Chapter 43 – Phoenix Guild

“Gosh, I’m tired,” Gi-Gyu mumbled as he sat down on the ground. He wasn’t talking about just his physical fatigue. Currently, his psyche was as drained as the other side of a dam. Much time had passed since he obtained his driver’s license; he was on the 24th floor now.

Gi-Gyu spent all his time hunting non-stop inside the Tower. He was practically living there.

-How could you be tired already? We still have a long way to go before reaching the 30th floor.

Lou announced in annoyance.

“Haa…” Gi-Gyu sighed deeply and muttered, “And why do you think I’m hunting these monsters who don’t even give me that many experience points? Who do you think I’m doing this for?”

-Aaa…

If Lou had a face, Gi-Gyu could see him turning away in embarrassment. So, why was Gi-Gyu so tired? Well, that had a simple answer: Lou had to absorb monsters’ blood to increase his stats. Based on a monster’s forte, Lou could increase his stats in the corresponding attribute after absorbing their blood.

However, there was a limit to how much blood he could absorb from the same type of monster: It was different for each monster taxon. For example, the limit for the 4th-floor orcs was 100, and 1000 for the stoneflies.

Anyway, all that was old news. Right now, Gi-Gyu had a big problem on his shoulders: All his Egos had stopped leveling up. Bi and Hermes have reached a stable level. Lou and El had levels too high for the floor he was on, so they weren’t leveling up either.

Even though Lou’s level wasn’t going up, his stats thankfully were. Lamentably, absorbing blood to gain stat points worked only for Lou. So while he was enjoying steady growth, his fellow Egos’ progress remained stagnant.

Gi-Gyu contemplated out loud, “Am I doing the right thing?”

He wondered if he should ascend quickly to the higher floors and return to hunt these lower-floor monsters once he got stuck at some point. Was delaying his other Egos’ progression for Lou really the right thing?

-Are you asking this because you don’t know the answer, or…

“I know, I know. That’s why I’m even more frustrated.” Gi-Gyu sighed again. It was never a good idea to ascend the Tower too fast. And even if he decided to ascend now, all he would be doing was delaying the inevitable. Moreover, returning to these lower floors would actually make it harder for his Egos to level up in the long run. Consequently, his ascent to even higher floors would be delayed.

“Besides, it will be easier for me to climb the Tower if you become stronger, Lou.”

This was the simple truth. The stats Lou absorbed from monsters helped Gi-Gyu immensely. Moreover, Lou could not only absorb stats from monsters, but he could also steal a percentage of what made them special. For example, Lou obtained a portion of the 23rd-floor stoneflies’ defense option.

If Lou continued to gain more options, it would eventually help Gi-Gyu climb the Tower much faster.

“This is why I can’t give up continuing hunting on these lower floors. El, please be patient a little while longer. Lou still hasn’t caught up with you.”

-Thank you for your kindness, Master. I agree that our priority should be your overall strength rather than my own. I do not want to see you suffer anymore, Master.

“If Lou were half as considerate as you, I would love him so much more, El.” Gi-Gyu couldn’t help smiling at El’s kind words.

-Hmph!!!

Ignoring Lou, Gi-Gyu continued, “I’m sure Bi and Hermes will also like to start leveling up soon.”

Of course, there was no answer from his pseudo Egos. Nonetheless, Gi-Gyu smiled bitterly and muttered, “Maybe they’ll grow consciousness someday.”

The Egos Old Man Hwang created were only fragments. Despite having powers similar to Egos, they were just mindless, empty shells. According to Lou, they were nothing more than fakes. But despite their lack of consciousness, Gi-Gyu couldn’t help feeling genuine affection toward these pseudo Egos. They reminded him of when he was weak. This was why Gi-Gyu talked to Bi and Hermes from time to time even though he knew they couldn’t respond. Who knows? Maybe something might happen in the future that gives these Egos a gift of awareness.

“Let’s just get back to hunting,” Gi-Gyu announced as he looked at his old watch. If he was quick, he could kill enough monsters for Lou to gain a few more stat points before dinner.

***

Gi-Gyu muttered awkwardly, “I had no idea driving normally is this hard.”

“If you don’t want to be called the villainous driver, this is necessary.” Heo Sung-Hoon replied firmly. Ever since Gi-Gyu got his driver’s license, he drove the car himself to get to the Tower. Sung-Hoon, of course, was always by his side.

