CH 210

The Iron Guild team leader did not panic even though he could no longer see Choi Chang-Yong, who was the group head. He ordered, “Get into battle formation immediately!”

A wall had suddenly appeared, isolating them from the rest of the group. Moreover, they were now being attacked from all sides by mantises.

“Kwerrrk!” The mantises were surrounding them quickly. These monsters’ arms were hard and sharp as if they were weapons created by the greatest blacksmith. As if that wasn’t enough, an invincible-looking armor protected their outer shell.

The Iron Guild team leader knew they were in trouble. These mantises’ energy suggested they were extraordinary monsters like the skeletons they had faced before. In their natural habitat, a mantis wasn't considered a high-level monster. And not one of them was ever seen using weapons and wearing armor. The team leader was in complete disbelief.

Clang!

The tankers were already battling the mantises. The leader was a damage dealer, and the situation looked grim to him. He studied his surroundings; he now had fewer players than when he had entered the gate. This was because most of the wounded left behind belonged to the Iron Guild.

“Team Leader!” someone called out to him desperately. His players were looking for him to lead, but the team leader was busy trying to devise a strategy.

The leader shouted, “Just keep the battle formation intact and give me a minute!”

The mantises were strong, but they weren’t invincible. After all, the Iron Guild had one of the best-armed forces in the world.

The team leader remembered his conversation with Rohan.

“Watch Choi Chang-Yong carefully,” Rohan had ordered before he left. On short notice, this Iron Guild team was assigned to this expedition to spy on Choi Chang-Yong.

Rohan had also told him, “Support the Morningstar-Child Guild as best as you can. They must be protected.”

The Iron Guild team leader couldn’t understand why his men had to help a mid-sized guild like the Morningstar-Child Guild, but he knew better than to question his superior. He was just one of many pawns on the chess board in the player world. All he should do was silently follow orders.

“Team Leader!” one of the tankers screamed urgently. The mantises were seemingly more powerful than he had thought.

“Dammit,” the team leader swore. He dashed, thinking about Rohan’s order again. The confusion was still there, but he needed to focus on his current situation first.

“I gotta survive this first!” the team leader muttered. He took out his sword and shouted his order, “Take out your First Potions. I give you my permission to use it!”

It was a banned substance, but his priority was to come out of this alive.

***

Kim Sun-Pil silently looked at the giant wall before him.

“Sun-Pil,” Ha-Neul, standing nearby, called out to him.

Ha-Neul was Sun-Pil’s friend who had been by his side since he created his first guild, the Morningstar Guild. He calmly replied, “It’s all right.”

The calm tone did nothing for Ha-Neul’s worry. The Morningstar-Child Guild was the weakest among the three groups that had entered the Bukhan River area. Sun-Pil had thought they would only have to provide support for the Blue Dragon Guild and the Iron Guild.

But now, they were separated from everyone. They were still inside the hellish Bukhan River gate; worse yet, they were alone now.

“I was told Gi-Gyu hyung would be here,” Kim Sun-Pil whispered.

Ha-Neul finally relaxed a little. Just mentioning Kim Gi-Gyu’s name was enough to put everyone at ease.

Kim Sun-Pil looked around, realizing they hadn't been attacked since the wall appeared; his confidence in his decision rose. Suddenly, he spotted an unfamiliar form.

“Guild Master Kim Dong-Hae,” Kim Sun-Pil whispered. He remembered a time when he used to address Kim Dong-Hae familiarly; lately, they had started acting more formally as if they were strangers.

Kim Dong-Hae replied tensely, “Please get ready for a battle.”

Kim Sun-Pil nodded, his senses picking something new in the air. He had been working very hard to be of help to Gi-Gyu, even if it was just a little. He wanted to ensure that Gi-Gyu never regretted becoming his ally.

When Kim Sun-Pil and Gi-Gyu had decided to work together, Kim Sun-Pil thought he could do anything for Gi-Gyu. Yet things turned out very differently from what he had expected.

So, where did it all go wrong?

‘Was it then?’ Kim Sun-Pil wondered. Was it when Gi-Gyu had entered the 50th-floor test chamber and lost contact with the rest of the world? Or was it even before then? When the Gangnam Gate had appeared?

Or perhaps it was when the Caravan Guild had declared Gi-Gyu a wanted man.

Kim Sun-Pil honestly didn’t know; it didn’t really matter now. There was one simple reason why he had agreed to enter this gate: He wanted to make amends and…

‘I want to talk to him,’ Kim Sun-Pil thought desperately. After all, he had idolized Kim Gi-Gyu for a long time.

