Chapter 255 – To China

Gi-Gyu and Lou stared at each other for what seemed like an eternity.

Finally, Gi-Gyu opened his mouth hesitantly. It took him a long time to speak; he was seemingly uncomfortable discussing this.

“I don’t know.”

“What?”

Gi-Gyu’s answer was ridiculous. Lou couldn’t understand why he took this long if his answer was just that.

Gi-Gyu explained, “I mean it. I really don’t know. I’ve already talked to Soo-Jung about this, and we confirmed it. One thing we know for sure...”

Gi-Gyu noticed that a curious look had appeared on Lou’s face. He continued, “I am Kim Gi-Gyu.” As his confidence returned, he stopped trembling. He didn’t doubt that he was Kim Gi-Gyu.

“But… I also can’t say I’m not Jupiter,” Gi-Gyu added.

Lou could seemingly understand Gi-Gyu’s convoluted answer.

Gi-Gyu had already told everything to Soo-Jung, but he decided that he needed to repeat his story to Lou, who had been patient despite his curiosity.

Gi-Gyu explained, “The battle was long and hard. The seal’s effect remained, and I had gotten stronger, so Jupiter couldn’t defeat me easily. And, of course, I was still having difficulty defeating him.”

The gap between the two of them was too great. Gi-Gyu had tried to eradicate the seal and its effects but couldn’t. Consequently, the remnants of the seal and the seal Lim Hye-Sook had placed continued to suppress Jupiter.

In summary, Gi-Gyu had gotten stronger, and Jupiter had been given partial freedom, which brought them around the same level. Therefore, neither one of them could trounce the other. Also, Jupiter couldn’t kill Gi-Gyu unless he wanted to die himself.

Gi-Gyu guessed that Jupiter had found a way to beat him but had difficulty employing it. The battle was close, and something incredible happened on the last day.

Gi-Gyu reminisced about that day.

***

“Haa… Haa…” A man sat on the ground panting.

The man standing before him had the same face, also panting. It was impossible to tell them apart. Even their clothes were torn in almost the same way. They were even panting likewise.

The standing man, Jupiter, announced, “No matter what, I can’t kill you. So I’ll seal you away.”

Gi-Gyu looked up at Jupiter.

This was their last battle, and it had been a vicious one. Gi-Gyu was defeated.

“Why can’t I beat you?” asked Gi-Gyu. He was so much stronger. Everything about him—the amount of power, the efficiency of using it, and even his overall capability and limit—had grown remarkably.

Gi-Gyu had spent every second wisely to get to where he was. His growth rate had increased exponentially with time, and before he had begun this battle, Gi-Gyu was certain that…

“I thought I could defeat you,” Gi-Gyu said to Jupiter angrily. He had truly believed that he could win against Jupiter. But in the end, he failed.

Jupiter was at the finish line. Technically, he wasn’t the winner just yet, but Gi-Gyu had to admit that it was almost over.

Jupiter gave him a mysterious smile, but it looked bitter to Gi-Gyu.

One step at a time, Jupiter walked up to Gi-Gyu, who could barely move now. Soon, he was so close to Gi-Gyu that it looked like there was a mirror in between them.

Jupiter placed his hand on Gi-Gyu’s head and replied, “As I said before…”

Gi-Gyu wanted to resist, but he couldn’t because he had zero strength left. Just as Jupiter had stated, he knew Jupiter wouldn’t kill him.

His hand on top of Gi-Gyu’s head, Jupiter continued, “I would like to show you my respect. I will accomplish all of your goals. I will let those precious to you live peacefully as well. That is the last thing I can do for you. Now…”

A smile spread on Jupiter’s face. It no longer seemed bitter; it was a crazed smile.

Gi-Gyu wanted to say something but couldn’t.

Rattle.

He was sick of the mental chain sounds. Somehow, Gi-Gyu managed to look up at the sky.

‘

Guess it’s over…’?

The metal chains came down from above. They were the seal that had imprisoned Jupiter for a long time.

Rattle.

They felt heavy as they bound Gi-Gyu’s right arm.

Rattle.

Soon, the same heaviness weighed down his left hand. Gi-Gyu closed his eyes tightly, anger and helplessness bubbling inside him. He was a mere shell and a copy, so how could he even defeat the original?

Did it even matter how hard he worked? Gi-Gyu was enraged. His family may have been only copies, but all of their emotions were real.

Of course, now, it was all meaningless. Nothing mattered anymore. Gi-Gyu preferred to die, but…

He knew his nightmare was just about to begin.

“N-no…” Gi-Gyu whispered. If Jupiter were freed, there was no way of knowing what he might do to the world.

Jupiter was the god of madness and destruction. His rage and his desire for revenge controlled his every action. Jupiter’s mind was heavily corrupted, which made him unpredictable. Jupiter would do anything to get what he wanted.

“Just give up,” Jupiter looked insane as he ordered.

Gi-Gyu suddenly opened his eyes.

Jupiter gasped in shock.

The metal chains falling from above stopped binding Gi-Gyu. Instead, they pierced both Gi-Gyu and Jupiter.

“N-no!” Jupiter screamed.

In a way, they were now perfectly connected.

“This can’t be happening! How…?! No!” Gi-Gyu slowly lost consciousness amidst Jupiter’s shrieks.

Even as the world around him darkened, Gi-Gyu could feel some inexplicable power interlocking the two of them.

