Return of the Frozen Player - chapter 236
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Chapter 236
Something was off. After the meeting, Seo Jun-Ho sat in a corner of the camp and contemplated.
âAs Milphage had said, the beesâ levels are quite high, and there are thousands of themâŠ?â
The beekeeper added one more thing. He mentioned that his deduction was based on Earthâs bees. However, that wasnât good news.
âIf thereâs a difference in reproduction speed between Earthâs bees and these guysâŠâ
What if it wasnât slower but incomparably faster? What if there were tens of thousands of beasts instead of thousands? The mere thought of it made Seo Jun-Hoâs head spin.
âMore than anything, even I have never experienced something like this before.â
He had dealt with quite a lot of monsters that lived in clusters. However, it was his first time with monsters in such a large cluster. In addition, the levels of monsters living in groups were very low. It was exactly because their levels were low that there were so many of them.
âContractor, you look like you have a lot on your mind.â
âSince there are enemies of that level on the 2nd floor, I was thinking about what the 3rd floor is likeâŠâ
Right. Humans had been tied to the 2nd floor for far too long, but they had to keep climbing to prevent Earthâs destruction.
âSecond floor, third floor, fourth floor⊠to the 10th floor.â
The realization gave Seo Jun-Ho a fright. If they were already struggling on the 2nd floor, wouldnât clearing the 3rd or 4th floor be just a dream? In the end, Earth could face destruction, and all his efforts in protecting everything he wanted to protect would be in vain. As Seo Jun-Hoâs expression darkened, the Frost Queen sighed.
âThe biggest problem with you is that you worry too much, too early. Take it easy.â
âIs that fine?â
âThat is fine. Do you trust me?â
âKeuk, where did you learn to speak like an old man?â
Seo Jun-Ho ended up smirking. He immediately looked back and said, âCan I help you?â
âAhâŠâ
Gong Ju-Ha had been standing timidly by the tree in the back before she approached Seo Jun-Ho and handed a drink over to him.
âHehe, I missed the timing to talk to you because you were muttering something by yourself. Are you perhaps practicing your rap?â
âI canât rap. Iâm just worried about something.â
âHmm, what would our newbie have so much to worry about? Why donât you tell this noona about it?â
ââŠâ
Seo Jun-Ho frowned, but he soon recovered his expression. Gong Ju-Ha may be like this, but she was still a High Ranker with a lot of experience in the world of Players.
âIt wouldnât be a bad idea to ask just once.â
Seo Jun-Ho seriously confessed his worries. âI canât imagine how hard it would be to clear the 3rd floor if we are already struggling like this.â
âAha, you were worried about the 3rd floor? What a useless worry. It didnât seem like there was much there,â Gong Ju-Ha muttered as she sipped on her latte with a straw.
âNothing much. Why do you speak like youâve been there?â
âIâve been there.â
ââŠReally?â
âI risked everything and went there.â
Seo Jun-Ho looked at her serious face for a while, then spoke, âLet me ask you a question, then.â
âGo aheadâŠâ
âWhat are the conditions for admission to the 3rd floor?â
Most members of the Big 6, including the Silent Moon Guild and the Goblin Guild, had tentatively concluded that Floormasters only existed on odd floors, as there was no Floormaster on the 2nd floor.
âItâs easy. You said youâve tried matching, right?â
âYes.â
âIf you win there, you can get matching points and use them to buy a third-floor ticket from the Administratorâs Store when it opens.â
ââŠA third-floor ticket? Is there such a thing in the Administratorâs Store?â
Last time, he didnât see anything like that, as he had been distracted by the elixirs.
âActually, they werenât selling it before, but they started selling it a few years ago.â
ââŠThey werenât selling it before, but they started selling it a few years ago?â
âIt seems that you were thinking that the Big 6 are preventing Players from entering the 3rd floor until theyâre skilled enough.â
ââŠâ
Seo Jun-Ho frowned.
âWeird. Itâs a little different from when I opened the 2nd floor.â
When he and his comrades defeated the Frost Queen, the average level of Players on Earth wasnât that high. Nevertheless, the system had allowed them entry to the 2nd floor.
