Return of the Frozen Player

 

He wasn’t sure why, but Seo Jun-Ho felt a strange feeling pass through him.
It was like he was holding back tears.
As he watched Baek Geon-Woo and was deep in his thoughts, he started to hear the other Players’ voices. 

“What the heck, that guy’s still alive?”

“Well, whenever he disappears he comes back with a bang a few months later.”

“I heard that he’s training whenever he disappears.”

“That man was sixteen when he debuted… Wow, I guess it’s his 16th year of being a Player.”

“What? He’s already thirty-two? What an idiot…”

“Why does he try so hard?”

“It’s for revenge, isn’t it? His family was murdered by fiends.”

Fiends.
Revenge.
Seo Jun-Ho immediately understood the man. 

‘He has lived a hard life.’ 

Baek Geon-Woo lacked talent.
It was such a simple yet cruel thing.
Countless people had despaired at hearing those words.
At the same moment, Seo Jun-Ho finally realized why the man had given him such a feeling. 

‘They’re oddly similar.’ 

Once upon a time, there had been a gunslinger who was looked down upon for having only a D-rank skill.
He lost his wife, yet he still wanted to create a peaceful world for his son.
In the end, that man had become one of the five strongest Players in the world.

‘Of course, Gilberto’s a little stronger…’

When it came to natural talent, with 10 being the highest, Gilberto would be 2 while Baek Geon-Woo would be about 0.5. 

“…”

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Weaver blocked each attack and then stabbed Baek Geon-Woo in the stomach. 

“Gah!” He wiped away the spit on his face as he was knocked back, but he got back up and charged at Weaver again as if nothing had happened.
Weaver gave an exhausted look and turned to Phivir as if asking what he should do with him. 

Woosh! Woosh! 

Baek Geon-Woo’s fists sliced through the air.
His strikes were clean, without any unnecessary movements.
They would be powerful enough to take out monsters on the 1st—no, 2nd floor. 

However, it still wasn’t enough to defeat the knight. 

Slam! 

Weaver grabbed Baek Geon-Woo’s wrist and slammed him onto the ground.
But as he fell, his eyes flashed as he punched Weaver in the face.
His willpower impressed everyone that was watching. 

“…!” Weaver twitched as his head was knocked back.
He instinctively raised his sword. 

“That’s enough.” Phivir halted their match.
He looked silently at Baek Geon-Woo.
He considered him for a while before he spoke.
“…You could die,” he said heavily. 

“It doesn’t matter.”

“Haaa.” Phivir let out a deep sigh and eventually nodded.
“In four days, come to the plaza in front of the city hall before the sun rises.”

“…Thank you!” Baek Geon-Woo’s face brightened, and he quickly walked down the stage.
Gripping his fists, he was smiling like he was on top of the world.
Seo Jun-Ho passed by him as he got on the stage for his turn. 

“I am the knight Weaver.”

“I am Player Seo Jun-Ho.” He strode over and held out his hand.
Weaver frowned at his arrogance and swung his wooden sword.
Seo Jun-Ho’s hand weaved across the blade like a snake and grabbed Weaver’s neck.

“…!”

Only three seconds had passed since the match had started. 

“I-I let my guard down…”

“That’s enough.
You pass.” 

Seo Jun-Ho let go of his neck when Phivir spoke.
He bowed. 

“That’s Seo Jun-Ho for you… Have you seen his video?”

“Of course.
But I think his attack just now was even better.”

“He probably didn’t use his full power.
He’s a genius, after all.”

Baek Geon-Woo listened in on their conversation as he gulped down cold water.
He stared at Seo Jun-Ho. 

‘Natural talent…Is it?’

Seo Jun-Ho probably didn’t even know who he was, but Geon-Woo knew him very well.
How couldn’t he? Seo Jun-Ho was the Super Rookie that had caused such an uproar on the 1st floor before he came up here in Frontier.
Articles had been popping up on the news board since the day he arrived. 

‘…I wonder if he’s even human.’ 

He smiled weakly and shook his head in regret.
Chasing things he couldn’t have would only leave him with a sense of emptiness.

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As he stared at the ground, he didn’t realize that Seo Jun-Ho was looking at him from the stage. 

***

On his way back to the inn, Jun-Ho stopped by a toy store and bought a big dollhouse.
It was a simple, one-story model, with a fluffy bed inside.
The doorbell could even play music and allowed the roof to open and close. 

The cashier smiled.
“Who are you giving this to? You look too young to have a daughter.
Is it for your niece?”

“Well…” Seo Jun-Ho thought for a second and shrugged.
“It’s for a princess that never listens.”

“Hahaha, so it’s for your daughter.
You’re a young father.” 

The dollhouse cost 2 Silvers, or 200,000 won.
Seo Jun-Ho grumbled as he put it away in his inventory. 

The cashier’s smile didn’t fade as they sent him off.
“She’ll love it~ Sometimes kids even forget to eat if you buy them one just to play with it.”

“She doesn’t eat much in the first place.” Except for cake and tea… 

Seo Jun-Ho waved and returned to the inn.
The Frost Queen had woken up at some point and was in the midst of making a snowman. 

“…What are you doing?” he asked.

“Practicing.
It is important to continue using it like this, even in everyday life,” she said. 

“I do that too.” 

Clatter. 

Seo Jun-Ho created a few ice cubes and filled his cup.
He poured in water and drank it down. 

He watched her play for a bit before retrieving the dollhouse with an embarrassed look on his face.
“I, well… I found this on the way home, so you can use it or whatever.”

“…”

The Frost Queen quietly finished her snowman and patted its head before she scrunched her nose.
She slowly stood and flew over to the dollhouse. 

“Hm… I cannot deny your sincerity, so it can’t be helped,” she muttered.
As she pressed the doorbell, the music box started playing and the roof opened.
“There is no antique furniture, and there’s only one bed… Hm. Though, it does look quite comfortable…” 

The Frost Queen trailed off and entered the house.
A moment later, the music started playing again and the roof closed.

Seo Jun-Ho quietly knocked on the door.
“How is it? Do you like it? The cashier… I mean, the person who sold this to me said that it’s a really good toy.”

“…” 

There was no response.
Did she not like it? He started to feel disappointed. 

“Zzzz…Zzzz…” 

He heard familiar snoring from inside the dollhouse.

“….What the heck?”

She was sleeping soundly. 

Seo Jun-Ho breathed a sigh of relief and smiled, satisfied.