Chapter 242

Chapter 242. Growth (7)

“You’re…”

Lim Hye-Sook paused, seemingly unable to continue. The awkward silence this time was particularly long.

Gi-Gyu’s true identity was like the ending of an acclaimed whodunit mystery. The end twist was here.

“You aren’t a weaker version.”

“…”

“Well, I suppose it would depend on whom you talk to. If they insist you’re the weaker version, they wouldn’t exactly be wrong. But…” Lim Hye-Sook finally seemed ready.

“You are Jupiter’s body. You are what Kronos is seeking. Throughout history, Gaia made different versions of her family, which always included herself, Kronos, and Jupiter. And in every generation, they loved each other. Gaia and Kronos always fell in love and always had a child together. The child would always have Jupiter’s real physical form. It was as if Gaia wanted to give this child all the love she had for Jupiter.”

Gi-Gyu had suspected this for a long time. In summary, Kronos was looking for Jupiter’s physical body on Earth, and the body…

Gi-Gyu asked quietly, “So, my body belongs to Jupiter. Does that mean my psyche is just a weak knockoff of Jupiter’s?”

“Technically, yes. Gaia created your mind but gave you free will. She loved Jupiter, but since his consciousness was locked away, she created a new existence befitting his body.”

Gi-Gyu couldn’t say anything.

To be born as a mere placeholder.

To be synthesized for a purpose.

Anyone in his shoes would have felt the same emotions as him.

Gi-Gyu felt empty and worthless.

He moved his finger; his own body seemed strange to him now. Everything felt unfamiliar, and his senses felt dull.

Lim Hye-Sook murmured, “Don’t feel too upset about this. Gaia did create your mind’s foundation, but you alone accomplished everything that makes you what you are.”

“All right,” Gi-Gyu replied.

The story wasn’t quite over yet. Lim Hye-Sook continued, “Gaia had no plans of ever introducing magic to Earth. However, Earth has a piece of all the old worlds, so they, especially the rulers…”

“They regained their consciousness, and magic was reawakened,” Gi-Gyu finished her sentence.

“Exactly. History repeats, I guess. It was weak, but magic still existed on earth, and… Some anticipated this and prepared for it. A good example would be Kronos, your father.”

“Kim Se-Jin, a different version of Kronos, was created to be however Gaia wanted him to be. Kim Se-Jin resembled the pre-insane Kronos. The one Gaia used to love. Kim Se-Jin anticipated what was to come and prepared by gathering power.”

Soo-Jung took over the story and added, “He waited for the day when another version of him would arrive to take his son.”

Since Kronos wanted Jupiter’s body, he was bound to escape the Tower, where he was trapped, to steal Kim Se-Jin’s son.

“And Kronos finally came,” Lim Hye-Sook explained.

“…!”

“All the preparations were completed, and your father had become the strongest human. Sadly, it was all for naught. Kronos was no longer a simple dimensional ruler; he had become an entity closest to being God. Your father’s death and what happened to your mother… You probably thought it was just an accident, right?”

Could it be…

“It was actually a fight between two Kronos. A battle between the real and the fake. Your father, who was the weaker version, couldn’t win. He lost, and you were stolen.”

“Kronos,” Gi-Gyu whispered. So Kronos was responsible for his father’s death and his mother's injury?

Lim Hye-Sook continued, “Since Kronos had succeeded in kidnapping you, we all thought it was over. Once Kronos took Jupiter’s body, there was no way to fight him.”

“We?”

“I’m talking about the mercenaries. Kim Se-Jin proposed the formation of this group. Its purpose has since changed; originally, it was created to protect you. It was like a group of bodyguards for you. The very first high-rankers, including Oh Tae-Gu, fought Kronos.”

“…!” Gi-Gyu couldn’t even count how many times he had been shocked today. Association President Oh Tae-Gu knew about him, and the entire mercenary system was put in place to protect him. However, Gi-Gyu couldn’t focus on these new findings.

‘Father.’

The one memory he had of his father…

That man glaring at him…

He wasn’t Kim Gi-Gyu’s father.

He was Jupiter’s father and the ghost that wanted to take over the universe.

“But it was then when Jupiter’s old consciousness awakened,” Lim Hye-Sook resumed.

