‘Name?’

‘Decide his name?’

-I asked you to give me a name!

One name suddenly popped in Gi-Gyu’s head after hearing the boy’s frustrated screams. Gi-Gyu said, “Lou.”

-What?

“You asked me to name you, so you are ‘Lou’ from now on.”

As if in a trance, the boy said nothing, and a short silence fell in the area.

-Alright.

“…”

-I like it. From now on, my name is “Lou.” Call me “Lou.”

[You have synced with Ego.]

[You have successfully synced with Ego named “Lou.”]

[“Lou” shall belong to you from now on.]

[You can now access “Lou’s” information.]

The system voice continued to make announcements. It announced so many things that Gi-Gyu found his mind drowning in automated notifications.

-I’m disappointed I have an idiot for a master, but I guess I have no other choice.

The sheer rudeness of the brat—uhm, I mean boy, made Gi-Gyu wanna faint.

***

“Doctor! The patient is conscious!” a nurse yelled.

“Call his family and check his vitals,” the doctor ordered.

“Yes, Doctor!” The nurse replied.

Gi-Gyu's head pounded as if his heart was inside his skull.

‘What’s that sound?’

A cocktail of various noises and sounds tickled his ears as he regained consciousness. Unfortunately, he couldn’t hear very well because his ears were waterlogged. His eyes refused to open, he felt unreasonably cold, he was shivering feverishly, and his brain was begging for more time in slumberland.

‘Should I just go back to sleep?’

The throbbing, the cold, the pain and all seemed to be inviting him into a comfortable eternal slumber. The fatigue made him crave sleep like a deranged junkie.

“Oppa…” Yoo-Jung whispered.

“Yoo-Jung…?” When Gi-Gyu heard his sister’s voice, his eyes flew open, and his previously stiff jaw magically moved.

“Oppa?! Can you hear me?!” Yoo-Jung exclaimed.

“What the… Where am I?” Gi-Gyu asked in confusion. His eyes were blurry, so he couldn’t see much, but he quickly realized where he was.

‘It smells like medicine.’

He was in a hospital. His sight and hearing slowly returned; soon, he could see Yoo-Jung staring at him worriedly.

“Oppa! Are you okay?” Yoo-Jung asked.

“Gi-Gyu!” Tae-Shik yelled in panic.

“You can’t yell in here!” a nurse warned them.

The door burst open, and a man hurried inside. The newcomer who interrupted Yoo-Jung was none other than Oh Tae-Shik. Noticing Tae-Shik’s rapid approach, Gi-Gyu asked, “Why am I in the hospital?”

His memory was too fuzzy for him to recall anything.

“Don’t you remember?” Tae-Shik asked.

“No, I… I… Why can’t I remember?”

Hug.

“Thank god, Gi-Gyu,” Tae-Shik murmured as he hugged Gi-Gyu.

“We need to do some tests on the patient.” The heartwarming scene was abruptly interrupted by the doctor.

“Oh, okay. I’ll talk to you later.” Tae-Shik left when the doctor entered the room. Gi-Gyu suspected that Tae-Shik left his work in the middle of the day to see him. Meanwhile, Yoo-Jung also left with Tae-Shik to let the doctor conduct his examination.

The doctor asked him a few simple questions and then examined his body. After the check-up, the doctor said, “Everything looks fine. Since you have regained your consciousness, we’ll proceed with some tests.”

“Umm… Alright,” Gi-Gyu answered, still a bit confused.

When the doctor left the room, Yoo-Jung returned and murmured, “Thank goodness. I’m so relieved.”

“So why am I in the hospital?” Gi-Gyu asked.

“You were found near the fifth-floor landmark. The people from the association found you unconscious and brought you to this hospital.”

“I was found near the fifth-floor landmark?”

There was another question Gi-Gyu wanted to ask, but he knew Yoo-Jung wouldn't know the answer. Yoo-Jung replied, “Yeah. I don’t know the details. Mr. Tae-Shik told me that you got hurt while trying to save other people.”

“What?” Gi-Gyu asked in surprise.

“I’m still trying to process everything that happened, Oppa. Gosh… But I’m so thankful that you’re finally awake. I need to go check on Mom, so I’ll come back later. You need to rest,” Yoo-Jung said to him.

“Okay. Please tell Mom I’m fine.”

Yoo-Jung left the room and closed the door behind her. Left alone, Gi-Gyu wondered, ‘What happened?’ He vaguely remembered the rude boy’s voice, not much else.

‘I don’t know what happened.’

No matter how hard he tried, Gi-Gyu couldn’t figure out what had happened to him.

***

After finishing the day’s work, Tae-Shik revisited Gi-Gyu in the evening. Gi-Gyu asked, “So what happened to me?”

