The Player that Can’t Level Up

Gi-Gyu’s face showed confusion, but he could understand the situation in his head. That confusion was just the materialization of his internal awe.

Soo-Jung asked him bluntly, “Why are you making that face?”

Soo-Jung didn’t seem all that happy about where she was. Before Gi-Gyu could reply, Oh Tae-Gu explained, “I wouldn’t say my relationship with Lucifer is a bad one. Of course, how she must think of me is a completely different matter.”

“Ah, I see…” replied Gi-Gyu.

Currently, Gi-Gyu was in a small tea house with Tae-Gu and Soo-Jung. When Soo-Jung first told him they needed to meet someone together, Gi-Gyu had no idea whom she was talking about. He made a few guesses along the way, but the KPA president wasn’t one.

Gi-Gyu watched Soo-Jung make several calls before bringing him to this shabby tea house. When they arrived, Tae-Gu was already waiting for them.

‘I guess this shouldn’t surprise me,” Gi-Gyu thought. It was strange seeing them together; he realized it made sense when he thought about it. Tae-Gu and Soo-Jung were top players, they were most active around the same time, and they were both Koreans. So, it made perfect sense that Tae-Gu and Soo-Jung knew each other.

Since Gi-Gyu had never seen Soo-Jung in contact with the association, he never considered the possibility that Soo-Jung and Tae-Gu knew each other.

Feeling curious, Gi-Gyu asked, “How do you two know each other?”

Without a word, Soo-Jung raised her fist. Her fist cracked like glass, and her smooth pale hand resurfaced, but a ring was now on her finger.

Gi-Gyu murmured in surprise, “You’re a mercenary too…”

“Well, doesn’t it make sense? This old man has always been obsessed with strengthening his organization. I suppose you can call our relationship a symbiotic one. It’s no different from your relationship with the association, Gi-Gyu. Whenever we need something annoying or urgent taken care of, we call on each other,” Soo-Jung explained as she gestured toward Tae-Gu with her chin.

Even a stranger could tell Soo-Jung was acting impertinently toward the president. Tae-Gu was an elderly figure, while Soo-Jung looked like she was in her early 20s, making it look even more shocking. However, Gi-Gyu thought, ‘I don’t even know how old Soo-Jung really is.’

Soo-Jung previously told him that their earth ages were the same; therefore, he should speak informally to her. However, give the line more than a second, and you will realize something.

‘Doesn’t that mean she has a different age in a different world…? Like Hwang Chae-Il, Soo-Jung might have lived much longer than she looks. In the other world’s age system, she might be much older.’

If she wasn’t as young as she looked, perhaps she wasn’t acting impertinently. She might have been old enough to give her an excuse for her behavior.

When Soo-Jung saw the understanding look on Gi-Gyu’s face, she gasped. Looking horrified, she waved her hand and protested, “Huh? What’s that look on your face? No way! I’m speaking this way because I don’t like this old man. It’s not because I’m older than him.”

“Khmm.” Tae-Gu suddenly cleared his throat, indicating he wanted to get to the main point. “So why did the infamous Lucifer want to see me? I can’t even remember the last time you contacted me.”

Gi-Gyu could feel numerous strong auras around them. It had to be the association agents protecting their meeting place.

‘I think they are named Grigory.’ Gi-Gyu still didn’t know the true identity of this group, but he could tell they were elite soldiers under Tae-Gu and Tae-Shik’s command.

The shabby tea house was empty except for the three of them. Even the owner was nowhere to be seen, and the table they sat at didn’t have any tea.

“You’ve already heard about the situation, right? The Caravan one?” When Lucifer, Soo-Jung, replied, Tae-Gu tensed visibly and murmured, “So this is about that.”

“I heard Andras is their leader.”

“…?” The news confused and shocked Tae-Gu. Realizing he hadn’t told the association about Andras, Gi-Gyu exclaimed, “Ah!”

Gi-Gyu explained, “According to the players I battled inside the Tower, it sounded like someone named Andras is leading the Caravan Guild.”

Tae-Gu cleared his throat again to show his displeasure, “Khmm.”

Soo-Jung didn’t seem very happy about this information either. “I wonder what kind of progress they have made so far.”

“I… haven’t learned anything yet. I’ve always suspected that they would open the door, but I never expected the door to be on the first floor.”

