The Frozen Player Returns

At first, there were mainly comments expressing different opinions. They were the type of comments you could find on any video—people expressing their own thoughts.

- Woah, is that the Black Knight Seo Jun-Ho? He really lives up to his name… He has some good moves.

- Speed, strength, stamina… All his stats seem pretty high.

- He showed off the full potential and range of knifeplay in just a 7-minute video. He’s a natural.

- It’s my first time seeing him in action, and it’s not bad. Seems like reaching number 1 in the Cave of Trials wasn’t just pure luck.

- Bastard... He’s so good at fighting…

The peaceful stream of comments was interrupted by one Player’s words.

- Does anyone know what level he is at? My guess is around level 50.

└He was killing those thunder bears like they were goblins but you think he’s only level 50? Are you kidding? Did you mean level 80?

└Level 80 lmaooo don’t you know it’s been less than a year since he debuted?

└Do you think he experienced a 10x EXP drop event or something? How could he be level 80 at this point? lolol.

Suddenly, the steady stream became like an ocean in a storm as the Players started arguing about their guesses of Seo Jun-Ho’s level and stats. And that wasn’t the only thing they were fighting about…

- What’s so great about this that it’s in the rankings? I bet I could do that.

└Post a video and prove it

└Why should I? And at the end, it’s pretty obvious that he can’t chase after them because he has used up his stamina. He’s still an amateur.

└Dude… Did you even watch the video? He clearly chose to let them go.

There was a heated debate on whether his feats were commendable or not. And that still wasn’t all…

- Okay, next item~[1] That’s Kwon Noya’s armor. He’s basically cheating.

└So can you do the same thing as long as you have the armor?

└Yeah, piece of cake.

└lollll I’m going insane. When did so many cocky Players join the forum?

└For real, we need a level verification system. Block Players under 90 from commenting.

The Frost Queen shivered as she watched their battle unfold. “To think that the people of Earth will fight over anything. How undignified.”

“It’s because they’re anonymous. If you put all the people fighting in a room, no one would be able to say anything.” Seo Jun-Ho shrugged and closed the comment window. However, he was a little angry. “Still, how could they call me an amateur and a cheater…”

He had been proud of the skills he showed off. But seeing the stingy comments hurt his pride a bit.

“...Frost.”

“What is it?” She asked.

“For the next video, the kobold hunting competition, we have to show them what we are made of properly so that no one will question me anymore.”

“Hooo, that sounds fun.”

What kind of video would it become? The Frost Queen bared her teeth as she laughed.

***

While Seo Jun-Ho’s first video, ‘Test,’ was blowing up in the community forums, a cold-looking old man sat on a skull-shaped chair. A younger man approached him and bowed his head.

“...Sir Hallow, we’ve found the inn and room number that Seo Jun-Ho is staying at. Shall I bring him in?” he spoke as if he could bring Seo Jun-Ho away at any time.

But Nazad Hallow slowly shook his head. “The location isn’t good. It’s too dangerous to kidnap him inside the city. At least, for now...”

Gilleon had so many Players that it was often called the Starting City. Not only that, but its knights were quite formidable as well.

“Keep watching him. It won’t be too late if we make a move after he leaves the city.” Nazad ordered.

“Understood. I saw his video, and his skills are quite commendable. Assigning a level 90 fiend should be enough… But I will also go, just in case...”

“Take two more,” Nazad interrupted.

“...So we’ll be moving in a group of four?” Surprised, the man looked up. He had watched the video dozens of times and analyzed Seo Jun-Ho, but he wasn’t that strong.

“Luck is also a skill. That boy has already escaped death three times.”

The Shadow Brothers, the Watchdogs, and Kal Signer. He had fought with those wicked fiends, but Seo Jun-Ho had always come out on top.

“...If only Kim Woo-Joong hadn’t killed Sir Signer, that bastard would’ve been brought over here much earlier,” the man muttered and bit his lips with his head bowed once again.

Nazad Hallow stared down at the back of his skull with cold eyes. “You seem furious.”

“...Yes, I am.” The man had been Kal Signer’s right-hand man until the end. After it was revealed that Kim Woo-Joong had killed Kal Signer, he had come to Nazad Hallow out of his own free will. Nazad Hallow wanted Seo Jun-Ho, and the man thought that he could exact his revenge on Seo Jun-Ho if he stuck to Nazad Hallow.

“Kal Signer must have been a good superior,” Hallow stated.

“...He was to me.”

As the man left, Nazad Hallow fell deep into thought.

‘If he survives once again…’

He wouldn’t send anyone else after him. If the same thing happened four times, it obviously meant that Seo Jun-Ho had been saved, not by his luck, but by his skill. Even if he sent stronger fiends, there would be no guarantee that they would succeed.

‘When that time comes, I will go myself.’

Of course, if Nazad Hallow wanted to kill Seo Jun-Ho himself, he would have to wait for a considerable amount of time. After all, he couldn’t go into a city where the Big 6 or imperial guards were present.

‘If I just wait, he’ll come to me on his own.’