Sung-Hoon had screamed and shrieked the first time Gi-Gyu drove him in his car. After witnessing what a terrible driver Gi-Gyu was, Sung-Hoon insisted on teaching Gi-Gyu to be a better driver by following him every day.

“I can go faster; I can’t believe I have to drive slower on purpose!” This was Gi-Gyu’s main complaint. He was confident that he could drive without getting into an accident. Thanks to his abilities from being a player and drinking the elixir, Gi-Gyu’s reflexes were well beyond what an average non-player could ever dream of.

Gi-Gyu was positive he could calmly react in any unexpected situation. He wanted to enjoy driving his incredible car at full speed, but he was very disappointed since he had to follow the ever-so-slow speed limit.

“I’m not doing this because I’m worried you might get into an accident, Player Kim Gi-Gyu.” Sung-Hoon was determined to teach Gi-Gyu proper driving etiquette. He explained, “The problem is that the other drivers on the street will feel threatened when you drive like this. I know you’re confident you won’t get into an accident, but the other drivers don't know that a player’s behind the wheel. To them, it could be a player or a drunkard. So what you’re doing is violence!”

Gi-Gyu had to agree since he felt Sung-Hoon was right. So, he let Sung-Hoon nag the entire time he drove. Gi-Gyu replied, “I think I would be angry as well if my mother or Yoo-Jung met a driver like me on the street.”

“That’s right! You and everyone else will all be happy if you remember that!” Sung-Hoon exclaimed in excitement. When Sung-Hoon refused to stop talking, Gi-Gyu briefly fantasized about a skill that could shut someone up. But he continued to drive calmly without voicing this thought.

“Look over there! Imagine a car like that constantly driving around you! That’s violence! That's openly threatening behavior!” Sung-Hoon yelled as he pointed at one of the cars ahead of them. It was a yellow sports car, and the driver was swerving side to side while blasting loud music. All the other cars around it were slowing down and trying their best to avoid this yellow sports car.

Finally, Gi-Gyu understood Sung-Hoon’s lesson and thought, ‘No one should drive like that.’

Gi-Gyu decided to drive his car unhurriedly; soon, he overtook the yellow sports car. Ignoring the yellow car right behind him, he continued to drive slowly.

Honkkkk!!!!!!!!!

The yellow sports car honked loudly in frustration as Gi-Gyu’s car blocked its way. Just when Gi-Gyu was about to give it space, the yellow car abruptly changed lanes. Gi-Gyu turned to look at what was happening and found the yellow car’s driver screaming at him.

“You stupid wench! If you’re gonna drive like this, you should be staying home. Why are you out here annoying everyone?!”

The driver was a young man giving Gi-Gyu the finger and swearing like there was no tomorrow.

Crack!

Gi-Gyu’s eyes narrowed in a fury, but he tried to calm down by taking slow breaths.

“Haa…”

Noticing Gi-Gyu’s anger, Sung-Hoon begged, “You’ve got to be patient! This kind of thing happens all the time on the road! Are you going to get into a fight every time it happens?! You can’t! You mustn’t! Control yourself!”

That was the smart choice, but the yellow car’s driver was making it very hard for Gi-Gyu to calm down. The young man continued to scream, “Answer me, you idiot! Only women drive like you! So why don’t you stay home and take care of your husband?! Do you really wanna shame your husband by driving his car like this?! Biiiiiiiitch!!!”

Gi-Gyu murmured, “I wonder if that man doesn’t have a mother…. He clearly has no respect for women.”

Unfortunately, the driver of the yellow sports car refused to stop. Gi-Gyu’s car windows were heavily tinted, so the yellow car driver must’ve thought a woman was driving it. Or perhaps the rude driver thought Gi-Gyu was too scared to respond because the yellow sports car continued to follow Gi-Gyu’s car closely.

Sung-Hoon said encouragingly, “You did very well, Gi-Gyu…”

Grit.

Sung-Hoon was trying to prevent a fight, but he was also furious, evident by his gritted teeth.

“Haa…” Gi-Gyu sighed and opened the window a little. Afraid of what Gi-Gyu might do, Sung-Hoon yelled, “W…what are you trying to do?!”

Sung-Hoon was about to stop Gi-Gyu, but Gi-Gyu simply gave the young driver his middle finger. He kept it out for a while before closing the window. Sung-Hoon clapped and cheered, “Good job!”

