Return of the Frozen Player

A black sedan stopped in front of the Insa-dong market. A girl sat in the back, nibbling on ice cream.聽

鈥淲hat鈥檚 his name?鈥?She asked her subordinate.

鈥淪eo Jun-ho.鈥?He pushed a hologram video from the passenger seat to the back. 鈥淭his video was taken only a few minutes ago.鈥澛?/p>

She watched it silently. Three players had been bested by Seo Jun-ho in a single breath.聽

鈥淲ho are these guys?鈥?/p>

鈥淚 looked into it, and they weren鈥檛 any relevant. But they were all over level 20.鈥?/p>

鈥?i>Hm.鈥?The video ended, and the girl didn鈥檛 seem all that interested. But her subordinate knew immediately.聽

She鈥檚 interested. Her voice had quirked up at the end. She only did that when she was amused.聽

鈥淚 personally like him because he exceeded our expectations. What do you think, Princess?鈥澛?/p>

鈥淲ell, he鈥檚 not bad.鈥?She played the video again. 鈥淚 always say this, but anyone can raise their stats as long as they have the money. However鈥︹€?/p>

鈥淭here aren鈥檛 many players who have a good eye like him. Is that what you were going to say?鈥?/p>

鈥溾€top finishing my sentences.鈥?/p>

鈥淎lright, alright.鈥?She was annoyed by his attitude, but he鈥檇 seen right through her. She鈥檇 been impressed by the swift way he dodged attacks.聽

A second later, they pulled up in an alleyway.聽

鈥淧lease finish your ice cream. I think he鈥檚 coming soon.鈥?/p>

鈥淲hatever.鈥?She bit into her ice cream before she suddenly turned to the window. 鈥淗ey, hey, isn鈥檛 that him?鈥?/p>

Right on time, Seo Jun-ho emerged from the alleyway. People had recognized and stopped him to take pictures.聽

鈥淵es. Seems like he鈥檚 pretty popular, unlike you.鈥?/p>

鈥溾€︹€︹€澛?/p>

She tilted the back mirror and studied him.聽

鈥淲hat the鈥?He鈥檚 actually useful.鈥?She鈥檇 decided that after seeing him in person. He looked weak at first sight because his body was untrained, but the look in his eyes was sharp. It was second to none, not even first-rate players.聽

鈥淚鈥檒l bring him here, then.鈥?She shook her head and opened the car door.聽

鈥淚鈥檒l go myself. I feel like I鈥檒l be seeing him around a lot.鈥?/p>

* * *

鈥淐hee~se!鈥?/p>

鈥溾€heese.鈥?Seo Jun-ho muttered with a sullen look on his face. As soon as he鈥檇 emerged from the alleyway, so-called fans had gone crazy.聽

鈥淓xcuse me, please be considerate of the people in line!鈥?/p>

鈥淗ow many pictures are you gonna take?鈥?/p>

鈥溾€hat? In line?鈥?Shocked, Seo Jun-ho turned around. At some point, dozens of people had lined up behind him.聽

They鈥檙e so civilized! In fact, the line was getting longer by the second. If things kept going like this, he wouldn鈥檛 be able to go home for hours. A loud alarm went off in his head, one he didn鈥檛 hear even when he was fighting.聽

鈥淧layer Seo Jun-ho?鈥?A soft, beautiful voice cut through the loud noises, clear as day. When he turned around, he saw a petite girl who came up to his chest. She was staring up at him. She looked extremely suspicious with her mask and sunglasses, but Seo Jun-ho was looking at something else.聽

鈥he鈥檚 strong? His words weren鈥檛 empty. She was the strongest player he鈥檇 seen after waking up from the ice. The female players that were this strong were鈥?/i>

He鈥檇 already researched and filled his head with information on the famous players, including rankers. Thanks to that, he found his answer right away. Short stature, long and wavy red hair, and a burning heat that he could feel just by standing near her. There was only one person in the world who had those traits.聽

鈥okkaebi鈥檚 Princess.

They called her the Red Lotus, a flame-using player from the Dokkaebi Guild. She was actually a Team Leader, but she was more often called 鈥榯he Princess鈥?because of her peculiar name.聽

Seo Jun-ho feigned ignorance.聽

鈥淲ho are you?鈥?/p>

鈥淪orry, but can we talk inside somewhere? I鈥檓 not some suspicious person.鈥?She pulled out a business card.聽

[Dokkaebi Guild. Team 2 Leader Gong Juha.]

(TN: Her nickname is Gongju, which means 鈥榩rincess鈥?)

