Return of the Frozen Player - Chapter 61
Reader settings
font size
A- A+Font type
background color
The Cave of Trials (1)
The floor, walls, and ceiling were all painted gray. It was a bleak expanse.
âContractor, I believe that the Cave of Trials is a place that disciplines your spirit.â
ââŠNo, itâs not usually like this,â Seo Jun-ho muttered, knitting his eyebrows. The last time he had entered, it had been a normal-looking cave.
If I look at the message⊠Is it a problem because this is my second time entering?
Then what would happen to him? He tilted his head.
Riiip! The space ripped open, and a gentleman stepped out. He wore chestnut-brown dress shoes and a gray frock coat. He wore a top hat reminiscent of an old English gentleman. The brim was wide, so Seo Jun-ho couldnât see his face clearly.
Tak, tak. He tapped his cane on the ground.
⊠âHello. I am the 1st Floor Administrator, Gray,â he said politely.
ââŠ1st Floor Administrator? Does that mean youâre Earthâs god?â
Gray laughed lightly at his question and shook his head.
⊠âOf course not. I was simply ordered by them to manage the 1st floor⊠You can think of me as a civil servant of sorts.â
âBut if you manage Earth, doesnât that make you something of a god?â
⊠âItâs different. I didnât even know this planet existed until about thirty years ago. Additionally, I only manage Gates, monsters, and floors.â He cut himself off and smiled brightly. âAnyhow, seeing a familiar face is a small joy.â
âYou know me?â
⊠âOf course. Player Specter. Iâve been watching you for thirty years. Itâs late, but congratulations on your return.â
ââŠThank you.â
Seo Jun-ho didnât even know such a being existed, but the Administrator seemed to know him. It was a strange feeling.
âDo you know who I am?â
⊠âThereâs no reason I wouldnât. You are Niflheimâs Queen, the sovereign who controls all the cold in the world.â
âC-contractorâŠâ Her voice shook as she pulled on Seo Jun-hoâs hair. âDid you hear that? You heard that, right? The Floor Administrator knows who I am!â
ââŠHe knows me too.â He ignored her haughtiness and got straight to the point. âSo, where is this place?â
⊠âItâs a virtual space that I created to meet you. Thereâs a problem, you see.â Gray held out his hand, and a thick book appeared. The book fluttered open on its own, stopping on a certain page.
⊠âMhm, I was right. It says in the record that Specter-nim entered the Cave of Trials 28 years, 7 months, 16 days, 13 hours and 32 minutes ago.â Tap. He closed the book. âAnd those who have received the rewards from the Cave cannot enter a second time. You are aware, correct?â
âYes. But Iâm not Specter anymore. Iâm Seo Jun-ho.â
⊠âThe nature of your existence does not change simply because you change your name.â
âBut what if I donât have the rewards?â
⊠ââŠWhat do you mean?â
âI mean exactly what I said. I donât have the rewards I received from the Cave of Trials. Not a single one.â He spread his arms as if to prove his point.
⊠âHm?â Gray sounded curious. He took off his hat, revealing his narrow, closed eyes. âLet me seeâŠâ He smiled with his eyes and opened them slightly. At the same time, Seo Jun-ho felt like a bug was crawling across his body.
Heâs examining me. He felt like a rat being observed by a viper.
⊠ââŠâŠâ Gray was silent for a moment before he closed his eyes again. âSo itâs true.â
He put on his hat again and slowly started to tap on the floor with his cane.
Tak, tak, tak.
⊠âThis is quite the predicament. You have entered the Cave of Trials⊠Yet you do not currently possess its rewards.â
âAccording to the rules, thereâs no reason why I shouldnât be able to enter.â
⊠âThatâs not untrue. But I will be the one to make that decision as the Administrator.â He said this politely, but he was warning Seo Jun-ho to wait until he made his decision. About a minute passed, and Gray finally stopped tapping.
⊠âHmm. The problem lies in fairness. Youâve already entered the Cave of Trials, so you know what kind of challenges will appear. I think that itâs unfair to other players.â
âThen how about you raise the difficulty to balance it out?â Seo Jun-ho asked.
⊠ââŠYou wish to raise the difficulty? Are you sure you will be able to handle that?â
âI have to, if thatâs the only way I can enter.â Gray chuckled at his dry response.
⊠âI donât know if youâre honest or just childishâŠâ He laughed for a while and nodded happily. âUnderstood. Youâve entertained me plenty in the past, so you deserve this level of service.â
Tak. Gray tapped his cane once more.
⊠âWith the authority of the 1st Floor Administrator, I will allow Seo Jun-ho-nim to enter once more. However, I will change the difficulty and the subject of the Trials a bit,â he declared.
âIt doesnât matter.â
⊠âI hope you have fun, then.â With his elegant goodbye, Gray turned to leave, but the Frost Queen interrupted him.
âWait. Can you tell me why I lost my memories?â
⊠ââŠMemories, you say.â He turned his head. âIâm not sure. But everything happens for a reason. I think it will be alright even if you donât find them again.â
âIâm asking because itâs frustrating.â
⊠âI cannot say anything about that. Iâm busy, so goodbye.â Gray turned around again, and he stepped through a rip in space. The Frost Queen watched him disappear.