Tae-Gu and Soo-Jung talked about stuff Gi-Gyu couldn’t understand, so he wondered why he was brought here in the first place. He looked at Soo-Jung, who seemed to understand what he was thinking. She asked, “You need to hear this too. You said you went through the penalty once already, right?”

“Yes. It was the worst pain I’ve ever felt,” Gi-Gyu shook his head, refusing to even think about the agony. He hadn’t heard much about the other world, but explaining what happened was impossible without mentioning it. That was why Gi-Gyu told Soo-Jung about the penalty.

Soo-Jung placed her hand on Gi-Gyu’s head and ordered, “Just stay still for a while.”

Being patted by someone who seemed your age wasn’t a good feeling. However, Gi-Gyu didn’t protest since he believed Soo-Jung had a good reason for doing something like this.

[Marking is being activated.]

[Player Kim Gi-Gyu will temporarily belong to Player Jung Soo-Jung.]

[Imprint of Subordination will allow the pain to be shared.]

[Imprint of Subordination will allow tracing.]

[Imprint of Subordination.]

Gi-Gyu heard several system announcements as several thick black lines appeared on his forehead.

“…?”

“This is my unique ability. Remember how I used it inside the Maze of Heryond before? That’s why I can do this. You will belong to me temporarily, so I can share the pain you’ll feel from the penalty. I can also temporarily increase my subordinate’s attributes,” Soo-Jung explained.

“What?” Wide-eyed, Gi-Gyu turned to look at Soo-Jung. All this time, Gi-Gyu believed Marking was a simple buff skill; he had no idea it was such a potent skill. Soo-Jung once told him Marking was her unique ability, but he thought she was joking. Now, he realized she had gained another unique skill after going through the secondary job change. Still, Gi-Gyu deemed her black flames, her signature move, better than Marking.

When Gi-Gyu looked unhappy, Soo-Jung frowned and asked, “What’s wrong? We have a business relationship, don’t we? I’m your teacher, and you’re my pupil. So this shouldn’t be a big deal.”

“Just explain this: What exactly does being your subordinate mean?” Gi-Gyu demanded, his voice grave.

There was a flash of annoyance on Soo-Jung’s face before she grinned and explained, “Think of it as your relationship with your Egos. But in our case, there will be more limitations. Don’t worry; I can’t control you.”

With a wink, she added, “Honestly, I’ll be the one at a disadvantage here. Besides, you aren’t weak enough for me to completely control just with Marking.”

Soo-Jung’s eyes and words held many meanings, but Tae-Gu agreed with her and stated, “She’s telling the truth. Marking may sound scary, but it’s not a powerful ability. She’s only trying to share your pain from the penalty.”

Gi-Gyu remained quiet despite Tae-Gu’s reassurance until Lou said,

-Don’t worry. They are both telling you the truth.

Finally, Gi-Gyu’s face brightened a little. He didn’t like “belonging” to someone regardless of the consequences’ magnitude. Nodding, he said to Soo-Jung, “Please inform me before using a skill like this.”

“Sure, sure, Your Highness.” Soo-Jung smiled and added, “But there won’t be a next time since you’re becoming very strong, very fast.”

“…” When Gi-Gyu didn’t reply. Soo-Jung chuckled. And finally, she began telling Gi-Gyu about the other world.

***

“Dammit,” Tae-Shik muttered as he crushed the cigarette packet in his hand. The misery and guilt made him feel everything was his fault.

‘Tae-Oh…’

Tae-Shik met Tae-Oh when he was the head of the guide department. His priority had always been Gi-Gyu, but Tae-Shik also wanted to help Tae-Oh.

Tae-Oh had an unfortunate childhood, turning him into a cold and untrusting player. However, Tae-Oh remained kind and loyal to those who truly cared for him. When he announced he was joining a guild, Tae-Shik found himself elated.

‘Ahh… Why did it have to be the Caravan Guild?!’

Tae-Shik knew more secrets than most players on his level, but even he didn’t know about the Caravan Guild. Although Asura had visited the other world, Tae-Shik never did. So, there were many secrets that Asura hadn’t told his son.

Tae-Shik learned a lot thanks to recent events. Demons lived and participated secretly in their world. He also learned about the masters of the other world and the rulers of the Tower.

