The Player that Can’t Level Up

Kronos and Kim Gil-Gyu eyed each other up tensely. To the newbies standing far away, it may have looked like Kim Gil-Gyu was scolding Kronos, but the truth was far from it.

‘This guy is…’ Kim Gil-Gyu exuded his power, clearly hostile, yet Kronos didn’t respond.

Kim Gil-Gyu growled, “You aren’t afraid of me, are you? I knew there was something about you. I better find out why I was assigned to guide someone like you.”

Kronos had maintained a blank look until now, but finally, he flinched.

Sneering, Kim Gil-Gyu muttered, “I guess you’re worried that your guardian might get in trouble because of you, huh?”

Kim Gil-Gyu knew that Kronos had a guardian. If he decided to investigate Kronos, his guardian would be troubled. And Kronos certainly didn’t like the sound of that.

“Tell me the truth. I know it won’t change anything, but I demand it,” Kim Gil-Gyu ordered. The power Kronos had used earlier was so suspicious that Kim Gil-Gyu needed to find out his identity.

“...”

However, Kronos maintained his silence. The smile on Kim Gil-Gyu’s lips deepened. “Then I have no choice but to show you what I can do.”

Kim Gil-Gyu was about to step forward when Kronos asked, “Aren’t you worried about the others around us?”

“What?”

“If we fight, the others will be affected by it. So do you not care about your students? You’re their guide, aren’t you?”

Finding Kronos’s question ridiculous, Kim Gil-Gyu smirked. “Don’t you think you’re overestimating yourself? It won’t take me more than a second to deal with someone like you. I know I’ve softened, but still…”

Suddenly, Kim Gil-Gyu paused before groaning quietly. He whispered, “So you’ve been hiding your real power, huh?”

The aura around Kronos changed again as he emanated vicious energy. But it still wasn’t enough to defeat Kim Gil-Gyu.

His power rising, Kim Gil-Gyu muttered, “This changes nothing. You better not resist. I have a feeling I need to kill you.”

Their energies clashed with each other. They were about to fight when suddenly, the sky began rumbling.

“...!”

“...!”

Both looked up in surprise, but Kim Gil-Gyu seemed the most confused.

Crack!

Next, a thunderbolt struck a spot not too far away from them.

“A thunderbolt inside the Tower?” Kim Gil-Gyu murmured. Depending on the floor, it wasn’t uncommon to see various weather changes, but this wasn’t possible on the tutorial floors. “This shouldn’t be happening here.”

He momentarily entertained the idea that Kronos was somehow responsible, but Kronos’ concerned countenance made him rethink. Kim Gil-Gyu muttered, “I guess you didn’t do this.”

“...!” Suddenly, Kim Gil-Gyu bolted toward his students. The sky above them had been ripped open, and something was falling toward them.

“Is that a hand…?”

“Mr. Guide!”

“What is happening?!”

The beginner players screamed as Kim Gil-Gyu ushered them to safety.

Kaboom!

The ground began shaking as if there was an earthquake. The hand from the sky struck the ground the newbies had been on a second ago.

Meanwhile, Kronos also looked up at the sky in silence. “...”

The sky opened up further to reveal more than just an arm. He could now see an arm, a shoulder, and a head.

Kronos whispered, “Uranus…?”

***

“Why is Uranus here?” Kronos wondered, confused about what was happening. He was about to fight Kim Gil-Gyu a moment ago, but now with the appearance of Uranus, he couldn’t focus on his opponent anymore.

He was certain that Uranus was dead because he had made Uranus the gatekeeper of Gehenna. Before fighting Lee Sun-Ho, Kronos had learned that Lou and El had killed Gehenna's gatekeeper.

Kronos had made a deal with Uranus after defeating him. Uranus had agreed to become Gehenna’s gatekeeper, but Kronos always felt a bit awkward around him.

“Just… what the hell is happening here?” Kronos wondered how Uranus had—also—returned from the dead.

Then again, it wasn’t like the situation made sense before Uranus had arrived, so Kronos supposed he shouldn’t be surprised. He gazed skyward, witnessing Uranus tear open half the sky and obliterate a bit of the Tower with his fists. With each punch, the entire Tower trembled fiercely.

“And what about him?” Kronos watched Kim Gil-Gyu, who was busy evacuating all the newbies.

“Haa…” Kronos sighed. The power he had summoned to fight Kim Gil-Gyu was still there, so the feeling of fullness refused to leave. He turned away to look up at the sky. Destruction seemed to be the only thing on Uranus’s mind.

“Father… How I resent you,” Kronos mumbled. “You’re also a fragment of what I was.”

A scythe glowing in a blue hue appeared in his hand. It was a weapon made from his magic, not the real Scythe of Time. It was the perfect temporary solution.

