Chapter 357 – Climbing the Tower  

“Lim Hyun-Soo?” Gi-Gyu looked at Kang Ji-Hee in surprise. Lim Hyun-Soo was the Angela Guild’s most prominent deputy, so Gi-Gyu had heard of him.

“Didn’t you say the other two deputy guild masters were on the duty of sealing away Lee Sun-Ho?” Gi-Gyu asked. “So this man…”

Gi-Gyu turned to look at Lim Hyun-Soo again. Kang Ji-Hee seemed shocked as she trudged toward Lim Hyun-Soo.

In Gi-Gyu’s eyes, Lim Hyun-Soo looked different. ‘This isn’t the same guy I saw on TV before.’?

Many of Angela Guild’s elites were like celebrities, as it was the most famous group in the country. Everyone in Korea knew their faces.

Gi-Gyu turned toward Go Hyung-Chul, who shook his head, indicating that he also thought Lim Hyun-Soo looked different.

What happened to him?

“This man”—Kang Ji-Hee knelt in front of Lim Hyun-Soo and held his hands—“is definitely Deputy Guild Master Lim Hyun-Soo. This bracelet…”

“...!” Gi-Gyu saw the colorless bracelet he hadn’t noticed before.

Kang Ji-Hee explained, “Guild Master Lee Sun-Ho had gifted one to each of his three deputies.”

Kang Ji-Hee pulled her sleeve, revealing the bracelet on her wrist; it was a bit different.

Kang Ji-Hee looked at Lim Hyun-Soo with confusion before closing her eyes.

***

Kang Ji-Hee revealed the unknown player’s identity. Soon, the other Angela Guild members came to verify this information further. Gi-Gyu read their emotions to make sure they weren’t lying.

Looking back at the hopeful eyes of the Angela Guild players, Gi-Gyu apologized, “I’m sorry, but there is nothing I can do.”

Lim Hyun-Soo’s state was hopeless. His fate was sealed; he would die.

‘I didn’t tell Kang Ji-Hee and the others, but…’?Gi-Gyu had tried to save Lim Hyun-Soo by syncing with him. ‘But it didn’t work.’?

Syncing with Lim Hyun-Soo seemed impossible because Gi-Gyu felt like something was actively blocking him. This had never happened to Gi-Gyu before.

‘It’s as if he doesn’t have a soul.’?

By syncing with someone, Gi-Gyu formed a connection with their soul and shell. And that was how he could use their power and make them do his bidding. However, he couldn’t feel a soul or a shell inside Lim Hyun-Soo.

‘It’s like… there’s a vacuum inside him.’?Gi-Gyu felt nothing inside Lim Hyun-Soo.

“...” The Angela Guild players became quiet, faces filled with pain.

‘But, why aren’t they curious about where he got that kind of power or why he looks so different?’?Gi-Gyu found this strange. Lim Hyun-Soo’s face looked different from before, and no deputy could hold this much power. One of the reasons Gi-Gyu had come to the Tower was that the mysterious player, Lim Hyun-Soo, had cornered Haures and Go Hyung-Chul.

Lim Hyun-Soo may have been one of the Angela Guild’s deputies, but the strength he had shown earlier didn’t make sense.

‘He even fought Ironshield and almost won.’?In the end, Lim Hyun-Soo was defeated and absorbed, but he had still lasted a long time against Ironsheield, who even had Andras’ power inside him.

Yet none of the Angela Guild members seemed curious about that. ‘It’s as if they already knew about it.’?The corners of Gi-Gyu’s eyes trembled a little as he announced, “I don’t think there is a way to save him. I’m sorry. But… I’ll try one more time.”

“T-thank you.” Kang Ji-Hee wasn’t too proud to bow deeply to Gi-Gyu.

Gi-Gyu placed his hand on Lim Hyun-Soo’s chest once again.

‘I’m sorry,’?he apologized silently so no one could hear him. ‘But I must know the reason.’?

