The Player Who Can't Level Up

While Gi-Gyu was busy training with Lucifer, the outside world was abuzz with the Yeoksam incident. The netizens were having a field day with the news. Then again, how could they not? An entire guild branch was demolished. 

-We must thank the Iron Guild for its sacrifice!

-The entire branch of 300 members died on foreign soil. Shouldn’t the Korean government provide adequate compensation to the Iron Guild?

-The U.S. is the best.

-Am I the only one who finds this strange? Every player from the Iron Guild died, yet the Morningstar guild, which I’ve never even heard of, only suffered minor fatalities? Does this make sense?

-But didn’t an article say the Iron Guild members sacrificed themselves to minimize fatalities of the other smaller guilds?

-I still find it weird.

-Whatever. Go to r/conspiracy, for fuck’s sake.

The media was already following the mainstream story, so KPA only tried to manage the chatter, not control it. Those who went around asking questions only received silence, so they eventually disappeared. In the end, the biggest and the most publicized emotion was gratitude toward the Iron Guild. 

KPA wasn’t pleased with the appreciation the Iron Guild was getting, but since the Yeoksam incident was dying down, they didn’t bother correcting anyone. 

-Wow, but it’s tough to believe that we had a gate break bad enough to annihilate the entire Iron Guild branch… So scary. 

-What if it didn’t happen in Yeoksam but somewhere more defenseless.

-That’s a frightening thought. 

The newest topic everyone was discussing was the gate break’s level and what could’ve happened had it not been controlled. The public’s fear increased slightly, but all in all, the situation remained relatively calm in Korea. 

As promised, the Cain Guild got the role and the rights the Iron Guild branch was supposed to take. The Morningstar and the Child guilds also received great benefits, and their reputations improved significantly. 

Time passed by; thankfully, Gi-Gyu’s name wasn’t mentioned once. The public never figured out Lucifer’s role in this event or that the gate break was man-made. 

***

Currently, Gi-Gyu and Soo-Jung were inside one of the cafes in Gangnam city.  The cafe was pretty empty and quiet, but large crowds could be seen outside. Today was the day the nation decided to carry out a condolence parade for the players who sacrificed themselves during the Yeoksam gate break. The dead players of the Iron, Morningstar, and Child guilds were to be remembered for their bravery. Sitting inside the cafe, Gi-Gyu and Soo-Jung watched the people following the parade. 

A waitress walked up to their table and announced, “Two Americanos and complimentary pretzels. Our boss feels bad he couldn’t participate in the parade, so he’s giving out these to show his support for the brave players.”

The waitress smiled and walked away, peeking at Gi-Gyu and Soo-Jung with interest and awe at times. 

Soo-Jung asked Gi-Gyu playfully, “Now I get it. You caused that gate break to get free pretzels, didn’t you? Haha.”

Gi-Gyu shook his head and replied, “Haa… I told you we shouldn’t come here today. It’s so crowded and noisy. Why did you insist on coming here?”

“Because I wanted to get some fresh air! What’s wrong with that?!”

They have been training hard lately, so this was the first time they left Gi-Gyu’s home in a long while. After spending so much time together training, they had naturally gotten closer. However, the more Gi-Gyu learned about Lucifer, the more fear he felt toward her. 

‘I just can’t even tell how strong she really is,’ he thought, confused. 

After so many sparring sessions, Gi-Gyu didn’t become dramatically stronger because there was no change in his level or stats: All he gained was experience. Gi-Gyu learned a lot from the floors and gates he cleared, but learning from an expert was a different ball game. Now, he knew how to use everything, including his swords, effectively.   

‘But even so, I can’t even imagine going against her and having even the tiniest chance to win,’ Gi-Gyu thought with a shiver. Soo-Jung maintained a playful attitude during their spars, scaring him even more. However, that one time he managed to surprise her did wonders for his confidence. 

