Blushing profusely, Gi-Gyu murmured, “I admit that I acted childishly.”

Currently, Gi-Gyu was sporting a bright red face: It was from embarrassment, not from his scuffle. 

“A close friend’s father… The president of the association… Pfft!” When Sung-Hoon teased, Gi-Gyu quickly covered Sung-Hoon’s mouth with his hand. Gi-Gyu didn’t know why he said such a thing. All he knew was that his anger turned him into someone he wasn’t. 

‘This is all your fault, Lou.’

When Gi-Gyu grumbled to his Ego, Lou replied sarcastically. 

-Why are you blaming me? This just shows what a terrible person you are. 

Gi-Gyu suspected his outburst was due to prolonged stress. He had been hunting incessantly for so long that he started yelling something so childish. 

“Haa…” When Gi-Gyu sighed, Sung-Hoon tried to console him. 

“Please don’t worry. Everyone has an embarrassing moment or two in their life. I mean, I had… Mmph!!!” 

Gi-Gyu covered Sung-Hoon’s mouth again. Glaring at Gi-Gyu and Sung-Hoon, the police officer standing nearby ordered, “Please be quiet over there.”

Gi-Gyu lowered his face in shame and replied, “Of course. I apologize.”

Gi-Gyu, Sung-Hoon, and the four men from the yellow sports car were inside the police station. Many saw their fight, the one they had in the middle of the street, and reported them to the police. The six players involved were arrested on the spot and were brought to the police station.

When Gi-Gyu saw one of the men he fought glaring at him, he asked, “What is it? You got something to say to me?”

The man was miserable: Both of his eyes were bruised, and his nose was still bleeding. His friends were in about the same sad condition. Watching these pathetic players, Gi-Gyu thought, ‘It was so hard controlling my strength when I was beating them up earlier.’

These men were supposed to be players just like him, yet they were so fragile that Gi-Gyu was afraid they would die if he used his full force. So he made sure to control his strength during the fight, which turned out to be more challenging than the entire fight. Gi-Gyu had to land his punches with such precision that he was left unsatisfied even after beating the daylights out of his opponents. 

The man, glaring at Gi-Gyu a moment ago, lowered his face in fear.

The policeman in charge announced, “They said they are on their way. It won’t be long, so please be patient.”

Gi-Gyu also lowered his face in shame and murmured, “Haa… This is so embarrassing.”

The fight earlier was between players, so the local police could deal with it. The association took care of all criminal cases involving players. Because this wasn’t a huge fight, the association wasn’t sending someone immediately. Had they used their abilities in a residential area, the Association Surveillance Department would’ve sent an agent right away. 

Had their fight taken place in a public place and resulted in significant damage, it was very likely the association’s Executive Department would’ve gotten involved. It would've sent someone immediately to carry out a non-judicial punishment. The penalty and repercussions of something like that could be enormous and complicated. 

Gi-Gyu mumbled, “For now, let’s not tell Tae-Shik hyung about this.”

“I agree.” Sung-Hoon nodded in agreement. Both men couldn’t hide their embarrassment. How could they have fought in the middle of a street like common thugs? It would have been inappropriate for Gi-Gyu to use his hired soldier status to get out of this situation. In fact, he took the white gold association ring off his finger earlier and hid it in his pocket. 

Just like the policeman promised, an agent from the association arrived shortly. He introduced himself to the police, “I’m Yeo Sung-Gu from the Association Surveillance Department. These are the men you called about?”

“Yes, we detained them after receiving a report about some men fighting on the street. But it turned out that they are players,” the policeman replied tensely. Finally, the ball was in the association’s court. 

Yeo Sung-Gu looked around to check out each man involved in this incident. When he spotted the driver of the yellow sports car, he paused. It was only for a moment, but Gi-Gyu immediately realized something was wrong. No one else noticed it, but Yeo Sung-Gu’s face turned dark.

The agent announced with a sigh, “Haa… You’ll all need to go to the association first.”

“All right,” Gi-Gyu replied and stood up. Since cases of such kind were usually dealt with inside the association building, the other men also didn’t say much and followed obediently. 

Outside, a car from the surveillance department was waiting. Oddly, the agent ignored Gi-Gyu and Sung-Hoon and moved farther away to talk privately with the yellow car group. Gi-Gyu whispered to Sung-Hoon, “Do you know that guy?”

