CH 155

“What do you mean, the seal’s broken?!” Gi-Gyu screamed in shock. There was no doubt Lim Hye-Sook had suddenly turned hostile toward him. In a situation like this, a fight could break out at a moment’s notice.

“You came a little too late, Young Man.” Lim Hye-Sook softened her voice a little. “Had you come here before the seal was broken, I could’ve repaired it, but now…”

Lim Hye-Sook closed her eyes tightly as she whispered, “It’s impossible.”

“Please, explain it to me!” Lim Hye-Sook wasn’t making any sense to Gi-Gyu, and his anger was rising. She was talking so vaguely while maintaining a hostile demeanor. This situation was too…

“Advisor Lim Hye-Sook! Is something the matter?!” a Gypsophila Guild member asked from outside the room.

Lim Hye-Sook opened her eyes slowly and added, “But there is one thing I might be able to try. I can’t guarantee that it will work on you, though.”

Then, she waved her hand toward the door to close it firmly. Keeping her eyes on Gi-Gyu, she asked, “Do you still want to try it? This is the last resort I can offer.”

“First, explain it in a way I can understand.”

“There is no time. You need to make your decision right now.” Lim Hye-Sook refused to accommodate him. She acted like she would open the door and let the other players in if he refused her offer.

“Dammit!” Gi-Gyu roared in a fury. If that door opened and the Gypsophila Guild members stormed in with their swords raised…

‘I would have no choice but to kill them all,’ Gi-Gyu thought without hesitation. He had no idea how he would deal with Lim Hye-Sook, but he was confident he could, at least, escape.

But…

“If I did that…” Gi-Gyu murmured in stress. If he massacred the players here, he would have nowhere to go. It would mean he visited the Gypsophila Guild headquarters to slaughter everyone.

And…

‘What about Yoo-Bin?’ Gi-Gyu didn’t know if he could even understand the devastation his friend Shin Yoo-Bin would feel. This was such an unexpectedly annoying situation. He roared, “Fuck!”

Lim Hye-Sook pressured him again, “You need to make a choice right now.”

Gi-Gyu glared at her like he wanted to kill her. Lim Hye-Sook shivered a little but tried her best to hide it.

"It’s that old ability.” Lim Hye-Sook closed her eyes again tightly. Suddenly, Brunheart’s gate appeared before Gi-Gyu, indicating that he had chosen to fight. In that case, she could do nothing for him.

‘Is he already too far gone?’ Lim Hye-Sook wondered, dispirited. This was actually a test designed to tell her his personality. She wanted to determine how much of his mind had been taken over based on his decision.

‘And it looks like it’s too late.’ Lim Hye-Sook shook her head. The right answer was to accept her treatment since it was the only way he could avoid the darkness’ takeover.

But Gi-Gyu just made the wrong decision. Therefore, from now on…

“Huh?” Lim Hye-Sook opened her eyes in surprise. The creatures, including the beautiful goddess, standing in front of her all seemed stronger than before. Surprisingly, they showed no hostility toward her.

Was Gi-Gyu choosing not to fight her?

“Ours isn’t a fiduciary relationship. Since I can’t trust you with my life without insurance, these creatures will protect me. And”—Gi-Gyu’s eyes became calm and cold—“if something happens to me, the Gypsophila Guild will disappear from this world. Are you still willing to do this?”

Gi-Gyu had made a logical decision, and this made Lim Hye-Sook laugh in relief. After a few seconds, she barked an order toward the door, “It was a misunderstanding; everything’s okay now. You can all return to your posts. No one shall enter this room without my permission. Disobeying this order will mean you’re going against me and Guild Master Yoo-Bin.”

After a long silence, those standing outside the door replied, “All right.”

Now, it was all set. The confusion and the uncertainty were gone.

