The Player that Can’t Level Up

answered, “Of course.”

“You are banned from using violence to turn people away, okay?” When Gi-Gyu emphasized, Hamiel roared respectfully, “I won’t forget, Grandmaster!”  

‘Haa… How are the angels more aggressive than the demons?’ Gi-Gyu wondered in confusion.
Hart and the other undead seemed more docile than these angels. 

-This is normal.
But I agree that they’re even more combative than usual.
It might be because you influenced them.

“Me?” When Gi-Gyu asked in surprise, Lou explained,

-Didn’t I tell you this before? Their existence came from you.
Their bodies and abilities are from their original form; the most important parts—their life and soul—stemmed from you. 

“But I didn’t do anything!” Gi-Gyu exclaimed, and Hamiel protested, “Fathe— I mean Grandmaster! You gave us everything!”  

Hamiel was so passionate that Gi-Gyu decided not to argue.
With a sigh, he stated, “Let’s just finish getting ready.” 

Gi-Gyu changed into comfortable clothes, took off all of his Ego, and piled them in a corner.
He did so because he feared the other Egos might affect the revival process. 

Then, he placed the new and improved El on top of a table.

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“Phew…” He took a deep breath. 

Just then, Old Man Hwang and Min-Su walked out from the gate.
The blacksmith asked, “Were you going to start without us?” 

The luggage and tools they were holding told Gi-Gyu they planned on staying outside for a while.
“Of course not.
I’ve been waiting for you.” 

Old Man Hwang and Min-Su contributed a great deal to El's revival.
Therefore, they had the right to witness the process.
His hands trembling, Gi-Gyu held El’s handle and announced, “Now, I will begin.”

***

The day Gi-Gyu took his 40th-floor test, gates began popping up everywhere.
Moreover, some of them were the highest level gates ever seen. 

Several gates had even gone through their breaks already, causing severe damage.
In some nations, the streets had more monsters than humans.
The American Players Association (APA) sent some of its players to help such countries.
 

While many became powerful by closing such exceptional gates, many also died in the process.
In Korea, three of the new gates turned out to be exceptional. 

Tae-Shik had promised he would reserve them for two weeks as per Gi-Gyu’s request, but two began showing signs of an imminent break.
Therefore, these had to be cleared as soon as possible.
In the end, the Cain and the Blue Dragon guilds, two in the top ten Korean guilds ranking, were recruited to take care of them. 

This left one exceptional guild to be saved for Gi-Gyu.

“An air battle…” Gi-Gyu murmured as he stood at a cliff's edge so high he couldn’t see the bottom. 

“This is definitely going to be a tricky one.” This exceptional gate forced Gi-Gyu into fighting in the air.
He had no idea what was at the bottom of the cliff, but he knew one thing: If he fell, he would die.

There were small peaks down the cliff, which the players could use to rest if necessary.
Most players were not comfortable with airborne battles unless they belonged to the magic category, had unique abilities, or possessed hidden jobs. 

“Well, I’m sure I’ll be fine.” When Gi-Gyu shrugged arrogantly, Lou muttered,

-You’re the worst.

But Brunheart seemed excited as he exclaimed,

-Master! I love your confidence! I love it! Yay!

“Hmm…” Gi-Gyu rubbed his chin as he watched the monsters flying around him.
According to the scouts, the gate was populated by griffins.
These monsters weren’t especially powerful, but even rankers had difficulty dealing with them in the air. 

With a grin, Gi-Gyu touched Bi, currently in its necklace form around his neck. 

“Elemental Water.” Gi-Gyu slowly turned into water droplets and began floating in the air. 

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“Let’s hunt!” These droplets shot in various directions like bullets and attacked the griffins. 

***

“Haa…” Gi-Gyu stretched his arms and exhaled deeply.
He didn’t enter this exceptional gate because he wanted to clear it alone: He hadn’t hunted in a while, so he wanted some exercise. 

“Grandmaster! We have demolished the griffins!” the angels said proudly.

“How dare you! Don’t speak like you did it all by yourself!” Hart argued angrily.

“How dare an undead speak to me in such…!” Hamiel began to bicker, but he became quiet when he felt Gi-Gyu’s gaze on him.
With a forced smile, Hamiel announced instead, “Haha! The undead have been such great help! I never knew they could be so helpful!” 

Both Kamael and Anael scratched their heads awkwardly and followed suit. 

Flap.

The angels flew around Gi-Gyu’s droplet form, and Hart rode a cloud-like dark substance as he hunted the griffins. 

“Kirrrrk!” Another griffin screamed as the durahan, riding a griffin turned undead by Hart, killed it.

“Grandmaster, I killed one for you as well.” When the durahan announced proudly, Gi-Gyu answered, “Good job.
But… What’s with you guys? You guys are trying too hard for my compliments.”

The hunt was rather easy.
He didn’t even have to use the skeleton monsters or Lou’s summoned beings.
The three angels, Hart, and the durahan were enough to eradicate the weaker monsters inside the gate. 

With a deep bow, Hart offered, “If you want an undead griffin too, I shall capture one for you, Grandmaster.”

“N-no, it’s okay.
I don’t need one.” When Gi-Gyu refused adamantly, Hart seemed very disappointed. 

‘The griffins are so ugly.
And I can’t even imagine how bad they would smell if they turned undead,’ Gi-Gyu thought. 

While the skeletons and Hart only had bones left, the durahan now held a dark, human-like form due to his newfound strength.
However, most undead had rotting flesh, i.e., they were bound to smell bad over time.
This was why Gi-Gyu wasn’t particularly interested in owning an undead griffin. 

Some time later, Gi-Gyu heard a refreshing voice in his head.

-I’ve taken care of the boss monster.

Fwoosh!

Gi-Gyu looked up to see a figure flying straight toward him at an incredible speed.
The one holding the griffin king's head, this gate’s boss, was…El.