“What kind of test?” Kim Dong-Hae gulped and asked, while Sun-Pil remained quiet. Watching the two players, Gi-Gyu smiled bitterly. 

Gi-Gyu explained, “I am planning something right now. I need to fight a powerful enemy, but I cannot tell you who it is until the day of the battle.” Gi-Gyu slowly turned toward Dong-Hae from Sun-Pil and continued, “It’s something big, so I can’t have a leak. It’ll ruin my plan.” 

Dong-Hae and Sun-Pil nodded as they understood the importance of keeping secrets. Gi-Gyu added, “When the D-Day is close at hand, I will tell you the time and the place. If you bring all available players to the place, I will tell you my plan. You can, of course, refuse me at any time, including D-Day. However, if you help me”—Gi-Gyu looked at Dong-Hae and Sun-Pil, who gulped audibly, with a faint smile—“You can consider me the closest ally of both your guilds.”

Dong-Hae and Sun-Pil were hesitant for a while before Sun-Pil said, “Gi-Gyu hyung, couldn’t you tell me your plan in advance? I want to know the type and the number of players I would need. I also need to know what kind of preparations I should make.” 

The request was reasonable since Gi-Gyu asked them to fight an unknown but powerful force. It was bound to be a perilous battle, so both parties wanted to make necessary preparations. It was apparent Dong-Hae agreed since he didn’t object. 

Gi-Gyu turned toward Sun-Pil and firmly replied, “Just bring your true-blue elites. Your guilds weren’t part of my plan, so any help you provide will be a bonus.” 

“But…” Hesitant, Sun-Pil studied Gi-Gyu. Suddenly, the day darkened as Gi-Gyu closed his eyes, eerily down the cafe temperature. Dong-Hae and Sun-Pil’s eyes widened in confusion as Gi-Gyu stated, “If I do as you ask and tell you of my plan”—Gi-Gyu opened his eyes again—“and you refuse my request, I will have to take care of you two for security reasons. I really don’t want to hurt you.”

Nothing in both of their bodies dared to make a sound at that moment. 

***

-Don’t you think you cornered them too harshly?

Lou asked in a monotone. 

“Is making alliances supposed to be easy? That’s why I called it a test. The parties involved in a true alliance protect their combined interest without hesitation, disregarding the risks,” as if offended, Gi-Gyu protested.

-I think you’re just becoming cold.

“Well, you guys would be the first to notice any changes in my personality, right?”

Brunheart shouted cheerfully.

-I like you no matter what, Master! Yayyyyyyyy!!!!!!

After Brunheart stopped shrieking in excitement, El spoke.

-Master, Lou is an evil sword. On top of that, you are…

When El paused, Gi-Gyu asked, “I didn’t quite catch that, El. Can you repeat?” Gi-Gyu wanted to hear what she had to say, but she refused to answer despite his prodding. 

Lou murmured in annoyance.

-What a mess.

Gi-Gyu was sure Lou would be shaking his head in frustration if he had one. Then, he ignored his thought, completed the task at hand, and announced, “I’m done.”

After spending most of his money on crystals, Gi-Gyu used the rest to renovate his home basement. He often had to test new skills, so he had to find a deserted area in the Tower each time, which was a waste of time. Besides, even if he found an area, it would usually be open; that meant many risks.

So, Gi-Gyu just bought several pieces of equipment and redid his basement. Sure it took some time, but the final result was worth it. 

“Last piece goes here and…” Gi-Gyu inserted a crystal into a small sphere in the middle of his basement. It was the last step in setting the best barrier money could buy, which Tae-Shik got him recently. Since he would test his skills here, he needed a heavy-duty item that could protect his family upstairs. He borrowed it from Tae-Shik, but he planned on buying it once the whole situation was over.  

Whir…

As a subdued vibration rang in the basement, the magical barrier slowly began to cover the basement; before long, the renovation was complete. The basement wasn’t huge, but it was enough to test his new skills. 

“I better buy this whole neighborhood once I have more money.” He planned on having a private training hall near his home. And ever since he realized he could earn money easily, this stopped being a far-fetched dream. 

Sitting on the floor, Gi-Gyu began to organize his thoughts. He recently gained so many new skills that he needed more time to go through them. 

“All right, Cannibalism, Lou’s Black Magic… Plus, all the skills from using Black Magic on other Egos. Oh, and I haven’t tried Grant and the evil eye. Hmm… Is that all?” Gi-Gyu counted the new skills by using his fingers. He murmured to Lou, “I feel I now have a basic understanding of Cannibalism: I know its limitations and how it works. Overall, I’m happy with what I’ve learned.”

Gi-Gyu had toured more gates during the last few weeks than his entire life. There, he used Cannibalism a lot and learned that there was a limit to how many skills he could absorb. Cannibalism’s might was proportional to Gi-Gyu’s stats since Lou said Gi-Gyu’s shell was too weak for more skills. Everything seemed to depend on the quality of his “shell” now. 