The truth was that Gi-Gyu wasn’t making physical contact in an attempt to save him. ‘I’ll have to read his memories forcefully.’

Lim Hyun-Soo’s condition was dire, so contacting his shell by force to read his memories could worsen his condition. In other words, Gi-Gyu could expedite his death. However, Gi-Gyu hadn’t lied when he had said that he couldn’t save Lim Hyun-Soo. Gi-Gyu had used Life, the ultimate healing power, to save him but had failed. He had also failed to sync with him. At this point, no player in the world could do anything for Lim Hyun-Soo. This was why Gi-Gyu needed to read his memory.

Gi-Gyu located Lim Hyun-Soo’s shell by force and entered his mind. This made Lim Hyun-Soo jolt like a fish out of water. Gi-Gyu pressed down on his body and tried to read his memory.

Just then, Kang Ji-Hee stammered, “T-there might be a way! Our guild master! He should be able to save Deputy Guild Master Lim Hyun-Soo!”

“Are you sure?” Gi-Gyu turned to look at Kang Ji-Hee and asked.

***

Go Hyung-Chul asked, “What will you do?”

They were still on the 79th floor, which was in ruins, but Gi-Gyu seemed to be in no mood to leave this floor.

Gi-Gyu couldn’t answer Go Hyung-Chul’s question quickly because he knew what Go Hyung-Chul was asking. Earlier, Kang Ji-Hee had begged Gi-Gyu to help her and her guild.

Kang Ji-Hee couldn’t have become a deputy on her own merit, but Gi-Gyu now understood why Lee Sun-Ho had given her the title. At this moment, she was the perfect person to lead the Angela Guild.

‘She has good instincts.’?Gi-Gyu realized that Kang Ji-Hee had an excellent ability to detect danger. And despite being a deputy of the Angela Guild, she wasn’t arrogant or proud. She had begged him for help because she had known that ascending the Tower to reach Lee Sun-Ho with just her fellow guild members would be too dangerous.

“Hmm…” Gi-Gyu contemplated. He felt hesitant, but it wasn’t because he genuinely wanted to help her. Earlier, he had read a bit of Lim Hyun-Soo’s memory, who didn’t have a soul as he had expected. It was an unusual case; luckily, he had succeeded in reading whatever was left in Lim Hyun-Soo’s physical body.

‘Ackkkk!’?Gi-Gyu had seen Lim Hyun-Soo screaming in agony.

“He was screaming because something went wrong with the seal that was supposed to restrain Lee Sun-Ho,” explained Gi-Gyu.

“What?” Go Hyung-Chul looked confused.

“Lee Sun-Ho is losing control over himself. I don’t know the details, but the Angela Guild’s elites are definitely trying to seal Lee Sun-Ho away.”

“...”

When Kang Ji-Hee had explained this situation to Gi-Gyu, he hadn’t just taken her word for it. But it turned out that she wasn’t lying.

Gi-Gyu continued, “I think something happened during this process. As Lee Sun-Ho went berserk, part of his power flowed into Lim Hyun-Soo, and…”

“So that’s why his appearance changed, and he obtained such incredible power?” Go Hyung-Chul was still in disbelief.

“Yup,” Gi-Gyu answered quickly. “And what happened between Lee Sun-Ho and Lim Hyun-Soo felt like… the sync.” When Gi-Gyu explained, Go Hyung-Chul nodded, this time without any surprise.

The sync let its user share their power with those connected to them. And, of course, the user could take away that power anytime. According to Mammon, Ironshield had obtained a similar power, but Gi-Gyu had learned that wasn’t the case. Ironshield’s power was the combination of Beelzebub and many creatures’ power, called Predation. This skill was very different from the sync.

‘Firstly, the amount of power Predation could steal is much less than with sync.’?The sync was a more efficient skill for stealing others’ power. In addition, unlike Predation, the sync could steal the opponent’s power without killing them. Gi-Gyu could actually become stronger with his prey.

