CH 217

Sitting on the sofa, Gi-Gyu commented, “Leviathan has already stolen a player’s body. If the other hell kings follow suit and side with the Caravan Guild, this will become a huge problem for us.”

El stood beside him while Lou sat in a massage chair. The three of them were discussing the situation.

Lou seemed annoyed by Gi-Gyu’s statement as he replied, “Well, duh. Just two hell kings would be enough to drop you at death’s door.”

Lou's closed eyelids squinched a little as he continued, “But who knows? Like I said before, Leviathan—the real one from hell—had shown up, but it still couldn’t use all of its strength, so…”

“...”

“I’m guessing it was because of his host shell. He probably couldn’t go all out in that body. Honestly, I don’t think any shell on Earth can house Leviathan’s full strength.”

Still resting in his loudly vibrating massage chair, Lou added, “All that doesn’t matter now; our problem remains the same: You’re too weak. You’re certainly stronger than before, but you now have much more powerful enemies. So what you have isn’t enough, and that’s an understatement.”

Gi-Gyu became dead silent.

El patted his back and chimed, “But our master has the potential to become much stronger.”

Turning toward Gi-Gyu, she asked, “Isn’t that why you decided to enter the Tower, Master?”

“El…” Gi-Gyu whispered as he looked up at her.

Lou's annoyance mounted, and he muttered, “Stop that lovebird crap already.”

Gi-Gyu stood up slowly and replied, “If the hell kings are on Earth right now, we can’t let them do whatever they want here.”

Earth would soon become a very different place if the hell kings were allowed to stay here.

The massage chair stopped vibrating, and Lou muttered, “Don’t worry too much.”

Lou stretched his arms, sat up straight, and continued, “Didn’t I already tell you that no shell can contain Leviathan’s true power? The same is true for all the other hell kings, so the probability of them all being here isn’t very high.”

Lou knew the hell kings the best here, and he had also just provided the most logical reasoning and conclusion.

“Andras is leading the Caravan Guild. Do you think the hell kings will follow him when they detest him so much? Andras is a nobody in hell, so they won’t work for him. I mean… Leviathan has always been a complete psycho, so nobody can claim they know its next move. But, the chances of the other kings obeying Andras is slim to none…”

Lou sounded confident, but the anxiety on his face was apparent. He whispered, “The real problem is… Who is giving Andras the orders?”

Lou stretched his arms again and tried to lighten the mood. “Well, just don’t worry about it for now. Believe me, there is no reason for all the hell kings to come here.”

“All right,” replied Gi-Gyu.

“Good. And I’ll figure out where Leviathan is in time, so just wait for me,” Lou replied.

“...?”

Lou smirked and continued, “While you were fighting Leviathan, the Morningstar-Child Guild and the Blue Dragon Guild… You know what I’m trying to say, right?”

Lou was referring to how the players had fought among themselves because they couldn’t control their emotions.

Gi-Gyu tensely replied, “I better find them. And I need to meet with Old Man Hwang and Sung-Hoon too. For now, you stay here and rest. You too, El.”

Lou and El answered,

“Go ahead.”

“Of course, Master.”

When Gi-Gyu left the room, El nodded at Lou, ready to leave.

Suddenly, Lou warned her, “Be careful.”

El replied with a cold look.

“Idiot. Don’t you even know your own condition?” Lou icily continued, “Based on your expression, it’s obvious that you also know it. Good. Then you must also understand how careful you have to be.”

Lou smirked and turned on the massage chair again. He added, “Because if you don’t, you might end up harming others, especially your beloved Master.”

Lou emphasized the word “Master,” clearly insulting her.

El refused to react to his words and whispered, “This is none of your business.” Then, she left the room.

Lou muttered, “Stupid bitch.”

El was outside, but Lou knew she could hear him.

***

“I’ve already told Rohan about this. We must find Leviathan, and if the other hell kings are here, we must find them too. This needs to be our priority,” Gi-Gyu said to Sung-Hoon. He continued, “There is no way of knowing what kind of harm they can do to non-players. It could be just like that time…”

“...”

“...”