âHowever, it purposely blocked access to the 3rd floor? That means itâs a much more dangerous world than here.â
Fortunately, someone who had been there was sitting next to him.
âHow was the 3rd floor?â
âIt was⊠It was hell.â
It had definitely been terrible just to imagine it, as Gong Ju-Ha hugged herself and trembled.
âIsnât that different from what you have said before? You said there was nothing much there.â
âAh, the monsters there were really nothing special. There were only a handful of weaklings,â she spoke as she raised her small fist. âBut itâs too warm there. No! Itâs not warm, but hot! Hotter than a super-heated sauna!â
âSo, except for the place being hot, itâs not really difficult floor?â
âThatâs what I felt. I felt like the monsters there werenât really that much different from here.â
âHmm.â
His thoughts became more complicated.
âWhat if the reason why access to the 3rd floor is limited is that I absorbed the Frost Queenâs nucleus, which made it impossible to clear the 3rd floor?â
That was a decent possibilityâŠ
ââŠThen itâs absolutely my fault.â
Perhaps the Playersâ overall growth rate had slowed down because of him.
âLetâs talk about something more constructive than that. What do you think of those bees?â
âThe bees?â Several plans were already in Seo Jun-Hoâs head. âI donât think itâs going to be too hard to clear, honestly.â
âHmm, I think so, too. It feels odd to say this, but Iâm hereâŠâ
Gong Ju-Ha, who could easily burn off the wings of those bees, shrugged.
âOh, come to think of itâŠâ Her eyes sparkled. âI heard you did an outstanding job this time.â
âI donât think itâs to the point of being outstandingâŠâ
âNo, no, it has spread all over already. You know, I have ears, right?â
Her ears twitched.
âI was so proud of myself. The guy who had always been looking up to me⊠Well, it felt like that, but you grew up really well.â
âThank you. To be honest, I did receive a lot of help from you, Team Leader Gong. It was the same when I first came up to the 2nd floor.â
âHmmm, you say that youâre grateful, but you still havenât bought me a meal even after a year you said you would.â
âIf you want, I could cook cup ramen for you now?â
âJust try to bring me cup ramen, and youâll see. You canât just throw away precious opportunities like this, you know?â She shook her head and got up. âAfter this job, Iâm going to make you get me something really expensive, delicious, and with big portions.â
âAs much as you wantâŠâ
âThen you should go to bed early because tomorrow will be a busy day.â
When Gong Ju-Ha left, the Frost Queen said, âHnng, hasnât your face become as stupid-looking as usual?â
âReally? I think I still look the same.â
âThe same? You looked like you were carrying all the worries of the world, but now, the look on your face makes me want to punch you.â
ââŠâ
Her emotions had been fluctuating quite a bit today. Seo Jun-Ho thought he should purchase more Spirit Crystals sooner or later.
***
âThere are two things that have changed from yesterday.â At the base camp in the morning, Milphage stood in front of more than a hundred Players. He raised his index finger and said, âToday, we will work with the Goblin Guild to carry out the plan.â
After the meeting Milphage had with Shin Sung-Hyun last night, they had reached this conclusion.
âWell, weâre usually competitors, but letâs forget about the competition here and help each other out.â
âItâs not just that,â said Shin Sung-Hyun. He spoke while looking toward Seo Jae-Gil, the former beekeeper. âAccording to Player Seo Jae-Gil, destroying colonies of bees seems to be easier than what we expected.â
ââŠThe queen bee.â
Those who were somewhat aware of beesâ social structure started murmuring.
âThatâs right. When the queen bee dies, the colony becomes lost, and they eventually scatter.â
A Player in the Goblin Guild raised his hand. âMaster, isnât it harder to hunt them if those trapped in that tower are scattered?â
âThatâs a good question, but thatâs not the case for bees.â
âIâll explain it to you.â Seo Jae-Gil raised his hand and said, âThe eusociality of bees is profound. Itâs very similar to that of humans, so when war breaks out, the bees will follow the instructions of the queen bee. But what if the queen bee disappearedâŠ?â
âSo, youâre saying that theyâll become chaotic when they lose their commander?â
âSome bees will get stuck in their hive, some will try to leave the hive, and some will try to fly away. Overall, the hunting difficulty will be dramatically reduced.â
The Players nodded; they understood what Seo Jae-Gil was saying.