Lim Hye-Sook walked toward Gi-Gyu. El, Hal, and the rest of Gi-Gyu’s creatures stepped aside to let her in. Gi-Gyu looked like a king among his creatures as he watched Lim Hye-Sook quietly.

“Now, it’s time for me to take care of the chaos inside you,” Lim Hye-Sook said, putting her hand on Gi-Gyu’s chest once more.

“We shall talk again after it’s all done,” Lim Hye-Sook said.

***

“What brings you here?” Oh Tae-Gu gave Sung-Hoon his usual grandfatherly smile. With everything going on in the world, it should have been difficult to see the association president on such short notice. However, Sung-Hoon’s request to visit was promptly accepted.

“Is there a reason you made my secretary contact me directly?” asked Oh Tae-Gu. Sung-Hoon jolted a little. Because he had the president’s personal number, he could call him at any time and meet him. But this time, Sung-Hoon scheduled a proper appointment through the president’s secretary.

The reason was…

“Some kind of insurance for yourself? I think I can guess your decision without hearing it from you,” Oh Tae-Gu mumbled. Sung-Hoon made sure this meeting with the president was known by many because…

‘I won’t die in this room at least.’ Sung-Hoon thought in relief. There was no way Oh Tae-Gu would kill Sung-Hoon when so many others knew about this meeting.

Tae-Gu smiled kindly again and continued, “I’m a little insulted that you think I won’t be able to do it, but I’ll let it pass this time. Anyway, go ahead.”

Sung-Hoon nodded. He had made the decision already, and there was no going back. Besides, Tae-Gu already knew what he was going to say.

‘I need to face the consequences of my decision,’ Sung-Hoon thought grimly.

“It’s about Ranker Kim Gi-Gyu.”

Tae-Gu silently waited for him to continue.

“Based on my observation of him, I”—Sung-Hoon swallowed audibly and licked his dry lips—“haven’t seen anything suspicious.”

Tae-Gu’s face crumpled into a frown. He already knew about the strange phenomenon involving Gi-Gyu. He hadn’t done anything about it because he wasn’t sure if this was the right time.

Oh Tae-Gu had been incredibly kind to Sung-Hoon for years now. However, Sung-Hoon stood before him and lied to his face.

Sung-Hoon continued, “No, more accurately, I can’t tell you anything.”

Sung-Hoon bowed deeply and apologized, “I am sorry.”

A heavy silence fell inside the association president’s office.

***

“Is it done?” Gi-Gyu asked in confusion. Unlike what he had expected, he didn’t feel any different. All Lim Hye-Sook did was keep her hand on his chest for about 30 minutes. He felt no pain or shock throughout the process.

“Yes,” Lim Hye-Sook replied as she took her hand off his chest. She was sweating heavily and looked fatigued.

Gi-Gyu gasped when he noticed Lim Hye-Sook’s gradually changing appearance. From her beautiful and seductive self, she was returning to her wrinkly and elderly form.

“Could it be…?!” Gi-Gyu asked in worry.

Lim Hye-Sook reassured him, “No, it’s not that. I’m just too tired to maintain my real form. There is no need for you to worry.”

Gi-Gyu had thought the drain from repairing his seal took her youthful appearance. He was relieved to hear that Lim Hye-Sook was okay. Gi-Gyu’s minions bowed to her deeply. They couldn’t understand what had happened, but they understood that she had done something important for their master.

“I’ve done everything I can. I couldn’t repair the seal, but I used everything I had to cover up the broken seal.” Lim Hye-Sook explained while Gi-Gyu remained quiet. “Think of it as putting a piece of tape over a deflating ball. It’s only a temporary solution and nothing more.”

Lim Hye-Sook muttered, “I used everything I had, but I don’t think it will last very long.”

With heaviness in his heart, Gi-Gyu looked at her and asked, “Is there any other way?”

