CH 198

Kaboom! 

The explosion made lava waves, sending it flying everywhere. Meanwhile, Gi-Gyu watched the battle with interest in his lava form.

‘Kersetu is pretty good,’ he thought as Kersetu fought off the magma golem. Kersetu was the giant Lou had absorbed in the past. Now, it was a blood-made giant, busy fighting the magma golem.

‘I gotta admit that after I became the Ego Master, many of my skills evolved into something much more useful.’ Gi-Gyu evaluated his improved state. Moreover, obtaining that title had changed many of Lou’s abilities as well. For example, Lou’s summoned beings could now interlock with Gi-Gyu’s Egos. Kersetu, a monster made of blood, could now use Bi’s Elemental Magma to move freely in lava.

Lou remarked,

-They are equally matched, so the fight will never end.

Lou seemed unsurprised, but Gi-Gyu felt differently. Kersetu was just one of Lou’s summoned beings, yet it was as powerful as an A-class gate gatekeeper. Moreover, they were fighting in the magma golem’s home ground, which gave the monster a huge edge.

-Magma golems are simpletons, but their attack and defense attributes are significant. As you know, any monsters in the golem category tend to be…

‘Yup. I know. They have the best defense ability,’ Gi-Gyu replied silently.

Boom! Boom!

The magma golem before them was proving this point. The battle between Kersetu and the magma golem was like a fight between a siege weapon and a castle gate.

‘Should I get involved now?’ Gi-Gyu asked Lou expectantly.

Earlier, Lou had advised Gi-Gyu to stay back and let Kersetu fight alone. But Gi-Gyu was beginning to feel antsy.

Lou replied,

-What for? You shouldn’t have to waste your energy on something like that.

‘Then should we just leave them like this?’ Gi-Gyu wondered if they should just leave since Kersetu was keeping the magma golem busy.

-No, magma golems are persistent. It’s best to take care of it now.

‘Then…’ Gi-Gyu grinned, inferring Lou’s implied message.

Gi-Gyu whispered the names of Lou’s other summoned beings, ‘Rhodes, Choi Min-Suk.’

***

‘It’s a blue crystal.’ Gi-Gyu stared down at the crystal in his hand. It was left after the magma golem was destroyed.  

‘I can’t believe the riches the Caravan Guild must have accumulated.’ Gi-Gyu could guess how wealthy this group must be. He felt certain that Andras knew the gates’ secret and could use them to his advantage. If one could control the gates, then…

‘They can easily collect as many crystals as they desire.’ 

Gi-Gyu opened Brunheart’s gate and threw the crystal inside.

Just then, he heard Old Man Hwang’s voice.

-Young man!

‘Sir?’ Gi-Gyu asked anxiously. Was there a problem inside the gate?

-Where are you right now? How… This…

Old Man Hwang’s sounded panicky.

‘What’s wrong, sir?”

-When you opened the gate just now, some lava flowed inside!

Gi-Gyu almost shrieked in shock. He was still swimming in lava and opened his gate without thinking. Since opening Brunheart’s gate to store stuff had become second nature to him, he didn’t foresee how this could’ve sent lava into Brunheart’s gate.

Did someone get hurt because of his mistake?

Anxious, Gi-Gyu was about to ask the dreaded question when…

-Get me some more! No! Wait! Give me a minute!

‘Pardon?’ 

-I’m talking about the lava you sent into the gate! Didn’t you purposefully send it?

Gi-Gyu almost replied yes. But Old Man Hwang had already taken his brief silence as affirmation.

-Lava with such sorcerous energy… Did our entire neighborhood turn into hell or something? Well, who cares?! This is perfect! You did very well! You must also have some talent for blacksmithing!

Old Man Hwang seemed thrilled as he continued,

-I’ll get ready to receive the lava, so give me a moment. When I signal, can you get me some more?

‘Oh… S-sure.’ 

-I’m so excited! This is amazing!

