The Frozen Player Returns

Chapter 298. Outland (4)

Guladin calmly started to make his move like a chess player who had considered all possible situations.

He was the commander of the battlefield. Guladin tormented Seo Jun-Ho nonstop.

And that wasn’t all…

Using the locations of the dead fiends, he located Gilberto Green.

Guladin had been mistaken when he thought that Gilberto couldn’t snipe, as they were in a forest. After all, Gilberto wasn’t some rookie who would be hindered by such obstacles.

Guladin smiled wickedly and watched over the battle.

Seo Jun-Ho hadn’t been able to move a single step away for a while. Gilberto started to turn his attention to the fiends who had surrounded him like clouds after he was found.

“It’s over.”

Guladin slowly opened his eyes. Sweat dripped from his body like rain. Processing the information and emotions of hundreds of people at once was no easy task.

“Bring it here,” he ordered. As soon as the words left his mouth, his subordinates brought him ice, along with a cold drink.

After taking a small break, Guladin returned to the battlefield once more.

As Mind Knot (A) activated again, all the thoughts and information flooded into his head.

They were his enemies, but he couldn’t help but commend them for doing so much damage within his newly perfected Heaven’s Net.

Unfortunately, he had to kill them when the opportunity arrived. Guladin made up his mind and started to pull his net tighter.

“I suppose the 5 Heroes and the Rising Star are only at this level,” he remarked.

The battle wasn’t very satisfying. It was dull, as it ended before his interest was even piqued.

Perhaps one of the beasts like Kim Woo-Joong or Shin Sung-Hyun…

Guladin was imagining what it would be like if he were fighting one of them instead.

Unless the fiend suffered a heart attack, there was no reason why they were dead. Guladin felt a sense of foreboding.

“...!” The strands in that area were severed one after another.

No, that was impossible. The coachman had definitely only brought two people with him. Moreover, Guladin himself had checked several times to see if someone else was following them.

If there was another one, he only had to kill them, too. Feeling good about himself, Guladin spread his net again to try and catch his trapped opponents.

He made his decisions at a moment’s notice and sent his orders without hesitation. After all, he had never made a wrong decision before.

But just then, someone else was killed in a completely different location.

Just when? Just how had they followed them?

Frustrated, Guladin sent fiends in that direction.

Guladin was completely dumbfounded. He felt like he was dealing with a ghost. But as the fiends kept dying, he was reminded of the harsh reality.

“Those crazy bastards…” Guladin cursed. He felt completely powerless as if both his hands and feet were severed.

This meant he was losing in this game of wits.

He had always liked to shake things up on the battlefield as the commander, but now, his pride withered.

“Who…” He opened his crimson eyes and stared into the dark forest. “Who the hell are you?”

***

The dawn’s white mist blanketed the dark forest, and there were two fiends were dashing through it. They were number 98 and 222.

“We can meet up with 300 over there.”

“Okay. Say, had the forest always been this foggy?”

For a moment, neither of them could speak. Even though they were in a forest in the middle of the night, it was strange for there to be mist cold enough to send a shiver down their spines.

“Hey.” Sensing that something was off, 98 was about to warn the other to be careful.

A strange sound came from the side. 98 reflexively turned toward the noise, and their eyes widened.

222 had frozen over, but they were still in a running posture.

No, they couldn’t be saved. The light had already faded from 222’s eyes. They died as soon as they froze over.

All of a sudden, something from behind them snatched them up by the neck.

“...!”

Their vocal cords froze, and the only sound that came out of their mouth was their breathing. 98 had noiselessly followed after their partner into the netherworld.

“How annoying…” the Frost Queen muttered. She was sitting on a nearby branch, controlling the ice golem. “I am tired and hungry.”

She was having a heavy craving for sweets, perhaps because it had been a while since she fought. Frankly, there hadn’t been many times when she had to join in on the battle like this after establishing a contract with Seo Jun-Ho.

But now, it seemed that her Contractor was starting to employ her in battles for real. And it meant that her happy days were over; all that awaited her was suffering.

She let out a long sigh and moved her finger slightly. The golem fell apart with a crumbling noise and disappeared into the mist.

A moment later, 300 appeared. They were supposed to meet up with 98 and 222.

“...They’re dead.”

The fiend thoroughly searched the area for a good amount of time; however, they couldn’t find any trace of the ice golem.

“I will ask Contractor for cake as soon as the battle is over,” she decided.

If she was being honest, she was often asking for cake. But today, she more than deserved it.

“I will ask for three of them…” she muttered, her face resolute. She was being as elusive as Hong Gildong.[1] After all, she deserved at least that much.

***

The fiends were apprehensive.

They had surrounded just one enemy, but they couldn’t move recklessly.

“You’re not gonna attack?” Seo Jun-Ho asked flatly. He spun the spear in his left hand. “If not, then I’ll attack first.”

The spear spun as it flew through the air.

A jet-black sword aura followed, cutting off his head.

Seo Jun-Ho knew that a spell was coming from behind him, but he didn’t bother to turn around.

A large and thick wall made of ice blocked the attack.

The fiends’ eyes glinted.

Every fiend quickly charged at Seo Jun-Ho, and their attacks flew toward him at the speed of light. However, as the attacks flew, an azure light filled Seo Jun-Ho’s eyes.

Every fiend and every attack coming toward him slowed down.

“...?!”

“I…can’t…”

“...How?”

Seo Jun-Ho’s sword then severed the heads of the dumbstruck fiends. Whenever he used this power, no one could block even a single strike of his. The power’s only flaw was that it consumed a lot of magic power, but right now, magic power wasn’t a huge issue for him. After all, the energy circulating within him was as boundless as the ocean.

Seo Jun-Ho severed the heads of the fiends as if they were scarecrows made of straws.

Guladin knew from the beginning that the Squadron members couldn’t keep up with his level of skill. That was why he kept jabbing at Seo Jun-Ho like this, sending only four to five fiends at a time.

The trap was set, and he would be captured as soon as he used up his energy. It was like using hunting dogs to rip the enemy’s throat apart, rather than using one’s own power to deal with the enemy.

Sending Frost out into the battlefield had been a complete game changer. If it weren’t for her, he would have had no idea how many more hours he would have to fight.

Seo Jun-Ho inhaled. He could feel it on his skin.

The rope wrapped tightly around his neck was starting to loosen. At this point, he was confident that he could easily tear it all apart.

“Now, then…”

The area around him was littered with corpses. He walked up to the smartest-looking one. Seo Jun-Ho’s eyes glinted as he read his memories.

“Guladin…You’re over there, aren’t you?”

The net was starting to loosen, and he had even discovered their leader’s location. There was no more reason to waste energy going in circles with the enemy. He withdrew the saw-toothed sword from his Inventory and kicked off of the ground into a sprint, trying to force his way out of the net. As he did, dozens of hidden fiends came pouring out like a swarm of bees.

Seo Jun-Ho kept moving while swinging his sword. Full of magic, the sword gave a deep hum as Seo Jun-Ho twisted his body.

Swords, spears, shields, armor, trees, flesh, and bones…The saw-toothed sword cut through everything it met without a single exception.

And Guladin was the most astounded by Seo Jun-Ho’s impossible speed as the latter approached him.

“H-how is this possible?!”

The ghost on the battlefield had distracted him for a brief moment, but during that time, Seo Jun-Ho had escaped his trap.

Astonished, thick beads of sweat dripped from Guladin’s forehead. He was filled with an indescribable emotion as he instinctively opened his eyes wide.

He stared into the dark forest while trembling.