The Frozen Player Returns

e at the scene.
“Let’s go to my office for now.
This isn’t a good place to talk.” 

***

Moneybug’s office was much larger and tidier than Seo Jun-Ho had expected.
But then, he suddenly remembered that Ply owned the number one lending business in Gilleon. 

“Please, sit.” Ply took out beverages from a magic fridge that was famous for being expensive and took a seat on the sofa as he introduced the old man.
“This person’s name is Hakan.
He used to be a mercenary, but he has retired now.”

“Actually, I’m still active.
I never retired.”

“Stop being so stubborn, will you? You’re old now.
Look at yourself… Ah, whatever.
Let’s not talk about it.” He shook his head.
“This is Seo Jun-Ho.
He’s a Player.
He looks pretty delicate, but he’s slightl… no, he’s very strong.”

“Stronger than you?” Hakan seemed a little surprised.
Just based on his appearance, he looked at least ten times weaker than Ply. 

’

“Ahem, well, when we fought in the alleyway, I lost by a hair’s breadth.”

Seo Jun-Ho smirked.
They hadn’t even fought because Ply had gotten down on his knees first. 

“A hair’s breadth… You must be talking about some pretty thick hairs,” Seo Jun-Ho commented.

“That’s how it is in Gilleon,” Ply casually replied.
Then, he pouted.
“And hyung-nim, it makes me sad that you’d accuse me like that.
I’m telling you, he’s the one that’s been chasing me around…”

“Chasing you around? You weren’t threatening him for money?” Seo Jun-Ho looked at Hakan, who cleared his throat and nodded. 

“He’s telling the truth.
I’ve been following him around for a bit because I needed a favor.”

“You hear that? I’m telling you, the old man’s being unreasonable,” Ply complained.
He spoke like a child telling on his friend.
“He keeps insisting on going to a Dungeon with that feeble body of his and asking me to help him.
Not only that, he even asked if he could borrow my precious money! Okay, fine, let’s say that I’m willing to lend him money, but why would I help him clear a Dungeon?”

“Dungeon?” Seo Jun-Ho perked up.
Dungeons were similar to Gates.
They were filled with monsters, and sometimes, they would even contain boss monsters. 

‘Materials from boss monsters can bring in big money.’

Of course, this applied to both Earth and Frontier.
“I’m not crazy enough to risk my life to… Wait, that’s it!” Ply clapped his hands together, turning to Hakan.
“Mister, how about you go with hyung-nim instead? I can attest to his skill.
He’s at least five times stronger than me.”

“I thought you said you lost by a hair’s breadth.”

“People in Gilleon have thick hair.”

“I’m from Gilleon too, you know.”

“…” Ply pretended as if he didn’t hear Hakan’s mutterings and continued.
“Besides, didn’t you say that there’s only one thing you need from the Dungeon?”

Hakan nodded.
“The Five-Colored Goddess Statue.
It’s the only thing I need.”

“Great.
Hyung-nim, isn’t that a decent offer? You’ll be able to get everything in the Dungeon, and if there’s a boss monster there, you’ll get even more.”

Ply wasn’t wrong.
It was more than decent, actually.
But Dungeons were dangerous places. 

“Do you have any information on the Dungeon?”

Hakan nodded.
“It’s called the Tomb of Shafirim the Phantom Thief.
10 years ago, my wife and I found an ancient text in a Dungeon while we were working as mercenaries.
It talked about the Five-Colored Goddess Statue, which could restore anyone to health.
We started to look for it that very day.
We were 38 at the time, and we thought that it would be our final adventure before we retired…” All of a sudden, his face darkened.
“But one year ago, my wife suddenly collapsed.
The doctor told us that there was a tumor growing inside her body.”

“Oh no…”

’

“It had already spread to her major organs, so surgery was impossible.
She told me to leave it be, saying that it was her fate… But I couldn’t.” He clenched his fists.
“I’ve been digging everywhere to find information about it.
It was harder with half the number of hands as before, but I couldn’t stop.
The only way I can cure her illness is to find the statue.”

The Frost Queen sniffled as she listened to his story.
“Contractor, let us assist him…His circumstances are very tragic…”

“How far have you gone in your research?” Seo Jun-Ho asked. 

“I’m done with it.
I have even been inside the tomb.
But… It’s not a normal tomb.
It has become a Dungeon filled with powerful monsters.” Hakan bowed his head.
“That’s why I need someone strong who can help me.
They also need to be somewhat trustworthy so I know they won’t try to steal the statue.
That’s why I didn’t commission the Adventurer Guild.”

“I see…” Seo Jun-Ho nodded, understanding.
“I suppose you need the money for your wife, then.”

“I don’t know how long it’ll take to clear the Dungeon, so I need someone to take care of her while I’m gone.”

Seo Jun-Ho took a deep breath.
Right now, he needed Fame more than Dungeons, boss monsters, treasure, or money. 

‘I’ll get a lot of EXP from clearing the Dungeon, but I don’t know about Fame…’ 

In fact, he might be able to get more Fame if he did Quests in the time it would take him to clear this Dungeon. 

But he couldn’t not help after hearing the man’s story. 

“Alright.
I’ll help you.”

“…Really?”

“I don’t go back on my word,” Seo Jun-Ho coolly said. 

Hakan’s face brightened.
“I-I’d prefer it if we left as soon as possible.
My wife is getting worse by the day…”

“We’ll depart tomorrow at sunrise.”

“Oh, then I need to find a caretaker…”

Ply interjected.
“Don’t worry about it.
I’ll find one for you.”

‘This guy.
He looks like a shady street urchin, but he can actually be a softie.’ 

Seo Jun-Ho patted Ply’s head.
It felt smooth under his hands.

Favorite