Both Sung-Hoon and Old Man Hwang looked very tense.

After a brief silence, Sung-Hoon replied firmly, “All right.”

“I’ll also use Eden to see if I can find their presence. The power of this landmark, I mean Eden, seems endless,” Old Man Hwang offered.

“I’m counting on you two,” said Gi-Gyu.

“Don’t worry too much, Young Man.”

Gi-Gyu turned toward Sung-Hoon, as it seemed like he had something to say to Gi-Gyu.

Sung-Hoon asked, “Wouldn’t it be too dangerous?”

Sung-Hoon had heard the news that Gi-Gyu was about to resume climbing the Tower. He continued, “Based on my understanding, you do not need to climb the Tower to become stronger, Ranker Kim Gi-Gyu. So for you to leave Eden and climb the Tower…”

Sung-Hoon was asking if this was really necessary. Wouldn’t it be too dangerous?

“I have no choice, even if it’s dangerous. There is a way for me to get stronger without climbing the Tower, but that will take too long. You must’ve heard Ha Song-Su was here?” asked Gi-Gyu.

Sung-Hoon nodded.

Gi-Gyu continued, “After meeting Ha Song-Su, it became clear that I need to become stronger. Quickly. I don’t know why he left without attacking me this time, but I can’t rely on luck the next time. Sung-Hoon, I want you to find out why Ha Song-Su left without fighting me.”

“All right.”

Gi-Gyu added, “So, as we discussed just now, you can take the Grigories in and out of Eden to accumulate Korean players who will stand with us. And you also need to communicate with Rohan to collect as much information as possible, Sung-Hoon.”

Sung-Hoon looked very worried. Rohan was on their side, so no problem there, but he imagined that freely entering and exiting the now-infamous Bukhan River area wouldn’t be easy. After all, the whole world was watching this strange gate.

Reading Sung-Hoon’s concern, Gi-Gyu reassured him, “I’ll find a way to make it easier for you.”

Sung-Hoon nodded. He trusted Gi-Gyu wholeheartedly, so he knew he didn’t have anything to worry about.

“By the way, have you heard anything from Tae-Shik hyung or anyone else?” Gi-Gyu asked.

Sung-Hoon didn’t answer him.

Gi-Gyu nodded with a heavy heart and added, “All right. You can go now. You won’t have much time to rest in the future, so you should take this opportunity to relax. And…”

Sung-Hoon was about to turn around when Gi-Gyu stopped him. Gi-Gyu continued, “When you get a chance, please bring your mother here. And the families of the Grigories and anyone who will work for us. The outside will turn into a war zone, so I think Eden will be the safest place for now.”

Sung-Hoon seemed a little emotional as he turned around and mumbled, “Thank you.” Then, he left the room.

Old Man Hwang asked Gi-Gyu, “Are you sure that’s a good idea? This place might become a dangerous area, more so than the outside. This place isn’t the eye of a storm; It’s already a battlefield.”

Old Man Hwang’s face was filled with worry. Bringing their allies and their families here did seem like a good idea at first glance. After all, Eden looked safe, and the players could see their families whenever they wanted.

But in truth, Eden wasn’t a safe place at all. The Iron Guild and the Caravan Guild’s retaliation attack didn’t seem too far away, and they would surely send some powerful players.

Old Man Hwang continued, “If Leviathan, Ha Song-Su, or anyone powerful enough raids Eden, we won’t be able to guarantee anyone’s safety here. Having the players’ families here will strengthen our alliance, but if we fail to protect them…”

Things could turn very ugly. Gi-Gyu’s allies could quickly turn into his enemies.

“I know.” A smile appeared on Gi-Gyu’s face.

Old Man Hwang realized that he had another plan.

Gi-Gyu continued, “I will send them somewhere other than Eden.”

“What…? Oh…!” Old Man Hwang figured out what Gi-Gyu was planning. He replied, “You’re talking about the gate!”

“Yes. It will be safe there as long as I remain alive.”

“You are…” Old Man Hwang mumbled, “Very cruel.”

Gi-Gyu remained quiet. Unlike Eden, Brunheart’s gate could give them absolute safety; however, the previous statement would only hold as long as Gi-Gyu was alive.

