The Player Who Can't Level Up

“You look great,” Tae-Gu said the moment Gi-Gyu walked in.

“Pardon?” 

“You look like you just dropped a heavy load.” 

At first, Gi-Gyu was sure the president was talking about shit, but no one did that with that serious a face, especially not the association president. And Gi-Gyu wasn’t about to discuss shit with the president of the entire Korean branch, so he just dropped the issue. 

“Tsk, just have a seat,” Oh Tae-Gu ordered when Gi-Gyu didn’t respond. Sung-Hoon was waiting outside the room, so Gi-Gyu didn’t wait for him and obeyed quietly. He had only been in this office once before, but he felt comfortable in the president’s office for some reason.

“Would you like some tea?” asked the president.

“Yes, thank you.” When Gi-Gyu didn’t refuse the offer, Oh Tae-Gu returned with two teacups. After pouring hot water into a teapot, Tae-Gu began the conversation.

“Tsk, every time I see you, you look different. I must say, it’s quite amusing.”

“Do I look that different?” asked Gi-Gyu.

Tae-Gu quietly closed his eyes before replying, “Before today, you looked like something was burdening you. You must’ve had repressed emotions rotting inside you. So, your psyche must’ve been haywire even though you did look okay from the outside.”

Gi-Gyu didn’t respond; he just continued to listen quietly as the president asked, “But now that you’ve expelled all that rotten energy, it makes sense that you look much different now. Don’t you agree?”

Tae-Gu opened his eyes and looked at Gi-Gyu. Although Gi-Gyu found it hard to understand the president’s vague comment, he could make a good guess. Oh Tae-Gu was most likely talking about the destructive energy Gi-Gyu released in the abandoned factory.

The president continued, “Anyway, you took care of something pretty big, Young Man. I had no idea things became so corrupt while I was away.”

“You were away, Sir?” When Gi-Gyu asked in surprise, Tae-Gu picked up his teacup and replied, “I have held this title for a long time, but others were actually running this organization until recently. I had to take care of something, so it hasn’t been long since I returned.”

Now that Gi-Gyu thought about it, he did find it odd that he had never heard of Tae-Gu before. Gi-Gyu had known Tae-Shik for over five years, but Tae-Shik only recently started complaining about his “old man.” Perhaps the president’s prolonged absence allowed him to remain mysterious to the public. 

“Some major changes are coming to the association. I will reorganize this whole place to get rid of corruption. Then, we’ll get to start with a clean slate,” Tae-Gu announced, his eyes glowing eerily. 

Gi-Gyu nodded and asked, “Did you find Yeon Nam-Ju’s body yet?”

Tae-Gu seemed embarrassed because he averted his gaze. Yesterday, Tae-Shik called and told Gi-Gyu that the association had lost Yeon Nam-Ju’s corpse. 

Yeon Nam-Ju died at Gi-Gyu’s hands. At first, Gi-Gyu planned on only hurting the jerk, but he lost control. When he returned to normal, Yeon Nam-Ju was already dead. 

And now, Yeon Nam-Ju’s body had gone missing. Oh Tae-Gu murmured, “Hmm… I don’t know what to say.”

No one knew who or why someone stole Yeon Nam-Ju’s corpse. Since Yeon Nam-Ju’s body was part of the evidence, it was in the association’s possession when it went missing. And the fact that it disappeared into thin air seemed to embarrass Tae-Gu. 

The president replied, “I will let you know as soon as we find it. I would like to apologize to you for what happened.”

“No, there is no need.” Gi-Gyu shook his head. It was true that Yeon Nam-Ju’s missing body bothered him greatly. He couldn’t figure out why anyone would want the corpse. He wondered if it would come back and bite him on the ass. 

‘I need to be careful for now, but not forever.’

Gi-Gyu still felt anxious about the possible repercussions, but he felt confident about one thing: He would soon be strong enough to fear nothing. 

-You’re being too cocky, aren’t you?

‘Shut up, Lou. I’m in the middle of a conversation.’

-You have the worst personality.

Lou tried to pick a fight, but Gi-Gyu ignored him and focused on his conversation with the president. The conversation was still filled with greetings and mundane chitchat. Frustrated because they were getting nowhere, Gi-Gyu bluntly said to the president, “We should get down to business, Sir.”

“Indeed, I called you here to make my first request.” After hearing the central point of their conversation, Gi-Gyu nodded with a solemn face. 

