Return of the Frozen Player

Midnight Visitor (1)

Seo Junho had been walking to Deokgu’s office when he saw Cha Si-eun exit.

“Huh? Why are you here?”

“Ack! J-Junho-nim?” She looked like a deer in the headlights, as if she’d been caught doing something she wasn’t supposed to, and covered her mouth as she hiccuped. Seo Junho studied her.

“…I’m getting deja vu.”

When he’d woken up after fighting the Cinder Fox, she’d had the same expression.

That hospital was really good. I was in great condition when I came to, as if I’d taken a panacea or something. It was the most thorough treatment he’d ever received. He didn’t know the healer, but someone with that level of skill should’ve been famous.

Cha Si-eun cleared her throat. “I was called to help with some documents.”

“Why would he ask you, though…?”

“I-I’m not sure.”

“I’ll make sure this doesn’t happen again.”

“Um, that’s…” She squeezed her eyes shut and bowed her head. “Alright…”

“Your shift’s already over. You should go home.” He saw her off before going into the office.

“Hm? Did you leave something… Oh! It’s you!” Deokgu’s face brightened as he saw him.

“Hey. Why are you ordering my secretary around?”

“What? I haven’t seen you in three months, dude.”

“Secretary Cha told me that you asked her to help with some documents.”

“Ah.” Deokgu caught on and nodded. He recalled her request to keep her resignation a secret.

“You weren’t pushing her around while I was gone, were you?”

“No. It was time-sensitive, so I just asked for her help.”

“Well, whatever.”

“How was the Gate? Since it took you three months in the real world, was it a lot longer inside?”

“It was almost four months.”

“Wow, it must’ve been hard.” He could tell because of Junho’s shaggy beard and hair. He looked around. “Is the Frost Queen… I mean, is Frost Queen-nim not here today?”

“She’s watching movies at home.”

“…How interesting. She likes to watch TV?”

“It’s all she ever does. All day.” He spoke like a parent and sighed as he tapped his Vita. “I came to say hi and give you these.”

“What are these?” Deokgu studied the six hologram files before him. “‘History of Religions’… ‘Frontier Monsters’… ‘Important Families and Nobles’…?” He suddenly realized what he was looking at. He scrolled through the documents and checked the name of each file. “What the hell are these?”

“Copies of reports from six amazing, greatest, legendary guilds.”

“The Big 6?! Why did they give you all this?”

“Oh, did I not tell you?” Seo Junho explained the contract he’d made.

“…Wow, you’re one sneaky bastard. I bet you’d be able to sell handwarmers in the desert.”

“Of course. I’d sell ice cream in Antarctica too.” He jutted his chin toward the hologram.

Deokgu sighed as he finished skimming them. “I thought we’d caught up by a lot, but we still have a long way to go.”

“Well, at least you have a concrete goal. That’ll keep you motivated. How’s the Association doing?”

“We’ve been recruiting players on the 2nd Floor, and we’ve reorganized our information structure.”

“Good. A different approach could be better. How is it?”

“It’s whatever. Most guilds train in remote areas. Well… all the main cities have been taken over, so it’s a bit of a hindrance.” He sounded frustrated.

“Well, they’ve been at it for 25 years. We can’t catch up in one day.” If they wanted to, they’d have to achieve something great enough to make up for the lost time. “We could make a big contribution to a war…”

“It’s not that easy. The empire controls most of the Frontier. It doesn’t have any enemies.”

“You never know.” Seo Junho shrugged.

He leaned in—face strangely serious. “Deokgu. I’m going to the 2nd Floor in a week.”

“…Yeah.” Deokgu swallowed. He’d expected this since the day his friend woke up and decided to become a player again. And yet, he still couldn’t help but feel a bit sad.

“I’m sorry. If I’d just expanded our influence a bit… we would’ve been able to support you on the 2nd Floor.”

“You’ve done enough for me already.” He meant it. If Deokgu hadn’t pushed him physically and mentally and hadn’t helped as much as he had, it would’ve been much harder for Seo Junho to return. “Thanks to you, I have a new reputation and player license. You gave me all that equipment and a house. I wouldn’t have been able to grow this fast if it weren’t for you. It was more than I could ask for.”

“Bastard…” Deokgu’s chest tightened. His friend was going to fight in a place he couldn’t reach. It would be a lonely journey. He didn’t even have his former comrades.

“Don’t worry too much. And if I meet Arthur, I’ll tell him the news.”

“Oh, I almost forgot. Take this.” He pulled out a piece of paper. On it was an unfamiliar town and address. “This is where he lives. Go find him and help him out, won’t you?”

“Ooh, thanks.” Seo Junho took it into his hands.