All Players needed to raise their levels, but most cities with good security didn’t have any monsters over level 100. Eventually, they would have to go to remote areas to hunt high-level monsters, and to places where the Empire’s eyes and hands couldn’t reach.

Once Seo Jun-Ho came to the Outlands, Nazad Hallow would be able to meet him.

‘If this fails… I’ll have to wait for a long time.’

Nazad Hallow closed his eyes.

***

They returned to the inn in Gilleon. Seo Jun-Ho had already paid for his stay so no one would take over his room.

“It’s time...”

Seo Jun-Ho finished washing up and opened the community forums with a determined look on his face. He was planning to unlock the news and information boards with the PP he had gathered.

[Unlock news board?]

[Unlock information board?]

It cost 20PP to unlock the two forums. Seo Jun-Ho quickly looked over the news board first.

[Hallem Guild fights in the Haboro territory war, bringing overwhelming victory.]

[Breaking News! Labyrinth Guild clears the Dungeon in Wailing Cave, once again proving their skill.]

[Where are they? The Nine Heavens in the Outlands.]

[“Black Knight” Seo Jun-Ho makes a successful debut with his first video, ‘Test,’ reaching number 3 in the rankings.]

[Starting City Gilleon to hold ‘Kobold Hunting Competition,’ recruiting participants.]

…..

Tons of different articles poured out from the forum. However, whenever he clicked on one, it asked for 1PP.

“1PP per article… It’s not as expensive as I thought,” Seo Jun-Ho commented.

“Contractor, what does this ‘subscribe’ button mean?” the Frost Queen asked.

“Subscribe button? Let me see.”

As he looked to where she was pointing, he saw that there was an option to subscribe to major news channels. Seo Jun-Ho nodded slowly. “Ooh, this isn’t bad.”

There was a system where he could subscribe to news channels for 30 PP a month and read as many articles as he wanted.

‘There are only about five major new channels, though…’

Obviously, they were all highly influential back on Earth. Seo Jun-Ho casually paid 150PP and subscribed to them all. He had more than enough PP thanks to his video.

Seo Jun-Ho immediately started to read. “There’s a lot of fun stuff too.”

There were articles about the love lives of High Rankers, and about how certain cities were raising taxes, and even tabloids about a Player that had married a noble in Frontier. All the interesting stories he never knew about were condensed into these articles.

Of course, there were a lot of stories about Seo Jun-Ho himself as well.

‘It all makes sense now. I thought that I was just imagining all the stares that I was getting while I was walking around the city…’

Apparently, people had been writing about him since the day he came up to Frontier.

‘The article’s even named “Will the Super Rookie of the 1st floor also rule on the 2nd?”’

“The quality of the news is very good. Wouldn’t you say?” he asked.

The Frost Queen didn’t answer. She must have gotten bored of reading articles because she had wrapped herself in tissues and had fallen asleep.

‘Should I buy her a proper blanket sometime soon?’

Maybe she had started to grow on him a bit. Right now, she looked a bit pitiful, sleeping like a homeless person.

Seo Jun-Ho turned back and checked the information board.

‘This… It really is just an information board.’

It was filled with miscellaneous information about hunting monsters, Quests, and random tips, but the contents weren’t that high in quality.

‘It’s less useful than the news board. Though, anyone who gives out good information for free would be an idiot.’

The real useful information was being sold for large amounts of PP in private transactions. The System acted as a notary, so it protected against most scams.

After scrolling through the forums for a bit more, Seo Jun-Ho headed to the city hall. The square was already bustling with Players and Adventurers alike.

“Dammit, the line’s not shrinking at all. Why are there so many people?”

“An article blew up on the news board. There’s a rumor that the prize for the Kobold Hunting Competition is really good.”

“Not only that but there aren’t many events that’ll give you an opportunity to come face-to-face with a noble.”

“Tsk… If there are this many people, how will I raise my contribution levels?”

“There are Adventurers here too, not just Players…Maybe it would be better to just do a Quest instead?”

They had all gathered to participate in the competition. Seo Jun-Ho awkwardly stood in line.

‘The line is really long. I bet it’ll take at least 5-6 hours to get in.’

Because of the large number of people, more guards were walking around to protect the peace.

“Don’t cut the line!”

“You two! You’ll both be arrested if you fight.”

Suddenly, Seo Jun-Ho saw a familiar face approaching him.

“Hm? Aren’t you Player Seo Jun-ho?”

“Captain Max?”

It was the head of Gilleon’s city guards, Max, who also happened to like Seo Jun-Ho a lot. He smiled brightly. “Are you planning to participate in the competition?”

“Yes. We can’t just let the kobolds run around forever. They’re a danger to the city.”

“Mmhm. With your skill, I have no doubt that you’ll be of great help in their extermination.” He turned around and gestured for Seo Jun-Ho to follow. “Follow me. I’ll recommend you to the person in charge.”

The Players around him looked at Seo Jun-Ho with envy, but no one protested against the special treatment. After all, having connections in Frontier was considered a skill in itself.

1. The Korean phrase used was ??, which refers to someone who relies solely on items ?