CH 257

Gi-Gyu dressed up and headed toward the airport.

While walking together, Tao Chen commented, “You look pretty good.”

During the negotiation with the Korean government, the very first thing Rohan and Heo Sung-Hoon demanded was the removal of Gi-Gyu from the wanted list. Their demand was met promptly, and he was now a free citizen. After all, the Caravan Guild and the Iron Guild had turned him into a wanted man, not the Korean government.

It turned out that the Korean government and the two guilds were never on good terms.

‘I had no idea…’ Gi-Gyu thought. He knew that this was all thanks to Rohan.

“Pfft!” Gi-Gyu covered his mouth to stop himself from bursting into laughter.

Ironshield had ordered Rohan to deal with the Korean government. Rohan didn’t do a good job on purpose.

A player association wasn’t just a group that cared for the players’ needs. It needed to maintain a good relationship with the non-players too. Power didn’t come free in this world, so one had to use it carefully not to lose it.

The KPA used to work well with the Korean government. On the other hand, the Iron Guild’s Korean branch had turned its back on the Korean government. This played a big role in the negotiation with the Korean government.

‘The Korean government is already planning on naming the Caravan Guild and the Iron Guild its enemy. It still hasn’t fully accepted us as an ally, but…’ Gi-Gyu contemplated. The problem was that Gi-Gyu now owned a part of Korea, which definitely didn’t sit well with the government. So, he had a wait-and-watch attitude for now.

He believed the issue would resolve itself in time.

Click, click, click, click. 

The camera flashes went off loudly.

Tao Chen turned to Gi-Gyu and suggested, “Why don’t you wave at them or something?”

They were walking to the airport to get to China.

Gi-Gyu smiled and replied, “I think it’s you who should be waving at them, Tao Chen.”

Tao Chen smiled and did just that. As a famed high ranker, he was used to all the attention. He became famous for his power, but he was also beloved due to his memorable code name, Beautiful Beard, and easygoing personality.

Click, click, click, click. 

More camera flashes went off. The whole world was interested in the mysterious player Kim Gi-Gyu. At the moment, he was being accompanied by the Chinese high-ranker, Tao Chen, to travel to China.

The public was curious about many things. Why were they visiting China? Why was Gi-Gyu’s wanted status reversed? And so on. Many theories surfaced, but Gi-Gyu didn’t make any official statement.

‘Now…’ Gi-Gyu walked with a blank face as he thought, ‘What will Andras and Ironshield do?’

He was making a public appearance to travel on purpose. This was his way of flexing his muscle and provoking his enemies.

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Click, click, click, click…

Through the camera flashes, Gi-Gyu walked on.

***

“I’m disappointed,” Gi-Gyu muttered.

Tao Chen looked at Gi-Gyu in confusion. “I don’t think this is something to be disappointed about.”

“But wouldn’t it have made things much easier if our plane was attacked? Our enemies would have been condemned for their public attack. And the world would have given us even more attention.” Gi-Gyu looked genuinely disappointed.

Tao Chen scratched his cheek.

Gi-Gyu and Tao Chen had safely arrived in China. It was a short flight, but they had been ready and tense every second of it.

China was like the second headquarters of the Caravan Guild and the Iron Guild. After all, the Chinese president was their puppet.

Gi-Gyu had anticipated many attacks, including an attack on their plane. He had also thought of a scenario where China refused his entry. This was why he had rented a private jet.

But absolutely nothing happened.

“Don’t let your guard down just yet. As you know, they must have realized what you’re trying to do. I’m certain they know our plan by now,” Tao Chen warned.

“Of course.”

Tao Chen was right. They were in China, and the whole world knew this. From now on, their every move would be watched closely.

Click, click, click, click.

The moment they arrived, more cameras appeared to capture them. Reporters from different countries yelled their questions. Because Gi-Gyu didn’t know all of their languages, he couldn’t understand everything, but…

Someone asked in English, “Why did you come to China?”

The majority of the questions were asked in Chinese. Suddenly, Tao Chen’s face turned dark.

Gi-Gyu remained quiet and watched Tao Chen. He was silently asking Tao Chen to interpret.

Tao Chen tensely explained, “There are some respectful questions, but… Most reporters are calling me a traitor who betrayed his own country. And you…”

Tao Chen chose his words carefully as he continued, “They are calling you the enemy who will bring destruction to China. They’ve nicknamed you Asura.”

“...”

“Some are even calling you Chiyou.”

Oh Tae-Gu’s code name was Asura, therefore…

“Chiyou… I like that.” Gi-Gyu smiled.

Click, click, click, click….

Fewer camera flashes could be heard now as the swarm of reporters moved aside to create a path for someone. From far away, a group was walking toward them.

“I think they’re here,” Tao Chen murmured.

Gi-Gyu wondered if it were their enemies coming to greet them. But he quickly shook his head, aware it couldn’t be this simple.

All the cameras stopped. The group was before Gi-Gyu and Tao Chen.

The man leading the group greeted, “It is an honor to welcome Beautiful Beard and the hero.”

“Long time no see,” Tao Chen replied.

The group was a part of Tao Chen’s troops preparing for the coup.

Click, click, click, click.

The camera flashes began again.

***

The Shaolin Temple, located in the Songshan mountain range, was a place known for martial arts. Here, in a large open field, Gi-Gyu and dozens of other men stood quietly. The area was filled with a shocking amount of power.

