Return of the Frozen Player

It had been four days since he had entered the Gate. Seo Jun-ho strode up to the door of the training ground and was asked the same question once more:

– “Have you come again to prove your knighthood?”

– “Of course.”

The only things that had changed were Phil and Lance’s attitudes; they shook their heads and refused to fight.

– “Wandering Knight, you have already far surpassed our abilities.”

– “The only reason we have left to fight you is our own greed.”

Yesterday, they’d clearly surrendered early in their matches. Perhaps that was why they looked at him with an air of respect. Today, they were only here to watch.

– “Hoh, how interesting. If it continues as such, you will not even need to unsheathe your sword on the final day. You would be able to fight Sir Kis at your best.”

“…Yeah, I didn’t expect this.” Seo Jun-ho scratched his head.

The third opponent, Ticino, stepped up.

“Ah, Ticino. He was famous for having a fiery character.”

“I know. I fought him on the first day.” He used a spear like Lance did, but Seo Jun-ho still had a lot left to learn.

Lance’s spear and Ticino’s spears are completely different. After fighting them both, it was hard to believe that they used the same weapon. Unlike Lance, whose spear was constantly moving, Ticino landed hard and heavy hits. If Lance’s spear is like a machine gun, Ticino’s is like a cannon.

Ticino gripped his spear with both hands, holding it between his armpits as he charged.

– “For the Queen!”

“Yes, yes, thank you.”

* * *

It had been two months since he had entered the Gate. It had taken much longer than he had expected, but Seo Jun-ho wasn’t scared or nervous. On the contrary, his eyes grew brighter as time passed. The only thing that had changed was that he was no longer receiving a knight’s acknowledgment every four days.

“Do you plan to train again today?”

“Yeah, it’s nice to learn new techniques, but it’s also important to brush up on things I’ve already learned.”

His daily life was very simple. He would wake up, eat, fight the knights, train the techniques, train some more, and sleep. The cycle was never-ending.

Both his hair and beard had grown out quite a bit. The Frost Queen covered her mouth and giggled as she saw him.

“Fufu, you look like a castaway.”

“Would that make you Wilson?”

“I am not a volleyball.”

“Damn, when did you watch that movie?”1

If it weren’t for the Frost Queen’s constant chatter, he would have quickly grown tired of his current life, no matter how much he would learn. But thanks to her, he was able to continue to learn and train.

Exactly three months and two weeks after he had entered the Gate, he’d completely absorbed all the knights’ weapon techniques.

“No wonder he’s the captain. It took me four days to learn Horun’s technique because it was so complicated.”

“They say that a single sword can cause ten thousand changes.”

Seo Jun-ho finally received his proof of knighthood, and the hundred others treated him as a full-fledged knight.

“My stats also increased a lot after training like crazy for all that time.”

His Stamina had increased by 2, and his Strength, Agility, and Magic had all increased by 1. And that wasn’t everything he’d received.

[Cold Tolerance]

Rank: C

Effect: You can tolerate the cold. 

After he’d spent three months in the harsh cold of the Winter Castle, he’d adapted to the climate and received the skill out of nowhere.

“I’m not cold at all anymore.” When he’d first come here, he’d had to create a large fire and wear his thick jacket constantly. But now, he felt fine simply wearing a long-sleeved shirt.

I’ve also learned a lot of little tricks. He’d learned how to flex his muscles ever so slightly to fake a strike, how to read his opponent’s next move, and so on. He’d also refined many of his other, smaller techniques that wouldn’t appear in textbooks.

“I’ve worked really hard… I wonder what the reward will be.”

“Contractor, do not be so eager. The strongest enemy is still left.”

“Ah… Sir Kissyface.” Seo Jun-ho nodded gravely. “Let’s get him today.”

He had nothing left to gain from the Gate. It was time to fulfill his mission and return to Earth. This was his final task.

Creak! After being used so many times in the past three months, the door now opened smoothly, as if it were oiled. 

– “The Wandering Knight is here!”

– “I’ve never seen anyone who understands weaponry better than him.”

– “Yup. He’s one of the few men that I acknowledge.”

– “I was called a genius in my hometown, but the world sure is big.”

The knights approached him, full of admiration. Seo Jun-ho felt a pang in his chest.

Ah, how nice it would be if I could take them back to Earth… They would have been a huge help in the future, but it was impossible to do that. There was a bitter taste in Seo Jun-ho’s mouth as he gave his final goodbyes.

“You’ve worked hard, Phil. Ticino, tone it down a bit. Oh, that technique you taught me was great, Bogus…” He bid farewell to each and every knight in the Winter Castle.

– “Wandering Knight, your pride was unshakeable.” Captain Horun held out his hand. As Seo Jun-ho shook it, he smiled for the first time. “May I ask your name?”

They’d never asked for his name before, only calling him ‘Wandering Knight’. Seo Jun-ho smiled happily.

“Seo Jun-ho. That’s my name.”

– “What an interesting name.”

– “Seo Jun-ho, Seo Jun-ho… I won’t forget it.

– “You’ve left the deepest impression on me out of any knight.” The knights of the Winter Castle smiled as they approached him one by one. Thump. Thump. Thump. Each one patted him on the shoulder. It wasn’t much, but it somehow gave him strength.

Horun was the last one. He patted him on the shoulder and held out a metallic emblem in the shape of mist.

“What’s this?”

– “It is a token of sorts. It shows that you have proven your knighthood.”

Seo Jun-ho clenched his fist around it. He smiled. “Nice. I’m gonna brag about it to my friends later,” he muttered.

