Before long, both sides were locking horns. Cain Guild’s side had 30 members, and the Smurf Guild had 50 red players. Unlike before, the Cain Guild members were now aggressively attacking the red players. They threw caution to the wind, ignored defense, and just clashed with the red players.
“Hmm…” Gi-Gyu groaned unhappily. His senses just picked up another set of auras; he couldn’t tell how many people were rushing here, just that they were too many. They could be Cain Guild’s reinforcements, more foes, or both.
If Gi-Gyu were alone, he could’ve somehow escaped. But unfortunately, he was with other players he needed to protect.
‘If they didn’t belong to Suk-Woo’s guild, I wouldn’t have to care as much.’
Gi-Gyu felt it was his duty to help the Cain Guild members escape to the best of his abilities.
Slash!
Even while his brain was focused on the alien auras, Gi-Gyu indifferently swung Lou in a beautiful arc.
“Dammit! My arm! My armmmm!!!” a red player screamed as his arm fell to the ground. Blood spewing from his stump, the injured player began crawling toward his amputated arm.
Slice.
Without hesitation, Gi-Gyu swung El, and the injured red player stopped screaming.
Boom!
Some player used their explosion skill to rock the entire battlefield; the chaotic battle continued as the insane red players screamed, “Hehehe!!!!! Kill them! Kill them all!!![a]”
“We’ll destroy all of them!”
Red players usually had a criminal record, so they took refuge inside the Tower. These villains lived inside the lawless Tower, committed murders, and sustained themselves with thievery. In summary, red players were humans without humanity.
Throb.
“I knew it.” Gi-Gyu touched his right eye after taking a timeout from the battle. “I guess I was right about this.”
There was one more reason Gi-Gyu got involved in this fight: He wanted to confirm his suspicions regarding Lucifer’s gift. He first felt this throbbing sensation when he killed Choi Won-Jae.
‘So the power Lucifer gave me gets activated when I kill a person.’
Thanks to this battle, Gi-Gyu confirmed what he had been thinking all along. He didn’t know why it didn’t activate earlier when he killed the other red player. But the important thing now was that his right eye was throbbing. And without even checking in the mirror, he knew his right eye had turned violet.
And now, he didn’t have to turn to know that someone was attacking his back. He didn’t even have to worry about the attack; he just let his body absorb it. Then, he nonchalantly turned and swung Lou and El simultaneously.
Slice, slice, slice!
Three slashing sounds rang in the area before Gi-Gyu murmured, “Reflect.”
Kaboom!
He purposely took the damage from that attack to use Reflect. The skill’s destructive power was comparable to the explosions created by the mage category players.
“D-dammit!” the red players stammered after witnessing Gi-Gyu’s power. Although these criminals were maniacs, they had terrific instincts.
Gi-Gyu murmured, “That’s probably why they know to run when they face true danger.” He pushed back his blood-soaked hair and smiled brightly. Currently, his sclera was a perfect violet color, and his strength, speed, perception, etc., were peaking.
Gi-Gyu announced to his enemies respectfully, “Everyone, let’s hurry this up, shall we?”
***
The perfect word to describe the battle scene was hell. What had happened on the 29th floor was only possible inside the Tower. Human corpses covered almost every inch of the area where the battle took place.
The remaining red players began to back away as they muttered, “W-we can’t win this…”
“Dammit! We were never told the Cain Guild was this strong!”
“Hey! Why did our guild master order this?!”
There were almost 50 of them when the battle first began, but only five were left alive now. They had truly lost their minds because they were still smirking while simultaneously wetting their lips.
In front of this group of five, one man stood quietly. Messy beard and whole body soaked in blood, it was Gi-Gyu.
“You can’t run,” Gi-Gyu announced as he slowly walked toward one of them. It was time to end them.
“Hehehe,” one red player died while laughing.
“P-please spare me!” another one died while begging for his life.
Suddenly, Do Bong-Gu whispered nearby, “Player Kim Gi-Gyu, your eye…”
“Ah, it’s nothing. Please don’t worry about it.” When Gi-Gyu reassured him, Do Bong-Gu stammered in fear, “I-I think it would be best to take the rest of them out for questioning.”
If it weren’t for Gi-Gyu, all the Cain Guild members would’ve died instead of the red players. So, Do Bong-Gu was thankful that Gi-Gyu was on their side.
