The Player Who Can't Level Up

Gi-Gyu found an alien emotion bubbling inside him; then, a familiar man suddenly appeared in front of his eyes. When Gi-Gyu saw him, he finally realized what that bubbling emotion was. 

It was absolute loyalty, the kind Gi-Gyu had never felt before.

‘I have a favor to ask from you.’

‘I will happily do anything you ask, Guild Master. If I can repay my debt to you, I will be honored to give my life to you.’

Gi-Gyu heard a familiar voice that wasn’t his own from his mouth. To his surprise, it was Choi Won-Jae’s voice; slowly, the blurry image of the man in front of his eyes began to clear. The man was none other than the Phoenix Guild’s guild master. 

‘This child is my only blood… I didn’t get to protect him until now, and I won't get to take care of him myself even now. So I want you to raise my son in my place.’

‘Of course, Sir. I will protect the young master with my utmost loyalty.’

Gi-Gyu, in Choi Won-Jae’s voice, bowed and answered. 

What was happening? Did Gi-Gyu somehow become Choi Won-Jae? Before he could come up with an answer, the scene in front of him changed. Suddenly, he saw a young boy of six or seven, standing in front of him.

‘Young Master.’

‘Who are you, Ahjussi?’

‘I will serve you from now on.’

Again, Gi-Gyu felt some indescribable emotions as Choi Jae-Won announced his intention. The innocent boy looked so pure as he replied, ‘Please take good care of me!’

The guileless young boy smiled and offered him his tiny hand. Gi-Gyu held it happily, but suddenly, his surroundings changed again. 

‘Young Master… This isn’t right.’

Gi-Gyu finally learned the name of the bastard who picked a fight with him as his own mouth begged in Choi Won-Jae’s voice, ‘Master Nam-Ju…’ 

‘Ahjussi, you know my father isn’t interested in me, don’t you? He doesn't care.’

There was no doubt Yeon Nam-Ju was the young boy Gi-Gyu saw a moment ago. But there was no trace of innocence on his face, only confusion and resentment. His face filled with misery, Yeon Nam-Ju continued, ‘Did you think I didn’t know? I know I’m not his legitimate son. Dad always looks at me with love, but I don’t believe it’s genuine. All Mother feels for me is hate because I am my father’s illegitimate child.’

In Choi Won-Jae’s body, Gi-Gyu felt a stinging pain in his heart. He murmured, ‘Young Master…’ 

How did that innocent boy grow up to be such a tormented young man? Gi-Gyu, no Choi Won-Jae, knew the answer to this. He knew that things went wrong from the very beginning. The guild master was childless, and his wife was very ill. So, he had an affair that led to the birth of his son. Afraid his enemies would target his only child, the guild master put his son in one of his subordinate’s care. 

‘You made a mistake, Guild Master. You should’ve been honest with your son’s identity and faced the problems head-on.’

The guild master’s subordinate tried his best to care for the child like his own, but it didn’t change the fact that the boy wasn’t his own. The subordinate’s wife was understandably displeased with the spawn her husband brought, so she was never welcoming toward the child. 

The tragedy began from day one. Yeon Nam-Ju had rough teenage years, and once he befriended those hooligans, everything went downhill. One day, young Yeon Nam-Ju told Choi Won-Jae, ‘Please stop caring for me. Just leave me alone.’

‘Young Master, you must tell me if anything happens. I’m here to serve you.’

Before long, Yeon Nam-Ju and his friends received the invitations from the Tower and became players. When Yeon Nam-Ju realized his adoptive father was someone important in a famous guild, he became out of control. And the fact that he was the guild master’s secret son only worsened the situation. 

At first, Yeon Nam-Ju’s goal was simple. His adoptive father only gave him unconditional love and support; sometimes, it seemed fake. He wanted a parent who would applaud him for his achievements and scold him for his mistakes. However, how could his adoptive father reprimand the guild master’s son? Too much love spoiled him and turned him into what got him killed. 

‘Ahjussi… I k-killed a person. What do I do? I was just driving… I’m so scared!’

One day, Yeon Nam-Ju came running to Choi Won-Jae for help: This was the beginning of a never-ending catastrophe. When Yeon Nam-Ju committed a hit-and-run for the first time, many guild members were mobilized, per the guild master’s order, to cover up the situation. And just like that, Yeon Nam-Ju went unpunished even after killing someone. If he was out of control before, he was like an untamed beast out in the open after the incident.  

