Return of the Frozen Player

Ta-ta-tap, ta-tap.

A man and a woman were staring at the scorched ruins of a factory.

“What a headache this early in the morning…”

“The werewolves were the ones who did this, right?”

"Who else could it be? There’s no way one of the clans will attack a pharmaceutical facility.”

They searched all over the factory, but every medicine and manufacturing blueprint had turned into ashes. Unless the higher-ups made a separate copy of the manufacturing blueprints, they wouldn’t be able to make Wolf Wine anymore.

They continued walking, and they eventually arrived in front of a disfigured corpse.

"Obi, he suffered a lot.”

“We should avenge him. After all, we’re from the same clan.”

The woman took off her gloves and touched Obi's disfigured corpse. Her eyes glazed over. A few minutes later, her eyes returned to normal, and she slowly got up.

"This is crazy…”

Noticing that there was something strange, the man next to her asked, "What's the matter, Tria? Did they encounter one of the werewolves’ chiefs?”

"It's not like that." Tria reached out. "Take my hand and see for yourself."

"Um. It doesn't really feel good to be connected to you. Your inner world is too gloomy.”

"Shut up and watch. You have to see it for yourself to understand."

“Hearing you say that makes me really want to see it now.”

The man took Tria’s hand, and his face soon crumpled. "Wait, the culprit is human?"

"What do you think?”

"…I think it's ridiculous."

How could a human easily defeat a vampire apostle?

"What’s ridiculous?"

A familiar voice echoed.

The two vampires immediately fell to their knees.

"Y-you’re here, Clan Master."

"Greetings, Clan Master."

“Don’t be so stiff. Anyway, what’s ridiculous?"

"Well.." Tria explained what she had seen.

"Hmm, a human hunting down an apostle?" The clan master reached out with a smile, seemingly interested in the matter. "Let me see that memory."

“…”

“Gulp!”

Tria gulped, but she still reached out. "I-I will do as you say…"

When her trembling hand touched the cold fingertips of the clan master, Tria started trembling.

“Ah!”

Her skill could read the memories of places and targets and convey them to others. The only downside was that whenever Tria shared the memories of a certain target with someone else, she would have to connect to the latter’s inner world.

‘T-this is…!’

Tria found herself standing in an endless crimson world. It was the most violent and devastated inner world that Tria had ever seen. Tria started bleeding from her orifices, and she tilted sideways before falling to the floor.

"Hmm." The clan master closed his eyes and ruminated on the memories he had seen.

"A human… Is it one of the humans that Ghost had recently encountered?"

The clan master had heard that those humans possessed amazing abilities. However, he didn’t expect that one of them could easily defeat an apostle.

The clan master smiled softly. "How interesting."

It was an unusual discovery, and it had been quite a while now since he wanted to play with a human.

‘Perhaps that was him…

A few days ago, he sensed a wave of powerful energy outside the city. If the human he had seen in Obi’s memories was the owner of that energy, then there was no way that he would allow others to snatch that human away from him.

"We must make haste.” He turned around and was about to leave.

However, his apostle barely managed to muster the courage to ask, "P-Paradox-nim, how should we explain this?”

True Vampire Paradox thought about it for a while before revealing a bright smile. "Astaneca Pharmaceuticals Inc. was destroyed in an explosion after a botched experiment. That should be enough."

The next day, the newspapers announced what Paradox had said.

***

"And then that human suddenly took out his bow! I thought he was a real nut job then."

"Bow? Are we thinking about the same bow?”

"Yes, but what's more surprising is—”

There was an untimely festival in the Twilight Claw Tribe. It was because some werewolves from the other clans returned with Seo Jun-Ho. They drank and ate happily with each other rather than thinking about missions.

“…”

Seo Jun-Ho watched them for a while before quietly leaving his seat and entering a deserted cave.

"Are you still asleep?"

“…”

There was no answer. Seo Jun-Ho looked at his friend. "It feels weird to see you not snoring."

