CH 329

Michael’s body quickly absorbed the Holy Grail, and the result was instant.

Dun dun dun dun dun dun.

Michael began shaking and floated up.

Gi-Gyu and El watched the scene silently. If he wanted, he could have kept the grail, but he didn’t, and no one stopped him from giving it to Michael. After all, Gi-Gyu was synced with Michael, so if the grail made Michael stronger, he would also become stronger. Therefore, returning the Holy Grail to Michael was the smart play here.

But there was just one thing Gi-Gyu was worried about.

“Please don’t worry,” El reassured him. “He will never betray you.”

“All right,” Gi-Gyu replied. The Holy Grail was so powerful that it could destroy the sync while Michael accepted it. This object had almost as much power as Gabriel. Gi-Gyu suspected that it was even as powerful as him. Gi-Gyu worried the sync might really come undone if Michael became as powerful as him.

“I’m sure he won’t betray me,” Gi-Gyu said to El and himself. The sync breaking was an unlikely event, and even if it happened, it was even more unlikely that Michael would betray him.

“Especially if he’s really Raphael,” Gi-Gyu whispered as he looked at Michael’s face with a frown.

Michael began stabilizing. The shaking stopped, and a faint light began escaping from his body parts, including his eyes, mouth, nose, and ears. The light was blinding, but Gi-Gyu and El kept their eyes wide open to watch everything.

‘The situation inside Michael’s body is much more stable now,’ Gi-Gyu thought. Compared to when Gabriel had held the Holy Grail inside his body, Michael had accepted this object more easily. And it also didn’t seem like Michael’s body was collapsing. Of course, it was partly because Gi-Gyu did his best to keep Michael safe. He ensured that any excess divine energy beyond Michael’s capability flowed into himself or El.

“It’s done,” Gi-Gyu announced when he saw the light disappear. And Michael fell to the bed with a thud.

A short silence fell before Michael groaned, “Ugh…”

Opening his eyes, he asked, “W-where… Am I inside Chaos?”

Michael wasn’t making any sense. He raised his head, looked at El—who was also looking at him—and lost consciousness again.

***

After a long time, Michael finally woke up again.

“Gi-give me some time to think…” Michael begged after waking up. Confusion was evident on his face as he softly talked with El, utterly ignoring Gi-Gyu.

Thankfully, Gi-Gyu was still synced with Michael.

“What are you thinking about so hard?” asked Sung-Hoon.

Gi-Gyu shook his head and changed the subject. “I heard you were amazing during the battle.”

“Pardon?”

“Everyone told me they could do their jobs easily because of you, Sung-Hoon,” Gi-Gyu explained.

The battle between Castro and Hamiel had badly injured Alberto, so Sung-Hoon was forced to take up the reins. It turned out that he made an excellent commander. The others helped, of course, but he truly lived up to his title—Chief of Eden. It wasn’t an exaggeration to say that many citizens were still alive thanks to Sung-Hoon.

Sung-Hoon blushed in embarrassment. But both Sung-Hoon and Gi-Gyu became serious when El announced, “Both his internal and external wounds have been healed.”

At the moment, she was helping Alberto recover. There were no angels left in the world, so El was the only one who could use Life effectively to treat major injuries.

“But he can’t wake up yet,” El added.

“Do you know why?” asked Gi-Gyu.

“It’s probably…” It seemed El was about to say something but changed her mind. She replied, “I’m not sure yet. For now, all we can do is wait.”

Gi-Gyu trusted El completely. She would never intentionally lie or confuse him, so he quickly accepted her answer.

Sung-Hoon announced in concern, “But he’s very much needed right now…”

Many people were working hard to restore Rome and rehabilitate its citizens.

“Almost all of the Italian government’s higher-ups died in the battle. The high-ranking members of the Italian Association are also dead.” Sung-Hoon’s face turned dark. “There is no one in command now. Italy is in turmoil now.”

Gi-Gyu asked in disbelief, “Are you saying there is no one to lead them? No one?”

“Exactly. Everyone with any decision-making power is dead.” Sung-Hoon didn’t have to explain why.

‘God’s Tears,’ Gi-Gyu thought grimly. Many had become addicted, some willingly and others by force, to this drug spread by the Vatican. During the battle, they had turned into monsters and were killed.

“Many are considering taking over Italy, which is leaderless for now,” Sung-Hoon stated. This made perfect sense. Gi-Gyu suspected that the EPA would most likely make the first move.

“There are several talented and capable figures in Italy, but the problem is…” Sung-Hoon trailed off.

“None of them are well known enough,” Gi-Gyu finished Sung-Hoon’s thoughts. They lived in a modern world. Kings and nobles no longer ruled, and anyone could become a country's leader.

‘But the problem is that one must be recognized by the people.’ Gi-Gyu knew that the next ruler had to be acknowledged by the Italian people and the other countries’ leaders.

“And the one with all these qualifications is Branch Manager Alberto,” Sung-Hoon said with conviction as he turned toward the Sephiroth Tree where Alberto was resting.

Gi-Gyu said sincerely, “I’m sure he’ll wake up soon.”

***

“Thank you.”

“Thank you so much…”

The Roman refugees shook Gi-Gyu’s hand and bowed to him. Currently, only the Roman citizens lived inside Eden, as the tourists visiting Rome had already returned to their countries.

