Return of the Frozen Player

“It’s too hot! I can’t fight anymore!”

Gong Ju-Ha rolled around on the ground as she wiped the sweat off of her forehead. She smiled at the pleasant feeling of cold snow cooling off her cheeks.

“Sigh, I’m getting sleepy…I just want to fall asleep like this…”

“People who fall asleep like that usually die in movies.”

“Hey, In-Ho. Can you not kill the vibe like that, please?”

Ha In-Ho approached Gong Ju-Ha.

“May I report?”

“Oh, yes. Go ahead.”

Gong Ju-Ha sat down and shook off the white snow on her hair and cheeks.

“Among the Goblin guild, a hundred twenty-seven are slightly wounded and twenty-nine are severely wounded. The number of deaths is…”

“...The number of deaths is?”

Gong Ju-Ha’s nervous eyes turned to Ha In-Ho. With his superior’s full attention, Ha In-Ho smiled brightly.

“Zero.”

“Do you have a death wish? Why did you take so long to say that?”

“I’m just joking around because the battle turned out so good.”

Ha In-Ho calmly continued to report the achievements.

“We won a huge victory. Of course…I can’t say that there were no deaths overall, but still…”

“...Well, that’s war.”

No matter how well and how hard they fought, there was no war where only the enemies died. The past few decades had engraved that piece of wisdom deeply into the players’ very bones.

“Someone might be angry if they heard me say this, but I think it’s good that we could wrap things up with only this much damage.”

Gong Ju-Ha nodded as she agreed with Ha In-Ho. Even if the players were to fight again on the same terms, she wasn’t confident that they would achieve a better result.

“Mr.Rahmadat especially had a hard time.”

Gong Ju-Ha and Ha In-Ho’s gaze turned toward a giant drenched in blood sitting against the wall.

Rahmadat’s appearance resembled a demon from hell. He looked so terrifying that enemies’ legs would tremble upon seeing him, but to his allies, he was the most reliable wall.

“If he hadn’t blocked the front gate alone by himself, the outcome of the war itself would have been different regardless of how much damage we got.”

“Doesn’t he look like a guardian angel? He is so cool.”

Ha In-Ho’s eyes looking at Rahmadat were full of admiration.

‘Admiration, huh…’

Gong Ju-Ha smiled as she thought Ha In-Ho was looking at Rahmadat the same way she looked at someone else.

“The battle on this side is over. I wonder how the other side is doing?”

“Are you talking about Master’s side? Of course, I’m sure he’s doing great. You worry too much.”

“Hmm… I’ve seen him act humane one too many times not to worry.”

“...Huh? Master being humane?”

“Sigh. What do I expect? I can never have a conversation with you.”

Gong Ju-Ha got up and shook the snow off, then looked up at the blue sky where the black wall had lifted.

‘I don’t care if he acts inhumane this time. I just hope he can come back without any injuries.’

“I’d like to help him as much as I can, but…I know that’s impossible.”

“Hmm. Then why don’t you ask her for help?”

Gong Ju-Ha looked toward the top of the wall where Ha In-Ho pointed with his finger.

Standing there was an exhausted-looking mage, quietly feeling the fluttering snow falling over her.

“Oh.”

It was Skaya Killiland.

***

“Nope. I’m not doing it.”

Skaya had a weary expression on her face.

“I have no magic left. I used it all up to deal with that old ass monster.”

“Ah, I see…”

Gong Ju-Ha nodded with a disappointed look on her face.

‘Indeed. Killing that monstrous mage would have consumed an enormous amount of magic for sure.’

In fact, Skaya’s final attack, which had gravely injured the old mage, had such a tremendous amount of energy that it was visible to the naked eye.

“But that is very considerate of you. You are an adult on the inside,” Kim Woo-Joong said.

“I’m an adult on the outside as well!” Gong Ju-Ha shouted back, glaring at Kim Woo-Joong. “If you keep teasing me about my height, I’ll tell the master and kick you out of the training trio!”

“...I don’t remember joining such an organization,” Kim Woo-Joong answered nonchalantly.

He looked around the battlefield.

‘I can’t believe I came out onto the battlefield as soon as I came to my senses.’

Kim Woo-Joong was still in a daze, as if he was drunk.

‘I just have no idea what happened.’

The first thing he had done after waking up was to look in the mirror, because in his dream, he had drunk the Heavenly Demon’s blood and become a fiend.

‘Was it just a simple dream?’

Kim Woo-Joong asked Son Chae-Won about it, but she only teased him for being imaginative.

In order to solve his curiosity, he had no choice but to meet Specter, the one who had woken him up from that long sleep.

“I’m sure everyone wants to help Jun-Ho. But all we can do is pray since there’s no other way to help him.”

“Pray? That's my specialty.”

Christin Lewis came out of nowhere, making the sign of the cross on his chest.

“Dear Sun God Helic. Please help Mr. Specter and the players return safely, and…”

As he began to recite a fairly long prayer, Frost Queen yawned as if she was bored.

