive.

‘Black flame!’

This was Lucifer's signature move. When she became a high ranker, she obtained her own unique ability, this black flame. And this flame was also why she got the moniker Lucifer.

'I knew Marking wasn’t her unique ability.’

While being tortured by Ironshield, Gi-Gyu deduced Soo-Jung was Lucifer. Ironshield’s description of Lucifer wasn’t exactly the same, but he got a strong feeling that Ironshield was talking about the young girl he was traveling with. Add to that suspicion, all the things that made no sense about Soo-Jung, and you would get Lucifer. 

So first, Lucifer toyed with Gi-Gyu; then, he got himself captured by another high ranker. But, he didn’t resent Lucifer one bit for it. She was probably just amusing herself by following him around; she didn’t cause him any direct harm. Ironshield and his guild, on the other hand, had physically hurt him… very badly. 

It might be nothing, but maybe a part of why he didn’t detest Lucifer was that she resembled Yoo-Jung. 

“Are you awake? You should’ve slept a bit longer,” said the purple-haired woman standing in front of him. Even though her lips held a gentle smile, the menacing black flames in her hands sent some mixed signals. Her hair danced beautifully as she suggested, “Take a good look. You made a deal with me, so I’m showing you what kind of power I hold.”

Gi-Gyu asked in a clear voice, “But this was what we agreed on, wasn’t it?”

“Hmm?”

“I wanted to do it alone. Destroy the Iron Guild, that is. The life of every Iron Guild member, including the ones inside this maze, belongs to me,” Gi-Gyu announced without fear.

“What?” Soo-Jung’s eyes crumpled unhappily, but a smile spread on her lips within seconds. She agreed, “Yes, indeed. All right.”

The black flames whirling around them subsided slowly; then, they began targeting only the players who didn’t belong to the Iron Guild. But this didn’t mean the Iron Guild members were spared. A majority was already on the ground, dead or close to it. The remaining were either missing some limbs or collapsed on the ground with foam escaping their mouths. 

Soo-Jung, or Lucifer, walked a few steps forward and stood before a man. Gi-Gyu realized it was the middle-aged man with a white beard. She seized the swords from this player’s waist and announced, “This fulfills one of the conditions on our contract!” 

Gi-Gyu saw that she was smiling while holding Lou and El. Before he could react to what was happening, Gi-Gyu fainted again.

***

-Wake up.

-Please wake up, Master.

When Gi-Gyu heard his Egos' voices tickling his ears, he opened his eyes again. 

[Strong will has been activated.]

[Strong will has been activated.]

[Strong will has been activated.]

When his mind cleared a bit, it was flooded by a ton of system announcements; soon, he felt energy coursing through him.

“Lou? El?” Gi-Gyu murmured in confusion.

-Don’t push yourself. Just look ahead; it will help you.

-That woman is dangerous, Master.

“Are you awake? That’s strange. You were barely breathing just a moment ago,” said a man when he noticed Gi-Gyu had opened his eyes.

“Who are you?” Gi-Gyu asked. Actually, there was no need for that question: Gi-Gyu knew who he was. The man in the glasses was the one who was carrying him earlier. Gi-Gyu’s vision cleared slowly, allowing him to see his surroundings better. When he saw what stood not too far from him, he whispered, “Oh my god.”

“That’s the corps commander. Is this your first time seeing one?” the bespectacled man asked.

“What’s a corps commander?” When Gi-Gyu asked in awe, the glassed man answered with a blank face, “It’s Heryond, of course. He’s the master of this maze.”

Gi-Gyu slowly looked around to see a giant mountain in front of him. Although it was impossibly big, its form resembled that of a human. It was wearing black thorn-covered armor and a helmet with six horns. Gi-Gyu murmured, “That’s the keeper of this maze?!”

“Well, I guess you could say that,” the glassed man replied with a shrug.

Gi-Gyu couldn’t hide his embarrassment as he gaped at the monster. After looking at the gatekeeper, he realized how arrogant and cocksure his pre-torture self was. Back then, he really believed he could defeat this monster.

Beside the keeper was a tiny woman: Soo-Jung. She winked at Gi-Gyu and announced, “I hope you enjoy the show!”

And just like that, the battle began. The man wearing glasses dropped something on the ground, creating a translucent circle. He ordered Gi-Gyu quietly, “You should come inside. You might get killed if you get too close.”

“Is this a barrier?” 

“You’re more knowledgeable than I thought,” the man replied with a nod. This was no ordinary barrier: It looked like it was created using a unique mixture of various players’ skills. But because Gi-Gyu didn’t know much about barriers in general, he couldn’t tell for sure. 

Still, Gi-Gyu entered the circle without protest. 

Boom! Boom! Boom! 

As soon as he entered the barrier, Soo-Jung took to the sky and slammed into the keeper, making the entire area around Gi-Gyu shake. The black flames Soo-Jung shot from her hands grew exponentially and covered the keeper like bacteria. Screaming in pain, the monster tried to push Soo-Jung away. 