Flinch.

His senses jumped again. Someone was nearby, but Kim Sun-Pil couldn’t see anything. He alone wasn’t tense; everyone looked anxious as they looked around. His hands began to shake.

“Everyone, please get ready!” Kim Dong-Hae ordered. He seemed to have better control over himself.

Meanwhile, Kim Sun-Pil looked down quietly.

Just who was watching them from nearby?

Was it one of Gi-Gyu’s creatures?

Or…

“Hyung,” Kim Sun-Pil whispered, wondering if it was Gi-Gyu himself.

“Snap out of it!” Kim Dong-Hae shouted at Kim Sun-Pil. They were co-guild masters, which gave them equal command over their players.

Kim Sun-Pil nodded and took out his bow and arrow. The quiver was on his waist, and the arrows had a blue tinge.

The energy he had felt warned him to flee. He could feel the danger dashing toward him; his instincts were screaming at him to run away.

Step.

Everyone’s eyes turned toward the sound, as they had all heard the footstep. After all, how could advanced players like them not hear it?

And…

“Hyung,” Kim Sun-Pil whispered.

“Long time no see,” the man before him replied.

***

Whoosh.

Botis’ flexible tail moved like a whip.

Kaboom!

His control over his tail was excellent; seconds before landing on its target, the tail would turn hard like steel. It would create a loud explosion even if it struck the ground. And then those sharp ground and wall pieces would rush toward the players like bullets.

“Shields!” Choi Chang-Yong screamed.

The tankers quickly created a wall of shields. The rubble failed to pierce through the shield wall and fell to the ground.

‘We have a chance against him! We just might be able to kill him!’ Choi Chang-Yong quickly decided as he watched Botis. This demon seemed undefeatable when he had first met it in the Gangnam Gate, but not anymore.

“He seems weaker!” Choi Chang-Yong yelled and ran past the tankers. Icy blue electric arcs snaked all around him. Botis had undoubtedly become weaker, and Choi Chang-Yong guessed it was because it had died once. He still couldn’t understand how Botis was standing in front of him. He assumed that Gi-Gyu maybe had a skill that could resurrect the dead. Then, it would make sense if the resurrected creature didn’t have its old strength. If it did, Gi-Gyu would have become the most powerful player in the world, wouldn’t he?

Crackle!

The electric arcs from his body flowed into his sword as he swung it toward Botis. Botis was busy retracting his tail when Choi Chang-Yong screamed, “Die!”

Boom!

A different kind of blast was heard. The icy blue arcs were dancing on the spot where Botis had been standing. Choi Chang-Yong quickly stepped back, expecting Botis to attack.

Choi Chang-Yong had been diligent in his training since the Gangnam Gate incident. After having witnessed what Kim Gi-Gyu could do, his sense of inadequacy wouldn’t let him rest for a moment. He had been training hard, as hard as when he was younger and was working his way to becoming a high ranker.

“Get ready!” Choi Chang-Yong didn’t let his guard down. He ordered his men quickly and prepared himself for the next attack.

Crackle.

When the electric arcs disappeared, Botis became visible.

“Dammit.” Choi Chang-Yong swore after seeing that Botis was unharmed.

“That was quite literally shocking,” Botis commented. Its slippery skin looked intact, indicating the electric arcs had failed to pierce it. It had only skimmed Botis’ skin before disappearing.

“Is his skin made of rubber?” Choi Chang-Yong whispered. In the Gangnam Gate, he hadn’t noticed this; now, he understood that Botis’ skin was like rubber.

“That’s the worst material to fight against for me,” Choi Chang-Yong muttered and lowered his sword. It appeared that he no longer had the will to fight.

The Blue Dragon Guild members looked confused, but they still never let their guards down.

A tense silence fell. Choi Chang-Yong, surrounded by his players, glared straight ahead.

Botis didn’t attack them. Instead, he leisurely licked his skin.

When their eyes met, Choi Chang-Yong asked, “I don’t know how you were resurrected, but you’ve become Kim Gi-Gyu’s summoned, haven’t you?”

Choi Chang-Yong sheathed his sword to show Botis that he didn’t want to fight.

Botis’ eyes glowed when he replied, “That’s right. I now belong to the grandmaster. I am his faithful slave.”

Botis’ voice was unpleasantly scratchy, but no one frowned. None of the players wanted to anger Botis at the moment.

Choi Chang-Yong pushed aside the tanker before him and muttered, “I have something to say.”

