The Player that Can’t Level Up

Chapter 199: The Hunt (3)

"H-hes a beast! an enemy player yelled.

This is crazy! another whispered in awe.

These players were used to dealing with monsters and experiencing the impossible. So, their shock was a good enough indicator of Gi-Gyus ridiculous strength.

They were all rankers or higher with the experience of dozens of battles under their belts. These powerful individuals worked together in harmony and made their group strong beyond reason, but

An enemy player screamed in despair, Were doomed!

Nothing they did seemed to work against Kim Gi-Gyu.

Kaboom! Boom!

The players tirelessly used skills, physical attacks, and whatnot, but the attacks never reached Kim Gi-Gyu, succeeding in only creating loud explosions.

Why?! Why cant we get him?! The players couldnt hide their frustration. Their enemy was standing before them, and they had the number advantage, but they still couldn't touch a hair on his body.

Please The players were desperate. No matter what kind of attack the players threw at him, Gi-Gyu would dodge it. Worse yet, he would purposefully not dodge the attack until the very last minute. It was as if he was teasing them, making them think they could defeat him if they tried just a little harder. Unfortunately, they hadnt been able to even graze Gi-Gyu yet.

Six, Gi-Gyu announced. A ripping sound spread in the area with that.

Kaboom!

D-dammit! another one of the enemy players found himself slammed into the wall. So far, they had lost six members. The Caravan Guild players deemed Gi-Gyu the devil. He was more of a demon than the demon they served.

Gi-Gyu continued to dodge all the attacks aimed at him while counting leisurely. He was only taking down players at the leadership level. It almost looked like he was dancing as he escaped their attacks while taking them down one by one.

Someone whispered desperately, Where the hell is our reinforcement?!

Sadly, only Gi-Gyus voice was heard. Seven.

***

23, Gi-Gyu counted again.

N-no! P-please! The last enemy player stepped back in fear, but begging proved useless.

Boom!

With a quieter explosion this time, the last player was slammed into a wall.

Disable Super Rush, Gi-Gyu mumbled as he looked at the 23 players stuck on the wall. Hermes, which was glowing in a golden hue, returned to normal.

-I told you not to use it.

Lou said in annoyance.

Gi-Gyu dryly replied, But I had to do a test run, dont you think?

Gaining the Ego master title had changed many things for Gi-Gyu and even Lou and El. The improvements they had experienced exceeded expectations and had actually modified all of Gi-Gyu Egos.

Gi-Gyu was beginning to think that these changes were more like evolutions. They werent exactly like Lou and Els official evolutions, but they were still impressive. These changes involved appearances, skills, attributes, and everything else in between.

Like the Super Rush I used just now. Gi-Gyu thought about Hermes skill he had tried just now. Of all the changes his Egos had experienced, Gi-Gyu was most impressed with his shoes Hermes improvement. Amazingly, Hermes previous two skills, Accelerate and Rush, had combined to form a new skillSuper Rush.

Lou grumbled,

-Gosh, you never listen to me. You can't rely on your Egos if you want to learn my battle strategy. Especially the skill you just used

Lou continued,

-It was incredible. But that also means it will take its toll on you. Have a look.

Lou was right. It might have felt much longer to the enemy players, but the battle lasted only 10 minutes. Gi-Gyu did this because he wanted to test how long he could use Hermes new skill.

My whole body is creaking in just 10 minutes, Gi-Gyu thought as his joints screamed in agony. It had been so long since he felt pain that it made him frown.

-Its a crazy skill, not something you can handle with your current attributes. If you want to use Super Rush, you better train harder.

Gi-Gyu nodded in agreement. Yeah And it uses up so much magic too.

Had he used the skill for more than 10 minutes, he wouldve wholly exhausted his magic reserves. Considering the massiveness of his magic reserves, it was shocking that this skill had drained half of it in just 10 minutes.

But I still love it. Gi-Gyu smiled in satisfaction. He couldnt wait to try the new skills of his other Egos.

Lou warned,

-You gotta control yourself. If youre serious about learning my battle strategy and efficiently using your powers, you need to hold off on using your Egos abilities. From now on, make an effort to only use your physical attributes in fights.

All right, Gi-Gyu answered. He didnt use Super Rush just because he was curiousit was also a warning. He looked at the ceiling, which was unusually high. It was a warning to whoever was watching.

Did it not work? wondered Gi-Gyu. It was a trap to lure the mastermind behind this whole plan. Whoever thought of this scheme probably thought of themselves as a hunter. So, he tried to force them out by showing off his strength and destroying this hunters dogs.

But in the end, this hunter didnt come out to play.

Lou seemed impressed.

-They have better control over their emotions than I expected. Im now curious about their identity. They are even giving you, the prey, enough time to rest in between battles Perfect. This is how one should hunt.

So far, Gi-Gyu had defeated the magma golem and an army of powerful playersformidable opponents, no doubtin this unfamiliar place. And now, it appeared that Gi-Gyu was given a break. The hunter wanted Gi-Gyu to relax and let the fatigue from the battle take hold. They probably also wanted Gi-Gyu to let his guard down. After all, even the tiniest show of weakness could mean life or death in a situation like this.

Lou whispered,

-By the way, I still cant get over Super Rush. And Foresight too

Lou seemed genuinely impressed.

Botis Foresight.

Hermes Super Rush.

-I gotta say these are perfect combo skills. Keke.

Lou chortled.

Gi-Gyu nodded since Lou was right.

