Return of the Frozen Player-Novel

A call came from Yeon. Seo Jun-Sik held his Vita to his ear.

“Hello?”

- Your Majesty! I mean, Clone Majesty! It’s an emergency!

“Ugh…”Seo Jun-Sik’s nose crinkled. it hadn’t even been five minutes since Original fell asleep.

“How serious is it? Is it serious enough that I can’t pretend like I didn’t hear you?” he asked carefully.

- It is very serious.

“Um, well… that’s pretty subjective, you know.”

- Geum Hak-Do is on his way with mercenaries from the Flower Willow Merchants.

- Even if we tell them to stop, it seems they’re willing to come brute force their way in.

“I guess it won’t be easy to do that...”

Damn Original. Why did he have to go and gag that guy? He had caused him trouble.

“You know, it’s pretty unfair when I think about it…” he muttered. He started at the bedroom door and scoffed, thinking of Seo Jun-Ho.

- Of course, there is a way to resolve this peacefully if you so wish. Geum Hak-Do is a merchant, so I’m sure he’ll fall back if we agree to share Star’s Voice.

Seo Jun-Sik thought for a moment and turned to the Frost Queen.

“Perhaps the two of us should take care of it.”

“...You and I?”

“Yeah. I think we can do it.” He could use about seventy percent of Original’s power. In short, he wasn’t someone people could just mess with. It was the other way around.

What in the world was he talking about?

The Frost Queen tilted her head.

She fell into deep contemplation and eventually muttered, “Is that so?”

“Of course.”

Now that she thought about it, it sounded right. She swallowed nervously like a child about to board a plane. “B-But what if it hurts so much that he scolds us later?”

“You are correct indeed.”

“So, why did you think of that first?”

It was a shocking revelation.

“Regal… charisma…” The Frost Queen muttered as if she were daydreaming. She squeezed her hands into tight fists. “I will bring them back.”

“Now, we’re talking,” Seo Jun-Sik smiled in satisfaction and said, “This operation’s name is Frost and Jun-Sik.”

It sounded like a name straight out of a fairy tale.[1]

***

- Is this truly all right?

Yeon looked at the two of them nervously. He was well aware of Seo Jun-Ho’s power, but he wasn’t sure about Clone Majesty’s strength.

“I am weaker than my glory days, but I am more powerful than most Spirits,” added the Frost Queen.

- ...You’re treating this like a math problem.

Yeon felt even more nervous now.

Yeon gently coaxed.

“No,” Seo Jun-Sik said flatly and asked, “If I use that without even asking, do you really think that Original will let me off?”

There was no doubt in his mind that he would lose all the meal coupons he had worked so hard to collect. What Yeon had was an extremely powerful weapon, but it was extremely risky to use as well.

- You could also take an army of cyborg soldiers…

“Look here, Mister Prime Minister.” Seo Jun-Sik grinned. “I told you to stop worrying. Just watch.”

Seo Jun-Sik had that same haughty smile as His Majesty.

The sight made Yeon feel better.

A few moments later, the door to the throne room was flung open.

A hoard of mercenaries came rushing in.

A mechanical voice could be heard behind Seo Jun-Sik’s ears.

“Your Majesty. They arrived much faster than we expected.”

“You’re right.” Seo Jun-Sik held his chin lazily with his legs crossed. “Why did you come here? And why did you bring all those small fries?”

“...” Geum Hak-Do thought for a moment and shook his head. “My apologies, Your Majesty. Considering the emotional pain and damage I went through, I don’t think that would be enough.”

“Really? Then, what is it that you want?”

“I wish to have half of the rights to the Star’s Scream.”

This was Geum Hak-Do’s last chance.

Seo Jun-Sik wouldn’t give him any more chances.

Geum Hak-Do pretended to consider it for a moment before saying, “I suppose I will only take forty percent. I have to consider your dignity as well.”

Seo Jun-Sik stood from his seat and started down the stairs.

“But you know, you’re still way off,” said Seo Jun-Sik while walking down the steps.

“What do you mean?”

“You see, my dignity is pretty expensive. You wouldn’t be able to buy it even if you sold your business.”

“...” Geum Hak-Do’s eyes grew venomous as he spat coldly, “I offered you wine, but you chose to drink poison.”

“Damn, that’s a line I’ve read in Wuxia s.”

Seo Jun-Sik had never seen someone use that line until now.

And most importantly…

“So you’re no longer going to respect me, is that it?”

“You only have one territory, and you’re ruling over a tiny city. Why would I respect you? If it hadn’t been for the Star’s Voice, you wouldn’t even have the honor of meeting me.”

