CH 203

The ground exploded, and rock fragments flew everywhere. There were others around Gi-Gyu, but they were powerful enough to form an invisible barrier around them to protect themselves. This was why Gi-Gyu looked unconcerned as he blankly stared at the ground.

In the hole he had created, there was…

“This must be the nucleus of this space,” Gi-Gyu whispered. The space they were standing in felt special. The architecture was similar to a gate, but it wasn’t a gate. In a gate, a player could leave after killing the boss monster, aka the gatekeeper. But unlike a gate, this space was made up of barriers. This place was more like an artificial gate, which must be why Gi-Gyu felt that something was strange about this place.

‘This nucleus is probably what turned this space into a gate-like structure,’ Gi-Gyu thought. He put his hand inside but couldn’t reach it.

“Oberon,” Gi-Gyu called out.

A black stem appeared from Oberon and picked something up.

Ba dum.

“Gross.” Heo Sung-Hoon and the Grigories groaned at the sight.

Sung-Hoon asked, “What is that…?”

They were all experienced rankers, so they had seen their fair share of human corpses and monster body parts. So the fact that this “thing” made them cringe meant that its appearance was extremely gruesome.

Ba dum.

Gi-Gyu shrugged and replied, “I don’t know.”

The nucleus, which resembled a heart, was now in Gi-Gyu’s hand. It had one eye leaking mucus and a hole that may or may not have been a mouth. Also, it had lumps, dozens of them just jutting out. Despite its strange features, it definitely looked like a heart, and it was thumping.

Ba dum, ba dum.

Gi-Gyu was lost in thought as he watched it. If he destroyed this nucleus, the surrounding barrier would be deactivated. This space would crumble and the Bukhan River would return to normal.

But…

“El,” Gi-Gyu called out to her.

“Yes, Master…?”

“If we use this to our advantage, won’t we have a better chance of success?” asked Gi-Gyu. The 50th-floor test had improved his intelligence, so he could now make quicker and better decisions. A good idea had just popped into his head.

El nodded quietly.

Gi-Gyu mumbled, “Open.”

With that, Brunheart’s gate opened before them.

***

“Oh…!” Eyes filled with excitement, Old Man Hwang whispered, “I knew it… The day I met you was the luckiest day of my life!” There was nothing but thrill in the old man’s voice.

Gi-Gyu invited Old Man Hwang out of the gate and asked, “Do you know what this is, Sir?”

Gi-Gyu felt certain that just having the elderly man out of the gate and here would be beneficial enough. However, if Old Man Hwang could help with this nucleus, the end result would be splendid.

Old Man Hwang replied, “Of course, I know. So how would you like to use this?”

“If we could incorporate it into our original plan—”

Old Man Hwang exclaimed, “Yes! Of course! That’s an excellent idea!”

It appeared that the blacksmith knew exactly what Gi-Gyu was suggesting, He continued, “Chae-Il is with us now, so it shouldn’t be a problem. Great! Let’s get to work…”

Old Man Hwang was chatting excitedly as he studied the heart. But finally, he noticed the troubled expression on Gi-Gyu’s face.

“Is there a problem…?” Old Man Hwang asked.

Gi-Gyu nodded and waved his hand toward El.

El approached them, still carrying Lou in her arms.

Old Man Hwang’s eyes widened. Did he recognize what was wrong with Lou?

Gi-Gyu explained, “Lou absorbed an enemy who had consumed the First Potion. It turned him into a child again. Before he fainted, Lou asked me to take him to you, Sir.”

Old Man Hwang took Lou in his arms the way he would hold Min-Su and examined him. “Anything else?”

Gi-Gyu gulped before replying, “I heard a system announcement. It said that a contaminated piece of Lou was absorbed.”

“I see.” Old Man Hwang nodded and mumbled, “I’ll be taking Lou with me. Diagnosing him shouldn’t take long, so wait for me.”

“All right.” Gi-Gyu nodded. How the blacksmith had reacted suggested that he knew what had happened to Lou.

‘Thank goodness.’ Gi-Gyu felt relieved. If Old Man Hwang knew what was wrong, he would also know how to fix it.

The elderly man returned to the gate.

Gi-Gyu closed the gate, looked around, and announced, “Now, please get ready.”

“All right.” The first one to nod and respond was Heo Sung-Hoon.

‘Now, the only question is whether Ha Song-Su will make an appearance or not. Dammit,’ Gi-Gyu thought in concern. While Old Man Hwang was diagnosing Lou, the rest had to be on alert for a surprise enemy attack.

***

No one let their guard down. All the players from the secret branch had been taken care of, so no more attacks came their way. But they knew they couldn’t relax just yet.

Korea was a small country, so it wouldn’t take long for their enemies to send reinforcements. The high-level players could especially travel long distances in a very short period.

Gi-Gyu had so many enemies now.

The Caravan Guild, the Iron Guild, and many others wanted Gi-Gyu out of the picture. It wouldn’t come as a surprise if any one of them decided to attack him here.

Gi-Gyu walked up to Sung-Hoon and asked, “Are you all right?”

“Ah, yes.” Sung-Hoon seemed unusually nervous. They were expecting a surprise attack, but his worry didn’t seem to originate from there.