‘Ahjussi! Those bastards need to be punished!’

‘Young Master, this isn’t right.’

‘Ahjussi! I thought you were on my side. Don’t you care about me anymore?’

Then, a woman and several kneeling men appeared before Gi-Gyu’s eyes. Their faces remained fuzzy, but he quickly understood what was going on: Yeon Nam-Ju was separating two lovers by force. 

Yeon Nam-Ju stabbed one of the kneeling men’s chest. The dying man whispered, ‘I… curse you…’

Yeon Nam-Ju repeatedly stabbed the man’s chest without mercy. When he was finally dead, a bloodstained Yeon Nam-Ju stood up and asked, ‘Ahjussi! I killed him! You’ll take care of the rest, right?’

The kneeling woman could only watch her lover’s death with tear-filled eyes. Choi Won-Jae knew he should’ve stopped Yeon Nam-Ju then. It might not have been too late to set Yeon Nam-Ju right. Choi Won-Jae realized he should’ve done the right thing, even if it took confining and beating him up. 

Suddenly, Gi-Gyu’s consciousness became faint, and it was separated from Choi Won-Jae’s body. Gi-Gyu wondered in annoyance, ‘What does it want from me? Should I be sympathetic since Yeon Nam-Ju’s childhood was a sad one? I should feel guilty for torturing this young man who had a misunderstood life? Big oof!’

Choi Won-Jae’s feelings were no longer interfering with Gi-Gyu’s thoughts, so he could now think more clearly. Gi-Gyu felt frustrated because he couldn’t understand why he was shown the dead ranker’s memories. What angered him the most was how Choi Won-Jaw felt pity and love toward Yeon Nam-Ju. Did having an unhappy childhood give someone the right to become twisted and sadistic? 

Gi-Gyu thought, ‘If Yeon Nam-Ju weren’t so incorrigible, I might have felt a little sympathy toward him.’

Had Yeon Nam-Ju just been angry at the ones who caused him unhappiness or killed himself out of depression, Gi-Gyu would’ve felt pity toward him. But this bastard unleashed his pain and sadness on the innocents. In fact, he bullied those weaker than him and found pleasure in doing so. 

‘Besides, what about me?’

Gi-Gyu’s life was also riddled with unfortunate incidents and pain. Did he lose his humanity and become a sadistic psychopath? Not now, not ever. If misfortune became a legitimate excuse for bad behaviors, what did this mean for people like Gi-Gyu, who overcame their hardships to grow better and stronger? Did this mean Gi-Gyu was an idiot for working hard to get a better life?

‘I just feel angry becaus—’

His last thought was interrupted because Gi-Gyu finally woke up from his dream.

***

Gi-Gyu opened his eyes. He could feel something warm flowing down his right cheek: His right eye was filled with tears. He swore silently, ‘Dammit.’

Based on the last system announcement, it seemed Gi-Gyu had seen a small part of Choi Won-Jae’s memories. Gi-Gyu felt disgusted for having shed even a single tear. How could he have felt pity for that bastard even for a second?!

When Gi-Gyu looked around, he found himself in Tae-Shik’s apartment. Tae-Shik asked, “Are you all right?”

“Not really.”

Tae-Shik was still in his business suit when he offered Gi-Gyu a cup of instant coffee. Gi-Gyu grinned and accepted as he murmured, “I guess your taste in food will never change.”

Gi-Gyu’s whole body felt frozen, but the warmth from the instant coffee helped a little. Tae-Shik began, “I heard what happened from Sung-Hoon.”

Gi-Gyu jolted in shock and asked, “Is Sung-Hoon okay?”

“Why wouldn’t he be okay? It sounded like he didn’t do anything,” Tae-Shik replied with a smirk. Still feeling cold, Gi-Gyu pulled the blanket up to his neck and murmured, “So what happened afterward?”

“...”

Tae-Shik hadn’t expected Gi-Gyu to be so blunt about it. He mumbled, “Umm…”

“How much time has passed since I became unconscious?”

Gi-Gyu remembered fainting in Tae-Shik’s arms. But he had no recollection of what happened afterward. Gi-Gyu murmured, “Gosh… I’m embarrassed.”

“Why would you be embarrassed?” Tae-Shik grinned teasingly, making Gi-Gyu relax a little. He continued, “It has been about three hours since you fell asleep. It’s still pretty late at night.”