Suddenly, a black hole appeared in the sky. Gi-Gyu whispered, “A black gate?”

Unfortunately, the man wearing glasses had stopped answering Gi-Gyu’s questions. Instead, he watched the battle with a blank face as if he was bored. To Gi-Gyu’s shock, countless monsters emerged from the black gate and began attacking Soo-Jung.

“Hup!” Soo-Jung exhaled lightly, making the surrounding air burn. Slowly, a black flame appeared around her and seemingly began burning down the sky. Then, a giant sword with a muted color arose from the black flames. It was much bigger than the giant keeper; slowly, it fell to the ground as it split the world into two.

‘She must be a god…’

Gi-Gyu found her power godly.

***

-I can't believe you actually managed to get it.

-Umm, congratulations… Master.

Lou and El didn’t sound happy as Gi-Gyu held a box made of diamonds. The box alone had to be worth a fortune, but the content inside was what would save his mother. 

Her purple hair dancing around her face, Soo-Jung announced, “So that’s the last of my part of the bargain. I understand you want to kill Ironshield and destroy his guild, but it sounds like you don’t want me to help you.”

Gi-Gyu asked cautiously, “Is your name really Soo-Jung?”

“Yup. My name is Jung Soo-Jung, and I’m really Korean too.” When Soo-Jung replied, Gi-Gyu nodded. After Lucifer destroyed the gatekeeper Heryond, Gi-Gyu, the man in glasses, and Lucifer were transferred to the rewards chamber. Since he didn’t participate in the battle, Gi-Gyu didn’t obtain any experience points. But because he was present at the scene when the keeper died, he could follow Soo-Jung to this chamber. 

The rewards were in two separate boxes: one gold and one diamond. 

Soo-Jung suggested, “Shouldn’t you open it and check?”

“All right,” answered Gi-Gyu with respect. He no longer treated Soo-Jung like an ordinary girl. Partly because she was no longer in her girly form, but it was mostly because she was a high ranker who could easily kill him with her pinky.  

Gi-Gyu slowly opened the diamond box and found a glass jar filled with purple liquid. Soo-Jung murmured, “It’s definitely the elixir.”

“...”

Gi-Gyu had mixed feelings. He walked into the Maze of Heryond, fully prepared to die. His determination to obtain what he was seeking was sky-high; honestly, he didn’t really expect to get the elixir. It was a suicide attempt by a desperate man who was pushed into a corner by his circumstance. And what happened, in the end, was something no one could have imagined. 

A high ranker almost killed him, but another just handed him the elixir. Although he was happy to have gotten what he came for, he couldn’t help feeling useless because this wasn’t his achievement. 

“Our rewards are two bottles of the elixir. So here,” said Soo-Jung as she handed one of the bottles to Gi-Gyu. 

“Pardon?”

“This is a gift from me to celebrate our new contract. Drink up. I detest weak men, so you need this. We were here for the corps commander anyway, not the elixir. These bottles are a bonus we don’t need, so feel free to take one more.”

Gi-Gyu gaped at Soo-Jung’s playful explanation. He couldn't believe what he was hearing. Did she have any idea what a bottle of elixir was worth? Did she know what the elixir could do for a player’s body?

Of course, she did. After all, she was the famous Lucifer.

Gi-Gyu's hand trembled as he took the bottle. Soo-Jung continued, “Your body has been damaged beyond repair now. A player is still only human, so there are things even potions can’t heal. This elixir will regenerate your body, so you can start with a better ‘shell.’ In fact, you’ll end up with an even better body than before. It will even improve your abilities, and your stat will increase faster with each level-up. You will be on your way to becoming a high ranker.”

Well, his stats wouldn’t increase, as he was the player who couldn’t level up. 

‘No, wait.’ 

‘If I drink this, will I be able to level up?’

Gi-Gyu’s hands trembled in anticipation. His hands shook so badly that he almost dropped the bottle. Trying his best to keep his voice calm, Gi-Gyu asked, “What is it you want from me? It doesn’t look like you want to kill me, so do you really want me to become your slave forever? Is that what you really want?”

She wanted him to drink the elixir, which meant she didn’t want to kill him. Besides, what would she gain from killing him anyway? 

Soo-Jung smiled and replied, “Well… That’s not exactly true. I just like you, that’s all.”

With a quiet laugh, she ordered him, “Be my pupil.”

“Pardon?”

“You’re too useless right now, so don’t bother coming to me in your current state. But when you reach the 50th floor, find me. I’ll teach you how to become stronger. And if you die before then, well, I guess that’s that.”

Gi-Gyu thought quietly for a moment. After organizing his thoughts, he asked his final question, “Are you… the devil?” It was a cautious and serious question, but it only made Soo-Jung laugh. She turned toward the man in glasses and murmured, “He’s so funny, isn’t he? Don’t you agree, Baal?”

“...”

The man in glasses, Baal, didn’t answer her. Soo-Jung ignored her companion and asked Gi-Gyu, “And you know the devil?”

“I’ve seen it… Just once. It was giant, and it had blood-red eyes.”