“What happened then?”

“It was a miracle and a disaster.”

‘Miracle? Disaster?’

“You’re connected to Kronos.” Lim Hye-Sook’s eyes darkened.

***

“After syncing with Kronos, you began stealing everything from him. You were like a massive all-swallowing storm. It was abrupt and quick.”

“…”

“You received all the memories Kronos held inside Chaos, and the memories and powers formed when God, Chaos, Kronos, and everything else merged. Kronos was weakened instantly and had no choice but to retreat.”

So Kronos ran after he was defeated.

“However, the problematic situation only grew after that, as you became uncontrollable. Jupiter’s consciousness molded into something terrible after years of oppression, and everything from Kronos combined inside your small immature body. The combination lead to nothing but utter bedlam.”

“You mean…”

“Kronos defeated your father but didn’t kill him. I don’t know why Kronos let him live. Was it because Kim Se-Jin looked like him? Or was it because Kronos saw his old self in Kim Se-Jin? Either way, Kim Se-Jin and your mother survived, so we thought we had hope.”

Gi-Gyu got a bad feeling from this.

“They summoned all of their power and life to…”

Gi-Gyu didn’t want to hear this anymore, but Lim Hye-Sook pushed on.

“Imprison Jupiter’s consciousness and power. With help from Gaia, of course.”

“Was it because of me…? Did Father die and Mother got hurt so badly because of…” Gi-Gyu whispered.

Another silence fell in the room.

“That’s correct. Your father died while trapping Jupiter again. And your mother was also wounded badly then. Now, have I answered all of your questions?”

Lim Hye-Sook had been blunt, too blunt. Had the egofication process removed her empathy? No. She could’ve lost her empathy, but she was now unconditionally loyal to Gi-Gyu, so she would never do anything to hurt him.

Lim Hye-Sook had told the truth for his own good. This story was the beginning of everything.

Gi-Gyu’s hands trembled, feeling a wave of misery repeatedly hitting his consciousness.

“My mother… Does she remember everything? And what about my sister, Yoo-Jung?”

“Your mother lost a lot of her memory from what happened. But I’m certain she remembers at least some part of it,” Lim Hye-Sook replied.

‘Ahh…’ Gi-Gyu felt like he was about to moan in pain. His mother lost her husband and suffered terrible wounds because of him; nonetheless, she didn’t stop loving him.

Lim Hye-Sook added, “And Yoo-Jung was an exception. She has nothing to do with Gaia and her plan. She is a simple human, but since she’s related to you, perhaps she is special too.”

Gi-Gyu was relieved. If Yoo-Jung also had a painful past, he didn’t think he could endure it.

“I have one more question…” Gi-Gyu was ready to ask the final question.

“Advisor Lim Hye-Sook and Soo-Jung… Who are you?” asked Gi-Gyu.

He found it so strange that these two women knew everything about him.

***

The first time they met, Soo-Jung hadn’t known anything about him. The Evil Eye, her specialty, should have allowed her to see through him and learn his true identity. So Gi-Gyu found it strange that she only found out about him later.

It was the same with Lim Hye-Sook. She also didn’t recognize Gi-Gyu when she had first seen him. When they met in the hospital, she had acted like she was looking into his future like a fortune teller. Still, it was clear she didn’t know about Gi-Gyu’s past.

And her conduct didn’t change even when they met again inside a gate. Only when she had tried to restore his shell after Lou’s descent did she learn the truth. How late she realized who he was seemed so strange.

Shouldn't they have recognized him on their first meeting if these two women had always known so much about him?

Or…

“If you have always known everything, why didn’t you find me when I was a weak player?” Gi-Gyu asked. If he was such an important figure, someone with Jupiter’s body, they would have come to him much sooner.

‘Although I’m not sure that if they did, they would have come with good intentions.’ Gi-Gyu thought. Sadly, there was no way of validating the thought.

And there was one more thing Gi-Gyu couldn’t understand.

“If you and Soo-Jung are telling the truth, I’m not the only significant figure in this story. My family seems valuable too. Yet no one came to find us. Ever.”

Again, if someone had come, their intention, probably, wouldn’t have been the best.