‘There are so many talented players here.’ Gi-Gyu thought in surprise. It made sense since China had the largest population and the highest number of players. Therefore, China had a surprising amount of capable players.

All Chinese high-rankers were seemingly present here. Gi-Gyu watched them with interest. The majority was Chinese, but…

“I can also see many foreigners,” Gi-Gyu commented. Many of them were unknown high-rankers who preferred to remain hidden.

“That’s right. All of them are powerful and share our goal. They are our allies, so you can trust them,” Tao Chen explained.

Just then, a high-ranker walked up to Gi-Gyu.

“Are you…” The player had an unreadable look on his face. “Kronos’ son?”

Gi-Gyu became tense even though this was expected. Since his seal was gone, some high-rankers—the rulers’ clones—were bound to know about him.

Gi-Gyu became nervous, wondering if being Kronos’ son would put him in danger.

Clunk.

The player performed a respectful fist-to-palm salute using his gauntlet-covered hands.

“We have received much help from Kronos. When the Tower first appeared, Kronos helped the Chinese players a lot. I would like to show our thanks to you.”

This was an unexpected reaction.

“Ah!” Gi-Gyu exclaimed, realizing that the player was referring to his father, not Jupiter’s father.

“Thank you,” Gi-Gyu replied in his awkward Chinese and returned the fist-in-palm gesture.

“Now, now. You see, Morningstar here…” Tao Chen began his announcement.

Gi-Gyu blushed at the mention of his embarrassing code name.

Tao Chen continued, “Morningstar has decided to help us achieve our great goal. I’m sure you have many questions, but we will have to get to them later. For now… we must focus on our current situation.”

Tao Chen’s beautiful beard rustled in the wind. However, this breeze wasn’t natural—it was created by Tao Chen’s power swirling dangerously around him. This helped Gi-Gyu realize just how much he had grown inside Eden.

Tao Chen explained, “Our plan is already in motion. Our enemies must know what we wish to accomplish, which means our war has already begun. Now, we must fight together.”

He removed the Green Dragon Crescent Blade from his back and plunged it into the ground.

Thud.

The soft vibration spread out slowly, creating odd excitement and anticipation within the group.

Tao Chen added, “We must change China.”

***

Gi-Gyu leisurely walked around the Shaolin Temple. Bald men in yellow uniforms practicing martial arts were everywhere.

China had some of the strongest players in the world. This was partly because martial arts’ presence in China predated the Tower’s.

And when the Tower appeared…

“The Chinese players benefited a lot from knowing martial arts.” Tao Chen was giving Gi-Gyu a tour of the temple. He explained, “There are huge differences between players who have trained in martial arts and those who haven’t. The way they utilize their power and magic, and…”

“I’m sure there is a huge difference,” Gi-Gyu agreed.

“It was.”

There was one unique thing about Chinese martial arts. It seemed whoever created it had known about magic because the martial forms were perfect for using the power given by the Tower.

The pattern became clearer when one dug deeper into the original forms of Chinese martial arts.

This wasn’t a surprise to Gi-Gyu. He suggested, “I doubt this was a coincidence.”

Tao Chen nodded.

It couldn’t have been a coincidence. Chinese martial arts came from the old world, where Gaia and Kronos used to exist. It had to be from the world created by God.

“That is why the Chinese players’ growth was quicker at the beginning. But the problem is, the stronger we are, the harder it becomes for us to improve further. This is something all Chinese players experience,” Tao Chen explained. “But whoever surpasses this hurdle ends up with incredible power and…”

This was why so many Chinese players were rankers. It seemed that the system worked a little differently for the Chinese players. All players were very much dependent on the numerical value of their levels given by the System, but the Chinese players were exceptions.

For some reason, the monks practicing martial arts fascinated Gi-Gyu.

Gi-Gyu stopped walking and turned toward Tao Chen. He asked, “I sense that many are hostile toward me.”

Tao Chen became rigid and quiet.

Gi-Gyu continued, “And I understand why. Many high-rankers must have some idea of who I am. And besides, I’m a foreigner. I can see how it makes them uncomfortable that their fate depends on me.”

Gi-Gyu had grasped their situation accurately. The Chinese players had been planning this for a long time. But because they couldn’t face their enemies alone, they had to rely on him.

“You’re right.” Tao Chen didn’t deny it. “They have all seen your power thanks to that footage, but…”

Chinese tended not to believe anything until they saw it in person. It was no wonder they felt hostile toward Gi-Gyu and…

Tao Chen added, “They are also suspicious.”

This was partly why things were going so slowly at the moment. Besides, overthrowing the Chinese president wouldn’t be an easy task, no matter how powerful their army was. There were so many things that needed to be planned out.

They had to carry out the coup quickly and efficiently. To do this, all team members needed to be on the same page.

“I have a favor to ask,” Gi-Gyu requested.

Tao Chen tensed, guessing what Gi-Gyu wanted from him.

“Could you gather all the players?” Gi-Gyu asked.

None of the players have left the Shaolin Temple yet. They were desperate to get this done, but everyone knew patience was key.

Tao Chen nodded. “All right.”

Tao Chen was determined to change China for the better. To accomplish this…

“All the allies have to be united,” Gi-Gyu announced.

Tao Chen nodded again in agreement.