“No, I belong to the portal maintenance team, a completely different department. And I don’t have any friends in the surveillance department,” replied Sung-Hoon as he shook his head. 

The four beaten-up men got into the association car. Yeo Sung-Gu walked up to Gi-Gyu and Sung-Hoon and offered, “Do you smoke?”

“No,” Gi-Gyu replied. 

“I do.” When Sung-Hoon nodded, the agent handed him a cigarette. The two smoked quietly while the white smoke clouded their vision a little. After a short silence, Yeo Sung-Gu began, “I’ve heard what happened from the police. Those guys were drunk driving, and they threatened you and made the first move. Am I correct?”

“Yes,” Gi-Gyu replied quietly. 

“And that’s when you assaulted them. They could barely move since they were intoxicated, but you still chose to fight those vulnerable men.”

“...” Gi-Gyu suddenly realized something was wrong as the agent continued, “So… They made the first move, but you made sure they couldn’t make the second. In other words, you beat a few vulnerable men to within an inch of their life for throwing a single punch.”

“That man tried to slap me first. And he thought I was a non-player.” When Gi-Gyu insisted, Yeo Sung-Gu sighed in frustration. He threw the cigarette on the ground and stepped on it before replying, “Do you know who the director of Phoenix Guild’s strategy department is? That guy’s father. This isn’t going to end well. Had you let them beat you up, you could’ve settled it with some money, but…”

“Are you telling me I should’ve let him beat me up?” Gi-Gyu frowned unhappily. Shaking his head, the agent replied, “But you hit him. Look at his face. Are you saying you believe you didn’t do anything wrong here?”

Gi-Gyu turned toward Sung-Hoon, who decided to let Gi-Gyu do whatever he wished. Turning toward the agent, Gi-Gyu continued, “That man thought I was a non-player, yet he—”

Yeo Sung-Gu interrupted Gi-Gyu and instructed, “Based on their injuries, I can tell you are a pretty high-level player. So you do know that the penalty increases with a player’s level, right? If there is a huge difference between the levels of two fighters, even the self-defense claim doesn’t apply. Didn’t you know?”

The agent was correct. If the gap between the two players was extreme, the self-defense claim didn’t apply in an assault case. A high-level player couldn’t fight back even if a lower-level player attacked them unless their opponent used a weapon or a special item. 

Gi-Gyu understood the logic behind this. If there was a significant level difference, the higher-level player could just ignore the lower-leveled player’s attack. Still, Gi-Gyu couldn’t help but feel furious. Yeo Sung-Gu, an association employee, should’ve been an impartial and objective judge of this case. Yet, the agent wasn’t worried about Gi-Gyu at all. He even told Gi-Gyu that he should just let it go since it was his fault. 

Trying his best to keep his voice calm, Gi-Gyu asked, “Are you feeling lazy right now?”

“Pardon?”

“If you are really from the surveillance department, why are you playing favorites? You shouldn’t try to twist this case into something you find easier to deal with.”

“W-what?” Yeo Sung-Go’s face reddened as he stammered. But he recovered quickly and smirked at Gi-Gyu. 

“Were you bribed by those men?” When Gi-Gyu guessed, Yeo Sung-Gu cleared his throat and turned away. 

“Khhmm.”

As if coming to a decision, the agent replied, “I was going to go easy on you, but I can see that you will not cooperate. We need to get to the association building first, so just get in the car. And give me your phones. I can’t have you do anything that will interfere with this investigation.”

Yeo Sung-Gu was annoyed, apparent by his disrespectful behavior toward Gi-Gyu. Sung-Hoon gasped when he asked for their phones, “What…?” 

Sung-Hoon tried to argue, but Gi-Gyu stopped him. By now, Gi-Gyu had a good idea of what this agent and the four men were planning. Gi-Gyu and Sung-Hoon got into the car silently. The other four men from the yellow sports car snickered as they watched Gi-Gyu. 

It was now clear that the four men and the agent were on the same side. Sung-Hoon grabbed Gi-Gyu’s wrist as his eyes hinted, ‘Not here.’

***

In the car, the four men refused to stop mocking Gi-Gyu. Gi-Gyu respectfully asked Yeo Sung-Gu to control them, but the agent ignored Gi-Gyu’s request. It appeared that the four men believed they had won. 

