CH 258

Old Man Hwang asked, “Is he doing okay?”

“Totally! I’m sure Master is doing great!” Brunheart replied brightly.

Old Man Hwang and Brunheart were inside the control tower in Sephiroth Tree. It had a giant tree, which was once the size of a person. However, the tree now covered the tower’s entire ceiling. Its thick roots spread everywhere, parts of them aerial and parts underground.

This tree had become one with the tower named Sephiroth Tree.

In the center of it, Brunheart sat comfortably in her pink dress.

Old Man Hwang yelled at her hurriedly, “Fix your dress!”

Brunheart had grown with the Sephiroth Tree. She was no longer a young girl but a woman in her 20s. But her psyche was still that of a kid.

“You always yell at me, Uncle!” Brunheart protested.

“I’m not your uncle. You must call me sir!”

Brunheart and Old Man Hwang bickered for a while.

Then, Old Man Hwang walked up to the Sephiroth Tree and whispered, “I have lived a hard life, and I like to think I have seen a fair share of things, but…”

The Sephiroth Tree was Eden’s treasure and a mystery.

“I have never seen something like this before. Gi-Gyu, that boy, is the greatest gift in my life.”

As a blacksmith, Old Man Hwang felt lucky to have met Gi-Gyu. Gi-Gyu had given him the chance of a lifetime. Thanks to that, he experienced many things, conducted unbelievable experiments, and learned many secrets.

And still, the Sephiroth Tree was the most amazing thing he had seen.

“It feels like we got an additional tower,” Old Man Hwang announced proudly.

“Hehe.” Brunheart, who was responsible for this accomplishment, laughed.

***

The players gathered again when Tao Chen called for a meeting. Most of them looked confused because it hadn’t been long since their first meeting to greet Gi-Gyu. Some even felt anxious.

‘I can definitely see a problem here.’ Gi-Gyu’s eyes sharpened. Several players looked displeased, their magic fluctuating wildly.

A player’s emotion could affect their power, but only Gi-Gyu could see that fluctuation.

‘Thanks to my sync ability.’ 

There was a thread-like connection between these players and Gi-Gyu, but no one knew about it.

There was a grayish hue in Gi-Gyu’s eyes. Without their permission, he couldn’t sync with them perfectly. But he could still feel how much the players’ emotions influenced their power.

“Are you okay?” Tao Chen asked when he saw Gi-Gyu staring at the players.

“Ah, yes.”

A player, with seemingly the most unstable magic of them all, asked, “Why did you summon us again?”

‘I think his name was Sun Won.’ Gi-Gyu remembered Tao Chen telling him about this player. Sun Won opposed Gi-Gyu’s help the most.

And Sun Won didn’t just disapprove of Gi-Gyu.

Tao Chen had told Gi-Gyu before that Sun Won was a man of strong Sinocentrism. He was powerful, but Tao Chen considered Sun Won a problem because of his beliefs. However, Sun Won’s Sinocentrism made him want to help Tao Chen in the first place.

Sinocentrism referred to the worldview that China is the cultural, political, or economic center of the world. Sun Won was a firm believer, so he was against getting help from a foreigner.

But they had no other choice because they weren’t strong enough.

And Gi-Gyu planned on showing them his power.

He began, “I heard there are some who are unhappy with my help.”

Tao Chen looked at Gi-Gyu in surprise because he didn’t expect Gi-Gyu to jump into the meat of the matter straight. Still, as promised, he interpreted.

“We are gathered here for the greater good. I am not personally interested in switching the Chinese president, but because this will help my goal, I am here to help you with it.”

Perhaps Gi-Gyu was being too blunt because the neutral players’ energy had also started fluctuating.

Sun Won yelled, “What are you trying to say? Do you want our mindless cooperation? We will certainly work with you, but only because we know we need your hel—”

“No, I’m not looking for your cooperation.” Gi-Gyu interrupted him. “Attack me.”

Sun Won became confused.

With a smile on his lips, Gi-Gyu ordered, “I’m telling you that anyone who isn’t happy with me can try to take me down.”

An awkward silence fell.

***

“What are you…?!” Sun Won yelled in confusion. He couldn’t understand why Gi-Gyu would suggest such a thing. What would this accomplish?

“Tao Chen!” Sun Won protested. One of the reasons he had joined the cause was Tao Chen.

Tao Chen was their leader, but he ignored Sun Won’s call. All he did was cross his arms and watch quietly.

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Sun Won bit his lips while Gi-Gyu continued to smirk at him.

Gi-Gyu explained, “I know you only value things you can personally vouch for.”

The player couldn’t help but pay close attention to his voice.

“So all I need to do is show you what I can do and make you acknowledge me, right? I know this has nothing to do with our cause, and some of you might think my show of power here is not necessary. But remember that I am here to side with you to achieve true justice.”

Believers of Sinocentrism valued justice and justification.

Gi-Gyu continued, “Nothing will change if you fight me and I win. The only purpose of this fight is to lessen the unease of those unhappy with my presence. I don't want anything in return. If I lose, I will follow your decision.”

“How dare you! You think you’ll win that easily?” Sun Won was furious.

The smile on Gi-Gyu’s face deepened as he provoked Sun Won, “Then prove me wrong.”

Both Gi-Gyu and Sun Won became silent.

Clunk.

Sun Won unsheathed his long sword and announced, “I will prove it to you.”