Rahmadat had always been the type to snore loudly whenever he was sleeping, and Seo Jun-Ho could still remember how Skaya would surround Rahmadat with soundproofing magic just to silence Rahmadat’s snores in Gates.

"I saw the report and heard that you got decapitated like an idiot."

The report even said that he got infected after being bitten by a vampire in an alley.

Why was it that Rahmadat always seemed eager to get hurt? It was upsetting.

“…”

Seo Jun-Ho didn’t speak anymore. He started thinking about something else.

"How can the main character be missing from the party?" said a familiar voice.

"…Arnold-nim."

He came with a bottle of alcohol and looked around before asking, "Where is that girl who kept on sticking to you like gum?”

"She’s tired, so I sent her home."

While he was on the 9th Floor, the Frost Queen was forced to remain on the 6th Floor. When Seo Jun-Ho returned, the Frost Queen seemed tired, so he decided to recall her. Right now, she was probably sleeping soundly in the Spirit World.

"She’ll be back in a few days."

"Is that so?” Arnold sat on the floor and glanced at Seo Jun-Ho. "You look like you have a lot of worries. Fortunately, you have a mouth, and I have an ear."

He was saying that he would be willing to listen to Seo Jun-Ho.

Seo Jun-Ho looked at Rahmadat and said, "…Have you heard of who we are?"

"Well, you're Players, you're from Earth, and you're climbing floors?"

"That's enough."

Fortunately, he didn’t have to explain everything from the very beginning.

Seo Jun-Ho started. "I'm strong."

"I know. You’re probably on par with me or even stronger."

"I’m strong, so my enemies are strong as well."

"I’ve heard that as well. It’s the reason why Rahmadat really wants to catch up to you"

Of course, Seo Jun-Ho knew that—he knew that his stupid friends had always felt sorry that he had to suffer on his own all this while.

"The problem is that their feelings are making it hard for me to climb,” Seo Jun-Ho finally said it. There wasn’t a trace of any lies in his words as he continued. "In the entire world, my friends are the most precious to me. Of course, that includes this guy.”

They were precious to the point that he wouldn’t know what to do if something were to happen to them.

“Recently, I’m starting to think about what if they just stayed downstairs?”

"...Hmm." Arnold's eyes deepened. He could roughly guess the feelings of the man in front of him. "Are you saying that you don’t want them to become even stronger because they’re precious to you, and you don’t want them to get hurt?"

"Yes. If they become stronger, they are bound to fight even stronger enemies."

"How are you so sure?"

"Because that is how the Floors work…" It was inevitable because the will of the Floors had always been to make the strong fight the strong.

"When did you start having those thoughts?” Arnold asked in a grave voice.

As far as Arnold was concerned, the Seo Jun-Ho he had heard from Rahmadat’s description wasn’t the type of person who would have that kind of thought.

"When…” Seo Jun-Ho pondered. When did he start thinking that way? It was probably when his Imperturbable Mind was shaken.

“To be honest, I really like my current state.” Seo Jun-Ho was confident of taking on just about anyone out there, and nothing could make him tremble anymore.

As long as he maintained his state, he would eventually become invincible. Reiji knew that more than anyone else, and that was why she decided to awaken his Imperturbable Mind.

"But…"

His Imperturbable Mind was shaken as soon as he heard what had happened to Rahmadat. The remark about how it would be better for his friend to die rather than to remain a cripple all his life shook Seo Jun-Ho’s Imperturbable Mind.

“I reckon that my Imperturbable Mind will shatter like glass the moment I hear that something untoward happened to one of my precious friends."

He would never recover his Imperturbable mind, which meant losing his near-perfect state.

“They don’t have to get strong and suffer." They pitied him because he would have to carry all the burden on his own, but they didn't really have to feel that way at all because he was fine, and he would be fine thanks to his Imperturbable Mind.

"Pain and sadness do not bother me anymore." Therefore, he wanted to protect them. He wanted to maintain the status quo and protect his friends. He wanted them to live happily downstairs.

“…”

Arnold closed his eyes. He found it hard to say anything in response.