Kronos took a single step forward but arrived right where Uranus’ punch would land. Kronos’ protective barrier and Uranus’ fist collided, creating a powerful shockwave.

“If it is my destiny to eliminate you, then I shall do it.” Kronos thought that perhaps he had been brought back to destroy any remnants of his past existence. If this were true, he was willing to oblige.

“I shall destroy all the monsters I created and then disappear myself.”

If this was what Gi-Gyu wanted, then he was willing.

Whoosh!

Kronos swung his scythe to slice the space around him.

***

“Fuck… What the hell is going on here?” Choi Leah couldn’t hide her shock. She had been secretly spying on Kronos all morning. She had gaped in surprise when the tutorial guide and Kronos were on the verge of trading blows.

‘I knew he was hiding something, but this is…’ She never expected Kronos to be hiding so much power.

When Kronos and Kim Gil-Gyu were about to battle, Choi Leah had contemplated whether she should get involved. As Kronos’ guardian, she had the right to step in. However, she never got the chance because Kronos had turned out to be stronger than expected.

‘And Kim Gil-Gyu too…’ Despite the many rumors about the guide, she had no idea he was so powerful.

“And what the hell… is that monster?!” Leah, still hiding far away, stared at the sky. She liked to think she had met many monsters inside the Tower and the gates. However, she had never even heard about this one. This giant monster had to rip apart the sky to get inside.

‘And its power is just as enormous as its body.’ She didn’t have to think hard to realize she couldn’t defeat this monster. It wasn’t a simple monster; it was more like a natural disaster. The biggest problem was that they were inside the Tower.

“But Eden will be here to fix this soon,” she mumbled. The Tower was under Eden’s control, so she didn’t doubt that the powerful organization was already on the move.

‘But… someone from Eden should have been here by now.’ Eden was known to be quick, so the current situation should have been under control by now. However, Leah hadn’t seen anyone from Eden yet.

Just then, Choi Leah’s eyes widened. “What?! That man…!”

Kronos, who had been standing dazed, suddenly moved.

Boom!

Kronos and the giant’s fists collided.

“Dammit!” Leah panicked when she saw that Kronos was under attack, but she knew she couldn’t help him in any way at this point. She looked around quickly, looking for the only other player who could help.

‘No.’ She became frustrated when she spotted Kim Gil-Gyu, the most powerful player on the floor. Unfortunately, he was busy rescuing the other players around him.

‘Could it be…’ Leah pieced the puzzle together. “Is the Tower blocked from the outside…?”

Choi Leah finally unsheathed her sword.

***

“Mr. Guide, what is that monster?!”

“Guide Kim Gil-Gyu!”

The newbies and even the other guides started panicking. Kim Gil-Gyu was also confused but continued to help the others.

“Just run as far away from this as possible. We must escape this floor.” Instead of answering their questions, Kim Gil-Gyu ordered.

‘Why isn’t anyone from Eden coming to help?!’ Kim Gil-Gyu frowned in annoyance. Why was Eden so slow to respond to such an obvious emergency?

‘That’s Uranus.’ Kim Gil-Gyu knew very well the giant’s identity. His relationship with Uranus was unusual in the past, after all.

“Run!” Kim Gil-Gyu urged others while watching Kronos and Uranus fight. It was clear Kronos was losing.

‘But that man is stronger than I thought.’ Although lacking in power, Kronos held his own with his incredible techniques.

‘Could it be…’ Kronos’ moves looked familiar to Kim Gil-Gyu, but he had no time to be distracted. They were on the tutorial floor, which meant there were many people to save.

“Guide Kim Gil-Gyu!” One of the players he had sent running returned to him. Kim Gil-Gyu was surprised to see several more behind him. He realized that something was wrong.

The player stammered, “T-the floor… has been blocked. We can’t get out!”

“Pardon?” Kim Gil-Gyu turned pale. A blocked floor was a bigger problem than it may have sounded. Saving all the students wasn’t his only problem now. The appearance of Uranus and this mysterious player could mean that his connection to Gi-Gyu might have been severed too.

Kim Gil-Gyu yelled, “Guides! Take your students and evacuate to the floor entrance! Eden will be here to rescue us very soon! Just follow the manual!”

Unfortunately, most of the guides were in full panic mode. Kim Gil-Gyu roared, “What the fuck are you doing?! Move, move, move!”

One of the guides took a knee toward Kim Gil-Gyu, and announced, “Yes, Sir! Grigory number 369 is at your command!”

The man suddenly exuded his power, indicating that he was no ordinary guide. Dozens of other players continued to panic, but ignoring them, Kim Gil-Gyu yelled, “Just move, you idiot!”