The president continued, “As I said before, you have the right to deny my request. I would appreciate it if you just think of it as a suggestion or a favor.”

“Of course, Sir. To be honest, I wouldn’t take on any jobs I feel uncomfortable with.” Gi-Gyu smiled and added, “But if it’s something that wouldn’t feel burdensome and might even help me, I will accept it. I would, of course, expect a generous reward.”

“Hehehe, I understand.” Tae-Gu chuckled. 

Then, Tae-Gu’s face turned solemn, a look that befitted his position, and he continued, “This won’t be an overly hard task for you. I think you might actually like it.” 

With a grin, he added, “I would like you to close a gate.”

***

Around the time Gi-Gyu passed the 5th-floor test, the Angela Guild announced its intention to conquer the 75th floor. It was also when an S-class gate appeared in the US. After this event, many exceptional gates appeared worldwide, followed by anomalies in the Tower. 

Currently, Sung-Hoon was driving Gi-Gyu to the gate Tae-Gu mentioned. Gi-Gyu asked, “I’ve never seen an exceptional gate before. Do you know anything about it?”

Gi-Gyu called shotgun for this ride because, as he explained to Sung-Hoon earlier, he didn’t want to drive for a while in light of what happened recently. Sung-Hoon was very understanding, and he was happy to drive Gi-Gyu around in his new car. 

Sung-Hoon replied, “Only a few of them have appeared so far, so I don’t know much about them. I just know that they are a little different from the regular gates, and there is a high chance that an exceptional gate can be unusually difficult to close.”

“Hmm…” Gi-Gyu looked out the window quietly. Tae-Gu’s request was to close a new exceptional gate that appeared in Yeosu city. This gate was C-grade, but its actual difficulty level could be much higher since it was an exceptional gate. 

‘An exceptional gate…’

The player channel on TV talked about it from time to time, and all Gi-Gyu knew about it was that it was literally “exceptional.” That didn’t simply mean a higher difficulty level. It implied that something unexpected could happen inside. For example, the boss monster could appear immediately after a player entered. There was a case where the gate prevented the players from leaving until it was closed. Gi-Gyu had even heard of exceptional gates that only allowed entry to players who met some specific criteria. 

Although clearing exceptional gates seemed difficult, it didn’t necessarily require unique strategies. However, Gi-Gyu had to admit that exceptional gates were, in general, more difficult than normal gates. 

Gi-Gyu commented, “I had been really curious about what kind of requests the president would make. I’m a little surprised that it’s such a normal task.”

“Well, what did you think he would ask?” asked Sung-Hoon.

“I don't know. Something more special, I guess. But don’t you know what the other association mercs do? Can't you tell me?” When Gi-Gyu asked, Sung-Hoon looked at him in confusion. 

“Gi-Gyu, who do you think I am? What am I to you?”

“Umm… a search engine?” replied Gi-Gyu with a chuckle. Shocked, Sung-Hoon gaped before explaining, “I’m just one of the many lowly association employees. I may know a bit more than others, but there isn’t that much of a difference between what you know and what I know.”

“Oh, come on!” Gi-Gyu snorted and argued, “I can tell that you have many secrets, Sung-Hoon. You say you aren’t anyone important, but you seem to be pretty close to Tae-Shik hyung and the president. And until now, you have told me more secrets than the two of them combined.”

Sung-Hoon scratched his cheek awkwardly as he mumbled, “Umm…”

“If you can’t tell me, don’t worry about it. I’m sure you’ll tell me when the time is right,” Gi-Gyu offered and looked out the window again. 

“I’m their disciple,” replied Sung-Hoon in a calm voice.

“A disciple?”

“Yes. Just think of me as the president’s and the general manager’s disciple for now. If you want more details, you should ask them.” 

Gi-Gyu waited for more, but it seemed that this was the most Sung-Hoon was willing to disclose. Soon, they exited the busy highway and entered Yeosu. The exceptional gate, currently under the on-site association agents' supervision, was not too far away.

***

When they arrived at the location, an employee from the Department of Gate Maintenance asked Gi-Gyu and Sung-Hoon, “The association sent you?”

“Yes, that’s right,” Sung-Hoon replied, but it seemed that the employee was suspicious of them. He requested, “I’m sorry, but could you show me your association employee card or a player certificate? Rumors regarding this gate are spreading fast, so we have had cases where some reporters and stupid players tried to enter by lying about their credentials.”