Gi-Gyu still didn’t know what this “seal” was, but he guessed that it wasn’t something good for him. Not knowing how long this temporary solution would last was making him nervous. He needed to find a permanent answer. Lim Hye-Sook had told him that there was nothing that could be done, but Gi-Gyu still couldn’t help asking her in desperation.

“Actually, there is a way. I’m more certain of it now.”

Gi-Gyu’s eyes widened when he heard that.

She continued, “It appears you still haven’t reached the 50th floor. It’s hard to believe that someone so powerful hasn't crossed the 50th floor yet. I’m actually relieved I didn’t tell you about Kronos.”

Lim Hye-Sook seemed to have found something while working on Gi-Gyu. Exhausted now, she collapsed on the sofa. Gi-Gyu felt apologetic for the elderly woman.

She murmured, “I’m so glad… What a relief. Reaching the 50th floor will fix the current imbalance you have inside. It won’t be the perfect fix, but it will give you a better result than what I did.”

Lim Hye-Sook’s eyes fluttered as she looked up at Gi-Gyu. She urged him, “Climb to the 50th floor as quickly as possible. Do it before it’s too late.”

Then, she abruptly closed her eyes. Gi-Gyu wondered if something was wrong with her, but before he could say anything, Lim Hye-Sook continued, “Revisit me after ascending to the 50th floor. I believe that by that time, you will be ready.”

Gi-Gyu contemplated for a brief moment before nodding and standing. “All right. Thank you.”

All of his creatures had returned to Brunheart’s gate except El, who was waiting for him.

“El,” Gi-Gyu murmured.

El bowed and replied, “Of course, Master.”

El quickly returned to her accessory form. After putting the ring on his finger, Gi-Gyu left the room.

Creak.

The door opened, and the Gypsophila Guild members tensely stared at him. From behind them, Shin Yoo-Bin walked up to him and whispered cautiously, “Oppa…”

Gi-Gyu gave her a faint smile and nodded. “Advisor Lim Hye-Sook has worked very hard. Please take care of her. I’ll come back for another visit later.”

Yoo-Bin couldn’t say anything, and Gi-Gyu also didn’t say anything as he left the Gypsophila Guild headquarters. When he was gone, Yoo-Bin walked into the room to find Lim Hye-Sook panting in exhaustion while lying on the sofa.

“Grandmother…” Yoo-Bin whispered in concern. She didn’t know what happened here, but she could tell that it was something serious. Feeling scared, she took Lim Hye-Sook’s hand.

Lim Hye-Sook’s eyes remained closed as if she was dead. She whispered, “Don’t worry about me, Child. I’m just tired, that’s all.”

Lim Hye-Sook’s shallow breathing was the only thing that stopped Yoo-Bin from crying.

***

The tense silence in the association president’s room ended after a long time. Sung-Hoon sweated as he anxiously waited for Oh Tae-Gu to speak.

“You made the right decision,” the president replied.

Sung-Hoon stared at Oh Tae-Gu, wondering if he had heard him wrong. But it didn’t seem like Tae-Gu was lying or teasing him.

Oh Tae-Gu explained, “I didn’t place you with Kim Gi-Gyu as a simple spy.”

The president seemed uninterested in Sung-Hoon now as he turned his chair to look outside the window. The world was going around them fast. Even at this very moment, everyone in Korea seemed busy.

Watching the city, Tae-Gu continued, “I had hoped you would become his ally. I knew Tae-Shik might not be enough. Honestly, had Tae-Shik been involved, some aspects would’ve become difficult to deal with.”

Sung-Hoon couldn’t understand what the president was saying. Still, he didn’t ask any questions and only listened.

“Kim Gi-Gyu…” Tae-Gu whispered. Turning toward Sung-Hoon again, the president ordered, “You must help him remain human. All you need to do is stay by his side.”

Then, Oh Tae-Gu became quiet, indicating he had nothing more to say.

After a short silence, Sung-Hoon whispered, “Thank you, Sir.”

Sung-Hoon’s appreciation could be felt clearly.