Gi-Gyu glanced over to find that it was pitch black outside. He asked, watching the dark sky, “What will happen now?” 

Gi-Gyu remembered everything he had done in the abandoned factory earlier. Every time his hands moved, a burst of horrific screams, blood, and flesh chunks flew all around him. After killing a great many players, Gi-Gyu beheaded Choi Won-Jae and tortured Yeon Nam-Ju. 

Gi-Gyu frowned unhappily at the thought. He couldn’t believe he tortured another human being. Of course, Yeon Nam-Ju deserved to die, but torturing was another matter. 

Confused by Gi-Gyu’s question, Tae-Shik asked, “What do you mean?”

“The guy I tortured was the bastard son of Phoenix Guild’s guild master. It’s just like what you would see in a soap opera.”

Tae-Shik’s face remained calm as if he already knew. He replied, “Stuff like this happens all the time. Did you think crazy rich people only exist in soap operas?” 

“I’m sure the guild master won’t idly stand by after hearing that his son was murdered. He will try his best to get his revenge.”

The Phoenix Guild wasn’t exactly a world-class group, but it was still a recognized guild in Korea. It didn’t have any high rankers, but it had countless rankers. It was a powerful guild, and Gi-Gyu had just killed its guild master’s only son. Based on what Gi-Gyu had seen, it sounded like the Phoenix Guild didn’t care about the consequences of its actions. Gi-Gyu felt certain the Phoenix Guild master would come after him with everything he had. 

‘Fighting the entire Phoenix Guild will be so annoying.’

While Gi-Gyu was mulling over his options, Tae-Shik suddenly said, “You don’t have to worry about that.”

“Why not?”

“We’re already on it.”—Tae-Shik gave Gi-Gyu a small smile—“You have no faith in the association.”

“That’s not true.”

Gi-Gyu just hadn’t witnessed the full extent of the association’s power before, so he had no idea what to expect. Tae-Shik explained, “We, the association, have the responsibility to protect you. You didn’t do anything wrong. You had the right reason to do what you did.”

“...”

“On top of that, those bastards used the association’s name to do their dirty work.” When Tae-Shik said in disgust, Gi-Gyu suddenly remembered as he exclaimed, “Oh, you mean Yeo Sung-Gu?!”

“That’s right. We found a few more like Yeo Sung-Gu inside the association. We always try our best to keep things clean, but you can never prevent this kind of corruption from happening inside a large organization.”

Gi-Gyu nodded in agreement as he listened. Then, Tae-Shik explained that the association had been monitoring and investigating the Phoenix Guild and the other relevant figures for a long time now. 

Tae-Shik announced, “But you did do one thing wrong.”

“Hmm?”

“You should’ve called me the moment something like that happened. If not, you should’ve at least tried to get out of the situation by using your new authority in the association. This whole thing became even more complicated because you didn’t do that.”

Tae-Shik’s tone wasn’t kind, and Gi-Gyu was thankful for it. Gi-Gyu smiled bitterly and replied, “At first, I was embarrassed to use the association ring. I thought I just needed to cooperate with the investigation for things to work out smoothly. But the situation worsened so fast.”

“...”

“Then, I thought that since I have the power to protect myself now, I will be okay. But if I didn’t…”—Gi-Gyu lowered his eyes—“I think that’s why I wanted to take my anger out on them.”

Gi-Gyu looked up straight into Tae-Shik’s eyes and added, “I know what it’s like being weak and helpless. So when I saw those jerks, I exacted my revenge on this corrupt and filthy world. I guess I also wanted to feel the power I now have to reassure myself. That’s why I didn’t call you.”

Gi-Gyu had experienced helplessness countless times in his life. Being poor and vulnerable was a life of sorrow and despair. He finally became strong enough to survive in this world, but Gi-Gyu was afraid he would forget why he needed this power in the first place. 

Tae-Shik nodded in understanding as he replied, “All right… I guess I should’ve expected this from you. Anyway, don’t worry about the Phoenix Guild. It can’t attack you.”

“Why not?

“The association will officially and publicly deal with the Phoenix guild.” With a smile, Tae-Shik added, “In the name of justice, of course.”

Was the association really representing justice? Gi-Gyu wondered for a moment, but the fact was, he didn’t really care. 

Tae-Shik continued, “In this day and age, it will be hard to eradicate them, but we will make sure no one thinks to go after you. We just have to eliminate the major figures up top, and it will fix everything.”

