Return of the Frozen Player - Chapter 37
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Watchdog Hunt (2)
As the skinny man tried to forcefully pull his hand away from the ice, there was a ripping pain in his hand.
âGaah!â
But he couldnât give up here. I still have my other hand!Â
With a fierce look in his eyes, he gripped a dagger in his right hand and rushed toward Seo Jun-hoâs neck. But this time, his target was a step ahead. Seo Jun-ho froze his opponentâs arm and swatted his dagger aside.
Crack! Seo Jun-hoâs sword cracked the skinny manâs collarbone, then angled to stab his heart.
âCough!â Blood flooded from the manâs mouth. Heâd been on the brink of death many times before, but he felt this instinctively: This dirty alley will be my grave.
There was no human that could live after being stabbed through their heart. Even as he came face-to-face with death, he determined something.
The boss has to know about this. That was his priority. He quickly dropped his dagger and tapped on his Vita.
âThat wonât work. Why do you think I froze you all the way to your wrist?â
ââŠâŠ!â His wrist was already covered in ice. All he felt at his fingertips was a cold sensation.
Where did it go wrong? It was a fight he shouldnât have been able to lose. His opponent was a rookie who couldnât even keep up with his speed, and the skinny man was a seasoned veteran.
The unlucky one⊠It wasnât him, but me. He thought that he was dying simply because his opponentâs luck was good.
âBut that luckâŠÂ cough, in front of the bossâŠâ The skinny man used the last of his strength to grip his opponentâs throat. His face looked like an evil spirit as he spat out a final curse. âThe boss⊠will send you to hell.â
âWhy would I go there? Thatâs a place reserved for bastards like you.â Seo Jun-ho felt offended and twisted the sword once.
âGuh⊠ackâŠ!â
The life faded from the manâs eyes as he vomited blood and went limp. Even then, his red eyes didnât fade.
âAnyways, you dirty fiend bastard.â Seo Jun-ho placed his hand on the skinny manâs forehead and muttered to himself. âJust hand over the information.â
* * *
A skyscraper hotel looked down at the night in Las Vegas. The man and woman sitting on the couch looking down at the city hadnât said anything for hours.
Tick! The clock on the wall pointed to four.
ââŠI donât want to admit it, but that bag of bones is better than me at strategy.â The first one to speak was the delinquent woman from the Watchdogs. Her boss, Arma, was sitting next to her with his eyes closed.
âHe said heâd come back in five minutes, but itâs been eight hours now.â
The skinny man always thought of his team first. Heâd never gone this long without contact before. Theyâd gradually realized what this meant.
ââŠHe was taken out.â He was probably not a person of this world anymore. The womanâs voice broke as hot tears spilled over. They were always bickering, but theyâd been teammates for years now. âFucking idiot. He said heâd be right back.â
âWhat did he look like?â
âHe was an Asian male. He spoke in Korean and was with Gong Juha, so itâs likely that heâs a member of the Dokkaebi Guild.â
Arma didnât say anything as he tapped on his Vita. Thousands of holographic profiles appeared before him.
âThis is the list of all the Korean players in the Las Vegas area right now. See if heâs here.â
âJust a moment.â The delinquent woman quickly scrolled through the profiles. Her eyes moved without a second to rest, but she wasnât just skimming them. After she looked through the thousands of profiles, the girl was about to say that he wasnât on the list.
âHuh?â
But she found the face she was looking for on the last page.
âTh-this fucker!â
ââŠAre you sure?â
âIâm sure! I only saw him a few hours ago. Thereâs no way I wouldnât recognize him.â Arma tilted his head after hearing her confidence. The profile sheâd pointed at was none other than Seo Jun-hoâs.
Heâd been added to the Fiend Associationâs most recent database.
But heâs a new player that debuted barely two months ago. Arma didnât think it made logical sense for one of his subordinates to be killed by Seo Jun-ho. But as he looked through the details of his profile, Arma slowly started to suspect him.
âThereâs something strange about this man. He was involved with the Shadow Brothers.â
ââŠYouâre right! Heâs the guy that went into an Uncleared Gate with them.â
The Shadow Brothers hadnât returned, but this man had gone in with them. And now, this.
âFrom this moment on, Iâm designating Seo Jun-ho as a threat.â
âOkay.â The delinquent woman ground her teeth as she received the order. âTry and get me. Iâll kill you.â
The MGM Grand Garden Arena was usually full of excitement for the greatest matches, but today, it was silent.
Itâs not even a movie theater or anything.Â
A long red carpet was spread at the entrance, where actors, directors, celebrities, and players all over the world were gathering.
Bees gathered where there were flowers. Reporters from every country were absorbed in their cameras, clicking the shutter buttons.
Beepâ Beepâ
Before they stepped onto the red carpet, each person had to go through a thorough inspection that was reminiscent of airport security checkpoints. Seo Jun-ho was no different.
âExcuse me.â A member of the Dokkaebi Guild stopped him and held out his hand. âCan I see your invitation?â
Seo Jun-ho reached into his jacket and pulled out his invitation. The security guardâs eyes went wide as he opened the envelope and checked its contents. He immediately moved aside and bowed deeply.
âIâm sorry for wasting your time.â
âHuh? I donât have to go through security?â Seo Jun-ho looked around at the other people, and the guard nodded.
âYes. You can go in right away.â
Did Gong Juha say something? Seo Jun-ho tilted his head at the guardâs polite manner and stepped onto the red carpet. The luxury suit, watch, and shoes that Shim Deok-gu had sent him garnered the attention of the reporters.
