The Player Who Can't Level Up

Gi-Gyu was resting on the terrace when Tae-Shik approached him. The dinner wasn’t over yet, and the others were still eating, but Gi-Gyu had excused himself to get some fresh air.

Looking red, Tae-Shik said, “Ahh… I feel a little drunk. It feels nice.”

Gi-Gyu agreed, “Yeah.”

“Yes, it’s nice to feel drunk.”

Tae-Shik was no longer an average human player. After becoming one with Behemoth, he had become one of the strongest figures in Eden. He could feel drunk only because he was in this house.

“Thank you for making this happen,” said Tae-Shik.

“It’s no big deal,” replied Gi-Gyu.

The place where Yoo-Jung, Su-Jin, and Tae-Shik lived was special. Except for Gi-Gyu, anyone entering this place temporarily became just a human. Thanks to the security system, Su-Jin and Yoo-Jung were always safe, even without Tae-Shik’s protection. Here, Tae-Shik and Suk-Woo could get drunk.

“Haa…”

“Why do you keep sighing, Gi-Gyu? Are you unhappy that I will be your stepfather?”

When Tae-Shik asked, Gi-Gyu shook his head emphatically and replied, “Of course not! You… I've always hoped for you to be my step— Anyway, it’s not about that. I am happy about it.”

“Then are you upset about Suk-Woo and Yoo-Jung?”

“No.” Gi-Gyu sighed again. Tae-Shik also held an important position in Eden but didn’t attend regular meetings. Instead of taking a public role, Tae-Shik focused on his family; therefore, he wasn’t a part of the recent meeting.

“It’s about my wedding,” explained Gi-Gyu.

“Ah, I heard! You’re finally marrying El!” Tae-Shik slapped Gi-Gyu’s back a few times. “Congrats! I told you to hurry up already. I was wondering why you weren’t getting to it.”

“I was going to do it after your wedding. Since your wedding is just around the corner, I was planning my ceremony, but…”

“But…?” Tae-Shik shook his head a little, trying to fight the effect of the alcohol.

“Everyone is against it.”

“Against what?”

Tae-Shik still looked confused, so Gi-Gyu frowned and explained, “I said I wanted a small wedding, but everyone is totally against the idea.”

Tae-Shik finally understood the situation. The redness on his face subsided a bit. “Hmm…”

Tae-Shik contemplated for a moment before replying, “Instead of your wedding, can you make our wedding super extravagant?”

“Hahaha!” Gi-Gyu burst into laughter.

***

“Thank you for giving me this chance.” Tao Chen made a fist-in-palm gesture toward Gi-Gyu while holding his Green Dragon Crescent Blade. His weapon looked much different now. It had always been a powerful blade, but now, it looked almost mythical, all thanks to the Hwang family and Mammon’s help.

When Tao Chen took his position, his magic filled the Green Dragon Crescent Blade. It shined sharply as if it could slice time itself.

Slash.

Tao Chen swung his blade smoothly. Gi-Gyu stood far away, but the magic wave was like a lightning bolt.

Clank.

Unfortunately, Gi-Gyu dispersed the wave with a simple wave of his hand.

Gi-Gyu ordered, “Try again.”

Tao Chen didn’t look upset. He positioned himself for the next attack and announced, “All right. I’ll try my best.”

“Good.”

The second the last syllable left Gi-Gyu’s mouth, Tao Chen was in front of him. Tao Chen swung the Green Dragon Crescent Blade, which grazed Gi-Gyu’s neck, but no scratch appeared on his skin.

This was only the beginning.

Clank, clank, clank, clank, clank!

Small sparks flew everywhere as the blade attacked Gi-Gyu nonstop. But Gi-Gyu didn’t fight back and only dodged leisurely.

“Slash!” Tao Chen finally screamed. No matter how hard he attacked, he failed to injure Gi-Gyu. He hadn’t even succeeded in making Gi-Gyu draw his weapon yet. So, in the end, Tao Chen had no choice but to use his best skill: Slash.

The Green Dragon Crescent Blade vibrated as a giant amount of his magic rushed into it.

Clang!

Another metallic sound rang in the air.

“Haa, did it work?!” asked Tao Chen in anticipation as he sheathed the Green Dragon Crescent Blade on his back.

“I can see that you have made much improvement,” replied Gi-Gyu while holding a sword in his hand. It wasn’t Lou or El, but this new weapon was another masterpiece by Old Man Hwang and his grandson Min-Su.

“Good. I made you use a weapon, so I guess it’s a huge success on my part.” Tao Chen seemed genuinely happy. Becoming a ruler had made him substantially stronger, but he couldn’t use all his powers. So, he was training to fulfill his potential, and he was becoming rapidly stronger.

“Next time, I will be even better. I’ll force you to attack,” Tao Chen promised.

“I look forward to it.”

Both men executed a fist-in-palm salute toward each other. Tao Chen had been busy as the ruler of Eden’s Chinese branch. He was the national hero of his country. From time to time, he used the gate to travel to Eden to spar with Gi-Gyu and his creatures.

“So I heard you have a problem,” Tao Chen continued. Today, the main reason for his visit wasn’t to spar. Gi-Gyu had asked him to come.

“Yes, I want to talk to you about something.”

Tao Chen nodded and suggested, “Why don’t we take a walk?”

