Return of the Frozen Player - Chapter 49
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The Wild Forest (6)
There was a large clearing in the eastern part of the forest that had been transformed into a developed outpost. The two entrances were shabby, but there were wooden fences and four guards on each side. There was a large blaze that was reminiscent of a campfire, and over eighty players were milling about, eating a late dinner.
âSlurp.â Seo Jun-ho was eating cup ramen for dinner. He ate a hearty meal with the kimchi heâd brought in his inventory and looked around when he finished.
There are 80 people here, and there are 72 players that are gathering in the north.Â
A total of 152. It was the same number of players that were currently inside the Gate. Surprisingly, they had all decided to join him.
But the situation doesnât look too good. On the first night, 48 people had died. Theyâd lost a fourth of their manpower, and it was starting to weigh on the survivors.
âŠItâs good that theyâre as angry as they are nervous though.
Theyâd lost friends, sunbaes, hubaes, and lovers. The players whoâd lost their loved ones were sharpening the knife of vengeance. Even if he told them to launch a full-scale offensive when morning came, they would probably listen without hesitation.
Seo Jun-ho calmed himself and organized his thoughts. Right now, Iâm level 24. Heâd killed 78 dark elves and Wolfdogs up âtil now, which was less than heâd expected because he dispatched other players to clean them up. On top of that, he hadnât had the time to fight much because he prioritized rescuing other players.
The remaining number of enemies is around 560. With the number of players they had, all they had to do was kill four dark elves each. But that was only if they went âhuntingâ. Tomorrow will be like a war.Â
After heâd saved the last survivor, the Bravo partyâs maknae, Seo Jun-ho had set up the outpost. He hadnât encountered a dark elf since then.
Theyâre starting to feel the losses. The tribe chief was smart, so he wouldnât act rashly. He would probably lock down their stronghold and focus on naval forces. The players had to make the first move.
The problem isâŠÂ Seo Jun-ho looked at each player who was eating. They came from all different races, nationalities, guilds, and parties; some of them were also non-combatants like Seo Mirae. Compared to the dark elves who move under their leaderâs orders, we just seem like a mob.
They were obedient for now because they were thirsty for vengeance, but he didnât know how long that would last. And that wasnât the only problem.
âWe have to hurry up and clear it!â
âI get what youâre saying, but we canât all sacrifice ourselves for one person.â Seo Jun-hoâs attention turned to the two groups that were arguing.
âDammit⊠We canât treat this without a medical specialist.â
The Bravo partyâs maknae was on the brink of death. Choi Jin-pyo and other healers had tried to help him, but they were useless against the poison.
âWhat are you so scared of? If we combine with the other players, thereâll be 150 of us! 150!â
âWatch what youâre saying. Who said I was scared?â
ââŠUgh.â
Seo Jun-ho facepalmed. They were already disorganized, and now, there was infighting.
Itâll be impossible to clear the Gate by normal meansâŠ
One of the players noticed him staring. âJun-ho-nim, what do you think?â
âWell, thereâs pros and cons to either option. ButâŠâ As he spoke, dozens of players looked at him, âIf possible, it would be best to clear it quickly.â
âI knew it!â The Bravo partyâs faces brightened, and the other group looked disappointed. Seo Jun-ho quickly continued.
âOf course, itâs not simply for the sake of one person.â It was the conclusion he had come to after pondering for a long time. He knew how large their forces were, but the others didnât.
âFirst of all, the number of dark elves left is around the number that attacked us the first night.â
ââŠMay I ask why you think that?â
âWe thought there would be around two hundred at most.â
âOf course. You probably came to that conclusion after thinking about how dark elves act.â They were extremely selfish and individualistic by nature. These players werenât beginners, so that had been the first thing they considered.
But weâre not dealing with normal dark elves. The leader of the Black Moss tribe was extremely intelligent. His overwhelming power had united the self-centered dark elves; it was obvious from the unexpected attack on the first night. As Seo Jun-ho explained this, the other players slowly started to nod.
âThat makes sense⊠The dark elves in this forest were very different from what I knew about them.â
âTheir coordinated attack means theyâre an organized group. As youâve said, this is likely thanks to their leader.â
âIt reminds me of what Specter said in the past, âYou can study for college exams with a textbook, but you shouldnât do that for hunting.ââ
âHe said that with these kinds of situations in mind.â
âGates are always unpredictable.â The players started to understand. Even though Seo Jun-ho had the lowest level, heâd shown them the most. Thatâs why they say players only care about performance.Â
One of the players spoke with a proud smile. âSo you think that there are about five hundred dark elves left⊠How about the Woldogs?â
âThere are no more left.â
âHuh?!â The players blinked, confused by his confidence. He wasnât some fortune teller, after all.
âThink about the last player we saved.â
âAre you talking about our maknae?â A member of the Bravo party quietly raised their hand. Seo Jun-ho nodded.