Gi-Gyu asked, “So don’t you think this is odd?”

“It couldn’t be helped.” Lim Hye-Sook answered, “Because we also just found out.”

“But that doesn’t make sense. You just told me events of the past, something from your memories, Advisor Lim Hye-Sook,” Gi-Gyu insisted. Because Lim Hye-Sook was synced with him, Gi-Gyu could read her feelings and thoughts.

Soo-Jung explained, “Yes, you’re right. But what she said is true as well. We have known all of these things for a long time. However, there is a reason we couldn’t find you and your family before or realize who you were hitherto. This is the truth.”

Gi-Gyu became confused.

Lim Hye-Sook helped him understand.

“It was because of Kronos, more accurately, Kim Se-Jin.”

Lim Hye-Sook continued, “It was the seal he placed on you, which was meant for Jupiter’s body. He used everything he had for it, including the part of Kronos’ power he obtained and his own life. Kim Se-Jin hoped that you would live a normal life.”

She glanced at Gi-Gyu’s wrist and added, “The weapon he obtained from Kronos, the Scythe of Time, allowed him to do this. He was special. I wonder if it were because he was Kronos’ reflection. Or maybe Kim Se-Jin was always special in his own right. Gaia probably made a mistake; all in all, your father had great abilities. He could form the Scythe of Time, the very same one Kronos lost.”

‘The Scythe of Time…’

“That watch he gave you ensured your anonymity. It even hid the seal’s existence from you yourself. It also suppressed your growth…”

“So the reason I couldn’t level up was that…” Gi-Gyu mumbled. ‘Wait. If this were true, I should have been able to level now since Kronos took his watch.’

Lim Hye-Sook replied, “But I think the reason’s something else; I just don’t know what. Kronos didn’t say much about your seal. Anyway, we couldn’t recognize you or your family because of it. The more we tried to contact you, the more we remembered, but it wasn’t enough until now. This is why we’re telling you the story now.”

Finally, everything made sense to Gi-Gyu.

His father.

The one who died for him was…

“Kim Se-Jin loved you with all of his heart. That’s why he placed that seal inside you. I know things were tough for you, but he probably believed that avoiding your fate would benefit you in the end.” Soo-Jung looked at him with kind eyes.

Lim Hye-Sook whispered, “Kim Se-Jin only trusted two people. They were the only ones who remembered the truth to some extent. Kim Se-Jin probably planned this on purpose for your safety. These two men stayed by your side and tried their best to hide you. It is partly their fault we didn’t recognize you sooner.”

“…?”

“You can hear more about this from them in person later. Right now, we don’t have much time,” Lim Hye-Sook announced.

Gi-Gyu agreed. He could guess the two men’s identities and planned on getting their explanation later. He didn’t want the secrets of the seal from them; he just wanted to hear their version of his father's intentions.

Gi-Gyu replied, “All right. Does this mean all the high-rankers know about me now?”

His body was Jupiter’s physical form. Therefore, there had to be those who wanted to take it for themselves.

“No, not really.” Soo-Jung answered, “Even if you’re a high ranker, you won’t have unrestricted access to this information. After all, they are all weaker versions of their originals. Gaia didn’t give her permission to just anyone. Creating them would have been pointless if everyone had all the information.”

Gi-Gyu nodded in understanding. Gaia made these players and allowed them to grow to protect this world. She wouldn’t have done so if they wanted to turn against her.

“Only a few are special enough. For example, me and my old teacher here,” Soo-Jung added. She was referring to this world’s very first high-rankers, the forerunners. Gi-Gyu pieced the rest of the puzzle without Soo-Jung’s help. He still had to hear the specific details, but he was feeling much better now.

His hands had stopped trembling. Was it because he had heard about his father now? Gi-Gyu wanted to hear more about his mother and Yoo-Jung, but now wasn’t the time.

“So what Ha Song-Su said to me… And why Andras is targeting me must be because…”

“Adam. Your body is the only successful product of Project Adam. So they want your body,” Soo-Jung answered.

It was finally clear why Andras wanted him.

“Wait, the only successful product?” asked Gi-Gyu. Was Soo-Jung saying that Ha Song-Su wasn’t a success?

