The Player Who Can't Level Up

Bzzz.

“Hmm?” Gi-Gyu looked down. He couldn’t remember the last time he used or interacted with his phone. He checked the caller ID and saw that it was from another country.

“A foreign number?”

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After a short pause, he answered, “Hello?”

Just recently, after his wanted status had been dissolved, Gi-Gyu had powered up his phone and started carrying it around again. His cell phone often got destroyed during battles, so he used to keep it in Eden for safekeeping.

-Have you been well?

A smile spread on Gi-Gyu’s lips. “Mr. Tao Chen?”

It was Tao Chen.

-I’ve arrived safely in China. Not being synced with you sure is inconvenient.

“I heard the news.” Gi-Gyu had already heard about Tao Chen’s arrival in China. “And I heard someone else is to be the president. Is that true?”

-Yes, probably. I don’t have the ability to lead a large country like China. For me, staying beside you and continuing to fight would be better. ”

Gi-Gyu laughed. “So you didn’t refuse the post because it would put too many limitations on you as a player?”

-Hahaha.

Tao Chen laughed before adding,

-I’ll be returning to Korea soon. I hope you will call me before your next big battle.

“Of course.” Gi-Gyu was about to hang up.

Tao Chen added, “I have news.”

“...”

-There is a rumor going around about the Korean government. They are pretending to form a good relationship with you for now, but they actually see you as a threat and…

“I already know.”

-That’s what I thought. If you never need to, you are welcome in China.

“Thank you, Tao Chen.” Gi-Gyu finally hung up. He already knew the Korean government was planning something. After the KPA collapsed and the Caravan and Iron Guilds took their position in spirit only, the Korean Player Maintenance Department finally gained some authority.

They could finally keep the players in check, so they never wanted to give up such a position of power. They were just using Gi-Gyu for now because they needed him. But there was no doubt they would like to take back the power.

“Was that Tao Chen?” Soo-Jung, who was standing next to Gi-Gyu, asked. She was dressed up today, and she looked very different.

“Yup. You heard everything just now, didn’t you?” asked Gi-Gyu.

“Yeah. So what are you going to do?”

“About what?”

Soo-Jung explained calmly, “The Korean government still controls the area around your home. If they consider you a threat, things could get very annoying, don’t you think?”

“I’m sure Sung-Hoon and Rohan will take care of everything,” replied Gi-Gyu.

And if something he didn’t approve of did happen…

‘I don’t want to think about that just yet.’ Gi-Gyu was already tired of all the other things he needed to take care of. The whole world was in danger, so he didn’t expect the Korean government to do anything silly for a while.

“Then let’s just go get lunch now,” Soo-Jung announced.

Soon, Soo-Jung and Gi-Gyu were out in Gangnam. It had been a long time since they walked the streets together. They strolled near the old KPA headquarters site.

“Wait, we have more people coming,” Gi-Gyu said to her.

“What?” Soo-Jung was confused but soon sensed two familiar presences approaching them. She smiled bitterly. “Ugh...”

“Unnie!”

“I’m sorry we’re late, Master.”

Gi-Gyu’s gate had materialized; Yoo-Bin and El exited it.

Gi-Gyu explained to Soo-Jung, “You said we should go out for lunch together, didn’t you? So I thought it would be great if we all went together.”

Soo-Jung wanted to slap him, but she just shook her head and looked at Yoo-Bin and El’s triumphant mien.

“All right, let’s go…” Soo-Jung mumbled.

The group began walking. A couple, who was standing nearby, whispered among themselves.

“Didn’t those people just appear out of nowhere?” a woman asked.

“What are you talking about? That doesn’t make any sense,” a man in a hoodie replied.

“Weren’t they talking about Tao Chen…? Isn’t that the name of the Chinese ranker?”

“Stop talking nonsense. We’re going to be late for our reservation,” the man insisted.

“But I swear…” The woman seemed curious, but her companion dragged her away.

From far away, another man watched the whole thing. He picked up his phone and reported, “Morningstar is on the move. Ah, yes, yes. He’s with that angel and Ranker Shin Yoo-Bin. Yes, all right. I’ll keep you updated.”

The man hung up and began following Gi-Gyu.

***

Gi-Gyu took a big forkful of noodles, painting his lips with the sauce.

“Master.”

“Oppa!”

Yoo-Bin and El tried to wipe his mouth for him, but they were too late. Gi-Gyu quickly wiped it himself. The duo had acted fast, but they weren’t as quick as him.

“Ha! This is… nuts,” Soo-Jung muttered while eating her risotto.

Gi-Gyu looked confused. He whispered, “You don’t have to do that, El. And…” While looking around, he hesitantly asked, “Could you not call me ‘Master’ when we’re outside…?”

They were in an expensive restaurant, so there weren’t many people inside. In the restaurant's sea of whispers, El’s sentence drew quite some eyes. After all, how often could one hear “Master” in a public restaurant?

El looked distressed. “Then what should I call you?”

She couldn’t imagine calling Gi-Gyu other than “Master.” She looked just as stressed as when she was fighting Ha Song-Su.

Gi-Gyu suggested, “You can address me more informally.”

“But how could I…?!” El seemed shocked.

“Then you should just call him ‘Oppa’ too, Unnie!” Yoo-Bin suggested.

“O…ppa…?” El seemed even more confused.