– “Hahaha! I’m sure they will be proud of you.” Horun thumped his shoulder once more and stood to the side. The one hundred knights followed, cutting a path for him to walk through.

– “The one who has proven his knighthood may meet with the Lord of the Castle.”

– “I bet he’ll like you too.”

– “Let’s spar again when I get stronger.”

“……”

Seo Jun-ho slowly started to walk down the path. He felt strange.

“Ha, you must feel something peculiar. Did you not know that such things could happen within a Gate?”

“…Yeah.”

“Pay attention to your surroundings. There may be other ways to reach your goal.” The Frost Queen seemed happy as she lectured him. Not a single one of her knights had been injured.

Seo Jun-ho arrived at the door and glanced behind himself. The knights of the Winter Castle waved as they smiled brightly.

“…Thank you,” he whispered. He pushed the frozen doors open.

Creaaak! As he entered the room, Seo Jun-ho drew in a harsh breath.

It’s different. The air was so heavy, it felt as if his entire body were being weighed down.

And the source of this energy was one man sitting on a large throne.

“…Frost.” At his call, the Frost Queen flew from his shoulder to study the man.

“He is Kis Bremen. My and Niflheim’s most powerful knight.”

“He looks strong, just like you told me.”

Shing. Kis slowly stood up from his seat and silently unsheathed his sword.

I can feel his hostility. The powerful bloodlust he emanated was enough to make Seo Jun-ho’s skin tingle.

“It seems that Sir Kis is aware that you are a player.”

“I agree. He planned to kill me as soon as he saw me.”

Seo Jun-ho pushed his magic into Black Armor, causing it to unfold and cover him from head to toe. He pulled out a spear from his inventory, spinning it around a few times.

– “……” Kis glanced at Seo Jun-ho’s weapon, looking away from his figure.

“Hup!” In a split second, Seo Jun-ho’s spear divided into eight, aiming at vital points across Kis’s body. They weren’t just mere illusions; they were real spearpoints.

Clang! Kis blocked the attack easily.

He’s too relaxed. Determined, Seo Jun-ho’s eyes narrowed as he called upon his magic. The darkness wavered and bloomed, covering his spear like a snake.

“Contractor! You shouldn’t use such a powerful technique already…”

“It can’t be helped. I can’t afford to go easy on him.”

The aura wrapped over the spearhead and started to whirl. It consumes a lot of magic, but this can pierce through anything.

Kis eyed the spear and wordlessly ignited a gray aura over his sword, compressing it several times. He’d instinctively sensed that Seo Jun-ho’s attack would be dangerous. Seo Jun-ho watched as he pulled his spear back in preparation.

He’s strong. He was the Lord of the Winter Castle, the Sword of the Niflheim Empire. A weapon aura wouldn’t be enough to hunt a monster like him.

“Frost, what’s the time for Booster?”

“With this temperature, it should last for a minute and two seconds.”

“One minute and two seconds…” He took a mental note of the number. “Start counting!” he shouted.

Seo Jun-ho started to give off an explosive magic energy, and his body temperature started to rise. It’s hot. But I feel full of energy. He thrust his spear sharply at Kis. The spearhead burst into sixteen different pieces, flying into the air. He felt sure that Kis wouldn’t be able to block it.

– “……”

But that was an arrogant mistake. Kis coolly blocked each projectile. Seo Jun-ho’s body locked up at the sight.

“Contractor! Get it together!”

“Shit—!”

He ducked back a beat too late and felt his head sting. Seo Jun-ho wiped the blood from his forehead and bit his lip. The alarm bells were going off in his head.

He looked down at his spear. The tip had been broken off with a single hit. I can’t use this. He couldn’t estimate how the battle would go anymore. It wasn’t a matter of technique, but rather, there was too much of a difference in the quality of their weapons. He tossed the spear aside and unsheathed Black Dragon Fang.

– “……” Kis swung his sword slowly as he stepped forward. Gray mist started to surround his body. It covered the field in an instant, blocking Seo Jun-ho’s vision.

“…Ashen Mist. This is Sir Kis’s ability.”

“What does it do?”

“All it does is block one’s vision by covering the entire battlefield. However…”

He was the Sword of the Empire, the Knight of the Mist. And the reason he was feared was because of the way he slayed his enemies in battle with this very technique.

“Take heed, Contractor. You don’t know when or where he will attack you.”

“I’m already watching myself, but…” Seo Jun-ho’s face fell. He couldn’t see a single step in front of him. It felt like a tight, solitary cell. Even if he walked forward, all he saw was gray.

My skin feels tingly. He couldn’t tell where Kis was, but he felt him watching from somewhere through the mist. However, he was pondering over something more important.

Should I turn off Booster? Or should I keep going?

Time wasn’t on his side. With every second, his body heated up even more.

“Frost, time.”

“42 seconds, 41 seconds, 40…”

He was running out of time. If Kis waited for 40 more seconds, Seo Jun-ho would lose all chances of winning.

Dammit. He grit his teeth as he made his decision. The magic that ran through his circuits dispersed back into a normal speed. Phew, time to cool off. He quickly covered Black Armor with ice. He felt his body temperature start to fall bit by bit, but he couldn’t let his guard down.

Where is he? I can’t sense anything at all. He was completely blind, and he couldn’t even sense a trace of magic. As the Frost Queen said, he didn’t know from where or when Kis would attack.

Nervous sweat beaded on his face. A single drop rolled down to his chin and plopped to the ground.

“……!!”

Seo Jun-ho felt a chill go up his spine.

Shing! A sharp sword swung down on his head.

—————

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[1] This is a reference to the movie ‘Cast Away’, starring Tom Hanks.