ââŠI cannot tell what he is thinking.â
âHe seemed to know you. Do you have no memory of him?â
âThatâs why itâs even more frustrating. I recall nothing about the floors.â She let out a soft sigh and looked up at him. âAnyways, it turned out well for you. We didnât ride the floaty-float here for nothing.â
By âfloaty-floatâ, she meant the airplane.
âItâs a good thing that we were able to resolve this.â
Seo Jun-ho closed his eyes. When he opened them again, the area around him had changed; they were inside of a cool, humid cave. It looked just as he remembered.
âI heard that there are ten levels. What kind of Trials appear?â
âUm⊠I canât really tell you in detail.â Seo Jun-ho paused, then sighed. âBut this Gate has everything you can imagine,â he muttered.
The Cave of Trials was divided into ten levels, and the mechanics were simple.
As the system message rang, numerous balls formed inside the cavern. They were blue spheres of different sizes.
âThis seems too easy.â
âThatâs because itâs level 1. Itâs like a tutorial,â Seo Jun-ho replied lazily, arms crossed. He pushed his magic outward.
Pop! Pop! Pop!Â
The cave was filled with the loud popping noises. It sounded like dozens of balloons were being popped. It took him twelve seconds to pop all the balls in the large cavern.
âNot bad. Of course, I would have been able to do it in less than a second.â
âStop bluffing. You lie every time you open your mouth,â Seo Jun-ho snorted.
His answer was obvious. âGo.â
One of the walls shone brightly, and a door appeared. Inside were food, drinks, a bed, and a bathroom.
âContractor, you are not planning to rest already, are you?â
ââCourse not.â
He wasnât even warmed up yet. âContinue to level 2.â
âKeukâŠ!â
In this Trial, the force of gravity on the body changed every minute.
Right now⊠Itâs a little heavy. It was about five times the force he usually felt.
Just like this, the force would change as many as sixty times in an hour. Last time, it lasted for five hoursâŠÂ Who knew what would happen this time.
After one minute passed, his body started to float in the air.
âGeez, why does this always happen to me?â
He floated in the air with a nauseous expression until the gravity changed again.
âContractor, you should not pass up this valuable opportunity.â
âOpportunity?â He wasnât sure what she meant.
âThere wonât be many times in your life where you will be under such strenuous circumstances.â She sounded excited. âYou should train.â
ââŠIn this state? It might look easy, butâGah!â
The gravity changed again, and Seo Jun-hoâs body fell to the ground with a loud slam.
Eight times stronger!Â
It was hard to even look up, but the Frost Queen was relentless.
âA strong body comes from a strong mind.â
âSo youâre telling me toâŠÂ Huff, huff.â It took much more effort than usual to simply talk. His lungs strained to help him breathe. âDo push-ups or something?â
âThatâs not a bad idea either.â The Frost Queen looked around the cavern. âAnd once you become accustomed to the weight, you should start running.â
âYouâre crazy.â He thought that she was being unreasonable.
âIf youâre able to move freely no matter how light or heavy your body is, it will be extremely helpful in the future.â
âEasier said than done.â
âI will not force you to do it. Iâm simply suggesting a path you can take to become stronger.â
Ultimately, it was up to Seo Jun-ho himself.
ââŠDammit,â he grumbled. If she put it like that, he had no choice but to do it. He didnât want to give up a chance to get stronger simply because he was scared of tiring out.
âHnnnn!â He put all his strength into his arms and slowly pushed off the ground. His whole body trembled. He couldnât even go up all the way. He wanted to let go and lay back down.
ButâŠ
Even though Seo Jun-ho didnât trust the Frost Queen yet, heâd learned in the past two weeks that her methods were effective.
I have no choice but to follow.
Eyes full of spite, Seo Jun-ho slowly lowered his body.
The level 2 Trial lasted for 24 hours.
* * *
Seo Jun-ho didnât have the strength to speak. He laid on the ground, staring up at the cavern ceiling.
âContractor, you look exhausted.â
ââŠâŠâ He tried to say with his eyes that he was really fucking tired, but he also tried to relay his thanks.
The Cave of Trials rewards the player based on their effort. The Trial had lasted much longer than last time, and he had also trained during it.
The force of gravity returned to normal, and Seo Jun-ho felt three times lighter than usual. Once he leaves the Cave, the rewards would make him even stronger.
ââŠPhew.â After a long while, he finally stood up.
âContractor, what is the next Trial?â
ââŠThe Phantom Trial.â His face was grim. The Phantom Trial showed players hallucinations. In the past, heâd seen his parents.
I fought like crazy to save them from monsters. Heâd suffered for half a day until it was finally over.
At his current state, he wasnât worried about fighting for half a day. He was worried about something else.
âWhy are you looking at me? I feel as if you are boring a hole through my head.â
âŠI feel like itâs either going to be her or the others this time. I donât know if Iâll be able to handle it.
He had a strong feeling that he would have to fight either the Frost Queen or his four friends.
It would be a lot easier if it were the Frost Queen⊠But I feel like itâs gonna be my friends.
And because of Keen Intuition (B), heâd never been wrong about these things.