Return of the Frozen Player - chapter 225
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Chapter 225
The fiends were agitated after losing seven allies in an instant. They had no reason or the patience to hide their frustration.
[âŠ!]
Their attacks grew fiercer, with the Leviathan as their target. The serpentâs blue scales quickly started to blacken, losing their ever-bright hue. It could only mean that one of the fiends was using poison.
âBinding Chains! Water Shield! Wall!â Skaya continuously casted spells. The powerful fiends heading toward her didnât allow her a moment of rest.
âTheir attacks are powerful, maybe because of the demonic energy.â
She hadnât even figured out all their skills yet. They probably still had a few cards up their sleeves. No, she was sure they still had some tricks. It wouldnât make sense for the Fiend Associationâs elite troops to not have any.
Woosh!
Behind Skaya, a woman with crow wings cut through the wind and charged toward her.
âFire Wall!â
Fwoosh!
A blazing wall of fire appeared in front of her.
âSince I blocked off the front, sheâll probably come from the side.â
Skaya felt safe enough to turn away from the front.
Woosh!
There was a large flash as something came through the flames.
âToo bad! I have fire resistance!â
The fiend was an archer and an assassin, but it wouldnât be satisfying for her to snipe Skaya. She made a frontal attack, gripping a dagger.
ââŠ?!â However, her blade didnât even make a scratch on the Archmage. She looked down at the dagger, which was about three centimeters from Skayaâs skin.
âToo bad. I have seven mana shields protecting me around the clock.â
âW-whatâŠâ
âStill, you were the first one to break through one today. Congrats.â
A celebration wouldnât be complete without fireworks. As such, Skayaâs lips moved. âExplosion.â
At her command, the magic power within her shot through her circuits and exploded outward, creating a beautiful explosion.
Bang!
The fiend was defenseless as she took the brunt of the powerful direct attack before directly falling into the ocean.
âIâve been too careless.â
Skaya hadnât expected for there to be a fiend with such high fire resistance.
She looked around.
âAnd whatâs taking him so long?â
The powerful presence she had sensed from Seo Jun-Ho had disappeared at some point. Honestly, she couldnât even sense him anymore.
âGilbe, whereâs Jun-Ho right now?â
[Heâs headedâŠ]
âOw! Ear! My earâŠ!â
[âŠOver, right now.] Gilbe replied after having just severed a fiendâs ear with a bullet.
âWait! Now that I think about it, he canât fly. Did he get a boat or something?â Her mouth fell open, appalled. Riding a boat in a place like this was suicide.
âBut carrying him while I use Fly is a bitâŠâ
She chewed on her fingernails, deep in thought.
[âŠ!]
The Leviathan wailed again. The thrashing of its enormous body was enough to create huge tidal waves.
âLevi!â A spear had pierced through its scales, with long chains protruding from the end.
âTie it up with this!â
âFor a monster as strong as the Leviathan, we must implant the demon jade when itâs exhausted enough.â
The fiends were reaching the final stage of their hunt. At this rate, the Leviathan might actually fall under their control.
âNoâŠ!â When she tried to interfere again, two fiends turned their attention toward her.
âYou should stay out of this now.â
âI must say, Iâm impressed. I didnât think youâd interrupt us so much, Archmage.â
ââŠâ Skayaâs eyes were solemn as she faced them. There had never been fiends this powerful in the past.
âJun-Ho, that idiot. Whatâs taking him so long?â
She spat in frustration, but her face suddenly changed. âHuh? Is thatâŠJun-Ho?â As she stared across the ocean, the fiends snorted.
âThat mightâve worked 26 years ago, but not anymoreâŠâ
âHuh? What is that?â
ââŠâ The fiend scowled as they were interrupted by their comrade. âAre you dumb? Thatâs obviously an illusion. How could you fall for something so obvious?â
âNo, there really is a person down there.â The fiend turned at their comradeâs words, and their face grew confused.
