Chapter 99

Currently, Gi-Gyu stood on the 35th floor. He had already cleared all the floors that were inhabited by the beholders. Now, Lou had the maximum immunity against psychic attacks. So, he didn’t have to focus on killing more beholders; instead, he had to look for monsters that could provide other immunities, stats, or abilities.

The 35th floor was the low-level succubi’s territory; unfortunately, its blood also gave Lou psychic attack immunity. However, Gi-Gyu had no choice but to hunt them.

Blaze.

The fire from the sword burned brightly as it targeted the monsters. Unlike the beautiful succubi, these monsters boasted of gruesome appearances. They were none other than the dwarves.

“Squeeel!” the dwarves shrieked in pain. Due to their ugly appearance, it was impossible to tell their genders. Being subspecies of incubi and succubi, they also specialized in psychic attacks and were low-level monsters.

The monsters scurried away from the line of attack in pain as the fire began burning them alive.

Gi-Gyu announced quietly, “Summon.”

Thud!

Suddenly, the area was filled with loud footsteps. Three creatures materialized from the drops of blood and Death’s violet smoke. The first was a humongous steel giant, while the other two resembled familiar human players.

“Split into two and destroy them all.” The three beings made of blood and Death nodded and began sprinting. The monsters on the right side were taken care of by the huge steel giant Kersetu and the mystical wolf Bi. The creatures in the form of Rhodes and Choi Min-Suk took care of the left side.

These summoned creatures quickly hunted down the monsters; soon, only several dozens of crystals and monster corpses remained around Gi-Gyu.

“Transmutation,” Gi-Gyu shouted as he raised Lou. Then, the three summoned beings turned back into blood and Death’s violet smoke before returning to Lou. Once they were absorbed, Gi-Gyu felt a kind of fullness and satisfaction.

“This is only just the beginning,” Gi-Gyu murmured with a naughty grin. He kept Lou raised as he still hadn’t absorbed the floor monsters’ blood. Once everything was over, only the dying flames and the crystals were left behind.

“Open,” Gi-Gyu announced, and dark clouds only he could see appeared from Lou. It was a barrier-like skill that made the surrounding area invisible.

Brunheart’s gate quickly opened, and the skeletons orderly walked to collect the crystals.

“This is so convenient.” Gi-Gyu couldn’t hide how impressed he was. Only one thing had changed, yet everything was different now. He now didn’t have to hunt the monsters one by one, he didn’t have to pick up the crystals himself, and lastly, he didn’t have to worry about others seeing his skeletons. And all these conveniences were thanks to one change.

-Ahem.

More specifically, it was thanks to Lou.

“Hmm… I know you’re being arrogant, but I can’t fault you for that.” Gi-Gyu couldn’t even muster up any sarcasm since Lou’s new powers had truly awed him.

-You must remember that this is still not even a fraction of a fraction of a fraction of my true power.

“Yeah, yeah, I get it. Would you stop repeating that line?” Had Gi-Gyu not stopped Lou, he would have continued on and on about his true power.

-Anyway, it appears that you can finally start using a fraction of a fraction of a fraction of my true power. Ahem.

“Are you satisfied now?”

-What are you talking about? Not even close. Once I regain my power, the entire world will kneel before me!

“Shut up, Lou.” Gi-Gyu interrupted his Ego. Suffice to say, Lou’s first evolution increased his abilities and stats exponentially, but it also significantly changed his personality. After what happened on the 30th floor, Lou had become a little more solemn. But now, Lou has returned to being childish and rude.

El murmured,

-It feels like I have less and less work to do, Master.

After Lou’s first evolution, Gi-Gyu didn’t use El much. Lou’s summoned beings took care of the monster hunt, and Brunheart’s skeletons dealt with the resulting crystals. The other Egos had their specified duties, but Gi-Gyu’s need for her was fading away.

‘Does she feel insecure?’ Gi-Gyu wondered if this was why El had been sleeping more and talking less. He thought she felt useless since her role in his life was declining.

He consoled her, “Things will improve for you soon.”

He truly believed this because his sharp instinct told him so, and the current situation also suggested the same.

‘Once I reach the 40th floor, there will be many changes,’ Gi-Gyu thought. When he patted El gently, her anxiety lessened a little. Still, she murmured,

-Things won’t go the way you think, Master.

Her voice was very faint as if she was trying to hide her nervousness.

***

-Why don’t you have a look at my stat screen?

“Pfft.” Gi-Gyu did his best to stop himself from laughing when he heard Lou’s shy request. Lou usually acted cool and arrogant, so Gi-Gyu didn’t expect him to make such a request.

“You just love your new powers, don’t you?”

-Hmm…

Lou coughed uncomfortably, making it obvious he loved his new abilities. Without teasing Lou further, Gi-Gyu opened Lou’s stat screen.

[Lou]

[First Evolution Completed]

[Title: Master of Black Magic and Evil Swords]

[Level 103]

[Power: 197]

[Speed: 180]

[Stamina: 201]

[Magic 241]

[Poison Immunity: 13%, Flame Immunity: 12%, Heat Immunity: 13%, Psychic Attack Immunity: 15%, Defense: 7.7%, Magic affinity increased]

-Available Skills-

[Accessory]

[Cannibalism[1]: You can prey on corpses to regain your stamina.]

[Transmutation[2] : You can absorb the blood and souls of hunted monsters.]

[Spirit Fusion: You can give elemental powers to Lou.]

[Amplification: Lou can amplify a skill’s might.]