‘This is boring. Why are all prayers so boring like this? …It doesn’t mean anything anyway.’

Frost Queen thought that if simple prayers could make one’s wish come true, Niflheim wouldn’t have fallen so easily.

Then she slightly opened her eyes to look at the surroundings. Everyone had formally lowered their heads and closed their eyes as they listened to the prayer.

‘The sky is so clear.’

In the blindingly clear sky, a small orb of brilliant light was falling toward them.

“Huh?”

‘Isn’t that divine power? What’s going on? Is it falling over here?’

Frost Queen hurriedly flapped her hands and pulled on Skaya’s sleeve.

“S-Skaya. Hey.”

“Shhh, Your Highness. You must not chat while people are praying. Of course, it’s not like I believe that crazy priest, but…”

“No, it’s not that…Are the players given divine power like that whenever they pray?”

“Huh? No way. What are you talking about?”

Hearing the Frost Queen’s words, people opened their eyes one by one and looked up at the sky.

“What!? It’s divine power! It’s really divine power!” Christin exclaimed with an emotional face as he spread his arms wide open. “The mighty Helic finally responded my prayer!”

“No way. God has actually responded to such a crude prayer for real?”

“...But why is divine power coming this way? Shouldn’t it be going toward the party at the power plant?”

“Haha. I’m sure the Sun God has his own will and meaning.”

Christin reverently knelt down on the cold snow and put his hands together. However, just as he trembled in excitement as he waited for the tremendous divine power to fall on him, the orb’s trajectory changed.

“Huh?”

The orb was now heading for the Frost Queen.

“W-what is going on? Don’t come near me. Go away.”

Frightened, Frost darted away from the orb, flailing her arms in panic. However, the orb was fast beyond imagination and instantly merged with Frost as it touched her—and then, the world stopped.

-I see that you are still easily scared by everything.

The Frost Queen turned around in haste upon hearing a familiar voice coming from the back.

“...Helic? Aren’t you the administrator of the seventh floor?”

-That’s right. To be exact, it’s just an image of myself that I added to the power I lent you.

“But why me?”

Frost turned her head and glanced at Christin with a disappointed expression.

“There’s your believer right there.”

-Because no humans can handle that power. Only you can absorb the power and stay in one piece.

“...”

In other words, Helic had granted a power to the Frost Queen that even those veteran players couldn’t handle.

The Frost Queen’s eyes turned serious.

“Something must be going on with my contractor.”

-The Overmind emperor will soon pay him a visit. Actually, they might have already met by now.

“...!”

-Your contractor defeated the princess and reached the same stage as the emperor, but that’s only half the job done.

“What am I supposed to do?”

-He needs time, and it’s the power to buy him some time that I left to you.

Helic’s silhouette and voice began to gradually fade away.

“W-wait. But I don’t know how to use this power. Besides, the contractor is on the other side of the continent right now/”

-You and the human you chose can do it. You are truly strongly connected to each other.

The Frost Queen felt a throbbing headache.

-Maybe I shouldn’t have said that. But anyway, everything…depends…on…you guys…

When Helic’s traces completely disappeared, time began to flow again and Skaya appeared.

“Hey! Hey! Are you all right? Frost Queen!”

Skaya’s concerned face filled the Frost Queen’s sight.

‘I can definitely feel it, but…’

Frost Queen could feel a tremendous amount of divine power in her body. However, she had no idea how to utilize such a power since she had never experienced anything like it in her life.

“According to Helic, the contractor seems to be in danger. I think the Overmind emperor is after him.”

“Oh, no…”

The party’s expressions turned dark at once.

It was a well known fact that the Overmind emperor had reached a level they could not even compare to. It was only natural for them to be concerned about such a being going after Seo Jun-Ho.

“And Helic left me some power…”

Frost Queen shook her head and tightly clenched her tiny fists.

“But I have no idea how to use this power.”

“Please describe your condition and mood in detail,” Christin said with a serious look on his face.

“Hmm. I feel full as if I ate five fresh buns…. I feel warm inside.”

“That’s how people usually feel when they first embrace the divine power of the Sun God. Then next is to visualize.”

“Visualize?”

Christin nodded and raised his index finger.

“All churches that serve a god use visualization to build a clear image of what they want in their heads in order to use divine power.”

“Build a clear image in my head…”

The Frost Queen slowly closed her eyes.

In the darkness, she desperately wished for only one thing.

‘I want to go where the contractor is.’

Her desperate wish was to leap across the continent to be with Seo Jun-Ho.

Ping!

‘Huh?’

Suddenly, a door appeared in front of her, inside her head. She pulled the handle in a hurry, but the door did not even budge.

Frost Queen opened her eyes and asked Christin, “I created a door, but it won’t open. What am I supposed to do?”

“Um, I…I have no idea.”