Old Man Hwang announced, “All right. I’ll plan it out then.”

“Okay. I need to get to the Tower now. This is the fastest way I can become stronger.” Gi-Gyu continued quickly, “And to do that…”

Old Man Hwang stood up and replied, “You mean Brun, right? Wait here.” He then left the room.

Gi-Gyu nodded and waited. To leave Eden and climb the Tower, he needed Brunheart, who was asleep at the moment.

***

All the preparations were complete. Gi-Gyu announced, “Please take good care of Eden. Mr. Hwang will become the decision maker if anything happens to me.”

If and when a powerful intruder entered Eden, too strong for Gi-Gyu’s creatures to defeat, Gi-Gyu would return immediately. But if he couldn’t, Old Man Hwang would be responsible for the entire place.

Old Man Hwang looked burdened as he nodded.

Gi-Gyu continued, “If you use Botis, Hal, and Hart well, you will have no problem defending this place in most situations.”

Gi-Gyu was disappointed that he couldn’t take them with him, as his Egos could become stronger alongside him outside. But he couldn’t take all his creatures to the Tower because Eden desperately needed protection.

He could open and close Brun whenever he needed to send some of his Egos back to Eden, but that would be cumbersome and dangerous.

Gi-Gyu added, “But please don’t worry. I doubt anything too dangerous could happen while I’m not here.”

There was another reason why Gi-Gyu felt comfortable enough to leave Eden: Rohan—his pawn inside the enemy’s heart.

Gi-Gyu had already ordered Rohan to keep sending just enough players into Eden to keep the public happy. At the moment, Andras and Ironshield were absent, so Rohan was in charge.

“If anyone goes near the gate, you can take care of them,” Gi-Gyu suggested.

“All right. I’ll deal with it case by case,” replied Old Man Hwang. Old Man Hwang was a dependable man. On top of it, he wasn’t alone: Hwang Chae-Il, Hart, Hal, and Botis. He had many reliable and trustworthy helpers around him.

“Sung-Hoon, Guild Master Choi Chang-Yong, and Sun-Pil.” Gi-Gyu addressed the three men.

“...”

“You just need to do what we discussed before,” Gi-Gyu announced.

The three men replied at the same time.

“All right, Ranker Kim Gi-Gyu.”

“Got it.”

“Okay, Hyung.”

They had executed every step of their plan nicely; sadly, a single powerful enemy could ruin everything.

Gi-Gyu continued, “We don’t need many allies—we need good allies. Please explain our situation only to your most trusted men.”

Demon humans now ruled the world. Those trusted players needed to know they could lose everything, including their bodies.

“Ah, and Sung-Hoon…” Gi-Gyu trailed off.

“Yes? What is it?”

“Do you know where Michael is?”

Gi-Gyu had first met Michael at the Global Player Association meeting. Afterward, they fought inside the Gangnam Gate together. During this time, Michael had proven to be Gi-Gyu’s ally.

‘Gabriel was his real name before.’ Gi-Gyu remembered seeing Michael’s memories inside the Tower. In this life, the Vatican Michael was using El’s original name. No doubt, the Vatican Michael was an important piece in this puzzle. Gi-Gyu needed to see him before it was too late.

‘Michael said he will be back when he’s ready…’

This was the last thing Michael had said, but he still hadn’t returned yet.

“I did look into it, but… After returning to the Vatican, he disappeared. And we don’t have the right to request his location from the Vatican,” Sung-Hoon replied.

“Then I guess we’ll have to use Rohan.”

“That’s a good idea.”

Now, everything was in order. Gi-Gyu was looking around when Old Man Hwang handed something to him.

It was a mask.

“I have been very busy, but I was able to make this for you,” said Old Man Hwang.

Gi-Gyu held the mask as Old Man Hwang continued, “As you can see…”

The elderly man proudly smiled as he added, “It’s an Ego.”

[Would you like to sync with it?]

It had been a long time since Gi-Gyu last heard a system announcement. Putting the mask on his face, Gi-Gyu announced, “It’s time to leave now.”