Return of the Frozen Player - Chapter 48
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The Wild Forest (5)
Four people were running through the dark forest. Considering that they were running through uneven ground, they were moving very fast.
âŠHeâs truly amazing, Cha Min-woo thought as he watched Seo Jun-hoâs back; the latter was in the lead. Itâs a dark forest, and the ground isnât even flat. Yet his form is stable.Â
That wasnât all. Seo Jun-ho was choosing easier paths so that the three others could follow. Assessing the environment was an important virtue for a player, and he proved to be exceptional.
Cha Min-woo thought that he was like an onion. Every time I think I understand him, he shows me a new sideâŠÂ
Suddenly, his Vita lit up with a notification. Seo Jun-ho stopped.
âIs it an SOS?â
âLet me check.â Cha Min-wooâs eyes flickered as he checked the message. He looked up at Seo Jun-ho and nodded firmly. âItâs an SOS. It came from 2km to the east.â
âIt isnât far. Letâs go there first.â
Seo Jun-ho thought to himself as he looked for a path. We have to save as many players as possible.Â
Of course, this wasnât because he saw himself as some hero. Saving as many players as possible meant that clearing the Gate would be easier; it was the conclusion he had come to after objectively weighing the factors.
There are one thousand dark elves in the Black Moss tribe. Their numbers were too large for him to handle on his own.
Iâm still human after all. He needed to sleep, rest, and eat like any other person. He would need at least ten days to kill a thousand dark elves on his own.
And thatâs only if I can use my full power. It only applied if he could use Watchguard of Darkness and Frost. Of course, he couldnât use those skills when he was with Cha Min-wooâs party, like right now.
So the best way to clear the Gate with that handicapâŠÂ Was using the other players. Thatâs why Seo Jun-ho was running so fast through the forest at dawn.
Tonight will be the turning point. He thought that the dark elvesâ night attack was a double-edged sword. At least ten elves were sent to attack each of the 52 parties. So if we kill them allâŠ
Theyâd be able to halve the enemyâs manpower in one night. If they could do that, the dark elves would no longer be able to use guerilla tactics like they had tonight. And if they could halve the remaining number even further, the forest would no longer be safe for the elves.
Clang, clang!
The sound of weapons clashing came from in front of them. Perhaps it was because it was the early morning, but it was especially loud.
âJun-ho-nim!â
âI heard it. Iâll go ahead!â As Seo Jun-ho accelerated, he seemed to stretch like taffy. Leaving the three people behind him, he took out a javelin from his inventory.
âAh, s-save me!â
The first thing he saw as he entered the clearing was a player pinned beneath a Wolfdog. The dark elf on top of it raised its sword high.
Good timing. He used his running speed to propel his javelin and threw it. It whistled through the air with a rough sound like a cannonball.
Stab! It pierced through the dark elfâs head, causing it to fall. The Wolfdog turned around in confusion as it lost its owner, only to see the javelin hurling toward it. There was a flash of moonlightâthat was the last thing it saw.
Seo Jun-ho pulled the javelin out of the Wolfdogâs neck and took in his surroundings.
âThere are five dark elves and three Woldogs left.â
âUh⊠uhh?â The player was covered in the dark elf and Wolfdogâs blood, unable to process the situation. Seo Jun-ho glanced down at them and wordlessly ran toward where the other players were fighting.
âHuh? A-a player!â
âBackup! They mustâve come after seeing the SOS signal from another party!â
The players were on the defensive, but their faces brightened.
â âKyaaaak!âÂ
On the other hand, the dark elvesâ expressions grew more sinister as their hunt was interrupted. They all turned to Seo Jun-ho, ignoring the other players. They wanted to take care of the most bothersome one first.
â âKreek!â Gripping its weapon, the leader threw the spear at Seo Jun-hoâs heart with all its strength. It was much faster than most players could throw.
âThe spearâs speed, aim, and power are all good⊠The only problem is the target.â
Seo Jun-ho didnât move and slowly raised one hand. Right before the spear hit him, he brought his hand down like lightning, breaking the weapon.
Clatter!Â
The dark elfâs eyes widened as it watched its weapon break. Seo Jun-ho snatched one half of the spear from the air and stabbed it through his opponentâs torso.
âYour spear is nice.â
â âKak⊠kaakâŠ!â It couldnât even breathe.
Seo Jun-hoâs sword hung at his side as he walked forward. The dark elves instinctively took a step back, intimidated by his strength and confidence.
âDonât forget about us!â
âThis is revenge for our comrades, fuckers!â The surviving players attacked the dark elvesâ open backs. The battle ended anticlimactically, and Seo Jun-ho sheathed his sword.
âParty Leader Son?â
âOh, thatâs me.â The man standing in front of the others raised his hand politely.
âWhat do your casualties look like?â
ââŠOur members that were on watch died. We woke up because of their screamsâŠÂ Guh, we just ran away because we were still half-asleep. We lost three more teammates.â A tear spilled over and he bit his lower lip hard enough to draw blood. He looked angry.
