Return of the Frozen Player

It had already been two weeks since Archmage Kodone Schumaver’s voice had echoed across the empire. It seemed like they were about to break out into war at any second, but the empire was relatively peaceful.

Vrrr.

“Make a left there. Oh, right. Mr. Levins, have you read the morning paper?”

“I was in a rush, so I didn’t. Why? Was there something interesting?”

A conversation started in the passenger seats of the car that was making a smooth turn.

“Apparently, there was a terrorist attack in Vrillaum, the southern port city,” Levins’ secretary said.

“A terrorist attack? Was it orchestrated by the monsters who had crossed over from the Gate?”

“Yes. They said there were thirty-seven casualties.”

“Goodness…” Levins shook his head and watched the world pass by out the window. The streets were neat and tidy, and civilians were walking to work. This was the province he loved dearly—Jaxen. “Those bastards can’t get in here…”

“We don’t have to worry about it. His Majesty had sent knights to help us.” It was because Jaxen was a very important place.

Levins thought for a moment. “Do we have any documents about it? I want to talk about it in today’s broadcast.”

“Yes. I brought them because I thought you might need them.”

“You’re always so proactive.” He took the documents from his assistant and skimmed through them. Suddenly, he let out a small gasp. “They shouldn’t be able to do this much damage with just a one-off terrorist attack.”

“Yes. They say that the monsters from the Gate are much stronger than we initially thought.”

“Even then, how could a mere human do that to Overminds…?” Levins shook his head, seemingly ashamed. They were Overminds. The survivors—the ones chosen by this land. “There was a time when we were humans as well.”

“Indeed, there was a time like that.”

“But once I became an Overmind, I realized how insignificant of a life I was leading back then. I felt regretful about the life I had been living before I became an Overmind,” said Levins.

The difference was just that big. It felt like he was born again. With the Force, he was able to do things that were impossible with magic.

“No matter how much I think about it, I have to warn the people about this today.” Levins decided.

“...Is that okay? I’m concerned that it will only make them more nervous.”

“We’re reporters, and we have the duty to share the truth,” Levins said.

“This is the inspection point,” the driver announced.

With that, the car slowly rolled to a stop.

The window in the back seat rolled down.

“You’re all hard at work, I see. Bright and early.”

“Good morning to you too, Director. Is there anything else we should be aware of?”

“Everything’s fine.”

“Okay. Please, head on in.” The inspection ended; they simply checked his face.

As the car started up again, the driver looked into the back mirror. “The inspections seem to have gotten stricter these days. If it weren’t for you, Director, they wouldn’t have let me in.”

“Oh please, they wouldn’t go that far. Though… I’ll admit that they are meticulous.”

The knights that the emperor had sent were protecting the Radio Tower like an iron wall to prevent suspicious people from coming in. If the Radio Tower fell into the hands of their enemies, the people would be overcome with terror.

“We’ve arrived,” the driver announced.

Once the car came to a complete stop, the secretary took off their seat belt and complimented the driver. “Your driving skills are impressive. You said you’re from Giran, right?”

“Yes.”

“Giran… Where is that again? Do you know, Director?”

“I haven’t heard of it either.”

“It’s a small village by the mountains,” the driver explained.

“I see. Is that why your pronunciation is a bit off? Anyway, have a good day,” Levins said.

And that was as far as their curiosity went…

Levins and his secretary were busy, so they swiftly stepped out of the car and went inside the Radio Tower.

“...”

The man took off his driver’s cap and smoothly stepped out of the car. The girl in the passenger seat did the same.

“You passed the inspection quite smoothly, somehow. Completely unscathed, at that,” she said.

“I wasted too much time, though.”

If he had followed his original plan, he would have already arrived at the Radio Tower and had already sent his message by now. However, the emperor strengthened the security around the region by a crazy amount.

It felt as though the emperor knew the man’s plan.

The checkpoints had devices that could detect magic energy, so the man had to be creative.

‘I can’t believe it took two weeks just to get to this point.’ It had been exactly ten days since he arrived in Jaxen. Fortunately, he still managed to get something out of it. ‘This is much smoother than if I had followed the original plan.’

He lifted his head and saw a tower filling his vision. A voice could be broadcasted throughout the entire world through that tower. It was the pride and joy of the empire—the Radio Tower.