Gi-Gyu shook his head and replied drily, “There will be more than enough captives later to interrogate.” Without waiting for an answer, Gi-Gyu stolidly killed the rest of the red players. As the pleas for mercy and the cries of pain died down, an awkward silence fell in the area.
“...” Do Bong-Gu remained quiet, partly from the excitement of the battle, mostly from remembering how Gi-Gyu fought. None of the Cain Guild members could see Gi-Gyu as a human anymore.
Gi-Gyu ended the silence by making an announcement.
“The next batch is nearby.”
Nod.
Do Bong-Gu nodded in understanding. He wasn’t a high-level player, but even he could feel the incoming force’s overwhelming aura. The Cain Guild members quickly drank their potions and checked on their weapons.
Gi-Gyu murmured, “They’re here.”
An overwhelming bloodthirsty aura began to swarm them at an alarming speed. The red players’ reinforcements were seemingly aware of the massacre that ended their brothers. The murderous aura surrounded the Cain Guild members and Gi-Gyu like a thick fog.
“T-this feels like…” Do Bong-Gu whispered in shock.
“This can’t be! No way!” another member of the Cain Guild screamed fearfully.
Even Gi-Gyu sounded frustrated as he murmured, “There are at least 300 of them.”
Do Bong-Gu replied, “I- I think it’s the entire Smurf Guild.” There were many red players in the Tower, but the Smurf Guild only housed about 300 of them. So, it felt like the entire guild decided to join the fray.
‘And one of them feels very strong.’ Gi-Gyu thought, guessing that it had to be the Smurf Guild’s master himself. As the aura of the guild master and his 300 players weighted down on Gi-Gyu’s senses, he felt himself sweat a little.
-Please don’t worry, Master! I’ll protect you!!!
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When Brunheart announced in a cheerful voice, Gi-Gyu felt much calmer. He replied with a grin, “Okay. Thanks.” Finally, he realized that cowering in fear was never an option since his goal was to destroy a bigger guild than the Smurf Guild.
Gi-Gyu promised himself that someday, he would kill every member of the Iron Guild.
A sharp-looking man, obviously the most powerful among all the red players, stepped forward and asked Gi-Gyu, “Are you the one who killed my boys?”
“Slaughterer Choi Min-Suk,” Do Bong-Gu murmured.
Slaughterer Choi Min-Suk was a ranker who was notoriously vicious. One day, he entered the Tower and formed a guild only of and for red players—the Smurf Guild.
Gi-Gyu replied mockingly, “Yes, Sir. I did indeed.”
“Funny guy, huh?” Choi Min-Suk laughed.
This whole situation seemed to amuse the guild master. With a nonchalant attitude, Gi-Gyu asked, “May I ask you something?”
The Smurf Guild players had surrounded the area, and even the floor monsters were regenerating. The Cain Guild members’ situation was dire, yet Gi-Gyu was calm. Choi Min-Suk looked at him with interest as he replied, “Sure, go ahead.”
“What did these members of the Cain Guild do to you for you to bring your entire guild here?”
“Hmm…” Choi Min-Suk tilted his head in amusement before mumbling, “Shall I tell him?”
The Smurf Guild members standing around their master watched with worry. Gi-Gyu suspected the ones closest to the guild master were the guild executives. Although they seemed concerned, they didn’t make a sound. It was clear they obeyed Choi Min-Suk without question.
And after a few minutes, Choi Min-Suk answered, “We, the Smurf Guild, plan on leaving the Tower. And to do this, we need these Cain Guild members.”
Gi-Gyu and all the Cain Guild players’ faces crumpled in a fury.
***
The red players were allowed to live only inside the Tower. Society allowed this because the Tower was completely separate from the public. And this meant that these criminals were not allowed to leave the Tower and re-enter the world.
The association maintained all the portals that led to the Tower. So, even if these criminals could somehow enter the Tower after committing a crime, they could never leave this place.
So how was Choi Min-Suk going to take his men out? And what did this have anything to do with the Cain Guild members? Do Bong-Gu and the rest couldn’t understand this.
But Gi-Gyu could guess Choi Min-Suk’s plan. His face now blank again, Gi-Gyu glared at the Smurf Guild master and asked, “How did you find out?”
“Oh…! You’re a fascinating guy indeed.” Choi Min-Suk looked mildly surprised as he asked, “So you know about it too?”