Gi-Gyu was deep in his thoughts when Soo-Jung asked, “Can I keep staying in your house for a while longer?”

“As long as my family is okay with it.” Gi-Gyu’s simple reply drew a smile from Soo-Jung. Actually, he had his selfish reasons for wanting Lucifer to stay. 

‘As long as Soo-Jung is there, no one will dare to attack my family.’ 

This thought was further steeled by the unexpected incident not too long ago. Some assassin players attacked his family. Being decently skilled, they broke through the first layer of barriers around his home. However, Soo-Jung killed them the moment they stepped inside. The bodies were sent to the association for an investigation. 

It turned out that Rogers had hired some assassins to kill Gi-Gyu’s family. They were instructed to move if Rogers didn’t contact them within a certain amount of time. Once the association announced Rogers Han's death, the assassins decided to honor the deal since they were already paid. 

‘If Soo-Jung or I hadn’t been home that day…’ Gi-Gyu didn’t even want to think about that. The association promised to protect his family to the best of its abilities, but clearly, that wasn’t enough. After all, the assassins did cross the first line of their implemented security system. Also, since Soo-Jung was staying with them, no association agents were around his home for protection. All in all, Gi-Gyu was reminded that he could never let his guard down, even with Lucifer here. 

Thankfully, everything worked out. Thinking about the imprisoned Rogers inside his gate gave Gi-Gyu much relief. Now, he could relive his anger on the one responsible for this assassination attempt. 

Munching on the free pretzels, Gi-Gyu murmured, “By the way”—he swallowed them—“are you sure the evil eye can’t affect my emotions or personality?”

Gi-Gyu asked very gingerly, but Soo-Jung still got annoyed. “How many times do I have to tell you?! The evil eye has nothing to do with its holder’s personality! The change in your personality is because your true nature is returning. Once you accepted the power of the evil eye, your suppressed emotions and personality just burst out.”

“I can’t believe I have such a cruel nature.” Gi-Gyu slumped sadly. 

“It’s actually incredible that you could suppress it all this time. No one can hide or suppress their true nature. Obviously, someone sealed away you—” Soo-Jung abruptly stopped talking because she could feel a powerful player walking toward them. Gi-Gyu also noticed this, so he looked around until he spotted a familiar face.

“Oppa!” A female player waved and greeted. She approached them and announced, “It’s so nice to see you! You’ve been ignoring my texts.”

“Ah, I’ve been really busy. Sorry,” replied Gi-Gyu awkwardly. 

The female player seemed depressed as she stood at the table. Slowly, she turned and studied Soo-Jung with an odd expression. Soo-Jung was currently hiding her power, so even someone experienced like Tae-Shik would fail to tell if Soo-Jung was a player. 

The female player murmured, “And this must be your girlfriend…?”

“Oh, this is—” Soo-Jung suddenly interrupted Gi-Gyu by covering his mouth and continued the introductions, “Hahaha, I am. And who are you?”

Gi-Gyu quickly pushed Soo-Jung’s hand away and yelled, “What are you talking about? She is just a friend, Yoo-Bin!” 

“Ah! A friend! Okay. I’m Shin Yoo-Bin. Nice to meet you,” Yoo-Bin greeted politely and offered her hand. Soo-Jung shook it, and to Gi-Gyu’s confusion, a subtle tension arose between the two women.

‘Huh?’ Gi-Gyu looked at them curiously, but the tension quickly disappeared. He assumed he was mistaken and asked Yoo-Bin, “So what brings you here?”

“My guild is in charge of the parade security. It’s a momentous event, so I’m trying my best to do a good job. All those poor players… We must honor them,” explained Yoo-Bin confidently. Since it was a long parade, and many players participated, the police alone couldn’t control the crowd. So, the association and the Gypsophila Guild were responsible for security. 