“Let’s go.”

Dressed in a driver’s uniform, Seo Jun-Ho made his move.

***

Seo Jun-Ho flickered in and out of existence as he traversed the building.

‘I can use Night Walking as much as I want here because…’ By hiding his traces, he wouldn’t be visible to his enemies. The reason for that was simple. ‘They’ve abandoned magic.’

Upon developing the Force, the Overminds no longer had any use for magic power.

However, magic was a natural phenomenon.

Seo Jun-Ho was confident that unless there was someone as strong as His Highness Digor here, no one should be able to sense him and the Frost Queen.

“Look up a village called Giran. Check the driver’s background and see if he has any criminal record,” Levins said.

“Pardon? Did you notice something suspicious about him?” his secretary asked.

“Well, not exactly. But we can never be too careful, can we?”

The two of them continued talking without realizing that Jun-Ho was standing in the same elevator as them.

“And be especially careful with the script today. It’s been a while since I’ve gone on.” Levins continued.

“What?! You’re going to be in the broadcast?”

“It isn’t wise to fade too far into the background. The people will start forgetting me, you see.”

“T-Then, I’ll get ready.”

When the two of them stepped out of the elevator, Seo Jun-Ho and the Frost Queen followed them.

The room was rowdy.

“Hey, Dennis. Where are the field notes?”

“I’m finishing them off right now!”

“Move it! We don’t have much time left!”

“What? Another attack? Where was it this time? And how many deaths were there?”

Seo Jun-Ho felt like he was at an office back on Earth—where everyone was too busy to notice even an intruder.

The Frost Queen observed them for a moment before whispering, “...If this is too difficult, we can find another solution.”

“...No.” Throughout his stay in the big city of Jaxen, Seo Jun-Ho realized that the Overminds were very similar to humans.

However, that was all.

“What? They actually killed three monsters this time? Wow. That’s the imperial knights for you. That’s really impressive.”

“But it’s a shame that they couldn’t capture any alive. If I was there…”

“Hahaha! Good one. Hasn’t it been centuries since you last held a weapon?”

The Overminds weren’t humans. They had confidently crossed the line first, so Seo Jun-Ho could let go of his reservations.

‘And even now…’

Rahmadat was definitely trapped in a laboratory somewhere and was going through cruel experiments.

‘The more I hesitate, the more he’ll suffer.’

Therefore, he didn’t hesitate.

Seo Jun-Ho took in the faces of each and every Overmind that was running about in the room. They were about to die, so he wanted to remember what they looked like in their final moments.

That was the least he could do for them…

***

[On-Air]

A similar message flashed overhead in the ancient language of Frontier, and the broadcast started. Director Levins was about to go on for the first time in a while, so there were more staffers than usual.

“Hello, citizens of Babella. My name is Levins Omori, and I’ll be reporting to you this morning.”

His words weren’t being broadcast over the whole world like Kodone Schumaver’s last time. However, anyone in the empire could hear him right now as long as they had tuned in to the right channel.

“First, I’d like to address the tragedy that occurred last night. The vicious monsters that had crossed over the Gate carried out a horrible terrorist attack at the southern port city, Vrilaum…”

Seo Jun-Ho watched him for a moment before slipping into the broadcasting booth.

The secretary was directing the broadcast themselves.

“Raise his voice a little. How is the reception for each region?”

“The weather is quite nice today, so it’s great.”

“Good. Note down the ratings for each region as well.”

Seo Jun-Ho stood still and watched the person working on the Radio. He wasn’t exactly an expert on machines, so he looked confused as he worked on it.

This was Seo Jun-Ho’s first time seeing the device, and it looked quite complex to him.

‘I don’t think I can do this by myself.’

In that case, there was only one thing he could do…

Click.

He closed the door to the booth, and all eyes turned to him.

The secretary’s eyes grew wide. “The driver? Hey, you’re not supposed to be—”

Slice!

With a single cut, the staffers in the broadcasting booth were beheaded at once.

“...”

The booth instantly became silent.

Seo Jun-Ho walked over to the severed head of the individual who had been working on the Radio.

“Confession of the Dead.”

He skimmed through their memories and quickly learned how to use the Radio.

“Contractor. I do not understand it at all.”