Gi-Gyu guessed, ‘He’s afraid of Ha Song-Su… Just how powerful is he for Sung-Hoon to act this way?’ 

At this point, the fear or anxiety was gone; Gi-Gyu felt only curiosity toward Ha Song-Su. Just what did Ha Song-Su do that left such an impression on Sung-Hoon?

Gi-Gyu mumbled, “I don’t think anyone else is coming for us.” He kept his voice calm because he had noticed Sung-Hoon’s shaking hands.

Sung-Hoon, barely managing to control his shaking, replied, “But… We don’t know if it’s because of the barrier or if they are choosing not to come.”

Gi-Gyu asked, “Well, does it matter?”

They were where they needed to be. Their goal was to take down the Caravan Guild’s secret branch. And they had a solid plan that accounted for all possible problems and outcomes.

Of course, there was one thing they couldn’t plan for—Ha Song-Su. And if what Sung-Hoon had reported was true, there was no way to prepare for that fight. Supposedly, Ha Song-Su's strength was unprecedented, so it was likely he could destroy any kind of plan Gi-Gyu came up with.

Just then, Gi-Gyu heard Old Man Hwang’s voice.

-It’s ready. Could you open the gate door?

“Open,” Gi-Gyu promptly obliged.

When the gate opened, the Grigories sighed in relief. It seemed like they had regained their confidence after winning a fight against 100 enemy rankers, but that wasn’t the case.

“Sir,” Gi-Gyu greeted Old Man Hwang, who walked out with a wooden box.

The blacksmith explained, “It’s finished. I tried to get it done as quickly as possible, but it took a little while. Anyway, I did everything I could.”

Unlike Gi-Gyu’s other Egos, Hwang Chae-Il couldn’t step out of the gate, as he was like the gate’s nucleus. And also because he now belonged to Brunheart.

Old Man Hwang opened the wooden box.

Gi-Gyu asked, “This is…?”

“This is the nucleus you gave me earlier.”

Inside the box was something that looked like jewelry. It was shining because it was covered in crystals. It hadn’t been half a day since Old Man Hwang got the nucleus. How could he accomplish so much in such a short period? The nucleus initially looked so grotesque; now, it looked exquisite.

Gi-Gyu asked, “So you know what this is?” He didn’t bother asking this earlier, but he was now curious.

Old Man Hwang smiled bitterly and answered, “It’s one of Paimon’s inheritances. But it’s not the original. I think it’s a copy.”

“A piece of Paimon’s inheritance?”

“That’s right,” replied Old Man Hwang, gingerly taking the nucleus out with gloved hands. “I don’t know its exact purpose, but I’ve used it a few times.”

Still smiling bitterly, Old Man Hwang continued, “This is the nucleus of this barrier. It can create a place similar to this. Therefore, I have no doubt this will help you greatly.”

Gi-Gyu replied hurriedly, “All right. We’ll talk about the details later, Sir.”

The blacksmith was quick, but a lot of time had still passed. So, Gi-Gyu felt a little impatient.

The blacksmith scratched his head and apologized, “Sorry. I just got so excited…”

Gi-Gyu gestured that it was okay and asked, “So how do I use it?”

“Just sync with it,” replied Old Man Hwang with a grin.

“Pardon?”

“I made it into an Ego. It might not work as well as you hope since this is only a copy. Also, I made it in a hurry… But I can guarantee that it will give you a huge advantage. It’s just a matter of how long it will last.” Old Man Hwang continued to provide more details.

But, Gi-Gyu was no longer listening, as he only cared about whether it worked or not. He accepted it and spoke confidently, “Sync.”

The crystal heart began to shine.

***

The Bukhan River was still filled with boiling lava. Gi-Gyu had synced with the item and named it Crystal Heart, but nothing changed. The barrier around his home remained, and the hellish smell still saturated the air.

But…

There was one difference—The owner had changed.

El walked up to Gi-Gyu and announced, “We’re ready.”

Gi-Gyu was currently standing in front of his home. It was the place that remained standing and safe from the Caravan Guild. It was also the place where Gi-Gyu’s life became a little happier.

“Good job.” Gi-Gyu patted El’s head, making her blush.

El had evacuated the non-players to safety. No one knew what would happen once Gi-Gyu did what he had planned. This was why they were doing everything they could to protect the non-players. Especially with the Crystal Heart, the synergy of it all might result in something unexpected.

“Haa…” Gi-Gyu inhaled deeply. It wasn’t a sigh but a deep breath to focus.

Finally, it was about to happen. El stood by Gi-Gyu’s side while Sung-Hoon and the Grigories stood behind them.

Gulp.

Gi-Gyu swallowed loudly. His lips became dry, realizing there was no turning back from this.

"I proclaim…” Gi-Gyu opened his lips and declared, “Gate landmark.”

At first, nothing happened. A silence fell, and Gi-Gyu wondered if he had failed. Or was it taking a long time because it was such a huge event?

Some time passed, and suddenly…

Whirrrrr!

The surrounding space began to vibrate, and loud screams could be heard everywhere.

Soon…

“I-it’s opening!” one of the Grigories, who knew about Gi-Gyu’s plan, shouted.

Above them and Gi-Gyu’s family home, a giant blue gate was opening.

This was the biggest gate that anyone had ever seen.