The Player that Can’t Level Up

Chapter 284: Paimon

Gi-Gyu used those four days to help his Eden creatures and check their evolution.

Hal, Gi-Gyu called out.

Yes, Grandmaster.

How are you doing?

Hals lips curled up into a smile. He now had a perfect human form. His skin still looked dull and black, almost like a cadavers, but his form was perfectly human now. He used to look very corpse-like, so this was a huge improvement.

I would love to Hal sounded determined. Go out to battle again right now.

Hals evolution was unexpected. Moreover, most creatures inside Eden had undergone an evolution during Ha Song-Sus raid.

How about your drake?

Grr Death Drake growled. It used to be Hals phantom steed, but it had evolved along with Hal into this new beast. Now, Hal could fight in the air without Griffin King.

Excellent. Gi-Gyu nodded in satisfaction. Before long, he was done checking on his subjects evolution.

Hal was now Death Drake-Knight.

The undead members were now either skeleton knights or something even higher.

The mantises had gained tougher skin, and the chimeras regeneration ability had also improved.

How about you, Hart? asked Gi-Gyu.

Im great. Hart had also evolved, but not during the fight. I dont know what to do with the overwhelming amount of sorcerous energy.

And youre still spending a lot of time with Baal?

Yes, Grandmaster, Hart replied. He had been learning magic from Baal lately.

A point to note was that only the creatures who could use sorcerous energy had evolved, not all.

One such exception was El.

Gi-Gyu called out to her, El.

Master.

Els wings had somehow become even more glorious, and something like a crown adorned her head now. The amount of power she could utilize had also increased dramatically. This was a surprise to Gi-Gyu.

While he was chatting with El, a black wolf came to rub against Gi-Gyu.

Grrr. Grrr. Bi could no longer be called a puppy. Now a Fenrir, it could no longer stay in its puppy form. It was now a handsome wolf with a shiny black coat.

Gi-Gyu picked Bi up and patted it. Good job evolving, Bi.

Thankfully, Bi could still minimize its form. It would look like a miniature wolf then, not a puppy.

Now, is that all? Gi-Gyu asked. He was done assessing his creatures improvement and categorizing his foot soldiers.

But Im curious why many of them no longer have a status screen The status screen for some still showed up but was missing for most.

I wonder why Gi-Gyu mumbled, curious about the change. It had begun with El when her status screen disappeared after her evolution. Now, it was true for nearly everyone linked to Gi-Gyu.

Gi-Gyu had a couple of theories.

Could it be that Gaia is losing her power? If Gaia were weakened, there was a possibility she couldnt maintain the status screen of every being.

Another possibility was that Gi-Gyus creatures had gained the kind of power that couldnt be assessed and marked by the status screen. Or perhaps their level was beyond what the status screen could measure.

Gi-Gyu thought about his last theory. Maybe I have become almost as powerful as Gaia.

If he were nearly as strong as Gaia, she wouldnt have the authority to evaluate Gi-Gyus creatures. He had many other theories but found this one the most likely.

Master, El called out to him.

He didnt answer. He only nodded because he knew what El wanted to say. Gi-Gyu mumbled, I know its time.

Paimons four days were over. Gi-Gyu was about to walk away when several creatures begged. They look upset.

But Grandmaster

Im sorry. Ill talk to the rest of you later, Gi-Gyu apologized.

Botis, who looked like he was about to cry, replied, Of course, Grandmaster

Botis slumped weakly. Most creatures who possessed sorcerous energy had evolved. Gi-Gyu didnt know if Haures did as well because he was outside Eden. But as far as he knew, the only creature who didnt become stronger from this recent battle was Botis.

Haa Botis sighed. Does this mean I might be weaker than Hal now?

Botis wondered if he needed to train more. He hadnt trained much since he won the Seat of Power; perhaps it was time to get back to it.

Or

Botis had another idea, but it would have to wait.

Ill have to tell the grandmaster later, Botis said to himself. He watched Gi-Gyu leave, feeling a little better.

***

Clang! Clang!

The hammering sound rang in the air.

No, this isnt right! Paimon screamed.

Gi-Gyu stood before a closed door and contemplated. Was Min-Su learning an important lesson from Paimon? If he entered, would he be interrupting?

Again! Paimon yelled again.

Gi-Gyu opened the door. This would never end unless he ended it.

Crack!

The moment Gi-Gyu entered, he saw Paimon break a beautiful sword.

Paimon shrieked, You call this a sword?! You must bring out your true talent! Your

Paimon stopped screaming when he saw Gi-Gyu but didnt drop the broken sword. Gi-Gyu silently looked around the room.

Min-Su was sweating and hammering something.

Clang!

In another corner, Old Man Hwang was doing the same.

Clang!

Only Paimon had seemingly spotted Gi-Gyu.

Paimon gave Gi-Gyu a look, silently asking him not to disturb Min-Su and Old Man Hwang. He had never looked this serious to Gi-Gyu before.

