Return of the Frozen Player

‘I messed up,’ Kim Woo-Joong thought.

He had been too hasty. Even if the two of them thought of each other as friends, people were supposed to build their relationship over the course of two to three years before they started speaking casually to each other. He realized that he had been too impatient.[1]

Krrr. Krr. Krrr.

Seo Jun-Sik stared, watching Kim Woo-Joong crush the robots with his bare hands.

“Um, you already destroyed that robot’s chip. You’re gonna crush him into powder.”[2]

“...”

Kim Woo-Joong hated this. The air hadn’t felt this stuffy even when he was fighting Namgung Jincheon…

‘Oh.’

A lightbulb went off in his head as a ridiculous thought crossed his mind. He walked over confidently. He tapped on his Vita and showed him the body cam.

“What is this? Why are you showing me this all of a sudden?” Seo Jun-Sik asked.

“Listen closely.”

“Wait, Seo Jun-Ho? When did you return? -yo?”

His words were clear. “I didn’t speak casually to you,” Kim Woo-Joong said confidently—no, a little fiercely.[3]

So what?

The thought was clearly written across Seo Jun-Sik’s face. He stared at Kim Woo-Joong. “Yah[4], come on. It doesn’t really matter how we talk to each other…”

‘Yah?’ Kim Woo-Joong’s eyes sparkled quietly. ‘I see...’

Clearly, it was a little too early and awkward to speak to each other on a first-name basis. This probably meant that they would compromise for the time being by calling each other ‘yah’.[5]

There was a small smile on Kim Woo-Joong’s face as he nodded. He looked like he understood.

“...”

However, Seo Jun-Sik looked weirded out when he saw the expression on Kim Woo-Joong’s.

‘This guy has always been kinda weird. I bet he’s misunderstanding something again…’

Seo Jun-Sik thought about it for a second and shrugged. It wasn’t his problem.

***

Isaac Dvor watched what was happening behind the window from the Heavenly Demon corporation building. His eyes curved into crescents. His eyes were fixed on Seo Jun-Ho, who was saying something to Kim Woo-Joong.

He had seen on the news that Seo Jun-Ho had become a public enemy of the Murim Alliance, but it felt different to see that he was still alive with his own eyes.

‘Just how do you think he survived?’[6]

Had Shadow betrayed them?

Isaac immediately reached into his breast pocket and took out his cards, spreading them around in the air. He picked a few and shook his head.

“Hm. I am certain that Mr. Shadow is dead.”

His lifeline had been cut off completely. It confirmed that he was no longer of this world.

If that was the case, just why did he report ‘Assassination successful’ before he died?

‘Perhaps one of the Players had a skill that could revive him?’

This was the most likely theory. It was possible that someone had a similar skill to him.

‘I have only heard about him in name, but perhaps it is the Skill of the Eighth Heaven, Yuri Alekseyev.’

Isaac looked out the window and pondered for a long while. Either way, the die was already cast, and it was now up to him to decide what to do.

‘And I don’t believe the Heavenly Demon has broken into the chip just yet.’

It had already been about an hour since the Heavenly Demon entered the cultivation room, but there hadn’t been an explosion of magic. It meant the contents of the chip were that incredible.

‘Shall I inform the Heavenly Demon that Seo Jun-Ho is right next to him, or shall I not?’

He laughed without a sound as he weighed the scales, thinking about which one would be more entertaining.

At that moment, a woman approached him.

She emanated a very sharp aura as a warning. “Don’t tell him.”

“...I have not decided on anything yet.”

“Knowing you, you were definitely going to tell him,” Valencia Citrin said, staring straight at his face. “In general, I think you’re a pretty good comrade. But I cannot give you my trust because you have a tendency to prioritize your own entertainment over the team.”

“I’m hurt. I trust you, Miss Cia,” Isaac said, looking sad. He let out a long sigh. “If I try to go and tell him, will you attack me with that aura of yours?”

“Yes, because that’s the right choice.”

Isaac’s smiling face met Valencia’s expressionless eyes. A moment later, Isaac gave in and raised the white flag.

“Hm. Seeing as how you are willing to go that far, I will not inform the Heavenly Demon.”

“Thanks. You made the right decision. Leave him be so he can absorb the magic energy in the chip. Anyway, it won’t be too late to take care of them once he’s done absorbing it.”

