Return of the Frozen Player

“…”

Three heroes were standing in the yard of the Tenmei's main house with tearful expressions.

"Kuku, why do you eat it even though you know it tastes bad? You’re not even stupid."

"Rahmadat, cooking is ultimately about fresh ingredients."

"You're wrong. Taste is king when it comes to cooking."

"…I used only the finest ingredients."

Skaya smiled awkwardly at the youngest, who was proud with her shoulders puffed.

"Uh, yeah, I liked it. I liked Mio's amazing soup with all kinds of flavors...”

"That was braised cutlassfish.”

"Ah, is that so? Anyway, I think it's time for us to say goodbye.”

Skaya forcibly changed the subject and prepared to leave in a hurry. If they fell asleep in this house today, they would have to eat Mio's food tomorrow morning.

Seo Jun-Ho asked, "Come to think of it, we still have about a week left in our vacation, what are you guys going to do?”

"I bought a penthouse with a panoramic view of downtown Paris. I’m going to research magic there."

"That's like you. Gilbe, what about you?"

"I'm thinking of going camping with Arthur."

"It's a father and son trip. That's nice, too,” said Seo Jun-Ho. He could still remember how there would be an awkward silence between the father and son whenever they reached the end of a topic.

Gilberto said with a pleased smile, “I bought a special book for the trip. It’s called ‘A Hundred Questions to Ask Your Son in Puberty.’

"Yeah, please throw that away."

Just how old was Arthur? What did Gilberto mean by puberty?

Seo Jun-Ho turned to Rahmadat and Mio.

"Well, I guess you're going to the gym."

"Want to go with me?" asked Rahmadat.

"I can already smell the sweat, so no. What about you, Mio?"

"I plan to stabilize my family as much as possible during the vacation."

"…Really?" Seo Jun-Ho made a slightly bitter expression. He didn't think everyone would have any plans like himself, but it was amazing that everyone had their own plans.

"Seeing that you’re asking, Jun-Ho, what are you going to do?"

"Uh, I...” Seo Jun-Ho shrugged at Rahmadat's question. "What's the big deal about vacations? It's best to just eat at home and rest well."

"How boring.”

"I don't want to hear that from someone who just wants to just work out during vacation." Seo Jun-Ho waved lightly at the party. "Well, then, enjoy your vacation and see you all in a week."

"Bye~"

Then, Skaya sent everyone one by one to their desired locations. After returning to his house safely, Seo Jun-Ho sat on the sofa blankly. Seeing that, the Frost Queen asked, "Is there really nothing you want to do, Contractor?”

"Not really."

"Hmm." Frost’s narrowed eyes glanced at Seo Jun-Ho. "Well, it is probably good to decide on a candidate."

"What?"

"When it is all over, what do you want to do, and how are you going to live?"

"When it's all over…” Seo Jun-Ho thought of a peaceful world and smiled. "I don't even know whether such a future will come or not. Do I really have to think about it already?"

"Of course," the Frost Queen answered, turning on the tablet. "That kind of dream will be the pillar to support you whenever you get tired and want to give up."

"Hmm."

It had been a long time since the Frost Queen spoke like a true adult.

‘A dream.’

Seo Jun-Ho thought hard. What was his major when he went to school, and what was it that he wanted to do when he became an adult?

'I have no idea…’

It felt like he was facing something empty. Eventually, he clapped his hands lightly and said, "Oh, then should I try to be a cook? I'm pretty good at cooking."

"That is not bad."

Perhaps she liked the answer, but the Frost Queen smiled lightly and raised her thumb.

***

Deep into the night, Seo Jun-Ho frowned and started vigorously shaking his head.

"Ughhh, ughhhhh."

Wrapped in an enormous amount of demonic energy, the Heavenly Demon was enraged.

- Since you really want to die that much, then I’ll grant you death.

"No..."

Seo Jun-Ho shook his head as the devil-looking Heavenly Demon reached out with his hand. He seemed like he was reaching out to extract Seo Jun-Ho’s heart.

- Specter! I'm going to kill you! I will definitely kill you!

"Huuk!"

Terrified, Seo Jun-Ho shot up as if he had been lying on a spring. Seo Jun-Ho sensed the cold sweat drenching his back and sighed in frustration.

"…Huuuu."

Again. It was this dream again. Ever since he faced the Heavenly Demon, who unleashed the entirety of his demonic energy in Neo City, he would appear in Seo Jun-Ho’s dreams from time to time. Whenever he appeared, it would be a terrible nightmare for Seo Jun-Ho. Seo Jun-Ho was frustrated, feeling like he was reliving the fear he felt at the time.

“…”

Flutter

Seo Jun-Ho looked down at his convulsing hands and hugged his knees. After a while, he finally calmed down.

"That damned Heavenly Demon."

Was the Heavenly Demon trying to get revenge on him because he screwed him over?

The Heavenly Demon appeared in his dreams and woke him up like this for days now.

"Haaaa."

The bedroom door opened. The Frost Queen came in while yawning and rubbing her sleepy eyes.

"Contractor, are you sick? Why do you keep on groaning?”

"I was groaning?"

"Uh-huh. I was sleeping, but I got worried, so—haaa—I got up."

Seo Jun-Ho couldn’t believe that he was making the Frost Queen worry about him. He reached out and ruffled the Frost Queen’s head before shaking his own head and saying, “My dream was just a bit more intense than usual. Go to bed."

"…If that is the case, then all right."