“But… are you gonna go to him as Seo Junho… or as Specter?”

“Hm.” It was a good question. The Five Heroes and Shim Deokgu had all cared for Arthur, but he’d only been three years old back then.”

“…He probably won’t remember my face, right?”

“If he did, he would’ve contacted you already. You’re always on the news.”

“True.” Seo Junho looked down at the memo. “I’ll think about it.”

“Do what you think is best.”

Their conversation ended there, and Seo Junho stood. “I’m off. I have to memorize all the information the Big 6 gave me.”

“Don’t go too far.”

He left the office and went down to the first floor to buy some energy drinks and onigiri. He would need something to help him get through the night.

A man sat on the roof of a building as he downed his bread and milk. He wore a thick hoodie as he looked out into the Seoul nightscape.

“……”

To be exact, he was looking at the entrance of the Player Association building, 5 kilometers away. The man with keen eyesight was none other than Kal Signer.

“Dammit, I already made sure he left the Gate.”

Last night, the internet had exploded with the news that Seo Junho had cleared the Gate and gone back to the Association. Of course, Signer had been suspicious at first. But once he saw photographic proof, he was sure.

Ever since then, he’d been waiting on the roof. I looked all over while he was gone for three months. This is the best location. If Seo Junho left the building, he’d see immediately.

“Dammit…” Signer scowled. He hadn’t been living like a proper human for the last few months, so he was filthy all over.

It couldn’t be helped. Unlike the Frontier, he couldn’t go about as he pleased—especially in a country with so many CCTVs.

“Seo Junho… If I can just catch him…”

He’d be able to live luxuriously as a fiend again.

The temperature had started to drop, prickling his skin. “…Finally.”

His eyes filled with joy. He’d watched this scene play out in his dreams countless times.

Seo Junho.

His target stepped out of the building with a mask on.

“You can’t fool my eyes with such a weak disguise.” He cackled as he leapt off the roof and started running toward Seo Junho.

* * *

“That’ll be 19,400 won.”

“How much are the Sweet ‘n Sours?”

(TN: Korean candy similar to Hi-Chew.)

“1,000 won.”

“Geez, the inflation’s gone up a lot.” He bought the candy and walked out of the convenience store.

A stray cat near the entrance looked up at him with big eyes, purring.

“I didn’t get anything for you.” As soon as he said that, it walked away into an alley with an unsteady gait.

“Even cats are smart nowadays.” He smiled and turned back toward the Association.

Suddenly, he heard a cat yowl.

“……?” He turned around and tapped his Vita as he walked toward the alley. He used the flashlight app to scan the area.

Blood! The cat was trembling on the ground as it bled out. As he ran toward it, he sensed someone’s presence behind him.

Shing! He pulled out Black Dragon Fang in an instant and pointed it at the stranger.

“Whoa, whoa, calm down.” The man was wearing a thick hoodie, and his voice was even. There was a stench about him, but his feet were light.

He’s a player. A strong one, at that. Seo Junho’s eyes narrowed. A dark alleyway with a bleeding cat, and a suspicious person that blocked the way. This could only mean one thing.

“What do you want?”

“Wow, you catch on quick. You’re not like the other newbies.” He chuckled as a large bow appeared in his hands, blood-red and maroon. “Shall we go somewhere more suitable? I don’t think you want to fight here either.”

“……” Seo Junho pulled out a potion from his inventory and poured it on the cat. It didn’t heal it completely, but the cat purred as it ran away in the opposite direction.

He turned back to the stranger. “Final Horizon. It was originally meant for sniping.”

“Impressive.” The man seemed amused. He didn’t think that any 1st Floor player, let alone Seo Junho, would recognize his weapon.

“As the name implies, it’s a Unique-grade bow that can hit a target at the end of the horizon… You must have made a mistake. You can’t create enough distance, and you appeared right in front of your opponent.”

“Well, you’d normally be correct.” It would be stupid to do that if the enemy was as strong as he was. But Signer thought that he’d be able to beat the likes of Seo Junho even in close combat.

He jutted his chin. “You should move while I’m being nice. If you don’t want other people to die, that is.” It wouldn’t be good for himself either. It wouldn’t matter if his mission was to kill Seo Junho, but he was supposed to capture him.

“……” It was strange that the notorious Kal Signer was making such a proposal. There was a reason why he couldn’t attack carelessly.

Well, it doesn’t matter. His inventory hummed as if one of the weapons were laughing. I think I’ll be able to fulfill my promise faster than I thought, Tushar Vishi.

He lowered his sword. “Lead the way. I’ll let you choose your grave.”

“Hah. Follow me.” Kal Signer snorted as he started to dash forward. Seo Junho followed close behind.