[Summon: You can summon absorbed Egos.]

[Death: Can control death.]

[Egofication: Absorbed souls can be egofied with a set success rate.]

[Black Magic: You can bless other Egos with black magic.]

[Absorbed Demon: 0]

[Absorbed Player: Choi Won-Jae’s fragment, Chalemont’s fragment.]

[Ego: Rhodes, Choi Min-Suk, Kersetu.]

[Ego Management]

Needless to say, there were significant changes in Lou’s status screen. For starters, all the skills he gained through Cannibalism were gone, replaced by many new skills. Lou could now absorb the blood and the souls of monsters from a distance with Transmutation. Spirit Fusion allowed Lou to use Bi’s elemental skill to create much destruction. The invisible barrier from before was just a combination of Lou and Elemental Dark using Spirit Fusion.

Summon was responsible for the three summoned beings from the last fight. Since Gi-Gyu’s demon fragments weren’t Egos yet, he couldn’t summon them. For a successful Egofication, he needed a soul and a truckload of luck.

“Death and Ego Management,” Gi-Gyu murmured the name of his two favorites. Originally, Death only appeared on Gi-Gyu’s status screen; now, it was on Lou’s screen too. Consequently, he would now feel less rebound from using this skill. Also, Gi-Gyu and Lou having the same skill created synergy, increasing the skill’s usage capabilities.

The last thing was the Ego Management category. The Egos sacrificed for Lou’s evolution weren’t actually sacrificed: Their abilities remained the same, although their intelligence decreased. However, it could be restored by substituting their souls, blood, and attributes Lou absorbed.

“It will have limitless possibilities in the future,” Gi-Gyu announced in satisfaction. It was already beneficial to him, but he suspected it would be even handier later.

“Someday, it might even be enough to take down Lee Sun-Ho or Ironshield.” Lou’s evolution alone gave Gi-Gyu’s strength an incredible boost. More importantly, he knew he would grow more.

-You better respect and serve me better from now on.

“You want me to hit you again?” Gi-Gyu muttered to Lou. The only con was that Lou’s old personality returned.

***

After 15 days inside the Tower, Gi-Gyu decided to return home. Hunting was important, but maintaining relationships, not just with his family but also with his friends, was also vital. He looked like a handsome homeless now, so he had to take care of that too. He could trim his beard inside the Tower, but he couldn’t wash off the thick smell of blood.

As Gi-Gyu came down to the lower floors, the low-level monsters tried their best to avoid him. Gi-Gyu was covered in high-level monsters’ blood, so he probably seemed like the grim reaper to them.

After first going to the association and getting a shower, Gi-Gyu visited Tae-Shik’s office. Looking at the empty office, Gi-Gyu asked the secretary, “Where did General Manager Oh Tae-Shik go?”

“Ah, please give me a minute.” Oh Tae-Shik’s secretary made a quick call. Soon, Sung-Hoon appeared and said to Gi-Gyu, “The general manager went to your home, Ranker Kim Gi-Gyu.”

“My home?” asked Gi-Gyu in confusion.

“Yes… He went through some stuff recently.” When Sung-Hoon explained, Gi-Gyu nodded.

Finding the Caravan guild couldn’t have been an easy task. Tae-Shik sometimes looked like a silly middle-aged man, but he was like a tiger when he worked. Most people felt uncomfortable around Tae-Shik, despite his courteous nature, because he could be overwhelmingly charismatic.

‘Given his strength and assertiveness, he could’ve easily become a king in the olden days,’ Gi-Gyu thought.

Sung-Hoon asked, “Would you like to head home?”

“Hmm…” Gi-Gyu caressed his beard and contemplated. Earlier, he shaved using Lou, so he still had a thick stubble on his chin. He regretted not shaving again with a proper razor.

“No, I should drop by somewhere first.” When Gi-Gyu replied, Sung-Hoon offered, “I’ll drive you.”

“Thank you.” Gi-Gyu didn’t spend much time with Sung-Hoon lately, so he accepted the offer, and Sung-Hoon quickly brought Gi-Gyu’s car out of the parking lot. Watching his car, Gi-Gyu contemplated, “Hmm…”

“What’s wrong?” Sung-Hoon asked in confusion. Gi-Gyu turned at Sung-Hoon and muttered, “Do you like secondhand stuff?”

“Secondhand? Secondhand what?”

Gi-Gyu slowly raised his finger to point at his car. Still confused, Sung-Hoon tilted his head and murmured, “Well, if you mean your car, of course, I would love it. It’s a very fancy car, after all.”

Gi-Gyu’s car was indeed an expensive foreign car. It was technically a secondhand car, but it was practically new because Gi-Gyu barely used it. So accepting it was a no-brainer for Sung-Hoon.

Gi-Gyu suggested, “Then you can have it. I feel like I haven’t shown you my appreciation lately.”

“Are you serious?”

“A-actually, no.” Gi-Gyu shook his head. “I’ll give this to Yoo-Jung and get you a new one. Giving you my second-hand car seems wrong.”

Gi-Gyu quietly took Sung-Hoon to the deserted parking lot and opened his gate. Sung-Hoon knew about his gate, but he couldn’t understand why Gi-Gyu opened it now.

With a smile, Gi-Gyu said to Sung-Hoon, “Please follow me.”

The two men walked into Brunheart’s gate.

1. Cannibalism has evolved as it can now steal stamina and egofy stronger creatures. ☜

2. Used on weaker, grunt-like creatures, also works on numerous creatures simultaneously as opposed to Cannibalism. ☜