As the Frost Queen quietly returned to her bed, Seo Jun-Ho made his way over to the living room. While looking out the window, he saw that Seoul during dawn was peaceful and quiet.

“…”

However, he knew that the Heavenly Demon would eventually come down to turn this peaceful city into a wasteland. Someone had to stop the Heavenly Demon so that this peace would be preserved.

'And that is probably my role...’

He could feel it. It could probably be described as his destiny as well. After looking down at the city for a while, Seo Jun-Ho changed into workout clothes.

‘As expected, there's no time for me to relax.’

As such, he kept on pushing himself. He wanted to stand on the edge of a cliff himself rather than let anyone else stand there.

“...”

The Frost Queen stared at him through the slightly ajar door.

***

"I know, right?" Shim Deok-Gu said while carefully setting an expensive and sweet shaved ice on the table. "What kind of addict is he?"

"A battle addict."

Nom.

The Frost Queen took a big spoonful of melon-shaved ice and frowned in pain.

"Ugh, I am the Frost Queen, so why am I getting brain freeze whenever I eat something cold…!”

"You ate so much at once, so it’s only normal that you get brain freeze,” said Shim Deok-Gu while handing over a cup of warm tea before asking, "But Queen, isn’t being a battle addict something only beginners experience?"

As he said, battle addiction was an addiction only novice Players would experience. It was born from the thrill of barely surviving a battlefield and was a difficult-to-find pleasure. Of course, Players would become more adept at controlling their own emotions, so they would eventually recover from battle addiction.

"Of course, what the Contractor is experiencing cannot be compared to such things," the Frost Queen answered, putting down her spoon. "It's not just about putting his life on the line and enjoying the thrill of it. He constantly wants to fight a stronger opponent."

"Fight a stronger opponent? Why would he want to keep on doing that?"

"…Because the mountain he has to climb is just that high." The Frost Queen let out a sigh. "There were many outstanding knights who had that kind of sentiment under my command.”

"What happened to them?”

"They only had two endings."

"Oh." Shim Deok-Gu was delighted. Usually, if there were two endings, one would be bad while the other would be good. However, the Frost Queen quickly shattered his hopes.

“They either become too exhausted to continue, or they die.”

"What?"

There wasn’t anything good about that at all. It was just the bad and the worse. At that, Shim Deok-Gu finally realized the seriousness of the situation.

"Is there any way I can help?"

"Contractor has become like that because of the Heavenly Demon. It will be difficult for him to get rid of that addiction before he kills the Heavenly Demon. That is why I am worried. He does not even know when he will fight the Heavenly Demon again, so he shouldn’t work himself so much."

"The Heavenly Demon…" Repeating the name, Shim Deok-Gu asked, "Is he that strong? To the point that even Jun-Ho is that afraid of him?”

In Shim Deok-Gu's mind, the Heavenly Demon was definitely strong, but he was still a fiend who didn’t manage to beat the Players completely. In fact, the Players even killed him once.

"Hmm." The Frost Queen thought for a while. Eventually, she scooped up some shaved ice with her spoon and said, "Come here, baldy. Look at this, can you see the grains of the shaved ice here?"

"Yes."

"The grains of this shaved ice represent the skill level of the so-called High Rankers." The Frost Queen then picked up a small piece of melon. "This piece of melon represents the skill level of the so-called Nine Heavens."

"Oooh!"

"And this spoon represents the contractor’s skill level."

"Ohhh! Doesn’t that mean that Jun-Ho is stronger than the Nine Heavens?"

"It has been a while since he surpassed them. He grew a lot by clearing the 4th Floor."

"Oooh, I can see it now."

"Hmmhmm. It is only natural that you do, I’m the BTS[1], after all."

"Wait, then what represents the Heavenly Demon’s skill level?”

“….”

Cling.

The Frost Queen tapped the bowl of shaved ice with the spoon she was holding without saying a word. It was a huge glass bowl that could hold all the grains of shaved ice, the melon pieces, and even the spoon. The light in her eyes dimmed.

"The last time I saw him on the 5th Floor, he was at about this level."

"What—no! That’s ridiculous…” muttered Shim Deok-Gu with an incredulous look. It was no wonder; however, since the Frost Queen said that the Heavenly Demon was strong enough to beat the best Players.

"Of course, that is before the contractor made him eat a huge loss, so…” The Frost Queen picked up the remote control on the table, which was smaller than the huge glass bowl. "He will probably be at this level, even after he recovers."

"Doesn’t that mean that he’s still several times stronger than Jun-Ho?"

"That's why the contractor is in such a hurry," said the Frost Queen.

The call of duty was urging him to get stronger as soon as possible.

“…”

Shim Deok-Gu clenched his fists. "Is there anything I can do to help?”

"Hmm. It’s all psychological, so we have no choice but to let him be."

"Then, should I go on a trip with him?"

"I do not know... Will he really feel better if he travels with a man with such a huge belly?" The Frost Queen tilted her head and continued. "I do not like it, but there is only one way for the contractor to recover."

"What is it?"

"Considering the contractor's condition right now, he needs a large enough reason to stop training. However, the contractor that I know is someone who values promises. It’s just perfect, he has a promise he hasn’t fulfilled for years now."

"What is that?” asked Shim Deok-Gu.

The Frost Queen seemed dissatisfied as she said, "Gong Ju-Ha, try contacting that fox."

1. It roughly stands for Best Teacher Frost. Frost in Korean is ‘seori’ which starts with ‘s’. ☜