ââŠâŠâ
Seo Jun-ho understood those feelings all too well. The guilt of being unable to save his teammates would now become shackles.
Seo Jun-ho wordlessly patted him on the shoulder. After letting it out, the man wiped away his tears with his sleeve.
âI didnât say this earlier, but thank you for helping us.â
âNo need.â
At that moment, Cha Min-woo and the others arrived at the clearing. They saw that it was over, and their faces became grim.
âWe were too late.â
âHuff, huffâŠÂ I ran as hard as I couldâŠâ Seo Mirae muttered, disappointed.
âWeâre going east,â Seo Jun-ho replied.
âEastâŠ?â The party leader asked.
âYes. Weâre gonna head east, save other players, and hunt the dark elves.â The reason was simple. The Black Moss tribeâs stronghold was there. âIf youâre willing, we can take down the enemy together. What will you do?â
ââŠâŠâ
They couldnât even dream of avenging their teammates with only half the party left, but Seo Jun-ho was offering to avenge them together. The party leader made his choice.
He didnât need to say anything. He thumped his fist against his chest twice, eyes full of venom.
âGood.â That was enough for Seo Jun-ho. âThen you guys should go north.â
âNorth? Weâre splitting up?â
âYes.â No matter how fast Seo Jun-ho could move, it would be impossible for him to cover the whole forest. Thatâs how big the Wild Forest was.
I need parties that will become my hands and feet. He needed people to cover the north and west while he went east. Seo Jun-ho planned to give that role to his newly acquired players.
The party leader finally spoke. ââŠWeâve received great assistance from the new star of Korea.â He picked up his fallen helm from the dirt, put it back on, and nodded. âSo we will follow you. The Blue Whale party will head north.â
They became Seo Jun-hoâs first hand.
âHuff⊠huffâŠâ
A man collapsed down onto the forest floor. The hot sun beat down through the trees. There was a burning smell coming from his mouth.
I canât⊠I canât keep going, even if I dieâŠ
Heâd been running for two days. Hunger and thirst were getting to him, and his trembling legs refused to move any longer; he was poisoned.
Those fucking dark elves. They put poison on their arrowheads. He lifted his shirt, checking the flesh at his side that had gone black. Death was right before him. In his poisoned state, it was impossible to outrun the Wolfdogs, which were quick and had sharp noses.
âDammitâŠâ Tears started to spill over. He was scared.
His team had been composed of players that averaged around level 28. If the dark elves had made a frontal attack in broad daylight, he wouldnât have been injured.
âThose dirty, cursed monsters!â
But the enemy was crafty. Theyâd used the cover of darkness to attack their camp at night. If it werenât for his sunbaeâs quick reaction, their entire party wouldâve been annihilated.
At that moment, he heard the cries of Wolfdogs.
I donât want to die! Iâm too young to dieâŠÂ But he didnât have the strength to run away. Tears streamed down his face as death approached. With shaky hands, he loaded a bullet into a handgun.
âIf I have to die nowâŠâ As the proud maknae of the Bravo party, he would take a few mutts down with him.
As he finished loading the bullet, a Wolfdog came bounding out of the thicket and bit into his left arm. He raised the gun in his right hand and pulled the trigger.
Bang! The sound of a gunshot rang through the forest.
âYes! GuhâŠâ The Wolfdog fell. But as he was about to celebrate, the sound of dozens of Wolfdogs made him go pale. The bite he received was also deep.
So this is how I die. The hope drained from him, as if he were the last survivor in the last act of a play.
But the Wolfdogs had started to sound more frantic.
âWh-what?â He craned his neck, trying to see what was going on. He could hear people nearby.
âThe gunshot came from hereâŠâ
âThe Wolfdogs were chasing⊠Maybe itâs the one we were lookingâŠâ
âShould be around hereâŠâ
PeopleâŠ! His eyes went wide, but he couldnât make a sound. He opted to shoot another bullet into the air.
Bang! A moment later, the dense bushes were cut down, and a familiar face appeared.
âI found him! Itâs him! Heâs our partyâs maknae!â
âS-sunbaeâŠâ As the man saw the face of his supposedly dead sunbae, he started to sob. âSniffâŠÂ How did you⊠I thought you were deadâŠÂ KuhâŠâÂ
âWhy the hell would I die? AndâŠâ The sunbae turned, looking at the people who were approaching. It was the sound of dozens of playersâ footsteps. His eyes were fixed on the leader. âThe person you should thank is him, not me.â
âThat person⊠WhoâŠ?â It was the first time the hubae had seen one person lead so many people inside a Gate.
âPlayer Seo Jun-ho. But soon enough, people will be calling him by a sobriquet.â
âA sobriquetâŠ? Players on the 1st floor can have one?â
âMost donât, but outstanding players like him have superb titles.â
âWhat do they call him?â
In only two days, 152 players had been saved and 436 dark elves had been killed under Seo Jun-hoâs command. The players that directly witnessed his achievements had started calling him by another name.
âHe saves allies and beheads his enemies in his black armor.â
The Black Knight.