The Player that Can’t Level Up

Gi-Gyu had asked Kronos about Lee Sun-Ho because Kronos had protected him from Lou. Even right now, Kronos was standing before him, protecting him. And as expected, Gi-Gyu didn’t get an answer.

“I knew it,” Gi-Gyu muttered. Lee Sun-Ho was obviously and somehow important to Kronos, who wasn’t stupid enough to tell Gi-Gyu about his weakness.

‘I wonder what’s going on.’ Gi-Gyu, Lou, and El put their heads together. The only thing they knew was that Lee Sun-Ho was an integral part of the scheme.

‘But I don’t know what part that is.’ Gi-Gyu’s first thought was that perhaps Gaia was inside Lee Sun-Ho’s body. ‘But Kronos is so protective of him… I’m sure it’s not Gaia.’

Then what could it be?

Suddenly, Kronos grinned at Gi-Gyu and commented, “I can see that you’re dying of curiosity.”

Kronos’ arrogant and annoying tone made Gi-Gyu frown. Kronos continued, “And why won’t you be? This guy came as a surprise even to me.”

Kronos was now laughing loudly. He teased, “Do you want to know?”

“No need,” Gi-Gyu’s voice remained cold. “I just have to beat you to within an inch of your life. Then, I’m sure you’ll sing like a canary.”

Gi-Gyu’s hand, the one holding Lou, turned black. His Death and Lou’s Death resonated with one another. Their combined power permeated and arrogated his hand.

Kronos frowned.

“The important thing is that I found your weakness.” Suddenly, Gi-Gyu disappeared as his whisper rang. “So I’ll just use it.”

Gi-Gyu appeared behind Lee Sun-Ho and stabbed him with Lou. [1]

***

“Kya!”

“Our house…!”

“No!”

Voices filled with confusion, fear, and panic saturated the streets. Many were trembling, with faces pale with shock; some were on the ground praying with their hands clasped together; and a lot of parents hugged their children and covered their eyes.

These people were the recently-evacuated Korean non-players in Gi-Gyu’s territory and holy land, Eden.

“Kyaaa!” The pitch and intensity of the screams increased when a giant screen appeared in Eden’s sky. The screen was a gate connecting Eden to Earth and a tool that displayed what was happening outside.

Eden’s top brass had discussed whether to show the evacuees that or not. The opposition said that the people were already scared and confused enough, but the supporters said that the people needed to know the truth.

“They need to know. This is the right thing to do.” Rohan mumbled. ‘People need to see what’s happening outside.’

Without ever knowing about the war raging outside, the evacuees could have spent their days in safety, comfort, and ignorance. However, Rohan had insisted that the people see the gruesome truth.

‘If the war ends without these people knowing what really happened…’ Rohan feared how the media would portray Gi-Gyu. Something similar had happened before, which had stigmatized Gi-Gyu as a dangerous individual. Many had started to fear Gi-Gyu blindly, utterly unaware of what all he had done for the world.

‘This time, we’ll turn him into a hero.’ If the world saw the truth, they would finally realize that Gi-Gyu saved the world. Of course, Rohan knew that not everything would go as planned, but he was willing to try.

“Please calm down!” he announced to the panicking people.

‘I want to fight by my master’s side, but…’ Rohan knew he could still work for his master from behind the scene.

He continued, “Things are even worse on Earth, but don’t worry!”

Eden’s magic eliminated the need for a mic, as his voice rang in the ears of the tens of thousands of evacuees inside Eden. They all listened to him attentively.

“He will save us all. He will fix everything.” Rohan looked up at the screen displaying the N Seoul Tower. The dark barrier obscured what was happening inside, but the loud noises and vibrations painted a pretty grim picture.

“He will lead us to victory.”

When Rohan finished, some frowned in displeasure while others seemed unmoved. But the parents reacted differently.

“Thank you!” They showed their appreciation. God was no longer with them, so instead of praying to him, they began praying to Gi-Gyu to save themselves, the world, and their children.

The atmosphere turned solemn for a while; suddenly, something happened in Eden. Eden creatures sensed a gate opening inside Eden but far from the screen gate. Before Rohan could figure out what was happening, he heard Hwang Chae-Il’s announcement in his head.

-More people are coming your way. I’m sorry to burden you with more work, but please keep up the good work.

Rohan clenched his fists and replied, “Of course.”

‘My mission is to keep the humans safe and change their minds about our master.’

Rohan quickly ordered the few soldiers he had in his command to prepare for more evacuees.

***

Lou and Gi-Gyu’s arm had become one thanks to Death, and Gi-Gyu thrust it toward Kronos. Kronos tried to block it using the Scythe of Time, but El quickly pushed it away. And Lou ultimately succeeded in impaling Kronos’ stomach.

“Ack!” Kronos screamed and flailed, but it only made things worse. The more he moved, the deeper Death infiltrated his body. From his stomach, it spread to the rest of his body.