I knew it. He was right. Since she鈥檚 from Dokkaebi鈥?They鈥檙e probably trying to scout me.聽

He had no thoughts of joining a guild, but being scouted felt good. After all, it was one of the six strongest guilds in the world. One of the famous, influential Big 6.聽

It鈥檚 well-known that they make more in a year than a small country鈥檚 budget.聽

Seo Jun-ho feigned a surprised look.聽

鈥淲ow, what business does the Dokkaebi Guild have with me?鈥?/p>

鈥?i>Fufu. Let鈥檚 go to a cafe and talk over an iced choco.鈥?/p>

Of course, he agreed. After all, it was a legal(?) escape from the photo zone.聽

* * *

They sat in a private booth in the cafe while Gong Juha鈥檚 subordinate stood guard at the door. She finally took off her mask and sunglasses, and fanned her face.聽

鈥淢an, I鈥檓 sweating. I hate going out. I hate the heat, but I have to wear a disguise on top of that.鈥?/p>

鈥溾€ren鈥檛 you a flame-user?鈥?/p>

鈥淭hat鈥檚 the problem. I like cool, cold things,鈥?she complained.聽

It was hard to believe that Gong Juha was 23 with her baby face.聽

Is this meek-looking girl really Dokkaebi鈥檚 Princess from the rumors?聽

Dokkaebi鈥檚 Princess, or the Red Lotus Princess, was one of the few things that even the fiends were afraid of. But to Seo Jun-ho, she just looked like a cute* girl around his age.聽

(TN: The word used is similar to 鈥榓dorable鈥? usually used to describe animals or babies etc.)

鈥淥h, before we start.鈥?Gong Juha suddenly used her magic, creating an intangible field around them. It was a perfectly soundproof wall. Seo Jun-ho blinked as he realized this.聽

Huh? This technique鈥?/i> It was familiar.聽

Seeing his unreadable expression, Gong Juha quickly explained.聽

鈥淎h, sorry if I scared you. It鈥檚 a maintenance spell based on Skaya-nim鈥檚 theories. It鈥檚 just a thin wall that blocks out nearby sounds.鈥?/p>

鈥溾€ see.鈥?/p>

鈥淚t鈥檚 annoying to learn, but it鈥檚 useful. You should learn it later on.鈥?/p>

I know how to do it鈥?/i>

Sipping on her iced choco, Gong Juha got straight to the point.

鈥淲ould you like to join our guild?鈥?/p>

鈥溾€ll of a sudden?鈥?Seo Jun-ho looked dumbfounded. She invited him like she was asking if he wanted to eat jjajangmyeon for lunch. To Dokkaebi, of all places, the guild that all players dreamed of.聽

(TN: A very famous Korean black bean noodle dish.)

鈥淭he Vice-Guildmaster wanted to scout you. Of course, they also told me to make the final decision after meeting you in person鈥?And you pass.鈥?/p>

鈥淚n what sense?鈥?/p>

鈥淵our achievements, for one. It鈥檚 not so strange that we鈥檇 want you after looking at all you鈥檝e achieved so far, seeing that you鈥檙e the Super Rookie.鈥?Seo Jun-ho nodded in agreement. After all, he鈥檇 done all that with this kind of outcome in mind. There was no one around his level who was building a better career than he was.聽

鈥淎nd you score high on my end in combat sense and future potential.鈥?/p>

鈥淐ombat sense鈥?Have the videos already started spreading?鈥?He鈥檇 seen people at the bar filming his fight with the Three Reapers of Gangnam. Of course, he鈥檇 known that it would blow up, just not this fast.

鈥淚 enjoyed it. You鈥檙e good at fighting. Is D-rank Weapon Proficiency really your only skill?鈥?/p>

鈥淵es.鈥?The only skill registered on his official profile was D-rank Weapon Proficiency.

鈥淭hat only makes me want you more. Think about it: you only have one D-rank skill, but you鈥檙e already at this level, with this career. What if you gained more skills?鈥?/p>

鈥淲ell鈥?Obviously, I鈥檇 get stronger.鈥?/p>

鈥淲hatever you鈥檙e thinking of, you鈥檒l get even stronger than that.鈥?Her voice was sweet like honey.

鈥淚f you join our guild, our skill books will help you. Not only that, our Gate coordinators will draw up a course for you to help you level up as fast as possible.鈥?/p>

鈥淭hat鈥檚 amazing.鈥?He felt sorry for Deok-gu, but there was a reason why the guilds were better off than the Association. Just by going off of what she鈥檇 said, joining a guild was much more beneficial.聽

Plus, their yearly salary is higher and their incentives are better. It was a total loss for the Association.聽

鈥淎s you know, we are one of the best guilds in the world. And we have a lot more information on the 2nd floor than the Association does. It鈥檒l be greatly beneficial for your growth.鈥?/p>

鈥淭hat鈥檚 true.鈥?/p>

鈥淚f you鈥檙e worried about the penalty fees for breaking your contract with the Association, we can also pay for that.鈥?At this point, most players would鈥檝e instantly left the Association and joined the guild.