Soon, Gi-Gyu was tired of waiting. He now knew what his enemy was trying to do, so there was no need to waste more time. Gi-Gyu walked up to where the team leader of the enemy group was stuck, grabbed his head, and yanked him out of the wall. The cement pieces from the wall fell to the ground noisily.

I know youre awake, so get up, Gi-Gyu ordered after throwing the leader on the floor. When the player didnt move, Gi-Gyu grinned and grabbed the mans wrist.

Hmm, you want to play some more? Gi-Gyu was about to break the players wrist when

The leader begged, P-please let me live!

***

Thats all I know! I swear! The player sobbed.

Gi-Gyu watched him quietly. Then, he crouched before the man leaning against a wall.

The group leader panted as he met Gi-Gyus eyes.

Do you really think Ill buy that? Gi-Gyus voice was low and ominous. It was void of all emotions, which made it sound even scarier. It seemed like the physical manifestation of Gi-Gyus emotions.

The leader flinched and begged, I-I swear Even if you beat me to death right now, There is nothing more I can tell you.

This player truly believed that Gi-Gyu would beat him to death.

Lou whispered,

-Their reinforcement still hasnt arrived.

I know, Gi-Gyu replied in his head. He had been intentionally wasting time questioning the leader. Fighting all available forces now was better than fighting them on every turn inside the building. He was waiting for the enemies reinforcement, but no one had arrived. Also, the leader claimed that he didnt know anything about the surrounding barrier. He explained that he had only been following orders from above. It seemed that this man wasnt high up in the guild.

The player trembled and asked, A-are you going to kill me now?

All his teammates were still unconscious, and it was now clear that nobody was coming to help them. And in front of him was the scariest monster of his life. It was a surprise that he wasnt peeing in his pants right now.

Why do you ask? I told you before Gi-Gyu grinned. With a shrug, he added, Ill let you all live.

T-thank you! The leader misunderstood Gi-Gyus statement, feeling grateful.

Gi-Gyu asked, I have one last question.

Of course! Whatever you want to ask, Ill answer.

Gi-Gyu looked straight into the players eyes. His eye color remained normal, but the ranker leader couldnt return the stare. Gi-Gyu inquired, Why did you join the Caravan Guild?

Pardon?

I mean Do you even know what the Caravan Guild does?

This man wasnt brainwashed. Gi-Gyu waited patiently for the answer.

The leader seemed hesitant as he mumbled, W-what do you mean?

Its nothing. Gi-Gyu decided to stop questioning him. He didnt need to hear the answer to know exactly what kind of man this was.

Gi-Gyu announced, As I promised, Ill let you live

The players face brightened.

Gi-Gyu added, As long as youre innocent. Open.

...?

The player looked confused when Brunhearts gate opened.

From inside, Old Man Hwang asked with a chuckle,

-More slaves for the canal?

***

This place felt like a gate because the buildings size and appearance were different from the inside and the outside. The interior was more expansive than he had anticipated and looked like a maze.

Am I being tested? Gi-Gyu wondered aloud. Crystals were littered all around him, as monsters of varying strengthnone as strong as the magma golem, thoughhad been attacking him every step of the way. Also, it was just monsters, not human players.

-Yeah, this is probably a test.

Lou answered.

-Whoever is watching is probably trying to find your weakness. To see what kind of attacks youre weak against and estimate your attributes.

Lou whispered,

-And they want to know if you would kill humans or just monsters. Theyre trying to find out everything they can about you.

Hmm

It was true that not much about Gi-Gyu was known to the public. He felt slightly annoyed that he had to pass a test just so his enemy could collect data on him.

-Above all, they will prepare themselves based on this data before fighting you.

Then Gi-Gyu took another step forward as he asked, What do you think my weakness is?

Gi-Gyu wondered if his enemy found any weaknesses in him. And what about Lou? Did Lou know Gi-Gyus weaknesses?

-How should I know? And even if I did know, why would I tell you? Im going to use them against you someday.

Youre the worst, Lou.

-Kekeke.

Gi-Gyu laughed, but he was a little disappointed by Lous answer. It would have been helpful to know his weaknesses, but he chuckled and continued walking. No more monsters attacked him. It was either because his enemy thought they had learned enough about him or because they had realized monsters were useless in this situation.

Gi-Gyu mumbled in frustration, Gosh, this is exactly like a gate

He was now standing in front of a giant door. This place even has a boss room.

If this were a gate, the boss monster wouldve been behind the door.

-Great. Its time to play for real. Killing those weaklings was getting boring anyway.

Creak.

Gi-Gyu opened the giant door to enter. Just as a real boss room would, the scenery changed completely.

A forest? Gi-Gyu looked around and whispered. He had been walking through a modern building; now, he found himself in an Amazon-like green forest. Tall trees filled the area, and the ground felt wet and sticky. Even the air felt different. It wasnt as refreshing as one would expect. As a matter of fact, it felt thicker because of the denser sorcerous magic inside.

-Duck!

Gi-Gyu dashed when he heard Lous warning.

Whack.

He heard a heavy noise from where he had been standing. Gi-Gyu turned to look, thinking he would find something stuck in the ground, but

I dont see anything, Gi-Gyu whispered. The ground was gouged badly, but there was nothing else he could see.

-Dammit. Its Haures.

Haures? asked Gi-Gyu as he looked around cautiously.

-Its the real hunter! You gotta move now!

Whack.

Another noise was heard; this time, it was from Gi-Gyus left shoulder.