The Frozen Player Returns

>If he wanted to destroy something, he destroyed. 

“Keep going… Keep going…” The veteran player whispered hoarsely as he stood back up.
His arm was bent the wrong way and hung pitifully. 

“Hoo, hoo.” 

He was also a human who felt fear.
He wasn’t some noble, self-sacrificing hero either.
But he still wouldn’t lower his sword. 

No one can defeat him except player Seo Jun-ho. He hadn’t thought that before the battle.
Telling his teammates that they only had to survive for ten minutes was meant to be a morale boost.
He’d thought that they’d be able to take on one guy if they joined with the rest of their forces. But that’s not true.

He wasn’t just ‘one guy’.
The real hunt would start when the other dark elves were annihilated and he was the only one left.
He was strong enough to be a one-man army. 

If the Gate was a little older, he thought, Rodomir would be the boss monster of a 1-star Gate. 

The Association grants a star to the Gate of a monster who has killed ten thousand players. The only reason this Gate hadn’t received one was because they were the first group to attempt to clear it.
The veteran thought that Rodomir was more than strong enough to kill ten thousand players. 

“Huff… huff.”

The only sounds were the players’ harsh breathing.
They could sense the despair in the others’ breaths.

– “Is that all?” 

Rodomir narrowed his eyes.
He looked at them in disgust, as if they were insects.
The look in his eyes only angered the players, making them use their weapons to prop themselves up. 

– “So you still have some strength left.” 

It didn’t really matter.
Whether it took a hundred or a thousand times to force them to kneel, they would eventually stop getting up.
But that time didn’t come. 

– “……” 

’

Rodomir’s pupils dilated, eyes fixed on a certain human walking toward him. 

“You know what they say in movies at times like this?” Seo Jun-ho asked.
He finished stretching, as if to show that his ribs were fine. 

“A challenger approaches!”

“This isn’t the 2010s.”

“Cringe.”

“Jun-ho-nim, that’s a little…” 

Seo Jun-ho’s face fell.
“Wh-what are you saying? All the movies I’ve seen have lines like that.” 

Was he behind the times? Did it sound like a dad joke? 

Seo Jun-ho cleared his throat as his face started to turn red.
“Forget it.
Leave this guy to me and go support the main forces.”

“Can you really take him on alone?”

“He’s really strong…” 

They seemed reluctant.
Seo Jun-ho had basically told them to run away, but they wanted to protect their pride and honor. 

“Let’s fight together.”

“That would be better.
After crossing swords with him, I don’t think he’s a monster one person can fight alone.”

“It’ll be your fault if you die while fighting alone.”

Why are they like this? Seo Jun-ho’s frustration was starting to show on his face.
While he was getting treated, he’d thought about how he could use his skills without arousing suspicion.
The solution was obvious, but the others wouldn’t play long. 

– “There’s no need to ponder.” Rodomir gave him his answer.
He raised his sword high over his head. 

– “…I’ll just kill you all at once.” He swung with all his strength.
The force of his strike was like a small explosion. 

Seo Jun-ho’s eyes glinted. 

“Hey!”

“Player Seo Jun-ho!” 

Right before Rodomir’s sword swung, Seo Jun-ho had stabbed him.
A tremendous dark energy exploded between them. 

– “Kuh!”

“Wh-what?” 

The players had been thrown back and started to realize what happened.
A black dome had formed in front of them; it spread across the area.
Cha Min-woo banged on its surface. 

’

“Jun-ho-nim! Are you alright?!”

A faint voice came from inside.

“This… The bastard used… not the one I did… trapped… quite…”

“Did he fall for the enemy’s trap?” Unable to hold back his frustration, Cha Min-woo attacked the dome several times to no avail. 

“There’s nothing we can do.” The veteran player had approached Cha Min-woo and sat cross-legged on the ground.
He stared at the dome bitterly.
“I don’t know who will step out once it’s over… but all we can do now is believe and wait.”

“…You’re right.” 

The players sat in front of the large dome and waited. 

 

* * *

Reaper Scans

Translator – Castor

Proofreader – yukitokata

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* * *

 

– “What is… this?” Rodomir was uncharacteristically disoriented.
He looked around the pitch-black darkness that surrounded him. 

“This is Curtain of Darkness.” Seo Jun-ho stroked the wall affectionately.
“I usually make it cover a small area to have private conversations, but sometimes I have fights in here.
Just like now.”

– “…So it’s your skill.”

“Correct.”

– “Were you hiding your true strength?” Rodomir growled.
Seo Jun-ho shrugged. 

The darkness around him had started to waver, and ice had started to form. 

“Your anger makes me feel like I’m the boss monster,” Seo Jun-ho muttered as he unsheathed Black Dragon Fang.
He tried to imagine it the other way around; if he’d landed a near-fatal wound on a boss monster and it retreated to recover, only to come back with two new skills…

“Man, that second phase would be a pain in the ass.”

Of course, that wasn’t the case for Seo Jun-ho because it wasn’t his situation. 

“So this is how bosses feel? It’s fun,” he laughed gleefully.