âSo, todayâs goal is simple. We will approach the tower and join the other guilds.â
âIf we join forces and hunt together, the damage we will sustain would be far less.â
The other guilds would obviously accept such a proposal. If one refused, they would be politically isolated upon leaving this place. In addition, there was no harm in participating, as they had to make some contributions here to get proper rewards.
âNow, a hundred forty-two of the best Players between the Goblin and Hallem GuildâŠâ
âLetâs go.â
The number of Players who remained at the base camp was the bare minimum to protect their shelter and food. The rest of the Players began to march to the Magic Tower, following the map they had drawn the previous day.
***
âWhat if we put gas in the tower and burn it all up with my flame?â
âItâs too dangerous. First, weâll have to see if those bees are immune to gas. If we mess up, weâll only make them angry.â
The plan was constantly being revised and supplemented even while on the move. The Players were alert but not nervous. With the combined forces of Goblin and Hallem, they wouldnât have any trouble even if dozens of bees came at them.
âHoh?â
When they arrived at the ridge of the forest where a panoramic view of the Magic Tower could be seen, Milphageâs eyes shone.
âI think weâre late today.â
They could feel the great flow of magic coming from the various places in the forest. Then, the sky near the Magic Tower turned dark.
ââŠThatâs all bees?â
âI feel like Iâm looking at a plague of locusts.â
The bees covering the sky divided into two groups and descended to the ground. The other four guilds had started the battle one step ahead of them. Milphage asked Shin Sung-Hyun, âNow, what do you want to do? Looking at the auras, on the left are Sky Soul and Labyrinth, and on the right Silent Moon and Silver Constellation.â
âLetâs go to the left,â Shin Sung-Hyun replied without even thinking about it.
Milphage revealed a content smile. âHuhu, thatâs right. I donât think thereâll be anything to eat if we go to the right.â
On the right stood the Sword Saint, Kim Woo-Joong, and Wei Chun-Hak of the Celestial Dragon Guild, who was currently with the Silver Constellation Guild. In other words, they would have nothing to do if they went over to the right side.
âButâŠâ
Milphageâs smiling expression slowly stiffened. It was the same with Shin Sung-Hyun. Their eyes were fixed on the dark sky, which was connected to the Magic Tower.
ââŠArenât there too many of them coming out? When is that going to end?â
They could see at least two to three thousand of them. Due to their large size, the collective noise the bees were making was very loud as they flew through the skies.
Bzzzzzz! Bzzzzz!
The noises were reminiscent of dozens of helicopters flying in the air.
âHmm?â
In the midst of these noises, Seo Jun-Hoâs instincts sent him a sharp warning, confusing him.
âWeâre not the target of those bees.â
In fact, not a single bee was headed their way, so why was it that his instincts kept sending him warnings?
âThe success rate of my instinctsâ warning has been quite high these daysâŠâ
This meant an unknown danger was approaching by the minute. Just what the hell was it? The moment Seo Jun-Ho frownedâ
âAaaahhh!â
A Player looking up at the sky was sucked into the floor.
âWhat, what?!â
âDamn it, help him!â
The moment nearby Players reached out to save him, Shin Sung-Hyun moved and took out a baton from his pocket. When the end of the baton was aimed at the ground, the space twisted, and the ground was âdismantled.â The Player who had been sucked into the ground could be seen once more.
ââŠ!â
ââŠUeup!â
In that short period of time, the Playerâs body had become filled with holes like cheese. Furthermore, the Playerâs arms had become blueish and swollen, looking like a monsterâs arms.
âT-the ground? No wayâŠâ Witnessing the horrible scene, Seo Jae-Gil hurriedly turned around. A sharp warning screeched out of his mouth. âItâs a digger wasp!â
âA digger wasp?â
Just when Seo Jun-Ho was about to askâ
Dudududu!
The ground they were standing on began to shake violently.