“You still can’t remember?”

Gi-Gyu shook his head and replied, “I’m starting to remember bits and pieces of it; the whole picture is still unclear. I remember our party meeting a guardian and hiding in a cave. Then, I went outside to set off firecrackers, right?”

“That’s right.”

“Outside, I met the guardian again, so I ran away and set off the firecrackers… Oh! How’s Ha-Neul?” Gi-Gyu asked suddenly.

Tae-Shik laughed and teased, “Don’t you think you should be more worried about your own health right now?”

“But I’m fine,” Gi-Gyu protested.

“Ha-Neul is fine. The players hunting near the area saw your firecrackers and rushed to help. Thankfully, there was a guild near where you were. The guardian escaped, but they were able to track your moves and found the group hiding in the cave,” Tae-Shik explained patiently.

“I’m glad to hear that,” Gi-Gyu answered with relief. Just then, Tae-Shik’s face became a little serious. He asked, “So what happened?”

“What do you mean?”

“You weren’t found in front of the fifth-floor entrance. You were found collapsed near the portal landmark at the end of the fifth floor. That must mean…”

When Tae-Shik looked at Gi-Gyu expectantly, Gi-Gyu asked rhetorically, “It must mean I passed the test, right?”

“Indeed.”

The calm on Gi-Gyu’s face seemed comical to Tae-Shik, so he laughed and said, “Gi-Gyu! Congratulations!”

“I still don’t know what happened exactly. My memories are still really spotty.”

“Just rest for now. Player Kim Sun-Pil will be visiting you soon. When you were unconscious, he visited you every day,” Tae-Shik reassured Gi-Gyu.

“I was unconscious for days?” Gi-Gyu asked with surprise. He couldn’t precisely gauge how long he was out for, but even his best guess wasn’t close to reality.

“About two weeks,” Tae-Shik answered.

“Two weeks?!”

“Yeah, but don’t worry. Your hospital bill was covered by the insurance.”

“Thank goodness,” Gi-Gyu said.

“I recall you saying that you haven’t rested properly since you were seriously injured by a goblin. Take this opportunity to rest and relax. I’ll talk to you later,” Tae-Shik said his farewell.

“Okay.”

***

“Gi-Gyu!”

“Guide!”

Jae-Won and Ha-Neul rushed toward Gi-Gyu and grabbed his hands. Gi-Gyu gave them a warm smile and squeezed their hands. He was happy to see that all the players looked perfectly healthy. Jae-Won said to Gi-Gyu, “Thank you so much.”

“I heard you left the cave because of me, Guide…” Ha-Neul murmured.

“That’s not true. I’m just glad you’re okay now,” Gi-Gyu replied.

Then, Sun-Pil, his group members, and Gi-Gyu walked to the break room together. Gi-Gyu said, “I’m so relieved you’re all okay.”

“We’re also glad you’re okay, Guide,” Jae-Won replied.

“Have you recovered fully now?” Ha-Neul asked.

They chatted for a long time in the break room. There, Jae-Won and Ha-Neul explained that soon after Gi-Gyu left the cave, the players hunting nearby arrived to help them. Apparently, Ha-Neul’s condition was severe; thankfully, a healer was there to help. They also told Gi-Gyu that even as they were being rescued, Jae-Won and Sun-Pil insisted on searching for him.

The group talked for hours as if they were long-lost friends.

Sun-Pil explained, “Jae-Won and I really wanted to go back to find you when we heard the firecrackers’ epicenter was a mass.”

Gi-Gyu remembered what happened at the entrance to the fifth floor. The players told him the guardian orc was rampaging in the area, but it had escaped by the time the guild arrived.

“Everyone thought you were dead, Gi-Gyu. But Jae-Won and I believed you were still alive, which was why we tried to go back for you…” Sun-Pil murmured apologetically.

“We’re sorry,” Jae-Won added.

Since the guardian had escaped, sending two players seeking the unknown made no sense. So, they were advised to request help from the association, which is precisely what they did. When Sun-Pil and the rest slumped with guilt, Gi-Gyu said, “It’s alright; It was my choice. A player must be responsible for his own life after all.”

“That’s true.” The players nodded.

While staring at Gi-Gyu with obvious curiosity, Ha-Neul asked, “By the way, Guide, I heard that you were found at the fifth-floor landmark. Is that true?”

“Yes. I don’t remember it, but that’s what I was told as well," Gi-Gyu answered calmly.

Ha-Neul inquired further, “So does that mean you passed the test?”

Gi-Gyu shook his head and replied, “I don’t remember.”

“Oh! I’m so sorry I asked,” Ha-Neul apologized.