Gi-Gyu left the room quietly, and Paimon followed him.

Thank you. Paimon showed his appreciation to Gi-Gyu for doing what he had asked.

Gi-Gyu licked his lips before asking hesitantly, This isnt child abuse, right?

Min-Su was sweating profusely and hammering nonstop. Gi-Gyu couldnt even tell if the boy had rested during the last four days.

But before Paimon could answer, Gi-Gyu shook his head. Min-Su didnt look like he was suffering. He was hammering with all the passion in the world. The boy had never looked more serious and eager.

There was no way this was abuse Right?

Is it already time? Paimon asked.

Gi-Gyu nodded silently. It had already been four days, and he still hadn't gained any information from Paimon. He assessed Paimons condition. Nothing much had changed, but Paimon certainly wasnt in better condition.

Paimon only had three days left to live. Gi-Gyu didnt think it would be impossible to kill and re-sync with him. But his condition couldnt be restored to normal.

Gi-Gyu knew Min-Su and Old Man Hwang wanted more time with Paimon, but this wasnt possible.

I need to hear everything now, Gi-Gyu announced.

Paimon didnt ask for more time. He only nodded.

***

Paimon, Gi-Gyu, Lou, and El sat together in the control tower of the Sephiroth Tree. Hwang Chae-Il had been avoiding Paimon, perhaps because he had tried to steal Paimons legacy.

Creak.

The door opened and one more person entered.

There you are, Gi-Gyu greeted Soo-Jung brightly.

He is finally talking, so I am obviously here to listen. Soo-Jung sat down with a smile.

Paimon sat in the middle of everyone and was wiping his monocle. He was shirtless, and they could see the sweat dripping down his thin yet well-muscled body. He was a picture-perfect oddball.

Gi-Gyu prodded, I kept my promise. I didnt bother you during the last four days, so its time for you to keep your end of our bargain.

I was going to, so dont worry. Paimon put on his monocle. His kind of arrogance couldnt be seen in a single one of Gi-Gyus creatures.

When Paimon waved his hand in the air, a white hoodie appeared. He put it on and offered, Ask away. I promise I will answer truthfully.

Gi-Gyu resented Paimons haughty attitude, but he couldnt help becoming excited at the prospect of finding out the answers.

Tell me what you have been up to. Why were you in China, and who planned the trap for me? Tell me everything you know about Andras plan. And how did you clone the hell kings? Tell me about Ha Song-Su too. I need answers for everything, even the questions I didnt ask. Tell me things I need to know. You can tell which information would be useful to me, dont you?

With a relaxed smile, Paimon said, Ill start slow.

Gi-Gyu frowned at his leisurely attitude, but Paimon began his story.

How much do you know about my legacy? asked Paimon.

Gi-Gyu didnt answer.

Paimon muttered, It looks like you dont know anything.

Old Man Hwang used to keep Paimons legacy safe until his son, Hwang Chae-Il, stole it. And that was how it ended up in Andras hand, and it was probably used to bring back Paimon.

Unfortunately, Paimon was right. Gi-Gyu didnt know anything about it.

Paimon shrugged and opened his mouth. My legacy isnt just one thing. I am held in one of them.

It was as baffling an explanation as any.

Noticing Gi-Gyu's confusion, Paimon added, Idiot. You can take it literally.

Are you saying you placed your ego in one of the things you made? Lou asked.

Indeed. No wonder you used to be my master. Of everything in Eden, Paimon was most respectful toward Lou. He explained, Just as my old master stated, I wanted to see the full extent of my weapon. I wanted to see what it could do without its user. Without the users ability and power...

Madness appeared in Paimons eyes. Gi-Gyu hadnt seen this since he had synced with him.

Paimon continued, I wanted to create a weapon that could turn any user into the greatest fighter. A weapon that is power itself. I believed that something like this would be the ultimate weapon.

Its true An ultimate weapon should be able to do that, Gi-Gyu agreed.

For a user to become stronger the moment they hold a weapon would be a dream. Theoretically, a child could slay a dragon, and an orc could defeat a high demon. This wouldnt be because the child or the orc was special. It would be possible only because of the weapon.

The ultimate purpose of a weapon Lou mumbled.

Paimon continued, I worked hard to create this ultimate weapon. I didnt hesitate to do anything and everything to achieve this. I dedicated my life to this, even willing to sell my soul for it.

His lunacy began marring his voice as he continued, A weapon needs to be powerful To do this, do I need good material? Do I require a special technique? Or did I need to mix magic into it? I was desperate for the answer, and in the end, I found an ancient record.

An ancient record? How old did this record have to be so that it was considered ancient by Paimon? Gi-Gyu couldnt even imagine.

A broad smile appeared on Paimons face. Gi-Gyu could already guess what it was that Paimon had found.

And it turned out that Gi-Gyu was right.

Paimon added, An Ego item. I believed that this was the ultimate weapon.