***

It wasn’t just Sun Won who questioned Gi-Gyu’s ability. Many doubted Gi-Gyu, but Sun Won drew his weapon first.

“What the hell are you doing?” Sun Won, his face red, yelled.

“What do you mean?” Gi-Gyu’s voice remained calm.

Sun Won’s face turned redder as he screamed, “Take out your weapon!”

“But aren’t you the only one attacking me?” Gi-Gyu continued to smile. With his arms hanging loosely on the side, he added, “If it’s just one opponent, I don’t even need to take out my weapon.”

Grit.

A worrying sound was heard from Sun Won’s mouth, but he remained still. Although he couldn’t feel anything from Gi-Gyu, based on Gi-Gyu’s stance, he could tell how powerful Gi-Gyu was.

‘I can’t find a single opening,’ Sun Won thought in panic. Sun Won had always been able to find an opening in his enemy’s stance regardless of their strength. He suspected that Gi-Gyu had experienced countless battles to gain such skill.

‘His body is so used to fighting that it doesn’t know how to let its guard down.’ 

Sun Won finally announced, “Fine.”

He took his battle stance. Sun Won had no choice but to admit Gi-Gyu’s capability. This was partly because he had also seen the footage. The viewers couldn’t feel Gi-Gyu’s energy through the footage, so many players believed it was manipulated.

But Sun Won didn’t doubt it for a second.

Tao Chen remained quiet. The fact that Tao Chen didn’t get involved was an indicator of Gi-Gyu’s incredible strength.

Fssssh.

Fierce magic stormed out of Sun Won’s body, creating a giant wind. He tried to guess the outcome of this battle. Gi-Gyu was strong, but he was no weakling either. He knew he couldn’t replicate Gi-Gyu’s feats from the footage; he was determined to prove that he wasn’t someone to be underestimated.

“I will show you what a Chinese player can do!” Sun Won screamed as he swung his sword. He needed to ensure that he had no blind spots and assumed his powerful magic would protect him.

His sword ripped through the air as it flew toward Gi-Gyu.

“I will rephrase what I said,” Gi-Gyu mumbled. “Not only do I not need my weapon, but I don’t even have to move.”

Sun Won’s sword stopped right in front of Gi-Gyu’s neck. Sun Won hadn’t stopped—he just couldn’t go forward.

“H-how…?!” Sun Won gasped in confusion but couldn’t even finish his sentence.

Plop.

Sun Won fell to the ground unconscious.

Another heavy silence fell. No one had imagined that the battle would end so quickly. Although Sun Won wasn’t as powerful as Tao Chen, he was still a well-known high ranker. Yet his sword didn’t even touch Gi-Gyu before he had collapsed helplessly.

At first glance, it looked like Gi-Gyu was standing still while Sun Won fell all on his own. But those with sharp eyes, like Tao Chen, had seen what happened.

“How impressive,” Tao Chen murmured. “I guess you used your magic to control the wind?”

Tao Chen was clearly amazed as he continued, “You controlled the air so subtly that most of us didn’t even feel it. You used the wind to destabilize Sun Won and his sword, huh? You are truly amazing.”

Gi-Gyu didn’t confirm or deny Tao Chen’s words. He faced the other players and declared, “Anyone else? This will be the only time I’ll let you attack me. After today, if any of you raise your weapon against me…”

Suddenly, shocking hostility appeared in Gi-Gyu’s eyes as he added, “I will consider you my enemy.”

Flinch.

The players jolted. None of them dared to move. Through the faint connection Gi-Gyu had formed with them, he could feel their shock and fear. However, that connection wasn’t even necessary to catch what the players were thinking. Confusion and terror were clear on their faces.

“If there isn’t anyone else, then…” Gi-Gyu was about to turn around, thinking he had achieved what he wanted. He showed them what he could do, so he expected the players to accept him.

But…

“Please let me have a try.” Tao Chen stepped forward.

Gi-Gyu couldn’t help but be confused when he saw Tao Chen holding his Green Dragon Crescent Blade.

“What are you…”

“I’m not doing this because I am unhappy with your presence here or doubt your ability. As someone who seeks true power, I would be honored to spar with someone who holds a part of it.” Tao Chen looked so genuinely thrilled that Gi-Gyu couldn’t help but gape.

This wasn’t what he had anticipated. Gi-Gyu was even more shocked when Tao Chen ordered the other players, “Why are you all just standing around?!”

Tao Chen scolded them, “This man, a hero, has come all the way here to help us. So don’t you think we should show him what we can do?!”

He looked around at the players and shouted, “We must do our best to make this fight worthy of him drawing his weapon! That is the only way to earn his trust and help.”

The magic in his voice carried a lot of power. Sun Won, who was regaining consciousness, groaned. However, when he looked at Gi-Gyu now, his eyes had a different emotion.

Sun Won’s competitiveness and ambition exploded as he screamed, “Let me try again!”

Sun Won staggered as he stood again.

Tao Chen and Sun Won faced Gi-Gyu, who scratched his head. Gi-Gyu just wanted to lessen their unease. He was only trying to show off his power to suppress their displeasure.

But…

Clang!

“I would love a spar as well!”

“Please let me have a try too!”

“Please allow me to battle you too!”

Gi-Gyu realized that all the players here were unsheathing their weapons.

In the end, he bowed to them and replied, “All right, let’s do this.”

With an awkward look on his face, Gi-Gyu performed the fist-in-palm salute.