“Maybe it’s a matter of coordinates,” Skaya added. “Perhaps the reason why the door won’t open is that we don’t know the exact location of Jun-Ho on the other side of the door.”

“Then…”

“We need to figure out Jun-Ho’s location first.”

“I tried using the community just in case, but it’s not working. It’s not working at all.”

She didn’t know whether it was because of the Overmind emperor or the power plant, but she couldn’t reach the community at all.

As a look of concern appeared on everyone’s faces, Frost Queen slowly closed her eyes again.

‘Helic said that the contractor and I are strongly connected.’

Frost Queen figured that Helic was talking about the spirit contract between the two which allowed them to share each other’s soul.

‘I’m ready. So…’

Frost Queen eagerly shouted inside.

‘Hurry up and call me. There are so many people here who want to help you, contractor!’

***

“...What do you think?”

“Well, I don’t really want to think.”

Wei Chun-Hak replied apathetically to Shin Sung-Hyun’s question.

The two were staring at Seo Jun-Ho, who slowly sat down and stood up again with a bright smile on his face.

“What a shame. Did he hit his head or something?”

“Be quiet. I’m sure there must be a profound meaning behind his actions.”

Certainly, Seo Jun-Ho seemed to be a little strange from the others’ perspective. However, he was more passionate than ever.

‘Ah. So this is what it feels like to sit down and stand up.’

Seo Jun-Ho was busy reestablishing his own self. While he was at it, he decided to take out his sword to learn how to hold and wield it again.

“Um. Mr. Specter?”

“...”

“Mr. Specter.”

After attempting and failing to start a conversation with Seo Jun-Ho, Shin Sung-Hyun returned to Wei Chun-Hak with a tired expression.

“What should I say to him?”

“Don’t say anything. I don’t think he can hear you anyway.”

“Huh. That’s a relief though. At least he’s not crazy.”

The players, who had finished cleaning up, approached them just then.

“We’re done cleaning up the scene.”

“What about Mr.Gilberto?”

“He is still absorbing the power plant’s Force and he said that he needs time to convert Force into something called ether? He said half an hour is enough.”

“Great. Then those who are ready to go can start moving to the headquarters.”

Shin Sung-Hyun nodded and opened a portal with the intention to move straight to the ice castle in the north.

“...?”

However, something felt wrong.

The air flowing out of the space rift was far from the cold in the north.

‘Someone changed the location of the other side of the portal…?’

.

The very idea of an ability like this was so far-fetched that he couldn’t even guess how it would work. His eyes narrowed as he felt the intense killing intent coming from the other side of the portal.

“...Get ready.”

“I’m sorry?”

“Get ready for battle!”

He barely had time to shout before an invisible force folded him in half and threw him back.

“Kweekkk!”

Coughing up blood and pieces of organs, Shin Sung-Hyun looked at the portal he had opened, his vision slowly blurring.

‘I-I need to close it…’

Shin Sung-Hyun tried to close the portal with all his might, but the space did not move a single inch. Only then did he realize that the situation was already out of his hands.

“...”

The being who came across the portal in a confident and graceful manner looked around the area. A moment later, he seemed to find something.

“I see. I understand.”

The pupils of his yellow eyes widened vertically like those of a reptile upon noticing Seo Jun-Ho swinging his sword in the distance.

“He is a fruit yet to be ripe.”

But this didn’t matter to him. He rather thought it was fortunate as he thought he would be a step closer to reaching the transcendence stage by eating Seo Jun-Ho who did not seem to be a harm at all.

“Damn it…”

With the unexpected appearance of a powerful enemy, Wei Chun-Hak quickly pulled up his magic. He immediately summoned an army of beasts, but the next moment, two words from the enemy made sure his army was of no concern.

“Get lost.”

Fwoosh!

In an instant, the army had been wiped off the face of the planet.

“All I want is that human—so all the irrelevant trifles better get lost.”

Thus declaring his intention, the emperor slowly walked past Wei Chun-Hak, who was frozen with fear. His hands were trembling and he couldn’t control the sheer terror he felt from the bottom of his soul.

‘This is bad.’

His instinct was telling him that the man was the Overmind emperor, the ruler of this empire. Wei Chun-Hak could never be a match for such a great being.

‘But…’

Then he recalled Seo Jun-Ho, who was swinging his sword, clearly in “the zone.”

‘He is probably looking for something.’

Every warrior could be blessed with a moment of enlightenment. And if that moment was interrupted, the enlightenment would scatter like smoke.

‘...I need to buy him time.’

The only person who could face the emperor here—and among all players—was Specter.

With that thought in mind, Wei Chun-Hak immediately pulled out a dagger and cut his own palm.

“This guy will be able to buy ten minutes…or at least five minutes of time.”

Drip, drip.

The blood from his palm did not fall to the ground but instead flowed upward, inscribing a talisman in the air.

“Play with him for the time being.”

Kiekkkkkkkkk!

A moment later, a nine-headed dragon appeared with an ear-piercing scream.