Sung-Hoon had advised Gi-Gyu to visit the refugees. When Gi-Gyu did, the people gathered around him to thank him.

“I-it’s no big deal.” Gi-Gyu couldn’t help feeling awkward. It was true that he had saved them, but he had many other reasons for defeating Gabriel. Also, he knew that most, if not all, of these people had lost friends and family members in the fight. He couldn’t help but feel guilty.

Gi-Gyu was greeting the refugees with a rigid face when Sung-Hoon whispered to him, “You can be more confident, Ranker Kim Gi-Gyu.”

Sung-Hoon winked at him and continued, “No matter what anyone says, you saved them.”

Sung-Hoon’s voice was too quiet for the non-players to hear. He added, “If it weren’t for you, they would have all died, right?”

Gi-Gyu knew that Sung-Hoon was right. Sung-Hoon explained, “And it’s not just them. The entire world should be thanking you. So please feel confident about yourself. You have the right to accept their appreciation and console them for their loss. You are worthy, Ranker Kim Gi-Gyu.”

Gi-Gyu finally felt a little better now. He didn’t think Sung-Hoon was right about everything, but he agreed that feeling guilty now was useless.

Gi-Gyu continued to meet the refugees and consoled them, “I’m sure you’ll be able to return home soon.”

Of course, not all of them felt thankful to Gi-Gyu. It wasn’t that they were angry at him or believed he was responsible.

“They’re just scared,” Sung-Hoon whispered, and Gi-Gyu nodded in agreement. Some citizens just threw Gi-Gyu odd looks from a distance; the fear in their eyes was evident.

Gi-Gyu walked up to a child staring at him and asked, “It must have been very tough for you. Is there anything you need?”

“Ackkk!” Unfortunately, the child screamed and refused to take Gi-Gyu’s hand.

“I-I’m sorry!” a woman, seemingly the little girl’s mother, apologized.

“Our daughter doesn’t know anything,” the child’s father added in panic.

“Please! Please forgive us,” the mother begged.

An uncomfortable silence fell before those thanking Gi-Gyu earlier yelled, “What the hell are you doing?! You have embarrassed our savior!”

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“What is wrong with your daughter?! Didn’t you teach her any manners?!”

“Uwahhh!” the little girl, who couldn’t have been even 10, burst into tears.

The people quickly became angry and upset, and the situation settled down only after the appearance of the players maintaining the area.

Gi-Gyu couldn’t help feeling troubled. Turning around, he said to Sung-Hoon, “Let’s go back.”

***

“What happened in Rome was broadcasted live to the entire world. So, everyone in the world witnessed Eden’s prowess, not just the Roman population.” Sung-Hoon looked stressed. “Everyone saw what you can do, Ranker Kim Gi-Gyu. Your power and your influence over the world… They know now.”

Things were different now. The world didn’t know all the details of what had happened in the Bukhan River region, as their respective government and association had gone to great lengths to hide the complete truth. This was why most non-players didn’t know the full extent of Gi-Gyu’s power. They didn’t know, and they didn’t want to know. No one wanted to believe that a single person could have so much power.

But things had changed. Gi-Gyu’s strength was no longer a secret.

“People have split into two groups,” Sung-Hoon explained. “The first one admires your power. They are proud of you and feel relieved they have such a powerful player.”

The masses always admired the chosen few with power; it was a historical fact. This was why the non-players envied the players. And they also felt pride, as their fellow man wielded unreal power.

Sung-Hoon added, “These people almost revere you as if you’re their God.”

Gi-Gyu has become a new religion to some. Even before the Tower and the players had appeared, the concept of religion was disappearing from Earth. However, the look in the eyes of the people before Gi-Gyu suggested it was returning. Was that reverence in their eyes? Worship for someone beyond human?

“Then, there is the other group. As you saw earlier…” Sung-Hoon licked his dry lips and continued, “The second group is just scared of you. They do not see you as human, Ranker Kim Gi-Gyu. They also believe you are something entirely different. That is why…”

When Sung-Hoon hesitated, Gi-Gyu reassured him, “Don’t worry. Please go on.”

“They see you as a monster. They are wondering if you are a monster from the highest floor of the Tower…”

Both Gi-Gyu and Sung-Hoon became quiet. An awkward silence fell between them.

Sung-Hoon broke this silence. “Are you okay?”

“Ah… Yes, I’m fine. This was expected after all.” Gi-Gyu could understand why some would feel this way. And he had experienced it himself. His sync ability helped him understand other people’s thoughts and feelings.

“Ah.” It looked like Sung-Hoon remembered something. Or perhaps he was trying to change the subject. “It’s about Gabriel.”

“Yes?”

Sung-Hoon scratched his head and continued, “There are some players who say Gabriel was the player with the hundred swords.”

“Pardon?”

Gi-Gyu had been searching for the player with the hundred swords. He had even ordered Haures to look for him too. This was the player who had given Ironshield a holy sword.

“Gabriel? Are you serious?” asked Gi-Gyu in disbelief.

“Yes, those who received swords from the player with the hundred swords said so.”

“Ah!” Gi-Gyu exclaimed as if he had realized something.