“Ohh…” exclaimed Soo-Jung as if she was impressed.

“He resembled the corps commander,” Gi-Gyu added. 

The smile on Soo-Jung’s face gradually disappeared as she explained, “Guess you met a pretty big monster, huh? This is why I’m so interested in you. Don’t worry. I’m not the devil. I am called Lucifer, but I have nothing to do with the devil.”

Soo-Jung suddenly placed her hand on Gi-Gyu’s head, but he didn’t flinch away. Soo-Jung continued, “I’m more like someone hunting the devil. I’ll tell you more about it when you become my pupil. Oh, and this is a gift for you.”

A shocking sensation traveled from her hand to his head. It moved down and soon reached his right eye. It seemed this woman liked to give gifts. Gi-Gyu was surprised at how generous the infamous Lucifer was. 

“This is a token of our contract and a way to communicate with me. For now, it won’t have any functions; once you become stronger and wiser, you’ll learn more about it. After all, one can only see what one knows. So work hard, my future pupil.”

As Soo-Jung finished speaking, Gi-Gyu felt his right eye burn a little. He laughed and drank the purple elixir in a single gulp. 

[Your shell is being regenerated.]

With the system’s announcement, Gi-Gyu found his consciousness slowly fading; then, he heard Soo-Jung’s voice again.

“Oh, there is one more thing you need to take.”

His eyes widened as she continued, “I noticed that your swords are unique. I’ll teach you how to make one of them much stronger. Well, you might die from it, but it’s okay, right?”

Nod.

With that small nod, Gi-Gyu fainted again. He couldn’t remember how many times he had lost his consciousness inside this maze. Being so fragile was embarrassing, but then there was his amazing luck. I mean, who would ever encounter two high rankers in a single gate?

***

“I’ve been waiting for you, Lucifer.”

“...”

Gi-Gyu had no idea this was what Soo-Jung meant by making Lou and El stronger. 

-This is crazy.

-M-Master, I told you she’s dangerous…”

Following his Egos warnings, Soo-Jung said to Gi-Gyu, “You remember what I taught you? Just do that.”

Ironshield, covered in blood and holding a silver-haired woman in one hand, was standing in front of Gi-Gyu. Soo-Jung explained to Gi-Gyu earlier that when someone powerful like her cleared the gate, they could keep the gate standing for a while longer even after claiming the rewards. Typically, a one-shot gate perished soon after being cleared. 

Ironshield roared at Lucifer, “How dare you steal my prey?”

“How is he your prey?” Lucifer argued back in annoyance. The two high rankers were bickering, but all Gi-Gyu could focus on was the blood-covered Ironshield. He felt confused and embarrassed at first; then, his fury engulfed him. Gi-Gyu knew Ironshield wasn’t an evil man, but he was still the culprit who tortured him. Without a word, Gi-Gyu took a step toward Ironshield. 

“You have changed…” Ironshield muttered when he saw Gi-Gyu. He continued with a frown, “Are you Lucifer’s minion now? Or have you always belonged to her? Haa, this is going to be so annoying.”

Dealing with Lucifer and her four-eyed follower was already annoying enough. And now, it seemed Lucifer got herself another capable lackey. Ironshield knew Gi-Gyu was still no match for him, but there was no way of knowing what kind of power he gained by becoming Lucifer’s minion. 

Gi-Gyu gritted his teeth and said to him, “Let’s fight.” He gripped Lou and El hard and lowered his body in preparation. However, Ironshield didn’t understand Korean, so he just looked at Gi-Gyu in confusion.

“What?”

Mustering all the English words he could remember, Gi-Gyu yelled, “Die. Die. You die!” He was trying to rile up Ironshield, and it worked. Ironshield’s face crumpled in anger as he raised Calleon, rooted in the ground. He murmured, “I don’t know what you’re thinking, but… It’s sad to see you wasting your life away when I allowed you to live.”

“I don’t know what the heck you’re talking about, but you die! You die! You will soon die!” Gi-Gyu yelled in Korean as he kicked the ground to run toward his opponent. Ironshield, his face devoid of emotion, brandished Calleon. When El and Calleon struck each other, the system announced.

[Holy sword has awakened El’s special ability.]

[El is absorbing holy sword Calleon’s ability.]

[Only a small part of Calleon’s ability will be absorbed because of the user’s low level.]

[Absorption has been completed.]

“W-what?” Ironshield’s confused gasp echoed throughout. Taking this as his chance to escape, Gi-Gyu took a few steps back. Meanwhile, one of Ironshield’s knees buckled due to sudden weakness. 

Gi-Gyu quickly bowed to Soo-Jung and said his farewell, “Then I will see you later.”

“All right.”

Gi-Gyu took out Arachne's Ball of Thread and activated it without hesitation. His journey inside the Maze of Heryond was finally over. He expected the gate to perish shortly. 

With a playful smile, Soo-Jung asked, “Shall we talk now, Ironshield?”

“Dammit,” Ironshield swore as he bit his lips.  

Favorite