Something inside Gi-Gyu twitched. It was similar to anger, but it was something much more. Afraid it might explode at any time, Gi-Gyu clenched his fists tightly.

“Hmm…” Sung-Hoon looked out the window and said in confusion, “Where are we going? This isn’t the way to the association building.”

“Do you think you know everything about the association? You think you’re a surveillance department agent? You know nothing, so just keep your mouth shut,” replied Yeo Sung-Gu coldly. 

Gi-Gyu couldn't help smirking at the agent’s behavior. 

‘Sung-Hoon works in the association too, making him this agent’s colleague. Yet Yeo Sung-Gu is treating Sung-Hoon so rudely.’

Gi-Gyu unclenched his fists and leaned back comfortably. Noticing the change in Gi-Gyu’s energy, Sung-Hoon asked, “Are you all right?”

“Not really,” Gi-Gyu answered quietly. There was a simple term for what was going on: Farce. He has seen such stuff on the news, but he never expected to play a part in one. 

When the car stopped, Yeo Sung-Gu opened the door and announced, “Please exit the car.” The agent wasn’t talking to Gi-Gyu and Sung-Hoon. 

The yellow sports car driver answered, “We’ve arrived, Ahjussi?”

“Yes,” Yeo Sung-Gu answered with a smile. 

“Hehehe! Hey, you guys should get out too,” the one who picked the fight with Gi-Gyu leered and said to Gi-Gyu and Sung-Hoon. Then, he turned toward the agent and asked, “You called plenty of men here, right?”

“Yes, I’ve called enough to take care of these two. And just in case, I even invited a special gentleman here.” When Yeo Sung-Gu explained respectfully, the sports car driver shrugged and replied, “Oh, come on. Ahjussi, you overdid it. These jerks aren’t that strong.”

The four men exited the car, followed by Gi-Gyu and Sung-Hoon. Gi-Gyu saw that they were standing in front of an abandoned factory. They thought they were being driven to the association building, but instead, they arrived at an abandoned factory in the outskirts of Seoul.[1] The surrounding area was so isolated and quiet that even murder could easily go unnoticed. 

And that was most likely why Gi-Gyu and Sung-Hoon were brought here. 

Sung-Hoon murmured in genuine displeasure, “This is unbelievable.” He had no idea this kind of corruption dirtied his workplace, the association. 

“Well, I suppose a fish can rot from the tail up,” Gi-Gyu replied with a bitter smile. When the sports car driver saw Gi-Gyu and Sung-Hoon whispering leisurely, he shouted in annoyance, “What the hell are you guys yapping about? Just get inside!” 

Yeo Sung-Gu, standing nearby, mumbled, “I’m sorry about this.” Perhaps he still had a little conscience left inside him, but he didn’t do anything more to right the wrong. Atop that, Gi-Gyu couldn’t feel any genuine remorse from the agent. Yeo Sung-Gu was obviously in cahoots with the four men. This agent was bringing shame to the association name. 

Sung-Hoon asked quietly, “What are you planning to do?”

“Is there even a solution to this situation?” When Gi-Gyu asked, Sung-Hoon tilted his head in contemplation and replied, “I don’t know. But what if we can’t handle what’s waiting for us inside?”

“Then we better run, shouldn’t we?” Gi-Gyu and Sung-Hoon chatted lazily. With a smirk, Gi-Gyu continued, “Based on what I can feel from the inside of the factory, I don’t think we have anything to worry about. Besides, I have you with me, Sung-Hoon.”

Gi-Gyu and Sung-Hoon followed the men obediently. Gi-Gyu had assessed the players that were about to surround them, so he suggested, “We better take care of the corrupt men here and now. Men like them can never elevate our society, so… It would be better to get rid of them now so they can’t do any more damage. And Sung-Hoon, you might get a bonus if we take care of the corruption within the association.”

With a determined nod, Sung-Hoon followed Gi-Gyu into the building.

***

Before Gi-Gyu and Sung-Hoon could enter the building, several men in black suits searched them; Gi-Gyu and Sung-Hoon didn’t resist. The men took away Sung-Hoon’s spear, but they didn’t find anything on Gi-Gyu. More specifically, they couldn’t find anything on him. 