***

“What a beautiful place this is.” Tao Chen meant his compliment. They were walking inside Eden, and he couldn’t hide his awe. “Every time I visit, I am impressed. I would love to live in a place like this.”

“You’re always welcome.”

When Gi-Gyu offered, Tao Chen smiled. Eden never stopped improving, thanks to Old Man Hwang’s hard work. At the moment, Eden looked like a piece of art, and Gi-Gyu enjoyed living in such a place.

“Thank you for the kind words, Gi-Gyu.”

“I meant what I said. You are always welcome here, Tao Chen. Ah, by the way…”

Both stopped walking as Gi-Gyu asked, “Bodhidharma—I mean, Kim Se-Jin… Is he doing okay?”

Kim Se-Jin, Bodhidharma, was a Kronos clone and was currently staying in China with Tao Chen.

“Of course.”

“I haven’t seen him in a long time. He must be busy.”

“Yes, he is. So why don’t you go visit him instead?” Tao Chen suggested.

“I’m busy too.”

Tao Chen grinned. “You’re an important man, of course, but I thought you were not busy because of that. Am I wrong?”

Tao Chen was correct. Gi-Gyu’s days were usually boring because his creatures and other figures did most of the work. He didn’t even have an official title. He ruled everyone and everything, but he didn’t actually have to do anything. All he did was make suggestions if something major happened in the world.

“You’re the king who doesn’t rule, aren’t you?” asked Tao Chen.

“...”

“There is no reason for you to make that face. I’m sure you have your reasons. Bodhidharma—I mean, Advisor Kim Se-Jin is working hard to train the other players. He is an amazing man indeed. I’ll tell him that you want to see him. I’m sure he’ll be here soon.”

Gi-Gyu nodded because he indeed wanted to see Kim Se-Jin.

Tao Chen asked, “So why is our king so troubled?”

“Everyone wants me to have an extravagant wedding.”

Tao Chen became confused. “Why is that a problem?”

“Because I want a small wedding. I don’t want anything big.”

“...” Tao Chen contemplated for a bit. Next, a smile spread on his lips. “Do you know what your position is in this world?”

“...” Gi-Gyu seemed embarrassed.

“You reign supreme over all. At this point, the word ‘god’ suits you the best.”

It was the truth, but Gi-Gyu couldn’t help feeling awkward and remained silent.

Tao Chen added, “And you’re getting married. So, it’s only right that everyone gets to congratulate you. Having a small wedding would be very inconsiderate of you. It would hurt all of our feelings if you had a small wedding. We are your followers, and we want to celebrate with you.”

Gi-Gyu didn’t know what to think. He had hoped Tao Chen would support him, but he had instead concurred with the rest of the group. Gi-Gyu wasn’t upset or angry, but he felt even more troubled now.

“This is so complicated.”

“Of course it is. Being a king always is.”

Tao Chen began walking again. With a sigh, Gi-Gyu followed.

***

Gi-Gyu didn’t become the king and god by choice. He had no choice but to become one, and he couldn’t give it up. This was why he had chosen not to rule. He thought this was the best for everyone.

‘What will happen if I change my mind?’ Gi-Gyu wondered. If he wished, he could get whatever he wanted. However, this was the exact opposite of what he wanted. The moment he got involved, everything would be ruined. Absolute power was always corrupted.

Things seemed to be going well until now, but Gi-Gyu had never been this frustrated.

‘How can other people decide what kind of wedding I should have?’ 

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Of course, Gi-Gyu knew the answer. Tao Chen was correct. Gi-Gyu’s position and power created this problem. He knew that the others meant well. They were doing this for his sake, but Gi-Gyu felt uncomfortable.

After getting the ultimate power and spending such a long time in Lee Sun-Ho’s memory, everything became boring. More accurately, Gi-Gyu made an effort to find everything boring.

‘Because it will be dangerous if I become interested in anything.’ 

The moment he felt amused, angry, or any other emotions, things would be ruined. This was the price he had to pay for being the god.

‘Kronos…’ Because Gi-Gyu had been keeping his life boring, he found the recent occurrence very refreshing. Uranus and Kronos had been resurrected, and Ha-Rim lived as Choi Leah. These weren’t what Gi-Gyu had wanted or planned. If he had tried, he could have found out everything, but unlike what Jupiter and others believed, Gi-Gyu wasn’t interested in seeing what was happening in the world. It was just too tiring.

‘That was unexpected.’ Gi-Gyu was undoubtedly surprised by Kronos and Choi Leah. And the changes Jupiter had experienced were also unexpected.

Suddenly, a smile appeared on his lips. He always found changes like these amusing.

“Did you find a solution to your problem?” asked El as she walked into their room.

“El, I think you’ve been too busy lately.”

Hugging Gi-Gyu, El closed her eyes and whispered, “I’m sorry, but Master…”

“I told you not to call me ‘Master.’”

El nodded at Gi-Gyu’s firm tone and continued, “I just want to be helpful to you.”

“I told you that you don’t have to—”

“I’m doing this for my satisfaction. Please don’t stop me from doing what I want.”

Gi-Gyu nodded in the end. With a new idea, he murmured, “I think I know what to do. We’ll have some fun.”

Everyone wanted an unforgettable wedding, and Gi-Gyu had figured out how to achieve this. This was what everyone wanted, and it happened to be something he also wanted.