“Go ahead.” Botis seemed very relaxed even when Choi Chang-Yong approached him.

Choi Chang-Yong stopped before Botis and continued, “But I don’t want to talk about it with you. Bring Kim Gi-Gyu here. I will only speak with him.”

“How rude,” Botis whispered.

Gulp.

Choi Chang-Yong swallowed nervously. The surrounding atmosphere suddenly felt perilous. He had assumed Botis was weaker than before, but the demon began to change.

Botis’ energy exploded, making all the players flinch. It felt even sharper than the electric arcs Choi Chang-Yong had used as his weapon.

Botis’ skin started to change into something like armor; before long, its body was covered by countless hexagon-shaped scales.

“Scales!” Choi Chang-Yong gasped.

Botis roared, “How dare you call my grandmaster by his name?! You aren’t worthy of speaking to him in person!”

Realizing something had gone very wrong, Choi Chang-Yong touched his sword. He had expected the conversation to go differently; obviously, he was wrong.

‘Dammit.’ He knew that he had made a huge mistake.

Suddenly!

“Botis! That’s enough.” A shockingly elegant voice stopped the demon. Choi Chang-Yong recognized this voice immediately.

“It must be the goddess,” Choi Chang-Yong murmured. Indeed, it was the goddess he had seen inside the Gangnam Gate. She was one of Gi-Gyu’s creatures and the most beautiful being he had ever seen. There was no way he could ever forget her alluring voice.

She was elegant, graceful, and innocent yet seductive.

Botis took a step back and greeted respectfully, “Greetings to Lady El.”

Choi Chang-Yong didn’t miss a thing. He thought, ‘So the goddess is ranked higher than Botis! How interesting.’ 

There must have been clear seniority among Gi-Gyu’s creatures. El flew down and landed between Botis and Choi Chang-Yong. She was as beautiful as ever but didn’t look the same as before.

‘No, she looks different now,’ Choi Chang-Yong thought in surprise.

It was difficult to believe, but El looked even more alluring than before. In the Gangnam gate, she looked like an innocent, untouchable angel. But now…

She looked even more unreachable, yet she also looked a little more human. Choi Chang-Yong’s heart began to pound wildly. He was having a difficult time controlling his emotions. He felt embarrassed since he was an experienced player, but he couldn’t help it.

“Our master is busy at the moment,” El announced.

Choi Chang-Yong was glad she broke the silence because if she hadn’t, he was afraid he would’ve done something anserine. She was incredibly seductive.

Choi Chang-Yong sent an electric arc to his heart to maintain his sanity. He asked, “Are you referring to Kim Gi-Gyu?”

“Yes. He is swamped right now. So the thing you want to talk about…”—El smiled—“You can tell me.”

Choi Chang-Yong considered her offer. He refused to talk to Botis because he didn’t trust the demon. After all, Botis was once his enemy. Even now, Choi Chang-Yong couldn’t be sure if Botis was really on Gi-Gyu’s side. He also didn’t know how much Gi-Gyu trusted Botis.

This conversation could mean life or death not only for him but also for all of his players. Therefore, Choi Chang-Yong needed to be cautious about whom he talked to.

He nodded and replied, “I can work with that.”

Choi Chang-Yong removed his hand from his sword. This woman was different from Botis. He knew talking to El would be just as effective as talking to Gi-Gyu. Also, the goddess had a high enough position in Gi-Gyu’s world that Choi Chang-Yong felt comfortable trusting her with his and his players’ lives.

“Before we get to the main topic, may I ask you something?” Choi Chang-Yong asked politely. He was trying his best not to annoy El, as he wasn’t stupid enough to annoy someone above Botis in ranking.

“Go ahead.” El’s eyes remained calm.

“Just what is Kim Gi-Gyu doing right now? Is there no way for me to talk to him in person?” asked Choi Chang-Yong.

El frowned at Choi Chang-Yong’s question. After a brief pause, she whispered, “Currently, our master is…”

Whoosh!

Suddenly, El’s wings opened behind her back. It happened so fast that Choi Chang-Yong, who was a high ranker, didn’t even get any time to react. And as soon as they spread, something shot out of them.

“Ackk!” To his shock, Choi Chang-Yong heard his players’ screams from behind.

Gulp.

Choi Chang-Yong swallowed loudly again while El only looked at him apathetically. She was acting like nothing unusual had happened. And even though his guild members had been attacked, Choi Chang-Yong didn’t move a muscle.

Closing her wings, El continued, “At the moment, our master is deciding on what to do with the traitors.”