Realizing this was going nowhere, Gi-Gyu quickly changed the subject. “Let’s figure this out later. For now, let’s just eat. I’m having such yummy pasta after a long time. Are you all enjoying your food?”

“Yup, it’s good,” Soo-Jung replied.

“I would’ve preferred it if it were just you and me, Oppa. Hng…” Yoo-Bin complained.

“O…ppa…” El whispered with uncertainty.

Gi-Gyu looked at the three women and grinned. He couldn’t even remember when he was this relaxed last. So, he was enjoying this break very much.

Soo-Jung wiped her lips and asked, “What’s Lou doing?”

“I think he’s feeling better because he returned to training. Lou absorbed a bunch of sorcerous energy last time too, so I think he found a way to get more powerful,” Gi-Gyu explained.

“That’s great. And is the situation with Paimon still the same?” asked Soo-Jung.

“Yup.”

They chatted for a while longer before leaving the restaurant.

The man watching Gi-Gyu from the corner table of the same restaurant made another call. “Yes, yes. Morningstar just left.”

***

Like all the other regular folks, they enjoyed the day. The gates and the Tower threatened the world, but the non-players still led normal lives. Gi-Gyu and his group saw a movie before taking a stroll on the street.

Gi-Gyu looked around and mumbled, “This feels like a totally different world.”

The Chinese coup, Andras' world domination plan, Ha Song-Su’s invasion of Eden, the death of thousands of monsters…

“It all just feels like a dream,” Gi-Gyu mumbled. As he walked on the street, the scene he saw looked surreal compared to the reality he faced daily. The outside world seemed so peaceful. Even now, new gates opened continuously. Regardless of Andras, Kronos, and Gi-Gyu’s actions, the gates were still opening, and the regular players were still doing their best to close them.

‘Of course, they aren’t doing it just to save the world…’ 

The players were mainly doing their job for financial gains, but still, they were risking their lives to maintain peace.

“This is the other side of the peace,” Soo-Jung chimed in. Just as she had said, they were all living on the other side of this peace. They were fighting dangerous battles and bleeding for the non-players.

Gi-Gyu suddenly frowned when he heard the conversation between some high school students nearby.

“So it’s called Eden? I heard the KPA is being revamped.”

“It’s stupid. Why are they doing that? So annoying.”

“Everything seemed so peaceful and quiet, but now, this.”

They were talking about the new association Sung-Hoon was building. The high school boys continued to chat.

“I wish I was a player too. All I would have to do is kill a few monsters, and I would make tons of money. And people respect you for that. It’s an easy life.”

“Hahaha! You talk like you respect the players!”

“Well, I do! They make a lot of money, so they deserve to be respected!”

Their conversation made Gi-Gyu frown, but he knew this was reality. He didn’t blame them for their thoughts. Besides, he currently had more important things to worry about.

“What’s wrong?” Soo-Jung asked.

“I hope everyone is okay,” Gi-Gyu wondered.

“Who?”

“Tae-Shik hyung, Suk-Woo, and…” Gi-Gyu trailed off. He was thinking about his mother and Yoo-Jung. He didn’t even know where they were or if they were still alive. He tried to believe they were safe, but he couldn’t help worrying about them every moment of the day.

Gi-Gyu was doing everything in his power to locate them but…

‘It’s like they have disappeared from this world.’

This explained why he couldn’t find any physical evidence of their existence.

Just where were they?

His mother and sister should be enjoying their lives just like all the other non-players in the world. But Gi-Gyu feared that his family was somewhere suffering without his knowledge.

He felt frustrated and desperate. He tried to be patient, but these thoughts haunted him.

“I thought you were annoyed by something else.” Soo-Jung looked at them with her eyes narrowed. “You haven’t made a move, so I haven’t been doing anything, but… it bothers me.”

Suddenly, Soo-Jung turned to look at something.

Gi-Gyu agreed. Indeed, he had been too patient.

“Hey!” Soo-Jung yelled when Gi-Gyu suddenly disappeared. He was so fast that they didn’t even notice where he went.

“Oppa!” Yoo-Bin called out to him too, but it was too late. He was gone.

“O…ppa…?” El seemed to be the only one who still hadn't realized what was going on.

“Haa…” Soo-Jung sighed and rubbed her forehead. “We should get back now.”

She assumed Gi-Gyu would take care of everything. She had been anxious that Gi-Gyu might explode.

‘He’s like a ticking bomb… He should take this opportunity to release some of his stress.’

Indeed, Gi-Gyu had been suppressing his anger. If something triggered him, Soo-Jung had no idea how he might release it. For now, he seemed to at least have decent control over himself. So he needed to release some steam at every opportunity he got.

An opportunity like now.

Gi-Gyu suddenly appeared in front of the man who was making another report.

“Yes… Morningstar is now…” The man couldn’t continue. He trembled, and Gi-Gyu took away his cell phone.

-Why aren’t you reporting?!

The voice on the other side of the phone yelled.

Gi-Gyu answered the phone, “Is this Assistant Secretary Kim Sung-Moo?”

It was indeed Kim Sung-Moo.

-...

There was no answer. The call was quickly disconnected, and Gi-Gyu turned the phone into dust.

Fwoosh.

Gi-Gyu turned to the man who was reporting to Kim Sung-Moo. He asked, “Where is the man you were talking to?”

“...!”

“Please answer. I’m not in a good mood right now,” Gi-Gyu added under his breath. He feared that he might have let Kim Sung-Moo underestimate him.