Old Man Hwang and the rest were preparing to collect lava. Gi-Gyu felt silly for being nervous. He had no idea that lava was such valuable material.

Lou explained,

-Lava from hell is considered special. It’s no wonder the blacksmith likes it.

‘Why is it special?’

-Lava with sorcerous energy is a rarity. But the lava here is even more special, as it holds sorcerous energy and magic. It is the perfect material for creating incredible magic tools.

Gi-Gyu jolted and asked, ‘Are you talking about player items?’

-That’s right. I’m sure they’ll produce high-quality items with the lava here. Your blacksmiths are going to love it.

Lou had referred to Old Man Hwang and Hwang Chae-Il as the “blacksmiths.”

Old Man Hwang announced,

-I’m ready! You can open the gate!

Gi-Gyu promptly opened Brunheart’s gate.

Gi-Gyu was still nonplussed with the turn of events, but it seemed that things were turning out in his favor.

Before long, the elderly man was thanking Gi-Gyu.

-That’s plenty! Thanks!

Lou asked playfully.

-So… how do you feel? Not nervous anymore, are you?

Gi-Gyu shook his head slowly. Indeed, his heart rate had returned to normal. Thinking about Ha Song-Su had made him a bit nervous, but the unexpected lava incident had eased his worries.

-Well, then. Let’s go.

Lou’s nonchalantly voice.

Gi-Gyu knew that Lou was trying to put him at ease.

‘Huh? Look over there…’ Gi-Gyu finally found something other than lava here. An odd-looking modern building sat at the bottom of the lava river. It almost looked like a squirming dark creature was swallowing the building.

-It’s because everything is all mixed up here.

Lou explained and prodded Gi-Gyu to move faster.

Gi-Gyu nodded and began swimming toward the building.

***

Entering the building was much easier than expected. When Gi-Gyu got close, the building opened its mouth to welcome him as if it were a living monster.

-Haa… This is so annoying.

Meanwhile, Lou hadn’t stopped complaining since they had first stepped inside. He grumbled,

-Why did you bother entering? You should’ve just destroyed it. Why do we have to keep falling into a trap on purpose?

Lou had wanted to demolish the entire building instead of entering it. He wasn’t used to his enemy dictating his every move, so he had asked Gi-Gyu to level the building, but Gi-Gyu had a different idea.

“No.” Looking around the area, he explained, “The Caravan Guild… I know this group doesn’t deserve any sympathy, but… the guild has so many blameless players.”

Gi-Gyu suspected that this building was filled with such players and that destroying the building would kill them all. He didn’t feel comfortable with this idea.

And, of course, there was another reason.

“I believe there are three types of people inside the Caravan Guild. First, those who joined without knowing the truth. They are probably being used without even realizing what’s going on.

“Second, those who were brainwashed.”

With determination in his eyes, Gi-Gyu continued, “Third and last group, greedy bastards fully aware of the Caravan Guild’s motives and methods.”

His eyes glowed, sensing the magical presences around him. The last group certainly didn’t deserve to live, as the Caravan Guild’s methods weren’t normal by any stretch. Players were supposed to kill monsters, climb the Tower, and close the gates. And a guild’s job was to help and support them.

However, the Caravan Guild was like that. Not too long ago, Gi-Gyu had witnessed how the players around his house were fooled into giving up their energy to maintain the barrier. He suspected that this was just the tip of the iceberg.

“I guess I’ll find out more soon enough,” Gi-Gyu muttered.

“Kim Gi-Gyu!” one of the players surrounding him shouted nervously.

Gi-Gyu was standing in the building’s entrance hall, a spacious area. He was currently surrounded by players. He had been aware of their presence and motive, but he still let them surround him.

Gi-Gyu looked at the players.

Lou chuckled and said,

-Do you really believe that? Three types of players? Kekeke.

Lou’s rudely continued,

-Well, you keep dreaming. But, are you going to fight them yourself this time?