“Maybe it’s all about my level,” Gi-Gyu postulated since a player’s “shell” became stronger as they leveled up. In simple words, an increase in a player’s level meant a stronger shell, which, in turn, meant more abilities and skills. 

Unfortunately, Gi-Gyu was still at Level 1; since he wasn’t leveling up, it was likely that his shell wasn’t growing either. 

-It doesn’t make sense, though. How can a weak shell house both El and me? 

Lou spoke in disbelief. Gi-Gyu wasn’t happy with all the limitations hindering his progress, but he hid his doubts and concerns. “I guess I should be thankful that my shell can grow as Brunheart’s gate grows.”

-I’m so happy to be a help to you, Masterrrr! 

Brunheart announced in his adorable voice. Gi-Gyu patted the sphere in his chest and asked, “Lou, what are the advantages of you awakening as the Master of Black Magic and Evil Swords?”

Gi-Gyu called up Lou’s status screen.

[Lou]

[Title: Master of Black Magic and Evil Swords]

[Level 98]

[Power: 141]

[Speed: 159]

[Stamina: 111]

[Magic: 188]

[Immunity to poison: 10%, Immunity to flame: 5%, Defense 6.7%, Immunity to heat 10%, Magic affinity increased]

-Abilities-

[Accessory]

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

[Strong Will: When suffering unbearable damage, it can provide a quick stamina recovery.]

[Berserk: Temporarily increases strength at the cost of your sanity.]

[Thundering Feet: You can stomp your feet to create a mild vibration.]

[Body of Steel: It can increase your defense by 10%.]

[Black Magic: Bless the other Egos with black magic.]

[Absorbed Devil: Fragment of Perez.]

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

“It’s so long now.” Gi-Gyu frowned as he read through Lou’s long status screen. He couldn’t get more than ten lines on his status screen no matter how hard he worked. However, Lou had so many skills that just processing them was a chore. 

Lou’s current skill limit was five, and all five slots were occupied now. Thankfully, he could reuse the slots by dropping the skills occupying them. 

-I can’t believe you’re jealous of my status screen.

“It’s not jealousy I’m feeling.” Gi-Gyu understood that strong Egos meant strong him. So, he wasn’t jealous; frustration would be the more accurate word. The stronger his Egos got, the more of his shell they took up, i.e., he had to give up personal growth to support his Egos' growth.  

Gi-Gyu sighed and asked, “Haa… Never mind. Did you gain anything from this awakening?”

-Are Black Magic, significantly increased magic affinity, and exponentially better magic stat not enough for you? Man, you’re the worst kind of gold digger. 

Gi-Gyu shook his head and replied, “No, it’s plenty. I was just curious if there was anything I missed.”

-Well…

Lou thought for a moment before continuing.

-Things might change if we meet anyone who uses black magic or evil swords.

For a moment, Gi-Gyu thought he could feel Lou smiling. He replied, “So nothing to do or check at the moment?” 

-Nope.

“I know the effect of Black Magic on other Egos depends on their personalities and abilities. And that should be enough for now."

Gi-Gyu had already used Black Magic several times before. And he concluded that Black Magic could give him and the other Egos additional skills if he and Lou became stronger. 

“Only Grant and evil eye are left now.” 

Considering the importance of the upcoming battle, Gi-Gyu had to learn everything about these two things. He had been concentrating for hours now, so he closed his eyes and announced, “I need to eat first.” 

***

After a simple meal with his family, Gi-Gyu returned to the basement. The only new thing was that Tae-Shik now ate with his family. His family also understood Gi-Gyu’s constant absence since they knew he was working on something big. 

“Let’s focus on the evil eye for now.” He believed that Grant would take just as much time as Combination did, so he decided it was more efficient to concentrate on the evil eye. 

“Lou, tell me everything you know about the evil eye,” asked Gi-Gyu.

-I told you what I know already. It can see someone for what they really are. Also, you can control pretty much everything evil: Swords, monsters, the whole shebang.”

“Control?”

-That’s right.

Lou hesitated before continuing, 

-But there is something I didn't tell you.

“What is it?”

-I don’t know if the problem is with you or that wench, Lucifer. But the point is, your evil eye is a bit strange. Evil eyes come in a pair, but you only have one.

Lou seemed very irritated as he continued,

-I’m not sure if yours is just tainted, or it was different, to begin with. All I can say is that you need to meet Lucifer to find the answer.

Lou became quiet, as if he didn’t want to talk anymore. Gi-Gyu could understand Lou’s frustration. Lou was the master of all that was evil, so even though he let go of his memories, he couldn’t let go of his pride. Losing everything he had in the past must’ve been stressful to the Ego, so Gi-Gyu didn’t nag any further. 

“Well then, there is just one thing left.” Gi-Gyu undid Bi from his neck and murmured, “Grant.”