“Perhaps… Do you truly think it won’t be too late?”

“5 Heroes, Nine Heavens, the savior of humanity, whatever. At the end of the day, those are just names.” Valencia looked out the window coldly as she watched the idiotic Specter. “What’s more, the Heavenly Demon has already defeated him once. He has grown stronger since then, and he is growing stronger even at this very moment. He will not lose.”

“I see… You actually have such faith in him.” Isaac grinned. At some point, the scale had tipped to the other side.

‘Now that I think about it, this could be a fun option as well.’ Valencia believed in the Heavenly Demon this much. And if he fought Seo Jun-Ho after absorbing that incredible amount of magic…

What would happen?

Isaac couldn’t hold back his laughter. He got too curious about it. “The Heavenly Demon ordered us to prevent anyone from approaching him, so I suppose we’ll have to dispatch the fiends, right?”

“...”

Valencia paused, then nodded. The Players and robots were already fighting near the building. If they just so happened to be hit, the Heavenly Demon’s training could get interrupted.

“They should sweep this area clean,” she agreed.

“Good. Then, let us set out the little ones.”

Isaac wondered what amusing sight the cyborg fiends would show him.

His heart thumped with anticipation.

***

While Seo Jun-Sik joined forces with Kim Woo-Joong in the eastern area, Seo Jun-Ho was heading toward a fiercer battlefield with Gilberto.

‘The central district.’

The Alliance headquarters was located there, and it was also the place that had the most robots of the Immortal Army.

He took out a certain ball from his Inventory. He infused it with magic, and the LED lights instantly lit up.

- ٩(๑•̀o•́๑)و

- I am alive again!

- I feel as if I have awakened from a deep sleep. I feel great.

Wisoso’s energy was completely restored. The Small Heavenly Demon spun around and looked at Seo Jun-Ho. Their LED lights flashed and became even brighter.

- Ah, Young Hero Seo. Seeing how bright your face looks, it seems that you have ascended to a higher stage.

“Yeah, I suppose.”

- Thank you for not forgetting me and reviving—Ah!

Baaaam!

The giant building right next to them collapsed, startling Wisoso.

- W-Wait. Are we not in the city? What is the meaning of this?

“As you can see, it’s a battlefield.”

Wisoso suddenly grew quiet. They was at a loss for words when they saw the Players fighting the Immortal Army.

“Actually, I want to ask you. Do you know what these annoying bastards are?”

- O-Oh my god…

Vrrr. Vrrrrr.

Wisoso shook ther head vigorously, unable to believe their eyes.

- N-N-Namgung Jincheon, you scoundrel! This is a line that never should have been crossed!

Wisoso said furiously.

“A line that shouldn’t have been crossed? What are you talking about?” Seo Jun-Ho asked.

Wisoso turned and stared straight at him.

- Look closely at that robot! Can you see the purple light it’s giving off?

Sure enough, there was a beautiful violet glow around it.

- That only appears when the Phantom of the Violet Sunset is used! It is only passed down to the Huashan Sect Leaders!

“Then are you saying that guy’s the Huashan Sect Leader?”

- Absurd! The current Huashan Sect Leader is their greatest swordsman Kwak Won-San. But that robot is using the Lady Sword, which was said to be mastered by the 18th Sect Leader, Ha Yeon.[7]

Seo Jun-Ho and Gilberto’s eyes grew wide.

“Wait, so you’re saying…”

“Namgung Jincheon made those robots out of dead people?”

- ...Yes.

Wisoso sounded a little scared.

- Its movement is as smooth as water and grass in the wind. It is not something that can simply be programmed with data. If that were possible, why would martial artists even train?

Such movement could only be achieved by martial artists who had trained with their swords for hundreds, thousands of days.

Wisoso’s LED eyes shut tightly.

- That is Ha Yeon herself.

“...”

“...”

Neither of them could speak. If Wisoso's words were true, that meant Namgung Jincheon had taken away the dead’s right to rest.

“So you’re saying that he stole brains from corpses and converted them into data to put into those robots.”

- Indeed. I’m looking around right now, and I am certain that all of them were elite fighters or previous Sect Leaders of the Murim Alliance.

They finally understood why the Immortal Army was so powerful. The robots were warriors that had previously dominated their era, and they were on the battlefield right now.