âHuh? Whoâs that man?â
âIs he a celebrity? Heâs handsome.â
âHis proportions are good and heâs slim. He kind of looks like a model.â
The male reporters couldnât hide their envy at his suit and shoes, and the female reporters couldnât hide their interest in his handsome face and proportionate body. Seo Jun-ho entered the arena with the eyes of the audience following him. The first thing that caught his eye was a bar.
I do need a drink. The auction would start tonight and go until dawn. Seo Jun-ho walked over to buy a bottle of water.
âIced tea with lots of ice. Twenty, please.â
Seo Jun-ho blinked as he recognized the girl in front of him. It was Gong Juha, and today, she was wearing a black suit with her hair in a ponytail.
âSo, we meet again.â
âUghh, itâs so hot⊠Huh?â Gong Juha looked over at him as she flapped her shirt. As she realized who it was, she crossed her arms. âWow, whoâs this? Isnât this the guy who went to the bathroom and never came back?â
ââŠAh.â Now that he thought about it, he had done that. âDid you wait for me?â
âAre you really asking that right now? I mean, if you start saying something, you have to finish it. I was so curious about the ice compass that I waited for two hours! And if I get curious about something, I canât sleep. Do you see these dark circles under my eyes?â
ââŠIâm sorry.â He really did have nothing to say for himself. Seo Jun-ho quickly bowed his head. Gong Juha read the apology written on his face and sighed as she uncrossed her arms.
âWhatâs with that? You apologized right away, so I canât even be mad.â
âIâll buy you something good next time.â
ââŠIâll choose something expensive, then.â Gong Juhaâs face softened as she checked the time. She picked up the icebox on the ground. âHup.â
âTeam Leader Gong, whatâsâŠ?â
âOh, itâs just a normal icebox. I keep ice cream and drinks in here.â She looked toward the entrance of the hall as if it were a strong boss monster. âMr. Snake head, you should also prepare yourself. Itâs going to be a long battle.â
âYou really do get hot easily.â
âVery. I think itâs worse because Las Vegas is in the desert.â
âShouldnât you have some sort of heat resistance because youâre a flame-user?â
âExactly! Frustratingly enough, my body generates a lot of heat, so Iâm hot all the time.â Gong Juha finished and picked up the icebox. She nodded instead of waving with her hand. âHave fun at the auction. It would be nice if we could sit close to each other, but Iâm at the front for security reasons.â
âYes. Then, Team Leader GongâŠâ Seo Jun-ho spoke sincerely. âI hope you also have a good time.â
* * *
âMmmmm. The icebox~ is my treasure box~â Gong Juha hummed to herself as she sat in her seat. She placed the icebox in front of her. It would help her weather the heat for the next few hours; it really was her treasure box.
âWow, itâs so close,â Gong Juha said in admiration. Since her seat was at the very front row, the stage was right below her nose. It was reserved for VIPs, but she was the captain of the security team.
If Iâm this close, I can help right away if something happens. As she glanced around, she recognized all of the people near her. The Vice President of America⊠The President of the French Player Association⊠Even the Queen of England is here?
They were all people that had influence over the globe. No matter how the world changed, the powers at the top remained the same.
âIs this my seat?â Gong Juha turned to greet the person next to her.
âHuh?â Her eyes went wide. âMr. Snake head?â
The person sitting next to her was none other than Seo Jun-ho. Gong Juha quickly looked around and looked at him nervously.
âUhmâŠÂ you know, these seats are all preassigned, so you canât just sit anywhere.â
âIsnât this seat A-13? It was written on my invitation.â
âHuh? Can I see your invitation?â Seo Jun-ho casually handed it over, and Gong Juhaâs jaw dropped.
Wh-what? A VIP ticket? Even I didnât get oneâŠ? Even though she was a famous ranker, she was simply a Team Leader, not a Guildmaster or a Vice-Guildmaster. Sheâd only been able to receive a premium ticket, a rank below his.
Wait. Now that I look at himâŠÂ Gong Juha quickly scanned Seo Jun-ho. His childish, messy haircut had been styled by the hands of a professional. And with just a glance, she could tell that his clothes and shoes cost at least tens of millions of won. Sheâd thought heâd looked strangely good today and realized it was thanks to the clothes.
(TN: Hundreds of thousands of USD.)
He only debuted two months ago, but heâs wearing all thatâŠÂ A thought quickly came to her.
âDid you⊠spend all the money you earned at the casino yesterday?â
âHuh?â
âUhm, well, your outfit looks really expensive.â
âOh, this?â Seo Jun-ho looked down at his clothes and grinned. âNo. The clothes and watch are from the Association President. He gave me the invitation too.â
âAhh~Â I see.â The misunderstanding was cleared up, but she was even more impressed. âYou must have his full confidence. I didnât know that President Shim Deok-gu had appointed you as his new heir.â
ââŠHuh? Heir?â Seo Jun-ho blinked, but Gong Juha grinned.
âYou really didnât know? This isnât just a normal auction seat. Only powerful people like big-name Guildmasters can receive a VIP invitation. Other people canât even come up here⊠The fact that President Shim Deok-gu easily gave you that invitation means that youâre his proxy. Therefore, he thinks of you as an heir of sorts.â
ââŠOh my god.â He finally realized what Deok-gu had been telling him. Seo Jun-ho had wondered why Deok-gu said he needed to protect his image at the auction, but he didnât know that this was the meaning behind it.
âThe Korean Player Association hasnât had a leading player in a long time.â The smile reached Gong Juhaâs eyes as she looked at him. âIt seems that the Association President wants to leave his role to you.â
ââŠThatâs a big responsibility.â He turned to argue with her when the lights turned off.
âOh, itâs starting.â
The Auction. The biggest auction in the world was starting.