“That’s alright.”

After Ha-Neul’s questions, Gi-Gyu and the players continued their conversation. Sun-Pil relayed a message to Gi-Gyu, “Suk-Woo couldn’t make it because he’s too busy. He asked me to tell you he’s sorry.”

“Thank you,” Gi-Gyu replied, and the other players offered, “If you ever need any help, please call us. We’ll do everything we can.”

Gi-Gyu laughed and replied, “Same goes for me. Please let me know if you need anything.”

***

Gi-Gyu was dismissed from the hospital a few days later. As soon as his presiding doctor gave him a clean chit, he signed the discharge paper.

Yoo-Jung asked, “So you saved those players, Oppa?”

“Yeah,” Gi-Gyu replied.

“I don’t want you to give up your life for other people. You’ve already sacrificed yourself for this family—that’s more than enough,” Yoo-Jung grumbled.

“That’s not true. I don't consider what I do for my family a sacrifice,” Gi-Gyu clarified patiently.

The brother-sister duo was on their way home. Gi-Gyu patted Yoo-Jung’s head and added, “My family and my life are the two most important things in my life. That day in the Tower, I only did what I did because I was certain I would be safe. I would never leave you and Mom, so you should never worry.”

“Okay!” Yoo-Jung replied brightly.

“Let’s hurry home, Yoo-Jung.”

When Gi-Gyu reached the shabby rooftop attic, he felt like it had been months since he was home. He walked in and greeted his mother, “I’m home.”

“Gi-Gyu!” His mother burst into tears when she saw him.

“Why are you crying, Mom?”

His mother sobbed, “I’m so sorry. Mom’s so sorry. You were in a coma, yet I couldn’t even visit you in the hospital. I couldn’t take care of you. I’m so sorry…”

“It’s alright, Mother. Please don’t cry,” Gi-Gyu consoled her.

His mother cried for a long time. All Gi-Gyu and Yoo-Jung could do was wipe her eyes for her. When she finally stopped crying, their mother explained her new fears. It seemed she was now worried about Gi-Gyu being a player. After a long conversation, his mother finally fell asleep holding Gi-Gyu’s hand.

Gi-Gyu said to Yoo-Jung, “Let’s eat dinner now.”

“Okay, I’ll make something,” Yoo-Jung volunteered.

“No, I can do it. It has been a while since I cooked,” Gi-Gyu offered.

“Are you sure?” Yoo-Jung looked at him worriedly, but Gi-Gyu laughed and opened the fridge door.

“What are you making?” To Yoo-Jung’s question, Gi-Gyu answered, “Let’s eat bibimbap[1].”

Gi-Gyu grabbed several containers from the refrigerator and began to mix everything. He added gochujang[2] to white rice, kimchi, and vegetables. With a drop of sesame seed oil, the final result looked delicious. After the meal, Gi-Gyu did the dishes and changed.

Yoo-Jung asked, “What are you doing? Are you going out?”

“I have to go to the Tower,” Gi-Gyu answered.

“What?!” Yoo-Jung’s face turned bright red. Gi-Gyu was discharged just hours ago, so she couldn’t believe he would want to return to the Tower so soon. She yelled, “Have you lost your mind? You just left the hospital, yet you’re going back to the Tower in the middle of the night?”

“Yeah, I need to confirm something.”

“Confirm what?” Yoo-Jung asked angrily.

“I’ll be back soon, Yoo-Jung.” Leaving his worried sister behind, Gi-Gyu walked outside. All this while, his heart had been pounding wildly, and that confused him to no end. There was something he had to check.

“Status screen,” Gi-Gyu murmured. A blue screen appeared before him; the screen showed the player’s individual information.

[Level 1]

[Job: Ego’s partner]

[Unique Ability: Link (Can link up with Ego.)]

[Skill: Assimilation (Can assimilate to become one with linked Ego and use Ego’s ability.)]

“Ego’s partner?!” Gi-Gyu exclaimed. This strange-sounding title was the job he received after passing the test. He had been secretly praying for a level-up ever since he woke up; sadly, he was still at Level 1.

“Link?”

The question marks that followed his unique ability were now finally replaced.

Link.

As the name suggested, a unique ability was something that only a single player could own. In other words, only Gi-Gyu had this ability in the entire world. The prospects this held made his heart pound like a drum. It had been five years since the last change occurred on his status screen, so this was enough to excite him to death.

“I need to get to the Tower first.” He knew he would find out more about this change inside the Tower, so Gi-Gyu was willing to be patient. Expectantly, he headed toward the Tower.

1. A Korean rice dish topped with sauteed vegetables or kimchi.

2. Spicy red pepper paste.