ââŠWhatâs with him?â
They were currently at sea, meaning the only thing below them was water.
âI know it sounds crazyâŠBut is that person walking here?â
ââŠâ
As they said, it really was crazy. How could someone possibly walk on water? There were skills that allowed people to swim fast, hold their breath for a long time, or even slide across the ocean. But what kind of skill would let someone walk on water?
Moreover, the figure seemed relaxed as they walked on water.
âAn ice umbrella⊠A jet-black coatâŠâ
âWait, an ice umbrella?â The fiendâs eyes flashed. âThey told us on the communication line earlier that Pride was killed by an ice elemental user.â
They hadnât had much time to think about Prideâs killer during the battle with the Leviathan, but they knew who it was.
ââŠSo thatâs Seo Jun-Ho?â
âIt should be. Heâs wanted by the Fiend Association, especially by Nazad Hallow-nim.â
âI bet weâd get a hefty reward if we brought him back.â
Although they hadnât forgotten that he was the same Player who had killed Pride, the look in their eyes changed.
âPride was pretty strong.â
âWe werenât in the same Squadron, but the fact that he became a Squadron leader means that he had proved himself.â
However, the members of the Despair Squadron were confident that they would have been on even ground with Pride if they were to fight him as a team. Actually, they were pretty sure that they could defeat him. The reason they thought this way was thanks to none other than Gu Shi-On.
âOur captain had always said something about Pride.â
âHe said he wouldnât have been able to become a Squadron leader in any other group.â
ââŠSo doesnât that mean he wasnât that much stronger than me?â
âEven though Seo Jun-Ho killed him⊠He doesnât seem all that impressive.â
âHeâs only been doing this for two years, but we have about forty years of combined experience.â
However, they were having a huge misunderstanding. The fiends in the Fiend Association werenât idiots, and they knew that Pride wouldnât have been able to lead a Squadron if he had been weak. But because of Gu Shi-Onâs constant complaints, they became biased against Pride. Naturally, they werenât that impressed by Jun-Ho.
Seo Jun-Ho finally came to a stop.
Fwooosh-
Even as the tidal waves crashed and raged, they never touched him.
âOneâŠâ He looked up and counted the fiends. âTwo, three, four⊠Eleven? There are only eleven of them left?â
It was a little disappointing, but this would do. His opponents werenât weak, and they were part of the Despair Squadron as well.
âThey should be pretty sturdy, right?â
Seo Jun-Ho felt his heart beating against his chest. He swallowed in anticipation.
âIâm excited.â
He could still clearly remember the last time he had felt this way.
âThat was the first day I used Watchguard of Darkness in battle.â
He had been so excited that he had spent all night tossing and turning. It was a similar feeling to what a middle schooler might experience the night before they bought the newest smartphone model.
âHeh.â
âPfft!â
âHahahaha!â
The fiends burst out in laughter. Even though it was raining and they were several dozen meters away, they could still clearly see him.
âThat rascal⊠Heâs trembling all over.â
âOf course, heâs scared. He has probably never faced this many fiends in his life.â
âToo bad for him. Itâs too late to go back.â
The fiends started to give off a wild aura as demonic energy shone in their eyes. Their dark energy seemed to make even the raindrops murky.
Skaya quickly flew down to him. âJun-Ho.â
She looked both pleased and worried. âYou changed a lot, didnât you? Youâre cooler now. Though, youâre still not my type.â
She looked around, but the Frost Queen had already run away. âFuze told us after we tortured him. You were trapped there for a year, right?â
âYeahâŠâ
ââŠIâm jealous. So thatâs how you got strong.â She actually did look envious.
âYou should go in there if you ever get the chance. Iâve learned a lot.â
Nowadays, Players had no time to reflect on themselves. Well, Gu Shi-On had probably never used his skill for that reason either.
âHow many do you want?â she asked excitedly. Her trustworthy teammate had come, and they could finally crush all the fiends.