“How did you find out?” Gi-Gyu’s demanded an answer in a cold voice. Choi Min-Suk replied, “We captured and killed one of the Cain Guild executives. Fortunately for us, he told us all about it. He said—”
Before Choi Min-Suk could finish his reply, Gi-Gyu ran toward him and shouted, “Stop it!”
There were 300 players ready to protect their guild master, so it was very reckless of Gi-Gyu to dash toward their leader. And that was after you ignored that Choi Min-Suk was a famous ranker in his days.
The Smurf Guild master quickly took out his dagger and blocked Lou and El. He offered leisurely, “You should join us. I’m willing to give you the deputy guild master position.”
“...” Gi-Gyu took a step back and spat out the words, “I would never join your stupid guild.”
Gi-Gyu positioned himself for the battle. He had been fighting impetuously till then; now, he had a strong motivation to kill the man before him. Choi Min-Suk also changed his position as he murmured, “I’m not sure if you just don’t know or are pretending not to know.”
Before Choi Min-Suk was nicknamed “slaughterer,” he was a famous player assassin. Holding two daggers in his hands now, the Smurf Guild master blocked Gi-Gyu’s attack again.
Clank!
Everyone around them also took out their weapons.
Gulp.
Do Bong-Gu and the rest of the Cain Guild members gulped loudly and prepared themselves for another battle. Treating the intense fight as a breeze, Choi Min-Suk commented, “I can feel it. You’re definitely one of us. You’re our kind.”
Choi Min-Suk’s daggers glowed bright red—it was the slaughterer’s notorious skill called the Flame Dagger. This very skill was responsible for Choi Min-Suk’s gruesome nickname. The burning heat from the dagger was enough to melt the thickest steel.
“Shut up!” Gi-Gyu screamed as he swung Lou and El against Choi Min-Suk’s hot daggers.
Kaboom!
The loud explosion acted as a battle cry; the Smurf Guild players began to move as they screamed, “Kill them all!”
The Smurf players circled Choi Min-Suk and Gi-Gyu and headed toward the Cain Guild members. The Cain players raised their weapons, looking pale, knowing this might be their end.
“Ice Volt!” shouted the Cain Guild’s mage players. To this, the Smurf mage players screamed their skill, “Fireball!”
Boom, boom, boom!
More screams and shouts followed.
“Force!”
“Iron wall!”
The sounds of the swords and shields clashing rang throughout the forest.
“Hehehe… you’re enjoying yourself, aren’t you? I can tell.” Choi Min-Suk smirked at Gi-Gyu as he waved his daggers. The heat from his weapons burned Gi-Gyu’s flesh each time Lou and El clashed with his daggers.
Choi Min-Suk, attacking at lightning speed, murmured, “You have amazing swords. I haven’t seen many items that could withstand my flame daggers’ heat.”
Accelerate was the only reason Gi-Gyu managed to keep up with Choi Min-Suk. He wasn’t known for his strength, but his flame daggers made up for it. And his speed was comparable to that of high-level rankers. Compared to Gi-Gyu’s fight with Choi Won-Jae, this battle was in a league of its own.
“I told you to shut up!” Gi-Gyu yelled as he blocked the daggers with Lou. At that moment, Gi-Gyu’s speed peaked, and Choi Min-Suk failed to dodge El’s slash aiming for his leg.
“You’re wrong about me. I’m nothing like you, you psycho killer!” Gi-Gyu murmured, knowing Choi Min-Suk could hear everything despite the loud noises surrounding them. Suddenly, Gi-Gyu’s chest shone blindingly, and he said, “Ever heard of chalk and cheese?”
With that, Gi-Gyu began laughing. One big thing that made the flame dagger so threatening was its ability to deal continuously heat damage. Of course, Gi-Gyu had Brunheart, who could accumulate such damage and reflect it.
When blood-red heat began to spew from Gi-Gyu’s chest, Choi Min-Suk stammered, “W-what the!” The Smurf Guild master tried to back away, but Lou grazed his neck before he could.
“W-what is happening…?!” Before Choi Min-Suk could even finish his sentence, Lou punctured his neck like a hot knife cutting butter. And the heat bursting from Gi-Gyu’s chest began to melt Choi Min-Suk slowly.
Throb.
At that very moment, Gi-Gyu’s right eye turned an even darker shade of violet.
[a]Even if the raws have excessive punctuation, let’s just leave at triple maximum.