Return of the Frozen Player

There was something else they had to do before visiting the Frost Queen.

They had to drop off the man on Seo Jun-Ho’s back.

The Silent Moon Guild members greeted Seo Jun-Ho upon seeing him come up to their floor.

“Oh, Specter-nim. Have you had lunch—huh?”

“No way… are you carrying…” a guild member muttered in a daze. He inadvertently dropped the cigarette that he was smoking.

Seo Jun-Ho nodded and answered, “Call a healer and let Master Chae-Won know that the Sword Saint is here.”

“Y-yes, sir! Healer! We need a healer here!”

“By the way, where is this guy’s room?” Seo Jun-Ho asked.

“I’ll show you the way! It’s here!”

Seo Jun-Ho followed the guild member to Kim Woo-Joong’s room.

Once they were there, he carefully laid Kim Woo-Joong on the bed.

The healers of the Silent Moon Guild soon arrived to check Kim Woo-Joong’s condition, and they eventually started healing him.

The door was flung open.

“Woo-Joong!” shouted Son Chae-Won as she hurriedly went into the room.

The healers bowed at Son Chae-Won before reporting Kim Woo-Joong’s condition.

“He’s sleeping due to extreme fatigue. There’s nothing wrong with him aside from fatigue.”

“...Sigh.” Son Chae-Won let out a sigh of relief and slumped to the floor.

“Master!”

“Are you okay, Master?”

“Yes, I’m fine. Sorry, I suddenly felt weak.” Son Chae-Won barely managed to get up with the help of her guild members. She looked at Seo Jun-Ho with trembling eyes. It was clear that she had many questions as well.

“Thank you. Thank you so, so much. This is all I can say for now.”

“Are you okay?”

“Yes. I do have many questions, but…” Son Chae-Won didn’t think that she would understand Seo Jun-Ho’s explanation right now.

Son Chae-Won bowed to Helic, who was leaning against a wall.

“I don’t know what happened, but you helped Woo-Joong, right? I appreciate it.”

“...Well, we did have a deal,” said Helic. She avoided Son Chae-Won’s gaze and urged Seo Jun-Ho. “When are we going to see the Frost Queen?”

“Ah, we can go there right now,” said Seo Jun-Ho as he led Helic away. Before leaving the room, Seo Jun-Ho glanced at Kim Woo-Joong. The latter was surrounded by the guild members of Silent Moon.

‘A warm room full of people definitely suits him better than cold ice.’

“I’ll let you know once he’s awake.”

“Yes, I’ll be waiting. Oh, you don’t have to see me off,” said Seo Jun-Ho. He turned and was surprised to see the members of the Silent Moon Guild standing in the hallway of their floor with their heads lowered toward him.

“Thank you for saving our Vice Master.”

“Everyone was just hiding it; we were all worried about him.”

“Please call us anytime if you need any help. We’ll be there right away!”

“...”

Seo Jun-Ho could tell how much they cherished and respected Kim Woo-Joong.

It always felt good to receive the sincere appreciation of people. Seo Jun-Ho smiled faintly and said, “I just did what I had to do, that’s all.”

***

“Is that so?” asked Helic while they were on their way to the Frost Queen’s room.

“What do you mean?”

“Do you really think that protecting others is your obligation?”

“Well, I mean…” Seo Jun-Ho contemplated for a while, but he soon nodded and said, “If I can afford to help, why not?”

“Let me change the question, then. What would you do if you couldn’t afford to help?”

“I’ll feel bad if that happened,” Seo Jun-Ho answered in all honesty. “I’ve seen so many people die, and they weren’t just my friends and family. I’ve witnessed the deaths of so many colleagues as well.”

Perhaps that was the reason Seo Jun-Ho had always been striving to save as many people as possible if he could afford to do so.

“I won’t be able to help them if I’m not strong enough to do so,” said Seo Jun-Ho.

However, his response betrayed the actions that he had done many times before.

“I know I look pathetic and insincere in your eyes,” he said. It wasn’t strange that his actions would look insincere and pathetic in the eyes of the Sun of God and Mercy, Helic.

However, Helic’s response was unexpected.

“Not really. You don’t really believe in me, and I can’t force my ideas on you.”