However, Seo Jun-Ho shook his head. âSorry, but I want you to leave them all to me.â
ââŠYouâre not even gonna give me one?â
âI heard from Gilbe that youâve already killed four of them,â he explained.
âB-but that was with Reverse Gravity⊠I havenât even gotten a tasteâŠâ
âI heard that you killed dozens of fiends downtown. Was that not enough?â
âHmph.â Skaya wilted. There had barely been any Squadron members there.
âIf I knew this would happen, I wouldâve just given them all to GilbeâŠâ
It felt like sheâd given up the main course for mediocre appetizers. âAlright, fine. But if I think youâre in danger, Iâm gonna intervene,â she grumbled.
âThanks. Iâll be counting on you.â Seo Jun-Ho made another ice umbrella and held it out to her.
He always had a good sense for this kind of thingâŠ
âA bit of advice: donât let your guard down. Theyâre no weaklings,â she warned.
âI know.â He knew all too well. The Squadron members had been chasing him for so long. Now that he had actually come across some formidable opponents, he wouldnât let himself make a mistake. âIt might be a little boring this time. Fights are only fun to watch when thereâs a back-and-forth.â
Seo Jun-Ho stared up at the sky and looked around. âMy neck hurts looking up at them.â
However, before Skaya could offer help, an ice pillar shot out of the ocean, propelling him upward.
ââŠHa, he mustâve lost it completely.â
âHe doesnât even have a flying skill. Howâs he gonna fight up in the air?â
They also didnât like that Skaya was just waiting in the back. She didnât seem like she intended to participate in the battle.
âChild. Bring the Archmage and the Envoy if you donât want to be ripped apart.â
âA mission is a mission, but we like having strong opponents.â
ââŠâ
Seo Jun-Ho watched them silently, his heart pounding in anticipation. No matter how hard he tried, he couldnât suppress the laugh that squeezed out of his lips.
ââŠHeh.â He looked crazed and excited.
ââŠâ
ââŠâ
The fiendsâ faces darkened. It was enough to change their initial plans.
âYouâre laughing? Right in front of us?â
âSure, laugh while you can.â
Fiends were selfish by nature. They had no morals and no interest in maintaining the law and order of the world. Everything had to go their way, and they killed anyone they didnât like. Naturally, they wanted to kill Seo Jun-Ho because they didnât like him.
âRivero, get rid of the storm clouds.â
âI donât like you telling me what to do. But youâre right.â
The fiend in the back, Rivero, took in a deep breath. When he exhaled, a powerful gust tore the clouds apart, and the rain stopped.
âWe heard that you made good use of Dreadâs rain before.â
âThereâs no need to give you extra weapons.â
ââŠYou guys are good.â Seo Jun-Hoâs praise was sincere. They knew how to fight, and they didnât let their guards down. They had already gotten rid of one of his weapons even before the battle started.
âHup!â Rivero inhaled once more. This time, he aimed at Seo Jun-Ho. He didnât bother saying anything else before attacking.
âThis was the first big lesson I learned in the goshiwon.â
Now that it was no longer raining, Seo Jun-Ho didnât need his umbrella anymore. The sharp gale approached him, but he was still casually folding up his umbrella.
âThat idiot⊠What is he doing?â Had he not even noticed the attack? Rivero looked disappointed. âHeâs already dead.â
There was nowhere he could go, as he only had one ice pillar. It wasnât like an ice elemental user could fly. It was so easy, but it was enough to dispel Riveroâs malice.
ââŠFirst.â
But in that case, who was the owner of the low voice coming from behind him?
âWhy is there a voice coming from behind me? Iâm in the rearguardâŠâ
That gave way to another question.
ââŠHe disappeared?â
Seo Jun-Ho was no longer standing on the ice pillar.
Before his questions could be answered, an umbrella made of ice stabbed through his ribs.
âLetâs start with seventy percent output.â
Eleven pairs of eyes stared at the ice pillar, but there was no longer any light in Riveroâs eyes.