Well, if they have this many benefits, it鈥檚 no wonder that there are no useful guys left at the Association.聽

But Seo Jun-ho had no thoughts of joining a guild, no matter what they offered.聽

I鈥檇 become rich and famous. But鈥?It wouldn鈥檛 come for free. He鈥檇 have to give up an equal amount to what he accumulated in glory and riches.聽

Usually, it鈥檚 carrying out orders. Carrying out tasks assigned by the guild. That was what most players spent their time doing. For Seo Jun-ho, who only focused on his own growth, the guild system was like a ball and chain.聽

I鈥檓 happiest with where I鈥檓 at now.聽

The Player Association was an international organization, so players were treated like government officials.聽

Most government officials have to adhere to a strict hierarchy鈥?But the chief of the Korean Association had his back. Even if he didn鈥檛 insert himself into official business, no one would complain.聽

鈥淲hat do you think?鈥?Even as she asked, Gong Juha thought it was a stupid question. There鈥檚 no way he鈥檇 decline. They were one of the Big 6, Dokkaebi. And she was the ranker, Dokkaebi鈥檚 Princess. She鈥檇 come down to the 1st floor briefly and came to recruit him in person. It would be much stranger if he refused.聽

But Seo Jun-ho鈥檚 answer was unexpected.聽

鈥淚 respectfully decline.鈥?/p>

鈥淵eah, yeah, you can speak casually from鈥?Eh?鈥?Gong Juha鈥檚 eyes went wide, blinking.聽

She clapped her hands together and started again. 鈥淯m鈥?I don鈥檛 think you understood what I said.鈥?/p>

鈥淣o, I did. The Dokkaebi Guild has made me an amazing offer.鈥?/p>

鈥溾€o, why?鈥?The look on her face was one of utter confusion. She wasn鈥檛 even angry, just truly curious. She wanted to hear why in the world he would refuse.聽

鈥淒o you know the saying 鈥榯he snake鈥檚 head is better than the dragon鈥檚 tail鈥?鈥澛?/p>

(TN: Korean idiom meaning that it鈥檚 better to be at the top of something than the bottom of something else, even if the latter is better overall.)

鈥淎h, got it.鈥?Gong Juha. She looked at Seo Jun-ho with a new light. He鈥檚 more ambitious than I thought.

The snake鈥檚 head is better than the dragon鈥檚 tail. She understood.聽

Well, even if he joined Dokkaebi, he likely wouldn鈥檛 be able to reach a high position.聽

Seo Jun-ho was outstanding, but there were already players of his level at Dokkaebi. The top players like Shin Sung-hyun and Kim Woojoong had already established themselves at around Seo Jun-ho鈥檚 level. He did have them beat when it came to Uncleared Gates though.聽

Besides, they have S-rank skills. It was incredible how far he鈥檇 come with just a D-rank skill, but no matter how hard he trained, it would cap at around B-rank. No matter how good he was, there would be a gap between the growth potential of an S-rank skill versus a D-rank skill. He鈥檇 probably refused the offer because he understood all that.聽

He鈥檚 smart. For most people, joining one of the Big 6 was the finish line. They fell into the trap of believing that their world would expand if they just joined one. But the competition within the guilds was much fiercer than outside. After all, the Big 6 was where the elite of elites gathered.聽

Having become the Team 2 Leader through her hard-earned efforts, Gong Juha understood him.聽

Hm. He knows where he stands and is backing out peacefully鈥︹€?How admirable.聽

It was a bit of a waste. If she took him in and trained him properly, she thought he鈥檇 be able to become one of the low-tier rankers. She asked one more time, looking disappointed.聽

鈥淚鈥檓 not usually the nagging type, but I鈥檒l ask one more time. You really won鈥檛 join us?鈥?/p>

鈥淚鈥檓 sorry.鈥?/p>

鈥溾€ell, nothing we can do about it then.鈥?It鈥檚 not like she could force him to join. It would be disgraceful.聽

Gong Juha stood up from her seat to leave.聽

鈥淥h, and I advise聽 you to be careful.鈥?/p>

鈥溾€re you planning to get revenge on me for refusing?鈥?/p>

鈥淣o, no, I may be small but my heart isn鈥檛! What do you take me for?鈥?Her cheeks flared red. She lowered her voice. 鈥淭he fiends have suddenly started getting active again, including on the 1st floor.鈥?/p>

鈥溾€he 1st floor?鈥?/p>

鈥淵es. There鈥檚 been a guy called the Skeleton Mage going around different countries and wreaking havoc through terror. He鈥檚 a headache to deal with. What, is he Bigfoot or something? Anyways, you should be careful.鈥?/p>

鈥淭hank you for warning me.鈥?/p>

鈥淚n that case, I鈥檒l see you again sometime, Mr. Snake head.鈥?Gong Juha quickly left the cafe with her subordinate. Seo Jun-ho watched her go and slowly closed his eyes.聽

So the fiends have been moving.聽

He felt it. It was an instinct that was carved into his DNA. Gong Juha鈥檚 warning was some sort of sign.聽

If they come after me鈥?It鈥檒l be because of the Eastern Sea Gate. The sleeping Rare-grade bow wavered in his inventory.聽

He鈥檇 already met the requirements to use it.聽

I鈥檒l show them something worthy of its name.聽

The bow that brought storms, Tempest Butterfly.聽

He wanted to witness its glory with his own eyes.