“I see. I guess you’re indeed a goddess of mercy.”

“Don’t get too friendly. Anyway, if that’s your will…” Helic trailed off. Her cold gaze scanned Seo Jun-Ho before she continued. “At least do your best until the end.”

“I will.”

“Hmph, words are meaningless, and you have a way with words.”

“I know.” Seo Jun-Ho shrugged. They then made their way down the hallway.

“Jun-Ho-nim! I’ve been looking for you.”

“Christin Lewis?” Seo Jun-Ho inadvertently glanced at Helic. He was curious about her reaction. Christin was Helic’s fan beyond an ardent believer.

‘Don’t superstars usually sign autographs upon meeting their fans?’

“...Ugh.” Helic groaned, seemingly annoyed.

Christin approached them with a bright grin and said excitedly, “This is amazing! I’ve been praying to Helic, and I think He granted my wish!”

“Really?”

“Yes! Wait, let me show you. Watch this!” Christin exclaimed. He put his palms together, and divine power flowed out of him.

“Haaa.” Christin grinned and explained, “My divine power has become purer and deeper. I’m sure Helic heard my voice, and He has grown fond of me.”

“I don’t think so….”

‘Isn’t that just because Helic is nearby?’

Christin revealed a proud look as he turned to the woman next to Seo Jun-Ho.

“Who is this lady?”

‘Will he recognize Her?’

Christin blinked and said, “I’ve never seen you before, but your energy is familiar. Are you a member of my guild?”

“...What?” Seo Jun-Ho muttered blankly. ‘Why can’t he recognize Her?’

Christin nodded. “Hm, your divine power is weak, but it’s very pure. I suggest you keep training; you have a bright future ahead of you.”

Helic’s expression turned ugly at the remark. In the end, she sighed and said, “Let’s go.”

“...Okay,” Seo Jun-Ho answered.

‘A god is ignoring Her believers?’

Seo Jun-Ho shook off Christin, who was trying to chase after him.

“Why did he fail to recognize you? Did you cast some kind of spell on him?”

“No. My believers think of me as a large-framed bearded man. I use that form whenever I have to give revelation to them,” explained Helic.

“Huh? Why?”

“...” Helic examined herself with a dissatisfied look before muttering, “This form isn’t exactly dignified and intimidating.”

‘Intimidating? I guess that’s why she chose to appear as a large-framed bearded man to her followers.’

Seo Jun-Ho made a sidelong glance at her and said, “I kind of pity him. He said he wishes to see you at least once in his lifetime.”

“Hmph. A fool who can’t manage his own guild dares to dream about meeting me? The Church of the Sun’s reputation plummeted because of his guild or whatever’s shady dealings. I can’t even obtain as much divine power as I could compared to many years ago.”

‘Guild management…’

It seemed that corruption was rampant within the Silver Constellation Guild.

‘My plan was to take care of that guy who dared to try and assassinate Miss Cha Si-Eun after we’re done clearing this Floor. Wait, hm?’ Seo Jun-Ho emerged from his thoughts as a lightbulb suddenly lit up in his head.

“You obtain more divine power the more faith people have in you?”

“Yes, but it’s not just applicable to me. It’s applicable to every god out there as well. In fact, divinity itself depends on how many people believe and follow the god’s ideas and existence.”

‘I can work with that.’ Seo Jun-Ho made a decision and said, “I think I can help you.”

“What?” Helic’s eyes narrowed as she stared at Seo Jun-Ho. “Help me with what?”

“I’m talking about your reputation. I can help you recover your reputation. You know how hard it is to recover a ruined reputation, right?”

Seo Jun-Ho was right.

Many powerful guilds and companies would spend an exorbitant amount of money every year just to build a good reputation and maintain it, and it was all because they knew better than anyone else just how difficult it was to recover a ruined reputation.

“A moment can ruin a reputation, and it takes an eternity to recover it.”

“...” Helic went silent. Seo Jun-Ho was right.

“How are you going to help me?”

“Once we’ve cleared the 7th Floor, I will go straight down to Earth and reform the Silver Constellation Guild.”

The Silver Constellation Guild had to be reformed rather than reorganized. Seo Jun-Ho’s intention was to uproot the corrupted members of the guild and leave only members like Christin Lewis.