After the body search was completed, the men led Gi-Gyu and Sung-Hoon inside the factory. The place was filled with players, and Gi-Gyu could even feel someone with significant power hiding in the shadows. 

One of the men in black suits ordered, “Give me the dash cam memory card from your car.” When the man raised his hand toward Gi-Gyu, Gi-Gyu took it out from his pocket and replied, “You mean this?”

This memory card had the footage of what had happened earlier, so Gi-Gyu took it when he was taken to the police station. 

Gi-Gyu added, “But I don’t want to!”

“You bastard!” the man in the black suit swore as he took a step forward to take the memory card away from Gi-Gyu’s hand. But instead, he ended up stumbling as Gi-Gyu dodged him with incredible speed. 

The strongest player among the thugs present murmured, “I guess we have a strong one here.” Recognizing the man, Sung-Hoon tensed a little. But Gi-Gyu didn’t turn toward Sung-Hoon to ask. Instead, he looked at the player and asked, “You belong to the Phoenix Guild too?”

The powerful player murmured, “What a rude young man you are.” 

It wouldn’t take a genius to realize that everyone in this factory belonged to the Phoenix Guild. What confused Gi-Gyu was how much sway the strategy department director held inside the guild. How could a single director command so many members for his personal use? On top of that, what they were doing right now was illegal. The director position was undoubtedly a powerful one. However, Gi-Gyu was still having a hard time believing he could send so many powerful members just to cover up his son’s misdeed.

The culprit of this situation hid behind the black-suited players and yelled suddenly, “Idiot! You’re standing in front of the Phoenix Guild’s ranker, Choi Won-Jae!”

Gi-Gyu couldn’t help smiling as he watched the prodigal son. Didn’t he brag earlier that he was also a player? So why was he hiding behind the ranker like a coward? 

With a smirk on his face, Gi-Gyu mocked the ranker, “How can you call yourself a ranker when you obey an idiot like that? You must be so embarrassed for yourself.”

“...”

“You’re supposed to be a proud ranker, yet you spend your days wiping these bastards’ asses?”

“Ugh…” Choi Won-Jae’s face turned rigid in anger. Gi-Gyu usually didn’t enjoy swearing, but he didn’t exactly live a sheltered life. While working as a guide, he learned how to swear. But he learned the worst cuss words while working his various part-time jobs before becoming a player. 

When Gi-Gyu criticized him mercilessly, Choi Won-Jae’s face turned red. Still trying to sound calm, the ranker offered, “If you give us that memory card and let the Young Maste—I mean, this gentleman you assaulted earlier beat you until he feels better, we will let you live.”

Choi Won-Jae talked like he was making a generous offer. 

‘Young Master? So there is more to this than I thought, huh?’

The ranker’s slip of the tongue allowed Gi-Gyu to learn a bit more about this situation. Looking worried, Sung-Hoon whispered to Gi-Gyu, “You know that Choi Won-Jae is a pretty powerful ranker, right?”

“Don’t worry.” After reassuring Sung-Hoon, Gi-Gyu looked at Choi Won-Jae again and asked, “And what if I refuse to give you my memory card?”

“Then you’ll leave in a body bag.” With this threat, Choi Won-Jae began to move. Following his lead, the other Phoenix Guild members formed a circle around Gi-Gyu and Sung-Hoon. They were trying to prevent Gi-Gyu and Sung-Hoon from escaping the factory. It seemed like the men here had no intention of letting them live.

“Haa… I may be a novice driver, but all I did was try to get home,” Gi-Gyu murmured in frustration.

“I apologize,” Sung-Hoon replied as if everything was his fault.  

“No, there is no need for you to apologize, Sung-Hoon,” announced Gi-Gyu as he began stretching his neck. 

-Will you be okay?

Lou asked.

‘Of course.’

-But you need to remember that they are still humans.

Gi-Gyu grinned at Lou’s warning as he turned the Ego into a sword. He muttered, “They aren’t human. They’re nothing more than garbage.”

Noticing the sword that appeared out of nowhere, the Phoenix Guild members exclaimed, “W-where did that sword come from?”

“It must be a rare item!” 

Right before everyone’s eyes, a red and a white sword appeared in Gi-Gyu’s hands. 

1. Seoul is the capital city of Korea. ☜