“That’s fine, I do.”

Click. Click.

Seo Jun-Ho’s eyes flashed coldly as he turned up the dial.

***

“And next up—”

Levins paused. He seemed to have forgotten what he was about to say. He had many years of experience in the broadcasting industry, so he noticed it before anyone else.

‘Wait. This frequency isn’t on the regional level….’

Levins’ voice echoed ever so slightly. This frequency would only be used if His Majesty the Emperor wanted to broadcast something to the entire world. In other words, it could only be used with His Majesty the Emperor’s permission.

‘Those idiots. They’ve been working here forever, so how could they make a mistake like this?’

He broke out into a cold sweat. He urgently gestured with his hands at the booth, telling them that the Radio was using the incorrect frequency.

Click.

Eventually, he stood up and walked into the booth.

However, the individual he saw in the booth was the individual he least expected to see.

“...The driver?” He spoke before he could stop himself, and it echoed across the world.

Levins glared at his staff. With his eyes, he told them to kick out the bastard right this moment.

“Hey, what’s wrong with you?”

“Bring him here!”

The staff members spoke as quietly as they could as they dashed to Jun-Ho and grabbed his shoulders and arms.

Or rather, tried to.

Crackle!

A chill was released from his fingertips, and in an instant, it penetrated into their heart.

“...What?”

Levins stared at his now-frozen staff members.

“No. Is he a monster from the Gate?” he whispered unwittingly.

Alarm bells started going off in his head, and he immediately channeled the Force. As an Overmind who had received the dominant genes of a hobgoblin, he could wield magic as well as Force.

In an instant, dozens of bolts of lightning manifested and flew toward Jun-Ho.

The number of lightning bolts could easily overwhelm anyone else and electrocute them.

“...Too slow.”

However, Seo Jun-Ho nonchalantly struck them aside before stabbing Levins’s heart.

The breath was knocked out of Levins, and he died with wide eyes.

The room grew silent.

Seo Jun-Ho quietly slid into the now-empty seat.

The Frost Queen was looking out the window, and she frantically yelled, “The knights from the checkpoints are coming, hurry up!”

“...” Seo Jun-Ho took a moment to sort his thoughts before speaking, “My name is Seo Jun-Ho, and this is a message for all the Players out there.”

He had thought long and hard about how he should gather the Players in a way that the Overminds wouldn’t be able to decipher.

He had to inform them of a rendezvous point that only Players would recognize.

“If you’re still alive…” The affectionate visage of a certain someone momentarily flashed through his mind. “Go to where the thunder sleeps within five days.”

The rendezvous point was the Thunder God’s grave, and it was a place that no Player could ever forget. Most importantly, it was a place that only Players would know where to find.

***

“That lunatic…!”

The Overmind knights blocked off the elevators and sprinted up the stairs.

They couldn’t believe that a monster had actually infiltrated the Radio Tower.

‘And he came all alone. He’s out of his mind.’

‘His Majesty will be so angry… Dammit.’

Now that things had turned out like this, they had to capture him if they wanted to quell His Majesty’s fury.

Nearly one hundred knights readied their Force before busting through the broadcasting booth’s door.

Amidst the strange midst, someone was someone sitting on a chair with their back facing the knights.

“Director Levins is dead…! Just how many were killed?”

“You crazy bastard. Do you really think that you can get away with this?”

“We’ll torture you forever. We won’t even let you die.”

Each and every one of them cursed and insulted, but the man only picked at his ear.

“Ah, fuck… Why do I always get stuck with these roles?” said the man, sounding annoyed.

The knights growled and approached the man.

The ones who had received certain genetic transplants even transformed into monsters.

“I don’t know what kind of bullshit you’re spewing, but there’s nowhere for you to run.”

“Um, well. It’s not like I can run away in the first place.”

“...What?”

The chair creaked as it turned around, revealing the speaker.

The man’s body was covered with something.

“Yeah. How could he drag me into this when he was the one who started all this?” Seo Jun-Sik muttered. He was covered in the leftover Dwarf Special Bombs from head to toe.

“Just die, you morons.”

The bombs simultaneously went off, and the broadcasting booth was instantly inundated with a dazzling light.

Booooom!

The empire’s pride and joy—the Radio Tower—had collapsed.