Feeling awkward, Gi-Gyu replied, “Oh, yeah. It’s momentous, I guess.” Missing the uncomfortable expression, Yoo-Bin continued, “I know there were some unpleasant rumors about the Iron Guild, but after what happened… I don’t think they’re all bad. We must thank them for their sacrifice. I just remembered this: I heard the Cain, Morningstar, and Child guilds also participated.”

Gi-Gyu quickly realized what Yoo-Bin had just remembered, so he promptly changed the subject. “Huh? Yoo-Bin! I-I think someone’s looking for you outside.”

“Oh! Okay. Then I’ll see you later, Oppa! Please don’t ignore my texts again!”  Turning around, Yoo-Bin quickly left the cafe. 

Watching Gi-Gyu with interest, Soo-Jung smirked. Gi-Gyu shook his head, took a sip of his coffee, and murmured, “It’s not like that.”

***

The sky was dark, and an ominous atmosphere filled the air. Skeletons sauntered around everywhere, and dead trees grew tall. 

In the middle of this gruesome scene, a man worked without rest. 

Fwip!

A skeleton soldier mercilessly whipped the man’s back.

“Ugh.” The man groaned, but he didn’t say a word since it was impossible to have a conversation with the skeleton. The man was pulling a wagon filled with giant rocks; he was in the process of making a pyramid. 

Skinny body, clothes that looked like rags, and unfocused eyes, this man was none other than…

“Rogers Han.” A gloomy and cold voice called out the name. A mysterious smoke appeared, slowly turning into Hart, the gate manager and Gi-Gyu’s faithful servant. 

Rogers asked, “W-what?”

“Food,” Hart announced and threw something on the ground. It was a moldy piece of bread; Rogers ran toward it as soon as he saw it. He didn’t care about the mold—he just stuffed it into his mouth.

Hart announced, “The grandmaster promised he would let you go if you finish the pyramid.”

The words brightened Rogers’ world. Since there was no light around, only skeletons, Rogers had no idea how many days he had spent in this nightmare. The skeletons forced Rogers Han to work without rest, only feeding him stamina and strength potions and moldy pieces of bread. Rogers wished he could get ill and die, but being a player meant being immune to most illnesses. 

“T-thank you,” Rogers murmured as he cried. 

“Tsk.” Hart clicked his tongue and looked at Rogers. 

‘There is no way Grandmaster will let this player go,’ Hart thought. Gi-Gyu had ordered Rogers Han to build a pyramid; there was no special meaning behind it. Gi-Gyu believed constructing mysterious structures like the pyramids had to be one of the worst forms of torture. 

Rogers Han was in such dire straits that even Hart felt sorry for him. However, Hart shook his head and muttered, “No! I can’t feel this way. This man tried to harm the grandmaster’s family.” Turning toward the skeleton nearby, Hart ordered, “Whip him harder!”

Rattle.

The skeleton nodded. 

After Hart disappeared, Rogers murmured, “Ironshield… that bastard…” After Gi-Gyu told him that Nine had taken all his stats, he realized Ironshield used him. 

Rogers no longer felt angry toward Gi-Gyu. He now only had hatred for Ironshield. 

Rattle.

Fwip!

“Ugh...” The skeleton whipped Roger’s back, who remained standing in a fury.

***

After returning home, Gi-Gyu looked around.

“Woof!” Bi, who was sleeping in the yard, barked as it ran toward him. It licked Gi-Gyu’s hands, and they played for a little while before Gi-Gyu headed toward the basement.

The basement looked very different now. It looked bigger than the rest of the house. Baal raised his glasses and greeted, “Welcome back.”

“Hello. How’s everything going?” Gi-Gyu asked as he walked to Baal. 

“Things are going very well. The magic circle will be completed soon.” When Baal replied, Gi-Gyu sighed in relief. “I am so glad to hear that.”

Naturally, Baal had been staying in the basement with Soo-Jung. Walking on top of the magic circle Baal engraved, Gi-Gyu announced, “Open!” 

Then, the blue gate appeared from Gi-Gyu’s chest.