Had Tae-Shik known all this before, he would’ve stopped Tae-Oh from entering a guild like that. So, he couldn’t help feeling guilty.

“I need to become stronger,” he muttered. He needed to become more powerful to follow his father and enter the other world. All the secrets would be revealed once he became strong enough.

Also, he had to fully convert his potential into strength to inherit his father’s position.

Determination filled Tae-Shik’s eyes as he promised, “I will repay my debt to you, Hyung.”

It was the only way to protect and help Gi-Gyu: Tae-Shik’s lifelong goal.

“Firstly, I need to get to Tae-Oh.” He needed to find out more about the Caravan Guild to keep Gi-Gyu safe. For that, he had to first find Tae-Oh.

***

Gi-Gyu’s brain hurt. He was already sharing the pain with Soo-Jung, yet it still felt too much. Gi-Gyu glanced at Soo-Jung and saw the sweat bullets on her forehead.

“Are you all right?” Gi-Gyu asked in concern. He no longer cared about Soo-Jung Marking him. The pain from the penalty tended to disable its victims from thinking. It was almost as if it was trying to erase the information the player shouldn’t know by overwhelming them with pain.

‘How the hell did I endure it the first time around?’ Gi-Gyu felt proud of himself for being able to finish listening to Old Man Hwang’s story.

Soo-Jung muttered, “I remember this pain, but I still can’t get used to it. I can’t believe I have to suffer like this because I took in a stupid pupil.”

“But still…” Tae-Gu gave her a bitter smile before adding, “Don’t you agree that Gi-Gyu is worth all of this trouble?”

“Well, I suppose,” Soo-Jung replied. The two players had a quiet conversation, but Gi-Gyu couldn’t hear them due to the incredible pain.

“Haa…” Gi-Gyu sighed deeply. Now that the pain was slowly easing, he could finally remember the information he had received a moment ago.

Shaking his head slowly, he murmured, “So there are different worlds in the back of the universe… And the Tower is like a wedge and a chain, a shortcut, to these worlds.”

His skull still pounding, Gi-Gyu asked, “The Tower is slowly encroaching on earth to connect it with the other world, right? And the gates are proof of this phenomenon.”

“That’s right,” replied Tae-Gu.

“And… The Tower’s ruler, the Tower’s creators, and the other world’s rulers all live on the Tower’s upper floors. Did I get that right?”

When Gi-Gyu asked, both Soo-Jung and Tae-Gu nodded.

“That other world’s creatures can’t use their real powers on earth until the takeover is complete. However, they can use their true powers in the Tower because it connects the two worlds. Haa… Talk about an information dump.” Gi-Gyu looked at both Tae-Gu and Soo-Jung. Accepting their silent nods, he continued, “On the top floors of the Tower, these powerful beings can use 100 percent of their strengths, which is why they haven’t been conquered yet by players.”

The story Gi-Gyu just heard was hard to believe. Most people in the world, including Gi-Gyu up until a moment ago, believed the Tower was just a place to gain experience points, items, and crystals. It was like treasure storage to most. The public perceived the gates the same way; Tower floors with a chance of breaking.

Now that Gi-Gyu knew the truth, he realized the Tower was the real threat to humans; the gates were just a symptom.

“Haa…” Gi-Gyu sighed again. Soo-Jung, who watched him quietly, said, “Lee Sun-Ho may be strong, but that’s only on earth. He will be overwhelmed once he battles the lords of the Tower. However, it isn’t a one-way street. Lee Sun-Ho can also easily defeat Tower creatures that enter the earth. Well, I guess this would depend on whom he fights.”

Despite detailed explanations, Gi-Gyu still found it hard to believe. Soo-Jung and Tae-Gu in front of him were so powerful that only a few in the world could fight them. One of these few was Lee Sun-Ho, but even Lee Sun-Ho was seemingly no match for those ruling the Tower.

Feeling defeated, Gi-Gyu asked, “Just how powerful are they?” He was quickly losing his will to fight this impossible war.

Soo-Jung deactivated the Marking and leaned against the sofa. She looked exhausted as she replied, “Godly.”

In a calm voice, she continued, “To the non-players, they will look like gods.”

Soo-Jung sounded so matter-of-fact that Gi-Gyu knew it wasn’t an exaggeration.