âWhat was chasing him?â
âUm⊠There were dozens of Woldogs. The dark elves had released them.â
âCorrect. And those Woldogs were just pups.â They hadnât been large enough for the dark elves to ride.
âThe fact that they were using young Woldogs in a pursuit means that they lost all their fully grown ones during the first attack.â
âOhhâŠâ
âOf course!â The players finally understood. They were also impressed: while they got distracted by the battle, Seo Jun-ho didnât miss a single detail.
âRight now, the dark elves are probably locking down their stronghold and focusing on naval forces. But the longer this drags on, the worse itâll be for us.â He was talking about the chronic problems for players. âWe have limited rations, we canât fully rest, and our numbers will dwindle.â
The enemy numbered over five hundred. The tribe chief wouldnât move for now, but that would change once he understood the situation.
âTheyâre going to keep ambushing us. There probably wonât be any more large-scale surprise attacksâŠâ
âBut theyâll probably attack us every night with those poisoned arrows and run away.â
âWeâll be exhausted because we canât restâŠâ
âAnd once they think they can win, theyâll come streaming out.â
It was good that these people caught on quickly. They started to understand the situation and what Seo Jun-ho meant.
âThat makes sense.â
âNow that you say that, I think clearing the Gate as quickly as possible would be the best option.â
As their opinions started to change, the hostility between the players dissipated.
âIâm sorry about earlier. Our lives are also at risk hereâŠâ
âNo, I apologize. We were thinking too much about ourselves.â
Seo Jun-ho changed the subject as the mood became somber. âIâve sent scouts to do reconnaissance. Itâll be nice once we have information about their village.â Seo Jun-ho wasnât worried. Theyâll find it tomorrow morning at the latest.Â
Heâd purposely set up an outpost in the east because it was near the dark elvesâ village.
âRest up, everyone.â Seo Jun-ho nodded for Seo Mirae to follow. He led her to a quiet area.
âWhy did you call me?â Seo Mirae tilted her head.
âCan you use your foresight skill now?â
âUm⊠Yes. Would you like me to look?â
âYes.â Seo Jun-ho nodded. Understanding, Seo Mirae stared at him with her piercing eyes. A moment later, she shook her head in amazement.
âWow, they found the village! Weâre going to fight them tomorrow around lunchtime.â
âWhat else?â
âThereâs a ton of them. Like you said, I didnât see any Woldogs, but there are around six hundred dark elves?â
âAnd?â
âAndâŠâ
She shivered and made an exaggerated expression as she hugged her arms.
âThereâs a dark elf with a gloomy air around him⊠There are five other elves around him that are bigger than the others.â
He knew about them. The Dark Elven Knights that attend him.Â
But this wasnât what Seo Jun-ho wanted to know. He already knew this all from seeing the deadâs memories. He wanted to know about his own story.
âAnd lastlyâŠâ She looked at Seo Jun-ho with suspicion. âYouâre using something that looks like itâs made of ice⊠Is it an artifact?â
ââŠâŠâ Seo Jun-ho kept a straight face, but he was unsettled. âŠIs the leader that strong? Strong enough that I have to use Frost?
The reason heâd asked her to look was because he wanted to avoid revealing his Frost skill to the public.
âThank you for your help. Please donât tell other players what you saw.â
âYeah, sure.â
Seo Jun-ho was locked deep in thought as Seo Mirae left.
As the sun rose, the reconnaissance team returned. There was good news and bad news.
âWe found the valley!â
âItâs not very far. Itâs about two hours to the east if we walk.â
âOoh, the Spoiler was right.â
That was the good news.
ââŠBut their numbers are much bigger than we thought.â
âWe only watched from afar, but thereâs at least five hundred of them.â
âItâs gonna be a hard battle.â
That was the bad news.
But Seo Jun-ho had expected this and told the other players, so they werenât surprised. They were impressed again as his suspicions were confirmed.
The players in the north and south were also starting to gather.
âBlack Cow party, seven people. Present.â
âIron Cane party, four people. Here.â
At around lunchtime, all the players in the Gate had gathered in one areaâa rare sight to behold.
âAll the players in a large-scale Gate, gathered togetherâŠâ
âItâs the first time weâve all been together since we first entered.â
ââŠItâs truly amazing. This many people were gathered by just one person.â
They all looked at Seo Jun-ho, who was in black armor and preparing for battle. Heâd helped them more times than they could count. There were many people who wouldnât be standing here without him.
Ignoring their stares, Seo Jun-ho twisted his hip as he stretched.
âAre the preparations complete?â The question was directed at none other than a smiling Cha Min-woo. Heâd been the party leader when they first entered, but at some point, heâd started acting as a sort of deputy; he even seemed to enjoy it.
âThere are three people that are out of commission and two non-combatants were assigned to protect them. Excluding them, all 147 people are here. Weâre ready.â
âThen letâs go.â As Seo Jun-ho spoke, the scouts scattered in all four directions. Seo Jun-ho followed, one hundred players trailing behind him.