***

“That’s the last thing I remember,” said Gi-Gyu.

Lou fell into deep thought.

Gi-Gyu added, “I woke up afterward to discover that the test was over. My body was gushing with power, but I felt eerily calm. I knew it was strange but had no idea what had happened. I could feel what was happening in Eden, so I had no choice but to get out of there quickly.”

Gi-Gyu mumbled to Lou, “So, I got no time to learn what happened to me.”

“...”

“After I returned to Eden and defeated Leviathan, I spent most of my time trying to understand my body. I needed to know what happened to me”—Gi-Gyu smiled bitterly—“I needed to know what I have become.”

Lou studied Gi-Gyu’s face, feeling sympathetic. He could feel Gi-Gyu’s confusion through their shared sync.

“Anyway, I have decided to only think about the things I know for certain. I can use Jupiter’s power. And I can also use Kim Gi-Gyu’s abilities.”

Gi-Gyu was seemingly addressing someone completely different and not himself. Lou didn’t show any nervousness and continued to face Gi-Gyu. Before Gi-Gyu had even said his next words, Lou knew what he would say.

“And…” Another smile spread on Gi-Gyu’s lips. This time it wasn’t filled with bitterness or madness. “I see myself as Kim Gi-Gyu. It doesn’t matter if Jupiter was mixed into my consciousness. I believe that my mind and actions are Kim Gi-Gyu's.”

And…

Gi-Gyu added, “Jupiter doesn’t exist anymore.”

He was referring to the “whole” Jupiter. Gi-Gyu sounded very sure of this.

***

The expedition players left the gate soon after Eden’s proceedings had been broadcasted.

Much time passed, and a lot happened during this period.

“The Iron Guild and the Caravan Guild must be deemed our enemy and be driven out of Korea!” The media, especially the Korean one, turned hostile toward the Iron Guild and the Caravan Guild.

This was in big part because Leviathan and Belphegor were responsible for most fatalities inside Eden. The other countries also became suspicious of the two guilds.

But…

“We need to remember how powerful those two guilds are. You heard what the players said after returning from Eden. The Iron Guild and the Caravan Guild have those monsters working for them.”

The non-players’ reaction differed from the players’. The Iron Guild and the Caravan Guild deserved to be named public enemy number one, but the problem was that they were very powerful. If they were openly attacked, the outcome could be anything.

“Think about it. They are so powerful that they can still roam around freely as if the Eden incident never happened. On top of that, we can’t really be sure who our enemy and our ally are. What do you think will happen if we try to kill them? What if they come after the rest of the world with a vengeance? Remember those monsters in the Eden battle? Do you think we have enough players in the world to kill all of them?”

The non-players couldn’t help but wonder.

They had to consider the possibility that there might not be enough players to deal with such monsters. The footage had revealed those creatures’ destructive might.

And what scared the public the most was…

“And what about Ha Song-Su? He defeated Lee Sun-Ho and Lucifer!”

Ha Song-Su had become the most feared man in the world. It was now known that the Iron Guild and the Caravan Guild couldn’t be trusted. But the reality was that these two guilds were too powerful to be prosecuted.

This was especially the case in the US. In Korea, the Iron Guild had become inactive after the Eden incident. There was a rumor that Rohan, the head of the Korean branch, had been outraged by the Iron Guild’s lies and had decided to betray his guild. But at the moment, there was no proof to support this rumor.

But the Iron Guild and the Caravan Guild remained active in the US. Moreover, the American Players Association remained on their side.

And the same was true for China too. Their president personally tried to put a stop to the rumors about the two guilds, but the public’s anger and anxiety remained.

The cynical emotions only brought on more negativity. It was then that a new rumor began. It started on the internet, but soon, everyone was talking about it.

“But we have Kim Gi-Gyu, right? And they say Kim Gi-Gyu is on our side. As a matter of fact, he’s also human, isn’t he? So can’t he just deal with the Iron Guild and the Caravan Guild?”

This rumor gained weight because of what the surviving players of the Eden expedition had said. They had said that Kim Gi-Gyu treasured human lives and was definitely a human. He would no doubt fight for the non-players.

The world fell into a bigger turmoil.

***

“Everything is going smoothly. Nothing unexpected has happened so far,” Hwang Chae-Il announced.

“I’m glad,” Old Man Hwang answered.

They were having a meeting inside Eden. The main topic of discussion was Eden’s internal status and what their next step should be.

Heo Sung-Hoon expectantly stated, “The Korean government has requested a meeting. They are nervous about the Iron Guild, the Caravan Guild, and, of course, us. I think they want to make some kind of deal.”

This made sense.

Gi-Gyu replied, “Please go meet with them.”

Heo Sung-Hoon nodded. The Korean government probably wanted to meet Gi-Gyu, but this wasn’t the right time.

“You can go with Rohan.”

Sung-Hoon seemed surprised, but he still nodded. He could understand what Gi-Gyu was suggesting. It was time to build a new association. Gi-Gyu would have to meet with the Korean government eventually, but not right now.

Gi-Gyu turned toward two more familiar faces.

Tao Chen, and… Go Hyung-Chul.

The former player paparazzo spoke first. “I believe that Leviathan is being cloned in China.”

Go Hyung-Chul had returned very late, but he had done his job well. He brought back vital information: All hell kings were being cloned.