“...”

Tae-Shik patted Gi-Gyu’s back encouragingly and said, “I think it will be good for you to see the extent of the association’s power.”

With that, Tae-Shik left the room.

***

-Today, the association has ordered the Phoenix Guild to disband. 

-The association criticized the misdeeds the Phoenix Guild has committed until now. Guild Master Kim Min-Su, Department of Strategy’s Director Oh-Jung, and ranker Choi Man-Yong have long been under investigation, says an association member. 

-The depravities this guild committed are being released quickly. 

-The Phoenix Guild’s ranker, Choi Won-Jae, was reportedly killed in an accident.

-The public is shocked by the disbandment of such a powerful guild. However, the citizens are grateful for the association’s decisive action against the criminals. 

By the time Gi-Gyu woke from his deep sleep, the situation had already been resolved. Listening to the news on Tae-Shik’s living room TV news, Gi-Gyu finally realized that Oh Tae-Shik wasn’t bragging about the association’s power. 

“Ha…” Gi-Gyu laughed as he continued to listen.

-The association announced that all Phoenix Guild members who are innocent would be free to join other guilds or work as solo players. Of course, it will be interesting to see whether the other guilds will be willing to accept anyone from the Phoenix Guild, which has now become a symbol of corruption.

-I suppose the current Korean guild power structure will be demolished.

-No, it won’t. It will just fix itself since everyone and everything can be replaced.

-What will happen to all the rights Phoenix Guild held until now?

-They will be absorbed by the association and be redistributed after.

Just as Tae-Shik promised, everything was becoming resolved quickly. Gi-Gyu felt embarrassed for being annoyed at what he would’ve had to deal with. 

-Of course, there are some contrasting opinions regarding this recent event. Several guilds have come forward to ask a simple question: Is the association abusing its authority? They claim a thorough and independent investigation is needed to confirm the association’s claim regarding the Phoenix Guild’s misdeeds. 

-The association has already provided clear evidence against the Phoenix Guild. What more do these guilds want?

-They are claiming that someone manipulated this evidence.

-However, all major and mainstream guilds have shown their faith in the association. They have announced their acceptance of all the association’s decisions.

-I see. So the majority agrees with the association.

The news continued for days, leaving the entire nation shaken. And it wasn’t a surprising reaction since a mighty guild was destroyed and disbanded in a single day. 

Gi-Gyu murmured, “I guess Hyung told me the truth about the association being powerful.”

Tae-Shik claimed that the association was already investigating the Phoenix Guild. Their investigation was nearing its end, and they were deciding on how to deal with this corrupt guild. And just then, Gi-Gyu got involved in the unexpected incident with Yeon Nam-Ju. Gi-Gyu realized that the Phoenix Guild was about to go down no matter what. All he did was move up the inevitable. 

-Breaking News!

Suddenly, every channel on TV began to air the same breaking news. 

-The Phoenix Guild’s Guild Master Kim Min-Su commits suicide amid the recent investigation.

Finally, the saga ended as the last thorn plucked itself out. 

***

Gi-Gyu spent the rest of the day in Tae-Shik’s apartment after informing his family that he would return home late. He made this decision because Tae-Shik was also going to be late, and he had something to discuss with Tae-Shik. 

Meanwhile, Lou asked, 

-Are you feeling better now?

“Yeah. I’m better now. Thanks.

Since Gi-Gyu had much to think about, Lou had been giving him some privacy. 

-Master, please don’t worry too much.

“Thanks, El.”

-Idiot. You should’ve been smarter about things. You said everything was going to be fine.

“I thought it was going to be okay.” Gi-Gyu smiled and added, “It felt different from when I stabbed Rogers. Both Rogers and all the players in the abandoned factory deserved to die, but I shouldn't have been so intentionally cruel. I should’ve killed them quickly, not causing them more pain than necessary.”

Lou remained quiet for a moment before replying,

-Just be straight with me. You’ll feel better if you are honest about your feelings right now. El and I share your feelings because of the assimilation. That means we can understand your emotions. So just be open about them.

Gi-Gyu hugged his knees and became silent. Slowly, his face turned sad as he whispered, “When I was killing people, I…”—Gi-Gyu hesitated—“I felt great. I liked it.”

He couldn’t deny how much he enjoyed killing another human being. Gi-Gyu wondered if this meant he was no longer human anymore. 

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