The enemy players—rankers and higher—were closing in on Gi-Gyu anxiously. He was surprised by the number of rankers the Caravan Guild had. There was no way so many players became rankers while in the Caravan Guild. Gi-Gyu guessed that the Caravan Guild was scouting every ranker they could seduce.

When Gi-Gyu smirked, the players flinched. They all knew about the magma golem protecting this building. Still, Gi-Gyu had arrived here so quickly and… uninjured. Every enemy player here knew they couldn’t have defeated the magma golem on their own. This showed them how powerful Gi-Gyu was.

Gulp.

One of the players among them swallowed loudly. They may have been rankers, but they were still human. There was a good chance they would die in this battle, so it was no wonder they were all afraid.

On the other hand…

Gi-Gyu moved his hand, gesturing for them to make the first move. He was clearly taunting them.

“Don’t let him trick you!” the player who looked like the group leader ordered. Powerful energy wafted from this player, and his calm was infectious, subduing the unbridled anxiety of the others.

-Hmm… I guess they aren’t complete novices.

Go Hyung-Chul had reported that the players in this area were unorganized and weak. But it appeared that they were stronger than the player paparazzo had claimed. The enemy players were currently perfecting their battle formation. It seemed that the group leader had decided to focus on defense than on offense. Or perhaps this was what someone higher up had ordered.

Gi-Gyu took a step back, leaving a footprint on the floor.

The enemy players became tense as they anticipated Gi-Gyu’s attack.

Gi-Gyu waved at them again and announced, “Fuck it! Come and get me!”

“...?”

Gi-Gyu laughed at his joke and explained, “I don’t watch any cartoons, but I watch movies.”

“What the hell?! Get ready! We just have to stall him! Reinforcement is on its way! We just need to survive until then!” the group leader yelled to reassure his men.

“I’ll let you live!” Gi-Gyu ignored the players’ reaction and continued to blurt out famous movie lines he had heard before. To his surprise, none of the players attacked him.

Gi-Gyu suddenly wondered if Lou was right. Was he wrong in believing the Caravan Guild had three types of players?

‘Probably not.’ Gi-Gyu decided that there were most likely only two types: Those unaware of the Caravan Guild’s dark secret; those aware and still willing to participate in such activities.

The unaware ones would sooner or later smell out that something was wrong. When they did, they could leave the group easily. After all, the Caravan Guild didn’t care about the players leaving the group.

But Gi-Gyu had been told that the resignation rate in the Caravan Guild was meager. It had to be because…

‘They stayed even after learning the truth.’ 

It had to be because the Caravan Guild paid very well. In a way, it was understandable since money made the world go round. However, that didn’t make it okay. Even when Gi-Gyu was at his lowest, he didn’t give up on his principles.

Gi-Gyu announced, “You shouldn’t have given up your humanity like this.”

The enemy players seemed confused by his statement.

When none of them made a move, Gi-Gyu declared, “If you aren't going to make a move, I will.”

Suddenly, a loud sound ripped through the air.

Ta da da da!

The enemy players seemed confused about what was happening. They looked around when suddenly, one of them mumbled, “This can’t be…”

The players were well prepared. They were covered in several layers of protection magic and high-level items. And to top it all off, they were powerful high-level players, so this didn’t make any sense.

“O-our leader…! He’s…” one of the players whispered when he saw the group leader stuck in the wall after a single punch from Gi-Gyu. Their leader couldn’t even muster up a scream before he had fainted. If not for the faint breathing, they would’ve pronounced him dead.

Ba dum.

The sound of his heartbeat spread like an infection. The heartbeats in the room became so loud that they could hear each other’s heartbeats. They couldn’t breathe because they had forgotten how to breathe. Fear had taken over them completely.

Suddenly, Gi-Gyu’s shoes glowed in a golden hue, and he whispered, “Super Rush.”