It seemed this claim was true because the association employee looked genuinely concerned. Gi-Gyu scratched his head and murmured, “Well…” 

Wanting some help, Gi-Gyu looked at Sung-Hoon, who only smiled at him quietly. Gi-Gyu knew why his companion was silently refusing to help. He was a little annoyed, but there was nothing he could do about it. However embarrassing it might be, it was finally time to use his newly given authority.

Gi-Gyu murmured, “Who is the manager here…?”

“Pardon?” The association employee seemed confused at Gi-Gyu’s request. He asked, “Why are you looking for the manager? Did I make a mistake here? You should know that if you request to see the manager without a legitimate reason, you may suffer a penalty from the association.”

The employee’s face turned red from anger. He believed Gi-Gyu was being disrespectful to him. He continued in annoyance, “A manager is pretty far up the hierarchy. So you cannot meet him unless you have a good reason. Please tell me why you wish to see him.”

Gi-Gyu had to agree that the employee was being reasonable. He was following the standard protocol, after all. Gi-Gyu stammered, “Umm… Please don’t misunderstand. I didn’t mean to offend you.” 

Gi-Gyu hesitated before continuing with a sigh, “The manager will vouch for my identity.”

Gi-Gyu couldn’t hide his embarrassment because it felt like he was bragging about how important he was. And Sung-Hoon was enjoying every second of it, chuckling away in some corner. 

The employee sighed and replied, “Haa… All right. I’ll let the manager know and see what he says. Please don’t be surprised if he refuses to see you.”

“Oh, of course.”

“Who should I tell him is looking for him?”

Gi-Gyu looked awkward again as he pressed on his temple a few times. 

“Mo…” 

When Gi-Gyu whispered, the employee leaned forward and asked, “Pardon? I can’t hear you.”

“It’s Morningstar.”

***

The manager ran out hurriedly and yelled, “Are you, Mr. Morningstar?!” 

The employee who went to get him turned pale; perhaps the fact that he had never seen his manager look this panicked had something to do with it. 

Gi-Gyu murmured, “Ah, well…” 

When he hesitated, Sung-Hoon answered for him, “Yes, that’s him.” 

Sung-Hoon must’ve thought he had teased Gi-Gyu enough. He stepped forward and greeted the manager, “And I’m Heo Sung-Hoon, Morningstar’s secretary. Nice to meet you.”

Sung-Hoon and the manager chatted for a while. The manager turned back toward Gi-Gyu with a nod and requested, “Now, could you show it to me?”

“Here it is,” replied Gi-Gyu as he raised his hand. On his fingers, three beautiful rings shone brightly. The manager looked at the aegis, which represented the association, a few times before taking out a dark ring from his pocket. When this ring drew near Gi-Gyu’s fingers, the association aegis began to glow faintly. 

With a deep bow, the manager announced, “I have now confirmed its authenticity. It’s an honor to have you here, Mr. Morningstar.”

Gi-Gyu had never been treated with such respect before. When Gi-Gyu looked around awkwardly, Sung-Hoon stepped up.

“I think there are too many people watching us out here. Shall we go inside now?” Sung-Hoon suggested. Realizing his mistake, the manager jolted and hurriedly escorted Gi-Gyu and Sung-Hoon to his makeshift office.  

The gate was being monitored and protected by association employees. Many temporary tents were set around the gate for the employees to rest and sleep. The three men entered a large tent closest to the gate. 

Then, Sung-Hoon made a serious request. “Please make sure your employees keep quiet about this. The president has been in quite a bad mood lately.”

The manager nodded quickly and replied, “Please don’t worry. I am, and I will follow the protocol to a tee.” He thumped his chest as if to reassure both Sung-Hoon and Gi-Gyu. The manager then turned toward Gi-Gyu and added shyly, “We are trying to follow the manual as best as possible, Mr. Morningstar. However, this is our first time serving an association merc, so please understand if we make some mistakes.”

The manager suddenly called Gi-Gyu’s code name when he realized Gi-Gyu wasn’t looking at him. “Mr. Morningstar?”

“...” 

Without a word, Gi-Gyu opened the tent door and walked toward the gate, dazed. The manager seemed confused, but he followed Gi-Gyu quietly. 

When Gi-Gyu walked up to the gate, the manager warned, “You are too close! It could be dangero—” 

But it was too late. Gi-Gyu’s hand touched the blue light that was the gate. 

[Would you like to sync?]

The system announcement rang in his head; suddenly, the gate began turning red.