Geum Hak-Do finally showed his true colors.

He puffed his chest out and said haughtily, “Kill him.”

At that, the elites of the Flower Willow Merchants pulled out their weapons.

Geum Hak-Do looked totally relaxed as he watched.

Geum Hak-Do closed his eyes. He already knew the gory outcome, and he wasn’t really a fan of such a sight, so he chose to close his eyes.

“Is it over?” he asked. There was no reply.

The sound of metal clashing against metal continued after a brief lull.

What was that sound just now?

Geum Hak-Do couldn’t help but open his eyes, and he reeled in shock.

There was a headless corpse and two bodies that had been split in half.

In addition, the fight was still ongoing.

The Emperor of Neo City was like a wolf tearing through a flock of sheep, and he was dominating the battle while clad in imperial garb emblazoned with the emblem of a yellow dragon.

Geum Hak-Do’s face crumpled in confusion.

The white-haired man standing next to him spoke, “He’s pretty good.”

Gilburt was a warrior at the Star Destruction Stage, and Geum Hak-Do had hired him for the price of an entire planet.

“In any case, I’ll order them to fall back. They’re no match for him,” said Geum Hak-Do.

“No. Leave them be...”

“What? Why?”

“Because they’ll wear him down…”

Geum Hak-Do was taken aback by his heartless suggestion, and he gnashed his teeth.

Unfortunately, Geum Hak-Do knew how dangerous it was to stand against someone at the Star Destruction Stage. Geum Hak-Do was Gilburt’s employer, but he had no choice but to nod to indulge Gilburt’s request.

“If that helps, we’ll do that then.”

Meanwhile, the ongoing battle was about to reach its climax.

Seo Jun-Sik was trying to catch his breath

“Looks like they’re all around the Liberation Stage,” he muttered.

He had taken out nearly twenty of them so far, so it wasn’t strange that he was out of breath.

Seo Jun-Sik couldn’t see through the man’s aura. In other words, he was a powerful warrior that was a step above these Flower Willow Merchants’ elite forces.

“All right, kids. It’s time to go home.”

Seo Jun-Sik gripped White Dragon tightly as he turned into a ray of light.

He swept past the remaining elite forces like a tornado.

Afterward, he started wiping away the blood on his cheek.

“That’s all…?” Geum Hak-Do growled. His expensive subordinates were dead. He turned to the mercenary and said, “Gilburt, kill that wicked man.”

“I will. However, I think you’ll have to give me a generous bonus once we’re done here.”

“Okay...”

The heinous mercenary was more money-hungry than a merchant. Geum Hak-Do inwardly clicked his tongue, but he had already made the calculations beforehand.

Gilburt just had to kill that self-proclaimed emperor.

Gilburt wore an indifferent look as he stepped forward to Seo Jun-Sik.

“How strange. I cannot detect any trace of your thoughts…”

Warriors would always think and ponder. They spent forever contemplating their skills, deciding what to do, testing things out, and refining their techniques until they mastered them.

Gilburt became wary about Seo Jun-Sik. However, he still pulled his swords out.

He dashed forward with a sword in each hand.

He flew across the slick, blood-soaked floor and instantly narrowed the distance between them.

Seo Jun-Sik instinctively predicted the trajectory of the attack, and he barely managed to dodge it.

Unfortunately, his opponent had two swords.

There was nowhere to dodge. Seo Jun-Sik lifted his left hand and froze the weapon.

The sword abruptly slowed down after it was enveloped in ice.

He calculated in his head and decided to retreat.

“...?”

Gilburt couldn’t move. The sword in his hand was stuck to Seo Jun-Sik’s left hand because of the ice. He tried to pull it out, but it wouldn’t budge.

“You fool. Do you really think that this can hinder me?”

Gilburt shattered the ice into thousands of fragments using his magic.

However, Seo Jun-Sik only smiled at the sight.

“It doesn’t matter.”

It was already too late.

He pointed a finger gun at Gilburt’s forehead. “Spirit Summon.”

“...!”

A tiny figure manifested.

Gilburt’s eyes reflected the figure’s silver hair, which was like melted silver, and her pair of blinking eyes.

“A child…?”

“A child? How rude.” The Frost Queen moved her finger ever so slightly. “Address me as your queen.”

A giant pillar of ice abruptly shot up from the ground, piercing Gilburt and sending him toward the ceiling.

1. This is how many Korean folktales are titled. Eg Hongbu and Nolbu, the Sun and the Moon, the Tiger and the Persimmon. ☜