“Ha Song-Su isn’t perfect. He’s close, but… It’s hard to explain. There is something strange about his form. This has to be why we survived his attack. And probably why he hasn’t made another appearance since that battle. I’m guessing Andras and Ironshield are desperate to complete Ha Song-Su; consequently, they are staying hidden.”

This explained why Andras and Ironshield were nowhere to be seen. All the new and shocking information was making him dizzy.

Lou suddenly chimed in and said, “Well, we at least know one thing for sure.”

Gi-Gyu turned toward him.

Lou added, “Your stupidity isn’t just your fault.”

“…?” Gi-Gyu looked at him questioningly.

Soo-Jung and Lim Hye-Sook agreed.

“That’s true…”

“You are right about that.”

“…?” Gi-Gyu’s eyes widened even more.

El and Yoo-Bin didn’t say a word, but they had the same understanding expression as Lou.

Lou explained, “I’m saying that Gaia purposefully made you like this.”

“What?”

“The smarter you are and the clearer your mind is, the riskier syncing with anything becomes. The thoughts, feelings, and ideas of your sync targets will continuously affect you, making going insane seem like a sweet release. Get it?”

“…”

“That is why Gaia made you like this. You’re stupid because she didn’t want you to lose yourself. You should be thankful that you can think at all.”

Something felt wrong and…

Gi-Gyu felt annoyed and confused.

Soo-Jung smiled at him and offered, “Now, we’ll tell you what you need to do. Go to the 60th floor. How much do you know about the 60th-floor test?”

“A little, but…”

“See? Just blame Gaia for him being so slow,” Lou mocked.

For some reason, Gi-Gyu was beginning to be resentful toward Gaia.

Watching him in amusement, Soo-Jung said lightly, “The 60th-floor test… It’s hard to explain. I guess it’s like a chamber of time and mind?”

“What do you mean?”

“Well… All of your senses will disappear, and only your mind will remain with you. The whole point of the test is to survive a specified amount of time.”

Gi-Gyu understood what Soo-Jung was saying, but…

He protested, “Why should I go there now? We don’t have much time to waste—”

“No, we have plenty of time.” Soo-Jung explained, “Ha Song-Su can’t make a move for at least the next four months. It might be even longer. Perfecting him as an Adam will take a long time.”

“…”

“Do you think he came out unscathed from our last skirmish? We did our best and left some dents on him too. Our enemies can’t launch another attack before repairing and perfecting him. Do you think it was just a coincidence that Andras didn’t show up when you fought Asmodeus?”

Soo-Jung emphasized each word as she said to him, “You’re strong now. You don’t have to fear them.”

“…”

“Without Ha Song-Su, they wouldn’t even dare to attack you. They wouldn’t harm us either because they think you’re with us. There is just one unknown: The probability of another hell king’s appearance. We still don’t know much about what’s happening in that world. Even Baal won’t tell me about things like that.”

Soo-Jung stretched her arms and stood up. It seemed that, just like everyone else in the room, she was tired from having to finish such a long story.

“And besides, we can deal with the hell kings ourselves. Everyone gets a different amount of time in that test, but it shouldn’t take more than three months. I’m certain of this. Trust me.”

“Three months,” Gi-Gyu muttered. ‘Is it really okay for me to waste three months during such an important period?’

“I told you we can handle it here. What you need to do is to spend this time organizing your thoughts and improving your abilities. And lastly”—Soo-Jung narrowed her eyes—“Jupiter. Consider what you have heard about him here and decide what to do with him.”

The things Gi-Gyu had learned about Jupiter today, what he had felt while using God’s power through the metal chains, the fact they couldn’t be separated…

And…

‘This was probably Gaia’s plan all along.’

Gi-Gyu knew that at this rate, Jupiter’s seal would soon disappear; it would devour him. Their situations would switch.

Therefore, Gi-Gyu had to resolve this situation.

“Now, go get stronger. We’ll discuss the rest when you get back.” Soo-Jung left the room.

Those still in the room were silent, lost in their thoughts.

***

That was a year ago.

But on Earth, only three months had passed.

Gi-Gyu passed the 60th-floor test. He shivered a little, realizing his Egos weren’t in good condition. Despite being in the Tower, he could accurately sense their feelings and health.