“Tsk.” Still not satisfied, Gi-Gyu retrieved Lou and stepped back. Seconds later, the space he had been on split strangely. That was a Scythe of Time attack, and he had evaded it.

‘That’s Ha Song-Su’s body.’ Gi-Gyu looked at Kronos. Ha Song-Su was born into Satan’s physical body, while Satan himself stayed in the shell. Gi-Gyu wasn’t sure if Kronos had eaten Satan or if he had moved the serpent to another shell.

-But one thing is for sure. This guy can endure Death.

Lou said to Gi-Gyu. Satan had spent a long time inside Chaos and fought a long battle with Lou, so he had gained tolerance against Death. Ha Song-Su had apparently inherited this ability.

‘And I guess Kronos got it too,’ Gi-Gyu thought in frustration.

-This is annoying.

Lou replied. Their last attack, which had forcefully injected Death into Kronos, would have caused fatal injuries to most enemies. Yet, Kronos was healing, as he had just turned back time. Gi-Gyu had planned to cause fatal damage to Kronos to disable his power, but because his body could endure Death, that would be difficult to achieve.

“Haa…” Kronos exhaled as he recovered. Thinking this was his chance, Gi-Gyu threw Lou at him again. Gi-Gyu’s Death, carried by Lou, shot toward Kronos.

“Not so fast!” Kronos yelled in glee. He had recovered faster than Gi-Gyu’s expectation and moved as fast as Gi-Gyu. The Scythe of Time blocked Lou by turning back time. Lou bounced off, but Gi-Gyu grinned.

“...!” Kronos looked shocked.

“That was a decoy,” Gi-Gyu yelled. It turned out that Gi-Gyu hadn’t just thrown Lou—he had also sent El flying toward Lee Sun-Ho. Before long, El had stabbed Lee Sun-Ho’s stomach.

Gi-Gyu had distracted Kronos to make him momentarily disable the traps and barriers around Lee Sun-Ho.

“I was targeting Lee Sun-Ho all along.” Gi-Gyu had severely injured his real target, but that wouldn’t kill him. However, Gi-Gyu was certain something would happen now. Kronos’ next action would tell him why Kronos was so desperate to protect Lee Sun-Ho.

“No…” Kronos’ face became visibly pale, but his skin went dark.

‘Did his power to control time have something to do with his relationship with Lee Sun-Ho?’ Gi-Gyu wondered. All of Kronos’ injuries had healed quickly hitherto; now, they were starting to worsen, and Kronos also started to age quickly.

Was Lee Sun-Ho really related to Kronos’ time-controlling ability?

“I guess I can’t go back now,” Kronos whispered, looking as old as Oh Tae-Gu. He seemed devastated and looked back and forth between Gi-Gyu and Lee Sun-Ho.

“Can you tell me now? What is Lee Sun-Ho’s role in this?” Gi-Gyu's first theory had been that Gaia was inside Lee Sun-Ho, but that didn’t make sense since Kronos protected him.

So what was Lee Sun-Ho’s role in all this?

‘And where are the White Warriors and the other deputy guild master of the Angela Guild?’ Gi-Gyu wondered. He had learned that the White Warriors and one of the deputy guild masters were responsible for sealing away Lee Sun-Ho.

“I’m not protecting him.” Kronos finally opened his lips. He was looking straight at Gi-Gyu, who was staring at Lee Sun-Ho. Lee Sun-Ho’s stomach was bleeding heavily, yet there wasn’t a single emotion on his face.

“I’m doing this because nothing can happen to him,” Kronos continued, “But no matter how hard I try…”

Kronos looked up at the sky. The barrier around the N Seoul Tower was scattering away. He added, “She’s still in control.”

Kronos turned toward Gi-Gyu again. “You asked me who Lee Sun-Ho is. Well, he is—”

Suddenly, Gi-Gyu turned sharply.

-Master!

El called out to him hurriedly. From her, he could sense some kind of mighty power; it resonated. Gi-Gyu reached out, and both swords returned to him as if they had been sucked in.

-What’s happening?!

Lou asked in shock.

-This is…

El seemed confused. Even though they had regained their memories, they could not understand what was happening. Gi-Gyu looked at Lee Sun-Ho, while Kronos gazed at Gi-Gyu sadly.

“Lee Sun-Ho is him,” Kronos said cryptically. “He’s the one… I’ve been searching for…”

A bitter smile appeared on Kronos’ lips. Gi-Gyu tried hard to comprehend the changes Lee Sun-Ho was experiencing. He realized that the resonating power he had felt from El had actually originated from Lee Sun-Ho.

“He’s the original Adam,” Kronos added.

-The power of god…

-This is different from Order.

Lou and El whispered. Meanwhile, Gi-Gyu couldn’t take his eyes off Lee Sun-Ho, who was inside a storm of divine power.

1. The author seemingly forgets this when this fight is narrated next. ☜