Helic was slightly interested in the idea.

“Can you even do that?” she asked.

“No, not yet.” However, Seo Jun-Ho was the legendary Specter. “But I can just hold a World Conference and ask them to give me the authority to do such a thing.”

“Will they even do that?”

“Of course, it won’t be easy. However, I’ll ensure that they’ll have no other choice but to give me the authority I need.”

Moonlight was still in the midst of investigating Cheon Hye-Joo’s death[1].

“It’s about time I do that, anyway.” Seo Jun-Ho was planning on punishing only the criminals who killed Cheon Hye-Joo, but his mind changed upon hearing Helic’s lament. ‘I’m going to remove the cancerous tumors of Silver Constellation.’

Seo Jun-Ho also believed that such an endeavor would be beneficial for the players in the long run. It was also a golden opportunity to make Sun God Helic owe him a favor.

‘Reiji and the World Tree gave me something great; Sun God Helic is stronger than them, so I can only imagine what she would give me in return for my efforts. Wait, what if I’m being too hasty here?’

Seo Jun-Ho had no idea what Helic had to offer, but one thing was for sure. Her rewards would be greater than what Reiji and the World Tree had bestowed upon him.

“Hm.” Helic sighed lightly. “You know I can read your mind, right? It’s a win-win deal, and it’s exactly why I feel upset about it for some reason.”

“It’s a win-win, right?” asked Seo Jun-Ho with a grin.

Helic clicked her tongue and said, “Fine. Give it a try. I want you to recover the Church of the Sun’s reputation and pluck out the seeds of corruption within Silver Constellation.”

“Got it,” said Seo Jun-Ho.

He seemed confident, but he knew that it was easier said than done.

“Anyway…” Seo Jun-Ho started.

However, Helic saw through his thoughts once again.

“Who do you think I am?” Helic revealed her signature look of superiority and arrogance to Seo Jun-Ho before saying, “I am the God of the Sun, Helic, I won’t disappoint you with the rewards. Just make sure to get the job done.”

“All right!” Seo Jun-Ho exclaimed with confidence and grinned.

***

Seo Jun-Ho and Helic soon found themselves in the living room of the former’s residence within the ice castle. Seo Jun-Sik lay next to the Frost Queen, and the two were drooling in their sleep.

“Move this thing away. It looks disturbing.”

“Okay.”

Seo Jun-Ho hurriedly recalled Seo Jun-Sik.

Helic stared at the sleeping Frost Queen for a long time.

“She sure knows how to sleep.”

“Right? She’s an expert at sleeping.”

“Haha.” Helic chuckled and smiled for the first time in a long while. Her gaze softened as she stared at the sleeping Frost Queen.

Eventually, she turned around and said, “I’ll be on my way, then.”

“Huh? So soon? Why don’t you wake her up and talk to her?”

“It’s fine… for now,” Helic said bitterly. She flicked her sleeve and created a door with her divine power. She opened the door and glanced at Seo Jun-Ho.

“Don’t tell her that I came here,” she said.

“Why?”

“You don’t need to know why.”

‘I think you’re just shy,’ Seo Jun-Ho inwardly lampooned.

However, he nodded on the outside as if he were unaware of Helic’s feelings.

“Okay.”

“I’ll focus on recovering, so you better hurry up and give me my third holy relic,” said Helic. She stared at the Frost Queen for a few moments before turning around and finally leaving through the door.

“...Hm.”

Left alone, Seo Jun-Ho stared at the Frost Queen. He had burning questions he wanted to ask Helic, but he was aware that Helic wouldn’t give him an answer.

“It seems that she knows you, huh?”

However, it seemed that the Frost Queen wasn’t familiar with Helic.

Seo Jun-Ho was curious about their relationship.

‘Helic seems like she really likes Frost...’

The Frost Queen was in deep sleep and was completely unaware of Seo Jun-Ho’s complicated thoughts.

Squeeze!

Seo Jun-Ho lightly pinched her nose.

“Ughhh.” The Frost Queen groaned and frowned.

Seo Jun-Ho almost chuckled at her reaction.

‘I’m going to blame Jun-Sik if she gets mad.’

1. If you’re interested to read about Cheon Hye-Joo, she’s in chapter 305 ☜