The yellow car driver screamed even louder, “Y-you asshole! Dammit!” Suddenly, the yellow sports car sped up ahead of Gi-Gyu’s car.

Vroom.

Squeak!

Swerving to the side, it blocked Gi-Gyu dangerously.

Creak!

Thanks to Gi-Gyu’s enhanced reflexes, he managed to stop his car before it could crash into the yellow sports car.

‘If it were a non-player driving this car, there would’ve been an accident.’

Gi-Gyu’s was nearest to exploding in anger.

Meanwhile, several young men exited the yellow sports car and approached Gi-Gyu’s car. They looked like they were about to destroy Gi-Gyu’s car as they banged on his window.

“Get out! Dammit! Today’s going to be your funeral, asshole! Get out!” one of the young men screamed menacingly.

“You’re a man, yet this is how you drive?! Gosh, how could anyone give a driving license to someone like you!” another man added.

“Get out right now!” the driver of the yellow sports car shouted.

“Player Kim Gi-Gyu…” When Sung-Hoon murmured, Gi-Gyu said quietly, “We should get out.”

“I agree.” Sung-Hoon nodded. It seemed that Sung-Hoon was also fresh out of patience. When Gi-Gyu and Sung-Hoon exited the car, the men waiting outside took a step back hesitantly. They were surprised by Gi-Gyu’s height and Sung-Hoon’s menacing look, but that didn’t deter them from strutting toward the duo for long. Gi-Gyu and Sung-Hoon were taller than they anticipated, but it was still four against two.

Nudge, nudge…

The man, who looked like the driver, poked Gi-Gyu’s chest as he declared, “Hey. If you’re gonna drive like that, just hire a cab. A dying old man can drive better than you.”

When Gi-Gyu realized the driver reeked of alcohol, he sighed and asked, “Haa… Did you just hit me? And you’re drunk too?”

“What? Yeah, I touched you just now, so what? What are you gonna do about it?” The man snickered at Gi-Gyu, whose lip curled up ominously. When Gi-Gyu looked at Sung-Hoon quietly, Sung-Hoon shook his head and mouthed, ‘A player should never hit a non-player.’

Thinking Gi-Gyu was a coward, the driver asked with a grin, “What’s wrong? Is that tall body just for show? I’m sure you must’ve fought some in your day, Old Man! Hahaha!!! My friends and I are players, so you think you can handle us? I would love a good fight.”

“Huh?” Both Gi-Gyu and Sung-Hoon gasped in shock.

“D-did he say he was a player?” Gi-Gyu stammered.

“T-the man standing in front of us… He’s a player?” Sung-Hoon seemed just as confused. Why were they confused? Well, the driver’s aura was so weak that Gi-Gyu and Sung-Hoon didn’t even register it. But since the men insisted, Gi-Gyu had no choice but to believe them.

The driver probably mistook Gi-Gyu’s confusion as fear because he said, “That’s right. Are you gonna wuss out?”

Feeling pleased with how things were working out in his favor, Gi-Gyu asked, “Don’t you know what happens if a player attacks a non-player?”

“You think I’m scared of that? My father is the director of the Phoenix Guild’s Department of Strategy. Get it? We’re talking about the Phoenix Guild here,” the driver bragged.

The Phoenix Guild was a rather famous group in Korea: It was one of the top ten guilds in Korea.

With an intentionally disappointed face, Gi-Gyu murmured, “I see. So your father is a director in the Phoenix Guild—”

“That’s right! So you better kneel and beg for mercy!” The man was now convinced that Gi-Gyu was terrified of him. He raised his hand to slap Gi-Gyu’s cheek, but Gi-Gyu dodged it effortlessly.

“Huh? Did you just duck?” The man seemed confused. He thought Gi-Gyu was a non-player, so he probably didn’t expect Gi-Gyu to dodge his slap easily. Finally, a confused expression appeared on the man’s face as he realized something was wrong.

Gi-Gyu continued with a slow smile, “Haha… So you’re a player, and your father is some sort of director? That’s perfect!”

Looking up straight at the man, Gi-Gyu asked, “Well, here is the thing.”

“...?”

“Why don’t you bring that up to my close friend’s father?”

“...?”

Everyone tilted their head in confusion as they watched Gi-Gyu. Why was he suddenly bringing up his close friend’s father here?

Reaching for the rude man in front of him, Gi-Gyu punched his face hard as he yelled, “The president of the association, you asshole!”