“Gilbe. You said that there are at least a few thousand of them, right?” Seo Jun-Ho asked.

“That’s our estimation…”

This meant Namgung Jincheon had spent at least a few centuries creating this army.

- Urp.

Wisoso had a weak stomach, so they couldn’t help but retch. The Small Heavenly Demon’s stomach turned at the thought that their father could be out there on the battlefield after being thrown away in a landfill.

“Wisoso.” Seo Jun-Ho’s eyes were cold. “I think we should let them rest as they deserve. But I’ll need your help for that.”

- I-I will do whatever I can to assist you.

“Whenever they break, metal parts would fly out of nowhere to repair them.” Wherever they came from, as long as the stockpile of parts remained, this battle would go on for a very, very long time. “Do you have any idea where those parts are coming from?”

- ...There is one place.

Considering how Namgung Jincheon trusted no one, there was no way he would hide something like that in the Murim Alliance. At the same time, he wouldn’t have hidden it somewhere too far away.

The answer was simple, then. There was a building where entrance was forbidden for anyone. It was the symbol of the city.

- The Imperial Palace. The stockpile should be beneath it.

“I see…” Seo Jun-Ho looked up. He could vaguely see the palace in the distance.

- But how in the world will you destroy it? It will require an incredible amount of neigong.

“Don’t worry. I’m not gonna use an ounce of magic.”

Gilberto ran past Seo Jun-Ho and scaled the wall of the building like a nimble panther to reach the roof.

His eyes fixed on the palace, and his vision suddenly expanded.

‘Eagle Eye.’

He could see the regal palace up close now. The building was the symbol of Neo City, where a criminal could never go unpunished.

“Jun-Ho, if I do this…”

“Don’t worry about it. Just do it,” he said firmly.

Gilberto let out a small sigh. Then, he pulled back the bowstring of the weapon his friend had lent to him.

‘Final Horizon.’

With his skills, he could hit it from here.

- Beep.

- Beeeeep.

The Immortal robots flying around them noticed what Gilberto was trying to do, and they immediately flew down to interrupt.

“Don’t bother him. You’ll break his concentration.”

Darkness and ice struck out, piercing their heads.

Bam! Clang!

The robots exploded in midair, filling Gilberto’s vision like fireworks.

However, the explosions didn’t distract him. He was still concentrating.

‘Think like a sniper.’

He analyzed the wind’s speed and direction along with the movements of the thousands of robots in the air. And then, he found a line that pierced through it all.

‘...Gotcha.’

One side of his lip curled up.

Bababang!

He shot ten arrows at the same time, but only one of them made a sound.

‘I’m getting old. I don’t think I can do this often.’

His hands burned, and his overworked muscles were screaming.

However, that made it all the more satisfying. He jumped down from the roof and went back to Seo Jun-Ho without even checking the results.

“Good work.”

Seo Jun-Ho didn’t ask about it, either. The confident smile on Gilberto’s face was all the answer he needed.

“Jun-Ho, where did you get those things you put on the tips of the arrows?” he asked.

“Oh, those?” Seo Jun-Ho dug through his memories and smiled warmly. “I got it from my friends.”

He got them from his friends residing in the snowy mountains of Frontier—his short friends with dexterous hands.

“They’re really well-made, so cover your ears.”

When they covered their ears, a loud explosion tore through the air.

The ten Dwarf Special Bombs destroyed the Imperial Palace, and it sounded as if heaven and earth had collided.

1. This isn’t true. Some people start speaking casually from the get-go, especially if they’re close in age. There just has to be a mutual agreement. ☜

2. Jun-Sik speaks casually to him. ☜

3. He’s speaking in a way that’s somewhere in between formal and casual, erring on the casual side. Also, you’re only supposed to call someone by their first name without honorifics if you’re close to them and if you’re close in age. ☜

4. This term is hard to translate; it’s a second-person pronoun that’s typically used when you’re annoyed/angry at someone, but it can also be used in other contexts. ☜

5. It should be noted that using ‘yah’ is much more casual than calling someone by their first name and, therefore much ruder to use if you’re not close to someone. In fact, even if you speak casually to someone, you’re not supposed to use them if they’re older than you. ☜

6. The style of speech indicates that he’s speaking to someone. ☜

7. In wuxia, this is a sword paired with the Gentleman’s sword, and both are said to be the greatest swords in the world. ☜