‘And one can’t share their power with Predation.’?Gi-Gyu thought. Predation and sync were, therefore, two very different abilities.

“I guess this one might be the real deal then,” Go Hyung-Chul muttered. What Lee Sun-Ho had done to Lim Hyun-Soo very much resembled the result of Gi-Gyu’s sync, but there were also some obvious differences.

Gi-Gyu replied, “Lee Sun-Ho damaged Lim Hyun-Soo’s shell and soul, which is a problem.”

“Hmm…” Go Hyung-Chul moaned. “But the thing to keep in mind is that our primary business in the Tower is done.”

Gi-Gyu had come to rescue Haures and the rest. To that end, he had killed Ironshield and even Andras, which was an unexpected bonus. He was done with the goals he had set before entering the Tower.

“And most importantly, you said your family is in the Tower’s basement, didn’t you?” Go Hyung-Chul asked. This was exactly why Gi-Gyu felt hesitant. He had done everything he had set out to do inside the Tower, so it was now time to go to the Tower’s basement. But Gi-Gyu couldn’t stop thinking about Lee Sun-Ho. He was already on the 79th floor and had a sneaking suspicion that he must find Lee Sun-Ho now.

After much thought, Gi-Gyu finally made the decision. He announced, “I’m going to contact Eden first.”

He decided that this wasn’t a decision he could make alone.

***

-Master! Congratulations!

The moment Gi-Gyu contacted Eden, he first heard Brun’s congratulatory message.

-You dealt with Ironshield and Andras nicely! I’m so happy for you!

‘Thanks,’?Gi-Gyu replied, but he couldn’t help feeling bitter. Ironshield and Andras needed to die, but being congratulated for their deaths felt a bit wrong.

‘But it’s because Brun isn’t human.’?Gi-Gyu didn’t think this was a bad thing. He worried that he might become used to killing and lose his humanity at this rate. Thankfully, Gi-Gyu didn’t have many human enemies left to worry about.

‘How are things there?’?Gi-Gyu asked. Brun was like a server. She could feel everything happening to him and the emotions of all his creatures. She was the server of his sync. As the contact point for everything and everyone, she controlled and maintained Gi-Gyu’s life in a way.

-Here…

Brun paused for a moment before continuing.

-We have eliminated most of the Caravan Guild. We have the best team on it, and it hasn't been difficult since we know who they are now. I’m guessing the American Players Association is in turmoil by now.

Gi-Gyu could feel a hint of worry and concern in Brun’s voice as she added,

-Lou and El entered Gehenna.

‘What?’?Gi-Gyu asked in surprise. It hadn’t been very long since he had left Eden. It was shocking enough that his team had already taken care of the Caravan Guild, yet El and Lou had seemingly found and entered Gehenna.

-They felt that waiting for too long was a bad idea. As soon as they got the information from the American Players Association, they went there.

‘...’?Gi-Gyu didn’t know what to say.

-Please don’t worry. I’m sure they’ll be fine.

Gi-Gyu knew this very well. Lou and El were his most powerful creatures, and few could stop their combined force.

‘But why did they hurry like this?’?Gi-Gyu wondered. Lou and El could have contacted him about it before moving. Gi-Gyu felt like they had rushed into this.

‘El. Lou.’?Gi-Gyu tried to contact them, but there was no answer. Gehenna was a unique place, so it was no surprise they had lost contact. But Gi-Gyu could still feel them through the sync, so he felt a little reassured.

Just then, everyone felt a violent vibration.

Dun dun dun dun dun!

“What the hell is going on now?!” Go Hyung-Chul screamed.

Gi-Gyu quickly disconnected from Eden and replied, “The entire floor… It’s collapsing.”

Gi-Gyu yelled toward the Angela Guild members and Haures, “Get ready, everyone! The floor is going to give in soon!”

Gi-Gyu could feel that the 79th floor was disappearing. Turning toward Go Hyung-Chul, he announced, “We must climb higher.”