In the end, Seo Jun-Ho and his friends were working hard for each other’s sake.

‘As expected, it's hard to be young.’

Arnold smiled lightly and said, "Personally, I agree with your thoughts."

"…Really?"

"However, I also agree with Rahmadat and your friends."

"What do you mean?"

"What I’m trying to say is that why don’t you give them some time?" Arnold's solution was simple. "Give your friends a grace period."

“What if they fail to meet my expectations by then?”

“In that case, I’m sure that you would be able to do as you please.”

Wouldn’t it be too much of a pity if he wouldn’t even allow his friends to attempt to stay with him? Seo Jun-Ho pondered for a while and nodded. "I think that's a great idea."

“Anyway, now that the issue is settled. You should smile like a young man now. The way you look right now makes me feel like I’m dealing with an old man.”

"…I am not an old man. I am a young man," Seo Jun-Ho replied, pouting.

Seo Jun-Ho’s Imperturbable Mind couldn’t easily be turned off, and its effects included a cold personality. Seo Jun-Ho couldn’t help but think that it was a flaw rather than an advantage.

"You’re a young man? Will a young man even say that they’re a young man?" asked Arnold while tilting his head.

Seo Jun-Ho suddenly got up and said, "I have to get going.”

"Where are you going?"

"…There's something I need to find out."

Seo Jun-Ho had seen a secret social club in the memories of the vampire he had killed.

‘It’s a club that is only accessible to the apostles.’

Seo Jun-Ho was planning to walk into that club and beat everyone up inside. The only issue was that the club would always be held in different locations each time, but Seo Jun-Ho was lucky because it wouldn’t be a huge issue for him to find the club.

‘Obi, the vampire apostle I killed, should have already received an invitation.’

Arnold stood up as well. He stared at Seo Jun-Ho before saying, "You really like to do everything by yourself. What a good child….”

“You’re calling me a child?”

"Why, do you not like it?"

"I don't like it,” Seo Jun-Ho responded firmly and said, "Oh, I have a question."

"What is it?"

“The werewolves' sense of smell allows them to distinguish vampires from humans, but how do vampires distinguish werewolves from humans?”

"That's a good question.” Arnold nodded and said, "They basically use their sense of smell as well because we have a distinct… body odor."

Seo Jun-Ho couldn’t help but pity them.

The werewolves could take on human forms, but they would still smell like dogs.

"Does that mean you’ll be undetectable as long as you’re capable of hiding your odor?”

"No, they also keep an eye on body temperature.”

"Body temperature?"

"Those bats are like corpses without blood flowing in their veins, so they’re always ice cold.”

Body temperature…

Seo Jun-Ho smiled brightly upon coming up with an idea.

“That sounds great.”

"Um, I think I can finally understand your friends' concern now. Do you want me to lend you a few of our warriors?”

"No. My plan will definitely fail if I were to go with the werewolves."

There was no way that they would let a werewolf into the secret social club.

“Anyway, I’ll be back. Hopefully, once I return…”

"Hm, your friend should be awake by then if you’re lucky.”

Little did Seo Jun-Ho know that he would have to make a decision today.

***

Seo Jun-Ho murmured, "The Watchguard of Darkness is invincible, which means I’m also invincible when it comes to something like this…"

When it came to sneaking into someone else’s house, Seo Jun-Ho was convinced that if he were to claim that he was second, no one would dare to claim that they were first.

He rummaged through the random letters on the table in the living room.

"Found it."

The black letter was distinct from the others, especially the red seal on the letter that was emblazoned with a luxurious intaglio.

“It’s funny how those bloodsuckers pretend like they’re nobles.”

Seo Jun-Ho opened the letter and read it.

[We hope that Obi-nim will once again grace us with your presence at Eden's gathering this month.]

"Eden."

It was ridiculous, but the name of the secret social club was Eden. Seo Jun-Ho skipped through the pleasantries and read only the necessary parts.

"The location is a mansion on 7th Street in District 34. This month’s theme is…”

Seo Jun-Ho's lips curled up.

"A masquerade."

It was his forte.